Chapter 17

"That was simpler than I thought," I said to myself after the machine injected the serum into me.

"That was just the beginning. The effects take a few minutes to start kicking in. Also, since this is your first serum, the effects will be more noticeable," replied Bubble Cop, who was standing next to me, operating the machine.

"So, I advise you to take a seat while the serum takes effect. Trust me, you don't want the effects to start while you're standing... I speak from experience," he said, his face showing a memory he would rather forget.

I left the serum room, which didn't have any chairs, and sat in the lounge next to Selphira, who had taken a serum before me.

"What serum did you choose?" she asked as soon as I sat down.

"Explosive Wasp. And you?"

"Armored Mole."

"You want to dig underground?"

"I really do. I thought it would be a good way to launch surprise attacks. The Armored Mole is known for being able to dig even under pavement. And even if I don't get that ability, it will probably give me some kind of armor, so it's not a bad deal."

"Yeah, that's a good idea. But have you felt any side effects?"

"So far, no—Ahhahhaaa!"

I panicked and stood up.

"What?! What's happening?!"

"The— the side effects... It seems they cause dizziness."

"Oh, well, I suppo—" At that moment, I started feeling the same dizziness, so I fell silent and barely managed to sit back down.

It was the worst dizziness I had ever felt. The whole world was spinning. I was sitting in a place that wasn't moving, yet I had to hold onto the chair to keep from falling.

The sensation lasted what felt like hours, but little by little, it faded—only to be replaced by an intense burning feeling on my back.

The burning made me sweat, and at some point, my wings burst out, tearing my clothes. Under normal circumstances, I would have complained about this, but I was too busy trying to endure the pain without crying.

I don't know how much time passed before the burning stopped, but when it finally did, I found myself still in my chair, drenched in sweat, trembling and gasping for air. I barely managed to move my head to look at my wings and noticed that near the tips, they now had a red mark.

"I told you the effects were quite strong," said Bubble Cop.

"No… that's not true. You never said what the effects were, just that they would take a few minutes to appear," someone complained.

"Oh… right, I forgot," he said, tapping his head and sticking out his tongue.

I just rolled my eyes and hoped things like this wouldn't become common.

...

After we all recovered, we went to the locker rooms to change into our gym uniforms and then headed to the training field.

"Alright, class. Now that you've used the genetic serums, your genes will undergo changes—some more noticeable than others. So, we'll use the training field now to help you get used to them."

With that, we split into small groups to test our abilities.

Selphira, Thalía, and I chose an area with shooting targets and a rocky section nearby. Surprisingly, Lucas approached us, but he just headed straight to the shooting section without saying a word.

"That guy is really rude," said Selphira.

"Yep."

"Yeah."

Thalía and I replied, but we decided not to dwell on it. After discussing our plans, Selphira and Thalía went to the rocky area while I went to the shooting targets.

Lucas saw me approaching but didn't say anything and continued using his gene. At times, I noticed that the ground under what he was controlling turned green. I assumed it was an effect of the serum, but I couldn't tell exactly what it did.

I made my wings sprout, but this time they didn't tear my clothes, since the gym uniform had an opening in the back. My wings spread, and without wasting time, I launched a single feather, which hit the target.

At first, nothing happened, but after a few seconds, it exploded. It wasn't a big explosion, but I thought, That was just one... What if I use more?

And with a grin, I got ready to find out.

...

Narrator's POV

In an abandoned house on the outskirts of the city, a man with brown hair, dressed in casual clothes and wearing sunglasses that completely hid his eyes, was sitting alone. At first glance, he looked like an ordinary person. But anyone familiar with the list of the twenty most wanted criminals would recognize his face.

He was Psycho Eye, considered one of the most dangerous people in the world, feared by heroes for his abilities and intellect. But anyone who knew his reputation would be surprised to see him now—sweating profusely, his hands trembling.

Psycho Eye pulled a cigarette from his pocket along with a lighter. His shaking hands made it difficult to use the lighter, but just as he managed to ignite the flame, a female voice sounded behind him.

"What does the General want?"

Psycho Eye froze the moment he heard the voice, dropping the cigarette between his fingers. For several seconds, he remained still, until the voice spoke again, this time with a hint of irritation.

"Tell me what he wants."

Inhaling and exhaling to calm himself, Psycho Eye finally responded.

"The boss has a new pupil. He decided to leave him here for a while so he can grow…" He paused before lowering his voice. "And he wants you to watch over him, Aberration."

Psycho Eye started sweating even more as he let the villain behind him process his words.

"Me? A babysitter? It seems the General is getting old," she said in a tone that sounded relaxed, but Psycho Eye felt as if a mountain was crushing him. He couldn't stop trembling, and as best as he could, he stammered:

"H-he just wants you to watch over him and only intervene if he's about to be captured or killed. I'll handle everything else. The boss actually prefers that the kid doesn't even know you're there."

There was a pause while Aberration considered, and Psycho Eye silently prayed to survive this encounter.

"Fine," was her only response before she vanished as silently as she had arrived.

The moment the pressure disappeared, the villain fell to his knees, gasping for breath. After several minutes, he managed to stand up and muttered:

"I need a drink."

Sorry for the delay.