by C. Louis S.
Leon spent the next week training. He had a score to settle and his enemy was stronger than he was. His enemy would also be training hard, so he had to train even harder. Almost every spare minute was spent either basking in light energy, building a tolerance to more dark energy, or practicing with his powers.
Teleporting came surprisingly easy. He basked in purple light after just five games on his phone and he could already feel the reserve of purple energy within him. That night in his session with dark energy, he apparated from beside the dusty shelves on one side of the basement to the unused weight bench on the other side. It drained his whole reserve.
After just one more day of strengthening his teleporting muscle, he was able to feel the nearly unlimited reserve of purple energy whenever he also had dark energy, just like green and blue.
Next, he learned technique. He imagined scenarios in his head and made combinations of attacks and defenses using all three powers. He wasn’t sure what Randall would through at him, but he tried to remember every detail of their last fight.
Randall didn’t know how to use teleportation right. He was just showing off in our fight. He doesn’t know how to use it to his advantage. And while he’s going to be training to use it in shadowball, I’m learning to use it to fight him. Destroy him.
After a week of his most intense training ever, Leon felt he was ready to face Randall. He wasn’t allowed to go to the shadowball field without taking Kali with him. He resented it, of course, but he didn’t let it stop him.
“Have you been hiding from me lately?” Kali asked on their walk to the shadowball field.
“What? No,” said Leon. He wanted to just teleport to the stadium. He probably would have been able to get there from his house by apparating just three times he figured.
“Aidan and I think you’re hiding something. You’ve got weird powers and you don’t want us to know about them.”
“Whatever.”
“I know you can mindbend, Leon. And you can do that weird green thing where you create stuff. I saw it on the video.”
“Go talk to your friends online. I’m trying to get psyched up to play shadowball.”
Randall. I’m going to beat Randall. He’s going to run home to his mommy crying when I’m done with him. I can do this.
“I know you can do something weird, Leon. Why else would you be trying to play shadowball with the seniors again?”
“Look. I promise you there will be a great video that you’ll be able to share with all your friends and you’ll be able to bask in all the red light you want because of how many views you’re going to get. I’ll let you come down on the field with me and take the video if you’ll stop asking questions.”
Kali stopped walking. She eyed him thoughtfully. Leon could practically see the negotiator wheels turning in her head. Finally she smiled with a devilish grin.
“If you can give me a video that goes viral, I’ll stop asking questions.”
“Let’s go then.”
Leon had taken secret reconnaissance trips to the stadium during the week and Randall had been there every night he went. The part that irked Leon the most was that Tommy was not only letting Randall play, but he was acknowledging him like one of the group. Randall was one of the cool kids now. He was only twelve! How could a senior treat him like part of the group?
And even worse was that the crowd loved him. He was something of an underdog in their eyes and everyone rooted for him.
Leon and Kali slipped into the crowd high on the bleachers. He waited nervously for the next game to start, but then decided to wait it out another game.
“Are you scared?” Kali asked.
“No! I just want to watch Randall play more. I want to see how good he is.” I want to see how strong he is and how well he uses his powers. I want to let him get tired.
“He’s probably going to sit the next game out. He was just using his powers a lot in the game. He’ll need to bask for a while. Look, just about everyone who played is coming out,” said Kali.
“Not Randall. He’s special like me.”
“Okay. Whatever that’s supposed to mean,” said Kali.
An older boy next to them with a shaved head leaned over. “Hey, you’re that kid from the video, right? The one who can do the crazy green stuff?”
Leon was taken aback. He sounds like he thinks I’m cool, like I did something cool.
“Umm,” he stammered.
“Dude! Are you going to try again today? Tommy is so going to pummel you,” the boy laughed.
Leon felt his blood boil. He felt the anger from dark energy surging into him and he was about to lash out, but the boy had already turned away to talk to his friends. To Leon’s surprise, the insults hadn’t stopped.
“Hey guys, it’s that kid from the video!”
His group of friends turned to stare at Leon. Leon gave them an icy glare, but they were too busy pointing and snickering to each other.
“He’s going to try again to play today. Get your cameras ready!”
“Don’t you dare take a video of him,” Kali yelled. “He is going to play today, you jerks.”
His friends laughed and people all around them stared at Leon. Kali and Leon got up to walk away but first, Leon made a green, floating hand that grabbed the kid’s phone and flung it down the bleachers and onto he field. He didn’t look back as he walked down the bleachers.
When the crowd gathered in the middle of the field again to choose teams, Kali wished him a giddy “good luck,” and focused her phone’s camera on him.
He strolled confidently over to the group in the middle of the field. By the time he was under the upper deck, people saw him coming and moved aside for him. Some laughed, some stared in shock or maybe fear.
Randall was on the other side of the group. He was bent over, breathing heavily. Sweat covered his head and his shirt was wet. Since Randall was stocky, playing shadowball was quite a work-out for him. Leon smiled at this.
Tommy noticed Leon and grinned. “The little flashlight is back, guys. He wants another beating.”
“This time we won’t let daddy save him,” some kid called out.
Leon didn’t waver.
“I’m here for him.” Leon gestured at Randall.
Everyone got silent, and Randall glanced up.
“We’re not going to let you play,” said Randall casually before looking back down again.
How can he say that so casually? Everyone else can see I’m mad. I look mad, right? Everyone else saw just a taste of what I can do and they’re backing away from me. How can he just look away like that?
“I’m not here to play. I’m here for you, Randall.”
Now Randall stood up straight. He wore an incredulous smirk on his face. He looked around at all the people around him. He was trying to tell Leon that they would back him up, that he had too many friends to be messed with.
“By yourself?” Randall asked.
“I don’t need anyone else. Just you and me.”
“In front of everyone?”
“The lesson’s called ‘What dark energy can really do’ and it starts on chapter 1.”
Randall began laughing, but it was cut short when he saw Leon charge at him.
Leon brandished a bo staff. It was what he had practiced the most with. He liked its simplicity and its power.
Randall took a defensive stance.
The crowd of people cheered and shouted for a fight.
Leon lunged forward and swung.
Randall shielded himself.
The staff didn’t collide with the shield. Leon had teleported mid swing.
Because of Randall’s surprise, his shield disappeared. The crowd gasped.
Leon apparated just behind Randall and almost had the perfect opportunity. Spinning around during the teleport would have been near impossible, so Leon was facing the wrong way and by the time his swing had finished and he was able to turn around, Randall was already facing him.
At this point, Leon knew that
Randall would have his force shield up by the time he swung, but he swung anyway. His perfect opening move that he had visualized in his mind over and over had been ruined.
The staff crashed against the shield and shattered. Green flakes of light scattered through the air and then disappeared. Leon looked up at Randall’s face and saw something very unexpected.
It was a blindingly bright light. It was coming from Randall’s hand, and it made it impossible to see anything. Leon quickly looked away, but the brightness had already left its mark. He couldn’t see anything.
He felt a fist collide with his face and then the hard ground slapped his back.
Randall stood over Leon triumphantly. “You know, your power was the easiest to learn. It’s so wimpy.”
Leon flared his nostrils. Can he make things out of green light, too?
“Wait, can you do what I do?” Leon stood up. He took a casual defensive stance not too close, but not too far away.
“You bet I can.”
“Show me.”
“Come here and make me.”
Leon pushed Randall. He didn’t physically push him, just with his mind. He stretched out his arms and used them as a focal point to his mindbending power. He pushed them forward as he pushed harder on Randall, trying to throw him back.
At first, Randall slid backwards in the grass, but then he pushed back. Randall was stronger than Leon both physically and his mindbending. Leon was the one moving backward.
With teeth gritted, Randall said, “This again? I thought you would have learned your lesson from last time.”
Leon noticed the perfect opportunity. He saw that Randall was just about to burst forward with power. At the moment Randall did, Leon let go and let himself fly backward.
He flew toward groups of people just on the edge of the upper deck, but before impact he teleported, apparating just behind Randall and to one side. With his green energy, he materialized his staff and swung it backwards as hard as he could as he flew past Randall.
It connected with Randall’s back and made a sickening crack. Randall crumbled to the ground. Leon tumbled backward, but eventually landed safely on his feet and stared down at Randall.
There was silence.
Randall propped himself up with his arms. He didn’t look too well. His arms shook under his weight. His head wobbled awkwardly.
Leon stared at Randall’s new friends who were huddled motionless not far away. Look at them. That’s fear in their eyes. Help the loser or join the master? That’s what they’re asking themselves.
But when Randall got to his feet, he looked more determined than ever. In fact, he seemed to be saying that he was done playing. His face was hardened and his stare was confident. His stance was as solid as a Roman column. He flared his nostrils like a bull ready to charge. Leon’s courage quickly dissipated into thin air.
Leon made another bo staff appear in his hands and twirled it around his arms and body clumsily in a display of skill. He had to appear larger than life. He had to make it seem like he was awesome with this weapon and that he was prepared to cause pain.
Dark energy flooded into him at his command. There were bright flood lights shining all over the field and even under the upper deck it was very bright, but inside he felt darker than ever. Anger, rage, jealously, even hatred mingled within him. The dark energy gave strength to his bones and muscles. His senses were keen as a hawk. He was powerful.
Randall stared blankly until a smile cracked his lips. It was an unconcerned smile, a confident and treacherous smile.
Using mindbending, he lifted one pant leg just slightly. It wasn’t enough to see what was underneath, but just enough to see that there was something under his pants. He was concentrating for a moment before a rectangle with straps came out from under his pant leg.
It was an ankle weight. He lifted it into the air with his mind to display it to the audience before dropping it abruptly on the grass in front of him. He repeated this with the hidden weight on his other leg.
Leon’s mouth dropped open. This whole time he was wearing ankle weights? No wonder it’s such a workout for him to play shadowball.
Randall rushed at Leon using his moment of surprise to his advantage. In the seconds before Randall was within striking distance, Leon realized that he had plenty of ways to attack at his disposal, but no way to defend. He could make whatever weapon he could think of. He could use his mind to throw things. He could teleport behind an enemy to attack by surprise. But how could he defend himself?
Without thinking, he made a green, translucent force shield just in time to block Randall’s punch. He blocked a second attempt at his gut the same way.
He struck fiercely with his bo staff at Randall’s mid section, but before he could make contact, something crashed into the side of his head. He never saw it coming. It took him a second to realize that one of the ankle weights had just hit him on the side of the head.
whack
The second ankle weight smashed into the other side of his head before he could react.
bam
Randall’s fist followed the flying ankle weight and landed in Leon’s gut. He staggered back, coughing and angry.
Randall lunged forward again, but Leon dodged by teleporting. He apparated on the upper deck and after a second in which he assumed Randall was looking around for him, he yelled out an insult and waited. Randall apparated behind Leon. He wheeled around in time to dodge a fist and then teleported to the other side of the upper deck.
They stared at each other for several moments like a showdown in the wild West. The sun had gone down, but the bright stadium lights kept the dark night at bay. The crowd cheered loudly for Randall, but Leon paid no attention. He tried to anticipate Randall’s next move. He looks tired, weak. He’s got no steam left. Finishing him will be easy.
Leon made the first move. He teleported, apparating just to the side of Randall. Randall teleported away. Leon followed and so began a game of teleporting cat and mouse. Each time they teleported, Leon heard Randall’s breathing get more heavy. Each time he could see the sweat pouring down his face more. Each time Randall was slower.
Leon teleported next to Randall one final time and Randall couldn’t get away fast enough to avoid an elbow in the back. Randall cried out as his face hit the ground. He was coughing and trying to suck in air at the same time.
Leon stood triumphantly over him. Anger and dark energy surged through him. He made his staff appear in his hands, but before he could swing it, Randall teleported away.
Leon spun to see where Randall would apparate, but didn’t see Randall anywhere on the upper deck. He must have fled to the field below.
When he apparated under the upper deck, the older kids who were Randall’s new friends were gathered around him. He was wobbly and tired, but his friends were angry.
What? Are they going to fight me? How dare he let his friends fight his battle. It’s like ten to one. Well dark energy, let’s see what we’ve got.
Leon pushed everyone to the left of Randall with his mind in a powerful gust that knocked all but one to the ground. He repeated that on the right side of Randall and everyone, including Tommy dropped. Leon swung at Randall. Randall wearily put up a shield.
Though Leon’s bo bounced off, the shield shattered into orange specs of light. He’s too tired. One more strike and he’ll be down. Leon raised his bo and swung again.
Leon was stopped mid swing by a mindbender. He was about to push back with his mind, but he was surprised by a speeder running past who struck his head. Because of the kid’s incredible momentum, it sent him sprawling to the ground in pain.
Before he could get to his feet, he felt a painful kick to his side. He curled up instinctively as he coughed and sputtered. In a panic, he pushed hard with his mind where the foot had come from, but just as he did he got kicked from the other side.
He cried out in pain. He thought he heard some ribs crack and it sure felt like it. He writhed and cringed, gasping for air
. Sharp pain shot all over his body. It flared like a hot iron and he shriveled into a ball.
It was then that he realized the boys were yelling at him. He didn’t understand what they were saying, but he knew it wasn’t words of encouragement.
Leon tried to get up, but his chest sparked pain so sharply that he couldn’t even catch his face from smacking against the ground. Blood drooled out of his mouth. Just then he felt hands grab him.
He tried to teleport. He tried to mindbend. He tried to call for the dark energy.
His mind was too focused on his pain. He couldn’t think. He could focus on anything but the searing pain in every breath.
He was lifted off the ground and for a moment he thought he was being cradled like someone was rescuing him, but he continued to go higher. He was high enough to be above someone’s head. He could see it, but it was like he was seeing it from outside his body.
Tommy was lifting him up above his head. Tommy threw him several yards down the field and Leon landed with a crunch. Leon’s muscles spasmed and his chest burned. The world seemed to spin around him before everything went dark.
chapter 11
Healing
