It had been a day since Hawk defeated Pudge in single combat. But the boy's victory over the school bully came with an unexpected benefit...
As Hawk walked around the fountain, he stopped before the entrance steps out of surprise. "Hey, Devil of Toshi!" Li's voice was heard from behind, as Hawk turned to face him and Nile, who were walking up to him. "Devil of Toshi?" Hawk recited, confused, as Nile and Li approached him. "Where were you? Sleeping under a rock?" Li jokingly asked Hawk. "You're quite the talk of the town... Or, in this case, the talk of the school." Nile interjected, raising his index finger. "What're they sayin' about me?" Hawk asked as Nile and Li looked at each other for a few seconds before turning back to Hawk. "Nothing bad." Li disclosed. "If anything, everyone was singing your praises, calling you the Devil of Toshi." Nile told Hawk. The boy raised an eyebrow, surprised, finally realizing the origins of his new epithet, which was a more menacing improvement over his previous title of The Flying Monkey, but an improvement nonetheless. "I'd have paid to see you knock the shit out of Pudge in person." Li told Hawk. "It must have been a great scrap indeed." Nile said. "It's a long story." Hawk told the two in a dismissive tone, as he was now concerned about what everyone on the school grounds was saying about him. While Nile and Li's company was good enough, Hawk's eyes shifted with a little unease, looking over the shoulders of Nile and Li.
Then, it was beyond the shoulders of Hawk's friends, was when he noticed the blue-haired girl from Homeroom 106, Iris Yugen, walking toward the three. Just as Nile was about to speak up, Iris interrupted, appearing behind the two. "You've made quite the name for yourself, Yuje." She told Hawk, startling Nile and Li. A condescending tone was made fully known to Hawk, Nile, and Li. But the boy remained indifferent in the face of Iris' cold demeanor towards him. "But let's not forget: I am the daughter of the great Raj Yugen, and a proud member of the Yugen Family, the greatest magicians within Toshi City." Iris boasted while placing a hand near her chest area. "I may be the youngest child belonging to such a privileged and powerful family, but my power is nothing to scoff at." She continued. "Trust me, I am nothing like my brother." As Iris continued to prattle on, in the midst of her speaking, which was growing more muffled, Hawk yawned aloud, stretching his arms in the process. Iris would soon notice while Nile and Li inched away from her, seeing her face twisting with irritation. "How dare you tire in my presence!?" She shouted at Hawk, getting close to his smirking face. "You done yet?" Hawk asked. Their foreheads were nearly brushing up against one another. But as Iris stared deeply into Hawk's eyes, she noticed something within the boy, causing her to fall silent, where she began to concentrate on peering into the deeper parts of his mind. Hawk would stare at her as well, all with a smirk. "You definitely live up to the Devil of Toshi epithet very well." Iris told Hawk, raising her index finger in between her and the boy. "I can see the boundless potential within you just by peering into your mind." Hawk looked at Iris with a face of bemusement, not sure how to approach what she had said other than, "that's a little kinky," as a smile crept onto his face yet again. "I think Iris has a crush on me." The boy continued his prodding at Iris until she frantically turned to look him dead in the eyes yet again. "Enough! That is inappropriate, and it will stop right now!" She lashed out at Hawk, who was left in silence. "Yes, Your Majesty." He then sarcastically mumbled before raising his right hand to his forehead in a saluting motion, mocking her.
"Give it a rest, Iris." Nile and Li turned to notice Raphael, who leaned against the fountain's rim and maintained a suave stare in Iris' direction. Hawk tilted to the side, peering over Iris' shoulder, and she turned to face the musician, who was now walking up to her and Hawk. "Pudge won't be hurting anybody else, thanks to him." Raphael said, his eyes shifting toward Hawk, if only briefly, before diverting his gaze back to Iris. "They managed to suspend him and transfer him to Homeroom 107 upon returning to school, which is where he belongs." The musician elaborated further. "Ah, yes. The homeroom which reforms misbehaving students." Nile interjected, raising his index finger a second time. "I'm certain Mr. Yanagi will have his hands full with him and the rest of the new Spare Team." He added. "This babbling of an ignoramus like Pudge is exasperating." Iris said. "You're not too fond of martial artists, are you?" Nile then asked Iris. To which she turned to face him with a scoff. "I find the prospect of hand-to-hand battles to be too blasé, along with any meat-sack that enjoys beating someone to a pulp." She professed. "If anything, I am proud to have been born with the intrinsic talent of dominating any battlefield. Hence, the Yugen Family is the most superior in the world." While Iris answered the question, Nile's eyes shifted to Li, almost as if listening to her was a chore. "Listen, we didn't ask what color crayon is your favorite flavor." Li told Iris, defiantly crossing his arms. Raphael. taking notice of Iris' angered face, would walk past Hawk but stopped as soon as his arm was behind Hawk's left arm. "Let's just go." He whispered to Hawk, who looked back at Nile and Li, both of whom were about to be on the receiving end of a beatdown. But Raphael tugged at the boy's arm before Hawk could say anything in protest. "We're going to be late for class, and I don't seek to bear the brunt of the Queen's wrath."
Inside the academy, Hawk and Raphael had walked down the hallways to Homeroom 106. This time, the halls were densely packed with students, many of whom were scurrying toward their classes early while others remained in the hall, conversing among themselves. "Don'tcha think it was a bit of a dick move to leave Nile and Li?" Hawk asked Raphael. "Given their expertise, I'm sure they'll be fine." Raphael assured the boy. "HEEEELP!" The sounds of Nile desperately calling out to Hawk were made audible throughout the hall, as both Hawk and Raphael turned in the direction of Nile's terrified voice. "I stand corrected." Raphael mumbled. Everyone else present in the halls also motioned to the sounds. Then, within seconds, Nile and Li turned the corner to run down the hall in which Hawk and Raphael were present. Both Nile and Li were heavily bruised and quivered behind their friends. "Keep 'em here." Hawk told Raphael. "I'll go and deal with her. She's not gonna hurt my friends anymore." The boy then walked forward, slamming his left fist against his opposite, left palm.
In the distance, Iris angrily marched down the hall, her rage was felt throughout the corridor. "You dare accost the name of the Yugen Family?!" She asked in an irritable tone, alerting the few who were present as a sizable portion of the students ran in the opposite direction of Iris. Her footsteps were getting closer, ever so quickly, drawing near Hawk, who was ready to fight to defend his friends, as he too marched toward Iris.
But before either of the two could truly face off, suddenly, a massive pillar of thorns erupted from the tiled floor, causing Hawk and Iris to fall back. Everyone who remained in the hall frantically searched around for the one who had conjured the thorn pillar. That was until the caster made themselves known: "These are students of Homeroom 106?" It was the druid from last week. He turned his back to Nile, Li, and Raphael before beginning to walk to Homeroom 106. But not before turning his head to face those behind him. "Ignorance is not lost on all of you." He said to Hawk and Iris as he resumed his trek to Homeroom 106. As the druid walked down the hallway, the thorn pillar dissipated, leading Hawk and Iris to glance over at each other, with the boy having a confused expression and Iris still bearing her sour look.
Hawk stood onto his feet and turned behind him to see where the mysterious druid had gone. But by the time the tension had settled, he had already disappeared from the hallways. While Hawk walked away from Iris, she shifted her eyes around. "Get me up, someone!" She commanded one of the remaining bystanders in the hall as several students rushed to her aid. As the boy walked past Raphael, Nile, and Li, each of them looked at Hawk with befuddled expressions. "Where are you going?" Raphael asked, lightly chasing after Hawk, who stopped in his tracks. "I'm gonna find that nature boy and see what his deal is." Hawk turned to Raphael. "You're comin' with me. We're gonna find that tree-hugger." He then told the musician before resuming his journey searching for the druid. "Are we able to come with?" Li asked. "Let's make this quick." The boy told him and Nile, as they began to follow behind.
"Are you sure you wish to go through with this?" Nile asked, walking up to Hawk as they proceeded to speed-walk down the hallway. "Druids are a true force to be reckoned with." He cautiously advised the boy. "They can effortlessly bend nature to their will and their advantage." As Nile continued to elaborate on the immense power of druids, Hawk walked toward the exit of the hallway with a confident smile brimming across his face. "Do you think they're on par with Iris, of all people?" Li asked, curiously turning his head to Nile, to which he studied Li's question for a few seconds. "According to my calculations, any well-trained druid is equal to Iris." Nile responded. "C'mon, man. We're just gonna talk to 'em." Hawk turned his head back to look at Nile. "What? You think I beat the shit outta everyone I meet?" He then asked, rhetorically, much to Nile's being puzzled. He held his chin with his left hand, pondering Hawk's question, only for Raphael to intervene amid Nile's thinking. "Nile, it ain't that deep." Raphael then chuckled.
Meanwhile, in the gardens of Toshi Academy, the druid meditated in the middle of several flower beds, his eyes closed and inhaling deep breaths of air. However, the ambience and peace that consisted within his meditation would cease upon the sneaky sounds of footsteps inching closer to the druid. The sound of rustling in the bushes could be heard, ever so faintly, as a delinquent attempted to tiptoe through the flowers, desperately trying to go undetected. "Skogen guides me." The druid said, silently, so as not to startle the intruders. "I can feel a disturbance within the trees." He whispered. Then, as one of the delinquents appeared beside the druid, they tiptoed toward him, placing a knuckleduster on his right hand, silently slipping through his fingers. But before they could strike the druid, an arrow was fired. The delinquent jumped back as the arrow landed near his foot. He looked up to see a girl, aiming a bow at him. "There are five of you in total." The girl told the visible delinquent, still aiming at him. Shortly after she said this, four other mischievous students made themselves known as they walked up to the druid and surrounded him. "Identify yourselves." The druid ordered his would-be ambushers. "State your business, and maybe we won't have to fight." The archer told them.
In the midst of the druid and the archer confronting the delinquents of Pudge, Hawk, Raphael, Nile, and Li had arrived at the garden. The garden was a large, spacious greenhouse, decorated with vibrant flowers, which included tulips, roses, and dandelions. Other flowers, such as daisies and lilies, formed an arch around the entrance to the garden, and the four would walk into the greenhouse. "Been a while since I was here." Hawk said, observing the small river that flowed through the entrance area to another section of the garden, which was detailed with medium-sized lily pads that remained stationary in the calm water. "If I recall correctly, Ms. Mothma Chrysantha always waters the plants early in the morning. As a matter of fact, she is the earliest teacher here." Nile said, also looking around and studying the flowers and small trees that were surrounded by exotic flora. The dulcet sounds of water pouring into the river was the only thing audible amid the silence. Eventually, Raphael stopped in his tracks, looking around. There was a slight disturbance in the calm air. Before Nile could speak up with another history lesson, the musician shushed him, raising his index finger in the air. As Nile grew silent, the sounds of arguing between several students was heard, ever so faintly. What was said was muffled and nearly incomprehensible until Raphael focused his attention toward a small corridor where the source of the bickering originated. "There." Raphael said to Hawk, Nile, and Li, as they too began to divert their attention to the corridor.
As the four rushed through the corridor and into the next room, the first thing they noticed was a grizzly bear swatting at the five delinquents, all of whom tried to corner the animal. The archer then crescent-kicked one of the delinquents onto their back before aiming her bow at him. But as Hawk and Raphael entered the corner of her eye, she became distracted, glancing at them. However, the delinquent raised his right fist, charging at the archer. Before he could strike the archer, Hawk threw a punch directly into the ambusher's left rib, knocking the wind out of him as he tumbled on the ground, writhing in pain. "Are you guys in league with them!?" The archer asked Hawk. "Less bitching, more fighting!" Hawk ordered her as he and Raphael lunged at two delinquents, respectively. One ambusher tried to sweep-kick Raphael onto the ground, but he managed to step on the delinquent's ankle, putting a dead stop to the attack. He then raised his left leg in the air before slamming it down on the delinquent, knocking him unconscious, almost instantaneously. He then turned his head to the two delinquents who were still trying to land a hit on the bear. Now desperate, Raphael focused on the two ambushers. "Mouthy as asses, dripping with shit!" He asked. Almost in an instant, the bear and the two delinquents felt their hearts skip a beat as the bear began to plummet to the ground on its back, along with the two delinquents, who dropped to the ground, immobilized and knocked out.
By the time the bear's back hit the grassy floor, it had managed to change its shape into the druid from before. The druid struggled to get back up, giving the final delinquent enough time to charge the downed druid. The last of the attackers leapt into the air, only to be knocked to the ground by a knee-kick from Hawk. "Don't stand there! Do somethin'!" The boy shouted at the archer, who threw a dart into the ambusher's hand. Their eyes dimmed, falling onto the ground in a deep sleep. "You..." The druid muttered, looking at Hawk. The boy then approached the druid, lending him a hand onto his feet. The druid latched onto the hand and got back up. "So, you're not one of Pudge's mindless remnants after all." The druid dusted himself off. "Fuck that kid." Hawk said. "It helps no one to be vulgar, and furthermore, you helped a bear fend off against several butchers of nature." The druid told the boy. "Either way, and on behalf of Skogen and I, thank you." He then bowed, if only temporarily. "Don't mention it." Hawk happily said, nodding his head. "I've heard the name Skogen before. The God of Nature and Agriculture, yes?" Nile asked the druid, interjecting. "The very same." Amid Hawk, Nile, and the druid conversing amongst each other, the boy then noticed the flash of a steel-pointed arrow over the druid's shoulder, which was aimed directly at Nile and Li. Hawk stepped to the side to confront the archer, only for her to shift her aim at the boy. The arrow was now several centimeters from piercing Hawk's forehead. "If this is some kinda ambush, you're off to a bad start." Hawk told the archer. But she did not budge, with her bow still trained on him. "I'm not some fool." The archer scolded Hawk. "You're in league with those... morons. That is why they have been targeting us for the longest time." The druid stepped forward. "We can explain." Nile said to the archer, who was too tense to listen to reason. But the druid seemed to have been the only person whom the archer would truly listen to. The druid placed a hand on Hawk's shoulder and raised his opposite hand in the air, expressing a sign of peace, which prompted the archer to lower her bow completely. "I was the one who kicked Pudge's ass." Hawk revealed to the archer. "I can vouch for him." Nile said, with his voice masking any deception from both the druid and the archer. "Since Pudge was suspended and will be transferred to Homeroom 107, his friends have scattered, desperately searching for anyone to torment." Nile continued. The archer nodded, believing Nile's words. "So you were the one who threw a wrench in Pudge's operation?" She asked Hawk, studying him and his demeanor with her eyes. But she would notice the absence of an unconscious delinquent out of focus. She would immediately take notice with a bewildered expression, which Hawk and the druid picked up on. "What's the matter?" Hawk asked, concerned. "One of Pudge's bullies is gone?" The archer said in disbelief. Shortly after these words were uttered, everyone present in the garden frantically looked around for them. But to no such avail. It was as if the ambusher had disappeared into thin air. "We have no time!" The druid told Hawk, Raphael, Nile, and Li. The sound of faint talking amongst two teachers would be heard on the other side of the garden, near the entrance. "Go!" The archer turned her head to boldly order Hawk and his friends. "What about you?!" Hawk asked. "Don't worry about me." She reassured the boy.
Outside, and far from the academy garden, Hawk, Raphael, Nile, and Li, accompanied by the druid, walked down the hallway, which would soon lead to Homeroom 106. They had managed to escape had it not been for the archer taking the fall for them. "Shit." Li cussed under his breath with shaking fists. "We had no choice." Hawk said in a tone of disappointment. "There is always a choice!" Li scolded the boy. But Hawk did not respond. Instead, he looked at Li with some confusion. "What? You wanted to leave us there so Nile and I could take the fall for you, too?" He then asked, catching on to Hawk's bemusement, which had angered him further. "Please, you got off easy without being kicked outta the school." As Hawk and Li began to argue, both Raphael and the druid walked toward a safe distance from them. Even they knew how heated things would get. Meanwhile, Nile would stand next to them, frantically looking at them, desperate to defuse the tension. But the argument only picked up momentum. Li's eye twitched, ready to discharge his anger onto Hawk. Nile opened his mouth, ready to persuade the two from fighting. Both Hawk and Li threw a punch at each other, and the two staggered back, with Li falling onto his side and Hawk crashing into the wall behind him. Nile would then rush to Li's aid first, helping him off the ground. Li would run his fingers down his right cheek, noticing some blood on his fingertips. "Fighting is all you know, you selfish prick." Li said to Hawk before storming off. Nile then approached Hawk, profusely apologizing with a bow. "Go deal with him." Hawk told Nile in an angsty manner, the latter of whom was too stunned to speak. Nevertheless, Nile bowed a second time before rushing off to tend to Li, who was already halfway down the hall. "And I thought my relationship with Eeno was dysfunctional." Mikoto said, with her and Eeno appearing before Hawk, Raphael, and the druid. "Don't start." Hawk warned the girl. "I noticed you met Dauser Empio." Eeno said to Hawk, motioning toward the druid. "He aided me in getting out of a tight spot with Pudge's friends... Then again, they are more akin to remnants than anything." Dauser explained to Eeno and Mikoto. "Glad to see you're making friends." Mikoto smiled at Hawk.
"Anyways, we should be heading to our homeroom as of now." Eeno informed the three. But before he could continue, Mikoto vigorously turned to the Esper with clenched hands. "Get out of here with that shit!" She shouted at him. "I should be telling you that since you called our former relationship dysfunctional!" Eeno retaliated. "It's the truth! You choose to live in the past, I will move into the present!" Mikoto yelled again. "Stick it up your ass, you fogey!" Eeno replied, now getting in Mikoto's face and grabbing the collar of her shirt, ready to strike her with his right fist. "You're one to talk, you hollow bastard!" Mikoto readied her balled hand to attack the Esper. "Enough." Dauser calmly told the two, bringing their pending fight to a halt. Both Eeno and Mikoto stopped to gaze at the druid, who stood between them and placed a hand on each of their shoulders. "Eeno is right: We are expected to be in Homeroom 106 anytime soon." He told the Esper and the girl. "I will see to it that neither of Pudge's remnants will harm us." Mikoto shook Dauser's hand off her shoulder with defiance. "As if I need any protection." She told him. "I am a skilled practitioner in the art of Ninjutsu. Even if Pudge's lackeys try to attack us..." But before she could finish her boasting, Eeno walked past her with a quip at the ready. "You ninjas are all the same: Duplicitous and deplorable." This was enough to provoke Mikoto's ire a second time, with her face slowly turning red. "Oh really?! I could say the same thing about the rest of your family!" Mikoto shouted, chasing after Eeno shortly thereafter. "They sure are a handful." Dauser said, turning to Hawk with a look of concern. Raphael included himself within the conversation with a chuckle that caught both Hawk and Dauser's attention. "Hawk's got a will of iron." He said, much to the druid's amused chuckle. "Anyhow, I have to get to my class." Dauser informed them with a slight tone of regret. With one last expression of gratitude, both Dauser and Hawk, along with his friends, went their separate ways.
Down the hall, leading to Homeroom 106, Hawk and Raphael walked together in unison. "So, Raph..." Hawk said to try and spark a conversation, with Dauser lifting his head to face Hawk. "I've got somethin' botherin' me." The boy insisted. Raphael turned his head halfway to Hawk with an eyebrow raise of intrigue. "There're supposed to be twelve people in our homeroom." Hawk said. "Where's the last guy?" He then asked in confusion. However, Raphael responded with a simple stroke of his chin. "Dunno the answer to that either." He said to Hawk. "They've been keepin' the name of the last student under wraps for quite a while, or so I've heard." Within a few minutes, and in tandem with a short-lived conversation that ended with something of a mystery, the three managed to arrive at the door that led into Homeroom 106. However, they noticed the door itself was ajar. Eeno and Mikoto had just recently entered, after all. So nothing strange was out of the ordinary... Not yet, anyway.
Hawk entered Homeroom 106 first and was greeted by Eeno, slamming against the blackboard with a loud crash, which was brought on by an attack from Mikoto. The Esper would drop to the floor, only to land on his feet. Mikoto closed in for a finishing blow but was interrupted by Hawk standing in front of his friend. Nonetheless, the girl tried to throw a punch at Hawk, seeing as he too became an obstacle in her way. But Hawk deflected the right palm strike, swatting it out of its intended direction and sweeping Mikoto off her feet with a quick kick to her ankles. Mikoto hit the side of her head against the floor, causing her vision to become blurred. The fighting had died down, and the silence was soon filled with a slow clap from Raphael, which was followed by him approaching Eeno with a peculiar, gold-colored berry in his hand, which was no larger than the size of his thumb. Eeno was no stranger to this type of berry; It was a Bellyberry, the kind to nourish and replenish that which consumes it in full. The Esper placed his hand underneath the berry as it dropped into his palm and devoured it in three bites. Fully rejuvenated, Eeno stood back up onto his feet. He took a step forward and was ready to challenge Mikoto to a rematch had it not been for Hawk standing in between them. "Best to sort this out before your Initiation mentor arrives." Raphael advised Hawk, to which he thanked him. "Ta for now." The bard turned around to exit the homeroom shortly after, leaving Hawk to deal with Eeno and Mikoto, who were still ready to tear each other apart. "Let me have at him!" Mikoto told Hawk, who stood in front of her with his arms folded. "Come on, Hawk! We've been friends longer than her!" Eeno pleaded with the boy. Then, as the two began to throw their respective diatribes at each other yet again, Hawk squeezed his eyes closed. Upon keeping his eyes shut, the voices of both Eeno and Mikoto began to linger, echoing within his head. "Enough's enough!" Hawk shouted at the two. It was at this moment, when Hawk raised his voice, was when the two quieted down to complete silence. "Like it or not, we're in this together!" He then reprimanded them before walking off to sit in his seat. As he approached his seat, he turned to face Eeno and Mikoto to give them one last lecture of his own before their mentor arrived. "So let's just chill for now."
On the other side of the academy, the door to a room full of cleaning supplies creaked open. Luckily for Nanashi, there was not a single student in the halls when the teacher emerged from the nearby janitor's room, and the only students that remained within the halls during class were keeping to themselves. As she fully stepped out of the succinct room and into the hallway, Nanashi basked in rays of the early afternoon sunlight that shone through the windows. She stretched her back, as she had just awoken from an hour-long nap.
Nanashi had made her way toward the conference room. She opened the door to see a red-haired teacher standing and peering through the glass of the window pane, where the grounds of the academy's center were made clear. He had an orange bandana, which kept his hair spiked and standing upward. He stood with his arms crossed, his concentration when it came to looking outside being unbreakable. Through the reflection of the window, he noticed Nanashi approaching him, only for her to halt. Your students have arrived and are waiting for your arrival. Nanashi told the redheaded teacher, much to his reluctance, which was made aware through a deep sigh. "This'll be fun." The redheaded teacher muttered before turning to face Nanashi. Though his words were spoken almost in a sarcastic tone, the subtle smile that crept onto his face said otherwise. He then walked past her, only to stop, with his shoulder brushed up against hers. His smile disappeared upon making eye contact with Nanashi. "Let's hope they don't disappoint." He then continued to walk toward the doorway to the conference room. As the sound of the door closing was heard, and the teacher having exited the room, Nanashi looked on with a sense of concern on her visage. Even she knew the extreme perils that Hawk, Eeno, and Mikoto would face upon that very same teacher arriving in Homeroom 106. Her expression prompted her to internally pray for the protection of the three students. Should they advance, they would have to use everything in their arsenal, and everything at their disposal, to overcome the trials that were soon to approach the door to Homeroom 106.