The Art of Being Small
After finishing a brief sparring match with Team Harmonize, I extended my hand to my opponent. It was a simple gesture, just meant as a polite, post-match greeting. The man standing in front of me stared at my hand, then glanced around nervously. The moment his eyes locked onto Shine, he flinched, shrank back, and turned away without a word. Every single one of them reacted this way. I let out a soft sigh and shook my head.
"Jeff." Having confirmed that my match was over, Shine ran over immediately and handed me a small bottle of water. It was ice-cold, perfect for cooling down my warmed-up body.
"Hey, Shine. Is it always like this?"
"What is?"
"The people here."
"Hmm."
I pressed the water bottle to my lips and looked around. People were gathered in small groups, chatting away. Some were gesturing in the air, reviewing their earlier sparring matches. I wanted to do that too. But whenever I approached anyone, they avoided me as if I were carrying the plague, leaving me completely isolated.
"Yeah. They've been like that from the start."
Even if I asked, I would never get a straight answer. They avoided Shine and me, claiming they felt some inexplicable sense of aversion. I hadn't even done anything, yet simply sharing the same face as Shine made me an outcast. I looked down at my hands. They were small. So incredibly small.
"Mmm..." At my quiet groan, Shine carefully reached her hand out toward me.
"Shine, I'm sweaty."
"I don't care."
I frowned and complained as Shine slipped behind me, wrapping her arms around my waist. I was drenched in sweat, my skin sticky, and I certainly didn't smell great. But Shine didn't seem to mind at all, resting her chin on my shoulder with a faint smile.
"The exam is right around the corner. Can you really afford to be this relaxed?"
"Ah, Victor."
I was in the middle of trying to peel a sticky Shine off me when Victor approached, speaking in his usual gruff tone. A small lollipop was tucked into the corner of his mouth. Sensing my gaze, he seemed to hesitate for a moment before pulling two more lollipops from his pocket and holding them out to me. Not just one, but two. Seeing how he'd remembered to include one for Shine, Victor really was a kind soul deep down.
"Thank you." I carefully slipped the candies into my pocket and patted it. Lollipops weren't a treat I could enjoy openly anymore. I had to eat them in secret, somewhere Amy wouldn't catch me.
"Victor. I am strong," Shine told him.
Just as she said, not a single person here had managed to defeat her in a spar. And that was against such a small, fragile-looking girl. It was the same even in matches where abilities were allowed. For some reason, none of them could land a single hit on Shine before collapsing. Shine always preferred close-quarters combat. She would coat her hands in lightning, close the distance, and drive the electricity straight into her opponent's body. Instant knockout. The matches always ended in an incredibly anticlimactic fashion. That was Shine's combat style.
But was that really all there was to it? If she was using the same ability, that distinct, crackling sensation of electricity should linger in the air. That was true for Victor, for me, and for any other lightning-type user. But with Shine...
Sniff, sniff.
"Stop it!"
Shine buried her face in my chest, sniffing at me. Embarrassment washed over me, and I quickly pushed her away.
"Shine, I know you are strong. But Jeff..."
"Yes, sir..." I muttered, hanging my head.
In stark contrast to Shine, my performance was mediocre at best. It wasn't that I lost every single match, but I didn't win many either. Sparring without abilities was a lost cause, and even with abilities, my match-ups were highly dependent on compatibility, meaning my win rate was pretty dismal.
"But everyone here is so strong," I whined.
"Your ability is plenty strong as well."
"I guess, but..."
Crunch.
The lollipop in Victor's mouth shattered with a sharp crack. Chewing on the fragments, he looked down at me.
"There are only a few days left until the exam. I will be training you intensively for the remainder of the time."
"Aren't you already doing that?"
Victor didn't answer, his jaw working as he chewed. He reached into his pocket, pulled out another lollipop, and popped it into his mouth. I stared intently at his pocket. Considering how he had an infinite supply of candy, there had to be some kind of special spatial device in there.
"In terms of your ability, there is nothing left to correct. But when it comes to your physical body..."
Victor's gaze swept over me, assessing my arms and legs. There was a seasoned veteran's calculation in his eyes as he measured my frame.
"It's a bit of a hurdle."
"Yeah. It's hard because I'm too small."
My height was the biggest issue. No matter how fast I ran, my opponents could cover in a single stride what took me two. Even when I threw a punch, I couldn't reach their faces. It was incredibly frustrating. That was why I'd been forcing myself to drink so much of that awful green juice lately.
"I'll have to call Rain."
"Rain?"
Victor pulled out his phone. He tapped the screen a few times, and before long, a tiny yellow chick came pattering through the training hall doors.
"Jeff! Shine!"
It was Rain. For some reason, she was running toward us in her signature gear. Her yellow raincoat and matching yellow rainboots gleamed under the lights.
"I heard you were looking for me!"
Every eye in the training hall turned toward us. The murmurs grew louder. The glances thrown our way were filled with bewilderment, jealousy, and other less-than-friendly emotions. Instead of shrinking back, I puffed out my chest proudly. I'm close friends with high-ranking people like this. In times like these, you had to flaunt your connections. That was the only way to keep people from looking down on you.
I nudged Shine with my eyes, signaling her to step forward with me. But Shine must have misread my look, because she just slipped behind me and wrapped her arms around me again.
"Victor, why did you call Rain?"
"Starting today, you will be learning Rain's combat style."
"Huh...?"
I looked at Rain with a deeply skeptical expression. But logically, it made sense. Like Victor, she held the position of a team leader. That meant she had passed every single exam to get there.
"Do I finally get an apprentice too?"
Victor nodded silently. I stared blankly at him. He had taught me so much—how to use my abilities and how to fight. But his combat style, the way he moved his body, was fundamentally designed for an adult's physique. For someone with a tiny body like mine or Shine's, there was a clear limit to what we could replicate.
"Um, Rain. Why are you wearing those clothes?"
"Ah, this? Mary had a quick experiment she wanted to run, so I was wearing it for her."
"Really?"
"Yep!"
Rain spread her arms and spun around, showing off her raincoat. As she spun, tiny droplets of water materialized in the air.
"Ta-da! It's a brand-new feature. I can make rainbows now!"
Rain raised her open hands. The floating water droplets scattered, painting a miniature rainbow in the air. It was incredibly cute and pretty.
"Um, Victor... do I really have to learn from Rain?"
"You don't trust her, do you?"
"To be honest, yeah."
I leaned in and whispered to Victor. Nodding as if he completely understood my skepticism, Victor replied, "Rain. Jeff says she doesn't believe in you. Why don't you show her what you can do?"
I flinched, startled by his sudden instigation.
"Sure!"
But Rain just laughed heartily, nodding as if she was completely used to such doubts.
"Uh... Rain?"
"It's fine, Jeff. I just have to show you."
Rain smiled back at me. I could only offer an awkward laugh in return. The two of them began to back away from each other, preparing to spar. The onlookers who had been watching from a distance picked up on the shift in atmosphere and started drawing closer.
"No abilities."
"Got it!"
"Keep it light."
"Got it!"
"We start when this metal rod hits the ground."
"Got it!"
Rain waved her hands excitedly. I watched them with a doubtful expression. Just how well could Rain fight against a giant like Victor? I was dying to find out.
Victor pulled a small metal rod from his coat and tossed it into the air. The gleaming rod spun rapidly, descending slowly.
Clack.
The moment the rod hit the mat with a dull thud, Rain's demeanor shifted instantly. The playful smile vanished from her face, replaced by a cold seriousness as she lunged forward.
Patter-patter-patter.
The rapid sound of her small footsteps echoed through the training hall. Victor waited calmly. The moment Rain entered his range, Victor made his move. Shifting his weight back, he swept his long leg low. A sweep kick.
But Rain didn't stop. Leaping into the air to dodge the kick, she grabbed Victor's leg and drove her fist straight down. Victor's expression shattered. His stoic face contorted in sheer panic as he scrambled to pull back. He threw himself backward through the air, and in that exact instant, Rain's fist—having lost its target—slammed into the mat.
BOOM!
A deafening explosion erupted, a sound so massive it was hard to believe it had been made by such a tiny fist. I stared, jaw slack, at the mat where Rain's fist had landed. A gaping hole had been punched straight through the thick flooring, spewing out the soft stuffing underneath.
"I said keep it light."
"I am keeping it light," Rain replied.
Her cold, humorless tone sent a shiver down my spine. Pulling her fist out of the crater, Rain shook her hand in the air. Bits of the shock-absorbing material that had wrapped around her knuckles scattered onto the floor. Letting out a soft sigh, Victor glanced at me before springing back into action.
I couldn't tear my eyes away from the spar for even a second. Despite her tiny frame, Rain didn't yield an inch to Victor. Her strikes were swift and devastating. She dodged every single counter, waiting for the perfect split-second opening.
The spar was growing increasingly intense. As Rain's breathing grew heavy with excitement, Victor stomped his foot hard against the ground.
Thud!
A violent shockwave shook the entire training hall. If the impact was this strong all the way over where I was watching, I couldn't imagine what it felt like for Rain. Her small body was lifted slightly into the air. Rain's eyes widened in surprise. Seizing the moment, Victor lunged forward, grabbed her arm, and slammed her down onto the floor.
Bam!
It was quieter than before, but still a heavy impact. Smashed into the floor, Rain lay still, silent. Both Victor and Rain panted heavily, catching their breath.
"I lose," Rain said, letting out a small giggle.
The intense seriousness from moments ago vanished in an instant. Once again, she was just the bright, smiling, and friendly Rain everyone knew.