What A Dream Wants

Class 1...

Oh wait, that's his class!

To his left, a boy with silvery hair came forward solemnly. His dusky eyes were filled with specks of moonlight- warm at first glance, but in those eyes, a faint coldness lingered...

Steven decided to call him moon boy!

Steven didn't recognize moon boy, so he assumed the other boy was his classmate.

The other person had messy blonde hair, slightly curled at the edges. His brown eyes were warm but tired... as if he needed more sleep.

He needed some milk.

No wait, milk does the opposite effect… doesn't it?

He searched on Nooble*. [Not an actual search engine*]

He clicked on the top result- https://aunoob.edu/verysmart/does-milk-make-you-sleepy*.

"Milk contains small quantities of tryptophan, which the brain uses to build two molecules that help with relaxation: serotonin and melatonin. However, tryptophan-containing foods don't have as much of an effect as pure tryptophan. The effect is generally negligible when compared to tryptophan supplements, but for those with tryptophan deficiencies, it can help. Since the brain operates on a routine-based system, drinking milk may trigger sleep for those who often drink milk before bedtime. Milk also holds psychological significance in aiding sleep, similar to a placebo.

Warm milk, on the other hand, aids in relaxation - due to the warmth - rather than the presence of tryptophan in the milk. No actual studies have been conducted to prove that milk has an adverse effect on sleeping patterns."

Steven looked at his classmate again. His name was... Jack? Something like that, anyway.

While he was trying to remember his classmate's names, the two boys already walked onto the stage.

"Ready?" Mr. Bruyant asked.

The two boys nodded.

"3… 2… 1... Go!" Mr. Bruyant announced.

Immediately after he announced the start of the match, moon boy rushed over to Jack, intending to make him fall with a swift sweep kick.

Jack jumped in the air, avoiding the sweep kick* by mere inches.

This reminded Steven of an old nursery rhyme.

"Jack be nimble,

Jack be quick,

Jack jump over

The candlestick."

Sensing that Jack had avoided his attack, moon boy threw out a roundhouse kick, trying to limit Jack's mobility.

The air whooshed- a miss.

Jack managed to slightly bend over, narrowly evading the attack.

Moon boy let out a small smirk and went in for a jab towards Jack's stomach.

Already unstable, Jack bent over completely, using the momentum to do a backward somersault. Once on his footing, he went in for an uppercut at his opponent's jaw.

Moon boy didn't attempt to block it at all. A clean hit.

He was just standing there. A cold grin on his face.

Jack frowned.

Seeing that his opponent was able to easily tank the hit, he knew that his opponent's defenses were quite high.

Moon boy, still smiling, not giving Jack a chance to catch his breath, went in for another jab, which Jack slapped away.

They exchanged a barrage of punches for a few minutes.

Jack couldn't hold on any longer and fell onto his fours.

His hair started growing longer and longer, hair protruding out of his skin, before becoming a behemoth… dog?

The dark bushy tail, the golden brown coating of fur, the face that resembled a fox… no, it wasn't a dog, but a jackal!

With its large canine teeth and dark brown eyes, it seemed to peer into one's soul slowly.

Contrasting with everyone's expectations, instead of attacking using its large figure, spell circles were cast around the arena.

With a storm overhead, water rained down, followed by bolts of lightning. The ground churned into quicksand, limiting the mobility of the boy who was still standing still, allowing lightning to strike him.

Sparks flew onto the wooden logs that rose from the ground. Fanned by gusts of wind, the flames rose higher, conflagrating the entire arena. Now blazing scarlet flames encircled the two, with smoke hiding both figures.

"How?" Jinx asked. With the jackal's voice, it sounded like a snarl.

Moon boy simply smiled and calmly answered, "Mmm… I guess defense is my strong point."

"I see." Jinx turned back into a human. "I admit defeat. My attacks don't work."

"You haven't seen if my attacks will work." Moon boy tilted his head in confusion.

"I already exhausted my energy." Jinx simply stated. Then, he asked, "What's your name?"

"Daleun." He answered.

With that, the match concluded.