1 Chapter 1 - The F Rank, Zero

It was cold and chilly. The frosty winds were blowing around viciously; however, smiles and laughter could be seen on many people's faces. Everyone was clothed in winter attire to combat the cold and light snow coming down. It was rather lively and beautiful, The City of Falter.

People walked in and out of stores and shops with various bags in hand. Couples could be seen going out on dates as if the winter season didn't affect them. No, it was more like it brought about another reason for them to be happy. Even stalls on the sidewalks were out, and advertisements for certain seasonal shops and items were well underway.

One of those couples minding their own business had bumped into a lone person walking along the sidewalk. They weren't really paying much attention and were just teasing one another when it happened, so they didn't see who they bumped into. "Hey, sorry about that." The man said as he noticed he shoved someone onto the ground by accident. The man reached out to help the person up but suddenly retracted his hand and gave the person a glare.

"Trash." The man spat at the person who was sitting in the snow. The person had short dark purple hair and a disinterested expression on their boyish face. The person sighed softly and picked themselves off the ground. Their dull-looking purple eyes seemed to remain downcast as they made their way down the street. Staring at the white snow in front of them.

The boy would fix his school uniform, which consisted of a plain gray color blazer and trousers. He would wipe the spit from his cheek with his hand and wipe it on his pants to dry himself. As he continued down the sidewalk, more people glared at him. Some even called him rude names.

"Worthless..."

"Garbage!"

"Son of a whore!"

"Useless."

"Pathetic."

So on and so forth, the names came at him. Some people even threw stones and snowballs at him, yet he didn't look at them. He didn't react one bit. He would wipe the snow off and use the sleeve of his blazer to wipe any blood from his body.

Once he finally reached the school, he was given glares and rude calls from his peers who saw him. Some even decided to smack him upside the head or punch him in the arm. Treating him like some kind of punching bag or plaything for their own amusement, but no one actually tried to converse with him. Finally, someone called out to him.

"Zero! Buddy... did you get my Coins?" A rowdy and damn near sinister voice spoke up. Zero had picked himself off the ground and dusted the snow off his body, only to feel an arm wrap around his neck. He had been knocked to the ground by one of the people who treated him like a punching bag.

Zero shifted his dull dark purple eyes towards the rowdy boy. He had spiky black hair and a mean look to him. Zero nodded without a word, and the boy smiled wide. "Great! Fork'em over!" The boy exclaimed. Zero tapped on his carbon-fiber black bracelet five times which brought up a cybernetic screen.

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Transfer Funds: 20 Coins

Current Funds: 25 Coins

Transfer?

[Y]\[N]

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Zero would wait for the boy to put on his bracelet and then click the yes button, which seemed to close out the screen. Zero's bracelet would flicker a thin red light from the bracelet; meanwhile, the boy's flashed a thin green light. At the same time, a cashing-out ping would resound, and the boy seemed pleased.

"Good job, Zero. You aren't so useless after all!" The boy smacked Zero on the back with a loud mocking laugh as if pretending to be his best friend. This caused him to stumble forward. Soon after, several other boys shoved Zero aside while laughing at him and followed the other boy. "Ruth, that was savage!" One of the boys following Ruth crackled.

A heavy sigh escaped Zero's lips. "I guess I won't be able to purchase any bread or milk. The next allowance date is tonight, so I'll just buy some tomorrow morning..." Zero muttered to himself, his voice void of emotion as he made his way into the school. Even though he clearly didn't want to go.

There, not only were his peers glaring at him and calling him names, even his teachers were doing the same. Anyone that saw him pretty much got in on the trend and treated Zero like trash. In fact, they seemed to enjoy doing so.

Most of the time, they publically humiliated him. Other times they would drag him somewhere secluded and torture him until he passed out or was near-death. It was just another everyday thing for him, yet he always showed no emotion. He had long since gone numb to the pain and torment, but people still did it to relieve their stress or use him as a punching bag.

Why?

Did he commit a hideous crime? Maybe, he picked on someone else? Was it because he did something terrible? Possibly, he ratted on someone or got someone killed?

No, none of the above.

It was because...

"Hey, F Rank. Let's duel. All-In." A female student with red pigtailed hair and a slim-thick figure called out to Zero. She was also wearing the school uniform, as was everyone else in the academy. A cybernetic screen appeared in front of him shortly after that.

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Gambit's Battle

Match Type: All-In

Request: One vs. One match

Win: Knock out or make the other person forfeit.

Reward: 5+ Coins

Defeat: 5- Coins

Accept?

[Yes] \ [No]

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Zero looked at the screen, and so did the girl who burst into laughter at the sight of the reward. A screen had appeared in front of her as well, displaying the same information. "Only five Coins? That's how much you have? Boy, you are genuinely pathetic! It's a shame I won't get more, considering those five Coins are wasted on you!" The girl exclaimed in a mocking tone.

Zero blinked a few times while looking at the screen. He debated on declining. This was all he had, and he was trying to save up to at least buy some food, but he couldn't. Even if he did, people would just beat him up anyway.

"There's no point..." Zero thought to himself as he hit the accept button and just stood there. A cybernetic field expunged from between them. They were in the middle of the hall when all of this happened. No-one stopped it. In fact, everyone was cheering for the girl to beat him up. The only good thing that would come of this is that he would be treated for his injuries and wounds free of charge.

The girl's hands began to spark with an electric flow, and quickly she tossed out two arcs of lighting. Both hit Zero. He wasn't going to evade them. Even if he could see them, he saw no reason to dodge them. "There is no point..." He thought to himself again.

His body jolted to the sudden electrical feeling, and he grit his teeth to endure the pain, then he fell onto his knees. Sure, he had a high pain tolerance. Still, when electricity flows throughout every nerve in your body, it is hard not to feel any pain. Everyone cheered and roared with joy at the appearance of Zero. Zero wanted to give up, but he knew it wouldn't have mattered if he did.

Even if he said he gave up, someone else would probably try to fight him. So, he would just endure. Another two arcs of lightning hit his body, and he jolted from the pain. Then he collapsed, but he was still awake. His body was going numb, but that didn't mean he was out cold yet.

Zero could endure a lot of pain. Much more than any person his age should have been able to. Due to this, it took another two arcs of lighting to knock him out. His body would jolt in reaction, and once he passed out, the match ended. People were happy at sight, and some mocked him thinking he could hear them.

"Right on, Katie! Good job!" One of the girls said to her friend and high-fived her. A few moments later, they had to clear the way for the medical team to pick up Zero and put him on the stretcher.

"Why do they waste their time on trash like him?"

"I know right, they should just let him die."

"But then Katie would be charged with murder."

"Ugh... I wish someone would just get rid of him already."

Katie's friends spoke harshly, and even the same things could be heard from others that had seen what was going on. "I do not want to be put in prison for the death of that lowly F Rank," Katie said. "Let's just head to class. I got five Coins out of that anyway. Even if the amount is trash, it's still something I can use." Katie said, and the girls followed her.

"Zefer... Why? Why have you stopped fighting back? Are the rumors really true?" A curvaceous and beautiful redhead woman watched the boy, Zero, be taken away on a stretcher.

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