The rise of the unorthodox

"Did you have to drop me that hard? My head still hurts," Delight complained for what felt like the hundredth time that morning.

I had thrown her off the bed because she refused to wake up, and now we were going to be late.

We were already in our military uniforms, getting ready to leave. The uniform consisted of a white button-up shirt, a deep red jacket, and matching skorts. Skorts, in case you're wondering, are skirts with built-in shorts. The male uniform was identical, except they had trousers instead.

We quickly left the dorm building and headed to the spot where I was meeting Daniel.

Daniel was already waiting when we arrived. "Took you long enough," he sighed, then noticed Delight. "Oh, and you brought a friend," he said, pointing at her.

"This is Delight, my roommate. Delight, this is Daniel," I introduced them. They exchanged handshakes and greeted each other.

"Okay, where's the cafeteria? I'm starving," I grumbled.

We headed to the cafeteria, got our breakfast, and found a place to sit. As we ate, Sora flew out of Delight's hair and landed on the table, taking small bites of her food.

"Is that a flying rat?" Daniel asked, picking Sora up and petting him. "It's kind of cute."

Suddenly, I lost my appetite.

"How dare you!" a loud, aggressive shout echoed across the bustling hall.

We turned to see a tall guy with food splattered all over his shirt yelling at a much smaller girl. Her eyes were filled with tears, and her food tray was lying on the floor with its contents spilled everywhere.

It was obvious what had happened—the girl had accidentally bumped into him, and now he was making a scene.

"Do you have any idea who I am and what you've done?!" he barked.

The girl stammered, "I'm really sorry! I'll clean it up, I promise," her voice barely audible.

The guy wasn't having it. His shouting grew louder, and the girl looked helpless. I glanced around the cafeteria, wondering why no one was stepping in. It was a pathetic display of power, but I wasn't going to get involved unless I had to.

Things escalated when the guy raised his hand to punch her.

The girl quickly moved her hand in a circular motion, creating a shimmering blue orb around herself. His punch landed on the orb and was instantly rebounded.

The guy growled in frustration and punched the orb repeatedly. The girl had fallen to her knees, sobbing and pleading for him to stop.

Then, his fist began to glow with a white light, infused with his ability. He struck the orb again, shattering it instantly.

"Please don't hurt me! I beg you!" the girl cried, but he didn't stop.

I decided I'd had enough. Extending a few strands of my hair, I sent them toward him unnoticed. Just as he was about to land another punch, my hair wrapped tightly around his ankles and yanked him backward, causing him to fall flat on his face. Now, his face was smeared with food, too.

The girl seized the opportunity to flee, tears streaming down her face.

"Who the hell did that?!" the guy yelled, standing up and glaring around the room. "I am Devin Page! My father will have you all arrested!"

Devin's family owned a wildly successful shoe company, which explained his entitled attitude. The rich always thought they were better than everyone else, and it disgusted me.

"I said, who tripped me?!" he shouted again, his fists glowing ominously. "Do you want me to punch every single one of you, or is someone going to confess?"

He lunged toward someone, preparing to strike. I was about to intervene again when Daniel stood up.

Daniel's whip lashed out, wrapping tightly around Devin's arm. With a sharp tug, Daniel pulled him to the floor once more.

The cafeteria erupted in laughter as Devin sat there, now covered in even more food.

I noticed Delight snickering beside me.

"What did you do?" I asked quietly.

"Oh, nothing… Sora's just on his way to say hi," she replied with a mischievous smile.

Sure enough, Sora had flown across the room and landed on Devin.

"What the hell?! Get this flying rat off me!" Devin screamed, flailing wildly.

By now, everyone in the cafeteria was laughing. Sora eventually flew back and perched on Delight's head.

"You two!" Devin pointed at Daniel and Delight, his face red with rage. "I'm going to get you! Mark my words!"

Of course, no one suspected my involvement—I'd made sure of that.

"Let's go, guys," I said, standing up. "No harm in getting to class early."

Daniel and Delight followed me, and we left the cafeteria together.

"You were the one who tripped him, weren't you?" Daniel asked as we walked.

"I guess I wasn't as sly as I thought," I admitted, my voice cool. "I'll work on that."

By pure coincidence, we were all in the same class. We walked in and took seats at the back of the room.

The classroom was massive, with sleek metallic walls and floors. It was clearly designed for efficiency.

About fifteen minutes later, the room was nearly full, save for one seat. Five minutes after that, Devin walked in, now wearing a fresh uniform but still radiating anger.

When his eyes landed on Daniel and Delight, he shot them icy glares but said nothing. He wouldn't dare cause a scene with the teacher about to enter.

The teacher soon walked in, her heels clicking sharply against the floor. She dropped a stack of files onto the desk, silencing the room instantly.

She was tall, with fair skin, long black hair, and piercing green eyes. Her military uniform was crisp and commanding.

"Good morning, class," she began in a calm, steady voice. "Welcome. I'll be your instructor this term. My name is Miss Claw."

"Good morning, Miss Claw," the class echoed in unison.

She scanned the room with an intense gaze.

"Shall we begin?"