At the last second

There was barely any time to discuss tactics. Reia and Aram didn’t know each other, and had no idea how to combine their two superpowers. They also didn’t know what powers David and Ksyu had. Aram only had a guess about David’s passive power, but that wasn’t enough.

“I suggest we do it like this,” Reia began. “Having watched the previous fight, I’d say it’s best to stay on defense and play for time. It would be foolish to use darkness in an open space; I’d drop to the floor from exhaustion the same second.”

“Can’t you create darkness over just one part of their body?” Aram asked. “Say, over the eyes?”

“It’s a good idea, but you see, I’m not that good at controlling my active superpower yet.”

“Understood.”

“Our main goal will be to avoid falling into a trap. So we should defend each other.”

“I can attack them with my chains if they get too close.”

“Tell me again, what’s David’s superpower?”

“I don’t know exactly what he can do, but when I came out of Father Reno’s office and ran into him, thoughts of death, loneliness, and bad memories started appearing in my head.”

“Hmm. It’s like instilling negative emotions, or controlling thoughts. Either way, it’s probably their active superpowers we’ll have to fear more.”

“I wouldn’t say that. I think his passive ability is no weakling either.”

“Or maybe this mental state of yours just isn’t the strongest?” Reia said condescendingly.

“Are you implying I’m a weakling?” Aram was furious.

“I’m sorry. I was wrong. We shouldn’t quarrel before the fight.”

Aram said nothing.

Reia didn’t really think she was wrong. But she didn’t want to lose the battle over something this stupid.

A transparent placard with the names of the members of the second group appeared in the air again.

Team 1a: Reia & Aram
Team 1b: David & Ksyu

Reia and Aram came out from the left side of the arena. David and Ksyu came out from the right.

“How nice, they came out in pairs,” William said with a smile.

“Maybe it was by accident,” Felix replied.

“Who are you betting on?”

“I like the dark-haired girl. So much anger in her eyes. She’d rather die than let herself be beaten.”

“And I like that couple. They look like two little conspirators.”

Ksyu began to stretch her legs and arms. David closed his eyes, concentrated, and then opened them abruptly.

“What the hell is this?” Reia bent over, clutching her head.

“Broken. Thrown away. No one needs you. Everyone will use you,” different voices screamed in her head.

At the same time, the same thing happened to Aram as when he’d first met David. The headache drove them both closer and closer to the floor.

“Get up and watch them!” Reia shouted. Her voice was full of pain. “We mustn’t let them out of our sight. Who knows what their superpowers are.”

Reia was right. David and Ksyu quickly ran toward them.

“We don’t have much time,” Ksyu said.

“Got it,” David replied. “Give me your hand.”

As they ran, David and Ksyu clasped hands and parted again.

“Come here, asshole!” David shouted at Aram.

“Why, you…!” Aram shouted. “This time I’ll show you who’s who!”

Aram stretched out his hand and sent a chain flying toward David. David dodged to the left, but at the same moment another chain struck him from the right and began to coil around his body.

“Damn! Damn! Damn!” David shouted. He fought the chain desperately, but there was no breaking it that way.

“That’s how I get my revenge! See who’s the strongest,” Aram said, and turned to Reia.

But he clearly hadn’t expected to see two Reias behind him at once.

“Aram, help me!” the Reia on the left shouted.

“No! Don’t listen to her! She’s Ksyu!” the Reia on the right shouted.

“She’s lying! I’m the real Reia! You have to help me! Have you forgotten what we agreed on?” the Reia on the left said.

“What? You..!” the Reia on the right shouted, and moved to attack the Reia on the left.

“Aram!” the Reia on the left shouted.

Aram ran toward the Reia on the right and thrust out his hand. The chain went over her head, but she managed to duck in time. Aram used the same tactic as with David and swept the chain up from below. It worked. Reia fell.

“You’re a moron, just a moron!” she shouted.

At that moment, someone struck Aram on the head, and he fell. The clock showed there was one second left. William stood up to announce the winner, when suddenly he noticed that the fake Reia was lying on the floor, and the real one had planted her foot on the fake’s head.

“I told you she’d win,” Felix said.

“We’ll check that now,” William replied, and continued. “Dear students, could you please cancel your abilities so we can announce the correct result of the battle?”

Reia, who was lying face-down, struck the ground with her fist.

“Damn,” she said, and turned over.

The real Reia lifted her foot so Ksyu could turn, but there was no girl. It was David.

“What?” she wondered.

“What?” he mimicked. “Better help me up. And get these chains off Ksyu.”

Reia turned her head, and in David’s place she saw Ksyu, bound in chains.

“How interesting,” William said. “The winners of this round are Reia and Aram. Congratulations.”

Whispers swept through the hall. No one understood what had happened in that last second.

“What kind of superpower was that? I didn’t even have time to blink before she was standing over his head,” asked one of the students.

“Maybe she cheated?” said another.

“Wake up, it’s a duel between people with superpowers. How could you even cheat here?”

“I don’t know. Then how do you explain what just happened?”

“I know,” replied a white-haired boy sitting at the very back of the arena.