Chapter 101 - 100: Gentleman’s Agreement
Hearing the sound, everyone instinctively looked up.
When the three squads saw a strange, masked girl, their faces filled with confusion.
The members of the Anomalous Abilities Unit, however, all had their eyes light up, but they remained silent out of discipline.
At the same time, all forty people present fell into contemplation. A living, breathing person had been in a tree less than three meters away, and not a single one of them had noticed.
’Has our vigilance slipped, or is this girl just that strong?’
Yvonne Lowell didn’t walk toward them. Instead, she gave them a nod and strode directly to the training grounds. "Assemble at the training ground."
Everyone instinctively looked toward Finn Knight. Finn Knight just shrugged innocently, turned, and started walking.
"Why are you looking at me? She’s talking to you. Better get a move on. You might get punished if you’re late."
Everyone quickly fell in line behind her, but not knowing if they were allowed to overtake Yvonne Lowell, they could only trail closely in her wake.
Jasper Hayes nudged Ryan Ford, muttering under his breath, "Why do you think she’s wearing a mask? You think it’s because she’s ugly?"
"How should I know? But is she really here to train us? Can someone with a build like that even do it?"
Every word of their exchange reached Yvonne Lowell’s ears. Beneath her mask, the corners of her lips curled into a slight smile.
"Don’t follow me. By the time I get there, I expect to see you all assembled in formation."
Hearing this, the group sprinted toward the training ground.
As Theodore Zane passed the pair, he shot them a meaningful glance, certain they would soon regret their words.
He had only witnessed her superpower, but even in hand-to-hand combat, he was sure he couldn’t win. He had been thoroughly convinced by a single kick from her.
...
When they reached the training grounds, Yvonne Lowell looked down at the four squads already in formation. Her voice was icy as she began to speak.
"I am ’One.’ You can call me One, or you can call me Instructor. For the next month, I am your one and only superior."
"Training officially begins tomorrow. Be warned, my regimen will be brutal. During the training, I will not permit anyone to quit for any reason short of severe injury."
"If you feel you might not last, step forward now. I will have someone escort you away."
"I will explain the situation to your superiors myself, because I do not tolerate useless dead weight under my command."
At her words, the trainees’ gazes only grew more resolute. Not a single person moved.
"I know you’re all the best in your field, the elite of the elite. My dropping in like this might not sit well with some of you, but that’s fine. I’m a firm believer in ’persuasion through virtue.’ And if that doesn’t work, I’ll just beat you into submission."
Hearing this, the crowd couldn’t help but let the corners of their mouths twitch. ’So that’s her definition of ’persuasion through virtue’?’
"So, to ensure we all get along in the future, I want all four squads to pick the person you all agree is the best fighter among you. We’ll have a little sparring match to warm up." Yvonne Lowell tilted her chin toward the fighting ring to one side, gesturing.
The moment she finished speaking, the three squads all turned to look at the Anomalous Abilities Unit.
To everyone’s surprise, Stanley Sutton immediately took half a step forward. "Ma’am!"
"Speak."
"After an internal discussion, the Anomalous Abilities Unit has unanimously decided to abstain!"
The other three squads whipped their heads around to stare. ’What? Are they backstabbing us?! You guys have superpowers! And the most difficult squad of all is choosing to abstain?!’
’Just get a Thunder Element user to go BOOM, a Fire Element user to go CRACKLE, or a Water Element user to go SPLASH. Wouldn’t it be over in minutes?!’
’And when exactly did you have this ’internal discussion’?! Did you use thousand-mile messaging?! Or telepathy?!’
Yvonne Lowell raised an eyebrow. "Your reason?"
"Ma’am! We know our own limitations. We know we can’t beat you," Theodore Zane added, stepping forward.
The three squads: ’Oh, real good. You ’know your limitations,’ do you? Not only are you backstabbing us, but you’re also trying to make us look bad to suck up to her, is that it?’
Yvonne Lowell looked at the remaining eight members. "Do you all think so, too?"
The eight nodded vigorously. "Yes, ma’am!"
"Fine. Then the choice falls to the other three squads. I’ll give you three minutes."
With that said, Yvonne Lowell went and sat on a shaded step.
Ryan Ford elbowed Theodore Zane, who was standing beside him. "Hey, why are you guys being such cowards? You were never like this before."
Theodore Zane said mysteriously, "You wouldn’t understand. We just did a mission with her. She’s terrifyingly powerful. I’m not just bragging, but if she were willing to join the Anomalous Abilities Unit, even our captain would have to step aside for her."
Hearing this, Stanley Sutton shot him a sidelong glance but didn’t contradict him.
Sensing the glare, Theodore Zane quickly added with a sheepish grin, "And I’d be vice-captain... for our captain, of course!"
The three squads exchanged glances. ’So, are we still doing this? Even the Anomalous Abilities Unit can’t take her.’
"I’ll do it," Jasper Hayes said, running a hand over his buzz cut. "I refuse to believe it. Having a good superpower doesn’t mean everything."
"Alright. Among our three squads, you’re the best at hand-to-hand, Old Man Hawthorne." No one objected.
Yvonne Lowell stood up and looked down at them. "Have you decided?"
Jasper Hayes stepped forward. "Ma’am, I’ll spar with you. But I’d like to propose a gentleman’s agreement."
Yvonne Lowell raised an eyebrow. "Let’s hear it."
"During the match, you can’t use your superpower."
"Don’t worry. I won’t need to use my superpower to beat you."
Jasper Hayes’s mouth twitched. ’So arrogant...’
But seeing how agreeable she was, Jasper Hayes couldn’t resist pushing his luck. "Then if I win, will you take off your mask?"
"Tch. Fine. But if you lose, you have to write ’Instructor One is the most beautiful’ a thousand times."
"Deal! Everyone here is a witness!"
Yvonne Lowell paid him no more mind and walked toward the ring.
’You little brat. If I didn’t have to keep my face hidden, I’d skin you alive.’
’But, whatever. I’ll just tattle on him later.’
...
The two stood on the ring, and Theodore Zane, knowing his cue, stepped up to act as referee.
The whistle blew, and Jasper Hayes immediately charged, throwing a punch.
Yvonne Lowell remained rooted to the spot. Just as he was about to reach her, she raised a hand and caught his fist, her feet not moving an inch.
Jasper Hayes struggled but found he couldn’t break free.
Beneath her mask, Yvonne Lowell’s lips curved into a wicked smile. "Is that all? My turn."
As she let go of his fist, she simultaneously drove a kick into his abdomen.
Jasper Hayes was knocked back several steps, his face a mask of disbelief. ’Did she eat spinach or something?’
Yvonne Lowell pressed her attack, giving him no quarter. Jasper Hayes was forced onto the defensive, unable to find even a single opening to strike back.
Below the stage, Ryan Ford whispered to Theodore Zane, "The instructor’s techniques... they’re nothing like what we learned. Were the higher-ups holding out on us?"