After a short interval of silence, Jon cleared his throat and mumbled, "We were playing with each other."Jon good-naturedly covered Raphael.Raphael, however, chose not to speak. "Very well, I will accept your explanation. You may leave." Master Shi nodded at Jon then turned to Raphael. "Young man, I do not wish to see anyone holding their weapons on school grounds outside of the training room," Master Shi frowned then confiscated Raphael's boomerang."This will stay in my office until you submit a 10 000-word reflection explaining why you were holding your boomerang here," Master Shi sternly told Raphael. Unable to control his indignation, Raphael spewed a string of vulgarities at the principal. Master Shi was appalled at his imprudent behavior, "For your lack of repentance and rudeness, you will also serve a month of detention."Upon hearing that, Raphael realized what he had done and could only helplessly nod, "I apologize Master Shi." "You are dismissed," Master Shi coolly sa
"What is wrong father and mother?" Jon concernedly asked as he furrowed his brows and tried to make sense of what was happening. "Please speak to me."He did not receive a reply.He instinctively touched their faces and hands. They were icy cold.Jon was at a loss. He frantically diagnosed his parents using his basic set of medical tools. To his dismay, he could not detect any symptoms that indicated the cause of their sickness. It was as if their parents were in a deep sleep—hibernating. The memory of what had happened when his father had fallen ill suddenly flashed in Jon's mind. "These symptoms are exactly the same," Jon reflected. He then remembered the doctor's method of treating his father. After checking the family's inventory, Jon realized he needed to purchase more medicine but could not afford it. The little money they had left was reserved for buying daily necessities, which were quickly running out. "I need to make the power-focusing pill and sell it," Jon desperatel
The alchemist eyed Jon several times."Judging by the looks of his clothes, he is a poor man's child," the alchemist thought to himself as he pondered about the amount he should quote to Jon. "A bag of coins should be more than sufficient for him." "1 000 coins," the alchemist finally said tranquilly. "1 000 coins?" Jon forlornly thought to himself. "That is less than half the price I was expecting."Jon's society held alchemists in high regard. He knew he was in a disadvantageous position but he needed to try to strike a better bargain. He kept a calm mien, "This pill is freshly made using precious ingredients. Please reconsider your offer.""1 000 coins—take it or leave it," the alchemist firmly replied. Jon knew that his family was in a dire situation and depended on selling the pill for survival. He refused to easily accept the initial price, especially when it was so low. He changed his tactic, "Could you offer me a bundle of ingredients and 1 000 coins in exchange for this
Ah…The people on the streets outside of the alchemist's store heard loud screams and stopped to see what was happening. They saw a young boy being thrown onto the ground by guards."Must be another thief," one passerby thought. "Young people these days are so brazen.""The boy is making such a ruckus," opined another person. "It is very late now. He should keep quiet so that others can rest for the night."Ironically, the passersby thought Jon was the cause of the trouble. Nobody cared about what Jon was actually saying."Help me!" Jon screamed at the top of his lungs. "Is there still such a thing as justice?"Everyone on the streets near Jon continued minding their own business. He realized no one would come to his aid, much less stand by his side. Left on the streets outside of the alchemist's store, Jon slowly picked himself up. While feeling resentful and sorry, he dusted himself and checked for wounds.Just then, a bent old man wearing a large hat and tattered coat steadily lim
When Jon returned home, he immediately went to his parents' bedroom to check if their condition had changed. As expected, his parents were lying on their bed, unmoving like statues. Heartbroken after seeing them in such poor condition, he hurriedly went to the kitchen to prepare their medicine. "I am such an embarrassment," he reprimanded himself. "How can I account to my parents about what had happened after they wake up?"He sighed and shook his head, "There is no point crying over spilled milk. I have to make the best of my situation."After he took out the medicine he bought from the pharmacy, he looked for other ingredients that may boost the strength of the brew he was about to make."Black lotus extract is highly nutritious," Jon carefully poured a few drops on a teaspoon and added it to the cauldron. When he eventually opened the parcel of medicine, he was shocked to see a large improvement in its quality. He held it close to his eyes to scrutinize it. "What happened?" Jon
"Ah! Leave me alone!" Melissa shouted as she activated an energy force field around her. She then confronted the people surrounding the force field, "What do all of you want with me?" Drenched in sweat, her long and curly golden hair stuck to her face. She panted as the people fervently attacked the force field. She could not hold up for long. "You offended our friend, which means you offended all of us," one of the members replied. Melissa furrowed her brows, "What do you mean? I do not know any of you!"Just then, from a distance, a figure strolled into Melissa's sight. "Raphael! He is the cause of this nonsense!" Melissa's eyes opened wide as she instantly recognized him. She felt rising indignation as she suddenly expanded her force field and shoved away the people attacking it. She shouted at Raphael, "What dirty trick are you playing on me? Why did you send these people to attack me?"Raphael shook his headTsk, tsk, tsk…"Why can you not speak nicely to me?" he put on a lo
Whoosh…Raphael sent a punch toward Jon's belly. However, Jon ducked and swept his right leg out. Raphael immediately jumped to avoid the attack. He then aimed a fist at Jon's face while landing. Jon moved out of the way and punched Raphael's stomach in the process. Unable to deflect the attack, Raphael moved a few steps back due to the force but quickly recovered his footing. He then kicked sideways several times. Jon stepped backward to avoid the attacks and countered with spin kicks towards Raphael's head.Raphael dodged them then threw a slew of punches forward. Jon swiftly blocked them using his arms but missed one as Raphael's attack was too fast. Raphael seized the opportunity to batter Jon. Bam, bam, bam…Jon instinctively raised his arms to block the punches and tried his best to roll with them. He also fired counter punches in the process. Seeing that there was little progression in the current situation, Raphael intensified his attack by adding kicks to his set of pun
"Are you a monster?" Raphael asked Jon with a serious face. "How could you survive that?" Knowing that he now had an edge over Raphael, Jon negotiated with him."Let me and Mel go," he sternly said. Ha, ha, ha…Raphael and his gang laughed heartily. "You are such a joker," Raphael replied as he wiped away a tear that rolled down his cheek after laughing so hard. "Who do you think you are? Why should I listen to you?"In the next moment, Raphael continued his attack against Jon. However, the effects of the pills he had eaten were wearing off. Huff, huff, huff…Raphael was finding the battle against Jon increasingly difficult. Unlike Raphael, Jon's energy had been renewed by the crystal. He now had the upper hand in the fight. "Raphael seems to be tired," one of his gang members whispered."He might lose… How could this be?" another was in disbelief."Ah!" Jon stabbed his opponent's right arm. Raphael's saber landed on the floor while blood trickled out of his wound. "Shoot!" Raph
Boom, boom, boom…Each of the energy beams targeted vital areas of the troupe leader's body. He counteracted them with sound beams but could not shake them off. Boom!The green energy beams collided and created a massive explosion. Since smoke filled the air, Jon could not see where his opponent went. Bang!Jon crashed onto the ground.The earbud in his ear dropped out. "That pitiful attack of yours is nothing to me," the troupe leader said while looking down at Jon and walking toward him. One… Two…Jon stirred and rolled to his side. The troupe leader placed a foot on Jon to ensure he could not get up."This is the end of the match," the troupe leader spoke harshly. "Admit it!" "Why did Master Hui pass me the earbuds?" Jon wondered to himself when he saw the earbud on the floor. Suddenly, his eyes lit up, "Could it be that the earbuds are not for me?"Boom!Recharged by a sliver of hope, Jon shot ninja stars at the troupe leader. Thud!The leader flew a distance in the air t
Clang!Jon generated a shield to protect himself from being hurt by the mace.Thud!The troupe leader appeared in front of him. Boom, boom, boom…Disco balls crashed into Jon's green shield and it vibrated. Jon struggled to upkeep his shield. "Astro Fury!" Green balls of fire crashed into the disco balls. Boom, boom, boom…One of them hit the troupe leader from behind. Thud!He fell flat on his face. Shing!Jon quickly unsheathed his sword. Just as his sword was about to hit the troupe leader, his opponent reached out his hand and grabbed Jon's ankle. Thud! Jon fell on his back. He quickly aimed a kick at the troupe leader's head.However, his opponent rolled away and stood up, dodging the blow. Clang!The troupe leader's mace collided with Jon's sword. Still on the ground, Jon aimed another a kick at his opponent's abdomen.Pfft!The troupe leader spat blood while he landed on his bottom. Jon rushed to get on his feet. Shing!His sword was directly next to the troupe le
Boom, boom, boom…Jon retaliated by sending balls of energy toward the troupe leader. He easily dodged them. Just before his opponent swung his mace, Jon launched another attack. "Seed explosion!"Boom!A supersonic sound wave collided with the seeds. "Deafening Silence!"Suddenly, Jon could not hear any sound."What is happening?" he felt afraid. "Have I turned deaf?"Jon saw the troupe leader holding his mace to his side and running toward him. "Sound or no sound the fight has to go on," Jon told himself. He opened his mouth to utter the name of his next attack but he could not hear anything. "Have I become mute too?" his heart palpitated. Moments after, he saw wooden stakes shoot up from the ground. The troupe leader's mouth moved. "What is he doing now?" Jon was disoriented. The next moment, Jon was thrust backward.He hit the ring's barrier and fell to the ground. When he saw the jury's mouth move, he scrambled to regain his footing. "I cannot rely on my hearing now,
Bam!Jon punched his opponent's metal abdomen while his dagger cut her wrist. Thud!She stumbled backward and dropped her hammer. Jon swooped down to retrieve her weapon then slammed it in the middle of her body. Zap, zap, zap…Static noise filled the air.The cyborg's metal torso broke into half then dropped flat on the ground. One… two… She struggled to fix her body parts back together.Three!Ding, ding, ding…Jon made it to the final round!"No!" the cyborg's eyes brimmed with tears. Jon could not help but feel sorry for her.He tried to help her piece herself back together. "Leave me alone," she bitterly spat as Jon moved her lower body toward her upper body. "I do not need your pity.""I do not pity you," Jon replied. "I admire your skill and fighting spirit."He extended his hand and beamed, "It was a good fight."The cyborg was still suspicious, "Stop pretending to be kind. You must be gloating since you won.""I am happy that I won," Jon admitted. "But I hope that you…"
51: Mind and Might A green ball of energy was flung to the opposite end of the arena.Thud!Jon landed on the ground with his energy shield still around him. He slowly stood up.Thud, thud, thud…The cyborg's figure appeared in front of Jon. She lifted her arms without saying a word.A blue ball of energy appeared in her hand while a long metal chain replaced her robotic arm. Crack!She flung the metal chain at Jon's shield. The shield flickered as he stumbled to the side."Give up now!" the cyborg calmly said. "There is no use in continuing the fight."She shot a large blue energy orb at Jon. "Leave while you can," her eyes turned blue. She shot two concentrated beams of energy at Jon's shield. He refused to admit defeat. Boom, boom, boom…He flew in the air and launched an attack, "Orion Vine!"Crack, crack, crack…The cyborg brandished her metal chain at the vines surrounding her to keep them at bay. "I need to grab this chance," Jon ensured he aimed accurately at his oppo
Jon flew in the air to dodge the thick blue beam. His opponent continued aiming the beam at him. A few moments later, she switched tactics. Boom, boom, boom! Blue balls of energy flew directly toward Jon. He nimbly dodged them and deflected some with a shield. Boom! One of them hit his arm. "I need to counterattack!" he thought as he shot balls of energy. Boom, boom, boom… The cyborg rolled forward then stood up. Boom, boom, boom… She continued shooting blue balls of energy. This time, she used both arms. Jon flew forward to close the distance between himself and his opponent. Shing! He unsheathed his sword and slashed its blade across the cyborg's torso. Not a single scratch could be seen. The next moment, the end of her robotic arm turned into a flat pointed blade.Shing!She raised her arm then plunged it down. Clang!Jon blocked both his opponent's blade with his sword. Shing, shing, shing…The cyborg slashed her robotic arm at Jon. Next, she spun and kicked with
The emcee continued, "This participant has poisoned the common water cooler backstage!"Audience members were shocked, "Despicable!""Will the tournament continue?""Is the news really correct? How did they find out?"Everyone who had participated in the tournament was disturbed by what they had heard. "Was I poisoned?" "Does this mean I have a chance for a rematch?"A commotion rose as more questions popped up in everybody's minds. Finally, the emcee spoke, "We will settle all the issues related to this matter and give everyone a satisfactory answer."He needed to quickly calm the audience down and please them since the troupe's reputation and earnings were at stake right now."Please enjoy the rest of the round while my team and I handle the case!" the gestured toward the arena.A few of the audience members quietened while others sat back down on their seats. Jon's parents looked at each other."How could that child do such a thing?" Jon's mother was saddened. She did not want t
"Roar!"The stone figure lifted its arm and slammed it on the ground. Bam!Raphael rolled over and narrowly avoided the blow. Boom, boom, boom…He stood up then shot balls of red energy at the giant he had created. Thud!The giant's arm broke off. Raphael attempted to reassert control over his creation. "I am the one that made you," Raphael was enraged. "Listen to me and I will restore your arm!" However, the figure continued to attack Raphael. "Roar!"It stomped its feet on the ground, as though Raphael was a mere ant. Raphael cursed as he launched another attack, "Lava Mess!"A wave of lava rose from the ground and surged toward the human-like figure. "Roar!"However, the giant was immune to the lava attack since it was made of stone and was not a sentient being.Thud!The stone figure jumped and slammed its body on the ground. Raphael had been right under it."Is he dead?" Jon held his breath. He was a kind-hearted person and did not wish to see Raphael dead, even though
"Magma burst!"A beam of molten rock burst up from below Jon's feet. Thankfully, his armor protected him and he quickly generated an energy shield while flying upward."Astronomic Twist!"Tall beams of energy shot up around Raphael and aimed for his vital areas. "Tomb Tower!"Raphael learned from his mistake and ensured he shielded himself adequately. "Dandelion Burst!" Seeds floated toward Jon's opponent then landed on the floor. They soon turned into plants that towered over the dome-like shield of rock.Raphael held the plants surrounding him. Two red spots slowly spread from his hands to all other parts of the plants. Crackle, crackle, crackle…The red spots turned into fire, burning the plants.After a few moments, the plants turned charcoal black and lay flat on the ground. "I see Raphael's abilities have improved," he thought to himself. However, he was not surprised, "I need to be careful."Boom, boom, boom…Raphael shot red balls of fire while punching the air with alte