CHAPTER 13-ACADEMY ENTRANCE EXAM

The Next Day

X headed to the second coliseum, right next to the first one, an identical copy of the original arena, where his match would take place. As expected, most of the people were flocking to the other arena, since the battle between Brik and Rose would be much more entertaining than his battle with Goofy. X walked alongside the audience, hiding his face with his robe. The people were too busy conversing about the matches that were to be held that day, that they did not pay him any heed. When he accidentally hit a knight by accident, the knight just asked him if he didn't have eyes. X was very happy with the reactions of the people.

As he walked through the side entrance, that was reserved for the contestants, and entered the armory, X began to wonder how he could defeat Goofy. Unlike Darren, whom he beat by luck, Goofy had actual abilities. To defeat him, X had to make a plan. Unfortunately, he was terrible at making plans. X was thinking of ways to defeat him. Maybe he could melt his skin if it truly behaved just like rubber. The only problem was that there was a shield stopping it, and if his skin did not completely behave like rubber, it would burn and leave him permanently damaged. If he could use Fire Escape to push him away. But that would require more speed. Maybe... X almost missed the announcement. The Tower Master said that the contestants would be entering the arena in his loud booming voice, a sentence he had heard multiple times over the past two days. 

Startled, X walked out with a quick pace, moving his legs stiffly. As he crawled closer to the arena, he looked around and saw that there were barely any people sitting there, all of whom were dismayed by the fact that they missed the good match. X just walked forward, lowering his head to the floor. He climbed the flight of stairs and entered the raised platform. Goofy was standing in front of him, looking abysmally bored. Dusan Sinclair Rubeus floated above the arena, looking at the unenthusiastic audience, and yelled

'Let the second match of the semifinals begin.'

X immediately got into position, knees bent, and the body pushed forward. Taking a deep breath, he waited for the perfect opportunity, where Goofy would try to attack him. But his opponent just stood there. Being heavy, and bouncy meant that he was good at soaking in all the damage, which allowed him to not care about enemy attack. If X had his weapon, he could pressure him, similar to how Jabier almost won the previous battle, but without a non-combustible hatchet, X was doomed to lose. And even if he won, he would probably have to fight Brik, so wouldn't it be better to just jump out of the arena intentionally? But X had not come here to give up, because he did not want to fight his friend. So, taking another deep breath, he muttered

'Fire Escape'

The temperature rose across the coliseum. The audience all got up and looked at the match, finally showing enthusiasm since one of the contestants was on fire. X blazed forward, blackening the stone below him. Rushing forward faster than the wind, the jet of fire collided with Goofy, transforming into a 15-year-old kid, a blast of heat that would have burnt most people. A cloud of dust and steam rose after the collision, and once it settled, X was on the floor, near the edge of the arena, lying down in an awkward position. In the middle of the arena, stood Goofy, absolutely not affected by the attack.

X got up quickly, ready for a counterattack, but Goofy just stood there. He had been pushed back by a few centimeters, but aside from that, he was absolutely not hurt. X realized that since the shield had similar properties to his skin, the shield would not even have been damaged by his attack. Unless he manages to push Goofy out, there would be no way be could win.

'Could you, reduce the temperature, please? I don't like it when it is too hot.'

Goofy spoke, completely oblivious to the mental workout his opponent was doing. X stood still, and as he did, something clicked. When he hit Goofy, he came bouncing back. The only reason he could not push Goofy back was because of his lack of speed, but if he used the speed he gets from bouncing back, he could stack his speed and defeat him. A risky plan, but a plan nonetheless.

X bent forward. Fire Escape. A stream of golden-red flames erupted from the place where he was standing, zooming towards the opponent. He collided with even more force than before, and when the collision happened, X transformed back into a human, trying to control his body. He hit Goofy, and after a moment, bounced right back, much faster than before. Speeding back in his human form, he could feel the pressure of the air on his skin, cutting through the shield. But he couldn't turn back. Landing on his toes right next to the edge of the arena, he pinned like a top, performing a perfect pirouette carrying the force forward. 

'Fire Escape'

X returned back, a jet of flame much faster than before, whizzing through the air. He was less brighter than before, and not as hot, but the speed more than made up for it. When X was about to collide with Goofy again, he turned back into a human, crashing right into him with a force high enough to damage the coliseum. X bounced back, even faster, his hair getting ripped out of his skull by the force of the wind. If X did not manage to defeat Goofy by the next collision, his shield would be broken. So he performed the pirouette again, his toe cracking, the bones on his foot breaking apart by the force of the collision. X returned, a flame moving through the air so fast that most of the audience could not even see it, spluttering from the force of the wind. Too late, Goofy understood his mistake, and threw a punch at X, his arms stretching farther than both his hands should have been able to, screaming something that X could not hear due to his speed.

'Rubber-Rubber pistol'

The punch blasted through the air extremely quickly. But X moved much faster. The punch hit a spot where X had long ago, and a moment later, X was in front of him, transforming back into a human, and hitting Goofy with his shoulder so hard that he lost his grip on the floor. Both the contestants were bouncing out of the arena. In that one moment in which X turned from flame to human, and collided with Goofy, in that one moment, his almost completely intact shield nearly broke from the force of the wind. But Goofy's shield was broken, and his body was partially injured. As medics arrived to carry away the unconscious contestant, Dusan Sinclair Rubeus announced that the victor was X, who had won by a slight margin. But X felt odd. Something was off. He got up, struggling to support himself while the bones on his foot were broken, and glanced around. Not a single person was in the audience. No one.

X limped towards the Headmaster, who glanced at him for a while, and pitying his condition, carried him through the air, using magic to let him float right towards himself. X thought that flight wasn't as cool as he thought it was when Aqua and Dusan Siclair Rubeus did it. It felt oddly familiar, just like most things X could not do. 

'Everyone left when they realized that the arena guards were not paying attention, sneaking into the other arena. I must say, it was quite an impressive strategy you displayed today, which sadly was overshadowed by the spectacle that was shown in the other arena. '

'The other match has finished already? I thought it would take longer since Brik and Rose are similar in strength.'

On hearing this, the Headmaster snickered, and lowered X on the ground, before teleporting away. X braced for the impact, but on hitting the ground, he did not feel much pain. The descent was slow, and Dusan Sinclair Rubeus had probably done something. X limped out of the Coliseum, musing over what just happened. He had won! He was now in the finals. X did not know whether he should feel overjoyed or upset, since he might have to face Brik. But then he recalled how Dusan Sinclair Rubeus had snickered when he brought up the fact that Brik and Rose were nearly equal in power. Maybe, Rose one-punched Brik, and finished the battle. Hopefully, that happens. 

As he walked out, he saw a singular entity standing under the shadow. HEr short cropped brown hair was covered in sweat and blood, and her body was covered in bruises, both small and big. X gulped, took a deep breath, and approached Rose, asking her about how her match was. She replied with a shrug. On making it again, she finally opened her mouth.

'I lost.'

She spoke with happiness, rather than disappointment. She was like a child, saying proudly that she lost to her parents in a sport. She acted like it was a test between a trainer and a student, not a competition between equals. 

'You...lost. I am guessing that it was very close.'

'Well, you could say so. He praised me, and it always felt like an equal fight, until his claws...'

She shuddered and lifted the sleeve of the long tunic she wore. A long, fresh scar ran down the length of her forearm, evidently made by Brik's claws. They managed to break through her shield, and actually damage her. X remembered Dusan Sinclair Rubeus' snicker. Just how strong was Brik? And since Brik won, did that mean... X had to fight Brik. Who was ridiculously strong. And wanted to kill him. Tomorrow. In front of a crowd of adoring fans.

X decided to be upset about his victory.