The First Measure

" Sinbad you are aware that you have no ability, right? Even though you've gone through training for a few weeks or so, you're still powerless. " Marco asked.

" I'm aware of that! " Sinbad replied.

" You know your not superhuman, and there's a good chance that once they figure that out, they'll be much more cocky. "

" I know. "

" Alright, I'm glad that you know. The first task I'll give you is to attack Benjamin. I'm sure you probably have a bad relationship with Benny, and that'll be your chance to get back. "

Sinbad was a little shocked, and a nervous sweat rolled down his cheek.

" Huh? He beat the shit out of me last time, though. I'm not sure if I can do this.. "

" Sinbad. You won't progress onto the next lesson if you don't complete this, alright? "

Sinbad sighed and nodded.

" Good! Now, get going. Also, a bit of a warning. If his sister catches you beating him, then it'll be troublesome for you, alright? "

" Ah, alright! "

. . . .

. . .

. .

.

The next day, Sinbad was a little bit fearful, but eventually, he caught Benjamin walking alone. It was the exact time to strike.

He crept up on him, being as silent as possible, but he was presented with a rough back kick.

Sinbad was alarmed, but stood up from the hit.

" Are you trying to get revenge, Sinbad? I already told you, it was nothing personal. Plus, that was like.. a month ago! "

Benny said, with a light smile on his face. It was a mocking gaze, and he quickly turned back around.

Sinbad would've stopped there, if it was the old him. But, he had a little bit of determination in him.

" Don't turn your back on me, bastard. I'll leave your face on the ground, right now. "

Sinbad was scared as hell after saying that, but it was the only way he could get a fair fight out of Benny. It seemed wrong to sneak someone, and even though it would give him a winning advantage, it just didn't feel right.

" Alright, boy. You asked for this, alright? "

Benny dashed at him, with his palm out. He had a sinister smile, and his eyes were wide open, as if he was trying to observe everything around him. It was ironic, since he was fighting so horribly.

Sinbad initially was frozen in fear as he remembered what had happened last time, but he quickly snapped out of it.

He grabbed the wrist of Benny's hand as it was reaching him, and was about to flip him over.

The chill wrapped around Sinbad's arm, sending him back. Benny had activated his ability.

" Ah, that would've been messy, huh? Good thing you're the only late-bloomer in this school! " Benny laughed, running after Sinbad.

Sinbad was wondering what he could do. Even in such a fast moment, he was analyzing everything. There were no signs of what he would use next to hit. His legs? If Sinbad dodged, he would be open for another attack, and Benny does seem to be faster than him.

What if he blocked? He could still be open for another attack. So, it's simple. Defense was not an option. Attack was.

Sinbad extended his foot, kicking Benny in the face. Benny was still shocked by the strike, moving back a little bit. Sinbad didn't use this moment to waste, and followed up with a punch at Benny's jaw. First the right, then the left.

Benny nearly fell, but managed to get back up. Sinbad shook the blood off his hands.

" Hm. I guess I underestimated you, then. I'll have to go serious then. "

Benny activated his ability, with his hand starting to form crystals of ice. There were spikes at his knuckles, and he took another dash. It wasn't a sprint, it was a single forward leap, and he was ready to strike at Sinbad.

Benny threw a strike so fast, it could be compared to a bullet. Sinbad narrowly dodged it, and grabbed Benny's arm, restricting its movement. Sinbad was sweating a bit from the near-death incident, but he regained his composure, going for a slam.

A shard of ice came hurdling at Sinbad, several times faster than the strike that Benny threw. He managed to dodge it, even more narrowly than the last.

" You dare to attack my brother? "

Sinbad looked up, it was Shelly, Benjamin's brother. Marco had warned him about this. Before he could even try to convince her not to attack him, or do anything at all, another icicle came towards Sinbad. It cut through the air, slamming into Sinbad's shoulder.

If it had been any sharper, his arm would've definitely been gone.

Sinbad was blown away from impact, but he managed to stop himself from getting too far back, and regaining his composure. As he was standing up, Benjamin came in for a kick.

It was a horrible kick, only backed up with strength.

Sinbad easily caught his leg, and pushed down at him, sending him into the ground. He prepared a single strike to knock him out, and there was one less opponent.

" You.... you dare to attack my brother when I am around? If I wasn't here, I would've let it slide, but you do this while I'm watching you. Do you even know who I am? " Shelly ranted, with anger in her voice.

" Uh... No? "

Sinbad said with a slight laugh. He was more confident than ever, now beating Benjamin. But, that confidence was gone in a few seconds.

Shelly decided to quit with her long-range attacks and just went at Sinbad. She was faster, and stronger than him by several amounts.

She threw a horrible punch. Despite it being horrible, it was so fast that it could be seen as perfect. It landed at Sinbad's gut.

As soon as she struck, she retracted her hand, going for another punch in the face. To Sinbad, it seemed that his nose was broken.

Then, she spun around, landing a back kick at his chest. This hit sent Sinbad to the ground.

His vision was blurry, and his eyes were covered with blood. He slowly recovered, trying to get up, but he was only met with another punch.

Shelly had been on top of him, giving him a bloody beatdown. She only stopped once she felt like it.

" Haah. Not even worth my time. "

She stood up and wiped the blood off her hands with a handkerchief, and walked off.

[Sinbad's POV]

Here I am. On the floor, again. This is too similar, right? To all those times? But, at least I beat Benny. Marco's finally going to move on to the next part of the lesson.

I wasn't really walking, more so.. trudging. I trudged across the rock pathway. My wounds allowed the warm air to seep in, as if the wind was one with me. Despite such a beautiful scenery I was in, with beautiful flowers, and the buzzing of crickets, I wasn't happy. I was disappointed.

" Sinbad? "

I turned around. It was Arlette. At first, she seemed to be happy and smiling in a good mood, but once she had seen my face, her demeanor dropped.

" Ah, hey, Arlette- "

I was a little shocked and startled by her response. She had hugged me tightly, so tight that I felt some of my circulation being cut. After the shock went by, I hugged her back, much lighter than she had done to me.

" Sinbad, can't you get out of trouble just for a little bit? You'll kill yourself like this! "

Even though I didn't see her face, it was obvious she was crying.

Sinbad, you bastard. How could you make a girl like this cry?

" I'll be leaving for a few... Arlette. "

" What? You can't leave, Sinbad. "

" I have to. It'll only be for 2 months or so. "

" 2.. months? Who am I supposed to talk to while you're gone? "

" I can't be your only friend, you know. "

" Says you! "

" Just.. focus on your studies, alright? "

" Okay. "

Then, I left her. Marco had said I would be with him for 2 months, and I wouldn't be in school. I already told the headmaster about it, and he agreed to it.

Seriously, I'll miss her. I think the hardest part of Marco's training will be that. Every single day, I can't stop thinking about her.

I decided to turn around to see what she was doing. She only nodded, and smiled. Damn it! Could a person be this cute? Just leaving her presence makes me angry.