I could feel the atmosphere had shifted. I turned my head to look at my friends, but they all had disgusted looks on their faces. Their expressions screamed: Oh no, not him, please!
"Alright, introduce yourselves and say your powers as if you were meeting for the first time!" said Kayne.
"Hi, my name is Marvens, nice to meet you. My power is imagination," I said with a forced smile.
"I'm Komi. My power is weather. I control everything related to it. I hope we get along," she said with a smile just as fake as mine.
"My name's Katia, nice to meet you," she said in a cold tone.
"I'm Juan. My power is copy. I can use my opponent's power. I suggest you don't provoke me, or things will go very badly for you," he said arrogantly.
After we finished introducing ourselves, Seth said with a huge grin:
"HAHAHA, I can tell I'm going to have a lot of fun here!"
"Alright, now that introductions are done, we're moving on to our usual training. You're going to run the same course as always, do one hundred push-ups, one hundred sit-ups, and one hundred squats. Then, each of you will fight Seth, one by one!"
"Why do we have to fight him? Is he really that strong?" asked Juan.
"You'll find out what his power is by fighting him. If the first person figures it out, the other three won't have to fight. And if none of you figure it out, he'll tell you himself. As for how strong he is… that'll be up to you to judge," said Kayne, clearly excited.
With that, we headed outside to start the run.
"Ready? Go!"
Just like during the week when Kayne started training with us, he was still impossible to catch. But only Katia and I were in the lead. I'd even say Seth was all the way at the back.
"Tell me, Marvens, are you okay with Seth joining our group?" Katia asked me.
"Honestly, not really, especially after what happened the day you introduced yourself. But I'm thinking maybe we'll manage to get along with him—maybe even become friends! What about you? What do you think of him?" I asked her.
"Hmm, I get your point of view, but I really have a bad feeling about him. He doesn't seem to have the same ideals as us. I'd even say he looks like a psycho when he smiles. But hey, maybe you're right. Even if it's unlikely, maybe we'll become friends over time."
"I hope so. Anyway—"
Before I could even finish my sentence, I caught sight of Seth coming up behind us out of the corner of my eye.
"Done gossiping, losers?" he said, passing us with a huge toothy grin.
"You see? That's exactly the kind of attitude that makes me think there's no chance we'll ever get along!" Katia said angrily.
She sped up to try to pass him.
"Hey, wait up!" I shouted, speeding up too.
By the end of the run, the order had shifted a bit. From first to last it went: Kayne, me, Seth, Katia, Juan, and Komi. As usual, Juan collapsed on the ground gasping, complaining that we deserved a break. Despite picking up speed when Seth passed her, Katia didn't manage to overtake him. But when Seth and I were neck and neck before I pulled ahead, he said something strange:
"Why can't I do it?"
From what I saw, his eyes were glowing, meaning he had activated his power. One thing's for sure—it's not speed!
"Alright, everyone's here! Do you have any idea what Seth's power is?" asked Kayne.
"No!" we all replied in unison.
Seth was smiling. I'm pretty sure he was holding back from insulting us.
"I figured. You'll find out during the fights. Anyway, let's move on to muscle training!" declared Kayne, visibly pumped.
We didn't talk during the exercises. But I noticed something odd: at first, Seth was kind of slow with his push-ups and sit-ups, but the more he did, the faster he got. In the end, he finished all his exercises before anyone else—even Kayne.
"Alright, let's head back and start the fights!" said Kayne.
We walked back to our training room.
"So, who wants to go first?" asked Seth.
"I do," replied Juan.
They stepped into the center of the room to begin.
"Good luck," said Seth, holding out his hand.
"I don't need it. But you better start praying," Juan shot back, shaking his hand.
The fight began as they got into position. Their eyes lit up, signaling that their powers had been activated.
"ARGH! ARE YOU DONE BACKING UP? COME HERE SO I CAN SMASH YOUR FACE IN!" yelled Juan.
"From your attitude, I'm guessing you're pretty weak. But don't worry, you must have some potential if Kayne agreed to train you."
"Hey, I suggest you stop acting cocky," Juan said, seriously.
From what I could tell, Seth was trying to throw Juan off by provoking him. He didn't block attacks—he dodged them.
"Alright, you're right, I should come at you," said Seth.
He advanced, arms hanging, no guard at all. He started walking faster until he broke into a run. Juan looked caught off guard seeing his opponent charge him like that.
"Here, eat this!" Juan yelled, throwing a punch.
Seth dodged with a simple head movement, hooked his leg behind Juan's, spun around, and slipped behind him. Then he went for a powerful strike to the neck, whispering with a psycho smile:
"You're too slow."
Juan narrowly dodged and leapt back. His face said it all—Seth was no ordinary opponent.
"Did I underestimate you?" Seth asked, surprised.
"Seriously? You thought you'd get me with a hit that slow?" Juan laughed. But his face betrayed his worry.
"Alright, let's end this!" yelled Seth, dashing at Juan with blazing speed.
Juan immediately took a defensive stance, ready to strike at any opening. Seth clenched his fist and faked a punch to the face. Juan fell for the feint and braced for a block. But at the last second, Seth spun again and slipped behind him. One sharp strike to the back of the neck, and Juan collapsed.
"The fight is over! The winner is… Seth!" announced Kayne proudly.
"ARGH! No way… Not like that…" groaned Juan.
"You fought well, don't worry. You're just not at my level," said Seth with a smug grin.
"Don't mock me!" Juan growled, getting back up.
He clenched his fists and tried to hit Seth again. But right before the punch landed, Kayne appeared between them and stopped it with his bare hand.
"I said the fight was over, didn't I?" he said, locking eyes with Juan.
Juan pulled his fist back from Kayne's hand and walked back to us.
"You got lucky. Next time, I'll win!"
"Keep dreaming," replied Seth.
"Don't argue, it's only the first day!" Kayne chimed in, sounding fake-disappointed. In truth, he was just trying to provoke Juan even more.
"So, Juan, did you figure out what Seth's power is?" asked Kayne.
"No… But it must be strongly tied to some kind of physical change."
"You're partly right. So you're not that dumb after all," said Seth with a smug smirk.
"Alright, who's next? Komi or Katia?"
"I think I'll pass," they both said, sounding totally unbothered.
"I'll give it a shot," I said.
"Alright, get in position," said Kayne.
"Good luck," said Seth, offering his hand.
"Good luck," I replied, shaking it.
"Hey, Vens, can you hear me?" I asked mentally.
"Yes. What do you want?" he replied.
"You think you've figured out his power?"
"Of course. But you'll have to figure it out on your own. The only advice I'll give you: try to end the fight quickly."
Quickly? What did he mean? Should I just attack nonstop?
"Alright, begin!" shouted Kayne.
I charged at Seth right away, without using my power. Just like with Juan, he kept his distance.
Quick—I need an idea if I want to end this fast!
Suddenly, something came to me.
I activated my eyes and imagined my left arm coated in antimatter and my right arm surrounded by soft flames. I closed in on Seth and, once within range, clapped my hands while aiming at him—sending a blast of explosive fire straight into his gut. Seth dropped.
"The fight is over!" declared Kayne.
Good thing I listened to Vens. I knew that if I hadn't used that combo of powers, I probably would've lost.
Seth got back up slowly, this time with a genuine smile, no madness in sight.
"You're really strong. But I think I would've beaten you if I'd known you could create and control antimatter. Great fight," he said.
"Alright, Marvens, did you figure out Seth's power?" asked Kayne.
"Uh…"
"Don't worry. You'll find out soon enough," said Seth.
Just when we thought it was over, Kayne spoke up again:
"But before you leave, I have an announcement to make."
"Another new recruit?" asked Katia.
"Of course not! This time, I'm announcing that for the first time ever, our academy has been selected for a tournament featuring the ten best academies in the world!"
From the excitement in his voice, I could tell the event was just around the corner… and that we were going to have to train even harder.
I hope it won't be too difficult… I thought.