Chapter 7: The Beast Within

The teams get a feel for their new powers slowly. I am only able to turn into smaller animals, but other teams should be struggling in much the same way as we are. I focus my mind, imagine myself becoming a small cat, and find my body beginning to shrink. My mouth tastes different, my eyes see in a disorienting way, and I have fur all over my body. However, I feel more flexible and dexterous, even if it has the cost of being weak. Soren had been concentrating but looks up for a moment, "You're getting the hang of this quickly, Ain. I always wondered what it was like for others to watch me transform. I must say this experience has been eye-opening, to say the least."I change back to a human, feeling the odd sensation of my body returning to its original form. "Thanks, Soren. It's definitely strange, but I'm starting to get the hang of it. How are you doing with my power?" Soren nods, a hint of a smile on his face. "It's getting easier. I'm starting to understand how to manipulate emotions. It's like tuning into different frequencies." He looks at me, and I feel a sudden surge of confidence wash over me. "Did that work?"I grin. "Yeah, it did. That's the right touch. Can't be too aggressive with your control." We continue practicing, adjusting to our new abilities and finding a rhythm. The room is filled with students experimenting and occasionally failing, but there's a determination in the air that keeps everyone pushing forward. Mr. Nakamura's voice cuts through the noise. "All right, everyone, gather around. It's time for the first round of the tournament. The first matchup for today's event is Ain and Soren vs. Mika and Luca." Whispers started circulating. It seems I was beginning to get more popular than I cared to admit. Kaiser slapped me on the back from behind a bit harder than expected, "You better not lose in the first round, dumbass, or I'll have to clock you myself. Can't have you giving our dorm a bad rep, can we? Plus, I gotta kick your ass myself. Been itching to have a go at you."I shrug a bit smugly, "Relax, Kai. I'll make sure to win, just so you can have the pleasure of losing to me. I would start practicing your excuses when we beat you in the finals." He laughed a bit, then I noticed Soren give a small sigh of nervousness. I smiled at him, "I am serious. We got a huge advantage here. We have a decent grasp of each other's powers now, I would say." Soren nodded, "I'm a bit nervous, but I trust you. Let's do our best." Students shuffled out of the way. The training room is a decently big room, but it's not wide; it's mostly just very long. Mats are spread out all over the room with cushions on all the walls. Mr. Nakamura already assured us the area would be safe for any sparring we do, so I won't need to hold back.Luca was a boy with long silver hair and purple eyes, his academy outfit very loose on his body, but his face was young-looking and full of vitality. He looked like he could go training in the mountains, and it wouldn't be out of place. Next to the calm Luca was the cutesy girl Mika. She had pink hair and deep amber eyes. Her hair was put in two small bows, and her academy uniform had a bunch of cute pins on them. They were almost a bit childlike. She seemed like she would sell me strawberry shortcake at a bake sale, not someone I would expect to be fighting. Regardless, we had to bring our A-game. From what I know of these two from class, Mika had a sound-based ability. From what I remember, she could amplify things like her own voice or other sounds. Luca, on the other hand, could essentially create quakes in the ground; he had a sort of vibration-based power.Since their powers were swapped, they would be less effective, but I had a suspicion their powers worked well together. The tournament was set to begin, and the atmosphere in the training room buzzed with anticipation. Mr. Nakamura's voice echoed across the room, signaling the start of the match. "Ain and Soren vs. Mika and Luca, step forward. Remember, this is a test of adaptation and teamwork. You may begin!" With that signal, Mika was the first to step forward in a cutesy way, although her eyes remained focused as she yelled at Luca, "Just like we practiced." She clapped her hands together, and the ground beneath us began to tremble. It was a small quake, but enough to throw off our balance. Soren stumbled, but I managed to stay upright, quickly shifting into a cat to maintain my balance and agility. I was quickly getting comfortable with some of the smaller transformations."Luca, now!" Mika shouted, her voice echoing through the room. Luca, harnessing Mika's amplified sound ability, let out a piercing scream that resonated through the training room, causing a painful ringing in my ears. I winced, my sensitive feline ears picking up every decibel. Shit, that backfired stupidly bad as I fell onto my back, clutching my pulsing ears. Another tremor is sent my way, knocking me back and knocking the wind out of me. I turn back into a human. I yell, "Soren, please back up!" Soren regains his footing and begins emotion manipulation on Mika, who loses some of her focus. It would appear he upped her anxiety. That little delay was enough for me to begin running toward Luca at full speed.Luca notices me and tries to direct his sounds at me. He begins yelling, but I begin my transformation already. I turn into a snake, hoping my lack of ears would protect me from the harsh sounds. I slithered swiftly across the floor, aiming to wrap around Luca's legs and immobilize him. As I coiled around him, I felt the vibrations of another impending quake. I tightened my grip around Luca. I turned into a boa constrictor, which is adept at turning even humans into putty once they get a hold of you. Mika wasn't quite down for the count; she decided to launch a last-ditch quake at Soren. It's bigger than the last two and knocks him completely off his feet, breaking his concentration.Mika smiles triumphantly, "Luca, I got one. Hold on for a moment; I will get you out of there." She approaches me. I feel my nerves begin to spike as she looms over me, ready to quake my entire body. That is when it occurs to me that I was a sitting duck right now. If she quaked my snake body point-blank, I would be toast. It would rupture me from the inside. Fear crept into my body. Shit, this was it. We would lose. I got too cocky; I should have taken this fight slower. Just as I am thinking that, I feel a calmness overtake me. The source is Soren. He still seems to be in the fight, albeit on his knees. I read his lips, "Don't give up. Not yet!" He's right. Damn, I never thought my own power would be comforting me right now. I begin to resolve myself. I needed something bigger, something that could turn this for us right here, right now.Just as her slender fingers were about to touch me, I pictured myself turning into a feral beast. My muscles expanded, my teeth grew sharper, my hair grew all over. I turned into a gorilla, my powerful arms reaching out to grab Mika. Her eyes widened in surprise my grip tight around her arm, and she stumbled back, her concentration broken. I threw her to the floor, the breath getting knocked out of her. Luca was not any luckier. I grappled his shoulders, his face going pale, and threw him into the training room wall. Luca yelled out, "Agh!" He slumped against the wall. Mika tried to counter, but Soren backed me up; he overwhelmed her with anxiety. She froze in place. Once I saw that, my animal instincts took over. I pounded my chest and yelled out. Before I could continue, Mr. Nakamura chimed in, "That's enough!" Mr. Nakamura's voice cut through the chaos, commanding and clear. "Ain and Soren win this match."I turned back into a human again. I was a bit beaten up, but it was mostly just minor cuts and bruises from getting blasted around. My body felt a slight bit heavy, but I assumed that was because I used such a big transformation. Soren hobbled over to me. He called out, "Ain, that was amazing! We did it," he said, his voice shaky but triumphant. I called out excitedly, "Yeah, we did. You came through for us. You saved that match; your emotional manipulation was clutch!" He blushed slightly, looking down. "Thanks, Ain. I couldn't have done it without you. Even I can't do that transformation normally. You're a natural."Mika and Luca got up slowly, both looking disappointed but accepting their defeat gracefully. Mika approached us, her earlier fierceness replaced by a reluctant smile. "Good match, you two. You were really impressive." "Thanks, Mika," I said, extending a hand. "You guys were tough opponents. We had to give it our all." Luca nodded in agreement, shaking my hand as well. "We'll get you next time," he said with a determined grin. It was a good idea to always be graceful in victory and defeat I needed a stronger social circle to form around me.Mr. Nakamura clapped his hands again, gathering everyone's attention. "Excellent first match. Ain and Soren, you demonstrated excellent teamwork and adaptation. Mika and Luca, you showed great spirit and strategy. Remember, this tournament is about learning and improving. Even though you lost I will grade you based on your performance. Now, let's prepare for the next matchup." As we walked back to the sidelines, Kaiser gave me a nod of approval. "Not bad, Ain. Not bad at all." I smirked, feeling a surge of confidence. "Told you I'd win. Better start practicing sucking up to me once we destroy you in the finals." Kaiser laughed, shaking his head. "We'll see about that, dumbass. We'll see." The tournament continued, but the first match had set the tone. It was clear that this was going to be a test of not just our powers, but our ability to adapt, strategize, and work together. And Soren and I were ready for whatever came next.