First Class

"He isnt? Then tell me, if he gets angry and decided to destroy the whole school, can you stop him?"

Zaine was still angry.

"Nope. But you can't stop him either, right?" Von said.

Zaine was a bit confused. Yes, she can't stop him.

"Dalia, can you?" Zaine asked Dalia.

"Ask the others. Theo can't. You saw how he thrashed that 'Ice Prince'. Well, I can say that even Yuri can't. She is a nine elemental too, but a girl." Dalia said without breathing.

"Huh? Who said my name?" This time, the green haired girl walked out.

"There's our Yuri. Hey, Yuri, can you stop him if he went on rampage?" Dalia asked him while pointing her index on Vin.

"Of course not! I won't fight a monster like him." Yuri shook her head abruptly.

Vin sighed. He isn't a beast that goes rampage, yet this girl, she..

'She wants my smile, huh'

"Kaye, can you stop that boy when he goes rampage?" Zaine asked the indigo-haired girl.

She was shocked. Yes, she was.

How would you stop a train in its peak speed with a small stone? Thus, she also shook her head.

"When I saw them, I felt that he's a goner. Going against three people was not easy after all." She blushed, embarrassed about her confession. "But seeing him beating them, I can't help myself but to say that, even I, can't stop him." Her soft voice was filled with anxiousness.

"I think Lily can't do it, too. As for her, if we rank it, she can at least last longer than those three inside." Kaye said.

"Alright, guys, enough of that jokes." Vin walked towards them,  and the air became tensed. "Look, I am not a beast okay?" He raised his two hands in the air like he was surrendering.

"You don't have to worry, one might be unable to stop you, but with us nine, we can." The voice came from the inside. The orange haired girl walked outside the door and kept it open.

"Also, we are awake now, we will be late for our first, or rather our second class." Saying that, the blue-haired boy, Theo, walked outside. He looks like new, no scars, no bruises or other signs of damage. Just a little trauma from the devil.

"And please, be lenient. We're sorry!" The black-haired man also came out.

"Come on now, Sora. Don't joke like that, in the battlefield, no one's gonna be lenient towards you!" The white-haired man butted in. He also walked outside the room.

"Of course, girls would be more gentler to this handsome face. Not like you, Riku." Sora rebutted.

"Alright, guys, we would be late." Von added, but no one heard him.

They kept on bickering each other and teasing one another.

Vin just turned around and walked. When they saw him walking, they felt a rather peculiar feeling.

Von jumped down the ledge and walked beside Vin. The others followed them and also walked forward.

The group was laughing about the spar that happened. The trio was subjected to questions of the girls, while the two were still walking.

They walked for almost twenty minutes and they found themselves not far away from the clinic.

"Hey, Vin, where's next class?" Zaine asked him.

He halted his steps, turned towards them and said:

"I thought you guys know where to go? I must be the one asking you--" he stopped.

"Yes, we don't know where to go, too." Von added.

"So we're following a wrong lead all this time?" Dalia shouted.

"I guess, you can say that." They sounded like a choir.

They all laughed except Vin who only smiled.

'Who told you to follow me?'

------------------------------

The group now arrived on a building at the northern part of the Ninth Plaza. It looks like a colosseum that was divided into eight portions.

The eight portions represents the eight plazas and they were seated on their respective classes.

The group then stood at the entrance, because they have no place to seat in. They were like extras to the scene.

"Hey, Vin, do you know what is this all about?" Theo asked him.

He shrugged and just tucked his lips. He doesn't know either.

A few students were still talking when suddenly, a lady with a pink hair and pink eyes, walked pass through them.

The lady was a bit old, her wrinkled face can be observed, but a hint of youth could still be seen. Her hair is in a bun and a stick kept it in place.

She then stood at the middle of the stage. She just stood there and didn't said anything. Then everything became silent, that you can hear a pin drop.

Seriously bruh? A pin that dropped has a sound?

"First Plaza, report!" She shouted. A student from the group in red stood up. He has a black hair and red eyes.

"Reporting from First Plaza, Alvin Bazee, forty-four students, present." The boy then sat down.

As he sat down, a girl from the ones with blue uniforms stood up.

"Reporting from Second Plaza, Cathy Eseum, forty-one students, present." After that, she also sat down, and the next one reported.

"Reporting from Third Plaza,  Droy Fruaz, forty students, present."

"Reporting from Fourth Plaza, Ethan Yoff, forty-two students, present."

"Reporting from the Fifth Plaza, Samantha Grieg, forty-three students, present."

"Reporting from Fifth Plaza, Dazyril Choi, forty-two students, present."

"Reporting from Sixth Plaza, Zairud Hughes, forty-four students, present."

"Reporting from Seventh Plaza, Aira Sorre, forty-three students, present."

"Reporting from Eighth Plaza, Oliver Sonde, forty-one students, present."

The hall went silent. The lady in the middle was still listening, however, they didn't hear any additional.

"Ninth Plaza, report!" The lady shouted. However, no one answered.

"Ninth Plaza, report!" She called another round, but still, silence remained.

She was furious this time. She then shouted.

"Students of Ninth Plaza, where are you?"

Out of nowhere, ten students in their caramel uniforms walked inside. They were all looking down on the ground. The one on the front was none other than---

"Who's your class representative?" The lady asked.

No one answered.

--Von.

"Are you deaf? Or are you mute?" The lady then asked again.

"Actually, Ma'am.." Von's brain was still in turmoil.

"We don't have one." Von smiled at the lady.

"Don't tell me that Melchor forgot about it?" The lady inquired.

"Ma'am, we didn't have our first class due to--"

"A fight. Right?" The lady cut him off.

My god, why is everybody cutting off a talking somebody?

Von nodded.

"That old man, he did forget again." The old lady sighed.

In a dark room, a man writing something on his desk, sneezed.

"Someone must've talking bad about me." He said.

"Okay, for now, stay with the First Plaza. You will sit at the back of them." She ordered them and they walked up the seats.

The wide colosseum made them has its lights off, so the atmosphere is dim. Some windows were open, and the hole above of the colosseum to acquire sunlight.

The group then started to seat down. The five boys were in front and the five girls at the back.

Some lads can't stop looking at the girls, but when they see Sora and Riku glaring at them, they avert their gazes and stopped to listen.

"1st graders, I am Mrs. Kiana Dreia. I welcome you to the Supreme Shrek University." The lady said. She then put her hands on her back and pondered over something.

"Two months from now, we will be holding the Class Advancement Tournament."

The students' murmurs would be heard this time. Some were talking aloud, some were excited, while some have fear.

"The tournament will be held on this stage, and a pointing system would be produced."

Another batch of murmuring could be heard, but now, they are more vivid.

"Silence!" Kiana shouted and all the students felt their heart jump out of the cage.

She's so terrifying!

"This will be a round-robin tournament, where we hold two matches everyday."

"There would be three one-versus-ones, two two-versus-twos, a five-versus-five and a seven-versus-seven."

"So can anyone tell me, why do we need to have those categories if we can just give a seven-versus-seven a go and decide who is the winner?" Kiana asked the students.

The silence was maintained for five seconds. After that, three people raised their hands.

One of them is from the sixth plaza, and one of them is from the third. The other one is Theo, who sat at the back of first plaza students.

"Okay then, little girl from the sixth plaza, tell us why." Kiana called the student.

The girl then stood up from the batch of students who wear white uniforms and black vests. Her figure is as slim as Zaine but she appeared to be more beautiful.

"Ma'am, we have those categories so that winning the tournament could be justified." The girl then answered.

Kiana smiled at her and uttered "Very good." The girl sat down and she called on the other girl from the third plaza.

The girl she called just now wears an orange vest and a tangerine colored uniform. She looked more alluring than the first one, but a bit short.

"Ma'am, I have the same answer as her." The girl then agreed to the first who answered.

Kiana just nodded and pointed her finger to Theo and told him to answer, but--

"Ma'am, I have the same answer as them." He said.

-- Theo betrayed her expectation.

"Other than that reason, anything else. Who has a more objective answer?" Kiana asked again.

A moment of silence, but a single boy raised his hands. His caramel uniform and brown vest, together with the tinge of sunlight, he appeared to be a light bulb. His white hair and hazelnut eyes glowed with the sun.

"Yes, Mr. Bubbleman, can you give us a definite answer." Kiana chuckled.

The whole colosseum let out a ridiculing sigh to him. Others laughed while others giggled.

"Ma'am, first of all, my name is not Mr. Bubbleman." Vin sighed with dissatisfaction.

"Okay, okay, continue." Kiana laughed.

"Ma'am, the point of a one-versus-one is to develop individual understanding. Two-versus-two are for dual combination, five-versus-five excercises coordination and seven-versus-seven creates flexibility and adaptability. In short, a tournament is like a battle in the real world where the opponent won't spare you and crush you until you can't stand up." With that, he sat down.

The giggling, laughing and ridicules stopped. Kiana's mouth was left agape.

"Precisely!" After almost three seconds of buffer, she added.

"That's the point of having a tournament. So now.."

She then walked towards the middle of the stage.

"Let us have a practice match. May I call on the Ninth Plaza students to come over?" Kiana surprised them. A first day assesment, huh?

The group then strode forward with Von being the vanguard and Vin at his back. The last ones on the back are Theo, Sora and Riku.

They arrived shortly afterwards.

"Okay, so we would only have a one-versus-one today. May we invite two representatives from each plaza, and all of you will fight against one of these students. It's your choice and not mine to meddle with. It's okay if you win or lose, just don't overdo it." Kiana announced.

With that, eight pairs of students walked down. All of them were males. As for their looks, they are not close to Theo.

"Ma'am may we request something?" Von approached Kiana.

"What is it little boy?" Kiana asked.

"Vin, a.k.a Mr. Bubbleman would fight them all, and I am afraid that he won't need a minute to finish off a duo." He smiled with confidence.

"So what do you propose?" Kiana asked.

"Like I said, Ma'am, Vin would challenge them all, and a trio would do. A quartet may also do it, but it would be difficult for him." Von said.

"Then we will make it a quintet, so that you would be forced to draw your hands." Kiana smiled back at him, but deep inside Von, he was celebrating.

He walked back to them and relayed the message. He got a punch on the diaphragm when Vin heard it, but he just laughed.