NOTE 10

Thia breathed a sigh of relief as she stood back up. “Now, only wait for the debugging to finish. After that, you can move again and remove the suit.”

Alanka looked at the panel in front of her. It showed an estimation that in fifteen minutes it would be finished. “Thank you.”

“Feeling down?”

“No.”

“Then something on your mind?”

“Yes.” Although she could not move, she could still feel the tingling sensation. It was weaker compared to when she was in the ground, but she could feel that it was spreading. “I have made a mistake.”

“Is that so… Care to elaborate?”

“I could sense it,” said Alanka. “In the last clash, as Karangka rushed forward I let the sensation take over. I made the decision to trust it.”

“Then?”

Alanka was silent. Even though it was only for a moment, she still got that feeling. She tried to continue, but her mouth could only utter a single word. “Sorry.”

“Can’t find the right words?”

“No. Not that.”

“Hm… Then let’s discuss this another time, in a place that’s more private perhaps,” said Thia followed by a chuckle. “Even so, I still have to record our conversation and send it to Doctor Lika.”

“It’s fine.”

After the words left her mouth, Alanka’s attention was immediately drawn to those standing on the ground. Following Asih’s direction, the four of them stood in each of their respective corners of the ground.

The closest to her was Karangka. To her right stood Dianka with a staff resting on her right shoulder. To her left stood Cakra with pair of gauntlets over his hands. The same goes for Kertanegara, except the gauntlets he wears are much bigger to fit his hands. While waiting for the signal, the four of them exchanged glances.

“Who do you think will lose first?” asked Alanka.

“Hm? Not who wins?”

“We will know soon.”

Thia frowned. “I want to say Karangka, but I don’t know how much she was affected from her last fight against you. Other than that, it’s probably that boy.”

“Is that so?”

“Oh? Do you agree with me?”

“Not quite.”

“But he called you a first timer. Don’t you feel annoyed?”

“I am. But that’s the truth.”

“…It’s about to resume.”

Both of them glanced at Asih who raised her hands. She looked at the four of them one after the other and snapped her fingers. “Begin!”

Karangka, as usual, was the first to move. She immediately lunged at Cakra who was a closer to her. She swung her axe from the right, but Cakra bent his body backwards making the axe slash through empty air. Not only did he dodge, by taking advantage of the shift in his centre of gravity, he moved to the right which gave him more room to move.

Utilizing the momentum of her first attack, Karangka immediately changed the direction of her axe. She let her arm swing down like a pendulum in an attempt to slash him. Yet once again, Cakra managed to dodge the axe by taking a few steps back. Karangka continued to push Cakra with swift attack but none of them landed. But one thing for certain was that his speed was deteriorating. The last two slashes managed to tear through his defences and slash a bit of his hair. But that was enough to make Cakra jump a few times backwards and create some distance.

Both were already drenched in sweat and gasping for breath.

“Need some rest?” mocked Karangka.

But Cakra did not reply, he just looked at her intently. “Karangka, there’s something I would like to ask.”

“Hm? What is it?”

“Do you have any preference on how I should beat you?”

Karangka’s eyes opened wide in surprise and she chuckled. “Are you serious?”

“Let’s just say that I don’t want to disappoint you.”

She laughed. “I do have some preference.”

“Let’s hear it then. I do need some good idea after all.”

“How about fighting back? It’s quite annoying if you just keep running away, you know.”

“So that’s your preference? Noted.”

Cakra readied his stance and taunted Karangka to attack him with hand gestures. Seeing that, Karangka lunged again. Same movement and same attack, or so she wanted Cakra to think. At the last second before swinging her axe, she changed her movement and instead tried to stab him with the tip. But this time, he didn’t just dodge away.

Cakra charged in. He stepped to the side and then quickly grabbed her hand and pushed it back until the axe pommel hit her shoulder. This was followed by a quick yet powerful strike aimed directly at her abdomen. In a frantic effort, Karangka blocked the attack with her empty left hand. But he did not stop. As soon as his attack was blocked, he grabbed that hand too and pulled it down.

Just as Karangka’s body tilted, Cakra placed his left foot on the back of her right foot and pushed his entire body with all his might. But Karangka remained standing still. He tried to push once more but to no avail.

“If it’s strength,” she said. “I won’t lose.”

“We’ll see.”

As Cakra finished his words, Karangka cocked her head back and banged it against his head. The impact was so loud that it reverberated through the air. Even so, Cakra maintained his grip on her.

“Heh… Doesn’t it hurt? Why don’t you—”

Cakra also cocked his head back and banged it against her head. They continue banged their heads against each other, again, again, and again. Until their heads were both red and bruised.

“It hurts, doesn’t it? Why don’t you give up?”

“Why don’t you first? Your pretty face is ruined, you know.”

“Wh-Wha!?”

Spontaneously, Karangka banged her head again, but this time it was much lighter. Both of them groaned in pain. They gasped for breath as they tried to lift their heads once more but were unable to, leaving their heads leaning against each other.

“Stupid, just give up,” said Karangka.

“No you give up,” replied Cakra.

“You blockhead. I will—”

“That’s enough! You both lose.”

“Eh?” said them at the same time.

Right behind Karangka, Dianka was already standing with the staff touching her back. While right behind Cakra, Kertanegara had put his palm on his back. Both of them still looked fit, not even a drop of sweat on them. As they released their grip on each other, they stared at the two of them with puzzled looks.

“As expected from both of them,” chuckled Thia.

“You reckon those two have been teaming up since the beginning?” asked Alanka.

“Of course! I probably would have done the same thing. Especially if that person is someone like Kertanegara.”

“Someone like Kertanegara?”

“Let’s just say that he’s probably the strongest of you lot.”

“How strong?”

“He could have taken on the three of them by himself.”

Alanka looked back at the two. After escorting Karangka and Cakra to the sidelines, they looked at each other. While still resting the staff on her, her hand were already gripping it firmly.

“What now?” asked Dianka.

“There is something I would like to ask,” said Kertanegara.

“Feel free.”

“Why do you insist on being class president?”

Dianka glared at him. “You know the answer to that question better.”

“I just want to hear it straight from your mouth.”

With a tap of her foot, Dianka held the staff in both hands and swung it at his head. But Kertanegara easily blocked it with the back of his hand and sighed.

“As you wish.”