The creator's staff

Chapter 5 - Lucius and Blu

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John has accepted Grandpa as his sensei.

*What do you think, John? What is wrong? Why aren't you answering? Are you daydreaming? What is wrong?* John smiles at Grandpa and tells him that there is nothing wrong with him. He was zoning out for a moment just to see what possibilities he might have in the future and what he really will be able to do once he has learned how to handle things himself.
Grandpa and John begin to clean the entire house, including every laboratory. They end their clean-up by burying the corpse. Grandpa decides for John to have a funeral ceremony for his parents, just the two of them. *Johnny, kid, you shouldn't tell your parents about anything that happened today. You know exactly how it felt and what you were willing to do just because of those feelings. If you want to make this world a better place, you have to accept all this pain and endure it, like devouring all the bad food so no one will ever get to eat it. They deserve to stay healthy. Not all of them, but your parents-hell yeah! You know-sometimes caging all the pain within you is the best. It makes you stronger, so you will never be surprised when the same feelings, or maybe worse come around you. I have become really bad at giving good speeches, I think. I was once better than this trust me!
Learn to see pain and anger as your fuel. The more you can hold in, the longer your strength will last.*

John tries to understand what Grandpa is trying to say, and he does. He and the old man bury all the corpses. The funeral for the last Richardsons is heartbreaking. It takes them almost the entire weekend to do so. After that, they both go back home.

At home

John does exactly what Grandpa told him to do. He talks with his parents about what could have happened, saying that they had a very nice weekend and gave him as much information as they could. His parents are happy to hear about his experience. John walks into his room with a fake smile on his face. He locks up his door and grieves. After an entire week, after all the pain-burying, he makes a big decision: he decides to change schools to a city further away. He decides to make his school route a daily workout without artificial transportation. His parents, without asking for more detail, grant him his wish and prepare everything for his new entry.

Did they find out about the tragedy? I mean, John was locked in his room for an entire week!

One year later

Every day since his school's vacation was over-the worst vacation he has ever had-John has trained for a while with his master. The time has come for him to visit his new school and decide if it is the school he wishes for.

As soon as he enters the school, he senses a strong presence.

Actually, there are two. Almost opposite sides crashed into each other, creating a new, much more powerful presence.

*Woow, this aura...* He is frightened by the energy.

It's stronger than mine, suppressing my will! It's like a god compared to mine!* Who is it? Is it someone like me? No, his aura's nature-it's somehow like Grandpa's-is much stronger. What happened to this person? Is it even a person? It's scary!* John is frozen. The energy is too much to handle for someone like him. *I have to get to know him and maybe be friends with him-I have to!* John decides to attend the school. It will be the school that pushes him to his limits, he thinks.

John visits Grandpa after school without going home first. He explains to him what kind of potential he sensed. Grandpa scratches his scalp.

*Hmm, I knew it!* he mumbles to himself.
John spends the next school day walking around the school, trying to find this, though without luck. *So powerful, it's like he is everywhere!*

It's P.E. time. Time for sports. John has been practicing with Grandpa how to hold back his power and now knows how to interact with normal people when it comes to power-leveling. Today in P.E. John's class, 8F, is to play with class 8D. The auras are now intensive but somehow calm-too calm to be precise. Are they here?

Dodgeball is the game today. It is fun. Class 8F is down to one player. 8D is down to two players, Lucius and Blu. John is focused on winning his first game and throws the ball harder than he needs to. Just before the ball hits Lucius, Blu gets in the way and catches it with one hand. *Wooow how coooooool! This dude is the MVP. Woooooow, go Blu, go Blu, go Blu!!!* Every kid from 8D outside the field is jubilating. Lucius gets furious: *Why the hell did you catch my ball? It was mine, you hear me? MINE! Now stop playing my hero and give me the damn ball, bitch!* Blu laughs and tells him he was just helping out. He gives the ball to Lucius so he can make the next move. Lucius is prepared to smash the ball against John, but John is just standing there, saying nothing.

He is flabbergastered! John doesn't understand what he just witnessed. *How the hell was this dude able to catch my ball? It was more than I am allowed to throw. It was like fifteen percent more than a normal human being can throw and handle, even for a grown-up! Wait-is he the one I have been looking for? This entire time? Something doesn't seem right. He isn't showing any kind of abnormality. He is just normal. He still cannot catch something this powerful, even if he had worked out his entire body to surpass the „normal human level." His eyes! He is interesting; I need to learn more about.....* Right before thinking about his new plan to get to know him, Lucius shouts in a furious tone. *Hey, little guy, stop daydreaming and focus on me. Taste this rainbow!!!*

John screams, *oooowww!!!!*

He is hit hard and thrown a few centimeters from his standing spot. No one notices but John himself. He continues, *How the hell did it hurt so much?* and shouts, *Dude, what is wrong with you?* He starts mumbling to himself in pain, *Who are you? What are you, both of you? So there are two of you!*

I bet he is still wondering, "Who the hell are these guys?"

*They are different from other people and myself, but I don't sense any type of exposure or Gene Z in them. Wait, I also don't sense anything human on them-maybe a little, but that's it! There isn't more to it. Are they a completely new kind of mutation no soul has ever heard about? Are they some kind of newly-born gods? No, such things do not exist. Stop thinking about such a silly topic! Don't make yourself go crazy, John, come on! ... This is just a coincidence; what is the coincidence tho? Damn it. That one hurt hard! I need to be friends with them!

Shouldn't a normal person stay away from danger? This dude is crazy!

The first part of PE is over. It is time for a long break before the games continue.
Everyone has left to eat, except Blu and Lucius. John is also sitting in the corner, thinking about how everything has changed while eating. Lucius isn't done with arguing about how Blu has taken away his spotlight, which will probably be his nightmare for years. *It wasn't anything special, man! It was just one single throw, and I decided to catch it so that you wouldn't have to waste your time and energy on it. Why do you have to make a big fuss out of it? I thought it would make you like me more.*

Blu smirks.

Lucius, however, isn't done yet.

Yeah, well, you thought wrong, obviously!*

He gets angrier and angrier, a state in which his emotions keep sinking, one block after the other, just like dominoes do.

*You could have just stayed outta my business! I can handle myself, Mom! Fight me, and I will show you!*

Blu refuses to fight Lucius. Lucius doesn't accept the refusal and attacks Blu.

They really ended up fighting! One punch after the other. Lucius' punches are as precise as those of a real boxer. This guy is good!

Even though Lucius' punches are well-aimed, he still lacks reaction time, which leads to them having an equal fight. Blu finds an opening and headlocks Lucius. The fight has almost ended. Lucius kicks his leg as hard as he can, and his shoes go up in the air, flying. A bright light flashes through their sports field, a bit further from the boys. John and the other kids, on their way back to the field, notice the fight and rush to pull them apart.

Lucius shouts and glows in a very bright white-orange-ish color.

Lucius looks glorious. What just happened?

Chapter 5, end.

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