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Sparring

"Okay class, we'll have you each in partners of two to use your affinities on each other. This way, you get a bit of combat experience along with training your affinity." said the teacher. Looking at her closely, she had quite a masculine frame with multiple scars, yet a feminine face. "Would you like to be my partner?" a smaller boy asked me, snapping me out of my pubescent trance. Although he was rather short, he had clear muscles that could've only formed from hard training. "Sure. What's your affinity?" I asked, getting in a position for a counter-attack. "Water." the boy replied. I'm going to have PTSD from water affinities...

A stream of water jetted towards my head. It barely drew blood as I shifted my head to the left. Seeing as this was such a weak attack, it must've been a distraction. Unfortunately, I didn't realize in time; a punch was already connecting with my gut. His fist that felt as hard as steel blew me back and knocked the wind out of me. Following up with a wave of water, I could do nothing but get blown around. The water, seeming to drag me towards him, made the right side of my face connect with a spinning hook-kick which sent me spinning into the air.

Barely regaining my senses, I tried to use my fire. Never being able to use my affinity was a letdown. I've read so many blogs and read so many books about how to use it, but I never succeeded. With my current streak of continuous failure, I had no hope for this attempt. When I opened my eyes, I was once again met with the seemingly never-ending disappointment of not being able to use my affinity. My opponent rushed over and extended a helping hand to me. I hesitated, but accepted. "I'm sorry, I went overboard. Are you not able to use your affinity or something?" he questioned, a hint of genuine sorrow in his voice.

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"I haven't been able to activate it yet. I've been trying so hard ever since I received a tag, but it just isn't working." I replied. With a look of confusion on his face quickly turning into a smirk, I got worried. Was I up against another psycho? "Pfft, that's fine. I was able to use mine after continuously sparring with my father. Let's go again." he said. Thankfully, he seemed like a good person.

Pushing my body to the limit, I stared right at his eyes. Waiting for any sudden movement, I was met with no water at all. Instead, he started running to me very slowly. Is he tired out? He didn't seem all that exhausted earlier, but affinities do take a toll on your body. Almost getting lost in thought, I dodged a jab to my liver. Putting all my weight on my feet, I tightened my body and loosened my arm, throwing a clean right hook that connected into his cheekbone. As he slid back a bit while maintaining his stance, I followed up by pivoting my left foot and shooting a kick into his stomach.

With the wind knocked out of him, I took advantage of the situation and started off another kick. Swiveling until my back was towards him, my left leg shot up into the air and hit straight at his chin. A sudden burst of water shaped like a fork caught my kick. "Hey hey, you might seriously knock me out if you keep going. Where'd you learn to fight like that?" he asked, a bit nervously. "My mother taught me for as long as I remember," I told him. A look of disbelief washed over his face, masking his earlier stress. "W..what? Your mother? You're kidding, right?" he asked. Is it really that difficult to believe? It's just how to fight... anyone can do it.

Before I could reply, the bell rang marking the end of the period. "You heard the bell, get to your next class! Remember to pick up your bags back in the classroom." the teacher shouted. Pulling out my phone, I checked what my next class was. History...