Sky trekked through the dense forest towards the clearing with a wide smile on his face and eagerness at every step.

As he reached their usual meeting spot, he yelled, "Haywire, where are you?"

That was when he saw his friend lying on the dark-pebbled ground, wounded. Sky hurried to him, and upon closer inspection, he saw that Haywire had scratches on his face and a deep cut on his claw.

"Oh no, Haywire, what happened to you?!" Sky asked, concerned.

Haywire let out a few shrill cries.

This looks painful, Sky thought. He stroked the metallic feathers on Haywire's chest, seeking to comfort him. "It's alright, Haywire. I'm here now. Damn, if only you could tell me what happened," he whispered, wishing for an articulate response that would never come.

Haywire let out a few more whine-like chirps and cries.

Well, these aren't from falling, that's for sure. So, has Haywire been in a fight while I was away? Sky sighed. "Don't worry, I'll take care of you."

He sat down next to Haywire and examined the wounds. "These look pretty bad. Let me clean them up," he said softly. He took out a tissue and some water from his backpack and gently began to clean the cuts.

Haywire sat still, making soft chirping noises.

As Sky worked on the wounds, he started to whistle a tune. Haywire's ears perked up and he let out a happy, shrill cry.

Sky stopped whistling and looked at Haywire in surprise. "Do you like that?" he asked with a smile. "It's a lullaby. My father used to sing it to me when I was little."

Haywire responded by flapping his wings excitedly and making more chirping noises.

Sky chuckled. As he continued to whistle the tune, Haywire listened intently, his eyes closed in pleasure.

As Sky finished up tending to his wounds, he thought, Wow, his platelets work with an admirable efficiency! They almost closed the wounds already. No wonder his tail got cured so easily and quickly.

The whistled lullaby was reaching its end with its soft melody. Haywire leaned in and nuzzled him affectionately. Sky scratched his head and Haywire purred like a contented cat.

"You're quite the music lover, aren't you?" Sky said, laughing softly when he finished whistling.

Haywire responded with a happy chirp and Sky couldn't help but smile at his feathered friend's enthusiasm. He packed up his things and got ready to leave, but not before giving Haywire a pat on the head.

"I'd love to fly some more with you, but you need some rest now. Take care, Haywire. Try not to get into any more fights while I'm gone," Sky said with a grin.

Haywire let out a complaint-like chirp in response.

Sky was running a bit late the next morning, so he had to hurry to get to the academy on time.

If it wasn't for these stupid ads hovering all over town! Sky thought with a furrowed brow as he rode on his flying skateboard. Anti-Ageing Inc. released a new serum that is used for cooking and people are getting crazy about it! I've been hit by a dozen ads about metabolism-blocking food made with this new serum on my way to the academy!

Yet another ad popped up right in front of his nose as he turned around the corner when he was about to reach the street in which the academy was.

Damn you, stupid ads! he yelled inside his brain while his eyes hurt due to the bright lights of that holographic ad. It's not like they can hurt me, but their lights are so bright they blind me for a moment. Besides that, they are distracting while I'm riding my skateboard. I'll end up crashing or bumping into someone by accident!

"Try Cake My Day Bakery's new carrot cake with Anti-Ageing Inc.'s metabolism blocker!" the shrill voice of a young woman exclaimed in that ad. "The sweet taste of carrots and the revolutionary chemistry magic of Anti-Ageing Inc.! Eat as much as you want—and never get fat!"

"This is insane!" Sky whispered. With a wave of his hand, he pushed the ad aside and rode on—only to be assaulted by another bakery ad.

"Scone-derful Bakery's brand-new scones are out now!" the enthusiastic voice of a young man exclaimed. "Sixty flavours, all with Anti-Ageing Inc.'s metabolism blocker! Say no to those nasty extra calories and carbs—say yes to as many scones as you wish!"

Oh, please! he thought as he pushed it aside too. Now it's not the time! I'm late!

"The Icing on the Cake Patisserie is proud to present the new Red Velvet cake with Anti-Ageing's metabolism blocker!" another ad preached after popping up right in front of him too, startling him. "The perfect dessert for a perfect celebration, now calorie-free!"

Sky huffed and pushed it aside too.

When he finally arrived, he found Naomi and his classmates in the training arena, waiting for him. They were going to face a ferocious Airshark that day.

"So, the Airshark is a tough opponent," Naomi began while Sky stealthily approached the group as if he didn't want to get noticed, "but it does have its weaknesses. Its robotic parts are vulnerable to fire and shotgun ammo. If you aim at the canisters on its tail and the parts of its body made of flesh and bone, you'll be able to deal maximum damage."

Sky began to discreetly put on the protective gear.

Hazel nodded. "What about its venom?" she asked while putting on her helmet. "How do we defend against that?"

Naomi took some pills and smiled. "Ah, the venom. It's deadly, no doubt, but there's a trick to it. You see, the Airshark spits venom out of its mouth, so you need to keep your distance. Use its slowness to your advantage. If you get hit, you need to neutralize the poison with a cold shower as soon as possible so that you can wash out all of it from your skin and clothes. Yes, the venom corrodes clothes—even your protective gear, though slowly. That's why there are countless artificial lakes and fountains all over the city. I've prepared some water bottles here in the armoury just in case."

Sky nodded just like the rest of his classmates.

"Are you fully geared, everyone? Yes?" Naomi said while checking on all students. Sky was finishing putting on his gear in the background in a hurry. "Good. Let's start."

She headed to the control room and pushed the green button. A different door opened, releasing the Airshark from its confinement. It lunged toward Sky's classmates with a bloodthirsty fury.

The Airshark was an enormous, shark-like looking bird with a fearsome appearance. Its grey and blue metal feathers shone in the light, and its red eyes glinted with a menacing gleam. The creature was massive, measuring seventeen feet long from head to tail and twenty-nine feet wide from one wing to the other. The Airshark's razor-sharp teeth were visible through its gaping mouth, and its large, muscular body bristled with strength and power.

With every movement of its wings, the creature exuded an aura of danger and aggression, and its venomous spittle was enough to paralyze in fear any unsuspecting victim.

The Airshark roared and stomped its claws, causing the ground to shake beneath Sky's feet.

Then, it flew up and swooped down on the group of students with deadly accuracy. Sky's classmates dodged and weaved, avoiding the Airshark's deadly talons. But the creature was relentless, and it wasn't long before Luca was knocked to the ground, injured and vulnerable.

The Airshark smashed a claw on him and salivated as its head hovered over its prey. He didn't get crushed thanks to the steel chest plate. But its venomous spittle dropped a few inches next to Luca's right shoulder, and each drop kept coming closer to his head, earning a whimper from him as he struggled to get free.

"HELP ME!" he cried, his voice shrill and desperate.

"Luca!" Charlotte yelled as if her own life was at stake. Rushing to him while she fired her shotgun at the cybernetic beast, she hollered with rage.

A bullet hit one of the beast's eyes, earning an ear-splitting cry from it. A gushing wound spilt blood all over the place. Thankfully, Luca could run away from the grasp of the beast.

But Charlotte's heroic actions were rewarded by getting spit all over the front part of her helmet with the Airshark's venom. She rushed back to the armoury, but the visor soon corroded and melted away, exposing her face to the poisonous spit before she had time to. The painful roar that escaped from her scarred lips was blood-chilling.

"Charlotte!" Luca yelled, rushing to her while a thin cloud of smoke emerged from her face.

The smell of burnt flesh with venom overpowered any other scent in the air.

Hazel was the first to arrive at the armoury and get some bottles of water. Rushing back to Charlotte, she threw a bottle at Luca, who grabbed it and poured all of its content over Charlotte's face.

A hissing sound soon followed. While Hazel joined Luca in pouring water over Charlotte, the rest of their classmates battled against that cybernetic beast. Even though Sky was among them, he was the only one who was standing still, thinking instead of fighting back.

This isn't enough, he thought with a furrowed brow and a tense body. It's no use. No matter how many times they hit it and wound it, this Airshark doesn't seem to care. The more wound they inflict, the more aggressive it gets—and the more venom it spits! I need to come up with something to reduce the tension!

Sky's eyes widened with a sudden revelation. A cheeky smirk ensued.

The lullaby his father used to sing to him echoed in the arena. Sky had begun to whistle its soothing melody, reverberating from wall to wall and the massive metal dome.

The Airshark's aggression began to fade, and it slowly lowered itself to the ground, its once-mighty wings sagging at its sides.

"What the heck is going on here?" Kenji complained in a perplexed whisper while lowering his shotgun.

"I don't know, but... this is..." Winona chuckled and smiled. "It's as if he's got full command over the beast."

Hazel stared at the scene from the distance, her mouth open wide in amazement.

Sky approached the creature slowly, cautiously, his eyes never leaving its face. He extended a hand, feeling the roughness of the Airshark's hard plates on its forehead against his fingers.

"Good boy," Sky whispered, continuing to whistle softly. "It's okay now."

His classmates watched in awe as Sky managed to calm down the fearsome creature with nothing but his voice. They had never seen anything like it before.

A moment later, he guided the Airshark back into its prison cell with a few more soothing tunes and petting the beast until it fell asleep and he then closed the door.

Naomi, who had already come down from the control room, approached Sky with a look of admiration on her face. "I've never seen anyone calm an Airshark," she said. "You truly have a gift, Sky. The race towards winning the MVS title and the scholarship is getting interesting day by day, huh?" She winked at him, making him blush.

His classmates approached him, their expressions a mix of awe and admiration. "That was amazing, Sky," Winona said.

Sky smiled modestly as his classmates surrounded him and Naomi. "It's just something I've always wanted to try."

Hazel's voice interrupted the subsequent whispers of admiration from their classmates to say, "You don't approach a murdering beast like that one with a lullaby just because." Hazel approached the group, which made way for her to face Sky with her arms crossed over her chest and stern-looking, pressed lips. "It's weird. Too weird. It feels like you've tried this bef–"

"Animals respond to sounds and songs like that," he replied casually, interrupting her. "Why not use that to my advantage?" Sky grinned. Do I look cheeky and proud enough with this stupid comment and grin? I hope this little act can fool them, especially Hazel.

Hazel narrowed her eyes at Sky, studying him with suspicion. Her lips were pressed into a thin line, and her posture was tense. While their classmates went on cheerfully chatting among them about how impressive Sky's achievement was, she seemed to be contemplating something, her gaze flickering from his face to the closed door of the Airshark's cell and back again.

"How's Charlotte?" Sky asked her.

"Gone to the infirmary with Luca," she replied dryly. "She'll be fine, I guess. Lots of Anti-Ageing Inc. products to restore the skin on her face."

"Yeah," he replied at a loss for words, averting her hard stare. "So, hmmm... I gotta go." He made his way towards the exit of the arena, leaving his classmates behind with Naomi.

"Where are you escaping to?" Hazel asked with a toothy grin when she caught up to him. "We still got more classes, genius."

"Restroom," he answered with a revealing blush. I need to learn to lie better. She's onto me.

"No need to blush, honey," she whispered with a deadly tinge and a smirk as she got close to his face. Sky could smell her scent, a mix of vanilla and leather, as he stared at her slender silhouette leaning close to his. "Unless you're lying."

Well, yes, I'm lying but, he thought in panic mode. It's not every day that your crush takes such an interest in you... and stands so close to you. These bright blue eyes. These cute little freckles scattered all over her cheeks and nose like stars in the night sky. These silky ginger curls framing her oval face. These teasing, lush lips that keep tempting me in my daydreaming ever since I reached puberty.

"See you in a minute, then," she replied with a venomous attitude, measuring her words. Then, she took out her bottle of pills and put one in her mouth. Displaying her teeth to him, she cracked the pill loudly, as if trying to make him uncomfortable on purpose with that bone-cracking noise.

Sky swallowed hard as he turned and hurried down the hall. Does it count as being paranoid if she's right? I am lying and hiding something. She'd kill me if she knew my best friend is a phoenix. Am I crazy for liking such a girl?

Hello, my sugar cubes!

Do you think that Hazel suspects something smells fishy about Sky? Or is she just being jealous?

Stay tuned!

XOXO

Mar