The moment of truth had arrived. I felt ready for the fight, after watching Sandra defeat Jerry and Dwayne beat Sarah. My confidence was at its peak.

"I can do this," I thought, clenching my fist.
Ashylene and the others surrounded me, boosting my morale and preparing me for my battle with my old friend Dane. He glanced at me from across the training room, where I was getting support, and winked at me with a smug grin.



"That guy makes me mad," Ashylene said. "Tinashe, give it your all. You can win if you stop holding back." She tapped my back.



Dwayne and Sandra nodded in agreement, but Ashylene stared at me with a piercing look.


I felt the same way as the first day we met, when she said, "Don't hide that power."
I left the room where we had watched the matches, her words echoing in my head. "I don't know why you're hiding it, but I won't butt in." I kept asking myself, "Does she know?"



Dane trailed me, his glare intense and piercing. We took our positions in the arena's center, the crowd's cheers thundering around us.



"Ah, Dane, my daughter's presumed suitor," Jane's father boasted, pointing out Dane's prowess to the onlookers and extolling his virtues as a prospective addition to their family.



Whispers of Dane's betrothal to Jane after graduation swirled around, a rumor that painted a picture of a meticulously arranged union. I couldn't help but wonder about Jane's true feelings on the matter.



The crowd's enthusiasm for Dane was palpable, their chants elevating him to an almost regal status among the students. Laughter rippled through the spectators at my expense, as I prepared to face the one they hailed as "the Strongest." Yet, I harbored a belief that Ashylene could surpass him.
I let out a sigh, casting my gaze skyward, then shifting it to where Ashylene's parents stood.


Her father's scrutinizing eyes met mine, though his thoughts remained a mystery.
"That boy there, he's one of Ashylene's companions, and supposedly the weakest," Ashylene's driver whispered conspiratorially to her father.



"Perhaps his defeat will show her he's unworthy of her company," her father mused silently, his gaze still fixed on me.



"Well, are you ready now, loser?" Dane taunted, his smugness radiating as much as the flames now enveloping his body.



"Yes," I replied, my voice steady despite the nerves. The announcer's voice boomed, "Let the match begin!" The union of Jane and Dane was strategic, a fusion of the Frost family's lineage with Dane's fiery abilities.
Dane's transformation was a spectacle; flames wreathed his body, his hair shifting to a fiery scarlet, his skin taking on a reddish hue. He stood before me, a figure of sheer confidence, the heat emanating from him like a physical force pressing against my resolve.
He sneered at me, his words dripping with contempt. "You really think you can fight me, huh? You're not going to run away like you always do, like you did from Jane that day?"
I felt a surge of anger, but also fear. He was right—he was too strong for me.


"In this world, there are three types of people: the normies, the mistakes, and the chosen. Normies are people without abilities," he said, walking towards me.


"The chosen are people like us, with abilities and something to offer to society. And then there are you—the mistakes," he continued, scratching his head as if puzzled by my existence.


"People with abilities that are weak and worthless, people who can't handle their power, people who don't deserve to have it…people like you," he said, fixing his hair with a smug gesture.



I looked down, feeling his words cut me deep. Maybe he was right. Maybe I was a mistake, someone who got something I didn't deserve. I glanced at the sidelines, where my friends were watching me.



I saw Dwayne and Sandra smiling, showing their faith in me. And then I saw Ashylene, nodding at me with encouragement.



I smiled back, and then faced him with determination. "Maybe I am a mistake, and maybe you're right about that. But maybe you're also wrong," I said, charging my body with electricity.



Dane's mouth opened slightly, surprised by my defiance. "How can he stand up to me, knowing he'll lose? He's always been a pacifist, avoiding fights whenever he could," he thought.



"I see. Is it because of her? Ashylene? How amusing," he said, as flames engulfed his body. His eyes turned bright red and glowed, and the heat was overwhelming.
Even from a few meters away, I could feel it on my skin, all over my body. It was like standing next to a furnace.



"Let's go, you little weakling," he said, leaning forward and clenching his fists, covering them with fire.


I had managed to gather enough charge to fight him for at least three minutes.



I propelled myself towards him, coating my fist with lightning, and tried to punch him in the gut with a swift attack. He blocked it, even though I was moving fast. I tried again, kicking him with a barrage of kicks, but he blocked them too.



Dane wasn't the strongest just because his flames were hot. He was also a skilled fighter, with exceptional speed and agility
He was like a triple threat, with his speed, strength, and flames. I leaped back, but he chased me down and landed a punch in my diaphragm.



"That's where you wanted to punch me, right?" he taunted, as I coughed, feeling his fist dig into my gut.



I flew back and hit the ground, coughing hard. The crowd cheered, some of them mocking me. "Typical. He can't even block the same attack he used on Dane."



"Look at that. Are you done already?" he said, walking towards me with a smirk.
I felt a sharp pain in my abdomen, but I got up slowly, ignoring it.
"So he's an electric user," Ashylene's mother said, watching my fight with Dane.
I charged myself again, and split the energy between my hands and legs, boosting their power. I also gathered some energy in my stomach, to ease the pain and strengthen my defense.



Dane walked slowly, then vanished from my sight in an instant. I caught a glimpse of him in front of me, and he threw a punch at me. I dodged it, barely.

"Hmph. I'm impressed," he said, swinging his left fist at me. I lost my balance, but managed to block his attack with my hands. I was thrown back again, but the shock was bearable, thanks to the energy in my hands.

I realized I couldn't last much longer. My body was starting to fall apart, because of the charge I kept building up.

"He's doing well, for someone who was called the weakest," Sandra's father said, surprised by how I was holding on.
I leaned forward, knowing I had to finish it in one attack.

Anna, the girl who had defeated Shoya, entered the room where Ashylene and the others were watching me. She was fine, since she hadn't been injured in her fight.
Everyone looked at her, surprised, including Jane and Ashylene's sisters.

"So your friend is in, huh? I wonder if he can win in time," she said, looking at the fight.
Dane attacked me with his signature move, instant finish, where he caused an explosion on his opponent by blasting them with his fist coated with fire, ready to explode.

As I leaned in, I disappeared from everyone's sight, in a split second. The ground where I had stood exploded. I was at my maximum speed. Everyone was stunned.

Teacher Josh and the principal were stunned, along with Ashylene, Jane, and Sandra's parents. Dane couldn't see where I was. "That loser, when did he get so strong? Is this some kind of joke?" he thought, as he scanned the arena. He felt the air blow around him, as I circled faster and faster, building momentum.

"I underestimated him. He must have been hiding his strength, since he survived my first attack," Dane thought.

"No, no, a mistake is a mistake!" he yelled, as he gathered flames in his hands and blasted the ground below us, trying to stop me from charging up.

"You don't think I know what you're doing?" he shouted at me. Everyone was amazed to see their beloved Dane losing his cool over someone they called the weakest.
"That's right, suckers, I can kick your asses now," I said, as I ran towards the arena's walls and climbed up them.

I could do things like this thanks to Ashylene and the help from Sandra and Dwayne.
"How can he run on walls?" people gasped, shocked. Wasn't he supposed to be the weakest? Only speedsters like Jerry could pull off such a feat.
As I ran up, my eyes turned blue, my legs felt stronger, and my arms too. My body became lighter.

"Impressive," Ashylene said, as Dwayne shouted, "Look at that, ladies, your boy was just holding back."

Jane stared at me, dumbfounded. I turned around, facing the ground again, and looked at Dane. And then at Jane, with a smile on my face.

I felt a rush of adrenaline as I sprinted towards the ground and then turned to face Dane. I vanished from his sight, and the arena fell silent.

Dane wrapped himself in flames and created four layers of fire walls, trying to keep me out. But I was determined to break through.

I smashed his first layer of defense, feeling my skin burn. I pressed on, my face glowing as I entered his second layer.

My friends and everyone else watched in awe as I shattered his third layer. My clothes, not made to resist heat, caught fire. But I smiled, as I reached his final layer.

I saw him standing there, facing me. He couldn't react, because I was too fast. Memories of him and me flashed in my mind, all the good times we had. But as they came, they burned. "That's right, he's a fake friend. And what do we do with fake friends? We punch the fakeness out of them." I threw my punch at him, full of all the energy I had charged up and transferred to my fist.

It was over. My fist slammed into his face, and he flew back, landing a hundred meters away. The ground where he fell was destroyed.
Everyone was silent as I stood with my fist in front of me, holding the pose I made when I punched him.

The three great families, the teachers, Principal Darry, Jane, Sarah, Tanaka, and my friends were all stunned by what they saw. They paused, showing their admiration.

Dane was out cold. He had held back, I think, and he lost because he didn't go all out.
"THE WINNER IS TINASHE!" the announcer said, as the crowd erupted. My heart soared, I was happy. I had won for the very first time in this school. I slowly raised my hands in the air and yelled, "YEAH!" showing my joy.

Dane was taken away by the first aid. They came to me and asked if I was okay, and then left the arena. People were still celebrating my victory as I went to the nurse's office.
"That was indeed fascinating. Perhaps we will take that boy," a voice said, as four men stood at the terrace doors. "Let's begin our attack." They added, as a hundred people joined them on the terrace.

The Orime group is now here !