Assailant
The SHSL Shadow Alchemy Stand Using Lab Member
"Gah!" Max's back stung as he felt his skin collide with the metal through the rough fabric of his shirt. He gasped out in shock as his breath rocketed from his lungs from the impact. He slouched forward, but he didn't have far to go before the collar of his shirt caught on the fist of his assailant. He shut his eyes tight and grit his teeth, focusing intensely on the pain of his back. Maybe if he focused hard enough on that, it would become the only pain he felt. Maybe the throbbing in his head would go away. Maybe the voices from the heads of the five people standing around him would become only whispers. Maybe he could block out every nasty thought they had about him.
"You wanna say that again?" The boy who held him within his tight grasp said violently. Of course, that was only what came out of his mouth.
"This weak ass kid thinks he can just say what he wants and get away with it? All brains but no legs to stand on." Max moved his head, catching his breath.
"I-It would be dishonest," he said before catching a knee to the stomach. He gasped as he tried to catch his breath as the kid grabbed him by his hair and forced him to look up.
"You think I give a damn?" He said with venom in his voice. "Look, my buddies and I are really busy guys, and we don't have time to do all this bullshit that the teachers assign us. You're the smartest kid in the school... I bet you'd just love to help your friends."
Maybe I should just... do it. There's no need for conflict.
No. You know what the right thing to do is.
...
"Well, what do you say?" Max looked up at him with a hurt but determined look in his eyes.
"That's cheating." He braced himself as the fist slammed into his face and he stumbled as the bully threw him to the side. He hissed as a stinging sensation was felt on his nose, and a brief prod yielded blood on his fingers. He stood up shakily and looked back at them. They laughed.
"You brought this on yourself, pal!" One of his cronies charged Max and punched at him.
Force approximated 180 Newtons. Critical miss. Adjust for vector direction. Max leaned his head just slightly, causing the punch to nearly skim his ear. The crony's eyes widened. Subject shocked, reaction time diminished. Adjust calculations to compensate. Body maintaining current vector, adjust. Max slid one of his feet, gracefully avoiding the crony's now stumbling body as he failed to stop his own momentum. Total vector magnitude approximating 2700 newtons. Adjust opposing direction. Weakness spotted, adjusted vector magnitude for 6000N, apply. Max swiftly swept the guy's legs out from under him, causing him to faceplant. Tranquilize. Max quickly leaned over and pinched a nerve in his neck, paralyzing the guy with shock and pain.
He stood up as the rest of the bullies watched in awe. He turned over to them and they grimaced. "Fuck him up!" They yelled. Two of them rushed him and swung at him. He ducked under them, causing them to stumble into each other as he grabbed their legs and pulled them out. They fell on top of each other with a groan of pain. He quickly ducked under another's right hook and jabbed him in the stomach, before grabbing his neck and paralyzing him temporarily. He turned to face the big bad himself as he tried to grab Max. Max ducked beneath his arms and grabbed his stomach, throwing him over. However, as he was turning to finish him off, on of the bullies had gotten up and charged him. He didn't have enough time to react as he was pinned into a locker and punched repeatedly.
"You're. Fucking. Dead," the boy said as he accentuated every hit. Another bully got up and they held his arms to the locker as someone kicked him full force in the stomach. Max coughed, some blood coming up from it, as he looked back up at them. He wound up for one final punch, and as Max closed his eyes...
BANG BANG BANG BANG.
Lockers began to slam open around the commons. Bags and papers flew out of them, some hitting the bullies. They yelled and fell back as the lockers continued to burst open and their contents flew out. Max stood up as many of these items levitated around him. Max looked around and sighed. Oh no...
The bullies began to back away. "Y-your one of those freaks!"
"Mutants!"
"Super!"
"Monster!"
"Weirdo!"
"Inhuman!" They ran away quickly as Max sat down, the objects still levitating, as he was simply happy his attention could be diverted from his pounding headache.
Max's mom sighed as she read the paper. "Expelled again?"
"Sorry mom."
"This is the third school this year alone. I can't keep up with this, Max!" Max looked down. "I mean, just finding schools that will take you is gonna be hard enough, but this will be the fourth tuition I have to pay, and..." Max shut his eyes, not just from the pain of the bruising. His mother paused for a moment and sighed. "I hope you know that I understand this isn't your fault..." Max nodded. "I just... it's difficult. I know you're trying, but you've GOTTA get those powers under wraps." Max was silent as his mother looked down. Dinner was silent for a few minutes until his mother got up and washed her dishes. She hugged Max. "I love you sweetie... just keep doing your best. I'm your mother, it's my job to figure this kind of stuff out." After she left, Max ate in silence for a bit before walking upstairs. He sat on his bed for a few minutes before nodding.
He quickly grabbed his backpack and yanked all of the stuff out of it. He kept a pencil or two and some paper in there. He quickly threw a small amount of money, a sleeping bag, some food from the cupboard, his phone, and some books in there before walking outside with it on his back. He looked out towards the setting sun, reflecting on the note on the kitchen table. Tears came fast and strong to his eyes, but he wiped them away and looked forward with determination.
"You've done so much for me mom... and I'm gonna do something for you. Thank you for taking care of me for so long and loving me despite my condition. I'm just holding you back and hurting you. I'm going to be off so you can enjoy a normal life. I know you tried your best... this is not your fault... I'm just trying to help you...
Goodbye mom. I hope I can see you again some day." He walked forward, accepting that the tears were here to stay. He cried, but he never stopped moving forward. He was doing this for her... no matter what happened to him... he just didn't want to hurt her anymore.
"You wanna say that again?" The boy who held him within his tight grasp said violently. Of course, that was only what came out of his mouth.
"This weak ass kid thinks he can just say what he wants and get away with it? All brains but no legs to stand on." Max moved his head, catching his breath.
"I-It would be dishonest," he said before catching a knee to the stomach. He gasped as he tried to catch his breath as the kid grabbed him by his hair and forced him to look up.
"You think I give a damn?" He said with venom in his voice. "Look, my buddies and I are really busy guys, and we don't have time to do all this bullshit that the teachers assign us. You're the smartest kid in the school... I bet you'd just love to help your friends."
Maybe I should just... do it. There's no need for conflict.
No. You know what the right thing to do is.
...
"Well, what do you say?" Max looked up at him with a hurt but determined look in his eyes.
"That's cheating." He braced himself as the fist slammed into his face and he stumbled as the bully threw him to the side. He hissed as a stinging sensation was felt on his nose, and a brief prod yielded blood on his fingers. He stood up shakily and looked back at them. They laughed.
"You brought this on yourself, pal!" One of his cronies charged Max and punched at him.
Force approximated 180 Newtons. Critical miss. Adjust for vector direction. Max leaned his head just slightly, causing the punch to nearly skim his ear. The crony's eyes widened. Subject shocked, reaction time diminished. Adjust calculations to compensate. Body maintaining current vector, adjust. Max slid one of his feet, gracefully avoiding the crony's now stumbling body as he failed to stop his own momentum. Total vector magnitude approximating 2700 newtons. Adjust opposing direction. Weakness spotted, adjusted vector magnitude for 6000N, apply. Max swiftly swept the guy's legs out from under him, causing him to faceplant. Tranquilize. Max quickly leaned over and pinched a nerve in his neck, paralyzing the guy with shock and pain.
He stood up as the rest of the bullies watched in awe. He turned over to them and they grimaced. "Fuck him up!" They yelled. Two of them rushed him and swung at him. He ducked under them, causing them to stumble into each other as he grabbed their legs and pulled them out. They fell on top of each other with a groan of pain. He quickly ducked under another's right hook and jabbed him in the stomach, before grabbing his neck and paralyzing him temporarily. He turned to face the big bad himself as he tried to grab Max. Max ducked beneath his arms and grabbed his stomach, throwing him over. However, as he was turning to finish him off, on of the bullies had gotten up and charged him. He didn't have enough time to react as he was pinned into a locker and punched repeatedly.
"You're. Fucking. Dead," the boy said as he accentuated every hit. Another bully got up and they held his arms to the locker as someone kicked him full force in the stomach. Max coughed, some blood coming up from it, as he looked back up at them. He wound up for one final punch, and as Max closed his eyes...
BANG BANG BANG BANG.
Lockers began to slam open around the commons. Bags and papers flew out of them, some hitting the bullies. They yelled and fell back as the lockers continued to burst open and their contents flew out. Max stood up as many of these items levitated around him. Max looked around and sighed. Oh no...
The bullies began to back away. "Y-your one of those freaks!"
"Mutants!"
"Super!"
"Monster!"
"Weirdo!"
"Inhuman!" They ran away quickly as Max sat down, the objects still levitating, as he was simply happy his attention could be diverted from his pounding headache.
Max's mom sighed as she read the paper. "Expelled again?"
"Sorry mom."
"This is the third school this year alone. I can't keep up with this, Max!" Max looked down. "I mean, just finding schools that will take you is gonna be hard enough, but this will be the fourth tuition I have to pay, and..." Max shut his eyes, not just from the pain of the bruising. His mother paused for a moment and sighed. "I hope you know that I understand this isn't your fault..." Max nodded. "I just... it's difficult. I know you're trying, but you've GOTTA get those powers under wraps." Max was silent as his mother looked down. Dinner was silent for a few minutes until his mother got up and washed her dishes. She hugged Max. "I love you sweetie... just keep doing your best. I'm your mother, it's my job to figure this kind of stuff out." After she left, Max ate in silence for a bit before walking upstairs. He sat on his bed for a few minutes before nodding.
He quickly grabbed his backpack and yanked all of the stuff out of it. He kept a pencil or two and some paper in there. He quickly threw a small amount of money, a sleeping bag, some food from the cupboard, his phone, and some books in there before walking outside with it on his back. He looked out towards the setting sun, reflecting on the note on the kitchen table. Tears came fast and strong to his eyes, but he wiped them away and looked forward with determination.
"You've done so much for me mom... and I'm gonna do something for you. Thank you for taking care of me for so long and loving me despite my condition. I'm just holding you back and hurting you. I'm going to be off so you can enjoy a normal life. I know you tried your best... this is not your fault... I'm just trying to help you...
Goodbye mom. I hope I can see you again some day." He walked forward, accepting that the tears were here to stay. He cried, but he never stopped moving forward. He was doing this for her... no matter what happened to him... he just didn't want to hurt her anymore.
*gives Max a great big hug*