Gage unleashes a serious blow. Gadeon barely dodges it, nearly losing his balance as he fails to stabilise himself. Gage immediately capitalises, following up with another attack.
Shit! He's going to hit me!
Should I try that Mirror technique Gaedric showed me?
Gadeon doesn't have enough time to think. He tries to imitate Gaedric—matching the timing, speed, and accuracy of Gage's punch. But at the last second, being so close to Gage's fist, the fear of being hit by someone who could flex while he couldn't flood his mind.
This is dangerous!
Before he realises it, instinct took over. Gadeon cowers, raising his arms to shield his face. In the process, he accidentally brushes—no, deflects—Gage's punch.
Shockingly… impossibly… Gage's fist was redirected the other way.
"What?!" Gage shouted.
It's just like this morning, Gage thought. I'm sure my attacks will land—one hundred percent—but at the last second, I miss. This time it can't be me. I'm practically right in front of him. How is he doing that?!
Thank God he missed! Gadeon thought in relief. Wow… when it comes to accuracy, he actually sucks. Especially this morning—he missed while I was running right in front of him.
Then he saw it.
Gage's fist, coated in a water-like aura.
A chill ran down his spine.
Am I… scared of being punched?
No—no, no. It's not me, he corrects himself. It's this body. It's Gadeon that's scared.
"You should've seen the look on your face," Gage says with a grin. "You looked scared to death."
He saw it?!
So I really was scared?
Am I scared of getting hit… by a freaking kid?!
Sure, Gage is huge for his age—built like a mantis shrimp, skin hard as rock—but—
I'M FRICKING JASON!
HOW IS A TWENTY-FIVE-YEAR-OLD SCARED OF A KID?!
Gadeon squinches his expression tightly.
"Woah," Gage mocks. "You look like you need to use the toilet."
I need to get close to him to use the Mirror technique, Gadeon thought.
But he knew it the moment the idea formed—this is a high-risk, high-reward move.
Ami was just a kid. Gaedric had years of experience. When Gaedric executed it, it looked easy—but this technique was anything but. It required getting dangerously close while being completely unable to defend yourself against a Flexor.
It's like throwing a right hook in a gunfight.
You'd die instantly—unless the other guy had terrible aim.
Terrible aim…
Oh damn.
Gage has terrible aim.
This morning. Just now. His punches should've landed—but they didn't.
If I bet everything on that flaw… get close enough… then deliver the technique—
Gage drops into a stance, his massive frame tensing as water condenses around his arms. Suddenly, beams of pressurised water shot forward.
Gadeon bolts down the hallway.
Gage gives chase.
If he couldn't hit me this morning when I was running straight, Gadeon thought, then zigzagging through staircases should be even worse for him.
Luckily, it's after dojo hours—hardly any teachers around.
As Gadeon blitzes through the building, a water beam roars right behind him.
He dodges it cleanly.
Easy. Now I just need to get close—
PWOOSH!
Pain explodes through his body.
Gadeon was blasted off his feet, sent crashing down the stairwell—skipping along the steps like a stone thrown across the surface of the ocean.
What the—?!
I dodged that! That shouldn't be possible!
His mind races. His aim is supposed to be trash! How did he hit me while I was running full speed?!
Luck, he told himself. It has to be luck.
But the truth was worse.
Gage's control was far better than it looks. The first barrage of water beams hadn't been the real attack—they were a smokescreen. Behind them, he'd hidden a second wave, perfectly timed.
Still falling, Gadeon forces himself to focus. He grabs the stair railing, twisting his body and grinding along on his feet backwards to slow his descent.
Metal screeches.
Then—
Gage leaps onto the railing as well.
The two of them ground downward together, sparks flying as Gage launches into him—arms raised like a praying mantis. Each strike was deliberate. Fast. Relentless. One hand stayed locked to the rail while the other fired punch after punch.
Gadeon barely kept up.
Some hits he dodges.
Some he blocks.
Some grazes him painfully.
This doesn't make sense!
When did his accuracy get this good?!
Was he pretending before? Holding back?!
The only way I win is the Mirror technique.
But that meant dropping his guard entirely. Focusing solely on the attack.
As Gadeon tries to commit, fear crawls up his spine.
Damn it… I'm really scared of this kid's attacks?
His fists are massive!
What the hell are they feeding him at home?!
Before he could finish the thought, Gage's pincer-like fist—nearly half the size of Gadeon's face—came flying straight at him.
He's going to punch my face!
Panic surged through Gadeon's mind as he pours all his focus upward, tensing his arms and shielding his face.
BAAAM!!!
Saliva burst from Gadeon's mouth and nostrils. For a split second, it felt like his face had been hit—but it was a lie.
A decoy.
The real blow smashes straight into his stomach.
"You—y-you pri-prick!" Gadeon gasps, barely able to breathe as he was sent flying backwards. "That move… isn't meant for you!" he forces out mid-flight.
"You're right," Gage replies calmly. "The Dojo teaches it to people like you so you can defend yourselves. But it's not illegal for us Flexors to use it too. It's actually pretty convenient."
Gadeon crashes to the bottom of the stairs, lying there as Gage continues grinding down towards him.
Why am I scared of being hit?
Was I always like this? No way. When I fought Ami, I pushed through his barrage without stopping. Was it because I was emotional back then—too angry to think?
Just remembering Ami's attacks made his body shiver even more.
What?!
Is my body trembling?!
Why can't I control it? This isn't me—it has to be this ten-year-old body! There's no way Jason would ever tremble like this. A guy like me… scared of a kid?
…
…
Life is unfair.
That truth wasn't new to him. It had been the same in his past life—and it was no different here. Some people are born rich, others poor. Some are born with talent, even genius… while others are born with disabilities, limitations, and chains they never asked for.
If I could flex… if I had Chi-Lungs… this would've been a piece of cake.
Instead, I'm struggling against a kid.
Okay—in my defence, a ten-year-old in this world is completely different from a ten-year-old in my past life. Still… a kid is a kid.
Gaedric would always say, Don't worry. Your Chi-Lungs will awaken. You just have to wait—others your age gets delayed too.
Gloria always hoped I'd get Fire Chi-Lungs. She was always dreaming of teaching me herself. But when they discovered I could breathe underwater, Gaedric was excited… and Gloria was clearly disappointed.
I bet they were even placing bets on which one I'd get.
I think that discovery gave them hope—that I'd flex soon enough if I could already breathe underwater. But that wasn't the case. Even now, I still can't flex.
…Then again, I'm only ten in this world. It could happen any time.
Maybe now?
Heh… stupid.
I've spent so much time studying Water Flexing. Understanding its theory so I wouldn't fall behind in this world. And it worked—it was essential. Every night after school, I buried myself in it. Learning the style. The martial arts. Both stances of our Dojo, even the Deep Current Dojo stances—just in case I ever had to transfer.
And now you're telling me it was all for nothing?!
Gadeon grits his teeth as tears welled up. He wipes them away instantly.
DON'T YOU FUCKING CRY.
YOU'RE NOT A KID.
SO DON'T CRY.
DON'T BE LIKE THEM. AS A MAN, YOU SHOULDN'T CRY!
At this point, I'm desperately trying to think of any martial arts or fighting techniques from my past life—but I was too focused on the gym. Lifting heavy. Power over technique.
…Well, there was boxing.
But I only trained once. I quit before it went anywhere.
Why did I leave…?