Chapter 7

The crowd gave Yu a standing ovation. Kris left the hall and headed towards the boy's toilet. He was a bit dizzy and also felt choked by a deep yet unexplained tension in the hall. As he got to the toilet, he washed his face. He noticed that someone was taking a shit in a section beside him.

"Tempting... but nah." He smirked to himself.

He walked towards the exit door and as he opened it, his eyes met with James' fierce stare. In that momet, there was a brief surge of bloodlust from James. Kris took a few steps back instinctively. James calmed himself and walked pass Kris with zero expression. Kris found himself retreating a bit before trying to hold himself and his shoulder brushed against that of James.

"Did I just give way?" Kris thought as he recollected himself. After a brief moment, he realized that both of them had bumped into each other.

"Hey... what the fuck?" He bellowed while swaying his arms upwards.

"Are you sure you got the right location?" James inquired from the operators.

"The energy level there is higher than average and it's right beside you. Although now we are detecting even higher in multiple places around the school." An operator responded to James.

"Am I being ignored?" Kris asked in disbelief.

"Well then, I guess there is no one worth mentioning in here" James, disenchanted, let out a sigh.

"What? No one worth mentioning?" Kris muttered quite angrily to himself.

"To think that he can properly disperse and control the energy enough to fool the radar" Michael hissed as he slams his fist on a wall.

"We took the bait and he's gone. I'll be leaving to check the other areas."

James noted as he began to take his leave.

At that moment, Kris placed his hand on James' shoulder and squeezed it. James looked backwards at Kris whilst getting irritated.

"First you bump into me without an apology, then you ignore me and now I am noone worth mentioning to you? Do you have any idea who I am?" Kris snapped with a wild smile and his left eye twitching.

"Get your hands off me."

"James what's going on?" Michael called out.

"Answer him... I dare you!"

"Oh...? Are you threatening me?"

"Threatening? Would you like to confirm if it's a threat or not?" Kris smirked.

"James! Come in!" Michael ordered. James put off his receiver for the moment.

"A civilian like yourself should know when he is totally out of his league." James hissed at Kris. He shrugged off Kris' hand but Kris switched to hold his shoulder with his other hand, this time applying more pressure.

"I hate that attitude from you. Just because you are some sort of 'special soldier' doesn't mean I'd let you look down on me." Kris squeezed with more force then added "Plus... wouldn't it be quite the twist if you were to be beaten down by a 'civilian' "

"I'll only say this one more time get your filthy hands off me." James glared at Kris.

"I have a better idea, how about I make myself someone worth mentioning and smash in that pretty boy face of yours?" Kris smirked as he widened his eyes at James.

James grabbed Kris' hand off his shoulder and squeezed it. Kris tried to resist but was hopeless as he went down on his knees in pain.

"What the fffuuuu..."

"Someone worth mentioning? You are way too weak to be this arrogant. Let me tell you something. The real world is a scary place to be in. Wasted words won't take you anywhere, so get your act together and know your place." James flung him to the wall. Kris made a dent with his head as he fell face flat. James sighed and headed for the toilet's exit.

"Maybe I used a little too much energy." He thought to himself. He put on his receiver to speak to Micheal and then...

"Who said you could leave?" A completely livid Kris voiced out as he took to his feet. James stopped dead on his tracks.

"Damn... i thought you broke my hand back there." He added while flexing out his wrist

"Or maybe I held back too much?" James thought to himself.

"I haven't fought anyone who could make me feel pain... This should be fun." Kris smirked and clenched his fist while taking a boxing stance. James face palmed.

"All right then... i'll indulge you."

"What's happening! Report!"

"Don't worry Michael, just keep up the search from your end and alert me if there's any news, I need about five seconds to..."

Kris launched a quick right fist at James which he barely dodged. A surprised James took a step back but Kris stepped into his space to attack with a continuous barrage of punches which James dodged but with difficulty. He struck with a high kick but James blocked it and Kris stepped back a bit.

"He's fast!" James thought and with no breath to spare, Kris moved in with side kicks which James blocked to the right, then left, then right, then left again in quick successions while stepping backwards from Kris. Kris launched a high kick with his right leg towards James ear to end the successions but James took a big leap backwards to avoid it and create space. His back came close to a toilet sink and almost instantaneoulsy, Kris covered up the space, his eyes lit wildy like a beast closing in on its prey. He stomped the ground with his left leg to propel himself with a large right hand swing. James side stepped to his left and Kris fist barely grazed his face but smashed through the sink. James took a few steps back as Kris retook his boxing stance.

"Tch...He's unnaturally fast!" James hissed in a low tone as he used his thumb to touch the part of his face Kris grazed.

"That's more than five seconds." Kris smirked

"Hoo. I didn't know we had begun counting. The five seconds still stand, last chance to back off."

"When I am about winning?"

"Winning? sure... lets call it that."

"I'm going to break that smart mouth of yours."

"Instead of talking, why don't you do it... if you can." James smirked.

"Kris got into James space and feinted a punch to his face. As James lifted his guard to block his face, Kris jabbed straight at James guts but he dropped his right hand quickly and caught Kris' fist. He twisted the hand causing Kris' body to twist in the same direction. Kris yelled at the sharp pain. James dragged him closer, right into a headbutt, before slugging him across the face causing him to spin and crash land with his head through a sink.

"That was three seconds, Is that the best someone worth mentioning can do?" James taunted with a belittling smile.

Kris groaned in pain as he staggered to his knees. Blood drained from his head and over his right eye. His body was trembling as he struggled to get to his feet.

"I am not done yet." And as he blinked, James was behind him.

"Yes you are," He whispered as he knocked him out with a light tap at the back of his head.

A terrified student came out of the toilet section, he saw the damaged sinks, Kris knocked out and James standing beside him. He walked gently to one of the remaining sinks and washed his hands. Thereafter he walked hurriedly towards the door and ran out. James sighed as he felt a slight sting on his right hand. He looked at Kris with a bit of surprise before turning around to leave. He put on his receiver to speak to Micheal. Michael expressed that they hadn't been able to find Edward. All the possible sources had ended up as duds.

"He is smart. Is it possible that he has already left the school premises?" Micheal inquired, a bit frantic at the moment.

"It is most unlikely, we would have been able to pick up the energy." replied an operator.

As the discussion continued, James walked down an empty hall where he passed a Janitor. His eyes widened and instantly, he drew out a dagger, engulfed it with source energy as he turned to meet Edward's blade striking at his neck. He was quick enough to clash his dagger with the blade. The two pushed against each other for a while before jumping back and looking at each other with their guards raised.

"Long time no see... James." Edward smirked.

"Sir...I have found him."