Those who had seen Drey Belford in action knew that he was smarter than the average powerborn. In their minds, Mark had already lost this fight.
Regardless of the outcome, it was apparent to all present, that Mark was in for a horrible beatdown.
Apparent to all except Mark, of course.
"You could have given me a clue," he said, eyes staring right at his opponent.
"I had no idea until this morning, but it wouldn't make a difference anyway. I hate to break it to you Mark, but this match is already over."
Mark had always admired the pompous tone Drey spoke with. It was unintentional, and one could easily tell that Drey was from an affluent family, even when he denied it.
Now he found the tone condescending and grew visibly annoyed.
"I never pegged you as the cocky type," he jeered.
"Cocky? No. I'm just here to teach you some manners."
Mark began to pace around Drey, who did the same. They both walked in a circle, maintaining the distance between them, waiting for the other to strike first.
*****
In the audience, a new debate was brewing.
Many had concluded that Drey was the obvious winner.
However, given his most recent feat, some argued that Mark was not a force to be reckoned with.
"You could have told me Drey was his opponent," Natalya murmured to Captain Savannah.
"Why? Are you scared your student might lose?"
"I'm afraid someone will get hurt. Badly."
Captain Savannah smiled again. That same unnerving smile.
"You're scared it'll end up like yours did."
Natalya swallowed. It was always disarming how Savannah could read someone's mind even when she wasn't trying.
More unnerving was the fact that Savannah was right. One of them could kill the other.
Just like she did.
"I warned you about getting attached." The captain continued. "Not surprised to find out you didn't listen to me."
"But I didn't…"
"Oh please... Don't act naïve. I don't need to read your mind to know you've been fooling around with Officer Belford."
Disarming, as usual.
"I don't mind that. But I honestly wouldn't want to be you now. Can't imagine how you must feel."
Captain Savannah was spot on as always. This was the worst matchup Natalya could have hoped for.
For three months, Mark had been her student, but I'm her heart, she had a little affection for Drey.
However the match turned out, she surely wasn't going to like the outcome.
*****
Back in the arena, the tension between the two powerborns had risen to a climax.
The audience had grown quiet, waiting for something to happen. Anything at all.
"Because you're my friend, allow me to make things easy for you." Drey offered. "You've been bruised and weakened, and honestly, I don't want to fight you while you're like this. It'd be like cheating. So, why not forfeit the match, and fight me again when you're stronger?"
"Sounds like you're scared of me."
Drey let out a small chuckle. "Believe it or not, I'm trying to help you right now."
"Not interested," Mark replied, taking up a defensive stance.
"Ah… So be it."
Drey activated his aura.
It was so sudden that Mark felt completely overwhelmed. His opponent wore a menacing look as his eyes and clothes glowed with a bright blood-red hue.
Instinctively, Mark did the same, simultaneously charging up a bolt of lightning and firing it straight at Drey.
Without flinching, Drey raised his left arm forward, instantly creating a small red portal in front of him, which sucked in the ferocious lightning bolt.
At the same time, another portal appeared right beside Mark, and the same lightning bolt emerged, striking Mark at point blank.
The impact sent him flying across the arena, but after a quick roll, he was back on his feet.
"How does it feel to taste your own lightning?" Drey asked, a furtive smile appearing on his face.
The force on impact was brutal; but Mark was impervious to electrocution, not by his own lightning.
Mark smiled too. He came to the realization, that while he had been training to be stronger, Drey was doing the same.
When they first met, it took about fifteen seconds for Drey to manifest a space portal. Now, he did it in less than two.
This fight was going to be interesting.
Drey began to walk towards Mark, taunting the latter to make a move.
Mark was enraged. Despite their friendship, he wasn't about to let Drey humiliate him publicly.
Little did he know that he had already fallen for the bait.
As soon as Mark took a step forward, the ground beneath him suddenly vanished. In a matter of seconds, he had fallen through a portal and found himself at the very top of the arena, falling back down to the floor.
He tried to find a way to break his fall, but he lost his sense of direction when he fell into the portal. Like a dropped radish, Mark fell flat on the floor.
The audience began to cheer for Drey. Once again, he proved how skillful and strategic he was while using his powers.
Their cheers only infuriated Mark even more. Blinded by his rage, he quickly stood up and charged for Drey.
Unfortunately, Drey had gotten pretty creative.
Mark was running at top speed when a portal suddenly appeared in front of him. He charged right into it, of course, slamming himself face-first against the arena doors.
*****
The audience cheered once again. Even Captain Savanna found the situation a bit amusing.
"Seems like Belford has already got this one in the bag," she said to Natalya. "Didn't think I'd be this happy to see Marcus tossed around."
Natalya remained apprehensive of the whole situation. She knew both personally, and one thing was certain.
Neither one had shown their full capabilities yet.
*****
In the arena, Mark had gotten sick of portals. His entire body hurt and his breathing was labored and painful.
He felt his abdomen with his left hand and winced. A few of his ribs were broken, but he couldn't tell if it was the sound disruptors or Drey.
Even worse, he was running out of energy. His aura had been activated too long, which drained him a lot of his strength.
He had to find a way to destabilize Drey fast, or he was sure to lose this fight.
"Are you ready to give up yet?!"
Mark was tempted to forfeit. The disruptors had drained him of his strength, and the rest was fading.
What had he had to lose anyway? He would fail the examination, but he'd be able to rest and heal, and in a few weeks he could try again.
But no... There was no guarantee that the next exam would be easier. Captain Savannah was sure to make it much more difficult, and he'd be in a similar scenario all over again.
The best time to pass this examination was now.
Mark knew that Drey was smarter and more experienced than he was. However, Drey's moves were getting predictable, and all he needed was a clear opening.
Once again, he charged headfirst toward Drey.
"Oh, you dummy," Drey muttered under his breath. With a slight movement of his right fist, he created a portal right underneath Mark.
This time, unbeknownst to Drey, Mark expected it.
With a dramatic yell, Mark fell right into the portal and found himself at the top of the arena.
He felt himself falling back to the floor, but now he had full spatial awareness. Using his eyesight, he detected where he was in the arena relative to Drey's position.
Within seconds, he generated a bolt and sent it straight at his opponent, before slamming to the ground with a dull thud.
Drey wasn't fast enough to redirect it this time. The bolt electrocuted him, and he fell to the floor, groaning in pain.
The cheers from the audience slowly faded as they watched their favorite fall to the ground. They gasped in horror as Mark got back on his feet and marched toward Drey, a ball of lightning in his right hand.
*****
"He's going to kill Drey!"
Natalya stood up, ready to intervene.
"No. Do not interfere," Savanna ordered.
"Mark's unstable, Captain. He's going to hurt Drey."
"Sit down, Officer! That's an order."
With a face devoid of emotion, Natalya returned to her seat.
Long before the examination, Captain Savanna had already sensed the bloodlust that slowly engulfed Mark.
However, she knew that interfering would not solve the problem, and he was the only one who could overcome it.
She also knew that Drey was no ordinary powerborn, which was why she assigned him to fight Mark.
"Get up, Belford."
*****
Mark was right above Drey, ready to jolt him with a thousand volts when out of nowhere, a metal panel slammed him across the face.
Before Mark could regain his bearings, a second panel crashed into him, tossing him to the ground.
Within seconds, Drey was back on his feet, standing over his opponent.
"Remember when I asked you to forfeit this fight?"
A smirk appeared on his face.
"You really should have."