Chapter 258 - 258. Construction Race

The two got themselves all set up with their work out gear. Asher grabbed the gloves he had been wearing with his gear. They were proving to be a very useful addition for him when he trained since it was harsh on his knuckles. "I think I should look at getting some reinforced gear, I put some strain on my joints from my style and it will probably be smarter to start reinforcing things now than later." He said this out loud to Art who he knew had been considering similar things. 

"I think it's a good idea. We can match and have some reinforced gear." Art was just glad that he would end up having some matching gear with his best friend. Even if it was a different build elsewhere.

"I think Jane will get to ignore any reinforced gear. When she shifts to her full power she is already stronger and doesn't need it. Jackson probably doesn't either." Asher was thinking of who else may need any reinforcements to their gear when he got back to class on Monday. 

"Bro, save it for later. If Louis and Sammy need it we can figure it out today and tomorrow. And Laura is in the class with us, anything she needs we already know she probably asked. I think I heard her talking about some fabric that won't wear out from extreme wear and tear." Art made sure Asher wasn't going to be stuck in his own head all morning. 

Asher shrugged off his lack of focus and stretched his legs for their run to SWammy and Louis's house. "You want to race there?" Asher thought that this was probably a bad idea since they would both tired themselves out. But he wanted to have a little fun instead of being bored with another run. 

"You think you can beat me? That's cute." Art was all in on a race. He started to stretch too so he could start out stronger than Asher. 

"Oh, it will be cute when I am the one knocking on their door first and you are keeled over in a too tired to even take another step mood." Asher was right back at Art with the banter. Before they could even stretch anymore they had fallen in to an all out brawl of words and trash talking. 

"And that is why I didn't want to spar with those two today." Cara could hear the two yelling their trash talk in the front yard before they ran off. Jane just laughed at Cara and the two before they continued their own sparring. 

"Ready! Set! Go!" Asher and Art were off on their run toward their friends' houses. They were naturally, starting 

Art started off in the lead since Asher knew that he would tire himself out. Asher had purposefully pushed Art more and more so that this would happen. It was a snaky trick that he had realized worked way too well on Art. 

What they both didn't expect though was that the road to Sammy and Louis's house was currently under construction. The normal road and sidewalk were currently being remodeled so that they were crack free. This led to a daring and mischievous grin between the two as they stopped at the construction sign. 

"Did someone set up an obstacle course?" Art was looking at the materials that were set up like hurdles and ramps. 

"It doesn't say that people can't run through it so I think we can take on the challenge." Asher looked carefully for any danger signs and saw that there was nothing that would stop them from running free. 

With the consensus that their race was about to become much more interesting, they hoped the barrier and ran through the construction site. The workers were all on lunch and there was no one around to say a word or to cause any danger. This made them run free more so than they would have in any other case. 

Asher was jumping every barrier and sets of boards like hurdles while Art was dodging around equipment like he was weaving through an enemy's punches. The two were displaying the many hours of hard training while trying to get ahead of each other. However, they were about to face a major enemy. 

Art took a step too far and met with a slightly sticky and partially cooled rubber crack sealer. This anchored his shoe in place while Asher turned to laugh at him. But instead of taking the lead Asher found himself equally stuck. The two had waltzed right in to a trap of their own making. 

"Maybe...we shouldn't have run through here." Art was the first to admit it, but he saw Asher shaking his feet free of his running shoes. 

"Maybe we shouldn't have, but I am still winning." Asher pulled his feet free and tore his shoes from the ground with his hands. He smiled at Art and started running again. 

Art refused to be abandoned like that and followed Ashers' lead. They were both running through the street like it was a minefield. Their weird hops and jumps giving anyone who was watching the impression that they were playing a form of hopscotch or interpretive dances. 

"You'll never catch up!" Asher taunted Art as he hopped over the barrier at the end of the construction site and sprinted ahead. He knew that just around the corner was Sammy and Louis's house and he was about to win. 

Just as he was rounding the corner he saw a shadow falling to the ground. When Asher looked up he could only gawk as Art was hopping the fence of the yard next door to Sammy and Louis. He had cut from the construction site through the neighbors' yard to beat Asher. 

"No! You! Don't!" Asher flew in to a full sprint. He was not going to lose when he was so close. The two were headed right for the doors of the two houses sitting side by side. They ran right past two familiar looking people in the front to both knock on one of the doors. 

"I bet Sammy and Louis are at Sammys' house. If they are I am the winner!" Art was shouting from one door to Asher who had just knocked on the other. 

"Yeah right! I am the winner since they are both at Louis's house!" Asher was not letting Art have the glory. 

"Ooo, what if Louis and Sammy are both not home and actually just got back from their own cardio work out" The familiar female voice made both Art and Aher turn around with a frozen look on their faces. 

"I'm pretty sure that means Louis and Sammy win. They should get some sort of prize." Louis was the one to speak this time while smirking with Sammy. 

"I thought I was supposed to be lucky. How could I fail to catch you at the house I chose!" Asher slumped down to sit on the front step defeated. Art soon followed and sat next to him equally defeated. 

"So, you guys want to train with us?" Art spoke with a slightly slow and beaten tone, but they had come for this purpose. 

"Sure, but since Louis and I won you two need to show us those blocks you mentioned in the chat the other day." Sammy knew how to bargain and was after the moves she had not yet learned. 

"Oh, good one. I would have made them hold a hand stand for ten minutes and do hand stand push ups." Louis was much more brutal than Sammy. He wanted a little revenge for the training Asher and Art had already put them through. 

"That would have been funny. But we would still be far behind. At least learning the blocks will help us catch up." Sammy made a good point as she pulled Art back up. 

"Sorry Asher, I would help you up but I haven't discharged my lightning yet. I did find a good way to do it though." Louis was excited to share the solution and pointed them toward the back yard where they could train too. "That is my lightning rod. My parents had it hammered deep in to the ground and now I can get rid of any extra lightning so it is easier to train. I don't want to brag but I can control ten percent of my lightning now." He stood tall with his hands on his hips.

"Too bad that is the same as those prank pens that zap people. Every time he increases it to a stun gun it arcs off and he loses it. He needs to be really close to use it fully." Sammy was giggling while making fun of Louis which prompted him to retort. 

" At least I didn't blow the laundry away with the wind. Her underwear ended up in the neighbors' pool." Louis was standing even taller as he preached this embarrassing fact. However, he was feeling less victorious when he saw Sammy preparing her strongest gust of wind in his direction. For the next ten minutes, Asher and Art were witnesses to Louis and Sammy trying to either shock each other or blow the other away with wind. It was a somewhat strange fight between the elements.