(Outdated) The King of Elements (part 2)

Chapter 97

The group flinched at the word. Ian couldn't believe it. All of their hard work, all of the training they'd endured. It was all going to be for nothing. He clinched his teeth as he lowered his head, fighting back the anger boiling in himself. The anger he was feeling for himself.

Dre suddenly began laughing, catching everyone off-guard. Toney even looked at him with a bizarre stare. "Wow, man. When did you become such a stick in the mud?" The room fell silent. The clock sitting on his desk hadn't even dared to betray a tick. There was a thick cloud of confusion hanging over Toney as he only stared, speechless. "I'd expect this kind of behavior from Ichi. I mean, he was always the tactful, bookwormy type of person. Did one of his experiments switch you guys' personalities or something?"

"What in the hell has gotten into Dre?" Ichi stammered.

"Come on, Ichi. The silver hair hadn't tipped you off yet? And Toney," Dre turned to the table to the dumbfounded Toney, "I figured that you'd remember this." He placed the Suscéptor on the table.

It was different from what Ian remembered how it looked. He could've sword that Dre's blade was a broadsword. This sword was a katana, with both the blade and its scabbard made of the same crystal-like material. What was going on here?

"Oh!" Ichi's eyes lit up with realization as he saw the Suscéptor. His sneer crept on his face, he said, "I never thought I'd have the pleasure to speak to you again, Hiro."

"Hiro?" Toney's eyes were widened.

Dre turned to Toney and nodded. "I had to take control of Dre's body. The kid was getting manhandled by Aggaron. He's also scrawny. Like, I was scared that his leg would snap if I put all of his weight on it." Dre's face suddenly hardened. "Look, Toney. I don't know what made you so... opposite of you, but expelling those kids would be a huge mistake on your behalf, in more ways than one. Do I need to remind you of all the shenanigans we got into when we were their age? Should I even mention when you almost got me devoured by going to the Serene territory, or how you almost got Ichi dissected by playing a prank on some rednecks on Earth? Expelling them wouldn't be right, and you know it. If you expel them, you'd have to give up your title, since the stuff we got into would've gotten you permanently expelled. Would that be right for the King of Elements? Would that be right for your daughter?"

Toney looked flabbergasted. He fumbled around his words, as if he didn't want to say what was on his mind. He looked to Megumi, who hadn't dared look up. "But... but she's my little girl," he said with a pained expression. "I saw so much stuff in my time, so many people getting killed and separated from their families. I saw parents grieving the loss of their children, and vice versa. I have to be there to protect her. I can't let her go through that."

"And she won't. She has you to protect her, as well as your family." He looked to Dre's crew. "And her new family as well. I know that she appreciates your protectiveness, but you've got to loosen up a bit. She's going to make mistakes. That's a given. But she'll learn from those mistakes, just like you did when you were the leader, and it'll make her a better person for it. If you expel her, you'll sever that sense of adventure you always said ran through the Gladestone's veins. Let her know what it's like to be an adventurer."

Toney fell silent. He clasped his hands on his desk, allowing what Hiro said to flow through his mind. Finally, with a sigh, he said, "Okay, fine. She won't be expelled. None of them will. However, since you guys love to be here so much, you'll come here during your summer break and clean the school each day."

"What?!" the group exploded. They turned to Hiro, expecting him to defend them. Instead, he only laughed before Dre's natural hair color returned. Dre stumbled over, as if some invisible force pushed him from behind.

He looked around as if he'd just woken up from a dream. "What's going on? Where's Aggaron?"

"Hiro saved us," Kim answered. "He used your body to fight Aggaron. He also saved us from being expelled."

"He did?"

"Yep," Megumi said, sounding glum. "Though, now we have to come up here during our summer break and clean up the school."

Dre glared at her. "Darn it, Megumi! You just had to play the hero and drag us along, didn't you? I had plans for this summer, too." He folded his arms across his chest and took a quick look at the Suscéptor. "Man... So, now what?"

"The tournament's most likely gonna been cancelled for a while, and we'll have to up the security during the rest of the final exams. I don't even want to think about how many casualties we have."

"Has the renegade Sirens been taken care of?" Ichi asked.

"Well... at the moment, no. After hearing that Samantha turned herself in, they all fled. We've no idea where they all went, or how many of them there were. But we do have some Sirens working with us to guard the academy until they're all captured."

"Oh, what's going to happen to Samantha?" Megumi asked.

"Queen Melody said that since she lost her Siren abilities, she would be exiled. She would've sentenced her to death, but since she turned herself in, the queen decided to show her mercy. But that's another subject. For now, just head back to the house. Ya'll had quite the ordeal. An illegal ordeal, but difficult nonetheless."

"All the blame goesto your daughter," Ian said before he, along with the rest of his team, tookout a piece of honey drop and swallowed it.