Chapter 18
Terence and Rin looked surprised at Erik who stood in the doorway watching them two holding each other hands while facing one another. "W-what are you staring at!?” Rin asked Erik nervously letting go of Terence hands and sliding herself away. "Apparently nothing” Erik said still not showing emotion. Rin turned red while folding her arms and getting angry at what she believe Erik to be thinking. "He and I weren’t doing anything! I was showing him how to properly draw ki and channel it by letting him feel how I do it.” Terence nodded to Erik who was also red in the face. "Seriously…there was nothing going on.” he said to reassure him. Erik shook his head and continued into the dorm walking pass them both. "Yeah what you two do is none of my business.” He went into his and Jarvis room and sat down on his bed. Terence sat there quiet while Rin held a hand to her face. "Ugh this is too stupid. Just…practice that until it’s time for you two match and I’ll meet you there at the arena.” She began walking to the door but stopped and turned her head to him, staring at him with a cold stare. "If you or your friend utter this to anyone and there are rumors…you’re seriously going to wish we never met” She turned away in a fit and began walking out of the dorm room and down the stairs. Terence sighed to himself, "Man…never saw her that angry before..” he held his gut which was all in knots. "You’re not scared are you?” Erik said leaning out of the room. Terence stood up and laughed a bit, "Scared…not at all. But don’t tell anyone what happened though” he said to Erik saying the second sentence with less enthusiasm. "Nope, didn’t see anything. Besides I meant what I said. Don’t care what you two do.” Erik leaned back into his room to leave Terence to his thoughts. "She said it’s easier to draw in energy when you focus on a specific body part than it is to just do your hold body. So maybe I should start…” Terence began to concentrate on his hands but still took the same amount of time to began charging like before. "Damn it!” He thought to himself. "Okay…then let’s try too” He began to focus on just one of his hands and the charging began to start much quicker this time around with his hands glowing faintly white. "It’s working! She was right! Then maybe I can start filling the last gem” Terence stopped charging and walked to the table where the gems where. Two of them was glowing bright red while the last one was still dim. "I tricked Rin into filling up the other one by pretending I still didn’t get it.” He picked up the last gem and began to channel his ki into his hand and then into the gem.
He could feel the ki going into the gem but it was still relatively slow, meaning he hadn’t completely mastered it. "Probably didn’t even scratch the surface of it” Terence thought to himself. "Yo!” He stopped channeling and looked up and placed the gems on the table and saw Jarvis, Markus, Kallen, and Lianna. "You’re a little delinquent now” Jarvis said jokingly to Terence while they came in and Dominic and Hikaru made it to the door right afterwards. "Rin just wanted me to prepare, so after being yelled at for a few hours, we got to practicing.” he said. "I’m surprised she isn’t here.” Kallen said stopping in the living area and looking at everyone else. "She was here” Erik said from inside the room. "Ask him while they were holding hands” Terence turned to the room and yelled at Erik. "You’re supposed to keep quiet!” The entire room gasped and looked at Terence who turned to them. "You two were holding hands?” Markus asked Terence. "They sure move fast huh?” Kallen added on. "Hawk’s going to want to hear this!” Hikaru yelled out in the back. "No! It’s not like that. She was feel what it was like to draw and channel ki. And you gotta keep your mouth shut about it. She’d kill me if anyone else knew. And Thanks a lot E!” Terence said loud enough for Erik to hear. Erik leans back out of the room and said, "Yes!” before leaning back into the room and remaining quiet again. "Well you got a few hours so how do you feel?” Kallen asked. "Anxious” Terence answered. "You’ll be aight” Jarvis said to him. "I guarantee if he does somehow manage to win, he not making out that arena looking the same” Markus added in. "Who is he anyway?” Dominic asked. "Taro? He’s a cute rich guy, almost every girl in school wants to date him. I wouldn’t mind myself…” Lianna clucked Hikaru upside her head at her thinking that. "I wouldn’t dare let you get close to that loser. Don’t even think it!” Hikaru rubbed her head while Markus went into the refrigerator and Jarvis sat down beside Kallen on the sofa. Dominic went over to the fridge also and Hikaru and Lianna walked over to the kitchen table sat down. "What are these?” Hikaru asked picking up one of the gems. "Be careful with that, that’s a ki filled gem. It can be thrown as a grenade against opponents.” he said to her. "Oh…so this is what she uses in her fights” Lianna said looking at one while getting Hikaru to put hers down. "How much time left until the fight?” Terence asked. "It’s 4:15 pm now” Dominic said. "So about 50 minutes” Jarvis said. "I’m heading there now.” Terence said. "You sure? Got everything you need?” Markus asked eating a sandwich. Terence nodded his head. "Let’s go.”
Saeko began to make her way toward the sparring arena. "Moment of your time?” Saeko turned around and saw Grant walking up to her with his hands in his pocket. "On your way to the exam station?” He asked her. "Yes.” She answered with nothing else to say to him. He looked to the sky and smiled, "Do you mind if I follow? It is a tad sad to walk alone isn’t it?” She continued to look at him until she finally nodded and the two continued on towards the arena. "This is turning out to be an interesting year isn’t it.” Saeko said nothing to him but continued on her path. "I’m surprised Terence is fighting. He doesn’t look like the type although he can hold his own well enough. At least with Rin he can.” Saeko looked at him out the corner of her eye. "You speak as though you saw it.” Saeko said to him. "I did. Not much mind you but from what I saw, it wasn’t one sided at all. Neither had the upper hand.” he said. "Sounds like he is quite the fighter than. From what I understand Rin is not someone to overlook.” She began to think looking back at the path ahead again. "Is that why you chose him too?” He looked at her and smirked while stopped and turned her head towards him. The two stared at each other for a bit. "Are you insinuating something Grant?” He tilted his head looking at her, his smirk dropping from his face. "I didn’t mean to offend. I’m only interested in hearing why you chose him to fight for you. You could have just have easily chose someone else.” He folded his arms looking at her. "Do you believe I should have? Maybe someone like you?” she asked him. Grant shook his head. "I don’t think I can beat Taro, he ‘is’ one of the best in the school. That I cannot deny. However, Terence is just an unlikely candidate for this situation. He needs more time to…grow” Grant said to her. "And I believe he’ll trump Taro in this fight. If you do not believe, then watch with your eyes today.” She said. "It’s something I can’t yet explain. there is strength in him. I want to bring it out.” Grant placed a finger on his chin. "Strength? Maybe you are right.” He took his finger off of his chin and bowed to Saeko. "This was an interesting chat. But I must be going. There is something I forgot to do.” He began walking off in the opposite direction of Saeko who also started walking to the arena but stopped and turned his head to her. "Try not to get excited watching Terence. I don’t think he’ll have enough energy to ‘handle’ you too.” he said. Saeko turned around to confront him but Grant was gone. She continued to stare off toward the path he had just been before turning around and walking toward the arena shrugging it off.
The arena was filling up rather quickly, with mostly people who was in the cafeteria when the confrontation happened. The others came when word got around the school of the fight. The details were unknown to the masses, the only think they new was a fight was happening. Jarvis and the group made it to the arena after sending Terence off towards the preparation station to warm up and stretch before coming to the ring. The group made their way to their sits sitting in the middle of the north section of the arena having a clear view of the ring. The crowd was cheering loudly despite there only being one person in the ring. Taro was sitting in the middle of the ring waving to all of the people who was cheering him. He motioned for the referee that was on the sideline to give him a mic so that he can began talking to the crowd. The ref hurried in and gave him a mic, bowed to him and then left. "Got to hear this asshole talk again.” Jarvis said. "I hope Terence destroys this guy. I’m dead serious if he doesn’t, he’s going to see us outside the school. Don’t really care if I get in trouble” Markus said. Taro began talking to the crowd. "Well, it’s only about 5 minutes left for him to show up. Is he even here? If I was him, I’d run from me too. It’ll only be a matter of time either way before I date my sweet Saeko.” He continued to wave to the crowd until most of the crowd stopped and began to boo with the exception of a few. Taro began to look around the arena and saw Terence on his way to the arena ring. The boos got louder and louder the closer he got to the ring but he paid them no mind. He was set on his goal to attempt to get this win. "Oh now, don’t boo boy. Gave him a round of a hand, just for having me grace his presence.” Just as he said that the crowd began to cheer and clap. Terence stepped into the ring and moved to the other side staring Taro into the face. His face was uncertain yet stern. Taro looked at him handing the mic back to the ref who stepped in between the two of them while smiling at Terence. The crowds cheering was getting louder as the ref stood back to began to sanction the fight.
