Riley Ross
Chapter 56: There Are Levels To This

Chapter 56: Chapter 56: There Are Levels To This

The battle between Victoria and Chieftain Amerika didn’t last long—barely a minute.

The other students were already shocked and bewildered that Victoria was fighting an instructor in the first place, but the result shocked them even more.

At first, the fight seemed evenly matched.

Chieftain Amerika, despite her age, was fast—blisteringly fast. She zipped through the air in unpredictable patterns, and most students couldn’t even track her movements. But Victoria could. Not only was she able to follow Chieftain Amerika, she kept up with her. No—she was faster.

When Chieftain Amerika vanished from sight, Victoria would appear behind her like a bolt of lightning.

No, not like a bolt—she was lightning. Each time she moved, thunder cracked in the air. And every time she pointed a finger, arcs of lightning shot out like a web, crackling with power.

But Chieftain Amerika’s energy-forged wings blocked each of those strikes, dispersing them harmlessly across her glowing feathers. She managed to grab Victoria once, but Victoria dissolved into sparks and reappeared behind her again.

Very quickly, the momentum shifted. Fatigue crept into Chieftain Amerika’s face, the strain clear to anyone watching. Victoria was overwhelming her.

Victory seemed certain for Victoria.

Then, without warning, Victoria was blasted backward—her body crashing into the side of a building. But before she could hit the pavement, Chieftain Amerika caught her.

"What... just happened?"

Victoria had lost.

Confusion spread across the students. Murmurs rippled through the crowd—no one had seen the turning point. It was only when Spectacular Mustache Man stepped forward that the pieces began to fall into place.

"As many of you know, Chieftain Amerika can manipulate energy..." he said, standing at the front, "...But what most of you don’t know is that she can also absorb energy—and return it. Chieftain Amerika may be old and retired, but she has something none of you, none of us, have—experience."

"Ugh..." Victoria groaned, rubbing the back of her neck as she made her way back to the Baby Crew. She gave them a sheepish smile and laughed softly.

"I... I guess I’m the first one in the crew to lose."

"Are you kidding?!" Hannah ran up to her and threw her arms around her. "That was awesome!"

"Is it weird if I ask for an autograph even though we’re friends?" Bella teased as she joined the hug. Gary was also about to join the hug, but Bella and Hannah quickly glared at him.

Pauline, more reserved, stepped forward and smiled.

"That... was amazing, V," she whispered. The only one who really didn’t approach was Tomoe, but she nodded at her when their eyes met.

As for Riley, well... he was still actually standing beside Silvie for some reason. Victoria looked at him, and Riley raised both his thumbs up at her in approval, which finally made a smile crawl on her face.

"Alright, everyone gather up!"

And as everyone’s voices started to fill the air from endlessly talking about Victoria and Chieftain Amerika’s fight, both of the instructors moved to the center, with Spectacular Mustache Man clapping loudly to get everyone’s attention.

"Everyone, good work!" He raised his voice as he looked at his students, "Our first combat training is over! I hope you realized the valuable lesson we’re trying to imprint—"

"W-wait!"

Before Spectacular Mustache Man could officially end the mock battle, however, Hannah suddenly stepped forward and raised her hand.

"I haven’t had my turn yet!" She bellowed, "I’m the only one who hasn’t fought yet, Sir!"

Spectacular Mustache Man stared at her for a moment, before shaking his head and giving her a stern,

"No. You are not allowed to fight yet."

"W-what...?" Hannah forced out a strained smile, her lips twitching as she glanced nervously at her classmates before turning back to him. "Why? I already didn’t get to do anything during the demonstration. How am I supposed to improve if—"

And this time, it was Spectacular Mustache Man’s turn to cut Hannah off.

"The purpose of this mock battle," he said, his arms folding tightly across his chest, "was to show you that none of you are equal."

A hush fell over the students as he continued.

"Some of you can fly at near-sonic speeds, summon lightning, or throw cars with your minds. And some of you... can make bubbles. It’s a harsh truth, but it’s one you’ll face every single day of your lives. There will always be others whose abilities are... far beyond yours."

Hannah opened her mouth to argue, but Spectacular Mustache Man’s sudden glare silenced her.

"And you, young lady..." he said, pointing directly at her, "...are far more super than most of us. Ms. Hannah Ross, please step forward and introduce yourself."

"W-what?" Hannah gulped, startled as he motioned for her to stand beside him and Chieftain Amerika. "But... if I’m not even going to fight—"

Before she could finish, a slow clap echoed from the side of the field—it was Riley.

Slowly, everyone awkwardly turned their heads to him, but Riley did not care at all as he continued to clap. Silvie, who was standing beside her, slightly narrowed her eyes at first before also clapping her hands.

And soon, the rest of Baby Crew followed suit.

Everyone was confused as to what was happening, but they also clapped their hands.

"Wha..." Hannah’s eyes widened in surprise before she let out a flustered groan and covered her face. With a sigh, she made her way to stand beside the instructors.

"I’m not trying to humiliate you, Ms. Hannah," Spectacular Mustache Man said gently. "I’m trying to make a point—to you and to them."

"That..." Hannah bit her lip and hesitated. But when she looked at Riley and saw him quietly watching her, she took a deep breath and squared her shoulders.

"My name is Hannah Ross," she said, voice growing steadier. "And... due to a very democratic vote among my friends, I ended up with the name Nuclear Baby."

"...A fitting name," Chieftain Amerika murmured beside her, nodding once.

"Can you tell them why that name, Ms. Hannah?" Spectacular Mustache Man crossed his arms.

"It..." Hannah was hesitant at first, but she once again looked at Riley and nodded to herself,

"I have the ability to manipulate nuclear energy."

And with that single statement, Hannah made everyone turn quiet—an ability she seemingly shared with her brother.

"Thank you, Nuclear Baby," Spectacular Mustache Man gestured to Hannah to return to the others. He then once again scanned the students’ faces before nodding and saying,

"Once again, the point that we are trying to make with this activity is to tell you that there are levels to this. It’s not fair, it would never be...

...most of you are closer to regular people than you are to Ms. Hannah, and that’s going to have to be okay."