Chomp.
Cut to the familiar café Jody always frequents. Syd was happily munching away on the bread she had bought him—devouring it the way only a Thai person could. Meanwhile, across the table, Jody sat with her arms crossed, clearly pressuring him for answers.
"You know," Syd said with a mouthful, "back in Australia, we do something even simpler. We call it fairy bread. Just slap on some rainbow sprinkles from a donut and—bam. Done."
"Stop dodging the question."
Jody's voice snapped sharp, and Syd understood why.
He'd read everything. He knew what she'd been through. He understood her behavior.
And Syd wasn't the type to joke around when it came to serious matters. So he got straight to the point.
"Who are you, really? How do you know about… that?"
"I'm exactly who Wikipedia says I am. You read it, didn't you?"
Jody fell silent for a beat.
Syd smirked.
"Knew it. Nailed it again."
"…"
"I don't like long explanations. So how about I show you instead?"
Jody watched as Syd slid his chair out from under the table, positioning himself in front of her.
"Put your legs on my lap."
"…Excuse me?"
"Your legs. Here."
He patted his thighs again.
"Syd, what the hell kind of game are you—"
"Do you want to get better or not?"
"…"
"…"
Jody turned her face away, flustered.
What even was this? This was inappropriate in every way. But… what choice did she have?
Thankfully, the café was still quiet this early in the morning.
She hesitated, then slipped off her shoes and rested one leg across his lap.
"…Both of them."
"…Ugh…"
The second leg followed.
"Mind if I roll your stockings down a bit? I need your permission."
"…You need permission?"
"It's a violent world out there. Gotta be sure you consent, or this treatment's over before it starts."
"…Fine."
Jody nodded stiffly.
Syd rolled down her stockings, revealing her legs.
"Pass me that dessert fork."
She handed it over immediately.
He was about to do what, exactly?
Suddenly, a red aura radiated from Syd's body—enveloping himself, the fork, and Jody all at once.
Then, as suddenly as it appeared, the aura vanished. Everything returned to normal.
"…Okay. Done."
He sat back.
"…What did you—"
WHACK!
"HEY! SYD—WHAT THE HELL?!"
Before she could finish her sentence, Syd had slammed his fist down onto her leg.
Hard.
It was the kind of impact that would've shattered her bones even if she'd just hopped in place.
But now?
Nothing.
Jody stared in disbelief, panic rising in her chest.
No crack. No snap.
She gently rotated her ankle.
It moved.
No pain. Not even a pinch.
"…!"
Her breath caught. Her eyes were fixed on her own legs.
"Well? Go on. Try running," Syd said casually.
!!!
Jody slowly stood up. Her hands were shaking, heart pounding. Sweat glistened on her forehead. She glanced at Syd—still calm, still composed, his expression confident as ever.
She jumped.
Up and down. Once, twice—
Nothing happened.
She was… fine.
Her whole aura lit up with energy. Jody started pacing around the café, then suddenly broke into a jog out the door—only to run right back inside.
"Syd! Syd! Oh my god—Syd, it's not breaking! You did it—how did you DO this?!"
Her voice was still low and smooth, but her joy was undeniable.
"I've been stuck with this stupid condition for three years! But you—you're the first one to actually fix it! I—I can run again! Like, normally!"
—
"Alright. Ready to listen now?"
Syd calmly spread jam over his second slice of toast, waiting for Jody to calm down so he'd only have to explain once.
"…Y-yeah…"
Jody kept glancing at her legs, gently running her fingers over them while watching him.
"That thing you did… was that your power?"
"Nope."
?!
"Then… what was it?"
"It's called Martial Art."
"Martial… Art…?"
"Watch this."
"…A fork? The dessert fork I gave you? What about it?"
Syd held it tight and pressed his thumb against the metal—like he was about to try and snap it.
Which, of course, would be impossible. It's metal. Even a car wouldn't bend it easily.
But then—
CRACK!
In a swift motion, Syd snapped it clean in two—like he was breaking a twig.
The pieces clattered to the ground.
"…!"
"Over 3,000 years ago, a certain Martial Art was developed by monks in the northern forests of China.
They discovered a way to use the body as a conduit—linking two objects and exchanging their properties."
"…"
"You're telling me… to turn myself into some kind of living wire?"
"Exactly. But instead of electric current, what flows through you is attributes—qualities of physical things. And it flows both ways."
Jody was stunned. In her 18 years of life, she had never heard of anything like this.
It sounded absurd.
Except…
it had just happened.
"In short: I swapped the properties between your legs and that metal fork.
Your legs gained its durability.
The fork took on your fragility."
"…"
"You understand now?"
"Y-you're saying… you can switch the attributes of any two things?!"
"That's what I do. And since it's not a power, but a martial art, it can be taught. Passed on.
So—do you want to learn it?"
"…Yes!"
She answered almost instantly—
But then caught herself.
"Wait… what do you want from me in return?"
Syd grinned.
"You want money?" she asked suspiciously.
"Did you even read that wiki page? Do I look like I need your money? I mean—I'll take it, but still."
He set down his toast and locked eyes with her—red meeting blue.
"I'm here for a job. And I want your help. Because your power… could make my mission ten times easier."
"…Mission? What mission?"
"To shut this damn school down."
!!!!!!!!!!
She wanted to yell "Are you insane?"
But after what she'd just witnessed, this guy didn't seem like a high school student at all.
If he said he was an alien, she might've believed him.
"You? Alone? Shut down this school?? How?!"
"When did I say I was alone?"
"…"
"Who are you?"
"I'm here on a mission.
And shutting this school down is just part of it.
If you agree to help me—I'll teach you.
That's all I can say… unless we have a deal."
Eight months in a wheelchair…
Three years of fear and paranoia…
Doctors gave her no answers. Not even the cause.
Even her own family abandoned her.
Her sister—the one she loved the most—turned away too.
And now… this?
She had felt it. With her own legs.
"…."
"Oh, and we're running out of time," Syd added.
She blinked. "Time? What time?"
"The time until the objects return to normal."
"…!"
Suddenly, Jody noticed that red aura from Syd was evaporating off her body—bit by bit.
She lifted her hand to inspect the glow.
It looked just like being dusted by Thanos…
"Syd! What the hell is this?!"
"Don't panic. It's just wearing off.
The effect lasts about ten minutes. Once the swap is done, the property sticks for that long.
After that, things go back to normal."
"…Ten minutes…"
"Martial Arts is like riding a bike. Once you know how to do it, the rest depends on how long you can keep going."
"So I could make it last longer than ten minutes… if I trained enough?"
"Now that's the top student I know."
"…This mission of yours… will it be dangerous?"
"…Depends. I can't give a straight yes or no."
"…Will I get hurt?"
"If you screw up badly—maybe."
"…Then count me in. Please. Teach me this Martial Art."
"That's what I wanted to hear."
They shook hands.
"Martial Art... it sounds like something out of a Chinese movie. Kinda cool."
"Whoa—did the foreign girl just say she watches Chinese flicks?"
"So… what do you call it?"
"It's just a name. But if you must know—it's called the Martial Art of Substitution."
"Martial Art of Substitution?"
"Simple. Straightforward. Nothing fancy. Got a problem with that?"
"…Then, uh…"
"Yeah?"
"What's your power, then?"
"…"
"…"
"I don't have one."
"…But you have an aura—how can someone without powers have that?"
"Comes from Martial Art training."
"Seriously? I've never heard of that before…"
Syd glanced out the window.
"Yeah. Turns out, a normal person with Martial Art skills can also see the auras of power users."
"Wait—really?!"
And that's when it hit her.
She could see Syd's aura…
But not his power symbol.
...So he really doesn't have powers… and yet he can emit aura just from Martial Art?
Unbelievable.
.
.
Syd Barrett
(Registered Martial Art User)
Codename: Access Restricted
Nationality: Australian / Thai
Ethnicity: Australian / Thai
Languages: English, Thai
Place of Birth: Asia
Psychological Profile:
Impulsive
Hot-headed
Strategically disciplined
Ability: Access Restricted
Ability Classification: Access Restricted
Jody Johansson
Codename: (Not Yet Assigned)
Nationality: American
Ethnicity: American
Languages: English
Place of Birth: North America
Psychological Profile:
Calm under pressure
Quick learner
Mentally composed and structured
Ability: Air Manipulation
Ability Type: Non-Physical Form
Status: Codename Not Yet Assigned