Hidden Potential [Stories of Kawali Series 3]

1.2 | A Tamer And His Copy

Keith returned to Fiolini's side, his stamina drained a little. He sat down, and said, "Is the next match going to begin immediately or..?"

"Alright ladies and gentlemen, with a short break of 3 minutes having finished, please welcome the next match: 'Shadow Tamer' Owen Jatenan versus 'Strong Stealer' Derrick Lakan!"

The two contestants entered the battlefield, and Keith examined them both. Instead of his normal Outfit, Owen was wearing a black cape with patterns of a dragon over his normal clothes. Meanwhile, Derrick stood there, examining his opponent, while being in his gray Outfit.

Just as the two of them started walking towards the center, Derrick said, "Oh? You're approaching me? Instead of running away you choose to come towards me, Derrick? Even when you know that my ability isn't limited, thus guaranteeing your quick defeat?!?"

"I can't beat the shit out of you to get to your senses... without getting closer." Owen said, being serious.

"Then come as close as you like."

The moment the two of them got close, Owen immediately jumped back, shouting, "Dark Cloud!"

A cloud which looked black appeared out of nowhere and blotted out the sky above the stadium, forcing them to turn the lights on. "I expected pitch-black darkness, but this'll do. Go, Jeff!"

A humanoid figure made out of darkness appeared from within him, and charged straight at Derrick, who imitated the ability and countered Jeff's barrage.

"That's Owen's ability, Dark Spirit, and that's Derrick's ability, Copy." Keith said, writing some things down in his Ability Journals.

"Which one do you think will win?" Fiolini asked, just as a girl appeared next to her seat. She looked, and lightly hit her on the head, saying, "Laura, I'm having a chat with a friend right now."

"U-Uh? I didn't know you dated a boy who likes to draw like me." Laura replied.

"I'm writing stuff in my notebook, not really drawing. As for your question, Fiolini, it's definitely Owen. Copy cannot hold more than one ability, and even Derrick's Outfit won't be able to help it copy another ability." Keith said.

"He's so intelligent as well!"

"That's because you haven't seen his dark secret yet. Your low-leveled Stealth is no match for this boy's history." Fiolini said, trying to get Laura to keep silent.

Owen waved his cape to the right, and just as Jeff disappeared, a meteor came raining down on the stadium. It wasn't big enough to flatten the stadium itself, but it was small enough to fit through the ceiling and cause some massive damage. He crossed his arms as Derrick imitated his Earth ability and created a barrier separating him from the attack.

"Brace yourself." Keith said, putting his hand out.

The meteor exploded into pieces the instant it tore through the black cloud, and a thin shield appeared around the spectator stands to protect them from the debris flying everywhere. "Wall." Keith said, conjuring a translucent blue wall that stopped a large chunk of debris from hitting him or his friends.

"That's his skill? Wall?" Laura asked.

"A hidden power, to be more exact. Wall is just one of my many abilities. You know, I was abilityless once." Keith said.

"Hold on. You were a Neutral?"

"That's what you guys call it?"

"That's the fucking government's name for the thousands of people who didn't have an ability! How did you not know?!?"

"Ah, I think I wasn't used to seeing the news about that. Mainly because it's not common."

"I feel proud meeting a Neutral in front of me. Here, let's shake hands."

Laura got in Fiolini's way, and stood in front of her to shake hands with Keith. "I'm no longer a neutral, though."

"Yeah, in most cases, Neutrals get their abilities very late into their lives."

"Yeah, yeah, you're meeting a former Neutral up close. Now can you please move aside? I want to see the battle in action." Fiolini said, annoyed.

"Oh, sorry!"

Meanwhile, Owen had wounded Derrick, who was now on his knees, and said, "Surrender now, or you won't like what's coming next."

"Heh. Did you think I'd give up that easily?"

Derrick took a knee to the face, and Owen coldly said, "Yes. I got stronger knowing that my nemesis has gotten such a powerful ability."

"Nemesis? Been a while since you used that word."

"That Neutral can now be considered one. Anyways, I'm not going to hold off any further."

Owen took out a necklace with a diamond-shaped crystal on its end, and Keith saw it, saying, "Well shit."

"What's wrong?" Florencia said, sitting just behind him.

"I'm uncomfortable with the extra amount of girls here, but that's not the point. Owen wants to bury me in the ground."

"Oh, the one responsible for holding the most crimes in this school?"

Keith giggled a little, and said, "Yes."

Owen unleashed Jeff and put a small platform above the two. He knocked Derrick into the air, and made Jeff barrage him, his wounds accumulating. The latter then countered the attack with Dark, and in an instant, beat him up.

"It's been long since I felt this excited!" he shouted.

"And I thought you said Owen would win." Fiolini said, seeing the change of tides.

"I didn't expect Derrick to get smarter. I guess he's always going to give it his all when it comes to fighting someone, huh?" Keith replied, focusing his power. A notebook appeared in midair, and he grabbed it, inspecting it for a while and comparing it to his other Journals, before writing the words 'Profile' on the front. He opened it, and started with himself. He put in his own name, along with a short description, before getting to the stats. He stopped for a while, and eventually wrote question marks on all of them: Power, Potential, Speed, Intelligence, Durability and Overall Ranking.

"Another Journal?"

Keith didn't reply, but sped up his writing. By the time Derrick was finished with beating up Owen, he had already filled in 20 profiles.

"How the hell do you write that fast?!?" Laura shouted.

Owen looked at Derrick before getting behind him with Dark. The latter noticed a second too late, and before he knew it, his skull was bashed in. He fell to the ground, unconscious, and Daniel, who had watched in shock, shouted, "And Owen wins! Now can we get someone from the healing team to take care of the wounded one?"

"I'll do it." Keith said, charging up Healing in his right hand as he leaped straight from the stands onto the battlefield. He teleported next to the two and pointed at them, closing their wounds and restoring their energy in an instant. "No need to thank me, Owen." he said as he jumped back to his original spot.

"I'll be honest, this kid's been waiting for this moment his entire life, huh?" Owen said to himself, as Derrick got up. The two of them shook hands, and Laura said, "Alright, I have to go! I have a fight to do!"

"And she runs off to fight someone else." Fiolini said, being glad that she was now gone.

"Actually, she's fighting against the Kinetic Flyer, or should I say, her slightly younger brother." Keith replied, having known the titles of nearly everyone in the school.

"You've memorized nearly everyone?"

"It'll become a hobby if you're someone without an ability."