Ding. Ding. Ding.
Whir.
“Good morning, Miss Calista Medley. It is now 6:20 in the morning of October 3rd, 2349 in the city of Washington D.C. Good luck on your first day at Fistborn Academy.”
Calista was slightly startled when AIDA didn’t mention her home city, but then remembered her situation. She groaned and wrapped herself back up in her covers. She couldn’t sleep one wink the night before, her stomach wrought with anxiety and fear. She preferred to hide in her dorm until the school year was over… if there was a vacation period.
Before she could psych herself into getting up, she was suddenly shot out of the bed, as if from a cannon, and she landed on her rear in the middle of the room.
“Ow! What the glitch, AIDA!”
“I apologize. But it would be detrimental to your life as a student if you miss breakfast. What will be your order?”
“Holy Trojans. Don’t do that again.” She rubbed her behind. “I don’t know, I’m not hungry.”
“It is not recommended to attend class without eating breakfast.”
“Ugh.” Calista went to the window, seeing numerous students already walking along the pathways below. How could they be up at this ungodly hour?
“God, give me strength…” She stretched, her eyelids heavy. “What would you recommend for breakfast?”
“For humans, I highly recommend meals containing high protein and iron levels, particularly eggs, beans, and meats. There are non-carnivorous options, as well.”
“I guess an omelet, then?”
“What kind?”
She hesitated. “Uh… you pick. The basic one.”
“What would you like to drink?”
She hesitated, but ordered her usual. “Vanilla-berry latte with weight-therapy cream.” It was none of her schoolmates’ business what she ate. She wanted her breakfast, so she’d have it.
“Very well. Please proceed to the Mess Hall for your meal.”
She dressed into the skirt uniform and went to the window again. The Surveillance tower above the Hall of Affairs gleamed with the FBA crest, greeting the students from above.
What were the girls doing? Probably planning their next broadcast without her. And no doubt, it would be about her again.
She straightened, puffing out her chest. She wanted to step into that spotlight of fame all her life. Wasn’t gossip her life when she was a Socializer? She could handle it.
It would be the ultimate slap in the face to both fighters and Socializers if someone like her got on the team.
===
Harrison projected his permission card to enter the girls’ wing. He walked down the hall to Room 325.
He didn’t know how to feel about the new girl. On the one hand, she was very pretty and overall a nice person. On the other… she really didn’t seem like fighting material.
He still felt like the extra spot should’ve gone to someone else. It felt undeserved. At the same time, he saw this as an opportunity for his species. If this girl actually proved herself… then again, it was a slim chance.
He stopped, finding a group of girls clustered in front of the new student’s door. One of them was punching buttons on a listener.
“Stop hitting it so hard, you’ll break it!” a student whispered.
“It’s already broken.”
“Ahem.” They jumped at Harrison’s voice, paling when they saw him. They quickly scurried away, detaching the listener from the door.
He rolled his eyes, standing in front. “AIDA, tell Calista I’m waiting outside for her.”
A few moments passed. Calista soon exited, dressed in her uniform… with a skirt. She smiled up at Harrison. “Hi,” she said, wiggling her fingers. She seemed a lot more confident than yesterday.
“Uh, hey.” He gave her a once-over. “You ready for breakfast?”
“Mm-hmm.”
Harrison led her out of the hallway. More girls were downstairs in the common room, and they were received with stares when they passed through.
He glanced at Calista. The previous day, she seemed to shy away from the attention, but today, she was basking in it with a pretty smile. It was as if her Socializer attitude had kicked in.
Thanks to the Versus News, everyone knew more about her. She used to be part of a small channel on the Hub before entering the academy. She was completely dedicated to a Socializing life, with her three other friends carrying the same attitude.
All the more reason to question why the glitch she was here.
He tried to push away the thoughts. His own success was met with the same response. He didn’t want to be hypocritical. But it was hard to believe her career path somehow went from Socializing to fighting in the blink of an eye.
They entered the Recreation Station and went to the cafeteria, which was already quite packed. The loud chatter quieted down slightly when they entered. People gawked at the human girl, many eyes judgingly roving over her outfit. Harrison could tell she was growing nervous, but she never stopped her confident gait or the model-like swish of her hips.
“You want me to help you find a seat?” he asked her.
“Um…” She looked around, her eyes landing on the human students’ tables. “I think I’ll sit over there.”
He nodded. “Cool. Um… good luck on your first day. If you don’t know where your class is, you can just ask the AIDA to lead you.”
“Thanks, Harrison.”
He watched as she sauntered over to the humans’ tables. There were many humans in Fistborn, but very few in the Versus school, amounting to only about 200 including himself and Calista now.
“What do you think of ‘er?” Catherine asked when he arrived at his table.
He shrugged. “She’s nice.”
“A supermodel, too,” Kalis snickered. “She looked like she was on the holo-way.”
“Imagine her fighting in that thing,” Li Mei added. They laughed.
“Harrison, you’re not partial to her?” Reilly asked casually.
“Why would I be?” he asked defensively.
“He doesn’t mean it that way,” said Elisa. “You’re usually very welcoming to new students. We just thought you’d take her under your wing is all.”
“I hardly know her.” He started eating his breakfast. “I’m not going to start coaching her right away.”
“You’d like to, wouldn’t you?” Delaine’s large eyes blinked at him.
“I just want to eat my breakfast.”
“Alright, let’s stop bothering ‘im,” Catherine laughed.
Why did they have to assume Calista would be his best friend just because they were both humans? Besides, he’d only welcomed her because the other coaches ‘voted’ against him.
Calista had to prove herself worthy of his time if he would spare a second to teach her.
===
Breakfast couldn’t be more awkward. The other human students let Calista sit at their table, but they hardly looked or talked to her. After a few introductions from some friendly humans, the conversation ended as fast as it started.
Either way, she tried not to let it bother her, hiding her insecurity behind a perfect smile. She’d eaten her breakfast, ignoring the looks when her coffee appeared, and gone to her first class when the AIDA bell sounded.
She took a look at the first few classes before the break.
7:30 AM: PWU-CO Warm-Ups— Gymnasium 1D, Training Center
8:00 AM: PC1-CO12 Combat— Gymnasium 1D, Training Center— Mathta, Usda; Stisin, Jenna; Somali, Julius
9:00 AM: CT1-23 Weaponry— Classroom 108-VW, Versus Fighting School— Forforran, Jiles; Gowon, Taraji
10:00 AM: CT1-46 Disciplines— Classroom 113-VW, Versus Fighting School—Sactha, Nila; Martínez, Gustavo
11:00 AM: Break; Mess Hall is open for snacks
Combat… so she had to change. She stopped at a Changing Station on the way out of the Recreation Hall, the jacket and skirt disappearing into looser, more comfortable clothing.
Calista liked this uniform a lot more. A white T-shirt was below a blue jacket with red accents, the crest on the right. A pair of red tights with white lines running down the sides completed the set, loosely fanning around blue-and-red sneakers. The entire uniform was made for exercise, with breathable fabric and sweat absorbers.
Using the AIDA band, she followed the directions to the gymnasium. Inside, there were about 40 people. The gymnasium was equipped with CDSims, combat mats, and a large HARP-ED screen— for educational purposes only. Everyone around them was either talking or doing basic stretches.
Ignoring the eyes following her, she went to a vacant corner and started stretching. She then got down to do some push-ups. She’d managed to climb to 30 push-ups, but she did need a break halfway through.
She breathed rhythmically and tried not to cringe at the sweat building on her skin. The sensation made her stomach turn in disgust. Her arms started to grow weary as she lifted her body up for one more push-up before her ‘break’.
A foot suddenly slipped into her wrist, knocking her off-balance. She grunted as her face landed on the mat. She looked up, finding a Mercurian boy her age smirking down at her. “Oops,” he said, stepping over her.
Frowning, she grabbed onto his pant leg, causing him to trip. He exclaimed quite loudly, catching the attention of the other classmates.
Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
“Oops.” She returned to her push-ups.
The boy stood, glaring at her. “What do you think you’re doing?”
She ignored him, fear coiling in her stomach. Maybe she should’ve just continued exercising. She should’ve pretended it never happened.
The boy then pushed her over. “I said, what do you think you’re doing?”
She stood, gulping. “Warming up?”
“Dojo.” A Mearthian girl approached, speaking fluidly in a different language. Calista understood only a bit of it, hearing something along the lines of, “Stop being a huge jerk, you loser.” boy’s face flushed and he glared at Calista before stomping away.
The girl rolled her eyes and approached Calista. She had glassy black eyes like any Martian. Her skin was a light cinnamon and she had shoulder-length brown hair. If it weren’t for her eyes, she would’ve looked human. “Hi, there,” she said, carrying a slight accent.
“Hi.” Calista dusted herself off, her stomach turning again at the feeling of her damp skin. She was already craving a calming therapy bath.
“You’re the new girl, right? I’m Belinda Adenifi.” She stuck out her hand.
“Uh, Calista Medley.” She accepted the handshake. She was a bit shocked from the icy temperature of her skin at first. That was another characteristic of a Martian— or Mearthian. They were born cold-blooded, so they usually got a body-heating chip inserted to regulate their temperature on Earth.
“I know.” Belinda smiled. “Pretty sure most of the Utopia knows about you now. You got famous yesterday.”
“No kidding.”
“Don’t mind Dojo. He’s an idiot. You want to finish warming up?”
“Sure.” They returned to the empty corner and got down to do more push-ups.
“So… how are you doing now that you’re here? You’re one of the luckiest people on Earth, you know. Getting a chance like this… it’s as rare as they come.”
“I’m not… really sure… how I feel.” Calista panted in between. “It’s pretty overwhelming, to be honest.”
“It always is. But don’t worry, you’ll catch on.” Belinda stopped mid-way, quirking a brow at Calista’s exhaustion. “You need a break?”
“No, keep going.” She strained as she forced herself to pass her midway point.
“Anyways… your fight impressed me. There’s some flaws, sure, but you caught Lílitha off-guard. She got pretty bugged off at the end, though. She has a temper, but the way she got angry with you… she gets like that when she’s challenged.”
“Really?” Calista slumped on the floor, panting.
“Yeah. Although, you’ll have to get used to seeing blood if you want to keep doing that.”
“Right.”
“And working out more than 30 push-ups,” Belinda added with a giggle.
Calista sighed. She had a bad feeling about this class. If she collapsed in front of everyone, she’d never find any respect.
“You’ll want to step your game up in this class. There’s a Student Coach here.” Belinda nodded ahead of them.
Calista’s eyes rolled up to see a Mercearthian man, around 20 years old by human standards. He wore a different uniform; the pants were a darker shade of blue and the T-shirt was red rather than white. His Student Coach patches glowed in yellow.
“That’s Stösten Durchdenwald,” Belinda told her. “He’s been an SC for about three years. He was one of Reilly’s Favorites.”
“What number is he?”
“Eight. He’s in his third year 1.”
“His name sounds kind of… German,” Calista observed.
“Oh, he’s descended from Germany on his Earthian side.”
“What do you mean, ‘third year 1’?” The human girl lifted herself onto her elbows.
“Because 1 ‘year’ is four years in the Versus career. Like me, I’m a second-year 1 student, because my first year started last Versus. You’re a first-year 1 student, and next Versus, you’ll be a second-year 1. You know what I mean?”
“I’m starting to.”
“ALL STUDENTS, LINE UP!”
Everyone jumped at the command, getting into a straight line as fast as possible in no particular order. Calista’s back straightened and her forehead released a bit of perspiration. Three coaches marched into the gym, their faces wearing identical deadpans.
Her breath hitched as Lisa White sauntered behind them. She stopped and turned to the students, causing them to stiffen. Her amber eyes scanned them emotionlessly.
She was a lot scarier than she seemed in the entrance test. Calista gulped when her gaze passed over her.
“Good morning, everyone. Before you started your warm-ups, I wanted to personally come over and welcome the new addition to our institution.”
Uh-oh.
“As you know, Miss Calista Medley just got accepted into the school.” She nodded and smiled at her. “I hope you all help her settle in.”
Everyone’s gazes turned to her. She froze and plastered on a smile, waving hesitantly.
“I will be watching your class today. Not only to see Miss Medley’s performance, but to make sure all of you are giving your 200% into your classes. We don’t want anyone slacking off. Don’t let me distract you, though. Pretend I’m not here.”
Pretend she’s not here? That was like asking Calista to do a flying kick.
“Thank you for your time, Coaches. Don’t let me interrupt.” She stepped back, standing in a far-off corner.
“Thank you, Dean White.” One of the coaches, a Klausian woman, faced the line of students. “I would like to also welcome our new student to our class. Miss Medley, I am Coach Usda Mathta, and I will be one of your Combat and Weapon Use teachers. As is tradition, I assess each student’s abilities by sparring with them first. So, if you would come over here, please?”
“Huh? That’s not true,” Belinda whispered. “She never did that.”
Glitch. She swallowed and obeyed, going to stand next to the woman. The other students whispered, judging eyes roving over her figure.
“What fighting style do you think suits you?” Coach Usda asked her.
“Um…” She glanced nervously at the others. “I-I’m not sure, ma’am. I… I guess I just know most of the basics?”
“Did you study any disciplines in particular while you were preparing for your fight with Ms. Houdge?”
Her face turned red. “N-no… I just studied her strengths and weaknesses and prepared myself according to her style.”
“Hmm.” She nodded. Calista wasn’t sure if it was of approval or not.
The coach stepped back, getting into a strange fighting position; her feet were apart at shoulder length, her left foot forward, and her left hand was raised beside her head.
“I will be utilizing a Klausian style called Tialet. You can use any style that is comfortable for you.”
“O-okay.” Calista raised her fists and separated her feet.
“3… 2… 1.” The coach dove forward and threw a swiping knifehand at her head. Reflexively, Calista ducked, her heart jumping into action.
She dodged the next swing, blocked the third, but stumbled while dodging the fourth. In no time at all, Coach Usda had swiped her knifehand below her ankle and knocked her off balance.
Determined to avoid further embarrassment, Calista rolled over when she was knocked down, instantly springing to her feet. The coach didn’t let her rest, following her attack up with a knifehand to the throat.
She swiped her forearm to the side, deflecting her blow, and attempted to kick her in the stomach. Coach Usda blocked it with a knifehand, the impact stinging, and struck again, this time hitting Calista in the throat.
The blow was soft, but it still packed enough force to make the girl choke. As her hands reflexively flew to her neck, she was knocked down again. The coach waited a few moments before helping her up.
The students clapped, murmurs echoing among them. Calista could see some smirks flashed her way. She hid her face behind her high ponytail.
“Your balance is a complete mess and you lack finesse. Your attacks are far too predictable and there were openings everywhere. I was even going easy on you.”
The human girl’s face heated up, hearing snickers.
“But it is our job to improve all of that. I expect you will do nothing more than give your absolute best. If you want to earn respect from your fellow teammates, you must prove you have the conviction and the determination of a Versus fighter. Do you?”
She raised her emerald eyes this time, her face hardening. “Yes, ma’am,” she said seriously.
“Then you best show it while we teach you, unless you want an embarrassing call sign.” The coach nodded at the line. “You may return.”
She obeyed, taking her place next to Belinda, who smiled at her encouragingly. She wanted nothing more to crawl into a hole and shut herself out from the universe.
“Now. We will start with our warm-ups. When the Combat period begins, we will proceed to the mats and rotate in pairs.”
“You okay?” Belinda asked her as they began their stretches.
“Yeah… sorta.” She glanced at Belinda’s uniform, noticing a sort of patch on her uniform jacket sleeve. It glowed in silver. “What’s that?” she asked, nodding at it.
“Oh, that’s my Guild patch.”
“Your what?”
“You don’t know what Guilds are?”
“No…” They reached down to touch their toes. Calista’s fingers went all the way to the floor.
“Guilds are groups formed by the Student Coaches. When you join a Guild, you’re in that Guild for the rest of your time in the school.”
That sounded… good, in part. “What are they for?”
“Guild members get an extra hour of training from the SC’s. They basically become our mentors,” Belinda explained. “We’re also more respected by the other students, so most don’t like to mess with us, but there are some that like to issue challenges to see if the SC’s are doing their job.” They got down to do splits. “It’s kind of like extra credit. We also have a higher chance of getting their position— only if we get on the team and surpass them in the Versus, though. It’s fame for us, and proof of their worth as a coach for them.”
Interesting. Maybe if Calista got in a Guild, people would be nicer to her?
“Mine is Guild Gamma.” Belinda showed her own Guild patch, which glowed in silver and had an upside-down L.
Gamma- Delaine Evistroma
Belinda Adenifi, Guild 3
“To get into a Guild, you need to get the Student Coaches’ attention. Meaning, you need to do really well in your classes. That way, you show them you’re worth teaching. They can help you with any classes or fighting exercises you’re having trouble with.”
Well, that would be a challenge. Calista doubted very much that she could make them want to teach her. “God, there’s just so much to know. I feel like I’m in another world.” They stood from their splits. “Please tell me you’re in my next class.”
“What is it?”
Calista checked her schedule. “Weaponry.”
“I’m sorry, I have Battle Tech. But I’ll walk you there. You’ll be fine. We can get together during Break and go over things if you want.”
“That’ll be uber-awesome. Thank you, Belinda,” the human girl sighed in relief. She almost felt like crying. Her support was something she desperately needed.
“Miss Medley and Miss Adenifi.”
The girls quickly silenced. “Yes, ma’am?” Belinda answered.
“This is not a Socializing channel. This is a fighting institution. Please keep the conversations in your mouths until break,” Coach Usda said with a frown.
“We’re sorry, ma’am.” They returned to warming up silently.
===
Calista was overwhelmed by anxiety, confusion, and a little excitement as she walked through the wide halls of the academy to get to her next class.
Combat went… fairly well. She did alright against her classmates, getting beaten, but landing good hits. However, she got tired easily and was hollered at by all the coaches, most of all Usda. On the bright side, many other students messed up a lot, so she wasn’t the center of attention.
In her Weaponry class, she was asked to stand and answer a few basic questions about weapons. While she answered some correctly, every wrong answer earned giggles from the others. Luckily, the coach and professor teaching the class didn’t dwell on it.
Her theory classes were interesting. The experience of sitting in a classroom recording the teacher’s speeches and highlighting information with AIDA screens was… kind of cool. It was a nice break from the relentless workout in Combat. Although, she did get bored easily, and tended to zone out, earning her some humiliation when the professors asked her a question.
Despite that, having actual teachers was… cool. All of them would physically teach the classes as opposed to letting the AU Teacher do it for them.
Now was the 30-minute break, where the students could relax before they returned to class. Calista met Belinda at the Studitorium in the Hall of Affairs. Many students were inside, reviewing concepts and watching training modules.
“In our History class, we learned that studitoriums used to be called ‘libraries’ back in the day,” Belinda commented as they walked together. “They had books everywhere. I think Vorax still has libraries. We’re going to Vorax this Versus, so if I get on the team, I’d love to see the books. I’ve only seen them in collections.”
“Are there any guides here about… Guilds and stuff?” Calista asked, scrolling on her AIDA band.
“There are, but most of the stuff you should know comes from experience. School life isn’t something you can view in a module.” Belinda suddenly stopped and grabbed the human girl’s arm, guiding her away. They went to a corner with personal study capsules, all of which were being used.
“What is it?”
“I wanted to avoid the Favorites. Most of them probably don’t like you,” she explained.
“Favorites?”
Belinda gave her a look. “You do follow the Versus, right?”
“Um… y-yeah… not all the time, though…”
“Okay. Favorites are the Student Coaches’ best students in their Guilds— at least, by their standards. Aside from the Guild patches, you’ll see a little badge with their Guild color. If I were a Favorite, my badge would be right here.” She pointed to the left side of her jacket. “These are students you really don’t want to mess with. If they’re really good, sometimes they help their coaches teach.”
“So the Favorites are the best before the best?” Calista interjected.
“Exactly. Do not bug any of them off. With other Guild members, you’ll have some wiggle room, but with Favorites…” Belinda bit her lip. “But if you get into a Guild, you’ll have some more immunity. Even though you’re a bit late, you have a chance. And Student Coaches change every Versus. It all depends on how well the Fistborn team members do in the competition.”
She then led Calista to another part of the Studitorium, where students gathered at tables to study together. The girls sat at a table and Belinda opened the computer, scrolling through the different subjects. “Okay, so what do you think you need to catch up on?” she asked.
“Um… basically everything.”
“Well, what do you know? Of the basics?”
“I know… how to punch and kick?” Calista smiled nervously. “And how to look for weaknesses, sorta.”
“What about weapons?”
“Not really.”
“Armor?”
“Nope.”
“… And no fighting disciplines in particular.”
“Not that I can remember.”
“So you didn’t study at all?” Belinda turned to her with her brows knitted.
“Only for the test… and I didn’t do too well.” She scratched her head.
Belinda blew out her cheeks. “Alright. We have a lot to catch you up on, then. Most people that come here study the basics before they apply. Lots of people get rejected a lot, so they study more and more until they get in.”
“I guess… I didn’t have a lot of time because of my… channel.”
“I knew you were a Socializer, but…” She shook her head. “Never mind. I’m sorry. It’s just… I didn’t know you were that much of one.” She selected a subject. “What’s your next class?”
Calista checked her schedule again.
11:30 AM: CT1-97 Armory— Classroom 134-VW, Versus Fighting School— Jinjo, Pilios; Yostako, Emeeli
12:30 PM: Break Period
1:30 PM: PC1-78 Weapon Use— Gymnasium 2A, Training Hall— Mathta, Usda; Stisin, Jenna; Gowon, Taraji
2:30 PM: Lunch Period— Mess Hall, Recreation Hall
“My next class is Armory,” Calista answered Belinda.
“And you have a free period. Use that time to study, okay? Also, at lunch, I can register you as a Guild guest and you can sit with us.”
“Oh, you don’t have to…”
“It’s no problem. Also, you can get to know my Guild that way. It’s advantageous to have friends in Guilds, you know?”
“Thank you, Belinda.” Calista smiled.