Chapter 7: The King Has Awaken

On January 4th, 2010, a seventeen-year-old Saikuo Achilles Hollow King transferred to Mauko High School, deep within FN-Hatena D4. To stay hidden from his family and enemies, he changed his name to Nizmo H. King. He entered the classroom with his teacher, who instructed him to introduce himself. Nizmo nodded, cleared his throat, and said, “Hello, everyone! My name is Nizmo H. King. Nice to meet y’all.” With a gentle smile, he wrapped his tail around his hip like a belt, which captured the class’s attention.

His inventive ways of using his tail made some girls chuckle. Most half-breeds they had seen were rough or intimidating, but Nizmo’s calm demeanor was admirable. However, he received no attention from the rest of the class. Some boys approved of him; others disliked his appeal to the girls. One boy in the front row was keenly aware of this. “He’s dead meat!” He muttered, but Nizmo’s acute senses picked up his words. For it slipped out as a mumbling whisper. “You can take your seat in the back, Nizmo,” said the teacher. Before Nizmo could sit, a girl raised her hand. The teacher took notice of her and asked, “What is it, Britt?” “Um... Can I ask Nizmo a question, Sir?” She politely asked. “Once he is okay with it,” the teacher nodded. “Nizmo, do you mind answering a question or two?” “Sure,” he answered, standing by his desk. Britt turned towards Nizmo and asked, “I’ll just ask the question that’s on everyone's mind. Why do you have a tail?” “She doesn’t seem much of a threat or a nosy person. So, I’ll just give her a straight answer,” He thought with a smile. “Born with it.” “Hmph, figures,” a boy muttered. “Interesting,” the girl said, smirking. The teacher, preparing to start the session, asked, “Is that all the questions everyone has for Nizmo?” No one answered, so he nodded, and Nizmo sat down.

During the session, the teacher made an announcement. “Attention, everyone! I’ll be having a meeting shortly with the headmaster. It’s why I cut this session short today. Does anyone wish to volunteer to show Nizmo around?” While searching for someone to handpick, the boy sitting in the front-row seat raised his hand. “Butch? Are you sure? Don’t you have to attend the football practice?” Mentioned the teacher. “I don’t think this would take long, honestly. So, I don’t mind showing him around,” Butch answered. Across from him sat a blonde-haired girl with blue eyes. She studied his cunning smile and instantly raised her own hand. “May I also assist with that?” She asked. “Ashley! Great!” the teacher acknowledged and continued, “Anyone else?”

Butch menacingly glared at the classroom, aiming solely to prevent others from joining them. Nobody wanted to comply, so his aggressive demeanor worked well in his favor. However, as he scanned the room once more, he noticed a faint glow coming from Nizmo’s direction. It was like a pulse erupting from an unknown source. “Huh?!” He reacted as he shifted his body to get a better view, but it vanished. “I wonder if I read that correctly,” Butch thought. “The air behind Nizmo was red, but only for a moment,” he recalled, narrowing his eyes. “It’s wonderful to observe our highly accomplished students aiding a new arrival. Well, Nizmo, my deepest apologies. Hope this will be enough,” the teacher said. “I don’t mind this. Thanks for helping me as much as you can,” he answered. “Introduce yourselves to him when you can. I’ll catch you all in the next session,” the teacher waved as he left the classroom. “See you later, Mr. M,” Ashley waved. “Will do, Mr. M,” Butch said, waving his hand.

“Now that, Michael is gone,” Butch stated. Ashley interjected, “Mr. M, BUTCH!” “Whatever! So… what are you?” He asked casually, pointing at Nizmo. “Huh!?” Nizmo reacted. “Great, more questions…” he thought. “Apart from your tail, your eyes don’t match, and I’m getting a weird feeling from you,” Butch added. Ashley at that moment felt a strange pressure as she stood near Nizmo. It wasn’t painful, but it felt quite heavy, as if she were standing too close to something powerful. “I wonder what that strange feeling was?” Her eyes drew towards Nizmo and Butch. “Anyway, how about you leave the questions for later?” Ashley stated as she stood between them. “I know you’re the prefect and all, but I’m just curious,” Butch shrugged. “I’m glad you have a sense of curiosity, but this isn’t the time for it. Welcome to Mauko High School, Nizmo. My name is Ashley, A2’s classroom representative,” Ashley greeted, smiling with a brief bow. “Glad to meet you both. And to answer your question, Butch. I’m a half-breed,” Nizmo said. “A half-breed? Between what, exactly?” Butch questioned. Nizmo’s eyes lowered before the lingering thought came to pass: “Does he want my birth certificate next or what?” “Don’t you think that’s a bit too personal? For I think that’s really none of your business,” Ashley implied. “At least someone is finding this to be a bit odd,” Nizmo thought. “Whoa, about you’ll just be quiet?!” Someone shouted. They all darted at the suspect who blurted out such a ridiculous yet relatable request. Their eyes met Carl’s, who had his head on the desk with one eye open. “Would be great if you headed back to sleep, Carl,” Ashley advised. “Thanks, Rep,” he muttered before falling back to sleep.

While turning back to the guys, Butch began walking to the door. “Where are you going?” She demanded. Her authoritative voice stunned him. “Just follow me, why don’t you?” He insisted. He pulled free from her grasp and turned to face her. Stepping away from his desk, Nizmo asked, “So, where shall we be going?” “How about out back?” Butch suggested, gesturing quickly with his arm. Ashley turned to Butch and placed her finger over her lips before slightly blowing on it. He ignored her and tried to speak again, but Ashley clenched her fist and gave him a tight smile. Butch fell silent and looked away. “Let’s show you where your locker is first,” she said. “Sounds good to me,” Nizmo applauded before reaching the doorway. Butch on the other hand, walked ahead of them. Nizmo and Ashley followed soon after. “Don’t mind him. He is, you know, that type of guy,” Ashley whispered as she kept shoulder to shoulder with Nizmo. “Strange... I am no longer feeling that repelling effect from earlier,” she pondered while staring at him. A smile came across Nizmo’s face. “I’ll take a note of that, but what type of girl are you?” He asked.

Ashley was a bit taken aback at such a response. She even drew a little farther from him before answering. “Well, let’s see. As a class rep, I am always seen as Ms. Perfect. So, I guess you can label me as such,” she said, fiddling with her bangs. “Hmph,” Nizmo shrugged. Butch, looking over his shoulder, saw the interaction between them. Butch’s eyes narrowed before his eyebrows lowered. “He seems pissed,” Nizmo noticed as he got a glimpse of his face. “The hallway smells fresh, but there’s a lingering smell of cleaning chemicals that remains. Reminds me of the previous school I was at. I truly can’t admire the school presence, as I might need to leave this school soon as well,” he pondered as he observed his surroundings. Ashley attracted his attention by waving her hand in front of him before pointing to the lockers. “So over here is where your locker would be, but we’ll come back here later for you to enter the combination yourself,” she pointed out. As they walked past a bank of lockers, a selective few were filled with dents and scratch marks, while others were seamless. “And over there is the restroom,” Butch mentioned. “I better get back into my freshman persona before he asks any more questions,” Nizmo thought. “Combination for the lock, right?” He asked.

“What else would she mean, dude?” Butch commented. “Well, isn’t this FN-D4? Wouldn’t such a technological city have fingerprint scanners or something of that nature?” Nizmo implied. “When Father Zone gives us more funding, we can; however, Butch over there must win the football tournament for interschool,” Ashley explained. “Have you forgotten most of the so-called funds are spent on the sparring mats, armory, and shielding?” Butch stated. “You guys have an armory?” Nizmo asked with his eyebrow raised. “I’ve never had a school with its own armory,” he thought. “Yes, and if you have any weapons of your own, you can also carry them on your person. Like I do,” Ashley replied, displaying her miniature daggers she drew from under her skirt. “But most areas on the compound wouldn’t allow you to carry them most of the time, so it's best to store them in the armory. Which is down the hall on the right,” she continued. “Cool!” Nizmo exclaimed.

They headed towards the worn-out sparring mats beside the gym. When Butch suddenly yanked Nizmo aside while Ashley kept walking, unaware. As she kept walking, they both stared deeply into each other’s eyes. As time slowly passed, Nizmo broke the ice by releasing himself from Butch’s grasp with a swift tug and said, “What do you want? For that grab you did there... it was uncalled for.” “He got out of my grip that easily? He may be strong, but there is something missing from this equation,” Butch thought as he gazed at Nizmo’s hands. “Let’s be honest with each other,” Butch said. “Uh-huh?” Nizmo reacted. “I don’t know what type of powers a half-breed of a human and ape have, but you shouldn’t be abusing them while at school,” Butch said, pointing his finger at him. Nizmo’s eyebrows rose as he became lost in his own thoughts, wondering, “Abusing what powers? Can he sense my suppressed powers?”

“The only power I am active in currently is shapeshifting. So, what are you on about?” Nizmo answered, arching his tail behind his back. “Could you stop pretending you’re unaware of what you’re doing? Clearly, you have something else up your sleeve. Maybe seducing or mind-controlling powers?” He mentioned. “This could explain why the girls were so attracted to such a freakishly ugly face such as his,” Butch observed. “He is onto something, but man... this dude is annoying. I hate that I can read his thoughts,” Nizmo reflected. “Why aren’t you answering me? Cat got your tongue?” Butch threatened as he stepped closer. “Are you just jealous, or is there something else?” Nizmo implied, smirking. “Oh, I see. So, you do know what you are doing. You know I don’t like people standing out more than me,” Butch said. “Okay...? And... What does that have to do with me?” Nizmo commented with a nonchalant tone. Butch’s face twisted in anger before shouting, “Go to hell, bro!” In that moment, his voice echoed through the hallway and alerted Ashley in the distance. “Huh!?” She reacted after hearing the outburst. “Hope I can make it on time. I was too careless for a moment,” she thought as she rushed towards them.

Butch clenched his fist before hurling it towards Nizmo. “To hell? Sorry to tell you, but I can’t; they don’t want me there anymore,” Nizmo sighed as he evaded the attack. Nizmo took another step back after noticing Butch hunched himself down as if he were about to tackle him. “He dodged my attack so effortlessly. So, I was right about him being a fighter,” Butch thought while holding his position. “BUTCH! STOP this AT ONCE!” demanded Ashley as she approached them in the distance. Her voice didn’t stun him like before, for he continued his assault. “Stay out of this!” Butch shouted before pressing forward. He launched a series of punches and kicks towards Nizmo in rapid succession.

The punches, even those faster, Nizmo dodged without showing signs of a struggle. The kicks, on the other hand, forced him to pivot away from the lockers to avoid being pinned. Butch’s relentless attacks were powerful as they echoed throughout the halls. Some even matched the sound of Ashley sprinting closer. At the end of Butch’s combo, he hauled a massive kick aimed at Nizmo’s chest region. But instead of evading the kick, Nizmo countered it by grabbing it. “What the?!” Butch reacted. He was stunned at Nizmo being able to catch it, let alone stop it. “How was he even able to catch that so quickly? No matter, I’ll just-” he thought before Nizmo tugged his leg to his chest.

Butch’s eyes widened as he was raised off the ground and tossed across the hallway. Ashley’s eyebrows spiked in shock, witnessing such a feat before casting a summoning on the wall. A large red plaid-patterned cushion lessened the impact; however, he groaned in pain as he lay inside of the soft material with a rough texture. Ashley stood behind Nizmo while Butch emerged from the cushion, covered in metallic armor. “This is getting out of control...” “STOP THIS! NOW! The BOTH of YOU!” Ashley pleaded with her eyes, darting between them. Nizmo immediately placed his hands up and said, “I’m not willing to fight.” “But I know he is,” he continued while pointing at Butch. Ashley glared at him, waiting for a response, but there was no reply. Butch instead stood there emotionless as his armor slowly chipped away.

Ashley tightened her stance with her one hand, holding her tie. Butch took notice to her stance and began slowly stepping away. “You know what... do this yourself, Ashley,” he said as he continued down the hallway. Ashley turned to Nizmo and asked, “Mind telling me what happened between you two?” Nizmo’s eyes kept jumping between Ashley and Butch. “I don’t really know,” he replied. Soon after Butch disappeared amongst the halls. “He normally doesn’t act like this. So, I found this little conflict strange...” Ashley pointed out. “I see,” Nizmo said as they both stared down the empty hallway.

Butch observed the area before taking out his scanner from inside his shirt. “Lucky, this didn’t get damaged in the scuffle.” He observed once more before stepping into a room nearby. He radioed into SHUNNF’s HQ and relayed a message: “Agent B reporting. My assumption that the Hollow King being the new student might be correct. His name is Nizmo H. King.” Looking over his record and findings, he patiently waited for a response.

A voice message arrived on his vibrating transmitter, and it read, “Copy that, Agent B.” Just seconds from the first message, another emerged, “Incoming line!” “We’ve assessed your message and report. However, what allowed you to make such an assumption? You know what happened to your last mistaken guess,” they commented. “Tsk.” “My sensors were giving off extremely abnormal readings, unlike my last encounter. My small interaction with him gave me the chance to get a piece of his DNA. Once I get back to Headquarters, this sample would aid in solidifying my suspicion,” he answered. Butch began looking over his shoulder before thinking, “I just hope it didn’t give myself away for how careless that was.” A faint sound of static lingered through the call before a CLICK sound emitted. “Understood, what is your ETA?” “I’ll be there in the next hour,” he said before disconnecting the line. A student who had tapped the call used the information he gathered to spread rumors about Nizmo.

Throughout the day, Nizmo overheard consistent remarks about him. “He might be a spy,” someone whispered in the hallway. On his way to the lunchroom, he heard someone accusing him, “Vale must have sent him.” The group of students beside him nodded in agreement. One student at the edge of the table interjected, “Or he could be the ‘new’ Hollow ‘King’?” Before another student chimed in, “Doubt it! But I’m sure that head of his must be hollow.” “No one from Vale would be this ignorant to step foot on Father Zone’s lands so blatantly,” he continued. To escape from the noise, he hid himself on the school’s rooftop. However, amongst the fields below him, the wind carried whispers of a group nearby. It was a group of girls conversing under a tree. “If he is the Hollow King or whatever, why is he here?” Another girl commented, “Someone like him shouldn’t be at our school.” Nizmo hung his head and gave off a brief sigh before looking up at the sun. The bell rang, causing the lucid trance to snap. “Already time for the next class,” he muttered, making his way into the hall. Barely making it to his next class, he sat at the back once again. Glaring eyes met him before he could take his seat. One student across the room, with a mask and a blue jacket, whispered, “If he is one of the corrupted, shouldn’t we dispose of him?” “No, not until we see him morph into one. Then you can cut him down,” the boy right beside him replied, smiling before facing Nizmo.

Just like wildfire, these rumors surged throughout the school, and soon after spread to social media. Leaving Nizmo with little room for making new friends and upholding a casual school lifestyle. But now his chances of being discovered by his enemies and family members have currently increased tenfold.

The wind whipped my clothes and hair about as I hovered over the school. I kept a close watch on him, much like a hawk. “I’ll introduce myself when the moment is right.” “Another pawn to be promoted to Queen, though perhaps ‘King’ would be a more fitting word for this occasion,” I commented, overseeing Nizmo.