New Life : A Second Chance

As the Elite Five + 1 walked into the Hall, Kay mind-spoke to Kyle, [Did you see her?]

[Sophia? Of course. We knew she'd be here] Kyle responded.

[Are you still mad at her?] she asked curiously.

[Nah] Kyle replied.

Which was true. One thing Kyle learned in his second life was not to waste his time in bearing grudges. His style was to settle the problem, then let it go. There was absolutely no point in investing time and thought into things that have been settled. Of course, the condition was the situation WAS settled.

[Trent confirms that she has already changed] Kyle explained.

Kay nodded. [Master Shifu's mind control is truly frightening. Have you mastered it yet?]

Kyle sighed, rubbing the back of his neck as they sat down at their allocated seating, and admitted, [Not quite yet. It's hard. Give me 100 push-ups anytime! No! Even 1000 push-ups wouldn't be this hard! This mental skill is so draining and hard to grasp!]

The Art that the Kato Clan specialised in was hypnotism. Well, that was the basics of it. It had many uses, and many ways to use. The most basic skill was putting their targets to sleep, with the most advance skill being mind control. Kyle had been so impressed that he actually said to Master Shifu who had just started explaining the art to him, "You mean, like in Shallow Hal?"

Master Shifu had been so miffed, and Kyle got one huge bump on the head from the 'gentle' tap of Master Shifu's cane. "The concept is barely there, and the execution? HAH!! Amateurish! Stupid! What you will learn is the true, subtle art of it. Don't EVER compare our sacred art with Hollywood fantasies!"

Kyle grimaced. Luckily he didn't mention 'Now you see me'. He would have gotten two bumps on the head then. Maybe three, for good measure.

After just one day, however, Kyle found out how truly naive his perception had been about the Art. There is already the concept of hypnotism used by psychiatrists (slightly controversial, I might add), but not only was that form of hypnotism the most mildest from, it was done with the use of an external stimulant aid with the subject being compliant.

Kyle, however, had to do it without the other party even knowing he was doing it. He barely manages the first form - mind control? That would probably take years! The subtle move of the body, the way the voice is used, the words that would be uttered ... he required to use such minute details and movements to execute the art.

At that time, so many years ago, Master Shifu had personally stepped in to settle the issue. Trent is Sophia's butler - the person that she trusted the most, and the one responsible for anything Sophia wanted done. They needed to keep an eye on Sophia, and the best thing was to take control of Trent. It wasn't really making him into a robot, but ... was actually, way cooler.

Trent doesn't even remember that he had been hypnotised. They had captured him, Master Shifu did his hocus pocus (Kyle would get 10 bumps on the head for that), and Trent returned to work like normal, none the wiser. However, everyday, before sleeping, Trent would be using a tablet that they had given him to send an email report to Kyle. The email would be encrypted, sent and all traces deleted.

Trent would also use the tablet to call using a secured line using the tablet if there was anything that needed to be reported immediately. Trent believed he had bought the tablet as a birthday gift to himself, and the line was via a hidden encrypted link in it. Thus, no one would accidentally stumble upon the secured line.

Throughout the 4 years since the incident, Sophia had changed drastically and was no longer a threat. Thus, Trent was left as is, to continue monitoring the situation and the task of reading the daily reports fell to MIB. Kyle would only be informed of any unusual incidences.

When the Principal stood up, everyone stopped talking and the Hall fell into silence. The principal was a woman, her brown hair tinged with some silver lines, all neatly packed in a tight bun. She wore a grey suit with a pencil skirt, and she seemingly gazed at everyone in the hall through her black squared rim glasses. She stood there for a while, looking left and right, before her eyes fell on Kyle for a good, long minute as her lips pressed into a thin line.

Kyle frowned the moment she turned her gaze away from him, and Kay asked in indignation. [What's her problem??]

[No idea. Background checks cleared her. To be safe, place her under surveillance. We wouldn't want her to be our stumbling block for our plans].

They had many things to execute through the school, and it would truly be troublesome if the Principal didn't play along. The report indicated that though the Principal was stern, she was fair. However, that glance of hers earlier gave Kyle the impression that she might not be as fair as she portrayed. Only time would tell.

"Welcome back, returning students and welcome, to our new students," the Principal began, "to our beloved and esteemed Sakura Academy!! I am Principal Dobbins.

"We are a school that emphasizes on education. Prestige. Hard work. Integrity.

"This is a school that rewards real hard work. YOUR own hard work and effort. Your background, your wealth, your power means nothing if you do not work for it. Our educators have impeccable integrity and will not be influenced by your background, or how popular you are.

"ALSO! I would like to remind all new students!! Your past glorious achievements are nothing now. Everything is wiped clean. What you had achieved before this was just child's play. Now, we are actually in secondary school where you will learn real topics. Real subjects."

She paused for a while and people were starting to feel a bit uncomfortable. It was bad enough that she ridiculed their previous school education, but her words seem to be directed particularly to the Elite Five. It may appear that she was telling them that life in secondary school would be much tougher, but in reality, everyone could understand that she was mocking those who actually did well. Worse, she didn't believe that their achievements were the result of their hard work but through underhanded methods.

Those that had been from Retsu Primary School were seething inside. They knew that their former school wasn't that laid back, and they had seen how the Elite Five had worked hard. Was Principal Dobbins blind? Cracked in the head?

There were some within the school that were nodding their heads, agreeing with the twisted thoughts of the Principal. Obviously, the Elite Five's achievements were too mind boggling. People were more than happy to put other people down, and their jealousy which was fueled by their sense of self-inflated worth just added to their belief.

Kyle just sat there, then leaned back as he looked at Principal Dobbins. As she was on a higher platform, it looked like she was literally looking down at him. She gave a slight sneer as she continued, "Some of you may think you're so great just because of some trophies obtained when you were kids. Here, you will be treated like adults and not pampered. We regard ALL of you as the future of the Nation, and will not tolerate any form of Princess Syndrome or idol fantasies."

She then nodded at a person at the side, and the projector flashed on behind her. On the screen, it showed the school website forum where Kyle's pics were posted everywhere.

"This is an example of idol fantasies. I will only allow this ONCE because you are all new here. However, these things are not going to be tolerated in the future. This is a SCHOOL OF LEARNING, not some idol worshipping concert.

"If I find any disruptive behaviour in these learned halls of this school, I will not hesitate to punish all those involved. This is your first, and last warning."

She deliberately turned her head to look at Kyle and his group of friends. Sarah cringed into her seat even more, but Kyle wasn't fazed. Principal Dobbins didn't like the look on Kyle's face ... rather, that uncaring and laid back attitude he gave out.

She refused to believe that this pretty boy from such a rich family could actually be as great as it was claimed. Obviously, he had loads of people willingly doing the work for him, and he simply reaped the benefits. He was a playboy, through and through, and it was her sacred duty to ensure that none of the girls in this school would fall down the road of no return.

Principal Dobbins then ended the speech, but Kyle was hardly listening by then. Though he appeared unfazed, inside, he was pissed. He could see the obvious disdain that she openly showed in her expression when she looked at him. She was an educator, for goodness sake! She was hardly being professional and one of his top hates was when people judged others without knowing the person first.

'So that's how it is, huh?' he thought to himself, 'Bring it on, b*tch.'