Vigor Academy

Chapter 1
Best-Friends


         ….. Every warrior dream of becoming ne plus ultra. The highest status any warrior can achieve, Uwong.  The man who obtains this status  is the greatest of  all warriors.  There has not been a Uwong in the last century….
         
         “Elijah, Elijah…it’s on, hurry up,” shouted Jeremy, Elijah’s little brother. Elijah ran down stairs hurriedly to watch his favorite movie, The Last Uwong. He had seen  the movie several times, but it only got more interesting every time he saw it. The movie was loaded with action, it starred his favorite martial artist, Jim Kelly.
         Elijah rushed downstairs. He had a pretty standard built and he was 12 years old, going on 13. He had  glossy dark skin with smooth jet black hair.  He had a rough look about himself. He was easy to get along with, but did not have many friends. He flopped down to the couch and gazed at the TV.
         The movie begun with Jim Kelly hopping on scene  Kicking and Shouting at a bunch  of attacking thugs. Elijah must have saw this scene a million times and knew it too well, but still looked as if he was very intrigued.  Jim Kelly was the best to him, his idol.
         After the movie Elijah and Jeremy broke out into their usual reenactment of  their favorite scenes. Elijah always  wanted to be a master of the arts. But he was unskilled. His families bloodline was derived of workers, there were no warriors whom he knew of. They had no relations to any martial clans or didn’t know anyone who practiced the Arts.  His family only associated them selves with people of their class. So the most practice he received was from his little brother or his best friend, Michael Carter.
         After Elijah and his brother finished tussling Elijah went upstairs to read his latest magazine on the Arts. Although  he was never formally trained, he had a lot of general knowledge about the Arts.  Whenever he was not watching a martial arts film or imitating a fight, he was reading about the Arts. It just seemed so hard to actually apply techniques and  release energy. As he was reading, the door bell rung.  He shouted to Jeremy that he had it and rushed to the door. He knew who it was, his best friend Michael. He had been waiting for him for him all day.
         He opened the door eagerly. It was indeed MC and he had the envelopes in his hand just as Elijah had hoped. Elijah beckoned him and anxiously went to his bedroom. MC and Elijah plopped in  the beanbags  in the corner of the room and MC handed Elijah the envelope. He opened the envelope and glanced at the sheets that rest in his hands. They were the applications to his new school. This was no regular school, it was Vigor Academy of the Arts, the high and prestigious school of the Arts. The same one that the great Jim Kelly attended.  “I told you that I’ll come through Eli. You  have to sign your application today; my dads friend works in admissions office and can guarantee us a spot,” MC finally exclaimed. Elijah was appalled that he  would be going to an School of the Arts and the best one at that.
         “Thanks,” that was all he can say. He jumped up to his table  to begin filling out his application  while MC began reading one of his magazines. This was a chance of a life time for Elijah.  Generally only clans man or rich people could attend a school, especially Vigor Academy. He began to wonder how the students would react when they saw he had little training, would they ridicule him. Well at least he had his friend MC to be by his side. He finished the last of the application and handed back to MC. This was it, he knew he was in.
         “ Well, you might as well pack your bags, we’re definitely in and the freshman bus arrives next week, we can’t be late to the destined pick up,” he said as  he reviewed the papers, he was sort of a perfectionist.


Ch. 2
Don’t be late


         Annnnt, Annnnnnt, Annnnt, Annnt, Annnt. The alarm buzzer sounded off to wake Elijah. He hit the buzzer and abruptly woke up. Everything rushed back to him and he knew today was the big day for him.  He intentionally set his alarm an hour  earlier, he did not want to be late on his big day, besides he knew MC would have been mad if he missed the bus for oversleeping. Elijah always overslept but he came prepared for this day. His bag was near the door and his clothes were already picked out. He headed to  the bathroom to  wash up and brush his teeth. After he was dressed he went downstairs to eat a quick breakfast, the school was nearly four hours away. His mother was already down stairs with Jeremy and his breakfast was ready. They wanted to say goodbye and wish him good luck before he went to the bus stop. He cherished the  moment because he wouldn’t be able to come home  for a while. After they had their moment his mother took him to over to MC’s house.
         When he arrived at MC’s  house, MC was fully dressed. Michael had the smooth clothes to go along with  his  appearance. Michael had smooth  golden skin, with hair as dark as Elijah’s.  His hair was at a medium length with curls. He had a soft appearance,  but his sharp, stern  eyes would tell anyone he was not nearly as soft.  Even though he and Elijah  were very different they seemed to click just fine.  MC  was fine with the ladies because he always dressed to impress.  Today he had on some heavily creased blue jeans,  Baby Blue and white designer shirt, and a fresh pair of  blue Nikes. He intentionally wore these colors because they were Vigor Academy’s colors. Elijah never really paid to much attention to clothing , he was more into learning and books.
         “Hey, was sup Elijah did you eat,” questioned MC.
         “Yeah, but thanks for offering, Aren’t you excited.”
         “Yeah, oh good thing you came early. My father had some business to take care of again, we will have to walk,” MC responded again. Elijah did not really want to walk but he said ok anyways. They should have figured that something like this would have happened because Mc’s father is always busy anyways. They walked hurriedly even though they had a lot of time to spare. They did not have much conversation. They must have been immersed in their own thoughts about their new school, VA.
         They approached their stop and their was only one other kid there.  Not many people from their neighborhood would be attending this school anyways. The boy at the stop was pale and chubby with a blonde crew cut. He looked very generous and happy as they approached him.
         “ Hey guys my names Hank Giggs, I’m apart  of the Oboso Clan,” the chubby boy happily proclaimed.  Elijah had read a little about the Oboso clan. They were a very noble and Honorary clan. The typical built was  heavy set and they focused on grapple and throw moves.  The kid seemed to fit the description.  They said hello and greeted themselves, but either of them had a clan to claim.
         “ I thought the Oboso Clan titled all of their members with the last name of their clan,” MC suspiciously questioned.
         “ Well, um, my mother got married. Her clan name was Oboso ,but she took my father’s last name. Therefore I am only half Oboso,” Hank explained. There was no need for them not to believe him but MC was just being cautious.  It was not the norm for any clans man to live in the working part of the city.  After that they hit it off pretty well and had a conversation on clans and Arts until the bus arrived.  Hank was pretty funny and, and they had made themselves a new friend.


Ch. 3
The Big Blue Bus



         The bus arrived in an almost theatrical way: it roared up and slowed to a precise stop as if the driver had trained himself for years. The bus was different arrays of blue and white patterns. It definitely stood out. It bore the initials VA on the sides and back of the bus in bold, solid blue letters. They hesitantly approached the bus with their luggage. A rambunctious, elderly man hops off the bus to greet them and help them load their luggage onto the bus. “Hey, guys no need to look surprised. You guys are going to the Academy. Im the bus driver, Earl Thomas. Some call me ET,” he attempted at amusing them as he loaded their luggage, ” Well that’s everything, come on now. Get on the bus I wont bite ya.” Hank, Michael and Elijah each hopped on the bus. It appeared as if they were the last stop. The bus was fairly empty. They were scattered open seats , but their seemed to be a group huddled around a boy while he was talking.
         The boy who was the center of attention had a very attractive, soft face. He was clean cut, slim, and fair in color with  noticeable chestnut colored hair. He was stylishly dressed, and MC seemed to pick up on it instantly.  MC had a thing for people who knew how to dress well.  MC walked to the back to try and chime in on the conversation. Hank and Elijah did not mind and chose to sit a little farther up instead. They found two empty seats behind a weird looking kid who looked kind of intimidating.
         “ Well as you guys might have known I am from West Fure Region. That area is known to have foster some of the greatest Elemental Art masters, its ridiculous. My father says  our family is direct descendant of Sinatro Zumo himself. For those of you who don’t know that is one of the best Elemental Art Clans in existence. Me being a member of the Zumo Clan makes near impossible to beat. Father and I have been training since I was five. I think I can take on half the people at Vigor. No, really I am that good…..” the  boy continued to talk about himself. It only became more obvious how pompous and pedantic this guy was. He talked with an air of importance. Whenever some made a commet or asked a question he would reply in a sadistic manner. No one seemed to care how rude he was, because everyone was still listening; even Michael.
         After the boy finished his conversation about himself, he tried to mellow out so he sparked up a conversation with Michael. He also had liked how Michael came dressed to  impress.
         “ Hey you in the blue, what’s your name kid,” asked the egocentric boy.
         “Me….oh the name is Michael.. Michael Carter,” MC responded as if he was shocked the boy was asking him a question.
         “ The name is Anthony Scalia Zumo the third, as you might of heard I am direct descendant of Sinatro Zumo himself. What about you, don’t you have a clan?” the boy responded.
         “ Um…no, I don’t have a clan…my father never pursued the Arts. He chose to become a businessman  instead,”  MC said almost disappointed.
         “ Well did your mother ever dabble in the Arts,” he said.
         “ Honestly, I don’t know very much about my mother, She died giving birth to me…My dad did not know much about her. He said he only knew her shortly and that they did not have a very god social life together. I am the only thing they would have in common,” MC did not mind telling this story. Actually he was quite accustomed to it and was not the least bit sentimental about anything. At a young age MC had learned that emotion only made you weaker, and his goal was to become the best.  He did not know if he ever had a real chance at becoming Uwong, but he would not give up the effort.
         “ Anyways that doesn’t matter. Who cares if you don’t have a clan, you can dress and that all that matters. You will fit in fine with me, and maybe I can teach you a few things or two,” Anthony said in a reassuring way.


Ch.4
Arrival

         

         The bus came to a complete stop directly in front of the massive gates of Vigor Academy. The gate had the same strong VA initials ,as the bus, embedded onto its center.  The gate was huge but it seemed only a little speck on the ever-stretching wall. “Welcome lady and gents to Vigor Academy,” Earl announced in a drastic voice, “Please exit in orderly manner…wait at the gate and a assistant shall come to your aid shortly.” Earl sounded as if he a failed flight attendant.
                   Everyone seemed to be impressed except the weird, intimidating kid who sat in front of Hank & Eli and Anthony.  Actually Anthony was impressed but he hid it behind a faux look of boringness. The weird kid was the first off the bus. He kept to himself and  moved off the bus. MC were the last kids to get off right before Earl. “Oh and kids….don’t worry about ya bags. They will be bought to ya room for ya…alrigghhtyyy…have a nice day,” Earl announced before he hopped on the bus and pulled out. Shortly after the bus pulled the gates swung open.
         A beautiful, young lady stood facing them.  She wore a blue, white plaid skirt, tube socks and a pearl white shirt with the VA initials sewn in royal blue letters.  Her wavy dark hair was put into two pig tails and her smile matched her shirt.  She had a nice body shape to complement her smile. Most of the boys were immediately quiet but none as interested as Hank. “ Hello class, My name is Stephaney  Willbrook of the Ucho clan. I am a second year student here at Vigor Academy School of the Arts. I’m also the freshman class tour guide. I’m hear to show you the main buildings and the boy and girl housing units,” she pronounced all her words perfectly. 
         She walked flawlessly as if she rehearsed for it plenty of times.  She showed them the Main office, Training Barracks, Intense Conditioning Gym, Formal Education Buildings, the Housing Units,  and even the gigantic  statue of Jim Kelly that was placed directly in the middle of campus. This area was known as Kelly Quad. Many students including Eli already committed this area to one of their favorite spots.
“ Well Ok everyone. This concludes our introductory tour.  You will not have any classes today and are free to use this day to do whatever you want. The only thing you must do is report to the main office to get your housing info. Your roommates will be designated and your luggage should be in your room,” Stephaney quickly finished up and went to the group of girls who were waiting for her.
         “Hey MC want to go check out the Training Barracks, I guarantee you I will beat half of those kids in there. It will be fun, come on,” Anthony urged Elijah.
         “Well, I don’t want to leave my friend behind…Elijah wanna come,” asked MC.
         “I didn’t ask him….I asked you. He can’t come,” retorted Anthony. Mc seemed as if he did not know what to do. He did not want to leave his best friend behind, but then again this was a new school and he wanted to fit in.
         “It’s ok MC go with him. Me and Hank wanted to check a few things out anyway. I don’t mind,” Elijah explained not wanting to keep his friend from having fun with new people. MC and Anthony walked off to the Training Barracks.
         “ He’s a real asshole,” Hank exclaimed.
         “ Yeah, who cares. Anyways, what do you want to do right now,” replied Elijah.
“Lets go register our rooms first. Maybe we will be roommates,” said Hank.
         They slowly paced around the campus to the Main Office. They were not in a rush, and enjoyed the scenery of Vigor Academy. A group of boys led by a threatening boy walked their way. The boy looked similar to Hank but with black hair and a bit taller and heavier. He seemed to be the leader of the pack
         “Yo, punks stop right there,” the menacing kid bellowed. Elijah and Hank tried to keep walking. But a slender kid with an awkward look on his face stepped in front of them.
         “ Hey fresh meat don’t you hear Big Bill talking to ya,” the skinny kid announced.
         “Kids, Kids its no need to fret. I just came on by to introduce myself and set a few ground rules. I am known as Big Bill on campus. I run  an insurance company on campus. You pay me a set weekly fee and I will protect you from me,” he said as he was king of world.
         “No thanks we will decline that offer,” Hank replied as if he was not threatened by Big Bill’s towering body.  Bill did not seem to take this remark lightly. He must not have been used to been used to someone refusing his kind offers.
         “Well you see this insurance is not optional, its mandatory. Me being nice I wont charge you the initial fee, but you will have my money by next week, got it chubby and you also,” Big Bill finished with a blow to Hank’s chest ,” and none refuses  my  offer.” The mob of boys walked away while  Eli kneeled down to see if Hank was okay.
         “I’m okay, but who does that Big Bully guy think he is. Next time he wont catch me off guard. We will see who gets paid what.” Hank said angrily.
         “ The guy is a jerk. Just forget about it. Come on lets go check on our rooms,” Elijah told Hank.
         

Ch.5
Roommates


         “Are room mating system is completely random. The only thing I can tell you is that you will be in a room with a male of your grade level,”  the lady at the desk responded to Hank ,”would you young men like to know your rooms then,” she finished.  They nodded briskly. “Lets see here… oh there we go. Why yes Hank Giggs you will be in Housing Unit 3, Floor 2, Room 17. When you get to the door it should have a 3217 on the door. And for you, Elijah Williams your also in Housing Unit 3, Floor 3, Room 26. Your door will read 3326. If you guys need further assistance feel welcome to visit the office at any time,” she waved them goodbye. They were hoping they were roommates, but at least they were in the same building. They walked and made small talk most of the way to the Housing Units. They walked past the Barracks as they saw an angry Anthony storm out. They had a short laugh because they remembered all the stuff he talked about being this great fighter.  In the distance it sounded as if he was claiming his opponent had cheated.  They continued off to their Units making Jokes about Anthony the whole way. They reached their building and parted ways as Eli climbed an extra flight of stairs. Elijah reached his door and opened it.
         The weird, intimidating  looking kid from the bus was curled on the floor in a meditating position.  Elijah did not want to disturb him so he slowly tip toed to the edge of the bed. The kid Jumps up and nearly strikes Eli in his solar plexus.
         “Whoa. What was that for,” questioned Elijah.
         “Sorry. Should have knocked, I’m always on my guard. You startled me in the middle of something,” replied  the guy.          
         “My name is Elijah, I guess were roommates. I sat behind you on the bus. What’s your name,” he stated.
         “Joshua Sanders,” he replied in the shortest possible way.
         “ Well, do you have a clan. I don’t and I was wondering if you did,” asked Elijah to try and spark up a little conversation.
         “No,” you could see the tension build up in his face as he said that ,“my clan no longer exist. Those passive morons were murdered without mercy,” as he talked veins popped out of his head. Elijah saw that he must have asked the wrong question and attempted to change the subject.
         “Oh, did not mean to upset you. So what was the meditating thing you were doing when I came,”  Elijah said quickly.
         “I am sorry to lose my cool, but that subject irks me. The meditation was an old Arts custom.  My clan was strong on teaching these things. It helps me enhance and harbor energy. The concentration required for these meditations allow me to calm my nerves so that I will not get to upset,” Joshua told him.
         “Cool, I’ll have to learn sometime,” Elijah told him.
         “No Problem, but it requires lots of dedication and concentration. Maybe I’ll teach you another day. I want to get some sleep. Tomorrow we both have Formal Education first thing in the morning,” Joshua told him as he yawned.
         “Ok, goodnight but where are my bags,” asked Elijah.
         “Everything was folded and hung once I came in. You can check if you like, but I need to rest,” Joshua claimed.