I Plan Ahead

@031 I never jump into things without a plan. I always have to be prepared for the worst. Not everyone that I knew was like that. They grew impatient and bored, and made the dumbest decisions. At least they won't feel bored ever again… @404

"Hey Ayden, can I ask you something?" Mio asked me.

"Sure."

"How come you're not competing in any matches? You could get a good Winning Streak started."

"That a dumb idea," I proclaimed. "I need to learn more about those people. What type of magic they main, their style of fighting, the way they move, talk, breathe. Everything must be calculated correctly before I make a move."

"I think that you're thinking way too much into this." Mio said.

"If anything, you're not thinking enough about this. If I don't learn about how the opponent fights, then how will I be able to win?"

Mio sat down on her bed without answering my question. She was in pajamas that were a one piece suit of soft fabric that had a zipper that split the suit down the middle. The fabric had pink roses all around them with golden sparkles floating above the roses. Her red hair, as usual, was let down all the way to her waist.

"You should try wearing a ponytail to bed," I suggested to her. "Keeps your hair from getting tangled up."

I let out a soft yawn as I crawled into my bed and let myself begin to fall asleep. I had to get ready for observation. I can begin tomorrow after classes.

"Hey, Ayden." Mio said from her bed.

"Hmm?"

"You take all of this Knight training very seriously. Why's that?"

"I just really wanted to be a Knight when I was six. I guess that was one of the few goals that I kept alive."

"You must have been working hard. I've heard from Lynn that your fighting skills and composure are on a whole other level compared to most students here. You can read a grave situation very quickly and make quick decisions at the right moments. You must've been working really hard back then."

"Yeah…yeah, I guess you could say that."

While I have been working hard, I never had a choice in the matter. I can't let anyone know of the world that I had lit live in. The only living person who knows about that is my mother.

I hope that I can keep it that way.

The morning sun rose and let out a golden glow through the window that lit up the entire room. The school year started on Thursday, so today was now Saturday, the start of the weekend.

"It's kinda crazy to think that everything that had happened to me was all in the span of two day." I said to myself.

Mio was still sleeping lazily. I guess it's fine since it's a weekend, but I was still a little annoyed of her carefree attitude.

I made myself get up early because I knew that the more experienced people would be up training with their powers.

While our senses may have been enhanced to the limits of human capabilities, that doesn't mean that we can slack off whenever we wanted. Going a large span of time without training with our enhanced senses can cause them to dull and degrade us back many decades, so we consistently have to keep on training with our senses so that we can always remain at a top level at all times.

I decided that the best course of action was to try and become acquaintances with these experienced people. Establishing some sort of bond between fellow Knights would be good for better teamwork and cooperation. We may be against each other right now because of this whole "matching" ordeal, but befriending them would make things flow much more smoothly. Plus, I would have a much better idea as to what they're truly capable of.

While most people would say that pissing someone off to a certain point would bring out a demon not to be reckoned with, I find that statement lacking. While they may feel stronger, their actions are uncoordinated and completely irrational, making it easy to deal in some fatal damage. However, befriending someone and challenging them to a little friendly competition would motivate that friend of yours to give it their all to try and leave a good impression on you.

While I have gotten angry, I've never once fought with a disgusting rage growing inside of me, like a volcano constantly on the verge of exploding. I couldn't let my emotions get the best of me, otherwise I would lose focus as well as my life.

The way I see it, the day I fight because of an uncontrollable rage will be the day when I can control fire (which I can't).

I did my normal morning routines and left the dorms and headed to the courtyards. There weren't many other students up yet, but the ones that were here looked pretty serious. There moves were both stylized and well controlled. Most of them were definitely trained to the point where they could put a little style into their skills.

What bothered me a little bit though was the fact that most of them were fire users. I have no kind of control with fire, but I've had many encounters with it. Not really something I feel like thinking about right now though.

Many people were already training inside their own Mental Links, so I decided to watch the battles play out to see how they went.

If you're thinking that these are official matches, then you're wrong. Matching against your roommates isn't allowed since that would make cheating the system much more easier. However, training with your roommates is allowed.

The restrictions aren't enforced with a trust system either. If two roommates were to attempt matching against each other, then the restrictions inside your ID would be triggered and a mark will be added to your name. Two marks will result in expulsion.

Most of the people fighting against each other were using the stereotypical moves that you'd usually see. Flames engulfing the user's fists and feet, Hard rock encasing the user's hands and armor protecting their vital areas, streams of water being controlled and moving with the movements of the user's hands, and gusts of wind being blown at the command of the user's hands while they flew with the wind.

While it may have looked cliche to many, watching them fight with those powers was still quite the viewing experience. One of the fighters did a backflip kick which left a blazing trail of flames forming into a cool circle for a split second before vanishing into ashes. Another used dirt to blind his opponent and deal damage with a few solid rock punches.

Everyone's style of fighting was different, even if most of them had the same abilities.

I noticed another guy standing a few feet to my right, also watching with interest. He was a tall guy with hair dyed blue and eyes that revealed a sparkling ocean. His face and his black leather jacket and pants made him look like the delinquent, or "bad boy," type. His eyebrows were also furrowed, making him look much more intimidating.

"What's your name?" He asked me with a deep, intimidating tone without even turning his head.

He caught me off guard a little, but I stayed composed. I don't want to risk intimidating this guy into a fight.

"It's Ayden," I said. "Yours?"

"It's Jason."

I turned my attention back towards the fights that were happening in front of us. My focus was on a fire and water user. Streams of crimson orange and ocean blue enchanted the battlefield as the two of them continued with their seemingly endless battle.

"Who're you for?" Jason asked me.

"The guy using water." I answered.

"Same."

I was starting to feel uncomfortable.

"This fight feels like it could go on forever." Jason continued.

"It does feel that way." I said.

"But you want to know what would really make it feel endless? If they were both using the same ability, fighting with the same moves, and using the same defense over and over and over again until they eventually kill themselves."

"Everyone's got their own style of fighting."

The guy using water was starting to push the fire guy into a corner.

"That may be true, but some people copy others," Jason continued. "You know the saying 'Can't beat them, join them?'"

"I'm aware of it." I said.

Suddenly, Jason started to walk away slowly, but I noticed him turning his head to face me for the first time. It was also the first time that I noticed a very noticeable scar running down his neck horizontally.

"I'll be looking forward to seeing how you fight." He said before walking off.

'Can't beat them, join them.'

Honestly, I despised that saying with every fiber of my being. That saying was a sign of giving up, saying that your opponent was better than you in every way possible.

What had me thinking though was the way he said it. Was he saying that I was the better one?

"I hope that I never have to fight that guy." I said as I watched the fire user make a comeback and beat the water user.