Chapter 8

"Oh! Shin, you brought Lance too?" (Petia)

"Yeah, he still hasn't looked around the city. It's not a problem, right?" (Shin)

"Nno, it's not. The more the merryer." (Petia)

"Whatever. Let's go." (Blake)

"Where are we going?" (Lance)

"To a verry good cafeteria. It's cheap and serves many things. The atmosphere is also nice." (Petia)

When they reached, they sat on a table in front of it and ordered.

"So, Lance, do you have a training strategy yet? How will you be training for the fight?" (Petia)

"I won't be training anymore for it." - he blurted.

Blake spat his juice out.

"Cough! You won't train?! Don't tell me you're going to hit him untill he feels something. That's ridiculous! You at least have a plan, right?"

"Yes, I have a plan." - Lance ate some cake.

"That isn't enough! Luxen's ONE is a 'condor' , in other words a flying type. Even if you can reach him you'll be blasted and hurt because of the diference in power." (Petia)

"Wait for a moment there! When we practiced, didn't he take our all out attacks head on? He didn't even had a scratch." (Shin)

"Ah! You are right. That means your defence is verry strong, Lance, but you can't take Luxen's attack head on! He is much stronger than Shin and Blake." (Petia)

"OK. I will try to evade all of his attacks." (Lance)

"So...What's your plan?" (Blake)

"It's secret. You'll see when we fight." (Lance)

"That reminds me...Why did you challenge him?" (Shin)

"Because I got annoyed. When he started telling bad things about you, I got verry annoyed and did it on a whim. But don't worry, I'll teach him a lesson. Like Nyankichi once said: 'I'll make him reflect on the evil he has done and show him the right way! In order to live happyly, one must be good to everyone.' , so I'll try do something good for everyone." (Lance)

The other three facepalmed and looked at each other. The day passed peacefully and they had fun, strolling around before it got dark. After that Lance really didn't train at all. He went to see Kumoto Hagashi once in his lab.

== Week and a half before the battle between Luxen and Lance ==

Somewhere in south-east Europe. On one of the many islands near Greese.

"Team Alpha, going in! Team Beta?" - a woman said.

[Team Beta is ready. We're protecting the perimetre, it's safe to continue.] - a man answered her trough the headphone.

A group of five slowly got closer to the rocky wall. A young boy stepped forward when the woman gave him the signal. He went to the wall and started tapping it with a pebble.

Clank!

He hit something metal. He searched aroud with his hands for a while, he stopped and pushed something. Suddenly, accompanied with the sound of heavy rusted doors opening, part of the wall split open and revealed a secret passage.

"Everyone! Turn your flashlights on and stay together! There might be some traps, so be carefull." - the woman ordered.

They did just as she said. Inside it was dark, there were light switches but no electrycity. The group went down a long metal staircase. Because of the humidity and the long time no one has been there, the sairs were rusted and creaked as the people stepped on them.

"WAAH!"

One of the stairs fell and a man almost fell with it. They quickly pulled him up and continued with even more caution. When they reached the bottom, in front of them were many computers, machines and gigantic glass containers, big enough to fit two fully groun men. The woman then talked.

"So this is the great professor Michail Antonov's secret lab?"

She walked next to one of the decks and picked up a book. It was the only book left in the room.

"Get all the data chips from the computers and search for other memory devices!"

"Yes comander!" - everyone saluted.

As she was flipping through the book, she realised it was a research gournal and a diary.

'It's such a shame. Because of the moisture most of the information in here is lost. It's such a shame Prof. Antonov killed himself because of paranoia, he could have helped us. If he didn't become a heteric, he could have been one of the best in the world.'

She sighed at this thought and flipped the next pege. What she saw surprised her. The outer part was unreadable but it said this:

*I.................when was searchin trough some seret date in..............discovered something shocking, something kept in the shadows from everyone by.........It is about the beginning of the war. On 30.04 when a fleet of ships and many jetpanes left.......... harbor in USA to assist the Japanese army, it was said that an armada on ARDs was responsible for their defeat, but...........had hid the truth. It wasn't actually an army. It was only one single ARD. This fact was so shocking that...........hid it. The thing responsible for the defeat was an ARD they called level 0. No one survived to tell about it but.........there was nothing showing on the radar. If it was an armada, they should have noticed it and sent an SOS. Moreover, they.............So, I'm now the only one that tries to do something before that level 0 ARD appears. I'm working on.............to create a super soldier to fight............together with some other researchers and Prof.........'ve been testing some new methods and............. create a 'Varion' - a genetically modyfied........... before the next 'S...fall' comes.*

"We're ready boss!" - one of the men said.

"Oh my God..." - she had a death pale face.

"What's wrong?"

"Ah! Nothing. I'll be personally taking this book to a researcher in Romen. So, don't say anything about it in the report!"

"Why there? That's like the other end of the world! Aren't the researchers in Besali enough?" - the man asked.

"If someone could comprehend the written here fast enough, it would be the head researcher in Romen."

She but the book in a bag and commanded everyone to move out.

=== The day of the battle ===

"I'm so excited! Usually there isn't a mock fight this early after the beginning of the school year."

"Yeah. I heard a first year is fighting a second year, moreover there are going to be some important people watching the match."

"Really?!"

"Don't get your hopes up! The battle will end in seconds."

"What do you mean?"

"I have an inner info. It's a first year class C with a 'cat' type against the "Iron condor" , Luxen from A class."

"Oh, poor first year. He'll get beaten up."

All kinds of conversations could be heard from the arena's seats. On a special place with lixorious seats and a bar with food and drinks, the VIP room, sat the Student counchil members, Kumoto and one man in general-like clothes waited for the match to start. The lights went out and a single light shone at the centre of the arena. A girl with a microphone started talking.

"Are you ready for a fight?!"

"YEAH!" - the croud answered.

"OK!! Then get ready for something never seen before! A fight between a students from class C-1 and A-2! Get ready for action! Firs to come out is the one and only "Iron condor" - Luxen!"

As the croud cheered he came out with another light shining at him (like a boxing match).

"He will surely smash that C class kid!" - a boy said.

"Oh, really? If you are so sure why don't we make a bet?" - a black haired girl sitting to his left asked him.

"We have a bet!" - he answered.

"Next is Lance from class C-1. Good luck kid!"

All the lights lit up after Lance went to the middle of the arena.

"Now! Get ready! One, two, two, three...GO!"

The fight started.