The arena fell silent as Louis and Jason stood at opposite ends, their eyes locked with burning intensity.
The announcer's voice boomed overhead: "BEGIN!"
Jason struck first, his Resonant Blade slicing through the air with a deafening screech.
Louis barely dodged the first attack, but the blade grazed his shoulder, cutting through his suit and drawing blood.
The air rippled with sound waves from the strike, sending Louis tumbling backward.
[Core Alert: Threat Level Critical. Host at Risk.]
[Directive: Activate Chain Ignition.]
Louis scrambled to his feet, his chest glowing brighter as the core pulsed within him.
Chains with green energy erupted from his palms, ablazed.
The fiery chains snaked toward Jason, striking with devastating force.
Jason deflected them with his Resonant Blade, the sound waves clashing with the chains in a burst of sparks.
"You think those weak tricks can match me?" Jason said with mockery. "You're out of your league."
He raised his hand, and a shimmering Echo Shield enveloped him, vibrating with pure sonic energy.
Louis gritted his teeth and lashed out again with his chains, but they rebounded off the shield.
"My father saved cities, bled for earth." Jason's smirk faded. "And when he fell, they erased him like a glitch in the system. That's what weakness buys you. Louis. But as for me, I won't be forgotten."
He raised his blade high, the sound waves intensifying and distorting the air.
The ground beneath Louis cracked as Jason brought the blade down with terrifying force.
Louis leaped back, but the shockwave caught him, slamming him into the arena wall.
"Too slow," Jason sneered.
"Damn it!" Louis groaned, blood dripping from his temple.
His core pulsed urgently.
[Critical Threat Detected. Probability of Survival: 18%.]
[Tactical Option: Initiate Stage Two: Time Manipulation.]
Louis forced himself to his feet and closed his eyes, focusing on the Core's energy.
The world around him slowed, Jason's movements becoming sluggish and predictable. The Resonant Blade, once a blur, now felt manageable.
Louis sidestepped Jason's next strike, his chains snapping forward to wrap around Jason's legs.
Jason cursed, struggling against the burning chains. But Louis didn't give him a chance to recover.
He pulled hard, yanking Jason off his feet and slamming him into the ground with a thunderous crash.
The crowd erupted in cheers, but Jason wasn't done.
[Core Alert: Imminent Threat: Sonic Storm.]
Jason let out a scream, the sound swelling into a massive shockwave that flattened everything in its path.
Louis was hurled into the arena wall; the impact nearly knocked him unconscious.
"You should've stayed powerless, Louis," Jason spat, staggering to his feet. "Now, I'll show you how I destroyed a whole city."
Jason unleashed his Sonic Storm —a devastating wave of sound that shattered the ground and sent debris flying.
[Core: "Extreme frequency destabilization detected. Counter: Core pulsed absorption."]
Louis gritted his teeth, bracing himself for it.
The core in Louis's chest pulsed violently as it began absorbing the storm's energy.
The process was extremely painful, every nerve in his body screaming in protest, but he endured, refusing to give up.
When the storm subsided, Louis collapsed to his knees, blood dripping from his face.
Jason stared at him. "You think you're a god. But all I see is fear."
Louis forced himself to stand, his vision blurry.
[Core Alert: Rage Threshold Approaching. Stage Three Available.]
Louis clenched his fists, glaring at Jason. "I'm not the same person you beat down before. But like I said, I'm not fighting to prove anything to you. I'm just fighting to survive."
Jason sneered. "Then die trying."
Jason charged, but the Core in Louis's chest flared violently, unlocking Stage Three.
[Core: "Extreme Frames unlocked. Engaging Stage Three."]
Blue flames erupted from his body, incinerating the sand beneath him.
His chains glowed white-hot, melting the ground where they touched.
His speed and strength surged, his movements becoming a blur.
Jason swung his Resonant Blade, but Louis dodged effortlessly, closing the distance in an instant.
Louis's blue-flaming fist slammed into Jason's gut, sending him flying across the arena.
Jason struggled to rise, but Louis was relentless.
His chains lashed out, striking Jason's Echo Shield brutally, leaving him exposed.
Desperate, Jason unleashed a final, screaming shockwave, pouring every bit of his energy into a devastating sound wave.
Louis countered, channeling all the Core's energy into a single chain, glowing with blue-white fire, hurling it at Jason.
Suddenly, massive energy shields dropped between them, avoiding the catastrophic collision.
Louis's chain rebounded, the flames sputtering out, while Jason's shockwave dissolved harmlessly into the barrier.
Commander Arthur's voice boomed: "Cease!"
Tara stepped forward, her voice firm. "Neither of you were going to stop. Enough."
The crowd erupted—some in anger, others in awe.
"Both combatants, stand down," Tara said, with authority, raising her hand signalling a halt."This trial is over."
The crowd buzzed with energy, half standing, half frozen, processing what they had just witnessed.
Two cadets, one a prodigy trained for years, the other a supposed weak and lost, had nearly destroyed the entire arena with raw, clashing forces.
Jason staggered to his feet, panting heavily.His blade dissipated into sound.
He looked at Louis, then down at the scorched floor between them.
Commander Arthur approached the arena, flanked by high-ranking officers.
"Jason Cameron," he declared, "you've earned your place among the Earth Defenders. Effective immediately, you are graduated and commissioned."
The crowd applauded, the fight was intense but majority of them seemed to be expecting what will to be given to the other combatant.
Commander Arthur turned toward Louis.
"And Louis Lee…" he paused.
"You have survived the Trial of the Worthy—against impossible odds, without formal training, and while bearing one of the most dangerous living powers on this planet."
Whispers rippled across the stands.
"You have proven beyond any doubt that you are not a threat to be feared—but a force to be reckoned with."
Arthur stepped forward and held out a polished, obsidian-and-silver badge: the sigil of the Earth Defenders.
Louis stared at it, breath caught in his chest.
Adrian, watching from above, gave a silent nod.
Louis stepped forward and took the badge.
The moment he fastened it to his chest, the crowd exploded into cheers.
Even Jason gave him a grudging nod of acknowledgment before walking away, bruised but impressed.
Kelvin shouted from the stands, beaming. "Wow! What the... That's magnificent Brother!!!"
Kate smiled softly, a single tear sliding down her cheek.
"I'm so proud of you,Louis." She whispered.
For the first time in days, Louis took a deep breathe.
He had made it.
He was one of them.
****
Later That Night
The dorm lights flickered as a transmission alert echoed through the Defender Academy.
"All cadets of graduation class Alpha-X, report to the launch bay immediately. Simulation training phase begins at 0600. Noncompliance is not an option."
Louis stood in the hallway, still bruised and bandaged, now suited in an official Earth Defenders uniform.
Jason walked past him silently.
Then paused.
"…That badge looks better on you than I thought it would," he said gruffly, then walked on.
Louis blinked, unsure whether that was a compliment or a threat.
"Not bad out there, Chains," a voice said as someone tapped Louis lightly on the shoulder while walking past.
He turned, startled.
Their eyes met.
She was pretty—fiery red hair pulled back in a sleek ponytail.
Her hazel eyes was sharp, she looked confident.
Twin handguns rested on either hip, holstered like they were part of her body.
She smirked."Thought you were gonna melt into the sand."
Louis opened his mouth—then closed it.
He stared a second too long.
A beat passed.
Then he gave a sharp nod, trying to play it cool.
"Were you impressed?" he asked.
Her smirk remained as she walked passed without stopping. "Brace yourself for what lies ahead, rookie."
Louis blinked, frozen for a second, processing her words and the brief encounter.
"Okay... what was that?" he whispered.
Before he could gather himself, the launch officer barked, "All cadets on board, final call!"
Snapping back to reality, Louis jogged toward the waiting helicopters, adrenaline still surging from the trial.
As the rotors began to spin and the wind whipped around him, he stole a final glance upward.
There stood Adrian on the balcony above, silent, watching as the cadets prepared to depart.
Louis smirked and offered a salute, a gesture of respect to his mentor.
And then, they lifted off.