Dysnomia Academy [ONC 2021]

Chapter Four

I forgot to eat dinner last night. I know there's a kitchen in the dorms, but where?

The academy provided each dormitory with a kitchen. The students could make their own snacks between meals and ingredients were supplied by the academy.

I wandered around the dormitory again to look for the kitchen. No matter how many corners I turned, I ended up in another hallway. There weren't any maps posted.

Eventually, I found something interesting. It was a room full of exercise equipment. Surprisingly, the gym smelt like fresh rubber instead of the horrid stench of fermented sweat you'd find anywhere else. I was going to continue looking for the kitchen, but I heard a weird noise. I stepped inside to investigate and saw that someone was pinned to a bench with a heavy barbell on top of them. 

"Help me."

He grit his teeth as he wasted energy trying to push the bar up. Veins popped around the temples of his red face. I smirked.

"Why?"

"Please...help me."

Please? Interesting... I wedged my hand between the barbell and his chest, lifting the weight with one arm. He gasped for air as I racked the bar. I crossed my arms.

"Since I saved you, what'll you give me in return?"

Suddenly, he dropped down to one knee in front of me. His short, black hair blocked my view of his face. 

"In return for saving me, I'll work under you in a club."

Clubs were what Dysnomia Academy referred to as alliances on campus. Each club had a leader that would rule over its members. The more members in a club, the more potential it has to survive in the real world against heroes. I didn't consider becoming a club leader, but it wasn't a bad idea.

"That sounds good to me."

"Thank you for your kindness. I'm Fritz Elrod...and you are?"

A small rumble politely interrupted us. I put a hand on my stomach.

"My name's Kenzo. Do you know where the kitchen is, Fritz?"

His eyes lit up.

"Yes! I'll lead the way."

Fritz marched out the door, and I followed behind him. After walking in silence for a few minutes, I broke the uncomfortable air between us. 

"What were you doing in the gym so early in the morning?"

Fritz dropped his head, taking smaller and slower steps than before.

"I'm the youngest in the Elrod family. We're one of the most powerful families among villains. My older siblings are all great villains of our generation...unlike me. I'm like the runt of the litter. My family says I'm too compassionate and weak to be an Elrod. So I enrolled in Dysnomia Academy to prove I'm not the worthless kid they think I am. Since then, I've been working out in gyms to build up my physical strength."

We were standing outside the kitchen. It didn't take long for us to get there, but Fritz's life story kept me from cooking myself some food.

"Uh...thanks for telling me. But I didn't need to know all that."

"Oh! I'm sorry. I forgot that you're hungry. Do you want me to make you something?"

Fritz rubbed his hands together with a smile. I sighed.

"If you want."

Fritz rushed into the kitchen, pulling bowls from the cabinets. He grabbed some ingredients from the fridge and pantry. Then, he measured and mixed everything together into a consistent batter. A pan was placed on the stove top, turning on the fire with his free hand. A few minutes later, he dropped a chunk of butter on the pan and ladled some of the batter on top. Fritz picked up the pan by its handle and flipped a pancake in the air. Every pancake he flipped had landed with a satisfying "plop". He beamed with confidence after each pancake was plated. Eventually, Fritz made two plates with piping hot, fresh stacks. 

"Do you want some syrup?"

"I'm good. I don't like syrup."

Fritz looked like he was going to drop our plates, making the face of someone who just saw a helicopter get abducted by an alien spaceship.

"You...you don't like syrup!?"

"I didn't think it would be that big of a deal. I just don't want to eat too much sugar for breakfast."

He stared at his feet, which made me feel guilty for saying no. After an awkward moment, we sat down at the bar that ran along the wall. Fritz set the plates down, and I noticed that he didn't put syrup on his pancakes. Just because I don't want any doesn't mean that you can't have some...weirdo.

I cut a piece of the pancake with my fork and put it in my mouth. It was fluffy and slightly sweet, sending sparks to my jaw. I put a hand up to my mouth to hide a grin that was coming on. Soon, both our plates were empty. I set down my fork and wiped my face with a napkin.

"Thanks for the food. It was good."

"No problem. The club leader needs to treat his body well."

I collected the dishes and shoved them in the dishwasher.

"Speaking of treating yourself well, how about I teach you how to workout properly before classes start. The people in my club shouldn't be getting stuck under barbells."