A/N: Chapter twenty one has arrived, and last time we left Marcus, he was in a bad way, straining his body to the limit with his Delphinium Plunge and had been tested by the troublesome sand shifting around Keenan, not to mention going all out with his maximum pace by removing his weights.

Yet he was surprised as he found that, where Keenan had landed, a pile of scattered sand had taken his place like a substitute.

How will he fair as we go on?

Also, the Takato and Henry match has been squeezed in to minimize the overrun into the next chapter, so it won't be that impressive, but I'll try- sorry for fans of the loser, I'll try my best to make him look good later on, I promise!

Sukeban – Female Bancho Character

…

Digimon, Hurricane Chronicles

Chapter Twenty One: Burst Limit! Marcus's Trump Card!

…

"WHAT?" Marcus repeated to himself, the small mound of sand at the nexus of impact, the centre of the crater, blowing away with the distorted wind caused by the twisting, almost cyclone like Tekina move.

"But how?" Spencer was in disbelief, scratching the back of his head tentatively, "When did he manage it?"

Satsuma clarified, "It was when you went in for a prayer and closed your eyes. At the same time, Marcus shut his eyes from the pain of using the technique; that's when he did it. You probably didn't notice it because of the large gourd, but before he was restrained, he threw his boomerang at the ground with high speed while everyone was distracted."

Sora raised a brow curtly, "What does that mean?"

"You'll see in a second. But the Keenan you saw collide into the ground was most likely a hollow shell he made from his sand."

Much to Marcus and Spencer's shuddering horror, a mass of sand behind the teen began to fluctuate and rise, giving rise to Keenan from the mass. This sand was created from his boomerang, which he had broken down into granules of sand behind Marcus's landing spot.

Raising his hand, his head bobbed low with Marcus looking at him nervously, he crushed some sand hovering alongside his palm, reforming his boomerang and placing it beneath his gourd again, his maddened eyes lifting and his evil grin widening.

Daiyo lunged forth to the railing, Damn it… that thing was stirred up by the threat he just faced! If he doesn't calm down-he'll fully awaken!

Keenan upheld his evil grin, chortling darkly as he formed a strange seal, locking all but his index fingers together, extending the two into an altered Tiger, stirring up the sand behind him through his control, raising it into a large tidal wave with the addition of the sand in his gourd still.

"Imperial Sand Tide!" his raspy voice echoed, the towering tidal wave of sand crashing down, the azure beast of Team Spencer still exhausted before it, slapping the first wave away, but crossing his arms as the second lifted him up and forced him to crash into the wall beneath the Sandstorm walkway again.

A striking spear like jab from a horde of sand collided into the wall where Marcus was, the boy barely managing to raise his hands before being compressed.

Keenan licked his cracked lips, his facial armour not fully restored, as if some delectable dark beauty were present in his vicious assault, his sand pulling back to reveal a huge dent in the wall, the centre of it Marcus-shaped, the boy himself on a knee, gasping desperately for air before the monstrous child.

Sora just couldn't help but note, "W-why isn't he using that speed of his? It worked at dodging the sand before!"

Spencer was vacant, "For a very, very plain and simple reason; he can't dodge them, he can hardly twitch at this point."

Kudamon whipped his head back atop Satsuma's shoulder-perch, "You see, the Plunge is a double edged sword of a manoeuver. As one of the few forbidden," he looked at Spencer with restraint, "techniques practised in Tekina. As it is hand to hand combat, the move requires extreme effort and strain by the muscles. Although he has altered it to reduce damage to himself by having his partner perform it with him, Marcus is in so much pain right now, he can't dodge very well. He has nothing to feel shame over, though. As a child who can utilize it, it should be expected of him to be exhausted."

"No way…" Sora jerked back to face the fight, "but at this rate, he'll…"

Spencer felt a churn in the pit of his gut as he watched Marcus sidestep the sand onslaught, only to be swatted back by it again, Marcus…

oOo

Cries sounded throughout the street, yet not one adult went to the back alley it was originating from, all of them too busy or too scared, after all, they were mere village folk, not toughened Tamers.

The cry was from a short, four year old girl in the back alley, her caramel hair knotted into two short pig tails tied by small pink ribbons, matching her face as she wailed, tears cascading down her face and onto her blue dress.

Three boys surrounded her, throwing her favourite doll back and forth like the stereotypical bully, all of them easily six years older than her.

The ringleader, a fat boy that resembled a beachball, grew tired of her wails, sauntering over and roughly grabbing her by the arm, tugging her ear close, "Will you shut up? This is our area now, and our rule is; no goody-goodies!"

"B-buch," she cried, her cracked voice incomprehensible, "thish wash were me and Marcush played! It's our place!"

"Marcus? Oh! You mean the kid who's failing at the school at everything? What did we call him… 'Mr. Spirited Loser'!"

"MARCUSH!" the little girl cried out, he boys around her juddering, one of them throwing her favourite doll at her head. Luckily it was a soft beanie doll, like a plush, but emotionally it hurt her like a wrecking ball, "HELP ME!"

Suddenly, a shadow burst at the entrance to the alleyway, Marcus's ten year old form coming into sight, "GET AWAY FROM KRISTY!"

"Shut up, loser!" the snobbish leader snapped, agitated when Marcus roughly shoved past him to hug Kristy's quivering form, reaching also for her plushie doll and gently placing it in her small hands.

"There, there… big bro's here now; he won't let you get hurt."

"Clone Technique!" the leader burst out, a basic copy of himself coming up beside him, pacing toward Marcus menacingly, "Spirited Loser… you can't do Genina, Seiina and you suck at even Tekina; what can you defend her from, eh?"

"Say what you want, but how can the Ultimate Fighter become great, knowing he couldn't defend his little sister from a fatbody like you," he defensively stood in front of Kristy, "and his doofus friends?"

"GET HIM!"

…

Hours later, back in the Damon household, Marcus was being attended to by his mother, the kindly lady with long caramel hair carefully placing bandaids around his bruised, bumpy face, Kristy colouring in a book with a cheery hum.

"Honestly, Marcus…" his mother worriedly began, "do you know how worried I get when you come back to me like this? I get that you have to protect your sister, but running away would have spared you these bruises just as well as you shielding her!"

Marcus groaned, a sore spot getting covered, "But mom… how can I become the Ultimate Fighter if I just run away? It'd look bad when I remember it in the future!"

His mother sighed vehemently, "Honestly, you and your father are peas in a pod… I bet he's still saying those silly things on his mission right now. An elite O'rin acting like a child…"

"But dad is the Ultimate Fighter right now! I need to get strong and replace him! Even though I can't use Genina and Seiina like the others, I can work on my Tekina and grow strong!"

"I know that dear." She petted his head, blood rushing to his cheeks, "If you put your mind to it, you can do whatever you want to."

"RIGHT!"

...

It was several months later that Marcus managed to pass the K'rin Exams and become an official Tamer, and, after a wordless meeting with Thomas and Yoshi, their sensei walked in, Marcus astounded to see who it was.

"D-!"

Spencer slapped a finger in front of his curvaceous mouth, "No, I am not your father, and I won't baby any of you. Come with me, and only address me as Spencer-sensei."

Now outside in the second floor mosaic like area of the school Squad Seven used four years later, Spencer sat against the railing before the seated three, scanning each of them equally.

"Well, let's start with introductions. My name is Spencer Damon, your O'rin sensei from today onwards. My hobbies are training and working toward defeating my friendly rival, Satsuma-sensei. My dream is to retire peacefully with my wife and two children, Kristy and Marcus."

Yoshi jolted up in her seat, "Wait, you're his dad? Isn't that a little- offsetting?"

"No, you see, I have a specific reason for captaining this Squad, but I can assure you; I will note dote on him in any way. I will be hard on him, as I will be hard on you. In the Tamer world, if I let up because I'm soft, the Squad suffers. Anyway," he shifted his glance to Thomas, "you first, Thomas."

The blonde shook his head slowly, "I don't feel like answering; I just need training, not sentimentality."

Spencer grinned with interest, moving his eyes to Yoshi's still perturbed face, "You next, young lady."

Coming to attention, Yoshi answered, "W-well… I, uh… would like to become a great female Tamer, just like Lady Sukeban!"

"A fine goal, and what about you, Marcus?"

Marcus thrust his hand into the air, garnering quizzical looks around him, "Sensei, I want to prove that not having Genina or Seiina in the Tamer world still allows you to be a Tamer! I want to prove myself as a Tekina specialist!"

…

"You sure don't know when to quit," Yoshi sighed as Marcus ploughed through the dirt in defeat, "of course you can't beat Thomas; he's a prodigal genius of the Norstien clan!"

Thomas was cold in his reproach, "Marcus, you have to understand this. You cannot defy the path the heavens have set you on; it leads to disaster, injury and death. No matter how hard you work, you can't hope to beat me."

Grumbling, he stood back up.

Thomas had just made it fifty two wins to zero wins against Marcus.

…

Marcus dangled from the tree limb near the top, nearly thirteen feet off of the ground, the tops of his feet the only thing hooking his body onto the limb, the boy himself doing precarious pull ups on the tree branch, a small puddle of cascaded sweat drops beneath him.

"Thirty eight! Thirty nine!" he numbered them, "If I can't manage at least one hundred, it's fifty squats as punishment!"

Little did the young K'rin know, his father was hidden in the brambles of the tree near him, watching him intently, "That kid of mine…"

…

"If I can't do fifty squats, I'll kick the tree trunk eighty times!" Marcus barked to himself in the empty forest training area, crouching down and squatting back up after he had fallen from the tree limb at eighty nine, his body teetering on total burn out.

And after reaching forty two, it finally did, the boy feeling a jabbing inside his shins, falling flat on his face, Spencer going to step out of the tree brambles, but noticing his son still twitching, sniffs mixing in with them, rendering him silent as Marcus writhed on the ground, using his chin to try and move to the bark of the tree before him, his face drenched with tears, mucus and sweat; his body put out everything to try and cool down, and his insides hurt too, emotionally, it was like a pit fall.

Leaping down quietly, Spencer stepped through the bushes, surprising the immobilized boy, "Marcus! You gonna quit now? You do know that while training is good, a break aids it as well."

"What is it… Spencer-sensei," the boy mumbled, pushing himself to his feet against the trunk, "if it's about me freezing on the mission, I said I was sorry."

"Marcus, while it may be true as Yoshi said, Thomas is a genius in his own right, and you in yours. You may not be able to apply Genina or Seiina, and your Tekina needs work, but I promise you, you will improve if you have the will to see things to their conclusion."

"… If you want to cheer me up, give it a rest, please…"

Spencer snickered, "Why would I do that? You have the potential to become the Ultimate Fighter you've dreamed of becoming, son, because you are a genius when it comes to having an iron, unshakable will."

"Yeah, and what good has that done me? I had the will to protect Kristy from those bullies, I had my face smashed in by them and their Genina! I had the will to challenge Thomas many times, and I failed on every single one of them. Some Ultimate Fighter I am… even though I train three times harder than him, Thomas is still stronger than me… maybe he was right- maybe I'm destined to be a loser, I'll never live up to being your son, dad."

Spencer contorted his face and clenched his fists, "Hard work pays off, but only for those with the will to shape their destinies, Marcus! You have that will, and no matter what you may think, it will pay off!"

"Dad…"

"I wasn't always the manly beast of a beautiful warrior you see before you; I was once in the same situation against Satsuma, but now with hard work, guts and my lovely family, I have all the tools I need to beat him. You want to be a Tekina specialist like me, don't you? Well, that is a goal worth striving for, with all your might!"

oOo

He was right! Dad said it'd pay off, and look how far I've come, Marcus pondered as he began dodging Keenan's sand attacks with a quickly hastening pace, his speed and strength slowly returning at an amazing rate.

Kudamon frowned atop Satsuma's shoulder, No way… that healing, it couldn't be!

Sora was also in disbelief, "Even though the technique had him so damaged and drained a minute ago… how is Marcus doing that."

Spencer snickered, "Because he's resorting to 'that'… have you ever heard the saying, 'Spring Comes Around Twice For The Worthy'?"

"Yeah… Tai told me it in the Forest, he said Marcus wanted me to hear it," she recalled, tapping her forehead, "what does it mean exactly?"

Down in the arena, Marcus panted excessively on his feet, Keenan glaring at him, "You're finished here…"

His opponent brushed that off with a quick, broad smile, "Well, either way, this will be my final move; let's test how strong your defence really is!"

Satsuma seemed perturbed, removing his glasses, his Surugan eye closed, but his face covered with building beads of cold sweat, "Idiot! You can't possibly mean that you taught him how to enter the Eight Ascendant States!"

"Exactly," Spencer hummed in confession, ignoring Satsuma and his partner's glares, "that K'rin can utilize the Delphinium Plunge, so it is only natural that he had the ability to activate them."

"Even so! The technique itself causes huge strain on the body, yet you proceeded to teach that kid something like the Forceful Lily combination- how many states can he activate?"

Thomas heard a slithering quake in his voice when he said, …Forceful Lily?

Satsuma traded scowls with Spencer, "Listen, I understand your connection to the boy, but to go to such extreme length to ensure he is the strongest here… you've fallen low, Spencer."

"Be quiet. You know nothing about how he grew and the bumpy road he travelled; you know absolutely NOTHING of his hardships! He strives for a worthy goal, so what harm was there in me teaching him a powerful means to achieve it?"

oOo

"Marcus, today I'll be teaching you a new technique…"

"AWESOME!" the thirteen year old Marcus cheered to himself a year prior, his voice reverberating throughout the forest training area, but causing Spencer to twitch in agitation.

"MARCUS, THIS IS SERIOUS, SO BE QUIET!" he vilely shouted, the boy covering his mouth with both hands like clamps, "I'll be teaching you a technique that is even more forbidden than the Plunge, an extension of the technique, you might call it. It'll be you ultimate trump card, but you must only activate it on one strict condition."

oOo

It seems I have finally found an opponent who has forced that criteria upon me, Marcus chided lowly, crossing his arms before his face and shutting his eyes, albeit not defensively, surprising Keenan's more active sand, the boy bringing it back to see what Marcus was doing.

That kid has healed himself rapidly all this time because he activated the Trance State…, Satsuma looked across, repeating his inquiry, "Spencer, how many of the States can he enter?"

Spencer didn't even look back to him, "Five States."

"At his age?" Kudamon intercepted, looking down in amazement, That boy is truly a genius if he can manage such a feat so young…

Sora had been left out of the loop long enough, "Alright, can somebody explain what these 'States' you keep talking about are?"

Spencer articulated, "It's the process in the body that must be bypassed in order to activate the Forceful Lily art of Tekina."

Satsuma opened his Surugan eye and gazed down at Marcus, noticing the chikara boost around his body like a thick aura, "You see, along the chikara system there are certain regulators that ensure the flow is balanced and doesn't damage the body. But these can be turned into generators of sorts with one of the ultimate Tekina techniques, the Eight Ascendant States, in which you pressure these regulators into overdrive, increasing chikara by ten times or more.

Kudamon continued while the O'rin focused with his Surugan, "They are known as the States, and once entered; the person secures the human version of Burst Mode, where a body is pushed to its maximum. They are placed in order of entrance; the Euphoric State, the Trance State, the Jolt State, the Trigger State, the Overdrive State, the Agony State, the Celestial State and the Final State. While powerful, it is forbidden due to the immense damage it causes during extended use."

Spencer went on, "The Delphinium Plunge forcibly enters the first, the Euphoric State, releasing the brain's limits on the muscles to maximise natural bodily potential. You've seen the results of that. Even though he achieved this, he is still a boy, so he and Agumon work together to reduce damage and strain, but it still has an effect. So he entered the Trance State to increase his metabolism and heal faster, but it is at the Jolt State that his strength skyrockets to the required level for Forceful Lily."

Sora gasped, "But if only activating the first affected him that much-!"

Satsuma sighed, putting his glasses back on to conceal his Surugan, "Indeed. With the maximum Burst Mode, the true form of human strength as a Tamer, entered completely with the Final State, you can far surpass the Shas themselves, but you will tear your body to pieces and die as a certainty for the momentary boost…"

Tai gaped, looking down at Marcus and the energy that visibly circled him with a thick digital code shroud, "What's happening to him?"

Kudamon gulped, "The DNA charge has appeared; he actually entered it!"

Marcus, in the centre of the thick orange shroud of flickering digital code had veins popping alongside his temples, erupting furiously all along his skin, his eyes becoming wider and wider, his sclera becoming dull as he thought, Matt, Thomas and Tai… I want to fight them all, but what good will I be, if this short pipsqueak beats me? I can't lose here! Spencer-sensei… dad, please let this work! This is my last chance!

Spencer smiled at the powerful beast he had created.

His arms still crossed, Marcus began to effect the local area, the tiles beneath his cracking beneath the pressure of his DNA charge around him, the air blowing away from him at high speed, Keenan's cold eyes slowly opening up with realization at the beast before him, "The Third State; Jolt State, Release!"

- It'll be you ultimate trump card, but you must only activate it on one strict condition- To defend your own path from assault, never let anyone try and deprive you of your path to becoming the Ultimate Fighter; defend it if THE need arises. You will understand one day what I mean.

Sora and Tai were astounded at his face, it was slightly red, and the veins had erected all across his head into his hair that blew up with the DNA charge's pressure.

"He released the Third State," Satsuma clarified anxiously, "now he'll begin his assault."

"Oh, no," Spencer disagreed, shaking his head, "not quite yet." Go get him, son!

"The Fourth State; Trigger State, Release!" Marcus agonizingly released, the pressure further increasing and repulsing the air, and the tiles giving way beneath him as if escaping. His veins further protruded within his body with his cries of pain, his nose beginning to bleed continuously, his eyes now pure.

Kudamon flinched against the energy he was sensing from Marcus's unique DNA charge, A DNA charge is the only visible type of natural chikara, but for it to also bring this much pressure at the Fourth State; what a guy…

Hunching down with strain, Marcus's red skinned form leapt forward, his body flickering out of sight again, but this time, the tiled ground behind his initial starting point gave way and succumbed to his powerful leg muscles and speed, flipping up and bursting, creating a thick dust cloud while Marcus contacted with the first kick of the Delphinium Plunge combo, sending Keenan soaring up into the air through the dust cloud, the air repelling from where he had been kicked in the chin, forcing many to shield themselves.

"KEENAN!" Daiyo called out to the dust cloud.

Tai beside him tried to see through it as well, "WHAT HAPPENED, THEY'RE GONE!"

Joe was the first to look up, "UP THERE!"

Keenan's body shifted in the air, dust peeling away from his body as he rose. His bodily sand armour chipped away slowly but surely, starting from the heavily damaged chin section of the armour.

In his high speed, Marcus flexed his arm back, leaping at the speed of sound between the walls and ceiling, finally getting to the ceiling and aiming his legs correctly in the intense state he was in, lunging down toward Keenan, "HIDING BEHIND THAT SAND ARMOUR AGAIN… WELL, LET'S SEE IT STOP ME NOW!"

His body phasing in before Keenan's face, he connected with a high speed kick, repelling the boy toward the floor, flickering just before there as well, sending him back and forth with an assortment of high speed blows that kept the slow moving sand unable to block him, chips clearly appearing every time he was struck.

Tsuki blanched in disbelief, His sand can't keep up with his body now!

Daiyo closed his eye habitually, sweatdropping, He's in serious trouble…

"SO YOU CAN BE TOUGH WHEN YOUR SAND IS TAKEN AWAY," Marcus's voice echoed ominously, giving credence to his vast speed, "WELL, TAKE THIS!"

He coiled a fist back as he leapt down from the ceiling toward Keenan once more, ripping and shredding sound echoing also because of his speed.

Satsuma, his Surugan revealed, gaped, "His muscles are literally tearing themselves to pieces because of the strain he's putting them under!"

Thomas has his Shuhengan activated, and he stared on, aghast at the dense chikara flowing throughout his teammate's body, That's Marcus? When did he get so powerful?

Marcus was moving so fast, his surroundings seemed to be standing still, allowing him to shift uneasily as he approached Keenan, "The Fifth State, Overdrive State, RELEASE!"

Keenan felt fear, a strange, rare thing in the boy who lifted his arms in a futile defence, No human can move like this! I can't defend myself from this pounding!

Are you watching Thomas? Enjoy the show, because this is my trump card against you, flitting out again at an even greater jet like speed, Marcus slammed his fist into Keenan's scarcely armoured gut, repelling him down, but with his bandage wrapped around his waist jerked back by Marcus, the teen readied for it, lifting his palm for a thrust and bending his coinciding leg with his arm, both being thrust down at bursting speeds into Keenan's gut again, "FORCEFUL LILY~!"

The orange sheen of his DNA charge erupted through his palm and leg, piercing through Keenan's body and creating a jet stream of air beneath the two as Keenan began shooting down to the ground at high speed.

As Keenan descended, a loud crack was heard, his gourd and boomerang breaking down into their base form when not compressed; Sand.

Another bang sounded, dust erupting from the weight of Keenan's high velocity body mass, Marcus falling on the floor as well, writhing in agony at the torn tendons in his arms and strained muscles in his legs, panting aloud along with the cracking of the tiled floor and falling chips of tile that rained down.

Kudamon strained his brows, What a kid… even after that pounding he was subjected to, he-

As the dust settled, everyone was aghast at Keenan's survival, a large cushion of sand shielding him from the impact he had just suffered, and his armour all but torn off by the flurry, but the boy still breathed, albeit heavily.

Spencer looked on in horror, Unbelievable! He spared himself the brute force of the impact with the sand used in the gourd and boomerang!

Keenan shakily lifted his right hand up, clutching it in a way before his eyes that would crush Marcus, some of the sand acting as a bed for him rushing toward Marcus, the teen incapable of getting away as the sand wrapped itself around his left arm and left leg.

Impossible, he survived the Fifth State and the Forceful Lily, and is still able to attack, he disbelievingly concluded, pulling away from the sand futilely, hardening to be like a cast around his limbs.

Izzy could barely watch, I know what's coming now!

- Keenan looked up at the man with a blank face beneath the straw outcrop of the hat before raising his controlling palm to the shell, "Desert Grave!" he coldly put as he clamped his hand into a fist. The horrific scene became ripe with blood as it rained down from the compressed sand high above, Jirobo crushed beneath the sand, his face splattered with his essence as the sand covered over his face as well, another compression going on beneath as the bloody rain slowed and stopped, the boy behind it throwing his hat away as if nothing had happened.

"Desert Grave!" Keenan coldly announced, snapping his palm shut like a pair of ferocious fangs, his face cold and uncaring with his own fang like teeth bared.

Marcus wailed in excruciating pain as the sand compressed around his left arm and leg, the boy flopping back onto the ground, blacking out at the pain, I can't lose… I'm… the Ultimate Fighter…

A large quantity of sand went to finish the job, formulating into a large claw above Marcus, descending for a crushing blow, Keenan's eye open viciously, "NOW YOU DIE!"

Spencer had an internal battle, and lost against his better judgement.

A shadowy figure leapt down between the sand claw and Marcus's body, sweeping the claw away with a back fist of such foreboding power, the sand broke apart, revealing Spencer standing sternly, his eyes filled with a deep discontent of looking at Keenan's face, the boy stupefied as he sat up on the sand bedding.

Daiyo… Tsuki… his adoptive father… Yukimura… his actual parents…

Keenan clasped his head in his hand like a vice, his eyes untrained and darting on the ground as several painful memories surfaced at once, pressuring his psyche.

Opening one eye, the black encased gold eye pierced through Spencer, although the O'rin did not flinch, "W-why… he failed miserably! Why would you spare someone not strong?"

"I don't know what sort of monster raised you kid," Spencer casually replied, his tone laced in something dark, "but I take care of my precious son, even at the risk of my status, reputation and life. I don't care if he's strong or not; he's my son, and my precious comrade also."

-Spencer-sensei! I can finally get to the second State! I'm getting stronger and stronger all the time!

-Soon, I'll prove it; at the T'rin Exams, I'll make you proud and prove that I can care for our family!

- Sensei, I want to prove that not having Genina or Seiina in the Tamer world still allows you to be a Tamer! I want to prove myself as a Tekina specialist!

"Pre…cious?" Keenan repeated as if the term were alien.

Torune, his sensei, tightened his face, Words that he couldn't even begin to comprehend… such a basic sentiment, and he can't understand. It's honestly depressing.

Keenan stood up, the sand from all around the arena picking up and hovering back to him, reforming the gourd and boomerang in place, with the rest, even his armour sand, breaking down and re-entering the gourd, "That's enough…" he mumbled, staggering away after the shaky feel left in his legs. He had received no damage because of the armour, but his legs still quaked a little.

Kuzan took a deep breath, "Due to intervention, the winner of the eleventh match is Keenan…"

"MARCUS!" Sora cried out, lunging for the railing to leap down.

"Sora!" Satsuma beckoned, stopping her in her tracks, "Stay here. He's injured from entering the Overdrive State, not to mention his crushed arm and leg. You going down there will only succeed in hurting his pride also."

She grumbled, but stepped back as ordered, grovelingly accepting the truth in his warning.

Tsuki smirked with a sweat bead on her face, When he inhibited his power like that, I was scared that Keenan might be hit through the armour… lucky he didn't manage to actually hit him, otherwise that thing might've been stirred up…

Tai was not in earshot of Satsuma's request, leaping over the railing to the ground below, running toward Marcus and Spencer. Upon passing Keenan, the two shared a brief snarl at each other, although it was quickly over as he raced past him.

"MEDICS, WHERE ARE YOU?" Kuzan yelled, bereft of his cough in his serious manner as the stretcher arrived, one of the three medics that came out quickly inspecting Marcus, coming to a heart rending conclusion.

"Spencer… you're this kid's O'rin instructor, right?" he gestured for him, "Please come here quickly…"

The O'rin complied as the other two hoisted Marcus onto the stretcher, his arm and leg dripping heavily with blood.

"Listen, the damage to his muscular tendons throughout the body is severe due to the State he entered, which would ordinarily be treatable with regenerative Genina, but with the crush syndrome of his arm and leg to worry about, we can't fully heal him without his body pumping toxins through his veins to try and aid the problem itself. With basic care, we can at least make him fit for using a crutch, but we are not skilled enough for the rest. I'm sorry, but his days as a K'rin are over."

Spencer and Tai twitched. It was a mistake, wasn't it?

"N-no way… he's wrong, right, Marcus?" Tai blubbered disbelievingly, his older brother figure in the Exams being taken away, his eyes dully following as the three medics vanished to the emergency room with Marcus, "Hey, he can't be done! He still wants to fight Matt and Thomas; he just can't be finished!"

Kudamon leapt gracefully through the air from the second level, landing precisely around Tai's neck, straightening up to meet his ear, "That's exactly what caused this… to want to be able to fight those two and you, he resorted to a make it or break it forbidden technique. He so desperately wanted to fight you that he pushed Keenan to the brink. Risking his life to fight you and the others… you should never forget the bravery he showed today."

Thomas was vacant, hollowed out, Marcus… I told you again and again… yet you never heeded my warnings; the heavens and fate put you on a certain path that can't be defied! Risking it all like that… you fool.

Keenan stared blankly at the entrance to the Hall of Conflict after Marcus for a moment before he broke his body down into sand again, reforming beside Torune and Tsuki, "Good job, Keenan," his step sister assured.

"Spencer," the former exalted Knight Digimon spoke up, "I'm sure I speak for Satsuma as well when I say that we were wrong earlier; given your familial connection, he probably would've done the same thing in your shoes. But we have to go back upstairs; the next match needs to start."

"… Right…"

…

Kuzan coughed, "Well then… the second to last match, the twelfth, will now be decided."

The screen flickered with the last four names, the last pair it would need to call, ending on the following two opponents; 'TAKATO MATSUKI' vs 'HENRY WONG'. That meant for the final match, JP and Shindo would be competing to wrap up the preliminaries and give the final thirteen competitors for the third and final test.

"Will these two please come down for the twelfth match?"

Rika, having remained relatively silent on all matches not including her Squad, finally spoke up to invigorate Takato, "Alright, goggle head! Remember that the team we've faced has a variety of techniques, like Seiina and the ability copy granted by the Digivice. This Henry guy seems calm, so I guess he must have some trump card."

"So it's the leaders, mano-e-mano," Kazu put in, "good luck, Takato!"

He raised his hand for a high five, but Takato shook his head at it.

"What do you mean, 'leader'? I'm the leader!" Rika chided.

"You're kidding, right? If it hadn't been for that attack you mimicked off Renamon, you'd have been turned into lion chow by Jeri!" Still, I'm worried; Takato can only use his specialty once for about three seconds…

Takato put his hands up between them, gesturing for peace, "It's okay! I'll make it three that pass, alright?"

Henry was already down in the centre of the arena, awaiting Takato with folded arms, He seems like a nice guy… but looks can be deceiving; look how close Jeri got to winning even though she looks fragile.

Harima puffed out his smoke, So it's finally here… but that Matsuki kid is from a dying clan, so he can't use that yet, can he? Last I checked, it was classified as a sacred B rank hidden technique of his clan that not even the Raisha of the Hidden Storm is allowed knowledge of; Raiten Taiso- Thunder in Heaven, Great Vigor… his clan thouroghly spliced copied electric Digimon attacks to compose it, making them also recognized as a rival to the greatness of the Ishida clan…

"Alright, I'm off." Takato ended, leaping over the railing to the ground floor, walking into position, face to face with Henry, "I wish you luck. It'd be a shame if all three of you went out here."

"Thanks…" Henry crudely replied, Kuzan sensing tension between the supposed team leaders.

"If you are ready, you may commence," the proctor coughed, stepping back.

Henry took matters into his own hands at the start, weaving quickly the seals Ram and Dog, pushing his hand into his pouch and retrieving two shuriken, Takato lunging back, What was with those seals… what's he done?

Henry threw the two shuriken, Takato easily sidestepping them, turning his head back from a spin dodge to spot Henry performing a hand seal; Serpent.

"Is he faking seals to try and distract me or what?"

Henry smiled in his stance with the hand seal, his body suddenly being enveloped by the ground as if it were liquid, similar to the technique used by the Tamers Squad Seven defeated for their scroll.

Soon he had vanished, and Takato darted his eyes up and down to try and locate him.

"Behind you!" Kazu rallied, but his partner noticing late and getting punched from behind as a result by Henry, who reformed out of the destroyed tiles.

Satsuma focused, The Earth Form, Earth Swim Technique… a rather difficult technique to learn, but still in the parameters of a K'rin.

"Hey, that's-!" Takato complained, rubbing the throb on his cheek, now grinning, "Fine, I'll end this now!"

"How might you do that?"

"Watch carefully, I'm not in the mood to let you use any other techniques- sorry, but I'm in a hurry now." Takato declared, agitated at noticing Henry apply a Tiger and Horse seal in sequence, deciding to end it all now before he could use any techniques. Weaving his own hand seals; Tiger, Dragon, Boar and Dog, his body flickering gold for a moment, sparking blue lightning crackling off of him, "Raiten Taiso!"

Harima blanched with sweat, So he can use it!

Before Henry could even blink, he found a powerful fist in his gut, sending him crashing back into the wall behind him with an audible bang, Takato's body relaxing and the electrical energy coming off of him like a shroud, the boy collapsing to a knee with a terrible gasp.

Kuzan didn't need to dawdle, quickly checking on Henry, the boy encased in the wall, out cold, "The winner is Takato Matsuki."

The Third Senksha was astounded, To even be able to activate it, forget the limit shown by his three second use, is impressive. Very few Tamers and Digimon are faster than that; he had equal speed to Marcus in the Fourth State… amazing. These Storm Tamers are fearsome, as are the Sandstorm Tamers…

"S-Satsuma-sensei, what did that boy just do?" Sora asked her sensei, Tai looking equally as interested.

"He used the Matsuki sacred technique; one of the most powerful in the Land of Sparks, if fully matured and mastered. It comprises of summoning all of your chikara at once, encasing yourself with a shell of lightning, boosting speed and power like the States, only flashier. However, it ends abruptly, therefore is less effective than Marcus's technique, especially in this K'rin, he only managed around three seconds before it left him."

"So it's forbidden like Marcus's move too?"

"No, but as a B Rank only taught in the thinning out clan, it is a lost art, and will soon die along with the Matsukis; this kid is probably a valuable member of the Hidden Storm since he can activate it at all."

…

With Henry being removed from the wall, the only match remaining was about to commence, Shindo Utsui and JP Shibayama stood front and centre for the thirteenth and final fight.

Kuzan cut down through the air like a knife, "Begin."

Shindo sighed, "Finally… to think it'd take this long…" Anyway, my opponent is easy pickings; I just need to beat him and fight Matt. I do not plan on extending that man's will any further after the little ploy he placed us in back in that Forest. Bashiori sent us as assassins, chosen solely as a gauge for the boy and his affinity with the mark. What his interests are I don't know, but being taken for a mere tool… I'll kill the boy before that man messes with me again.

Squad Ten cheered him on, Mimi's cheerleader mode kicking in, "You can do it… TUBBY!"

JP twitched at that, jerking his head back to venomously warn, "Be careful, Mimi! I don't like being made fun of!"

"No problem, fatty, I'll just kick your ass and be done with it," Shindo goaded, an abstract look of boredom in his one revealed eye.

"Oh, you'll regret that, you mummified Sound freak!" JP spat, assuming a tight fighting stance that looked like simple tensing and clenching on his part, I remember from the beginning of the Exams and when he attacked Marcus; he needs to be able to connect to my ears to damage me… in which case, "Body Expansion Technique!"

With his altered Bird seal, his body burst out to the size of a large human ball, pulling his head and ears back inside the safety of his clothes as he began spinning like a tire, "This should protect my ears, and squash him like a bug! BUU BALL ATTACK! CHUBBIES RULE!"

"All right, JP, that's using your head!" Mimi cheered.

Joe cocked a half smirk on his part, Since he conceals his ears in that large spinning ball, the sound wave attack can't affect him, and he can attack; a double positive move, nice!

Shindo almost lazily jumped aside from the oncoming tire ball, the high speed attack altering it's course to aim back at Shindo, the mummy man leaping back against the wall and jumping aside when the ball came for him, the wall stopping his momentum as the Sound Tamer jumped behind the stopped human ball and punched him with the device bearing right arm.

"HAHAHA! That won't work on me; my ears are plugged and I've hidden them!" JP's voice muffled through the wall his head was against.

Shindo vehemently sighed, "I really hate people who don't understand biological facts of the body… let me simplify this; sound is made by air vibrations, which water allows passage to throughout it. Now, since your body is seventy percent… oh, the hell with it, here we go."

Shindo flicked the side of his harmonica like device, the sound amplifying and travelling through JP's body in accordance with his will, dust rising amongst the vibrations on the ground as JP's ball form deflated to normal size, the boy dizzy and drooling from the attack.

Kuzan chuckled, "The winner is… Shindo Utsui."

Shindo began to walk away in his hunched over fashion, clenching his fists as he went, Bashiori… you deceptive bastard… I'll prove to you I'm not a guinea pig. In the third test, I'll kill that Ishida kid you want so badly.

Squad Ten seemed disappointed, Joe sighing heavily, "He lost… and the guy wasn't even trying…"

Harima chuckled, "He may not have won, but the least we can do is take him for a stake for even getting down there in the first place…"

Kuzan coughed as the medics helped JP up and took him for attention, Finally… the preliminaries are over and done with, "With this, will the participants advancing please come down for a debriefing of the third and final test?"

The Third Senksha sagely guffawed, Finally… the main event is nigh!

xxx

Tai's Preview Theatre!

Finally, these stupid prelims are over and done with! I feel bad that Sora couldn't be with me and blondie, but I guess things happen.

Anyway, apparently this third test is a battle of some sort. I wonder who I'll be fighting; Matt, Thomas or the kid… what's his name… Keenan.

Next Episode: The Lots are Drawn, The Stakes are High!

xxx

A/N: Well, this was a fun little chapter to make, concluding the prelims at last.

And our passing K'rin for the third test are;

Tsuki, Daiyo, Keenan, Thomas, Rika, Kazu, Takato, Tai, Matt, Shindo, Izzy and Joe.

Also, Raiten Taiso is me paying homage to Negima and the magical boost of the same name and conception, so I found the title appropriate.

Please review on your thoughts.