Chapter 213: First loss

Words : 1677 Updated : Sep 23rd, 2025

The scrambler had landed on another Academy Twelve student in the first-year division. Akira Tetsuo, a stocky fighter with a permanent scowl, rolled his shoulders as his name appeared alongside his opponent: Dante Valerio from Academy Three. In the stands, Sophie settled back in her seat, joined by Kelvin and Lucas who had rushed back after Adrian's medical check. "Akira's up," Kelvin announced, unwrapping an energy bar. "Think he'll keep our streak going?" Lucas nodded, eyes fixed on the arena. "He's got the raw power for it. I looked into those representing us. First-gen Impact Reverb is nothing to joke about." Meanwhile, in the backstage competitor area, Noah leaned against the wall, studying the upcoming fighters' profiles on a monitor. The pulsing blue light illuminated his focused expression. Beside him, Marco Gonzalez—Academy Twelve's representative from Class 1A—stood with arms crossed, his olive skin already radiating a subtle heat that was his signature trait. "Akira's got this," Marco said confidently. "Valerio might be second-generation, but he's never faced anyone who hits as hard as our guy." Before Noah could respond, a soft voice joined the conversation. "I wouldn't be so sure." Lila slid up beside Noah, close enough that their shoulders almost touched. Her blonde hair fell in a curtain that partially obscured her face, but her eyes gleamed as they met Noah's. "Valerio's Battleforge ability is dangerous. The more damage he takes, the stronger he gets." Noah shifted slightly, creating a respectable distance without being obvious. "That's true, but Akira's first few hits might be too much for Valerio to recover from. If he can land clean shots early—" "That's exactly what Valerio wants," Lila interrupted, her fingers brushing Noah's arm as she reached to tap his screen. "I don't know I'd you've been on the student forum a lot but someone brought up training images of all the competitors we might face into the server yesterday night. Look at his fights. He baits aggressive fighters." Noah frowned, seeing reasoning in her point. "You might be right. I didn't consider that angle." A small smile played on Lila's lips. "I usually am." On the platform, Akira and Dante took their positions. Dante stood relaxed, a confident smirk on his face. By contrast, Akira was already in his fighting stance, fists clenched, body coiled like a spring. The announcer shouted. "Fighters ready!" The barrier shimmered to life around the platform. "Begin!" Akira exploded forward, covering the distance between them in a heartbeat. His fist rocketed toward Dante's jaw—a straight right with enough force to shatter a wall, easily. Dante shifted, but not enough. The punch connected with his cheek, snapping his head sideways. *BOOM!* The impact rippled visibly through Dante's body, followed immediately by three successive shockwaves that crashed into his ribcage. Impact Reverb—Akira's signature technique, delivering thunderous aftershocks following each direct hit. Dante staggered backward, spitting blood onto the metal floor. He straightened, wincing, and then grinned, blood staining his teeth red. "That all you got?" he taunted. Akira didn't respond with words. He closed in again, launching a lightning-fast combination—jab, hook, spinning elbow. Each strike landed with devastating precision, each triggering cascading Impact Reverbs that went off through Dante's body. Dante flew backward, crashing into the energy barrier and bouncing off it. He dropped to one knee, blood streaming from his nose and a cut above his eye. "Class 1C showing up today!" Kelvin shouted from the stands, pumping his fist. Noah watched intently, his expression troubled. "He's not trying to dodge anymore," he muttered. Lila nodded, her eyes never leaving the fight. "Smart. When your power activates after taking damage..." "You let the hits come," Noah finished. In the arena, Dante pushed himself up, wiping blood from his mouth. His breathing, which had been ragged, suddenly steadied. His stance shifted—becoming sharper, more defined. Akira frowned but pressed his advantage, launching another heavy right hand. This time, Dante moved—just slightly, just enough to redirect the blow's full force while still taking partial impact. The Impact Reverb triggered, but with diminished effect. "There it is," Lila whispered. "Kids from the third call this one Battleforge," Dante's eyes now burned with a strange white intensity. His muscles seemed more defined, his movements crisper. When Akira threw his next punch, Dante slipped it completely and countered with a sharp jab to Akira's sternum. The blow was shockingly fast, faster than Dante had moved before. Akira growled and threw a massive haymaker. Dante didn't dodge this time—he caught Akira's fist in his open palm. For a second, they stood locked together, a perfect tableau of power. Then Dante drove his knee upward, smashing it into the exact spot on Akira's ribs where Akira had been targeting him earlier. Dante's Payback ability doubled the force of his strike, targeting the same area his opponent had damaged on him. The impact lifted Akira off his feet. He crashed down several meters away, clutching his side, face twisted in pain. "That's why you never repeatedly target the same area against Valerio," Marco muttered, shaking his head. Akira pushed himself up, fury in his eyes. He spat a glob of blood and reset his stance, but something had changed. The confidence was gone, replaced by caution. Dante stalked forward, fully Battleforged now. His body had transformed from taking damage—muscles denser, reactions faster, every movement precise and economical. "Come on, Tetsuo," he called. "You were so eager to hit me before!" Akira charged again, but his attack pattern had become predictable. Dante weaved under his right hook and delivered a punishing uppercut that snapped Akira's head back. He followed with a right cross that landed flush on Akira's jaw. Akira stumbled, but caught himself. Blood poured from a split in his eyebrow, partially blinding him. "Akira needs to change strategies," Noah said, gripping the railing. "He can't outpower him anymore." In the arena, Akira seemed to reach the same conclusion. He changed his approach, moving more laterally, picking his shots. He landed a clean hook to Dante's temple that momentarily staggered him. "Yes!" Kelvin shouted from the stands. "Turn it around!" But Dante recovered almost immediately, absorbing the blow's force into his Battleforge enhancement. He countered with a sequence of strikes so fast they were difficult to follow—a right to the body, left hook upstairs, then a devastating elbow that caught Akira as he tried to retreat. Akira crashed to the ground again, but rolled immediately back to his feet. Both fighters were bleeding now, both breathing hard. But while Akira was slowing down, Dante seemed to be getting stronger. "It's over," Lila said quietly. "Akira doesn't understand what he's fighting." "He still has a chance," Noah argued, though his voice lacked conviction. Akira and Dante circled each other, both bloodied, both refusing to back down. Akira's eyes burned with determination. He clenched his fist tight, summoning his remaining strength. "COME ON!" he roared, charging forward with an all-out attack. His fist glowed with the concentrated force of his Impact Reverb technique, putting everything he had into one punch. Dante didn't retreat. Instead, he stepped forward, into the path of Akira's attack. At the last possible moment, he pivoted, redirecting Akira's momentum while simultaneously driving his own fist into Akira's solar plexus. The Payback ability activated at full power, doubling the force of every hit Akira had landed previously. The impact created a visible shockwave that rippled through the air. Akira's eyes went wide. His forward motion stopped instantly. For a moment, he hung suspended, and then collapsed to his knees, gasping for breath that wouldn't come. He tried to stand, pushing against the floor with trembling arms. Dante stood over him, his own face a mask of blood and bruises. "That was fun," he said, offering a hand. "Let's do it again sometime." Akira looked up, grimaced, and then accepted the hand. His legs buckled as soon as he was upright, and the medical team rushed onto the platform. "Victory to Academy Three's Dante Valerio!" the announcer declared. The crowd erupted, recognizing the brutal, honest battle they'd just witnessed. "First loss for Twelve," Marco noted grimly. "Not the way we wanted to start our streak." Noah nodded, his expression thoughtful. "I was wrong about how the fight would go. Akira's power wasn't the deciding factor—it was Dante's ability to adapt." Lila's hand found his shoulder, squeezing lightly. "You'll learn, Noah. Some fighters are built to take punishment and come back stronger." Her eyes locked with his, something intense hidden in their depths. "Just like some of us." Noah carefully moved her hand away, pretending to reach for the strap of his vest to adjust it. "Looks like you'll be up soon, Lila." She smiled, unfazed. "Doubt that. I think there will be more fights until mine. But first..." Her gaze shifted to the scrambler. "You're next, Heat Engine." The scrambler spun again, and new names crystallized into place: Marco Gonzalez vs. Soren Kael Marco pushed away from the wall, rolling his neck. "About time. All this standing around is making me cold." "Gravity manipulation," Noah read from his tablet. "Third-generation." Marco smirked. "The higher they fly, the harder they fall." As Marco moved toward the preparation area, Noah noticed Lila was still watching him, not the scrambler. Her fingers idly twirled a strand of blonde hair. "You know," she said softly, "Sophie is so far away up in those stands. She can barely see the fights from there." Noah's jaw tightened slightly. "She can see just fine." Lila's smile widened. "If you say so." She turned her attention to the arena where the medical team was helping Akira off. "One loss for Twelve. Let's hope Marco doesn't make it two."

Chapter 213: First loss

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