The students went back to their lunches, used to Zachary losing. But Destiny shot up from the table and marched up behind CJ. "Who do you think you-"

CJ spun around and slapped her hard. She went down to the ground and Zachary's eyes flung open as everyone in the room gasped. CJ looked surprised at himself for a moment, but then his eyes narrowed in anger once more.

Carl was up from the table now. "CJ! You-"

"Shut up!" CJ roared, "I have put up with your disrespect for long enough. You've all forgotten your place!"

"I won't ju-"

"Sit down, Carol!" Carl just stared at CJ with silent defiance as Destiny got up. CJ started charging at him.

"I said sit do-!"

CJ jerked backwards and choked on his collar. Zachary was on his feet and had grabbed the back of CJ's shirt, cutting him short. He let go now and pushed CJ forwards off-balance into the table.

"You sit down, CJ. You're not in charge any longer."

A few supporting shouts were heard from the back of the room. CJ pulled himself from the mess on the table and a hatred roared inside him as he met Zachary's stare. He didn't look like someone who had just lost a fight and had broken his fingers. This boy stood calm and relaxed, but firm and unmoving, with the same fire in his eyes as the day he first challenged CJ.

"You really don't know when to give up, do you, Scott?"

"I told you I'll keep getting up until the day I die."

"Well then that's today, Scott!"

CJ flung a lunchtray straight at Zachary's head and Zachary didn't see it coming in time to block it fully, It slammed into both his arms and head and he staggered backwards as CJ rushed towards him with his fist pulled back.

CJ launched his fist at Zachary's head, but Zachary caught it and pulled it behind him, spinning around CJ with the grace of a dancer. CJ stopped himself and turned around with another punch ready, only to get knocked back by a powerful front kick. His eyes stung from the blow and he tried to find Zachary through the blur. But Zachary spun around, sending two more spinning kicks to his head. CJ had his hands up protecting his face, and Zachary sent a strong side kick to his stomach, knocking him into the wall. He slid down to the ground and sat there, fighting against the urge to give into the pain.

"Stay down, CJ. You've lost the challenge. There's no need for anyone else to get hurt."

Zachary turned his back to CJ and began walking back to his table as applause broke out across the room.

CJ heard it and some knot in his soul twisted tighter as he rose up from the ground. He pulled a throwing knife from his pocket and readied his arm. Carl saw it behind Zachary and pointed frantically.

"NO! Zachary!"

CJ's grin went maniacal as Zachary spun around. The knife soared through the air and Zachary jumped toward it.

The knife and Zachary met in the middle, and everyone heard a dull noise, but Zachary continued moving. Another jump, crouched low to the ground, and like lighting flung upwards in a wild spin.

Carl's hand flew to his mouth as his jaw dropped. The butterfly kick.

CJ saw a foot, and then darkness as he fell to the ground limp, like a puppet with cut strings. Zachary stood over him, panting, and all was quiet. Then Zachary opened his fist and the knife fell to the ground, shattering the silence.

The applause eruptted again, louder than before. The bell rang, ending lunch, but no one heard it. Carl jumped up with his fist in the air.

"Yes! Yes! Zachary! You won!" He burst into amazed laughter. Zachary shrugged and walked towards Destiny.

"Hey, you okay? He hit you pretty hard."

"Zachary, I should be saying the same to you! And what on Earth is going on here? Is it like this every day?"

Carl laughed. "No, normally they serve soup."

Zachary chuckled as Destiny looked back and forth between the two of them, astonished.

He took a deep breath. The air felt fresher somehow. Was that even logical? He didn't care. He had won. And he scratched his head, wondering how he had.

Then his hand exploded with pain as he had forgotten he was scratching with two broken fingers. Carl winced as he yanked his hand back with a shout.

"Alright, come on, Zachary. Let's go tell the nurse you tripped and fell wrong."

Zachary rolled his eyes. "Might as well tell her I broke it fighting crime as a superhero if we're gonna keep lying to her."

Carl packed up his CJ-flattened lunch. "Oh please, don't even get me started on the impractibility of superheroes."

"What? They're totally practical." Zachary followed him out the door and the two continued arguing down the pathway. That day, only one student wasn't late for their fifth-hour class, and one student was nearly expelled for assaulting someone with a weapon. It's rumored that their powerful dad was the only reason they weren't.