Rubbing his head, Matt replies, “Wow, I’m still overwhelmed, thinking about it. There were so many books in there!”
“Yeah, well, libraries do tend to have a lot of books, Matt. It’s actually the norm for them.”
“Right, I guess that makes sense. But how could anyone find the books they are looking for in there?”
“Oh, you saw what I did, right? We passed by some aisles, found the category we were looking for, went down its aisle, scanning the shelves, and…” He opens up his book bag, fishes around in it, and pulls out a large, textured book. “Ta da! One encyclopedia covering the general types of Alkalian battle morphs!”
Laughing at the presentation, Matt concedes, “Okay, so maybe that was an easy book to find.”
“Yeah, maybe it was. But anyway, before you start beating the pulp out of me, er, I mean, training me, let’s figure out what kind of battle morph you are.” He opens the book and scans through several pages, like a dedicated researcher. “We can narrow the search down a lot, as you’re able to use swords, guns, and magic, which many of the types can’t.”
“Okay.” Stepping up beside him, Matt looks over his shoulder as he scans through the book.
Soon, Sean’s searching comes to a stop, finding the listed Alkalians he is searching for. There are only three types shown. One is a heavily armored and gunned cat called Beast, Machine Cat style, the next a Paladin, humanoid with the plate armor design, and the last with a figure blurred out and titled, “Legend; style varies with element and gender.”
In a process of common sense elimination, Sean figures Matt is definitely not a Beast, and he couldn’t be a Legend because his morph isn’t that mythic looking. In fact, his morph resembles more of the Paladin. “Ah hah!” he proclaims. “Matt, you are the Paladin type. Well balanced in most combat fields and power stats, except for a higher rating of health, attack, and defense.” Before Matt can get a closer look, he then thumps the book closed.
Seeing Sean apparently found his morph so quickly, Matt decides to do the same for him. “Hey, give me the book, and let’s look for your type!”
Disturbed by the turnabout suggestion, Sean reluctantly gives it to Matt, who begins looking at the chapter groups in the front of the book. He asks, “So, you thought you’re a Brawler, right? Didn’t you say your morph resembles your brother’s?” Sean nods. Matt flips through the pages, and comes to a section titled “Brawlers,” with a whole column of different styles. Suddenly aware of what the problem is, he tells him, “Here’s why you didn’t figure out your morph’s powers. Look at all these styles of Brawlers!”
“What!?” shrieks Sean, ripping the book away from Matt. Taking a first glance at the column, he can’t believe the truth of it, and he says, “We always thought there was only one kind of Brawler, me and my family! Wow, would you look at all these. But which one is me?”
“Let’s find out,” answers Matt, changing into his battle morph.
Sean glances at Matt and back to the book repeatedly, then finally goes along with the idea. Giving Matt the book, he morphs so Matt can compare him to the Brawlers in the column.
Matt quickly finds the Brawler style that looks the most like Sean’s, so he shows him. “Here, how about this one? The Speed style.”
Sean studies it carefully, looks at another style, and says, “Yeah, this one is my brother’s, the Strength style, it having more isolated and larger scales than mine. I can’t be these other ones, either. The Psychic one has a different scale pattern, the Water has those slits along the ribs, arms, and legs, and the Chain has chain-link armor instead of scales. That leaves me, the Speed, the one with my same scale pattern.”
“Yeah. So, what do they mean by ‘Speed?’ ”
Sean thinks for a moment, and says, “Well, I know it can’t mean super fast punches or kicks, as I’ve already tried that. But you would think some part of me would automatically make me accelerate…”
“Do you air balance?” asks Matt. Sean gives him a bewildered look, so he explains, “When an Alkalian floats, flies, or dashes because they disperse energy that propels them off the ground or air?”
“Oh, that. Why didn’t you just say ‘fly?’ ” Sean brainstorms, and he concludes eagerly, “Hey, that might actually work! What I have to do is zoom about with air balance to build up speed, and then I attack!”
“That could be worth a try.” Matt looks around, and recommends, “Why don’t you do that, then crash into that tree over there?” A scraggly, dead tree stands nearby.
Sean seems nervous to the suggestion at first, but replies, “Okay, sure. But if I shatter into a thousand pieces from the impact, you’re putting me back together!” He starts performing the air balance, rising a few feet into the air and hovering away to enlarge the distance to the tree. Turning toward it, he launches forward from a compressed dash, and prepares to collide with his speed increasing greatly. Flying into the tree, Sean’s tackle smashes through it, and the log scatters into wooden debris while Sean tumbles onward some extra yards.
The impact happens so quickly Matt can only stand there in surprise for a moment. He hurries over to Sean, sprawled across the ground, and helps him up. “Sean, are you all right? Did you get hurt?”
Instead of being angry or hurt, Sean looks unscathed, and he’s gleefully smiling. “That was awesome! As I was racing toward that tree, my instincts just snapped awake, and I imagined all kinds of ways to hit it! It all felt so natural, yet thrilling, and incredible! I can fight now, Matt!” He then shouts to the sky, “I CAN FIGHT!!”
Matt feels proud for Sean and his awakened ability, but reminds him, “We didn’t just come out here to find out how you fight. We now need to let you practice your moves.”
Sean is unflinched, saying, “Yes, right, we still need to train me. I can’t wait to get started! Come on, let’s see just what I can do!!”
Matt nods, drawing his large, black sword from his right hand, and faces-off with Sean as they prepare to spar. Before either of them makes a move, somebody starts clapping nearby. Turning to the direction of the noise, they see Dante emerge from behind another of the trees in the grove, softly clapping with a calm, intimidating look on his face. “Bravo, bravo,” he says as he approaches them. “Perhaps now you’ll be able to pass the freshmen class this year, Sean Wyseinburg.”
Both of them startled to see him, Sean manages to speak, “Er, hey there, Dante. What are you doing here?”
“Oh, I just happened to be in the neighborhood, and I couldn’t help but overhear you two, so I came over to say hello.”
“Say hello? Right. You just wanted to say hello to two freshmen, one of them having failed to pass last year and the other some kind of super strong freak.”
“Yes, that’s right.” After taking out a cigarette and what looks like a small, jagged piece of rock to produce a flame from the rock and light up a smoke, Dante adds, “And while I was at it, have myself a contest between battle morphs.”
Sean groans before complaining, “Oh come on, Dante, you already kicked my butt today, and I only just figured out how to use my battle morph. Do you really have to slice-and-dice me again?”
Taking his cigarette between his fingers to blow out a plume of smoke from between his lips, Dante explains, “Actually, Sean, you are not the one I am interested in fighting. The one I’d like to duel is…” His eagle eyes turn to pierce through Matt. “You.”
Matt, surprised along with Sean, asks, “Me?”
“Yes, you, Matthew Calamos. I could not help but be impressed with how well you took down that intermediate in gym today. I was so impressed that I wish to try my morph against yours, to see just how good you are in it.”
Not sure if he should feel proud or scared, Matt says, “Oh, I’m not that special or anything. I guess I was just more skilled than her, that’s all, and…”
“Wrong.” Interrupting him with a sharp tone, Dante tells him, “It wasn’t your skill that impressed me. It was your strength. Even with the direct,
smooth deliveries of your attacks, they did much more damage to her morph than normal versions of those same attacks would have done. I have my own theory as to why your attacks are so strong, but to see if it’s correct, I would like to test my battle morph against yours and see how well it holds up.”
“Uh, well, um…” Looking to Sean for any help and getting nothing but a bewildered shrug, he reluctantly says, “Okay, then. We’ll have a duel.”
The only sign of intrigued surprise on his face being a raised eyebrow, Dante asks, “You won’t decline? If you don’t feel good about fighting me at this moment, that’s fine. I won’t force you into something you don’t want to do.”
“Oh, no, it’s alright. I’ve been raised to accept formal requests for duels between battle morphs, as it’s the honorable and respectful thing to do. So, we’ll go ahead and duel. Any terms or conditions we should go by?”
Taking another smoke of his cigarette before tossing it on the ground and rubbing it out, Dante says while smoke floated out of his mouth, “Swords only, since that’s my only means of arsenal. Agreed?”
Exchanging a concerned glance with Sean, Matt sighs before firmly nodding and saying, “Agreed.”
***
A moment later, both Matt and Dante are in their battle morphs, a black knight and a red samurai, their battlefield the open plain beside the tree grove. Dante energizes the katana-like sword between his two hands, while Matt summons his monstrous broadsword between his hands. The two stare back at each other, both ready for combat, and a sudden gust blows between them. Meanwhile, Sean is off to the side sitting against one of the trees, still in battle morph and acting as a spectator.
In that moment as both wait for the other to start the fight, Matt realizes he made a big mistake in agreeing to use only his sword in this battle. He should have already known that Dante would be quicker and more agile with his swordsmanship than his. Despite this, however, he has an idea that might help him match his opponent, and he holds his position, waiting for him to make the first move, his expression as still as Dante’s.
After another breeze blows by, Dante at last begins the battle by rushing forward in a sprint. Not panicking from the head-on assault, Matt makes no move, allowing him to get closer. Before Dante moves his blade to attack, he propels forward in a burst from his air balance.
Unprepared for the unusual attack method, Dante is bashed by Matt’s left shoulder, being flung off his feet from the impact. Within the split second after the collision, he looks with worried surprise as Matt raises his great sword to bring it down at him, and desperately tries a side-thrust of air balance to get out of the way.
While he doesn’t directly hit him, Matt does leave his mark as his sword chops through Dante’s right arm, causing it to pop off from his elbow and disappear in a flash of red light. After he was wounded and rolls away, Sean exclaims from the side-line, “Ah, look at that! It appears that Dante’s been, heh, disarmed! Bwahahahahah!!”
Cringing with a numbing pain from the severing blow, Dante lands on his feet a few yards away, quickly checking what is left of his right arm, a glowing spot of bright yellow marking its stub at the elbow. When he looks away from it, he’s startled to see Matt coming back at him, his blade set to stab into him like a lance. Reacting quickly, he side-steps to the right, allowing the sword’s thrust to pass by him, reforms his own sword from his left hand, and strikes back with a passing swipe of his sword at Matt’s exposed side, cutting a thin line of green into his armor.
For the next several seconds, Matt would turn and swing his sword outward to try hitting Dante, who swiftly avoids it and leaves a new cut in a new spot every time. After he had put some cuts in Matt’s sides and upper legs, he then dodges another great swing of the black sword and positions himself behind him. Before Matt responds, he rapidly lashes his back, causing him to flinch from the flogging-like blows. Dante then leaps away as Matt rotates with his blade trying to clip him.
The rapid swordfight slows to a pause, with Matt and Dante staring down the other, each waiting for one to reopen the fight with a lunging attack. Meanwhile, Sean looks back-and-forth between the two, unsure of who yet had an advantage over the other. Matt decides to make the resuming move when he grips his sword’s base with his right hand, leaps straight into the air, rolls forward once, and comes back down at Dante, the black blade aiming to split him.
Seeing the attack coming, he simply side-steps out of the way, letting Matt’s sword chop into the ground, and thrusts his orange sword at Matt’s neck. Before the katana finds its mark, Matt reacts by raising his left arm to get stabbed instead. Not deterred by the instinctive response, Dante begins another flurry of slashes upon his arm, hoping to keep Matt pinned long enough to mutilate it in return for what he had done to his own arm.
What happens instead, however, is something Dante did not expect. Matt dissipates the energy of his black sword, turns toward him, and reaches out with his open right hand to grab Dante’s sword arm.
Shocked by his attacks stopping, Dante looks desperate as he struggles to break out of Matt’s strong grip. He, meanwhile, lifts Dante’s arm up to fully expose his stomach area, the target for his great sword then reformed from his wounded left arm.
Dante cringes as the blade enters his abdominals and exits out his lower back, the crippling blow wracking him with more numbing pain as orange wound energy gushes from both ends of the wound. Matt then lets go of Dante’s limp sword arm, clasps his sword’s base with both hands, and lifts his sword, and Dante on it, into the air before bringing them down in a half-turn, having Dante hit the ground head-first while the sword carves into his chest area.
With red wounds breaking forth from his snapped neck and chest cavity, Dante feels paralyzed by the surge of numbness from the heavy damage as his katana turns off at his left hand. After the black blade leave his body, lying face-up on the ground, he looks up to watch Matt reposition it to point downwards between his hands, the sun shining high in the sky behind him. Matt, no mercy in his violet eyes, then deals the finishing blow, planting his sword into Dante’s chest and the dirt beneath him.
***
In a spouting flash of red energy, Dante demorphs, causing Matt’s sword to be thrown up out of the ground and send him a step back. In his human form again, Dante looks like he was never harmed until he suddenly coughs violently, gripping his chest with both hands and spitting up a little blood. Seeing the blood, Matt worriedly demorphs and kneels down to help him sit up, saying, “Earth Spirit, I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to literally hurt you that bad!” Meanwhile, Sean, after watching in amazement how Matt defeated Dante, gets up and hurries over to them, demorphing as well.
Chuckling through his coughs, Dante tells him, “Shouldn’t you be apologizing to me, instead of the Earth Spirit? But seriously, don’t worry, it’s fine. It’s nothing permanent. A good night’s sleep, and I’ll be fine.” Coughing roughly again, he forces himself to his feet while Matt yet looks concerned. Turning to him, he wipes the blood from his mouth and chin with his right sleeve and tells him, “Well, thanks to that battle, which you fought better than I expected, I now know for sure that my suspicion about you is correct.”
His worry for him becoming curiosity, Matt asks, “And what would that be?”
After another cough and groan, Dante admits, “Sorry, but I can’t explain it while it feels like my chest is going to cave in. Perhaps I’ll tell you the next time we meet. But now, if you will excuse me, I’ll go escort myself to the school’s infirmary.” Turning to limp back toward the college, he glances at Sean, nods courteously to him, and then slowly walks away, occasionally coughing a little and leaving a confused Matt and Sean in the open field.
***
Later, after the sun has set and the sky is black with night time, Matt, Sean, and Rose are back in their cabin, eating their dinner consisting of pizza at the kitchen counter. Once half of the pie is gone, Sean says to Matt as he is biting into another slice, “Well, now you know what
pizza is! How do you like it?”
“Hmm, it’s pretty good! I could just keep on eating it!”
“Haha, yeah, just don’t try to. I want leftovers!” After all three of them laugh, he turns to Rose and asks her, “So, how did the training with Professor Serpanz go? Did she put your face to the floor and make you kiss it?”
Rose glares at him before suggesting rather than answering, “If you’re still trying to flirt with me, you should probably not ask me how much I suffered in training.” When Sean realizes his mistake and smacks himself in the face, she then answers, “And it wasn’t that bad. Just a lot of running and battle morph sparring.”
“How so?” asks Matt.
“Well, it went like this. We’d do a duel, and then we’d run three laps around the arena. But, if I lost, which I did in all of the duels, I had to run six laps instead. Heh, I will admit, it was quite a workout!”
“You call that ‘not bad’!?” exclaims Sean. “Yeesh! I’d hate to know just what exactly is ‘bad’ for you!”
“Ah, well, I may find out just what that could be, eventually. What about you guys? How did your training go?”
Getting excited, Sean almost jumps out of his seat when he says, “It was wonderful! We did it, Rose! Me and Matt figured it out, and now, I know how to fight! Isn’t that great!?”
Startled by his loud exclamation, Rose replies, “Oh, uh, yes, that’s great.”
“Isn’t it!? Oh, and we figured out what Matt’s battle morph is. He’s a Paladin.”
“A Paladin, eh? Yeah, I thought that’s what it was.”
Sean has an awkward expression on his face before he spits out, “You already knew what his battle morph was? Why didn’t you tell us earlier!?”
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