Chapter 395 - 395. Race

"Laura, what's up with you? Are you trying to make me look bad?" Art was feeling very outdone as they were working out. 

"What? Don't think you can keep up? None of you are as fast as me anyways." Jane was not even surprised to hear Laura counter Art that way. It was the very thing that was making Laura unhappy but since she was using it to challenge them then it would push everyone in the group to try and be faster. 

"You want fast? Once I learn to fly I will be faster than any of you. Even at your fastest sprinting speed I will blitz by you in a second." The challenge was quickly met by Sammy who began to push herself in her squats. Of course, this just forced up everyone else more. 

"Ha! You say you are going to move faster than Laura? Look at your form. If you can't do it right slow then how can you do it faster and better than her? The only one that will match Laura is me. And you can mark my words on that." The sudden mocking of Sammy from Louis was enough to make Sammy slow down and prove that she had the best form. But more than that, it made Laura pause for a moment and have to catch her breath. She had not thought that Louis would say that he would match her. If that was his goal then she was foolish to worry about never having someone as fast as her. 

The entire conversation with Jane made more sense now. It echoed through her and she couldn't take her eyes off of him. 

"Alright, that's time. We can split up now and do our own training or we can head try and do some studying together outside before we head home." Asher had a phone timer going to everyone but knew that it didn't have to be the end of the work out session. 

"Race. We are going to race. Everything we have from here to the opposite end of the park." There was no room to argue. No room to even suggest something else. The seriousness that Laura used when she said this made everyone feel a chill run through their spines. It was as if she was looking right through them while issuing this challenge. 

"All out? Using super powers?" Jackson was sure that he had the speed to do so but if he was competing against everyone using their super powers then he was certain that he would not be winning in the least. Not that he would be the slowest. 

"Of course with super powers. She said all out. Let's get to this." Jane snapped at Jackson making everyone realize that this was a serious moment. No one would be escaping this and to add to everything Jane popped one of the adrenaline pills in to her mouth so she could shift and use every ounce of strength. 

"If we are being serious then I am trying something new out." Art moved his hand and attracted a piece of metal from his back pack. It appeared to be a thin layer of aluminum foil. However, when it started to bend it was clear that it was very thin steel plating. He forced it to bend around his ankles and then his wrists. "I have a trick to speed myself up a little but it is very hard to pull off. Maybe I will win." 

The idea was that he would focus on the four points of metal he had just wrapped around his limbs. They would be moved forward with his super powers at a rate faster than he would normally move his body. Of course, this came with heavy mental and physical strain because he had not mastered it. But in theory, he would be able to nearly double his speed. 

"Then I am using my wind full blast," Sammy spoke and the wind began to pick up around them. She was not always able to channel the wind the exact way she wanted. But she had worked very hard on controlling it. Yet,  since she was directly told to go all out that was what she would do. She could force all of her mental strength to push the air behind her and propel herself forward in a burst of air. Nothing would be able to hold her back if she did this. 

The only silent people were Asher and Cara who knew better than anyone that they were outmatched. Cara had no way to control soundwaves that would make her run faster. She just had her hard work to become more physically fit and faster than most people. Asher just had his luck. So if he really had hope he might be able to get lucky enough for everyone to have some false start or something. 

"Let's start this." The air became electrified, Sammy had started to glare daggers at Louis. Something was off since she was so unhappy to notice him using the lightning in his body this way. Small sparks and arcs of lightning were wrapping around him and trying to push away. 

"If you go too far again I will never speak with you." This was a threat from Sammy that held a heavy weight. 

"I learned from last time. I won't push too hard. It will be fine. I practice so I can do this." Jane knew it was the risks that came with Louis using his super power to force his body forward. If he was not careful he could fry himself too much and need to recuperate longer. 

The group lined themselves up with a significant amount of space between them. There was nothing left to say. Asher set his phone to max volume and for ten seconds. He hit the button and redeemed himself with everyone else. Jane had started to shift already and by five second she was digging in to the ground in a sprinters' stance. She was ready to burst forward with all her might. 

Laura appeared to be standing idly but her body was actually picking up. She always repressed herself more and more as she gained control over her body. Part of her thought that one day she would be able to act and look like a normal person then shift like Laura could in to a faster speed without issue. But now she knew that she would always be ahead. 

The wind seemed to only be affecting Sammy as she stood still yet her hair flailed around her. This was the build up before a large gust that would propel her forward. Her training had given her an understanding of how to let the wind push a body forward safely. Now she could use this with her heaviest force. 

Nothing could compare to the way things felt around Louis though. The very air seemed to be vibrating around him as the lightning in his body showed itself. There was a good reason that he had been made to wear the rubber bandages when he first gained his super powers. He had no control of his lightning at first and it would wildly arc and exhaust itself. Now that he had the control to at least keep it in his body he had held it back. Now it was being let off its leash. 

The alarm went off and time seemed to slow. Sammy was pushed forward like she had been shot out of a cannon. She had used the wind to propel herself with such force that anyone unprepared would have lost consciousness. But this was nothing compared to the others. Jackson had chosen to leap forward and cover the distance to the end of the park in two leaps of ground cracking force. 

Cara and Asher were trying to remain ahead of each other but Asher was clearly the slower of the two. Art was able to use his super powers to move his legs and arms in a way that they were always being pulled forward. This enabled him to match the forceful speed that jane was using in her shifted form. It was a wonder that he had managed to match her in any way since Jane had been improving greatly in recent weeks. 

Laura was still the fastest and was wildly ahead of everyone. However, her nose picked up the smell of burning in the air. Her brain took a moment to process what she was seeing in the glimpse she was able to take behind her. 

Louis was coated in lightning. More specifically his legs were. But he was using a much stronger amount of it. So much so that the ground seemed to char with each step. His shoes which were rubber soles were literally melting under the heat of the lightning trying to escape. Not only was all of this happening, but, he was also right behind Laura. The only question that popped in to her head was if she would actually be able to win against him if he managed to control all of this lightning. 

In a blink of an eye later, the race was done and they had the results clear as day.