The rules of the underground fights were plain and simple. The use of abilities was prohibited. The fighting pits were meant to foster fair brawls between students.
Abilities ruined that balance in too many ways. They tilted fights heavily in one direction, turning them into one-sided slaughters instead of contests. That was why they were banned. What mattered here was raw physical strength, speed, stamina, and grit.
There was another reason too.
Mutant powers were dangerous. The pits weren't sanctioned by the Oval Academy, and if a student were to die during a fight, it would open the door to a problem far bigger than bruises and broken bones. One death could bring investigations, attention and shutdown.
Axel knew all of this and despite that knowledge, he had used a skill.
It hadn't been flashy. No obvious surge of power soo one noticed it. No alarms went off. But he knew the truth.
He cheated, and for some reason, Axel felt good about it.
