Eight

Hibis returned to the headquarters in a week, vibrating in excitement. Despite Ace’s protests on letting her settle into the news of everything, Hibis had been awaiting the day till she was privileged to come back to the crowded arena once again. Having her fair share of leisurely training outside headquarters and research, she was ready to move on to the next part: Combat.

Combat was essential in their elemental world. Despite being one kind, several scientists and people of higher element ranks tended to cut ties and declare civil war. Thus, the large Ace’s cluster that ranged from 4 to 20 year olds prepared themselves for whatever that may come in their way.

“Welcome back to another day of training, Hibis,” Vincent greeted the girl at the end of the lift, bemused by Hibis’s perfectly unruffled hair. Given Hibis’s first impression with the free fall lift, it was surprising to see her get used to it almost immediately. Hibis smirked back at Vincent and let him guide her away. “Where is Ace, by the way?” She asked.

“Oh just in Scene.” The boy pushed his rimmed glasses up just a few centimetres higher. “So, we’ll start with dummies. Do you have any experience with combat?” Vincent continued as he gestured Hibis into Training and onto the large combat mat, where several others were training with their own models, using their specific elements to add uniqueness. Hibis stretched as she faced her dummy. “Well, some bit of training from my mom,” she replied, deciding to give the dummy a kick.

In an instant, its hollow eyes glowed red and it whirred into life. Hibis jumped back, shocked from the sudden activation. “You didn’t tell me it was a bot!” She yelped as she ducked and clumsily blocked herself from the various attacks it threw towards her in split seconds. Vincent laughed to himself, seemingly enjoying Hibis’s unprepared state of mind, then went ahead to work on the administrations.

The poor girl adapted quickly, dodging the attacks and forming her own form of defences before fighting back, using the element of flight several times to float above the dummy and send the robot flying. Her confidence returned like wildfire and she felt excitement coursing through her veins as she fought the ever-determined Artificial Intelligence before it powered down, admitting its defeat.

“Woo!” She exclaimed as she threw her hands into the air in a relish, breathless from the experience. Hibis took her time to catch her breath, tilting her head back and forth to reexamine the dead bot. One was probably easy to undertake. She decided to drag in a few more dummies to take at once. She was, as you know it, a quick learner, and thus got ahold of the situation well and defeated them easily. Despite having the element of flight, which might not be so useful like fire or lasers, it allowed Hibis to take on her opponents from air, which she enjoyed.

“You know,” Hibis huffed to herself as she gulped down a glass of water. “I’d really love to have a live opponent.” That was a thought she pondered out loud and to nobody in particular, but was heard by someone.

“I’ll volunteer.”

Hibis whipped around to see Alistair casually leaning against himself, grinning shyly like he had stood there the entire time. “Think you can take me on?” He teased. Hibis’s lips turned up as she flushed upon being heard. Yet, to see Alistair for the second time made her heart flutter and adrenaline pump faster, and she thus nodded at the thought of challenging him to a duel. “Game on!”

The boy led Hibis to a ring in the Center of the training grounds, where opponent versus opponent was held. Usually, people tested their abilities to combine or work together with another, and was rarely used for combat unless it was chemical: thus, when the trainees taking breaks spotted the two of them headed into the ring, both in obvious forms of concentration, they all shuffled closer to watch the spectacle.

Hibis held a defensive stance, her base of support wide as she shifted from side to side slowly. “I’m ready when you’re not,” she called out to Alistair in a grin, who was busy settling himself into a position, fist forward, a proper marshal stance. “I’ll go rogue on you if you want,” he offered like a true gentlemen, to which Hibis scoffed at and took off, whirling her hands into a Lotus before releasing it, sailing a kick into his direction.

Alistair dodged, his golden flecked eyes widening from the startle of the rushed attack, then attempted a punch into the air, to which Hibis easily dodged as she sailed higher into the air. “That isn’t fair you know!” Alistair yelled up at her. Hibis laughed, warming up to the now bold Alistair. “Then use your element to bring me down.”

The boy gaped up at her, then grinned softly, his eyes still fixed up the girl hovering in front of him intensely. “That’s right, you don’t even know what my element is.”

Alistair extended out a hand, and Hibis watched in sudden shock as a handcrafted grappling hook faded in out of nowhere. On a closer look, Hibis would have spotted the particles of Astaline and Barium merging together. The girl yelped as he fired the hook, which attached itself to the rim of her socks, claws digging deep into the merino wool and edging her down as Alistair took in the bait. Hibis felt herself lose balance from the strong heave, but it was easier than what she had faced before.

Hibis grunted and urged herself upwards, digging at the hooks and pulling them away from her. It was just what Alistair had wanted.

He pulled, and Hibis was tugged down, the shock registering to her again and refusing to cooperate with her fingers, which clung to the metallic material till her knuckles turned white.

As she clearly was headed straight to her opponent, Hibis knew that she was losing. The girl braced for impact as she squinted her eyes closed, when a sudden flashback occurred to her as if her life had just flashed before her very eyes.

A strategy floated back from the depths of her brain, something her mother had taught her some time ago. “A boat you should mimic in a calm sea, panic and defeat shall thus not be.”

Hibis pried her fingers off at the last moment and landed her on feet unsteadily, staggering a few feet closer towards the edge of the ring. Her breaths grew haggard, side effects from her last minute act and she watched with woozy eyes as Alistair came up to her, withholding something in his hands. The world dilated and spun around and she collapsed to the floor, shaking. What she felt the last time she tried flying came back to her in waves. The sick feeling had returned. With trembling fingers, Hibis weakly reached for the vial hanging from her necklace. The coolness of the Jadeite glass settled Hibis down and closed her eyes, sensing the next blow hurtling straight for her. She had one shot.

Total Concentration. Just…breathe.

Just as Alistair’s heaved a hit towards Hibis’s crumpled body, arms arched and ready, he was blown away from the force shield that surrounded Hibis in a flash, flying backwards like a rag doll as electrolytes ran through him. He groaned in pain as he smashed into the bands that surrounded the ring, dropping down to the floor with a thud. A hush fell over the training again, filling with only Hibis pants as she felt a wash of triumph. Taking a swig of the hibiscus honey, she stood up, oblivious to the boy who was barely conscious in front of her. “I..won,” she breathed, disbelief filling her. “I won!” Hibis pumped a fist into the air, as if welcoming the applauses and cheers from the spectators, till she realised they were non existent. The girl jolted back to reality as she looked down to see the boy. Worry then surged through her.

“Alistair? Alistair!” Hibis rushed forward to him, who was slightly battered up from whatever that was. She cupped his cheeks as guilt seeped into her at the sight of how weak he looked. Tears helplessly filled Hibis’s eyes. “Alistair-“ she was stopped by a young man in the early stages of an adult with copper bangs, who rushed in front of her to examine Alistair first. “No broken bones, alright..” he seemed to mutter to himself as his orbs suddenly shone bright in a neon green. Hibis watched, speechless as a scan washed over Alistair’s entire body.

It was then after intense scrutinising on whether Alistair’s injury was rash or moderate, did the man finally turn to register Hibis. “Oh, hi.”

“Ah, hello, I’m Hibis, with the element of flight-” she had barely mumbled the words out of her mouth when the boy snapped his fingers in recognition, eyes returning back to its usual dull. “Yes yes! I’m Kaden,and you have a screen test to complete, so why don’t you follow me and help this boy up.”

Hibis softly gripped onto Alistair’s arm while Kaden supported the other, nudging the injured boy to slowly shuffle his feet towards the infirmary. “Alistair, you okay?”

Alistair offered a weak smile as he glanced up at her from his slouched position, lips stretching wider at the sight of Hibis meekly wiping tears off. “I’m alright. You…sure are strong and intelligent in your strategies.” He then went ahead to shut his eyes and play dead, though his orbs moved behind his lids. Hibis sighed, relieved, then looked ahead, not noticing Alistair’s slight fist and furrowed brows.