WHY CAN'T I BE LAZY?

The gorilla with a burning skull for a head let out another guttural roar.

“Wait—how is it roaring if its head is just a skull?!” Sakura shouted.

“Really? That’s your question right now?” I snapped.

The beast lunged. Shadows rippled beneath me, surging up like black vines and striking its chest. The gorilla staggered but didn’t fall.

“Tch. I still need to refine this technique…”

Mikio unleashed sharp bursts of sound that barely pushed the monster back. Sakura dashed forward, aura flaring into glowing claws.

Mikio glanced at me as if asking when she picked up that trick.

“I don’t know either, alright?!” I muttered.

She vaulted onto its arm and cracked the skull with a spinning roundhouse. The head flew off, clattering near a tree.

For a moment, the gorilla froze… then lurched forward, shielding the skull.

Mikio tapped my shoulder and scribbled in flames: The skull is the core.

“Got it.” I responded.

" I think I'll give this leader thing a try"

I took a breath. “Alright, listen up. Mikio, attack from behind. Sakura, distract it up close. I’ll handle the rest.”

“Wow, look at you giving orders,” Sakura teased. “Did you hit your head?”

“Shut it and move.” I told her.

Mikio raised his hand for what I think was a high five.

"You'll get it once we succeed" I told him.

He nodded.

Mikio’s soundwaves blasted from the rear while Sakura dove in, her claws tearing at the gorilla’s hide.

Time to gamble.

Shadows liquefied around my arms, swirling, compressing, hardening. A black cannon formed, its barrel dripping with writhing darkness.

“…Shadow Cannon—ready.”

“Move it left!” I roared.

Mikio unleashed a massive shockwave. Sakura spun with another kick. The gorilla shifted just enough.

I had a clear shot.

Flames from Aeres surged into the cannon. With a deafening blast, I fired.

The ball of fire-shadow ripped through the air and shattered the skull in a thunderclap.

The gorilla collapsed instantly.

“…Huh. Guess Mikio was right,” I muttered, remembering Sakura's words. How did it roar with a skull as its head?

Leaves rustled. My eyes snapped upward.

A falcon with the head of a lion glared down from the branches.

“What the hell—” I fired again, but the creature shot higher into the trees, wings beating like thunder.

Meanwhile, the others watched from afar.

“I didn’t know Hikaru could do that,” Fuji muttered.

“Pretty cool, though,” Talia admitted.

Jackson crossed his arms. “But we’re definitely not telling him.”

“Of course not,” Yuki smirked. “Our job is to help Sakura torment him.”

They all laughed, while Suki tilted her head.

“…But what was he even aiming at?”

Forest....

The Gorilla decipated.

The falcon-lion hybrid spread its wings, feathers catching fire as it screeched. The sound rattled the trees, shaking loose leaves like rain.

“What is that?!” Sakura shouted, covering her ears.

The beast dove, its talons glowing with searing heat. I jumped aside as they gouged the ground, leaving molten streaks in the dirt.

Mikio’s flames flickered. He scribbled midair: Fast. Too fast.

“No kidding,” I muttered, eyes tracking the creature as it climbed back into the canopy.

Sakura charged, aura claws extending. She leapt onto a trunk and kicked off, meeting the falcon halfway. Her strike sliced across its wing but the beast barrel-rolled, slamming her back down. She landed hard, dust exploding around her.

“Ugh… okay, that hurt,” she groaned, stumbling upright.

The falcon went up again. Its lion head opened wide, forming a ball of searing golden fire. My stomach dropped.

“That’s bad.”

The beast spat the fireball, hurling it straight at Sakura.

“Sakura, move!” I shouted.

Before she could react, a shockwave split the air. Mikio blurred forward, soundwaves rippling from his palms. The fireball exploded midair, scattering flames harmlessly into the trees.

Sakura’s eyes widened. “…Thanks, Mikio.”

He just nodded, tightening his stance.

The falcon screeched and dove again.

“Alright, my turn.” Shadows spread from my feet, weaving up the trunks like dark veins. I clenched my fist, pulling the shadows into spears. Dozens of them shot upward, a storm of jagged black spikes.

The falcon twisted between them, wings cutting sharp arcs. My shadows pierced branches, shattering bark, but the beast slipped through the gaps, diving straight for me.

“Tch!”

It slammed into me, claws grazing my chest. Pain flared, but I forced the shadows around my arm into another cannon.

“Shadow Cannon—Rapid Fire!”

Boom. Boom. Boom. Fire-shadow bullets erupted, chasing the falcon as it tried to pull away. One grazed its wing. The beast screeched, wobbling in the air before righting itself.

Sakura sprinted up behind me. “Alright, teamwork time! Hira-kun, aim high!”

She leapt again, aura claws blazing, and slashed the falcon across its chest. The lion head roared in fury.

Mikio moved, faster than before. His flames and soundwaves twisted together, forming a spiraling shock-blast that thundered upward. It clipped the falcon’s other wing, knocking it off balance.

“Now!” Sakura shouted.

I planted my feet, channeling everything into the cannon. Shadows and Aeres’ flames fused, trembling with unstable energy. My arms shook under the pressure.

“Shadow Cannon—Oblivion Shot!”

The blast ripped through the air like a comet, striking the falcon-lion square in the chest. The explosion lit up the forest, rattling the ground beneath us.

The beast screeched one final time before crashing into the trees, the flames around it dying out as it dissolved into ash.

Silence fell.

“…Did we win?” Sakura asked, dusting herself off.

I dropped to one knee, the cannon melting away into liquid shadow. “Barely.”

Mikio exhaled and scribbled: Good work.

“Yeah… good work, all of us.”

We decided to rest for a while.

Watch Area...

“Their teamwork is reckless, but amazing,” Suki pointed out.

“Yeah. They could easily beat us,” Fuji admitted.

Yuki crossed her arms. “We aren’t telling them that one too, are we?”

“Of course not,” Jackson said quickly. “If Sakura hears, she’ll never let us live it down.”

The group burst into quiet laughter as the scene shifted back to the forest.

Forest...

After catching our breath, we pressed on, hacking our way through whatever monsters blocked our path. Each battle wore us down, but our rhythm as a team grew sharper with every clash.

Finally, we pushed through to the center of the forest. The air grew heavy, thick with tension.

Leaves rustled ahead.

We immediately fell into battle stance. Shadows rippled at my feet, Sakura’s aura claws flickered into being, and Mikio’s flames shimmered in the air, vibrating with hidden sound.

The bushes parted—

And out stepped Class E.

Their eyes locked on us. No words were spoken, but the pressure alone made my pulse spike.

The warm-up was over.

The real battle was about to begin.

Author’s Note:

Hikaru: Ugh… why do I always get stuck with all the hard work? First a gorilla with a flaming skull, then a falcon-lion-thing, and now Class E? Can’t this school give me just one test where I can nap in peace?

Sakura: Hira-kun, stop whining! It looked so cool. You with that Shadow Cannon—don’t even try to deny it. You should’ve seen yourself, all serious and shouting orders, we fighting. It was almost like you knew what you were doing. Almost.

Mikio: writes in flames — “Admit it, Hikaru. You looked cool.”

Hikaru: …Traitor.

Sakura: See? Even Mikio agrees with me! By the way, readers, don’t believe Hikaru’s sulky act. He’s secretly enjoying all this attention.

Hikaru: I’m not!

Mikio: writes again — “He is.”

Hikaru: …I hate both of you.

Sakura: He says that, but we all know he’d be lost without us. Anyway, thank you for reading! Stick around because Class E is finally here, and things are about to get really intense.

Mikio: in flames — “Get ready for the real fight.”