"So you are the prodigy of the Clover Clan, Zachy Greenwood, son of Stork," said the girl.
"Get out of here," Zachy told his sister.
"I'll he-"
"You'll only get in the way. Go!" Zachy said.
"Awww, trying to protect your little sister? How cute," she said. "Do you really think you can beat me?"
"I don't think. I know."
"How arrogant of you." She smiled.
"Anyway, you know my name, so it's only common courtesy that I should know yours."
"How sweet. I'm Alice, a Special Case, as you can see," Alice said.
"Nice to meet you, Alice. But I think it's about time we wrap things up."
Zachy lowered his stance.
"Let me show you what the Clover Clan is made of."
"Well then, show me what the Clover Clan is made of, Zachy."
They both charged up.
Their energy was ferocious.
For a brief moment, everything around them seemed quiet. The only sound that could be heard was the chirping of birds in the distance.
Then—
BOOM!
They disappeared from where they stood.
Their fists collided.
BAM!
Alice immediately followed with another strike, but Zachy tilted his head and narrowly avoided it. He responded with a kick, forcing Alice to jump backwards.
She landed gracefully.
"Not bad," she said.
Zachy smiled.
Alice rushed forward again.
The two exchanged blow after blow, each attack being met with either a block, dodge or counterattack. Neither of them seemed willing to give the other an opening.
Zachy threw a powerful punch toward Alice's face.
She ducked underneath it and swept her leg toward his feet.
Zachy jumped over the attack.
Alice immediately followed up with a spinning kick.
Zachy blocked it with his arm, but the force pushed him several metres backwards.
He looked at his arm.
"She's stronger than I thought."
Alice smiled.
"You are quite strong."
"So are you."
They charged at each other once again.
This time, Zachy increased his speed.
His movements became unpredictable as he attacked from different angles, but Alice somehow kept up with him.
She blocked a punch.
Dodged a kick.
Countered with an elbow.
Zachy leaned backwards, narrowly avoiding it.
He then planted his hand against the ground and used the momentum to launch himself forward.
Alice raised her arm just in time to block.
BOOM!
The impact sent a shockwave through the surrounding trees.
Vanessa watched from a distance.
From her perspective, the fight reminded her of Zachy's battle against Xavier.
Except this time...
It was much more controlled.
Neither fighter was wasting unnecessary movement.
Every strike had a purpose.
Every dodge was calculated.
And neither of them seemed exhausted.
Zachy suddenly disappeared.
Alice looked around.
"Where?"
She sensed him behind her.
She immediately turned around and blocked his attack.
The force pushed her backwards.
Zachy continued pressing forward.
One strike.
Two.
Three.
Alice blocked each one before finally catching his fist.
She smiled.
"Got you."
She attempted to counterattack, but Zachy twisted his arm free and struck her with his other hand.
Alice blocked it.
The two stared at each other for a moment.
Then both smiled.
"This is getting interesting," Zachy said.
"That's exactly what I was thinking."
Meanwhile, not too far from where Zachy and Alice were fighting, the elites of the Clover Academy were battling a spirit-version of a Primal Shadow.
The Big Four were there.
Zorren.
Marcus.
Gwyn.
Ayo.
With a final slash across its chest, Zorren destroyed the spirit manifestation.
"Where did Zachy run off to?" Marcus asked.
"He said he had some important business to attend to," Ayo replied.
"Does he think he can just waltz out of here because..."
"Shut it," Zorren interrupted. "If you want to be calling the shots, show results. Let's get moving."
A rustle came from the bushes.
Everyone stopped.
Out of the bushes stepped several Spirit Clan members.
"Well, well, well. Isn't this a fantastic sight? The Big Four of the Clover Academy."
"What do you want?" Zorren asked.
"This is why we can't get along, you Clover Clan members. You think you're all superior just because you won the previous Clan Tournament."
The Spirit Clan member charged forward.
"Well, now we have a chance to show you that your victory was nothing more than a fluke!"
Back at Zachy and Alice...
"You know, Zachy, we've actually met before," Alice said.
"Where?"
"During the Clan Tournament five years ago. I'd understand if you don't remember me. I was quite weak back then."
She raised her fists.
"But now, I think we're on par."
Zachy looked at her carefully.
"You see, while you've been enjoying being at the top, we've been working hard. After we saw that demonstration of absolute power from you at such a young age, we knew we had to catch up."
She smiled.
"And now it's about time we set the balance."
"I'm glad to hear I was your inspiration."
Zachy laughed.
"But do you really think I've been sitting on my butt this whole time?"
Alice's smile widened.
"Although I've never been put in a situation where I've had to use my full po..."
Zachy suddenly paused.
A memory flashed through his mind.
"Maybe one time..."
He looked back at Alice.
"But I could still win."
His expression became serious.
"I've realized that the key to my success is control. So no matter how much stronger you think you've become, I don't think you'll be able to match me."
"Hehe."
Alice clenched her fists.
"I can't wait to knock you off your high horse."
"SPIRIT!! ANCESTRAL CALL!!"
Energy erupted around Alice.
The atmosphere suddenly changed.
~ Ancestral Call is a technique that allows the user to summon the spirit of one of their clan's predecessors, giving them access to their knowledge, experience, techniques and abilities. The technique is extremely draining and only lasts for a short period of time. Depending on the user's strength, they may summon several ancestors and even reach toward the spirits of warriors from other clans. ~
Alice raised her hand toward the sky.
The clouds began to darken.
Zachy's expression changed.
"Wait..."
The sky above them turned black.
"You've got to be kidding me."
Alice's body began trembling under the strain.
Zachy immediately realized what she was doing.
"You're going to kill yourself!"
Alice struggled to breathe.
"Even I know that spirit diving into the power of a legendary warrior is dangerous and extremely straining."
"You can't even move properly!"
Alice looked at him.
"This..."
Her voice trembled.
"...is our gap, Zachy."
She raised her hand higher.
"TH--"
Her body shook.
"UN--"
Blood rushed from her mouth as she struggled to speak.
"DER..."
The sky rumbled.
"THUNDERSTORM!!!"
BOOOOOOM!!!
The most ferocious bolt of lightning yet struck the battlefield.
The impact destroyed trees and sent debris flying in every direction.
The shockwave spread across the training grounds, blowing away the Big Four of the Clover Academy with the Spirit Clan Special Cases who were fighting nearby.
CRACK!
The ground split beneath them.
Silence followed.
Alice collapsed to one knee.
"Cough..."
Zachy slowly stood up.
"Cough... cough..."
He looked around at the destruction.
"That was..."
He wiped the dust from his face.
"...some move."
He looked toward Alice.
"If she had done that at the beginning of our encounter, I would've been screwed."
His expression became more serious.
"These clans are becoming way too powerful."
He turned toward Alice.
"This was fun, Alice."
Zachy raised his fist.
"But it's about time we end this."
He began charging his energy.
However, before he could move—
THWACK!
A kunai struck Zachy in the arm.
He immediately stopped.
"What?"
A girl stood on top of a nearby tree.
She jumped down, grabbed Alice and quickly returned to the branches.
Zachy stared at her.
"If you weren't even able to sense my presence, then you aren't worthy of the title 'prodigy.'"
Zachy narrowed his eyes.
She continued.
"I would love to challenge you, but we're kind of short staffed. As you know, there are only ten Special Cases from the Spirit Clan. Three have already been eliminated."
She glanced at Alice.
"It would be selfish of me to risk losing another teammate just to defeat you."
She turned around.
"And so, I'll challenge you appropriately."
She had an empty expression on her face.
"Although, I don't think it'll be much of a challenge."
Zachy's eyes narrowed.
"From what I've seen, Zachy..."
She paused.
"...you've gotten weaker."
"As this is only the second day of the exam, I'll leave you be for now."
She jumped from the tree.
"Goodbye."
She disappeared into the forest with Alice.
Zachy stood there silently.
He finally caught his breath.
Then something occurred to him.
"Vanessa!"
He looked around.
"Vanessa! Are you there?!"
There was no response.
He searched the surrounding area.
Nothing.
"She must have escaped."
Zachy sat down.
For the first time, the confidence on his face began to disappear.
He thought about everything Alice and the other Spirit Clan member had said.
Have I really gotten weaker?
He clenched his fist.
Or have I simply been fighting opponents who were never strong enough to force me to grow?
For the first time in a long time, Zachy began to question whether being called the prodigy of the Clover Clan truly meant he was the strongest.