Adam : From a man to a God

"Adam's gonna win," a random student declared confidently.

"No way, Alex is faster," another countered.

Adam started to pick up on the students' chatter about him and Alex.

"Adam, there's something I've been meaning to ask you," Akira said, her voice hesitant.

"What is it?" Adam asked.

Akira looked down, her voice faltering. "It... it can wait."

Gabriel stepped forward. "Alright, let's get this over with. All teams are here. Eddie, you're going against Greg. Get to your positions."

Eddie and Greg stood next to each other, their eyes glowing a faint orange.

Adam watched Eddie with curiosity. "How fast is Eddie?"

Akira shook her head. "I'm not sure. I haven't seen him go all out. I can sense people's power, but Eddie's is a bit weak compared to Greg's."

"Oh," Adam replied, thoughtful.

Akira glanced at Adam, puzzled. *(Why can't I sense his power?)*

Gabriel's voice cut through the air. "On my mark... go!"

Greg and Eddie sprinted, Eddie trailing at 998 km/h while Greg led at 1067 km/h. Greg, in his white jacket and blue t-shirt, with blond hair and black jeans, touched the tree first and turned back, now running at 356 km/h. Eddie followed closely, but Greg arrived two seconds ahead.

"Wow, Greg with the win," Gabriel announced.

Eddie returned to his group, scratching his dark brown hair in shame. "I messed up, didn't I?"

"How fast were you running?" Adam asked.

"Nine ninety-eight, I think," Eddie replied.

Akira gave a reassuring smile. "It's fine... You tried. I thought there'd be a bigger gap."

"Hey..." Eddie protested, but Adam chuckled.

"Well, it's someone else's turn now," Adam said.

"Akira, you're going against Alex," Gabriel announced.

"What!?" Adam exclaimed.

"You heard me," Gabriel replied.

"But I thought you said..." Alex began.

Gabriel cut him off. "I never said you and Adam. I said your teams. This way, I can go home and rest."

"But people are dying to see Adam and Alex race," a random student protested.

Gabriel sighed. "Alright! You guys can be annoying, you know that?"

Eddie laughed. "Ha ha... Mr. Gabriel was in danger there for a sec—hawk!"

Eddie was suddenly hit by a small fireball, causing a minor explosion and making him lose balance. He fell to the ground.

Adam looked at Eddie, then at Gabriel, who still had smoke coming from his fingertip.

"Okay! Akira, you're going against Dan," Gabriel said firmly.

"Alright," Dan responded, looking excited.

Akira sighed and approached her position beside Dan.

"Akira, you said you can sense people's power, right?" Adam asked.

"Yeah," Akira replied.

"I think I'm beginning to sense it too," Adam said.

"Really!?" Akira's eyes widened in surprise.

"Yeah, I can sense it a little, but I can't tell which one is higher," Adam admitted.

"It's mine," Akira said confidently, walking to her position.

Gabriel continued, "The only teams left are Adam's and Alex's. Go!"

Akira's eyes glowed as she dashed off, leaving some students astonished.

"I didn't know she was this fast," Adam muttered.

Dan ran behind her, a wide gap between them. "Her legs are moving pretty fast..."

They both saw the tree ahead and increased their speed. Akira maintained her lead, touching the tree and turning so quickly that her feet caught fire, creating a circle of flame. She extinguished it as she ran back, arriving to find many students surprised by her performance.

She walked over to Eddie and Adam, hands on her waist. "How did I do?"

"You... you did great," Adam said, impressed.

"Yeah. Wait, does that mean I'm the slowest in the group?" Eddie asked, looking disheartened.

Dan returned to his team.

"What the hell was that?" Alex demanded.

"Sorry, I lost. I underestimated her and—" Dan began, but Alex interrupted with a loud sigh.

"There's nothing we can do about it now," Alex grumbled.

Adam and Alex spoke simultaneously. "It's my turn."

Gabriel glanced at his tablet. "Dan's points are 1132 km while Akira's are 1563."

"The fuck?" Tyler exclaimed.

"Yeah. You've really fallen, haven't you, Tyler?" Gabriel taunted.

Tyler clenched his fist in anger and disappointment.

"Well, congratulations, Akira. You're the fastest woman in your class, maybe even the fastest person, which would make you top 14 in the flame dorm," Gabriel announced.

The students murmured excitedly.

"Okay, finally. Adam, you're going against Alex. Get to your positions," Gabriel ordered.

Alex and Adam walked up, standing in front of the crowd, facing the road ahead.

"You're going down," Alex taunted.

"We'll see about that," Adam replied, his voice steady.

"Get ready..." Gabriel called out.

Both Alex and Adam crouched down, their eyes glowing a bright orange. The atmosphere grew tense as an electric energy filled the air, like a balloon ready to burst.

"Guys, I think you should step back. Make some space! Back up..." Gabriel warned, sensing the impending explosion of power. *(This should be interesting.)*

*What the hell is this?* Akira thought, her eyes fixed on Adam. *Adam...*

*When did they...* Tyler began, but Eddie cut him off.

"Wow, everybody can sense it without even trying," Eddie marveled.

Both Adam and Alex's feet caught fire, the flames licking up their legs.

*(I'm probably gonna regret this.)* Gabriel thought. "Go!!!"

Adam and Alex leapt forward, causing a small explosion beneath their feet that propelled them forward. The blast sent up a cloud of smoke, temporarily blinding some of the students.

The onlookers who could still see were shocked at the sight—the grass was completely burned away, leaving only scorched earth with two fiery trails in the wake of Adam and Alex.

The two racers moved at blinding speeds, Alex initially taking the lead.

*(How is he this fast?)* Adam wondered, pushing himself harder.

*(I'll show everyone he's nothing compared to me,)* Alex thought, his determination burning as fiercely as the flames around him.

The tree came into view, prompting both to increase their speed. Adam's eyes shifted from bright orange to a faint red as he tapped into a deeper well of power.

He surged past Alex, his hand outstretched as he reached for the tree. The moment his fingers brushed it, the tree exploded into splinters. Alex, about to touch it, missed as the tree disintegrated before him. Adam pivoted and sprinted back.

"No..." Alex growled, stopping to stare at the shattered remains of the tree. Rage built up inside him.

Adam arrived back first, coming to a halt in front of the crowd. The wind from his arrival blew dust and debris into the air, causing some students to shield their eyes. He walked back to his team with a triumphant smile.

"So... how did I do?" Adam asked.

Most of the students were silent, awestruck.

Gabriel looked at his tablet. "Kid... are you sure you're a superior power holder?"

"Dude! That was insane!" Eddie exclaimed.

The students crowded around Adam, their faces filled with amazement and curiosity.

"Wow... you came back first. Did you win?" a random student asked.

"That was awesome. The way you guys just..." another student started, but Adam felt overwhelmed by all the attention.

"Ehh..." he stammered, unsure of what to say.

"Hey, give him some space. He needs to hear his team's score," Gabriel ordered, and the students quieted down, giving Adam room.

"Why isn't Alex here yet?" Gregory wondered aloud.

Suddenly, a furious scream tore through the air. "Adam!" It was Alex, charging towards him, his voice filled with rage.

"What the..." Adam began, but Alex was already upon him, narrowly avoiding his classmates as he ran. His fist, engulfed in flames, swung towards Adam. Adam crossed his arms to block the attack, but the impact was powerful enough to send him flying. He crashed through the double doors of the training ground, slamming into the hallway wall, leaving cracks in the concrete.

"Mhm..." Adam groaned, feeling the sting of the blow.

"What the hell do you think you're doing!?" Gabriel shouted.

"I won't let him... he won't surpass me..." Alex snarled.

Gabriel burst into laughter, much to Alex's surprise and irritation. "Ha ha... I can't believe that's why you're so worked up. You made a big mistake. I'm deducting a hundred points from your team."

The students murmured in shock.

"Sir, but that's not fair," Gregory protested.

"Oh, it is. You should have stopped your leader from doing something so stupid. Now it backfired on all of you. And that goes for everyone—if your leader makes a foolish decision, I’ll deduct points from the whole team," Gabriel declared.

Akira glared at Alex, her anger flaring as she recalled how he had hit her in their last class. She then noticed Adam returning to the training grounds, looking slightly battered but determined.

Eddie rushed to his side. "Oh man, are you okay?"

"I'm fine," said Adam. (There was a little bruise on my wrist, but it healed.)

"Good, you're back. I don't want to waste time. You're probably healed, so... Your points," said Gabriel.

The room fell silent as everyone waited for Alex and Adam's scores.

"Alex's score is... 2257. But because of his stupidity, it's now 2157," announced Gregory.

"This is bullshit," Alex exclaimed.

"Shut up. Your team's score is 4356," Gabriel retorted.

"Wow, the score is so high..." a random student muttered.

"Just what you'd expect from Alex's team," another student added.

"Damn..." Eddie whispered.

Tyler's face twisted in confusion. (How are they this fast this early?) he wondered.

"Adam's score is... 2524," Gabriel revealed.

The students erupted in chatter.

(How is he faster? After all that training, he still beat me in speed,) Alex thought.

"Quiet down! The total points for Adam's team is... 5085. Wow, a record breaker," Gabriel announced. (How did they get so fast? I haven't even taught them the basics of running faster as a power holder yet. Somehow, they all knew... and then Alex and Adam showed them. This year's bunch is different.)

"Woah, dude. I knew you were fast, but not that fast. Same for you, Akira," Eddie exclaimed.

"Yeah. Adam, how did you get to be that fast in such a short time?" Akira asked.

"I trained. Didn't you?" Adam replied.

"Okay, I'm going to post your team's ranks in your class. You'll see it on the wall in your next class," Gabriel instructed.

"Damn... Our score was 977," a random student lamented.

"I was going to teach some stuff on running and using your power to increase your speed, but it seems I'm too late. You've already displayed those techniques," Gabriel said.

"We did?" Jenny asked, surprised.

"Class is over. I'll see you in the next session. Oh, and it'll be about your strength. So be prepared," Gabriel concluded.

Students began to depart.

"Hey man, where do you stay?" Eddie asked Adam.

"Umm... Not far from here actually... I stay in one of those houses around the city, the ones with the brown paint," Adam replied.

"Oh, you live in one of those. They're mostly found east from here. What a coincidence, I live east from here too. Let's go. And maybe you can tell me how you run that fast," Eddie suggested.

*Atlas City*

Seven days passed in the real world.

Anna sat up, resting her back on the bed, wearing a hospital garment. She stared into space, unwillingly replaying the scene where the bus rolled over the hill.

Her mother entered with the doctor, continuing a conversation from outside.

"Your daughter was lucky to survive. She was the only one. We took in some patients from the incident, but unfortunately, they passed away here, in the hospital," the doctor explained.

Her mother sat down and held Anna's hand. Anna's father entered, looking at her with sorrow. He whispered something to the doctor, and they both left the room.

Anna's mother looked at her. "Anna, I know... this is..."

Tears streamed down her face. She quickly stood up and rushed out to get her husband. Before Anna knew it, she was crying too.

Her mother returned and sat down beside her. "The doctor said you'll be discharged in a week."

Anna said nothing, just staring at the switched-off TV.

"Please. Say something. For my sake," her mother pleaded.

Anna looked at her mom and spoke in a sad, quiet tone. "If I say anything, then it proves that this real... This, this isn't real, it's just a long dream."

She then burst into more tears, crying out.

There was a man inside a black SUV. He sat in the back seat holding a cane, wearing a black suit with a golden tie. The driver, also in a black suit, wore a black tie. Beside the man, another man bled from his shoulders.

"I told you I don't know where he is. We don't have him with us," the bleeding man pleaded.

"I believe you. And I believe you are of no use to us now," the man with the cane replied calmly.

"No, please... N-" the bleeding man began.

Suddenly, spikes and blades erupted from the man's body, tearing through his skin.

"Stop somewhere and throw him out. And get me another car," the man with the cane ordered.

The driver made a left turn at a four-way intersection.

"Only one place left to search. DMR," the man with the cane mused.