Juli stared at his hands one more time.
Nothing. Still no glow.
He sighed and stood up from the table. Pam had already left. The mess hall was starting to clear out. Most cadets were heading back to their pods for lights out.
"Hey, Weiper."
Juli turned. Rikan stood behind him with his two cronies. They looked smug. Always looked smug.
"What do you want?" Juli said.
"Just wanted to say thanks for the show earlier. Real funny stuff."
"Glad you enjoyed it."
Rikan stepped closer. "You know what's funnier? How pathetic you looked in training. Couldn't even get a spark going."
Juli's eye twitched. "Walk away, Rikan."
"Or what? You gonna threaten me again? All bark, no bite."
One of the cronies laughed. "He can't even use Resonance. What's he gonna do?"
Juli cracked his knuckles. Then he grinned. "You're gonna get your head kicked in."
Rikan smirked. "I'd like to see you try."
Juli kicked him in the chest.
Rikan flew backward and crashed into a table. Food trays clattered everywhere. The mess hall went silent. Then it erupted.
"FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!"
Rikan's cronies rushed at Juli. The first one threw a wild punch. Juli ducked under it, grabbed a metal fork from the table, and jabbed it into the guy's shoulder. Not deep. Just enough to hurt. The crony yelped and stumbled back.
The second one came from the side. Juli spun, planted his foot, and launched a roundhouse kick straight into the guy's ribs. The crack echoed through the hall. The crony crumpled.
Rikan got back up, wheezing. "You little—"
Juli didn't let him finish. He vaulted over a table, grabbed a tray mid air, and swung it like a bat. It connected with Rikan's face. The sound was beautiful.
The crowd went wild. Cadets were standing on tables now. Some were shouting. Others were exchanging credits.
"Ten on Weiper!"
"Twenty says Rikan's crew takes him down!"
"Are you blind?! He's destroying them!"
Pam stood off to the side with her arms crossed. Her silver eyes stared forward, but her lips were pressed into a tight line. She looked frustrated. Almost like she was pouting.
Juli caught sight of her and grinned. "Don't worry, Pam! I got this!"
She shook her head.
Rikan's first crony tried to rush him again. Juli sidestepped, grabbed a spoon, and flicked it at the guy's forehead. It bounced off with a loud thunk. The crony froze, then dropped like a sack of potatoes.
"Did he just knock him out with a spoon?!" someone shouted.
The second crony limped forward. Juli didn't even bother with a weapon this time. He just kicked him in the face. Clean. Simple. The guy went down.
Rikan was the last one standing. His nose was bleeding. His uniform was torn. He looked furious.
"I'm gonna kill you, Weiper."
"Get in line."
Rikan charged. Juli planted his feet and prepared to counter. But before Rikan could reach him, something blurred past.
A fist connected with Juli's jaw.
He stumbled back, vision swimming. What the hell?
Standing between him and Rikan was a boy about his age. He was shorter than Juli but built like a tank. His skin had faint orange and black stripes running down his arms. His ears were pointed and tufted. His eyes were sharp and golden. Feline.
A Felinari. One of the hybrid species from the Claw Sector. They were born with enhanced strength, speed, and reflexes. Part human. Part predator.
The boy grinned, showing sharp canines. "You done beating up trash? How about a real fight?"
Juli wiped blood from his lip and grinned back. "Now we're talking."
The Felinari moved first.
He was fast. Way faster than Rikan's crew. He closed the distance in a blink and threw a jab. Juli tilted his head. The fist missed by an inch. He countered with a low kick aimed at the boy's knee.
The Felinari jumped over it and spun mid air. His heel came down like a hammer. Juli crossed his arms and blocked. The impact rattled his bones.
The crowd was losing their minds.
"That's Kade! One of the top fighters in our year!"
"This is gonna be good!"
Kade landed and immediately went for a leg sweep. Juli hopped back, grabbed a chair, and hurled it. Kade smacked it aside like it was nothing. Splinters flew everywhere.
"Not bad!" Kade said.
"You're not bad either!" Juli shot back.
They clashed again. Kade threw a combo. Punch, punch, elbow. Juli dodged the first two and ducked under the elbow. He drove his knee into Kade's gut. Kade grunted but didn't go down. Instead, he grabbed Juli's leg and twisted.
Juli hit the ground hard. Kade followed up with a stomp. Juli rolled out of the way just in time. The floor dented where his head had been.
"Okay. You're strong," Juli said, getting back to his feet.
"And you're annoying," Kade replied.
Juli laughed. He loved this.
They both charged at the same time. Fists and feet flew. Juli went for a spinning kick. Kade blocked it with his forearm. The impact sent a shockwave through the mess hall. Tables rattled. Trays fell.
Then something changed.
Kade's eyes glowed faintly. A yellow aura flickered to life around his fists. The air buzzed with a sharp, crackling vibration. Like electricity.
His Key.
Juli felt his chest tighten. His body reacted on instinct. Heat surged through him. His hands tingled. And for the first time, a faint red glow sparked around his knuckles.
The crowd gasped.
"Is that—"
"He's doing it! He's using Resonance!"
Juli stared at his hands. The glow was weak. Unstable. But it was there.
He looked at Kade and grinned. "Finally."
Kade grinned back. "About time."
They both moved.
The clash was explosive. Red met yellow. The vibrations clashed mid air. The sound was deafening. The force blew tables back. Cadets scrambled to get out of the way.
Juli's fist connected with Kade's cheek. Kade's fist connected with Juli's ribs. They both stumbled back, breathing hard.
"Not bad, blondie," Kade said.
"You're pretty tough for a cat," Juli shot back.
They prepared to go again.
"ENOUGH!"
The voice cut through the chaos like a blade.
Instructor Vela stormed into the mess hall, flanked by two human instructors. One was a tall man with a shaved head. The other was a woman with short red hair and a scar across her cheek.
The room went silent.
Vela's yellow eyes scanned the wreckage. Broken tables. Knocked out cadets. Juli and Kade standing in the center, both glowing faintly with Resonance.
Her shell ridge twitched.
"Weiper. Kade. My office. Now."
Ten minutes later, Juli and Kade stood in front of Vela's desk. She sat behind it with her arms crossed. The other two instructors stood by the door.
"Do you have any idea what you've done?" Vela said.
"Started a fight?" Juli offered.
"Finished a fight," Kade corrected.
Vela's eyes narrowed. "You destroyed academy property. Injured fellow cadets. And used Resonance in an unsanctioned brawl."
"To be fair," Juli said, "Rikan started it."
"I don't care who started it. You both participated. And now you'll both face the consequences."
Juli's stomach dropped. "What consequences?"
Vela leaned forward. "You're both barred from the qualifiers."
Silence.
Juli's brain short circuited. "What?!"
"You can't be serious!" Kade shouted.
"I am deadly serious. You want to act like children? Fine. You'll be treated like children. No qualifiers. No tournament. You'll stay here and scrub floors while your peers compete."
Juli's vision blurred. His fists clenched. "But—"
"No buts. Dismissed."
Juli and Kade walked out of the office in stunned silence.
Then they both started crying.
"This is your fault!" Juli shouted, tears streaming down his face.
"My fault?! You threw the first punch!" Kade shot back, also crying.
"You jumped in!"
"You were hogging all the fun!"
They butted heads. Hard. Both of them sobbing like babies.
"I'm gonna be the greatest hero!" Juli wailed.
"Not if I become one first!" Kade wailed back.
They stood there. Forehead to forehead. Crying. Yelling. Looking absolutely ridiculous.
Pam walked past them, shook her head, and kept going.
"Idiots," she muttered.