Once the little combat dreamers had gathered, Duke began speaking immediately, much like the support kid's teacher."As combat dreamers, you all should be feeling the new power flowing through your veins and know that you can now defeat many of your previous selves. I acknowledge that it's a great feeling, but don't let it get to your heads," he said.
"Just like you, thousands of other children have also gained amazing powers all around Taknoa and some of them can beat you just as you can beat your previous self."
"So for your first lesson, I will give you a taste of what it means to be at the bottom or top of the food chain…" Just like the support kids' lesson, Duke started the lesson by instilling fear in the new dreamers. It was the best way to motivate them to train as hard as they could.
Once they realize how vast the world is and how dangerous the things that exist in it, their survival instincts awaken and they train with a sense of urgency to be prepared to survive anything.
Duke continued speaking to the combat dreamers. "So to help every new kid understand their place in the food chain, there will be a simple tournament after a warm up. Sounds good?"
Excitement replaced the fear in the students. They were eager to see how powerful they were compared to their peers. Jess raised her hand and asked, "Can we use our powers, teacher?"
"You can use your powers, but remember, no killing your opponent," Duke answered. "Next question."
Another student asked, "When will the fight end?"
"The fight will end when your opponent surrenders or passes out," Duke replied.
After answering several more questions, Duke signaled for the warm-up to begin. Older students started sparring, while the new kids ran ten laps. Cindy, who was a year older, joined the older students to warm up. The focus of the students was on the tournament, as they barely had time to think before they were in front of the battle arena.
The battle arena was an impressive sight to behold. A large hole had been dug into the ground, creating a circular pit for the kids to battle in. The walls of the arena were steep, rising several feet above the ground, providing spectators with a clear view of the action taking place below. The surface of the arena was made of packed dirt, with lines and symbols etched into it to indicate the boundaries of the ring. The arena was surrounded by a throng of excited students, all eager to see who would come out on top in the tournament. The sheer size of the arena and the energy of the crowd added to the sense of excitement and anticipation as the kids prepared to do battle.
Duke started the tournament without delay. “Okay, let’s make this quick kiddos. Tomas and Jess in the arena.”
Tomas and Jess stepped into the arena, both surprised to find themselves facing each other as the first match. They stood warily, sizing each other up and unsure of each other's abilities.
As the fight began, neither of them made a move. They were cautious of the unknown, not knowing each other's dreams and abilities. However, Jess was the first to take the initiative. Her eyes started to glow, and suddenly, Tomas was plunged into darkness. No matter how much he rubbed his eyes or tried to open them wider, his vision was consumed by blackness.
The onlookers could only see Jess calmly walking towards Tomas. He adopted a defensive stance, flailing his arms blindly in an attempt to defend himself. But Jess was too quick for him, and with all the time in the world, she stood behind him and prepared a powerful punch.
Just as Jess was about to strike, the crowd held their breath in anticipation.
The excitement of the battle was palpable as Jess threw a punch with all her might. Everyone expected the fight to be over, but to their surprise, the result was a bit different. It appeared that his skin was too hard and thick to be affected by the punch, resulting in Jess feeling the full force of the blow herself.
The crowd was stunned as they witnessed the unexpected turn of events. The two young fighters stood there, both surprised by the outcome of the attack. The match was far from over and everyone was eager to see what would happen next.
The sound of a scream echoed through the arena as Jess clutched her fist, writhing in pain on the ground. Her punch, aimed at Tomas, had felt like she was hitting a wall of rocks instead.
Tomas, sensing an opportunity, quickly moved towards the source of the scream, ready to pounce on his opponent and prevent her from using any more surprise attacks. However, he soon realized he was overthinking the situation. The moment he grabbed Jess, the battle was over and his vision returned.
"I give up," Jess said, panting and rubbing her sore fist. "Fighting this guy is pointless. I would only end up hurting myself. Plus, I was starting to feel exhausted from using my dream power." She justified herself.
With the first battle of the day now finished, a new pair of contestants were thrown into the arena.
Tomas had been anything short of sobabaca2222 felipe123
dominating in the tournament, his defense was nearly impenetrable. His passive dream meant he could use his powers without tiring, unlike most of the other participants. Most of his fights ended with his opponent tiring themselves out and giving up. Although it wasn't the most honorable way to win, Tomas didn't mind, as his father always said, "The ugliest win is still a win".
The quarterfinals saw Tomas finally defeat his opponent after a tough match. He managed to pin the kid to the ground, and just like the others before him, the kid eventually gave up. Tomas took a moment to catch his breath, drinking some water to replenish himself. Just as he was starting to relax, he heard his name being called again. "So soon?" he thought to himself, a hint of surprise in his voice.
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“In the arena, Tomas and Michel.”
The two participants, Tomas and Michel, took the stage in the arena. His was Michel, whom Tomas had encountered earlier that day. As in all of his previous matches, Tomas confidently stated, "Please give up quickly so we can save some time." He was tired of meaningless fights after all. However, Michel didn't reply and just stared intently into Tomas's eyes, his hands concealed behind his back.
Tomas, undeterred by Michel's silence, adopted a fighting stance and cautiously approached his opponent. When they were about an arm's length and a half apart, Michel's hands suddenly struck. The speed of Michel's attack was like that of a wild beast, leaving Tomas momentarily stunned. Despite being at a distance where he felt he should have been safe from an attack, the pain in his arms told him otherwise.
For the first time in the competition, fear overtook Tomas. He felt helpless, much like a young rhino without its horns facing a lion. But his father had trained him as a warrior from a young age and he quickly overcame his fear, replacing it with caution.
Michel stood in the same spot, a sinister smile spreading across his face. "Ready to give up?" he taunted.
As Tomas closed in on Michel, he saw the true extent of his opponent's power. The once normal-looking kid now had forearms that were covered in a rough, hard texture, which extended all the way to his paws. Yes, paws. Michel's paws were larger and stronger than a human's hands, and were equipped with razor-sharp claws that glimmered menacingly in the light, much like the claws of an armored leopard.
Tomas quickly realized that his wounds were not as serious as they appeared, and he was still ready to fight. Michel, on the other hand, was in full predator mode, poised and ready to strike.
Like a statue, the two boys stood facing each other, both completely focused on the task at hand. At that moment, Tomas remembered some of his fathers teachings about how to win fights you are not supposed to.
“How to win against stronger foes, is that what you are asking? The secret is to use your brain Tom, only idiots would fight head on against the odds. Just outsmart them, bait them. does that pretty well, you should learn from him sometime…”
Tomas broke the stalemate. Suddenly he started charging towards Michel like a madman. Michel, seeing an opportunity to strike, exploded off the ground and transformed into a blur of motion as he lunged towards Tomas with deadly intent.
Michel was confident that this fight was already over, and he wanted to end it quickly so that he could rest properly for the finals. After all, he was fighting a full tank opponent who seemed to be no match for his claws.
However, he couldn't have been more wrong.
With lightning speed, Michel lunged forward, his claws glinting in the sunlight. But to his surprise, Tomas had predicted his obvious attack. With a quick sidestep, he dodged Michel's attack, the claws barely missing his skin.
Trying to regain his momentum, Michel turned desperately to try and hit Tomas to gain some space, but that didn’t happen. Tomas was strong, his bones, skin and muscles were reinforced by his dream, and he was not afraid to get hurt at all. He jumped right into Michel’s attack to take the chance and put him off balance.
Michel was taken aback, his claws hit Tomas's reinforced shoulder, but not they were not strong enough to cut through the muscles. He stumbled, his predatory grin turning into a look of confusion. That wasn’t a movement he expected from prey.
Tomas didn't give him a chance to recover. He pounced on Michel, raining down blow after blow, each one stronger than the last. Michel fought back with all he got but it wasn’t enough. In a matter of moments, the once fearsome beast was now lying on the ground, defeated.
Tomas stood still amidst the silence of the crowd, his unbreakable skin, covered in blood and ridden with holes and scratches, showed how brutal Michel’s last struggle was.
After a brief moment of shock, the crowd erupted into cheers, stunned by the unexpected outcome. Tomas, the child with an armored body, had triumphed over the child with a fearsome penetrative power and speed.
It was a lesson for all: true strength comes from much more than sheer raw power.
And as Tomas stood tall, basking in the glory of his victory, he knew that he had proven himself for all as a true warrior.
As the dust settled from the intense battle between Tomas and Michel, the teachers stepped in to assess the situation. Both fighters were badly wounded and in no condition to continue the tournament. The teachers agreed that it was best to postpone the final to the next day, giving the fighters time to recover and regroup.
Tomas and Michel were escorted back to their respective homes, accompanied by their teachers and supportive friends, passing by an old lady’s house with healing powers. Despite the setback, Tomas was eager to get back on feet and continue their journey in the Combat Dream Tournament finals.
###
The twin brothers returned home, eager to get some rest and recover. As they got home, Tomas went straight to his bed and Lucien to his father, their minds racing with thoughts of the first day of training.
"What's the matter, Lucien?" asked his father Dalton as he sat in his chair near the fireplace.
"I want to change classes to the combat dreamers class," Lucien replied hesitantly.
Dalton stopped in his tracks, a look of surprise on his face. "What do you mean? You have a support kind of dream, not a combat one."
"I know, but I want to learn how to fight properly for when I get my combat dream, not just learn how to run away like a coward," Lucien explained.
Dalton sighed. "Lucien, I understand where you're coming from, but combat training is not for everyone. Your support dreams are valuable and necessary for the Clan, don't underestimate their importance. And you don’t even know if your next dream will be useful for combat, after all synergy dictates against that, given your fist dream."
"I understand that, but I want to train properly and God even told me my first dream wouldn’t count for my dream path synergy! What I did today wasn’t training at all!” Lucien persisted.
Dalton looked at his son, considering his words “Let's suppose God really said that, and it truly wouldn’t count. Based on what you can tell if your next dream would be combat oriented or a support one? You are just guessing,” But quickly after he gave up augmenting against his stubborn son "Well, life will teach you your place, and you will soon realize that you made a mistake and give up the combat dream user class"
In his mind, Dalton was thinking that Lucien simply couldn’t handle combat training since he didn’t have a dream suited for battle, and that he would soon see the reality of the situation. However, he also knew that his son was a determined and stubborn young man, and he couldn't stop him from trying.
"I will not give up," Lucien said firmly.
Dalton nodded. "Very well, if that's what you want, I will talk to the teachers. But remember, be prepared to face the consequences of your actions, once you give up I will not allow you to go back to the combat dreamers class ever again."
Lucien smiled, grateful for his father's support. As he went to bed after dinner, Lucien couldn't help but feel a mix of excitement and fear at the thought of his new challenge. He was determined to prove himself and show that he was capable of handling combat training.