Chapter 7: Of Gossip, Training and Promotion
As the semester end, Kaizo recovered from his injuries. The rank announcement of the semester is shown at the station's rank board. Cadets swarm the rank board to see their semester result.
"As expected from Kaizo. He got the 1st rank again." Said Tiramisu.
"Yeah. He's our top student. So it's obvious." Yuxiang add.
"What interest me more, is that Axion is rank 2." Said Milt.
"You're right. She's amazing." Yuxiang replied.
Spicy gluten gritted her teeth. She's Rank 4. She doesn't mind if Kaizo and Ramenman is in higher rank than her. But having Axion above her is displeasing. As someone who chase Kaizo, she must be the best girl cadet in the station. The murmurs about Axion's achievement annoyed her.
Spicy Gluten Smirked. "It's truly amazing Axion can get Rank 2."
Everyone looked at her. It is no secret that Spicy Gluten is always serious when it comes to her rank and popularity.
"I wonder what remarkable thing did she does to gain such high rank." Said Spicy in a sarcastic tone.
"What do you mean?" Tiramisu asked.
"Well... you know. I heard, she often gets called by Admiral Maskmana. She must be really close to him." Said Spicy
"Are you implying that Admiral give Axion special treatment?" Ask Olivia.
"NO... I didn't mean to be judgy...." Said Spicy.
"But now that you mention it... I think the Admiral does often call Axion to his office." Said Toso.
"Wasn't it the Admiral who took Axion to this station in the first place?" Said Milt.
"Yeah. We don't know where did she came from, or her background or her family." Mithra add.
"Could it be, that the Admiral is actually her relative?" Said Yuxiang.
"He could be her father?" Olivia add.
Spicy Gluten smiled. Happy that the rumor she made spread easily.
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"Kaizo, there's something i want you to try." Said Axion.
"What is it?"
"About your energy skill. I notice you can't exactly use energy shield and energy sword at the same time." Said Axion as she pressed buttons on her tablet computer.
Kaizo glance suspiciously at Axion. Wondering if Axion trying to learn his weakness.
"The way you use your energy power is almost similar to how I use magic to make magic shield or enhance my sword. So I'm interested in learning it." Said Axion as she show her tablet screen at Kaizo.
Kaizo looked at the screen.
"You see? The Energy wall that you make use a lot of energy to create protective dome around you. So I was wondering if you can make smaller shield wall and spend your energy more effectively." Axion explain.
"What do you mean?"
Axion begin tapping on the tablet screen and show Kaizo an animation of his energy wall.
"Instead of creating a whole dome of energy wall, what about you create pieces of energy wall to defend yourself? You saw how I use my magic shield, right? The size of my magic shield can vary depending on how big the enemy attack is. This prevent me from wasting magic on a big shield only to defend against a small attack." Said Axion.
"But what will this technique do for me?" Kaizo ask.
"If you can spare enough energy, you can use both energy sword and energy shield at the same time for a good while. Like how a knight hold both a shield and a sword."
"Hmm... interesting. So how do I do that?"
"Firstly, you need to know your enemy's attack. The tricky part is to estimate the damage that your enemy give you. Secondly, estimating the enemy's target. For example, if your enemy is aiming on your shoulder, you don't need to cover other parts like your legs or your head. You've seen me in battles many times. So I'm sure you understand this part. I only make magic shield at places where I thought the enemy would aim." Said Axion.
"But how do you know where your enemy is aiming?"
"By looking to their eyes. People always look at the object that they're aiming. If my enemy is aiming for my head, they would look at my face. But if you can't see their eyes, what you need to see is where they point their weapon. The rest is good reflexes. Let's say it takes 5 second for a bullet to reach you. Within that 5 second, you need to estimate the enemy's target, estimate the bullet's damage, and estimate the best course of action."
"You expect me to be able to do that in 5 second?"
Axion innocently stare at Kaizo. "...I can do that." She said bluntly. Making Kaizo slightly pissed.
"So, you want to try it out with me ?. Think it as a way to pass time and warm up before the next semester start." Said Axion with confidence.
"I'll try it out." Said Kaizo.
They both enter the training ground. Axion stand few meters away from Kaizo with a gun at hand.
"You're ready?" Axion ask.
"I'm ready!"
Axion started to aim at Kaizo's shoulder and shoot. Kaizo managed to make a small piece of energy shield to defend his shoulder. She begins to run around, looking for an opening. But Kaizo managed to hold her attack. Axion begin to put her mask on, preventing Kaizo from looking into her eyes. Kaizo still managed to hold. She throws her gun and begin to attack using her magic. Small magic circle appears on her finger and a beam of light begin to attack Kaizo.
Kaizo jump away to evade her attack. He startled as he looked at the ground that has burned and turned black. He looked at Axion.
Axion shrug. "What? We both know you can do better than this."
They continue their training for hours. Pulling attention of students and Admirals who just pass by. Soon, crowd gather to see their fight. Axion breath heavily as Kaizo run out of breath.
A clapping sound stop them from training any further.
"Good work. I see you've been recovering well." Said Admiral Maskmana as he claps his hand.
"Admiral!" Kaizo exclaimed.
Both Axion and Kaizo give a salute.
The Admiral nod. Behind admiral Maskmana, Admiral Tarung and A commander from Guruhan paramilitary unit stand.
"That was an impressive training." Said Guruhan Commander.
"This is Commander from Guruhan paramilitary unit. An elite force from Gurlatan. I'm sure you already heard about him." Said Admiral Maskmana.
"Commander. It's an honor to meet you." Said Kaizo as he gives a salute.
"I'm happy to see that these cadets have a promising talent to be our future protector." said Admiral Tarung. He put his hand on Kaizo's shoulder. "I would be happy to see the day you join my TAPOPS station." He said as he gives a big shiny smile.
"Thank you, Admiral." Said Kaizo.
The Guruhan commander snorted. "Using this opportunity to promote your station. That's a cheap way to pull cadets into your station. The best of the best will obviously join my elite Guruhan paramilitary unit." Said Guruhan Commander.
"Keep up your good work. But try not to overdo it. You just recovered aren't you?" Said Admiral Maskmana.
"Yes, Admiral!" Said Kaizo as he gives a salute.
"Axion, if you have time, could you come to my office for a moment?" Said Admiral Maskmana.
"Of course, Admiral!" Said Axion as she gives a salute. She turns to Kaizo. "Let's continue our training next time."
"Sure." Said Kaizo, short.
Axion wave goodbye as she walks away with Admiral Maskmana.
Murmurs filled the crowd.
"Could the rumor be true?" Tiramisu whisper to her friend
"I understand why the Admiral like Kaizo since he's top student. But is he really giving Axion a special treatment?" Said Milt.
The murmur continues to spice up the rumor. Spicy gluten didn't say anything. She smiled knowing that her rumor can grow by itself.
Weekly Power Status
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Ranking 
-- Power
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