Part 8"Alan: The Accidental Champion"
That night...
The academy finally settled after the mission, and the stars scattered across the sky in a peaceful quiet that gave no hint of what was to come.
Alan lay in his room, half-dead from exhaustion, wrapped in his blanket as if it were a shield from the outside world.
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Alan (closing his eyes):
"Finally… peace… rest… no monsters… no screaming… no tail to chase…"
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But suddenly...
Tap... Tap... Tap...
The faint sound of knocking on his window.
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Alan (slowly opening his eyes):
"...Nope. Nope nope nope."
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Tap... Tap... Tap...
The knocking continued, this time louder and more distinct.
Alan stood up cautiously, approached the window, and slowly pulled back the curtain...
To find Lithia's face staring at him through the glass... with a calm yet devilish smile.
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Alan (whispering):
"WHY?! Why is it always me?!"
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Lithia (from behind the glass):
"May I come in?"
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Alan:
"...Do I have a choice?"
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Lithia (smiling and opening the window on her own, entering lightly as if she were smoke):
"You always have a choice... You just never pick the right one."
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She entered the room and stood in the darkness, her wings folding on her back, her eyes glowing in the shadows.
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Alan (stepping back):
"Okay. Um… What brings a literal demon to my dorm at 2AM?!"
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Lithia (gazing around the room):
"Just wanted to… talk. Or maybe… test you."
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Alan (confused):
"Test? What kind of test—WAIT, NO! No riddles, no curses, and no memory-eating!"
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Lithia (smiling and sitting on the edge of his bed):
"Relax. Tonight... I just want to know more about you. Who you really are."
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Alan was deeply confused, as this wasn't a battle… nor a mission… but something else.
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Alan (sitting nervously):
"I'm just a guy... with a weird head... and amazing regenerative abilities… and a deep, tragic love for cat ears."
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Lithia (chuckling lightly):
"You're... amusing. But there's something darker under all that nonsense. I can smell it."
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A heavy silence hung for a moment... then she approached him quietly.
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Lithia (whispering):
"I'm going to enjoy watching your soul twist."
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Then, before he could respond, she suddenly vanished into the shadows just as she had come, leaving only the cold night and the scent of sulfur lingering in the air.
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Alan (covering himself with the blanket):
"Okay. I'm putting garlic on my window tomorrow."
The next morning...
Alan woke up to the sound of drumbeats, screams, and magical explosions shaking the windows!
He jumped up, shouting from under his blanket:
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Alan:
"WHY IS THERE WAR OUTSIDE MY WINDOW?!"
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He slowly opened the door, and a fireball flew past his face, followed by a flying sword that nearly split him in half.
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Alan (shivering):
"Nope! Not today! NOT TODAY!"
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He ran back inside... only to find Kira grabbing him by the collar of his shirt.
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Kira:
"You're coming with me. Now."
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Alan:
"No, no, I'm not emotionally ready to die again this week!"
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Kira (pulling him forcefully):
"Too bad."
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In the academy's front courtyard, students from various classes were fighting in a "group training duel"… but for Alan, it was a slaughter.
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Alan (hiding behind Kira):
"Why are they so aggressive?! This is a SCHOOL, not a coliseum!"
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Kira:
"This is normal. You just need to survive."
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Alan:
"Sounds like my entire life."
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BOOOOM!!
An explosion shook the ground, sending Alan flying into the air and landing in a crater.
He crawled out, covering his head and shouting:
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Alan:
"BAWK BAWK! I'M A CHICKEN! A BRAVE CHICKEN! LEAVE ME ALOOOONE!"
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He ran like a chicken, hopping between fighting students, narrowly avoiding blows with a chain of unbelievable luck.
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Student 1:
"Did… did that guy just dodge a fireball by tripping over a rock?"
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Student 2:
"He's a legend."
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But suddenly... a huge student, the size of a fridge, jumped on him.
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Alan (screaming):
"NOOOOOO! I'M TOO BEAUTIFUL TO DIE!!"
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But before he could be crushed, Kira intervened like lightning, kicking the attacker with such force that he flew into the sky like a rocket.
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Kira:
"Stay behind me, chicken."
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Alan:
"You're my hero. I will name my firstborn after you. Or maybe my pillow."
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BOOOOM!!
The battle finally ended with the announcement of the round's conclusion, and the students started to disperse, groaning from exhaustion.
Alan was lying on the grass, his face covered in dirt, but alive.
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Alan:
"I… survived... I lived… I need a shower."
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Kira (laughing as she walked beside him):
"You also need pants. Again."
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Alan:
"This school is trying to kill me... and I haven't even been graded yet."
After the chaos ended, the start of the individual battles was announced...
Excitement, cheers, bets between students. Everyone preparing to showcase their combat skills.
But Alan? He was hiding behind a pole, whispering to himself:
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Alan:
"This is fine… I'll just pretend I broke my leg. Or both legs. Or my soul."
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Kira (appearing behind him and pushing him):
"You're up first."
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Alan:
"Nooooo! WHY?! I'm not ready! I haven't even peed yet!"
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The first match: Alan vs a student skilled with dual swords.
Alan stood trembling, trying to hold his sword upside down (the edge facing his face), while his opponent showed off his skills.
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Student:
"Prepare to be defeated."
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Alan:
"I was born defeated."
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The battle began...
The student rushed at Alan quickly, but in a moment of confusion, Alan tripped over his shoe and fell to the ground. The student's sword slid harmlessly over him, striking a pole instead, knocking the student out cold.
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Alan:
"…Did I just win?"
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Crowd:
"WHAT?!"
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Announcer:
"The winner… Alan?"
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The second match: Against a girl who controls ice.
Alan entered the arena shivering, holding an umbrella, using it to cover his face from the tension.
But... the girl launched an icy wave at him.
Alan instinctively opened the umbrella, causing the magical rays to reflect off the metal inside... and they returned toward her, freezing her completely.
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Alan:
"…WHY IS THIS HAPPENING?!"
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The crowd cheers:
"Alan! Alan! Alan!"
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The third match: Against a massive fighter using a hammer.
Alan tried to run back, but slipped on a banana peel thrown by a student who was eating.
He fell to the ground, and the hammer passed mere millimeters over his head... and the opponent's hand bounced back from the impact, hitting himself accidentally and knocking himself out.
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Alan:
"I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING! WHY DO I KEEP WINNING?!"
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Kira (watching from afar, hand on her face):
"He's either the luckiest person alive... or a walking disaster."
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Lithia (from the shadows):
"Interesting. I might need to use this fool."
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And so...
Alan went from a terrified chicken to a strange phenomenon everyone was talking about.
Is he a hero... or a curse? No one knows.
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Alan:
"If I survive this semester, I'm writing a book: How to Accidentally Win Every Fight."
In the arena, after the third and final match...
Everyone was in shock, and the trainers were whispering, while Alan sat on the ground, his hands on his face, crying bitterly:
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Alan:
"Please… I just wanted a nap…"
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Head of the Evaluation Committee (loudly):
"Based on the performance... and the unexpected results that amazed us all..."
"We officially announce the promotion of student Alan from rank F to rank… C!"
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Alan (slowly raising his head):
"…Wait… did you just say… C?!"
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Crowd:
"ALAN! ALAN! ALAN!"
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Kira (looking in shock):
"He skipped D? How?!"
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Miri:
"...By falling, dodging, and deflecting… everything by mistake."
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Rodrick (laughing):
"I knew that idiot had it in him. Or on him. Or around him. Whatever that luck aura is."
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Alan (standing in the middle of the arena, raising his hands as if he won a Nobel Prize):
"I dedicate this victory… to gravity… random objects… and pure fear!"
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Then one of the trainers approached him and placed the new rank badge (C-Rank) on his chest.
It was so big… it made him look like a child who won a chocolate medal.
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Alan (looking at the badge proudly):
"I look like a champion."
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Kira:
"You look like a chicken that accidentally conquered a kingdom."
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Suddenly…
Fireworks went off, and a giant image of Alan was raised above the academy, showing him falling to the ground in a shot from the first match.
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Alan (running):
"NOOOO!! WHO TOOK THAT PICTURE?!!"
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And on the academy's honor board, it read:
> "Alan, the first student in history to move from rank F to C without landing a single hit!"
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To be continued…