Chapter 37: I’m not Bulletproof!
No POV:
"So you took it upon yourself to set up a training plan for me...?" Stepping out from the bathroom, Axel asked.
"Yup. What? Did you expect me to sit back and watch you get beat up every single time you fight a devil? You should be thanking me." Hades looked at him with a raised eyebrow.
"I mean, thanks for the help and all that but Hayley? Why her? Honestly, I’d like it if we went out hunting instead."
Standing up, Hades flicked his forehead.
"What’re you scared of? She’s not going to eat you."
"Yeah, well, I don’t really feel comfortable around her... Plus, it’s kinda early..." Axel muttered rubbing his forehead.
"9 am isn’t ’early’. Stop acting like a baby. C’mon, we have stuff to do." Walking out, Hades gestured for him to follow her.
"I kinda wanna go to class now..." He grumbled.
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As they reached the squad training ground, Hayley was already there waiting for them.
She wore a short sleeved shirt, a pair of joggers with her hair tied neatly in a ponytail.
"Good, you’re here." Looking up, Hayley said with a stoic expression.
"Happy to see you too..." Axel responded flatly.
"So your captain and I had a little talk yesterday and we both agreed that you’re rough around the edges. You need proper training. I don’t like the idea of you winging it and hoping to master this power. MY power. That’s insulting you know?" Hades said staring him straight in the eyes.
With a tired sigh, Axel replied: "Alright, alright, fine. What do you want me to do?"
"Heyyyy!!"
Before anyone could reply, Jax came running towards them, he had something strapped behind his back.
Upon reaching them, he said:
"Sorry I’m late, I couldn’t find my gun..."
"Gun?"
"Yes. We decided to split your training into three: A speed and reflex training, Endurance training and sparring." Hayley began. "So for the first bit, we’re doing doing a reflex training."
"I get the the training part but... Guns? What do we need it for...?" Axel asked, confusion painted all over his face.
Jax set the casing down and began opening. In it an assault rifle lay with strange patterns. It was the size of a regular gun and it looked like one.
Well, for the most part...
It had green pulsating lights moving across what looked like veins. It almost looked like it was... Alive?
"We’re going to do a simple exercise... You stand over there and dodge. While I shoot..."
"M—me? You’re going to shoot me? Why?!" Axel asked in an outraged voice.
"I’m not going to shoot you... I’m going to try to shoot you." Jax said with a chuckle. "Your job is to dodge and uhh try not to get hit."
"Ohhh okay... So what type of gun is that?" Axel gestured towards the rifle in his hand...
"Oh this...? You’d have to find out. And if you don’t wanna find out? Try not to get hit, alright?"
Axel scratched the back of his head. "So all I have to do is avoid getting shot till you run out of ammo or something right?"
"Jax is contracted with the Gun Devil. So his ability grants him access to all guns; bullet and plasma weapons included.
Meaning, he doesn’t run out of ammo. Ever..." Hayley spoke up.
"Wha— the fuck?" Axel’s reaction caused Hades to chuckle.
"Yeahhh my bullets are made out of my devil energy so I only run out of ammo when I’m drained." Jax replied, rubbing his neck modestly...
Leaving a dumbfounded Axel in the centre of the field, Hayley and Jax walked to the edge as Jax readied his gun...
Calling out to Axel, he said one last time: "Remember bro, try not to get shot." Then, in a lower voice, he added: "Cuz I never miss..."
**BANG**
~~~~~
**BANG**
Mid thought, a bullet came flying towards him.
Instinctively, he moved his head as something whoosed past him.
"Oii!" Turning to the direction the bullet came from he called out.
"Ohh... I thought we already started. My bad." Jax said. Then after a few moments, he said:
"Alright, ready?"
Taking a stance, Axel replied: "I guess?"
**BANG**
"Whoa—!" He dove forward and rolled. The bullet sounded close. Way too close.
**BANG, BANG, BANG.**
Gun fire echoed across the field. D
Axel was running around like a scared rabbit trying desperately not to get hit.
He could’ve let himself get hit and end this all quick but who knows what that bullet would do to him?
**BANG**
"Arggh—!"
He tripped and rolled to the side. The bullet tearing through the ground where he stood.
**BANG**
He jumped, the bullet almost grazing his feet.
[That’s it.. you’re doing great...try not to die]
Axel didn’t know how to react to Hades’ ’encouragement’ but for now he was focused on not being filled with holes.
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He was running and jumping all over the place. His lungs were burning... His muscles were screaming at him.
"Shit—!"
Another bullet tore through the air near his ear. The sound high and disorienting.
**BANG**
He slid to a spot on instinct. The next moment, a bullet blitzed past right in front of him.
[Hold on, there’s no time limit?]
Axel didn’t acknowledge what Hades said. He was too busy dodging bullets like his life depended on it.
Well that’s because it most probably did.
He abandoned running entirely and started jumping all over the place...
**BANG, BANG, BANG. BANG, BANG, BANG**
The bullets came at faster intervals. Putting himself in the air reduced ground so in that moment he was still in mid air, before he landed, he was vulnerable.
[Not so smart was it?]
"Then help me!"
He slid under a bullet. The green trail following closely behind it.
**BANG**
Another bullet flew towards him. Using his arm, he pivoted himself from the ground and sprung himself upward.
[You know you can transform... Right?]
Axel’s eye widened...
Why didn’t he think of that??
While running, he let his devil energy flair.
The faint red color appearing on his body as he moved...
Soon he blitzed, disappearing from sight leaving a trail of red behind him...
[You have activated phase one of Scarion]
The transition from running to disappearing happened so fast, so smooth that it caught even Hayley off guard.
However, for Jax, this wasn’t even enough to make him flinch.
Sure Drex could move fast. But his precision was unmatched.
To him, Axel was just another moving target...
Cocking his rifle, a reticle appeared in his right eye, turning his pupil into a scope-like organ. "Now we’re getting somewhere..."
Focusing his vision through the lens, he continued shooting... He could see Axel. Less like a blur of red and more like a speeding car.
Even if his movements were sporadic, he could still see Axel completely. Accurately tracking his movements.
This time, Axel didn’t need to dodge, he just had to move fast enough to escape the trajectory of the bullet.
It was working for a moment but the bullets started coming in twos.
"BANG-BANG, BANG-BANG**
He put every ounce of strength into his legs trying to escape but he was quickly backed into a corner...
Soon, the stress caught up to him.
Then...
**BANG**
**SQUELCH**
"Ghk—!"
A bullet finally met him, lodging itself in his stomach.
’I’ve been hit...’
Just as he was about to move however, his vision started to blur... He was getting dizzy and both his arms and legs were slowly loosing their sensations.
"What... the..."
It slowly dawned on him that he’s been poisoned.
Of course he had! When a gun that glowed bright green was staring right in his face, how wasn’t he able to figure it out?
Green was the standard color for poison... It was so clichè, he felt stupid for not piecing it together sooner.
**THUD**
His breathing was labored as he fell to the ground...
"Oop he’s down.." Jax raised his head above the scope and stared at the motionless body infront of him...
Running towards him he spoke... "Whoa... I didn’t think the bullet would actually hit..."
"Whaddya mean you ’didn’t think’? I’m not bulletproof!"
Axel shouted as he lay on the ground. His arms and legs were useless so he wasonly able to move his head.
"You fucking poisoned me!!"
"Well at least we know you can move pretty fast. Plus, it’ll wear off in a couple of hours. Relax." Jax replied, trying to lighten the mood.
"Yes but you lack the stamina to keep going." Hayley added.
"That’s all for today." She turned to walk away...
"Same time tomorrow?" Jax asked.
Hayley stopped a bit, the silence lingered before she replied: "Yeah... Try not to be late this time..."
"Aye aye cap’n!" Jax replied with a playful salute as they left.
Day one of his hellish training had ended. God knows what he’ll go through tomorrow.
The fact that all of this was agreed upon without his knowledge was outrageous enough.
However, that wasn’t what pissed him off...
"Did they... Leave me here?..."
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