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| Chapter 39 | Book 5 • Chapter 40 | Chapter 41 |
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The Beach
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Okay, we're here. |
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Whew... You're more of a speed demon than I expected, Deuce. That scared me at first. |
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Really? I mean, I thought I was going pretty slow... Er, y'know what? Forget I said anything. Anyway, Ignihyde sure knows how to trick out a blastcycle. It was hard just figuring out what all those different functions did. |
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Heh heh. Well, I'm feeling better already! I love going out on drives. Are you sure this was a good idea, though? You went off-campus without getting permission first. |
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Erk... It didn't even occur to me to ask for permission until we were already out. Will you help take some of the heat off me later? |
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Vil and the others must be furious. |
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You know, I think this is the first trip I've made to the beach since coming to this island. |
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We're on the Isle of Sages, but Night Raven College sits atop a mountain on the north side. |
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And Royal Sword Academy sits along the southern coast, right? Wait… |
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Is that Royal Sword Academy there? Wow... It's a school, but it looks more like a castle for kings and queens. |
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I've seen it from the Night Raven observation deck, but never up close before. That place really is fancy. |
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My teammates in the Spelldrive Club say it's a place full of snotty, pampered rich boys... But that's also the school Neige goes to, and he's competing in the SDC, right? |
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Huh?! What's wrong, Deuce? Why are you yelli— |
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I'M NOT A SMART GUY, AND I CONSTANTLY MISS BASIC CUES! |
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! |
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ALL MY OLD DELINQUENT HABITS ARE STILL THERE! I'VE GOT A HAIR-TRIGGER TEMPER! BUT I'M TRYING MY BEST, OKAY?! YOU THINK YOU CAN MAKE FUN OF ME, ACE?! WELL, THINK AGAIN! ONE OF THESE DAYS, I'M GONNA BE A REAL HONORS STUDENT, AND YOU'LL BE EATING MY DUST FOR THREE MEALS A DAY! I'M GONNA CHANGE! YOU CAN COUNT ON THAT! AAAAAAAAAAAGH! ...Ahhh, that's much better! |
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G...Goodness gracious. |
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I do this whenever things aren't going my way and I get all out of sorts. I drive to the beach and let it all out at the top of my lungs. It always makes me feel better. For as long as I can remember, I've been a slow learner. I'd study hard, but my grades always stayed below average. I wanted an excuse for why I did so poorly in school... So over time, I started taking the easy way out. "I'm not even trying. Of course my grades are bad." "It's lame to be a try-hard." You know, stuff like that. |
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Oh...I didn't know. |
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I was out of control for years. I became a hopeless delinquent and made my mom cry. That's when I got a letter of acceptance from the prestigious Night Raven College. I thought to myself: maybe I could get my act together and change myself if I had a new environment. "This is my big chance!" |
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And did you change? After enrolling, I mean? |
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Nope. Not a bit. I can play the part of an honors student, but I can't change who I am deep down. I'm still that same bad boy with grades to match. Nothing ever goes the way I want it to. But...I learned something when I came to this school. I learned that all the most "capable" guys struggle hard behind the scenes. Even when it's embarrassing, even when it's lame, even when it means playing a little dirty… Capable guys never give up. |
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Deuce... |
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I invited you out here today because I thought maybe you were like me. |
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Huh...? |
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You have this thing where you start to say something, then stop yourself, right? It comes off to me like you want to change, but you can't, so you're floundering. |
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...Yeah. Maybe you're right. |
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I'm the only one here. Why don't you give it a try? Let it all out at the top of your lungs. It'll make you feel way better! |
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Well... All right. *Inhale* |
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| Chapter 39 | Book 5 • Chapter 40 | Chapter 41 |
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