“Damn IT!” SMASH BANG SMACK
Powerful glistening muscles trembled with tension and rage as fist after fist rained with destructive intent on their helpless victim swaying powerlessly to their tempestuous whims.
A mighty roar of hatred signaled the end as the final blow landed and mercy was granted with violence.
As the dust slowly settled, the sound of footsteps interrupted the wheezing bellows that still trembled the air.
Small hands holding a towel came through the clouds of sand and blocked his vision, started to dust off the ‘innards’ of his latest defeated foe.
“You know this is the third reinforced sandbag you’ve gone through today, right? If you wanted to test your strength, we have other equipment for that. Sandbags are for techniques only, not for venting from superhumans.” An impersonal voice that flowed like a splash of ice water woke lil Davie from his tantrum. Why was Professor Violet here? And wiping his hair?
Selene Violet, the most popular professor in the Mecha Design School, the dream of every male student that had ever been graced by her beautiful but icy presence, was known for two things. Being unreasonably pretty and speaking as if her heart were frozen. Few suitors had managed to walk away emotionally intact, most broken in new ways, yet her beauty kept them coming still.
Davie couldn’t see past the towel or the hands that held them there, still busy in wiping the sand from his hair, but he could imagine her, tall, slender and powerful with the graceful curves that harmonized perfection. He couldn’t see her, but that voice was unmistakable. Which was the problem. What was happening right now?
“Are you planning on reimbursing the University for the destruction of school property from gross misuse? Just so you know, these aren’t cheap. I’m estimating around twelve thousand credits each.” The cold voice went on, trampling any hint of fantasy, cold sweat now mixing with sand. The towel still blocked his face, and he was no longer sure what kind of expression he had.
“Or were you thinking you could pay with your body?” The eternal ice softened and an impossible heat could be heard as a hand started wandering down his chest. What?
“I wouldn’t mind you using your body to pay your debts. What do you think about leaving your body with this big sister?” The voice behind the towel whispered into his ear. Davie’s innocent little brain was threatening to short circuit as his body trembled from more than terror, strange images of being bound, Mistress Violet looming over him-
“You totally thought about it, you jerk!” A completely different voice screamed as the towel was finally slapped away from his face. Instead of the tall mature blonde that was threatening to awaken a new kink, was the playfully scowling green eyed brunette that had entrapped him.
“I was merely afraid I was going to be robbed of something precious by a predator.” Davie declared with a straight face.
“Ha! More like wondering what this big sister could teach you~.” Lily teased in her eerily accurate impersonation of the professor’s voice if it were coquettish.
“Why are you so good at that?” Davie asked through his laughter, refusing to acknowledge the jab.
“Just a random discovery.” She merely shrugged before continuing to tease, “Don’t change the subject. You were totally digging the idea, weren’t you?”
“Hey, I’m a horny teenager. Don’t play with me like that. It’s not fair.” Davie pouted proudly. Seeing him grin at her so smugly, Lily was glad that she’d managed to divert his mood towards the better. For now, at least.
She was instantly regretting her actions when two sweaty and sandy arms captured and enraptured her little body in a big sweaty and sandy hug of male grossness. Davie held on through all her protests with dramatized affection that had her giggling as much as she was screaming. He wasn’t blind to her efforts. It just made him happy, and he liked being happy. It was better than what he was feeling before, so he decided to stay where he was.
In the Mecha Pilot Program of the Military Mecha Department, the incoming freshman had to go through months of simulated testing before being allowed to merely touch a Training Mecha Powersuit and months more extensive simulations training before their first time piloting. It was in their second year that the best to continue climbing would receive their personal mecha powersuits.
But like in all things, there was one exception.
Freshman Mecha King.
A title that was rarely claimed was traditionally accompanied by bloody storms.
When an incoming Mecha pilot hopefully exemplified excellent qualities beyond the normal bounds of genius, they’d be bestowed the crown of Freshman Mecha King. A crown that is now open to be stolen.
If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
A challenger who defeats the King becomes the King, and with it the privileges, even if their qualities fall short of the standard. Privileges that warrant the blood bath of every bestowal. The Freshman Mecha King came with its own personal Mecha.
By the time they all ascended to the second years, the rankings would shuffle again, but having the extra experience would prove valuable in the fight for the next throne.
Davie, that genius of geniuses, received the crown. It wasn’t difficult for a first cleansed at seventeen, disciplined in martial practice and capable of battling third years to a draw, to be crowned the Freshman Mecha King. It was, however, difficult for a sixteen-year-old that had been alienated from all his peers, with no allies, to keep the crown.
If he had completed the week undefeated, the crown would have been his. After the first few weak challenges from the so-called geniuses in the first couple of days, Davie had believed his position cemented, especially since no new challenges arrived the rest of the week. He hadn’t considered what people were willing to do to accomplish their goals, a mistake, he thought he had already learned from his brother.
On the last day, a single challenge was issued. Davie had grown proud and his anger at the attitudes of those around him only made him more spiteful and arrogant. He didn’t even look at the name of the challenger. There was no way a freshman could dethrone him.
On his way to finishing what he considered his last chore before claiming his prize, he realized someone was following him. Several rough and unfriendly ‘students?’ had made their presence known when he’d stepped into a more secluded part of campus.
Davie always enjoyed walking the less worn paths, and that usually led to interesting secluded places, like the alley where he was now surrounded in.
Unexpected but not unavoidable, Davie wasn’t scared because even though all ten thugs that had him trapped were first cleansed like himself, he knew they wouldn’t dare throw the first blow. The University freely encouraged competition but there were sacred rules that no one dared to break. Here, the crowned within the bestowal period could not be attacked outside the official challenges.
It was another matter if the crowned attacked first, but then why would he? Davie had no reason to throw away his advantages. So he strode confidently forward, not carrying at all about the unfriendly smirks. There wasn’t anything they could do or say to him to make the first move. It wasn’t like this had been the first time they’d played this game after all.
“Where’d you leave your crippled bitch today? Did finally ditch her now that you’re a bigshot? Or did she go to play with someone else since she knew you’d get slaughtered? Maybe she went to be someone else’s bitch already?”
There were two good things to be said about the incident.
One was that the idiot who poked too hard had all his limbs broken. The second was that he didn’t remember the ass kicking he got from what he later learned were a mix of third and fourth years.
Sure, he didn’t make it to the challenge and lost his crown by default to some no name that he hadn’t bothered remembering, but if this was the lengths they were willing to play, it only showed how scared his enemies were of him. His pride, which had taken a massive blow when he woke up hours later in a med pod, still knew what was important.
As he held his mass of giggles to his chest, he knew what was more important.
Suddenly both giggler and gigglee, froze mid movements, captured by the message that had flashed in front of both their eyes.
They were not the only ones. Their parents, that were miles away on a secret date, were also blankly staring at a message that only they could see, not caring about the impatient ‘hurrumphs’ they were getting for holding back the line into the famous bakery.
Both couples stared at each other in shock and both couples ran off together in strange excitement, looking for privacy. Davie and Lily had heard plenty of Desi’s stories about finding places without surveillance, and those gross lessons helped them today. Juan and Mary had Juan’s early years of juvenile delinquency, which had them quickly tucked into a secluded alley. Four pairs of eyes shined with expectation as they reread to words only they could see.
Nexus Elder Jun Hopper extends you an invitation to his Personal Domain.
Would you like to accept? Y/N
Four pairs of eyes instinctively blinked yes and opened up into a new world.
Four jaws gaped comically as they struggled to take in their abrupt new reality.
The first and greatest impact was the sky. It was blue and clear and vast and wonderfully bright and warm, just like they’d seen in the old vids. The majestic rocky mountain ranges capped in arctic whites that surrounded the valley of wildflowers held their attention for only a second, as it was impossible to not be drawn to the giant pink fluffy landscape that sprawled out below them. Mountains of colorful fluffy dolls surrounded a single sleeping mass in the center of the massive pink bed.
“Isn’t she precious? She’s kind of the reason I called you all so abruptly. Sorry about that everyone. It’s good to see you, by the way.”
The voice that spoke from behind startled everyone in delight. Lily and Mary were so busy hugging Jun in a death grip and laughing that they were too busy to be shocked by the other’s presence. Davie and Juan had a moment to glance at each other in surprise, though there were a few too many things to be shocked about to consider what to address first. They settled with joining the group hug.
After an emotional moment, everyone peeled off Jun and gave him space to breathe again. He didn’t care, though. He was happy to see his family. The separation had only been a week and there had been many times in the last four years where he’d gone longer periods without them, but this had been different and they all knew it.
“So I know you have a lot of questions, but there are some things that need to be said before Ella wakes up, so forgive me if I don’t satisfy all your questions right away,” Jun said with an apologetic smile.
Mary just smiled as she stroked his face, reassuring herself that her son was still with her. “It’s fine. There’s so much that just happened that I’m sure you have a lot to say. Tell us whatever you feel you can.” She didn’t want to push him away by being too pushy. She was confident that he’d share what he was willing to.
“I wanted you all to meet someone new.” Jun said with a wide grin, looking towards the sleeping child.
“Who is she?” Lily asked curiously, glancing at the little sleeping bundle from where they stood.
“She’s my daughter,” Jun answered with a bright smile.
“WHAT?!”