Twenty-five years before the present events…
The sun shone on Pax and Lux's Gun Academy campus, where a group of students were in the middle of an obstacle trial.
Rod hovered just above the ground and moved with an almost unnatural fluidity. A nimbus of electrical energy surrounded him as he and his classmates leaped over pitfalls, dodged spikes, and used their interlinks to materialize weapons to shoot. It was an exercise after all, and their objective was to shoot pop-up targets that moved from left to right.
In front of them was a wolf-like beast girl that held a noticeable distance from everyone. Her short hair plastered to her forehead with sweat and her school-issued track uniform did little to hide her athletic build when running. Her beast-person heritage gave her an inherent advantage in speed, and she reveled in it.
"LET'S GO! I'm in front of the pack!" she grinned.
She was a model student—perfect aim, mastery of every firearm, and the rare ability to generate a weapon without a verbal command. Winning this race was more than just a victory; it was a validation of her own worth.
Her legs pumped and pushed her body to the limit, but that's when she felt a pressure that built rapidly behind her. She barely had time to react. Rod shot past her like a living lightning bolt.
"AAAH!" she cried out when displaced air hit her face.
Passing her was no big deal. Rod had complete mastery over his power and it showed. He weaved through the remaining obstacles at rapid speeds, materialized a large caliber pistol from his interlink, and shot the first target at point-blank range. A perfect hit.
He repeated the process—one, two, three more targets—all dispatched with blinding speed.
It all concluded when he reached the finish line and his feet screeched to a halt right in front of a teacher.
"Well done Rod, first once again," the instructor dryly said, scribbling some numbers on his clipboard.
Rod remained silent, yet a self-satisfied smile appeared on his face.
It took a few minutes before the wolf-girl stumbled across the finish line, gasping for breath. Then a few more until the rest of the class followed.
"Alright people, keep moving! Next up is sniper practice," the teacher announced, already heading down from the obstacle course platform.
Rod was quick to follow. Yet, he didn't notice the wolf-girl glaring at him.
"He doesn't deserve his wins… all because of that stupid magical power of his," she thought and licked the fur on her palm.
For her and many other students, he needed to be taught a lesson, or at least to be put in his place. This thought had been on her mind for some time now, and the next exercise was her chance. After all, everyone knew that Rod Winger couldn't use a sniper to save his life.
The air was filled with the sharp crack of sniper rifles at the shooting range on the edge of the campus. Some students hit their mark, some missed, but it was painfully obvious that Rod was among the worst.
He stood at his station in silence before generating the same pistol he'd used on the obstacle course and lifting it, aiming steadily at the red dot in the center of the wooden target.
The man was about to fire until a deafening "BANG!" erupted from the station beside him: A perfect shot that obliterated the target to his right. Rod turned to where it originated and was met by the sight of a stunning cheetah-girl leaning over her rifle.
Her toned muscles were lightly visible through her uniform and her short hair swayed in the breeze, framing a face he instantly found beautiful. Her brown fur, her even darker hair, her sharp nails, and her piercing yellow eyes… it all captivated him.
Her instincts noticed the man's stare, and just when she turned, Rod snapped back to the target in front, acting as if nothing happened.
She'd never seen him before that day, and the sight of someone attempting to use a pistol for long-range practice was... intriguing.
Such a stare burned into his soul. And for some reason, a foolish part of his brain was convinced that maybe he could impress her. Thus, the man steeled himself, raised his pistol, and concentrated. He squeezed his eyes shut just before pulling the trigger… and he missed.
The bullet bounced off the metal wall next to the target with a pathetic "PING!".
"PFFF! That was truly the worst shot I've ever seen in my life!" the wolf-girl from before sneered behind his station.
She and a few other students started laughing. Her revenge was taking place and It felt amazing. She had power again, and no matter how much he tried, his little pistol would never be able to overcome it.
Rod began turning around with an indifferent expression until seeing something peculiar: The cheetah-girl was glaring at the wolf-girl. Her fangs bared in a silent snarl that made it clear she was angry, not at him, but on his behalf.
"NNNNGH…"
"What are you looking at, cheetah freak?"
"Hmf!" the girl scoffed before turning her gaze back to Rod, who quickly looked away.
For the first time in a very long time, she was lured.
Later that day, Rod sat on the floor of a deserted hallway near the cafeteria as his back pressed against the wall. Normally he would have a lot of energy at that point of the day, though he didn't. The man sighed with exhaustion and thought about his bully's animosity. He didn't understand her, yet didn't really care. He had long since become immune to the opinions of others, something that convinced him to just let it go.
With extra effort, he took out a small plastic bag containing a precious sandwich and stared at it.
"This is a delicate operation. If anything were to happen, the texture of the bread would lose flavor."
Rod carefully extracted the sandwich and breathed a sigh of relief when it emerged unscathed.
"A good sandwich is a good lunch," he thought with a smile before opening his mouth to take the glorious bite.
As the bread touched his lips, he sensed a presence.
The man slowly turned his head and was met by the eyes of the cheetah-girl right inside his personal space. She was hanging upside down from a metal bar that Rod hadn't even noticed was there.
"Hiya!" she said with a friendly smile.
Panic was the only thing Rod felt. Then nervousness. She was close enough to smell the sweet scent of strawberry perfume, and that's what made him move.
The man yelled when scrambling to his feet and starting to move away.
"Wait, wait, don't—" she tried saying, but he was already a blur that left.
The shockwave he generated from that simple maneuver lifted a nearby trashcan off the ground and sent it crashing down in front of her. Such an overwhelming display of power left her stunned for a full ten seconds, only being interrupted by the empty plastic sandwich bag that landed on her face.
"NYAAAAA!" she yelped before tumbling to the floor.
A week passed after this encounter and Rod was running the obstacle course again, yet this time it was different. This time, the cheetah-girl watched from the sidelines.
He was a whirlwind of speed, precise movements, and perfect shots. He used speed to his advantage, closing the distance on each target and firing his pistol at point-blank range.
"Woah, he's amazing…" the girl murmured.
Then came the moment when they all headed back to the shooting range for their next sniper practice.
Rod prepared his pistol once again and worked through the complex physics of controlling a projectile's trajectory at long range. Without his knowing though, the cheetah-girl watched from the same station she used a week before. And this time she was exasperated.
"Again with the pistol?" the girl murmured when glancing at the small crowd that gathered behind him.
To no one's surprise, the wolf-girl's smug smile could be seen in between the people. She knew Rod would embarrass himself again, just like every time he's shot.
"I gotta do something!" the cheetah thought.
That's when an idea sparked inside her. She snatched up her sniper and strode purposefully towards him. Then she placed the rifle on the desk in front of the man and moved directly behind him.
"What-" Rod began saying after a jolt ran through his spine, noticing the light pressure her body made against his back.
"Hi again," the cheetah said at the same time she adjusted the sniper.
"Wha… WHAT ARE YOU-"
"Listen, in the world there are dangerous things that can hurt people. That's why we have interlinks, but to be a full-fledged gun user you gotta actually use every weapon."
"But-"
"NO BUTS, MISTER! Now, I need you to listen very carefully. I'll help you aim while you take the shot," the girl insisted, turning her head to meet his eyes.
Rod found himself lost in the mix of brown and light orange that seemed to reflect all the light in the world. It forced him to comply.
While they talked, the wolf-girl behind them gritted her teeth and leaned forward in an aggressive manner.
"Hey! What do you think you're doing?! That's cheating!"
Neither of them heard it. They were trapped in their own little bubble.
"It's okay to be scared," the cheetah-girl reassured, "It comes naturally the first few times you hold a new weapon. But as gun users we gotta make sure to overcome that fear and save the people that are dear to us."
Rod stared at her for some moments… and those words sank in.
"Save the people that are dear to us…"
A newfound resolve settled in and made him focus on the distant target.
"Just remember to calm down. Breathe in and breathe out. Everything will be okay," the cheetah whispered.
Rod hesitantly took hold of the rifle and looked through the scope. He was astounded by the fact that it was already perfectly aligned. She was aiming without even looking!
Before long, he took a deep breath… Then squeezed the trigger.
BANG!
The rifle roared to life and pushed them both back a few centimeters. It struck the target dead center… A perfect shot.
This simple act caused the crowd to gasp and make Rod stare at the shattered target. Unlike his calm demeanor, the cheetah-girl slammed her hands down on the desk in excitement and accidentally forced him forward.
"LET'S FREAKING GO!" she exclaimed and threw her arms up in victory.
Rod slowly turned back and saw the girl jumping over and over, her own smile brighter than his.
"LET'S GO!" she screamed after shaking a random student who walked by.
"HE DID IT!" she continued and grabbed the wolf-girl by the shoulders.
"WOOO HOOO!" she finished before sliding across the floor on her knees, coming to a stop in front of the teacher who silenced her with a stern glare.
"Sorry!"
She then walked back in a way that caught everyone's attention. She looked amazing in her school uniform… yet, that thought didn't stay for long.
"This girl…"
She stopped in front of him and her eyes sparkled with satisfaction.
"That was your first shot and you pulled it excellently!"
"But you were the one aiming. I didn't do anything at all-" Rod tried responding, only for her to hug him tightly.
"WHA-" he blushed.
"Look at it this way… When you are in a hunt, the hardest thing to do is just taking the shot. And you did that today. I'm proud of you," the cheetah said and stepped back.
"Really?"
"Really!"
As the sun began to set, they walked away together in deep conversation.
"Why the hug, though?"
"Because we're friends now, right?"
The girl bumped his shoulder playfully.
"I guess so…"
"Friendship hug," she finished with a sly grin, "By the way, I'm Elena Claws. What's your name?"
"Well, nice to meet you Elena. I'm Rod Winger."
"Nice to meet you too!"
And just like that, the story that changed Rod's life had begun.