While Melissa was pondering about her next steps, an elderly cleaner with a backstage pass walked by. "Why did I not pay attention during my imitation classes?" Melissa grumbled to herself. She then sighed, "I wish I put in the effort to learn shapeshifting…"Next, she slumped her shoulders and crossed her arms, "If only knocking out a person and wearing their clothes for disguise is as easy as what the movies make it out to be." After some thought, she became even more jaded, "Or if secretly stalking someone into a room was so simple…"Just then, she came up with a better idea. "I could simply call Jon and ask him to let me in!" she slapped her forehead. Rrr…Jon answered the phone before the first ring ended."Mel, are you outside of the backstage?" He had been anxiously waiting for Melissa."Yes, I do not have a backstage pass so I cannot enter it." Jon nodded with understanding."I cannot fetch you since I need to guard my room…" he started. "I can request the security guard
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh…The air around Jon within the force field was stirring furiously. "I need to find a way to get out of here or I may suffocate," Jon panicked. He flew away from the air that was eddying around him. Whoosh!The troupe member sent a crescent-shaped gust of wind toward Jon. It directly hit him and he was pushed back, toward the spectators' seats. Buzz!An invisible forcefield was activated after Jon had hit it. He dropped onto the ground. One… Two…The jury slammed his hand on the ground. Jon struggled as he slowly stood up.He flew back to the ring he was assigned to. Whoosh!The troupe member shot a strong stream of air toward Jon. "Stellar Forest!"Wooden stakes immediately rose from the ground, protecting him from the attack. Boom, boom, boom…Jon finally had a chance to counterattack using green balls of fire.Whoosh!With the sweep of an arm, a gust of wind immediately put out the balls of fire Jon had shot. "This guy is indeed a highly skilled mas
Boom!An explosion occurred. "What happened?" the audience was in suspense. After some time, the smoke slowly cleared. A green ball of energy floated in the air. Jon had managed to generate a force field just in time to protect himself."He is safe!" his parents heaved a sigh of relief. Boom, boom, boom…Jon shot green balls of energy at his opponent. "You are a tough fighter," the troupe member said to Jon while nimbly dodging the balls. Jon was encouraged by the acknowledgment, "It is my honor to be your opponent."The next moment, the troupe member greatly reduced the distance between him and Jon. They now engaged in close combat. Clang!Jon used his sword to hit his opponent's chakram away. Bam!He punched the troupe member in the face. His opponent rolled with the punch then swung his chakram at Jon's chest. Jon bent backward then kicked his opponent in the stomach. Wham!His opponent stumbled backward. Next, he rushed at Jon while alternately slashing the chakram he
"We should go back," Raphael finally said. "We have more important things to do."The gang left in a huff. Melissa did not let her guard down and kept the electric shield up, "They must be up to no good…"She did not believe that they would let the matter rest easily."I should keep an eye of them…" she frowned. "I cannot alert the guards since I am not an official participant and should not be here…"She thought harder, "Can I spy on them from here?"Suddenly, she remembered a spell she had learned during one of her lessons for her specialization."I can make eyes and ears appear in the room!"She tried hard to recall the spell. "I need to make sure the eyes and ears are in a hidden corner," she concentrated. Loudly and clearly, she chanted the spell.At Raphael's waiting room…A pair of ears and big blue eyes appeared on the face of a painting in the room. Melissa tried her best not to blink and listened carefully. "Romeo, take this pouch and mix it in the common water cooler,"
"Magma burst!"A beam of molten rock burst up from below Jon's feet. Thankfully, his armor protected him and he quickly generated an energy shield while flying upward."Astronomic Twist!"Tall beams of energy shot up around Raphael and aimed for his vital areas. "Tomb Tower!"Raphael learned from his mistake and ensured he shielded himself adequately. "Dandelion Burst!" Seeds floated toward Jon's opponent then landed on the floor. They soon turned into plants that towered over the dome-like shield of rock.Raphael held the plants surrounding him. Two red spots slowly spread from his hands to all other parts of the plants. Crackle, crackle, crackle…The red spots turned into fire, burning the plants.After a few moments, the plants turned charcoal black and lay flat on the ground. "I see Raphael's abilities have improved," he thought to himself. However, he was not surprised, "I need to be careful."Boom, boom, boom…Raphael shot red balls of fire while punching the air with alte
"Roar!"The stone figure lifted its arm and slammed it on the ground. Bam!Raphael rolled over and narrowly avoided the blow. Boom, boom, boom…He stood up then shot balls of red energy at the giant he had created. Thud!The giant's arm broke off. Raphael attempted to reassert control over his creation. "I am the one that made you," Raphael was enraged. "Listen to me and I will restore your arm!" However, the figure continued to attack Raphael. "Roar!"It stomped its feet on the ground, as though Raphael was a mere ant. Raphael cursed as he launched another attack, "Lava Mess!"A wave of lava rose from the ground and surged toward the human-like figure. "Roar!"However, the giant was immune to the lava attack since it was made of stone and was not a sentient being.Thud!The stone figure jumped and slammed its body on the ground. Raphael had been right under it."Is he dead?" Jon held his breath. He was a kind-hearted person and did not wish to see Raphael dead, even though
The emcee continued, "This participant has poisoned the common water cooler backstage!"Audience members were shocked, "Despicable!""Will the tournament continue?""Is the news really correct? How did they find out?"Everyone who had participated in the tournament was disturbed by what they had heard. "Was I poisoned?" "Does this mean I have a chance for a rematch?"A commotion rose as more questions popped up in everybody's minds. Finally, the emcee spoke, "We will settle all the issues related to this matter and give everyone a satisfactory answer."He needed to quickly calm the audience down and please them since the troupe's reputation and earnings were at stake right now."Please enjoy the rest of the round while my team and I handle the case!" the gestured toward the arena.A few of the audience members quietened while others sat back down on their seats. Jon's parents looked at each other."How could that child do such a thing?" Jon's mother was saddened. She did not want t
Jon flew in the air to dodge the thick blue beam. His opponent continued aiming the beam at him. A few moments later, she switched tactics. Boom, boom, boom! Blue balls of energy flew directly toward Jon. He nimbly dodged them and deflected some with a shield. Boom! One of them hit his arm. "I need to counterattack!" he thought as he shot balls of energy. Boom, boom, boom… The cyborg rolled forward then stood up. Boom, boom, boom… She continued shooting blue balls of energy. This time, she used both arms. Jon flew forward to close the distance between himself and his opponent. Shing! He unsheathed his sword and slashed its blade across the cyborg's torso. Not a single scratch could be seen. The next moment, the end of her robotic arm turned into a flat pointed blade.Shing!She raised her arm then plunged it down. Clang!Jon blocked both his opponent's blade with his sword. Shing, shing, shing…The cyborg slashed her robotic arm at Jon. Next, she spun and kicked with