Chapter 5: Big Bad Bully

"Who are you talking to Mel?" Raphael crossed his arms and sized up Jon.

"I did not give you permission to call me that," she sharply replied.

In a bid to alleviate the tension, Jon cleared his voice and said, "She is my best friend."

Little did Jon know that he added fuel to the flames.

"I am not talking to you," Raphael snapped at Jon. "Keep your mouth shut."

Raphael then turned to Melissa and frowned, "Why are you friends with a nobody like him?"

Melissa glared at him and defended Jon, "He is not a nobody. He is my best friend. Class is starting soon. Come on Jon, we need to go."

Jon and Melissa walked to their next class. Raphael glared at Jon from behind.

He was determined to gain Melissa on his side and was not going to give up on her that easily.

---

Their next class is combat training. In this lesson, Master Li, their combat trainer, demonstrated basic Tai Chi attack techniques.

"Tai Chi focuses on speed and balance," Master Li instructed. "Remember that when sparring."

The students then paired themselves up and sparred with each other.

Since Jon's father fell out of favor with the town, none of his classmates wanted to spar with him.

Thankfully, Melissa and Jon were assigned the same class so Jon had someone to spar with.

The trainer customarily walked around the room and provided feedback to the students whenever necessary.

However, like Master Fu, he did not pay any attention to Jon.

Although close combat was not one of Jon's strengths, he thoroughly enjoyed the class. It could even be listed as one of his favorite classes.

Of course, having his best friend around made the class even more enjoyable.

"Ouch, that hurts," Melissa feigned a look of pain as she grabbed her arm and whimpered.

"Oh no, I am so sorry," Jon stepped closer to check if Melissa was injured. "Are you alright?"

Melissa took the chance to spring a sneak tornado kick attack.

Her leg hit Jon's waist as she spun in the air.

Bam…

The next moment, she laughed and clapped loudly, "You are so easy to fool. You should not be too nice Jon."

Wham…

Jon struck Melissa's neck using the side of his hand.

"Oh, I am, am I?" Jon launched a reciprocal sneak attack and quipped. "You really need to concentrate."

"Alright, I will stop playing and be serious," Melissa furrowed her brows.

Jon smirked and shook his head, "We should start from the top."

During the second half of the lesson, the students sparred using weapons.

Melissa retrieved her whip while Jon took out his sword.

He started the round by thrusting his sword forward.

Melissa immediately swung her whip.

Crack…

Her whip hit Jon's blade and wrapped around it.

Shing…

Jon swiftly untangled his sword and aimed it at Melissa's shoulder.

She dodged and wrapped her whip around Jon from behind.

"Alright, you win this round," Jon magnanimously admitted defeat.

"Come on," Melissa smiled encouragingly. "Let us try again."

The students sparred for a few more rounds.

Before long, the lesson was over. Time always flew by quickly for Jon during combat training.

"Remember to meet me outside of my classroom," Melissa told him before she left for her next lesson.

Jon nodded and freshened up before heading to his next venue.

As he walked out of the room, he saw Raphael sitting on the bench opposite of it.

Raphael stood and sauntered toward Jon. Jon ignored him and kept walking.

"Hold it right there," Raphael sternly said. "I want to talk to you."

"I need to go to class now," Jon replied as he continued his journey.

"You have a lot of nerves," Raphael spat. "Who do you think you are? I can easily crush you in an instant."

Raphael raised his right hand and clenched it as he threatened Jon.

Jon maintained his pace and said, "I have not done anything to you. Leave me alone and go to your next class."

However, Raphael stood on the same spot and grounded his teeth. He glared intensely at Jon from behind.

Moments later, Jon turned at a corner of the hallway and disappeared.

"I will make you regret ever pitting yourself against me," Raphael muttered darkly under his breath. "Just you wait."

---

Jon's final class before lunch was on the theory of weaponry. The teacher focused on the application aspect of it during the lesson.

"The basis of the item's value is the materials it is made of. Logically, the better the material, the higher the item's value," explained the teacher.

Jon easily grasped this principle because of his experience in making pills, potions, and medicine.

He looked forward to the day he could make his own weapon to suit his needs. Right now, he used his father's spare sword, which was a little too big for him.

"Items can have multiple functions," the teacher continued. "Some examples of these functions are healing, transformation, teleportation, and energy storage."

What his teacher said gave him the inspiration to create a weapon that can heal. As paradoxical as it might sound, it was possible.

"This list is not exhaustive. There may also be functions that are still undiscovered," the teacher elaborated.

Jon's eyes were open wide with wonder.

"Including multiple functions in an item requires skill and perhaps talent," the teacher cautioned. "Make sure that the functions are in perfect harmony with each other or the item may fall apart after a period."

Jon was concentrating intently. He furiously scribbled notes on his notebook.

Before long, the lesson was over. Jon was tired after a long day and looked forward to having lunch with Melissa.

"Today has been tough but I have been coping fine so far," Jon reflected.

However, trouble was about to take place as Raphael was determined to meet Melissa during lunch.