THE MOMENT
"Call me Laughtrack," the lean, blue-haired clown chuckled; he was nervous. He was the fastest person alive, and he was strong enough to shatter an entire Earth with one blow; but, he was standing in front of a great chrome dragon that could have ended him with an idle thought. He was certain he could outrun her if he had somewhere to run to. But, Chroma had agents everywhere. Despite his unease, he had to admit it was something of an honor to be in her presence. It was rare that she involved herself in the workings of the universe and the fact that she brought him there to talk meant she was planning something.
"No," Chroma's serpentine head shook from side to side as her smile grew. "I am deliberating the future of a Calavera named Ray, and until that is decided I will not grant you the luxury of respect. You have murdered the entire population of several dozen Earths. Do you have anything to say in your defense?"
"The last one was about 20 seconds faster than the first?" Ray laughed. This time, his glee was genuine as several speed copies of himself materialized around him to join in the laughter. After a quick rolling laugh, they faded from reality again.
"You do have a Unique gift for speed...," Chroma nodded. "...it's a pity that the only constructive use you've found for it is violence."
"Hey, that's not true at all!" Ray defended himself. He was instantly surrounded by a crowd of support as several more speed clones appeared to chime in.
"This loveable lug saved the multiverse!" one of them said while patting the main one on the shoulder. "Yeah!" the others chimed in, then faded out existence.
"And that is the only reason you've earned this audience," Chroma nodded. "That credit has already been spent. But, it has shown you have the capability to work with others. I have a plan for you, if you're willing to participate," she said.
"And if I don't?" Ray asked out of pure curiosity. He hadn't even heard her offer yet; but, he had an idea of what the punishment was. He would take almost any job over going back there and he wanted to be sure.
"I believe there's a scenic ocean view still awaiting your return...," Chroma smiled.
"uggh..," Ray exaggerated a shiver of disgust running down his spine at the thought. A nice view of a calm sea could be pleasant in small bursts. A few minutes, a day at most. But, for someone that moved as fast as Ray, being forced to sit down and stare at nothing forever was the ultimate punishment. The first time he'd been caught and punished, he was placed on a raft in the center of an ocean; then, time was stopped. He couldn't move, and he wouldn't age. But, his mind still worked. And, with time frozen, no boats would pass. No dolphins would entertain him, and no storm would ever make his day more interesting. It was an eternal punishment by nice, calm weather. He was freed to work a special mission; and, he'd been managing to swing deals to keep him from the raft since then. It was about the only thing he could be threatened with, and he knew Chroma could deliver on it.
"What's the job keeping me out?" he asked.
"You're familiar with Toku-high, I assume?" Chroma asked.
"Yeah!?" Ray hopped with excitement. "Yeah, we've heard of it," a new speed clone emerged, followed by a third. "What about it?" he asked.
"It's a simple choice. Go back to the raft, or take a staff position at the school, reporting directly to Chroma Corp."
"I'll be your spy," several versions of ray appeared solely to chuckle before they faded out of existence again. "... but, isn't the school Regal's territory? You think he's gonna let me be a teacher?"
"No one considers you teacher material...," Chroma giggled lightly. "However, that does not mean the students can't learn anything from you. This coming semester will be something of a change for the status quo; and, I consulted with Regal before inviting you to the position."
"Well, if all I gotta do is say yes, then.... YES!" a dozen versions of himself agreed in unison. "So, let me guess.. usual rules, I can't kill any of them?"
"Oh no, the rules will be very different this semester," Chroma said. "'Not Killing' them won't be an enforced rule; but, you might find it more challenging than you're expecting. You're a powerful Calavera; but, in the past you've mostly killed Zeros and NPCs. Don't forget that each and every student at the school will be a Unique Soul, many of them on your level."
"Oh, is that the catch then? I can only do it at the school?" Ray asked.
"I suppose that is a detail I hadn't clarified," Chroma nodded. "You could say that is one catch. but, it would be more precise to say you will only be allowed access to the school; it will be your sole home for the duration of the first semester at least."
"That's even better!" Ray laughed as a crowd. "From 8 to 3 they're locked in the school with me!" he cackled and his own cheering audience grew as he laughed harder.
"Your mind moves fast, but that only means you make assumptions on incomplete information," Chroma said. More specifically, the goal this year is to keep the students in the school too, all year long," she said.
"Huh?" the crowd vanished leaving Ray alone with his confusion.
"I told you, I think it's time to do things a little different this time. The students will be confined to the school as their own little universe. So, it's less that they'll be locked in with you from 8 to 3... it's more like you'll be locked in with them for three months."
"But, I can kill them, you said. Right?" Ray asked. He was confident he could at least get a quiet couple of months if he acted fast. And, Chroma was the one putting him in there.
"Don't forget the school is immersed in the AlterNet, they'll be able to respawn. So, yes. You may kill them as many times as you want."
"Oh...," Ray sighed. "... it's not fun if it doesn't stick. But, alright," he nodded. "You got a deal."