"Ready?" Mrs. Cunningham's voice resonated through the gymnasium as every student got into combat stances. "BEGIN!" she exclaimed, and the gymnasium erupted into a flurry of movement and clashes. The sounds of battle reverberated, echoing off the walls as the students engaged in combat.

Within one of the rings, a young boy with messy white hair skillfully evaded his opponent's attacks. Punch after punch, kick after kick, none of the attacks were able to hit him as he blocked and dodged with precision.

"Don't get too cocky just because the rules are in your favor. If I could use my ability, you wouldn't even be able to stand, you f*cking defective!" Ethan taunted, frustration tainting his words, as his attacks continued to miss their mark.

Pack!

Swiftly, as Ethan launched a kick, Seth finally reacted, catching his opponent's foot with precision.

Bang!

The impact reverberated through the ring as Seth retaliated, unleashing a powerful punch to Ethan's exposed abdomen. The force sent Ethan to the ground, clutching his stomach in pain.

"You... you bastard!" Ethan seethed, determination flaring within him as he rose to his feet and charged at Seth once more.

With unwavering focus, Seth got into a defensive stance once again, ready for Ethan's attack. A right punch came hurtling towards him, but Seth skillfully parried it with his right hand. Ethan swiftly followed up with a left punch, only for Seth to effortlessly dodge the attack, countering with a swift strike to Ethan's face. Seth's movements were fluid and precise, landing strikes on Ethan while evading every blow.

Time after time, Seth landed every strike while remaining unscathed. Until, with a graceful dodge, he sidestepped a kick from Ethan, taking the opportunity to unleash a powerful kick of his own.

Bang!

The impact reverberated through Ethan’s body as he was sent out of the ring, crashing to the ground.

"Out," Mrs. Cunningham declared, suddenly appearing next to the fallen Ethan. She then turned her attention to Seth, a glimmer of pride in her eyes. "Well done, Seth," she said, before vanishing as quickly as she had appeared.

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"Consider yourself dead, Seth," Ethan spat out, his voice filled with venom, as he lay on the ground.

As a few minutes passed, the combats in each ring gradually stopped.

"Now that the first round is complete, it's time to move on to the next round, this time you will be using wooden weapons," Mrs. Cunningham announced. “The pairs for the next round will be: Manda and Athryn, Ethan and Owen, Jake and Seth, Keneth and Yasmin..." With the names announced, each pair selected a ring, and a couple of seconds later Mrs. Cunningham signaled for the sparrings to begin once again.

In a flurry of intense exchanges, blows were traded between the combatants. The clash of wooden weapons echoed throughout the gymnasium.

"Ow, dude that hurt," Jake found himself forcefully launched out of the ring, landing roughly outside it.

"Sorry, Jake," Seth called out, a hint of regret in his voice from within the ring.

"Out," Mrs. Cunningham declared, appearing beside Jake, as she sent him a brief glance. The matches continued, with new pairs forming and Seth emerging victorious time and again. Round after round, the fights continued until the sound of the bell resonated, marking the end of the class. As the students reassembled in formation, Mrs. Cunningham dismissed them, and they made their way to the changing rooms to change to their normal uniforms.

"What's our next class?" Jake asked as they left the changing rooms.

"Quantum physics," Seth replied.

"We better hurry then. Mr. Voight will kill us if we're late," Jake urged, picking up his pace. Seth followed suit, their footsteps echoing through the long corridor.

As they strolled, they reached a section of the corridor with a window that overlooked a vast gymnasium. A large square ring could be seen at its center. Four second-year espers, one in each corner of the ring, wielding various wooden weapons, assumed battle stances with focused expressions. A tall, muscular man stood outside the ring, addressing the quartet and giving them instructions in a serious tone.

In the heart of the ring stood a lone figure with an aura of grace and elegance. Cascading locks of vibrant pink hair framed her visage, a ponytail falling down her back, a graceful image captivating the eyes of all who looked at her. Light purple irises, shimmering with determination, locked onto the ground with an unwavering focus. Her left hand gently rested on the hilt of a wooden sword, sheathed on her left side.

Caught by the scene, Seth and Jake stopped.

"That's Stella Gunvald," Jake began, his voice filled with awe. "She's a first-year just like us, but she's the strongest esper among both first and second-year students. She’s even stronger than most of the third-year students. I heard that the school's board is considering recommending her for the Rising Espers Tournament."

"Huh…" Seth muttered, his attention fixed on Stella. "I can't sense her stage though, despite the others being at step 5 integration."

"That's normal" Jake looked at Seth "You didn't know? She's a manipulation stage esper"

Inside the gymnasium, the muscular instructor finished giving instructions to the four espers, turning his attention to Stella.

"Stella, you know the drill. If they touch you, it's game over," he declared, a grin gracing his face.

Stella calmly nodded.

The frustrated quartet of espers gritted their teeth as they saw her confidence, a fire kindling in their determined gazes.

"Ready," the four espers tightened their grips on their weapons, "BEGIN!" the muscular instructor's booming voice marked the start of the match.

Stella stood her ground, unmoving as the charging espers rapidly closed in on her, activating their abilities. Just as they were about to reach her, a silent agreement passed between them, and they locked eyes.

Suddenly, one of the espers stopped in her tracks, swiftly retrieving three small wooden knives from one of her pockets. She flung them towards Stella, aiming for her vulnerable blind spot. Yet, in a fluid motion, Stella unsheathed her sword, her arm becoming a blur as she deflected each incoming knife with precision. Then, she swiftly threw her own sword at great speed, targeting the esper who had thrown the knives.