Chapter 6: Frame Perfect (2/2)

Aldrich stayed still, intentionally trying to seem like he could not move

"And look at that one, he can't even move!"

"So, how are these points claimed? Do we just knock them out? Or do we just have to break their suits?"

"Why not both? I'll enjoy ripping theht to be just as easy, too"

Ten seconds left

Aldrich heard as two of the Frames started to run away shakily, one of the

"Come back here!"

Aldrich heard footsteps as several students ran out to chase the runners

"You okay?" said Elaine from her Frame

"Yeah," said Aldrich

"You and Adam can't move, but I'll try and help as best as I can," said Elaine

"…" Aldrich appreciated the gesture, but he had no time to respond

The counter read zero, and the buzzer sounded, blaring out across the arena

"You're mine!"

Aldrich saw a student leap up in the air with a cocked fist, his entire arreen crystals From the confident sht he would sh Aldrich's helmet and beat him bloody and unconscious

Elaine tried to help but she stuht strain that Frae," said Aldrich rapidly,sure his voice was not projected Hidden thrusters in he heels of his Fra histo predict the crystal fist student's punch and spun to the side The student sround underneath Just as the student's confident srabbed the kid by the arm

In response, the student covered his entire body in thick crystals, prepared for any punch

Aldrich instead used the kid's arm as a lever and threw him over his shoulder Hydraulics clicked and pressurized air vented from Aldrich's Fraround with an expert judo throw

The student's crystal ared out a solid crater in the dirt, the shockwaves of iasped for air like a landed fish, the breath knocked straight out of him

Aldrich kicked the student in the head with just enough force to knock him out

"H-huh!?" said Elaine in co a student with proper powers "What? How?"

Elaine's surprise was not li the Alter students

"Wh-what the fuck?" said a bewildered student "That kid, that Frale hit!"

"Yeah, beat them up!" said Adam enthusiastically "Always knew you had it in you, Aldy!"

"Shut up! You powerless cockroaches just got lucky!" said the forry student He fired a blast of red energy fro hi Frame over

Aldrich used this ht

"Boosters 4,5 e left flare," said Aldrich He sped towards the surprised student and held out his left hand A blinding white flare e

The student winced and held his arms out to protect himself His hands started to shi+ another shot

Aldrich used his maxed out boosters to circle around the student and sla twin red bea back with shattered ribs, completely incapacitated

"Initiate unit scan and full-scale view," said Aldrich, and the localized interface AI co out red dots where other students were There were still a good dozen students surrounding hi Aldrich a 360-degree range of sight,blindsided him But to deal with a crowd like this, he needed more firepower "Available weapons systems report"

"No weapons systems installed," came the AI's response

"Sht," said Aldrich He knew that finalized Frames were to be fitted with various forms of crowd control arms andany real weapons

"That fucker's dangerous! Take him out!" A student wildly pointed at Aldrich

Aldrich took in a breath through his teeth This was it for hied up on him He had no weapons Maybe he could take doo or three one, proper Alters, especially strong ones, would make short work of him

The ones he had knocked out so far were complete fodder Weak kids with powers they had not trained at all to their maximum potentials

"Relax, you idiots" A voice ca in the air with crossed arms and a wide, sadistic smile and slicked back hair "It's just a Dud in a metal can The fuck are you so afraid of?"

The leader of the bullies froain And he looked like a proper superpowered Alter threat There was just an aura of threat about hiular student power level

This was the kind of superhuman power that Aldrich would never be able to beat