Afternoon 13:11. The holding area. Where the pilots who are set to do battle come to prepare to meet their maker. The area was pure metal. No light except from the control room's window above them, and the LED lights that showed them where to dock and launch. While Cecilia went to 3-3, Ichika and Lincoln went to 3-1. And Kim and Houki were waiting for them.
"Kim!" Lincoln ran to her, "What are you doing here?"
"I'm just here for emotional support," she answered, "Just...how did you convince Cecilia to take you on first?"
"Wha-uhh...well, it was easier than I thought, I'll say that much."
Houki reacted to everything Ichika did with Lincoln, "I told you! You're lack of strength came before the IS!"
"Sorry, Houki...just that all I've learned are Kendo techniques, and that's not nearly enough to beat Cecilia."
"Ugh! I can't believe you!" Houki turned away from him.
Ichika sighed and turned to the monitor, which showed Cecilia in her Blue Tears standing on the arena floor, "So, that's her personal IS..."
"Sniper rifle," Kim said, "Long range."
"That can't be all," Lincoln said, "There has to be more to her than just a gun..."
"Loud," Chifuyu commed over the speaker, "You're first."
"Huh? What about the lottery?"
"Orimura's IS has just entered school grounds, but Cecilia requested to take the initiative. That'll give us time to run diagnostics and properly fit the IS. So, the format has been determined; the winner of this match will go on to fight Ichika."
"Huh," Ichika whispered, "It worked."
"What was that?" Houki asked.
"Nothing..."
"Also, you'll find an accessory customized for your IS's standby form," Maya added, "Please attach it to the belt buckle."
"Uh, this one..." Lincoln grabbed the badge and put it to his IS belt.
SAVVY SUITE (SHIELD 100%[137%])
"Whoa..." Lincoln exclaimed, "What happened?"
"That's a handicap on you," Maya explained, "Your shield energy is currently the highest of all the 3rd Generation models, due to the nature of your IS and it's One-Off Ability. Therefore, to ensure a fair fight, we're gonna have you wear it to reduce your shield reading only. Once your actual shield energy gets down to just under 40%, that'll be it for you."
"Huh. What's Cecilia's shield read?"
Just then, another screen popped up:
CECILIA ALCOTT (15) - BLUE TEARS (SHIELD 90%)
"Oh...the irony..." Lincoln couldn't help but smirk.
"The Blue Tears shielding is slightly less capable compared to the current Gen3 models," Maya said, "but it more than makes up for it due to its defensive nature and long-range effectiveness...but, consider that a tongue-in-cheek 'don't tell her', shall we say?"
Lincoln nodded, then stepped out to the edge of the launch pad overlooking the entire arena. "Well...I'm off."
"Knock 'em dead, tiger!" Kim cheered.
"Good luck, Linc," Ichika said while Houki remained silent.
Lincoln scanned the arena. Only one section of the stands was packed, but it was the section that would no doubt have the most eyes on him. Right in the middle was Cecilia. Staring him down as well, with the same steely blue eyes.
He drew in a big breath, then slammed his fists together, "Time to deal out some justice!" On command, he was enveloped in a bright light, where he donned his gauntlets, leg guards, body armor, his cape-like wing units, and finally, his black 3-D display visor. When the light disappeared, he was in his IS, striking his signature pose, five card bombs at the ready.
"Well well," Cecilia taunted, "someone's eager to get trounced in the worst way possible."
"Oh? And what could be worse than the poker face you're giving me?" Lincoln said.
"Please. I feel sorry that someone so young would have to endure such a horrible fight. Why don't I just give you a free one right now? Go on, little Loud. I'm right here."
"Well..." To Cecilia's horror, Lincoln fully unfolded his hand and revealed 15 cards, "...if you insist."
Lincoln threw the cards, then flew in right behind them. Cecilia's wings released four drones that flew out and fired at the cards, causing a massive puff of smoke to erupt. Lincoln emerged and grabbed her rifle.
"Pick a card!" He rammed her, then flung as many cards as he could at her, then got around to her back, "Pick'em all!" While he was disorienting her with numerous card bombs, he was scanning every inch of her IS to see if there were any hidden surprises he has to watch for. He did find something hidden in her legs, but he couldn't tell what they were. And he already saw something pop out of her wing units. He flew above her and momentarily saw her drones coming back towards them, yet he didn't see her use her rifle yet.
"52 CARD PICKUP!" He slammed her with the remaining combo while taking the full force of her wing drones. Once the special attack was finished, he landed on the ground and checked the shielding:
SAVVY SUITE - SHIELD 77/100%
BLUE TEARS - SHIELD 73/90%
"Oh, that's not a good..." his 52-hit combo didn't do as much damage against her as it did against Maya. And he suffered more damage from just 15 drone laser blasts, "That is not a good."
Cecilia steadied herself above him and dusted her arms, "I must say, I'm quite surprised. I didn't think you could ever touch me." Then, she recalled her drones and charged her rifle, "Clearly, it was a mistake to underestimate your power. Now, you face the full might of the Blue Tears!"
She fired just one shot on Lincoln,
SAVVY SUITE - SHIELD 73/100%
and that was enough to push him all the way back against the arena wall.
SAVVY SUITE - SHIELD 60/100%
"Ugh..." Lincoln groaned, "Dude, I hope you're watch-" dodge the shots "UGH! AH! YOW! OK! KEEP! MOO! VING!"
Lincoln escaped the wall, but he didn't try to get near her, opting to circle around her and try to avoid her every shot, either by dodging or throwing a card in the line of fire.
All while Ichika was fidgeting around in the holding area.
"Uh," Houki dared, "What the heck are you doing?"
"Uh, Lynn called it shadow boxing?" Ichika grunted while moving around.
"Who's Lynn..."
"One of Lincoln's sisters."
"Shadow boxing?" Kim said, "You mean, pretending you're up there fighting her?"
"Yep," Ichika pretended he was holding a sword and knocking away as many bullets as he could.
While Lincoln had just found a blind spot and tried to rush her, but he was hit with a laser shot and missed, throwing a pair of cards she easily dodged.
"Color me surprised," Cecilia commented, "You're the first person every to last this long in an initial match against the Blue Tears, and for that I applaud you."
Lincoln didn't say anything. He just halted himself in midair and prepared to face her drones.
"But I'm afraid it's past your bedtime," Cecilia lowered her rifle and called her drones to battle, "Shall I tuck you in?!" The drones zipped towards Lincoln, firing nonstop.
"Is it too late to go to the bathroom?!" He screamed as he went on the defensive, deflecting as many shots as he could while trying to get a glimpse of Cecilia's movements. Or rather, lack of movements. She was barely moving at all. She has to focus so much of her attention on commanding the-
-BABABABAM!-
In his singular focus, Lincoln flew into a bunch of shots. Luckily, he was knocked away from the area of attack, "Y'know, doing the same special attack over and over gets boring after a while! Let's change it up!" As soon as he recovered, he cupped his hands and loaded them with the maximum capacity 52 cards and bounced back into the fray.
"What are you-AGH!" Cecilia got hit with a random card.
"Aha..." Lincoln held his deck and flung his cards out rapid fire, while keeping an eye on the drones. Both he and Cecilia got hit plenty of times, but he found and capitalized on several opportunities to close the distance and get a kick or an elbow in. Two kicks he hit. The rest he was pushed away by the rifle.
It was when Lincoln made one last charge that the battle was decided. He rushed in one last time, materializing his last deck and throwing it at the drones while charging right into Cecilia's line of fire. Cecilia had to divert her attention away from her drones to her rifle. She fired her shot when he was a few feet away.
And yet, he wasn't the one who was hit.
Out of thin air, a young girl appeared and took the shot for him. At first, Cecilia was appalled that she shot a fellow woman younger than her. Yet, this ponytail brunette did not look the least bit pained. Or bruised. In fact, the girl was doing the eye-pull-tongue-diss. Cecilia couldn't figure out what was happening, until she saw a heel come down. She blocked it with her rifle, but she didn't see a fully loaded barbell swing at her side. That opened her up to a blitz attack.
"Two of a kind!"
Lincoln and the girl took turns hitting Cecilia until she was touching the ground.
"Double trouble!"
The girl pushed Cecilia back, and right into Lincoln's punch.
"PAIR OF CLUBS!" They clocked her upside the shoulders, his kick and her barbell staff.
Cecilia staggered backwards from the sudden impact of the double attack. But she was even more befuddled as to how Lincoln was able to create an ally of his own design, in the middle of battle nonetheless. She saw him panting, and wondered if he even knew how he did it. Then, she saw the girl spit out some phlegm and ready her 600-pound staff.
"So, that's it..." she whispered, "It's his one-off ability..." she lowered her rifle and commanded her drones to rain down on the entire area.
"Strong Suit, take the drones!" Lincoln shouted.
"You got it, Ace!" The girl said flung her barbell in the air and kicked it towards a drone while Lincoln rushed to Cecilia's position. She was able to knock it down to ride it like a hover board and ram it into another drone.
Lincoln kept dodging shots while Strong Suit surfed the arena. When she was able to destroy the last two drones, he made a beeline right for Cecilia. He was about to land a solid kick on her...
...but she blocked it, flipped him over, and sniped him three times.
The buzzer sounded. And the referee called, "THE MATCH IS CONCLUDED. THE WINNER IS CECILIA ALCOTT."
"Guh! What?!" Lincoln recentered himself an saw the live stats:
BLUE TEARS - SHIELD 43/90%
SAVVY SUITE - SHIELD 2/100% (CRITICAL) - LOSE
"Dangit...After all that..." he grunted.
"Ah, who cares?" Strong Suit jumped on his shoulders, "We'll get'em next time!" before she fizzled out of existence.
"Whoa..." he just now recognized that girl who fizzled away, "Did I do that?..."
"Indeed you did," Cecilia snapped his attention to her, "It seems that you don't even know how you managed to conjure up an ally of your own choosing."
"Uh...well...that was just-" he stopped when he heard students shouting:
"Nice one, Lincoln!"
"You'll get her next time!"
"I can't believe you can fight like that!"
Despite his loss, he felt a kind of resurge in morale.
"To think you of a people would force me in a position of helplessness," Cecilia went on, "I suppose I'll have to accept it, since I emerged the eventual victor." She then floated away to her holding area, "but mark my words, little Loud! This will not be our last encounter!"
Lincoln just sighed and floated off the floor, muttering, "I'm counting on it." He made it back to area 3-C, where Kim and Ichika were there to greet him. "Hey, guys! I couldn't bring home a win this time."
"Forget the win!" Kim cheered, "You utterly demolished my expectations with that fight!"
"Man, you really are as savvy as they come," Ichika said, "But what was that girl, though? She had a gigantic barbell on her."
"Oh... I guess...wait," Lincoln looked up his IS's One-Off Ability: Deal Me In, "So, I did do that...The name of the thing should've ticked me off a long time ago..."
During the five minutes Cecilia took to finish recharging her IS, and refreshing herself, Ichika walked over to Lincoln.
And then, the exchange that befuddled and toppled everyone in the holding area. Even Chifuyu.
"Well, Lincoln? What did you find out?"
"She's definitely hiding something in her thighs-AH-uh...robot legs...my money's on rockets."
"And her drones...when they move, she doesn't, and when she moves, they don't."
"That means when you're far away she can attack. And when you get up close and personal, she can blast you outta the sky..."
"...In other words...a perfect trap."
"Are you gonna escape or endure it?"
"Well, I dunno what I got, so I'll just have to endure."
Houki and Kim clammed up.
"Maya...am I going deaf?..." Chifuyu whispered.
"Nope...I heard it too..." Maya said before she received a notification. She clicked a button to open the hatch door and reveal the newly released IS, "Orimura! Can you hear me, Orimura?! Your personal IS is ready!"
"Orimura, you'll need to get ready at once," Chifuyu said, "Lincoln's match took more time than anticipated, so you'll have to learn to make the IS yours during the fight itself. The format and fitting process will have to happen while you're fighting."
The door opened, and the platform moved the IS into the launch pad. It gave off the appearance of a watchful guardian. And it's given name implies that very same role.
"Whoa..." Lincoln and Ichika breathed.
"This is Orimura's personal IS," Maya said, "the Byakushiki!"
"Byakushiki...White Form?" Kim asked, "What's the meaning behind that name?"
"We're about to find out..." Ichika changed into his battle uniform. Then, he placed one hand on the Byakushiki and a sensation of familiarity and serenity swept through him, "Whoa...it's not like the first time I touched an IS..."
"What do you mean?" Houki asked.
"I can't really explain it, but...there's something familiar about it, like I can understand it. Like I understand what it is. Its purpose." Ichika was compelled to climb in the cockpit.
"Show you entrust your life to it," Chifuyu said over the intercom, "Let it take control. The system will optimize the rest."
Once Ichika settled in, the Byakushiki's body armor fitted itself around his body. It read into his vitals and preferences, and adjusted itself accordingly. The IS displayed all information relevant to him. "Byakushiki," he said, "This is Byakushiki."
"Not just that," Lincoln gave him one last bit of advice, "Remember what Maya said about ISs and characteristics? The Byakushiki is your partner now. It'll move with you, as long as you move with it."
"Got it," Ichika nodded, "Man, everything suddenly makes sense when you say it like that."
"Hehehe, glad to help." Lincoln stepped away from the Byakushiki as it prepared to take its first launch.
"So, Orimura," Chifuyu asked, "Are you up to the challenge?"
"Yeah," he responded, "Piece of cake."
"Hah...we'll see," Chifuyu commed over, "Pay attention, Loud. Orimura and Alcott are of age, so the rules changed."
"Hey, Houki?" Ichika said.
"Yeah?..." she responded.
"This is it..."
"Uh...Yeah. Win this!"
"We're rooting for you, Ichika!" Lincoln said.
The Byakushiki stepped onto the launch pad.
"I'M OFF!"
Ichika was veered toward the bright light that was the entrance to the arena. The platform stopped at the end, and he jumped out and flew into the sky to meet his maker. He stopped when Cecilia was in his full view.
"Just so you know," she taunted, "This is your last chance."
"To do what?" Ichika talked.
"It's obvious to everyone that I'm going to defeat you overwhelmingly, so why not just take the chance to apologize to me now, and I might be able to forgive you."
He ran his mind through everything Lincoln showed him and came up with a battle plan, "You can't really call that a chance."
"Oh, I can't? Well, too bad for you," Cecilia prepped her rifle, "Now then..."
Ichika was sent back into the battle when his screen warned him of an impending attack.
ICHIKA ORIMURA (15) - BYAKUSHIKI (SHIELD 100%)
CECILIA ALCOTT (15) - BLUE TEARS (SHIELD 90%)
"...time to say goodBYE!" Cecilia claimed the first shot.
Ichika was barely able to dodge that first shot, but he couldn't avoid the second. It's impact nearly sent him into the floor, but he managed to dive his way back into the sky.
BYAKUSHIKI - SHIELD 97/100%
The girls winced, but Houki and Chifuyu seemed unfazed. Ichika maintained focus, trying see where the next shot would fly to, and avoiding as many shots as he could with small, guided movements. But he could avoid most, not all.
"Now, you will dance for me!" Cecilia said as she kept firing on him, "That's right, dance to the waltz that Cecilia Alcott and Blue Tears are playing!"
"Urgh, can't keep this up forever," Ichika grunted, "Where are my weapons?"
A screen popped up in front of him, showing only a sword. "Guh, is that all?!" He has to accept, "It's better than bare hands, I guess!" He materialized the sword and charged into battle.
"So, this is your brilliant plan, is it?" Cecilia taunted, "Challenging my long-range IS in hand-to-hand combat?" She prepped her rifle, "Don't be ridiculous!" and fired more powerful shots at him, all of which he either dodged or knocked away with his sword.
Luckily, he saw that even swatting away the shots would minimized the damage to his shield. He was in his moment.
The students were cheering the combatants on, but Houki and Kim were wondering how he was able to hold his own. Houki especially, because this was not prescribed by her training.
"Lincoln..." she asked, "What were you doing behind my back?..."
"Well, Ichika saw that you weren't going to teach him about the IS," Lincoln answered, "so we came up with a multiphase plan. Phase 1 was Operation Fill IS the Gap. Everyday after training, we read up on everything we needed to know about fighting with an IS. And we simply combined that with what we learned from our training!"
"Wow..." Kim was impressed, "I knew you were a special boy, but...this is something else."
"Well, Luan and Lisa were pestering us every day," Lincoln chuckled, "I had to have learned something by now..."
"I told you, I have it covered," Houki said, "Besides, fixing his weaknesses comes before the IS."
"Well, there's nothing wrong with doing two things at once, is there?..."
"Well...I just..."
"Hold it, you two," Kim pointed them to the battle screen, "They've stopped."
"Well well, looks like all that training paid off," Cecilia said, "You lasted longer than I thought you would, no doubt thanks to some sort of special plan you developed on the fly."
Ichika steadied himself, "Thanks a lot," he had to keep a straight face, despite knowing full well that she may already be onto him.
"But..." Cecilia prepped her drones for combat, "now the time has come for the finale!"
The drones flew out of her wings and began to pelt him with laser shots. Ichika stopped his advancement and focused solely on avoiding the drones fire. He was trying his best to avoid getting hit directly, but once he saw the drones come back to her, he knew that now was the time.
"I'll take your left leg!" Cecilia screamed as she recalled her drones and fired two blasts at him.
Both of which, he swatted away, "It's all or nothing!" He put more effort into his speed, which got him a good hit on her side right before she repelled him with a shot from her rifle.
BYAKUSHIKI - SHIELD 72/100%
BLUE TEARS - SHIELD 85/90%
He was forced back on the arena floor, but now he was able to see where the drones would fire, and he was able to dodge their shots. But whenever he was close enough to strike at Cecilia again, she would always narrowly escape him, and he would always find himself at the mercy of the drones.
It was a cat-and-mouse game of tag for all of three minutes.
"Ichika..." Houki muttered worryingly.
"We were right..." Lincoln gritted his teeth, "She was training too..."
Chifuyu just watched the entire match unfold.
"RAAAAAAAA-YAH!" Ichika tried one more strike and missed, and paid for it.
BYAKUSHIKI - SHIELD 65/100%
"Ngh! You're just as reckless as Lincoln!" Cecilia narrowly avoided and sent her drones after her, "I thought you'd have slightly more common sense!"
"And she held back against him..." Ichika grunted as he continued to evade every shot that came his way, "BUT!" Then, he made a beeline for a nearby drone and destroyed it with one swing, "It looks like we've figured you out!" He took another swing at Cecilia and missed, but he was ready for the surprise shots, "Your drones won't move without your command! Not only that," he slashed down another drone while the other two retreated to her wings, "the real reason you can't attack while those things are out is because your concentration goes into those things, while you're focused solely on defense."
In the control room, Maya and Chifuyu watched the entire exchange.
Maya relaxed a little, "That was really impressive. I can't believe that this is his second time in an IS."
But Chifuyu had a different opinion, "That idiot is just too worked up."
"Why would you say that?" Maya asked.
"Haven't you noticed the way he opens and closes his left hand? Whenever the kid does that, he starts making really stupid mistakes."
"Oh, I get it. I guess it really does help being his sister."
In the holding area, the three pilots were figuratively holding their breaths.
"He's figured out this much in one fight," Kim said.
"Yeah, but he still hasn't cornered her yet..." Lincoln grunted.
"Ichika..." Houki clasped her hands together.
Then, Lincoln suddenly remembered his first battle...and how his IS changed form mid battle, receiving a major power boost. He wondered... what if the Byakushiki was still on default? "Ohhhhh..."
"What?" Houki said, "What is it?"
"Um...she's about to get the shock of her life."
Ichika advanced toward Cecilia, "Two more left!" He read the drones movements and predicted their next point of attack, "I know she's going to attack me where my response speed is the slowest..." the drones have aimed from top and bottom, "... and that means..." he simply dodged the shots and let the drones destroy themselves, "...it's to my advantage to close the distance!"
Cecilia grinned, "I see he fell for it."
"Wha?!..." Ichika and Lincoln gasped.
"So sorry, but there are more than four!" Cecilia unveiled two missile pods hidden behind her legs.
"I KNEW IT!" Ichika and Lincoln screamed.
Cecilia let out four missiles right at Ichika, but he didn't run away. He just flew right in and rotated his body, allowing his sword to take down all the missiles. A giant puff of smoke encompassed them both. He used the cover to try for a surprise attack, but he missed, allowing her to push him away with a shot from her rifle.
BYAKUSHIKI - SHIELD 61/100%
"Whoa!" Lincoln jumped.
"Ichika!" Houki shouted.
"Uh?! Miss Orimura?!" Maya turned.
Chifuyu just smiled, "Well, looks like that little twit learned something after all."
"Rrrgh..." Cecilia wiped the smoke from her eyes, "What is happening? What could be-HUH?!" And what she saw made her go pale.
When the smoke subsided, the Byakushiki changed form. Instead of the metallic gray, it was pure white. No longer would it stand by while the man who bonded with it was risking life and limb for it; it would take flight by his side. As a knight.
Ichika had his eyes closed during the surprise, but when he opened them, he was back in his rhythm.
The pilots in the holding area were stunned.
"Ichika..." Houki was drifting.
"Oh my god..." was all Kim had to say.
"I'd better see them off..." Lincoln snuck out to the edge of the platform.
The students were just as shocked that such a thing happened,
"No way..."
"What's happening?"
"The shape of Orimura's IS has changed!"
A window popped up, "Huh? What's this?" letting Ichika know that the IS has completed formatting, and that it was now his to fully command.
Cecilia heard the format setting complete, "That can't be?! That's your 1st shift?! How could anyone have fought an entire match with their IS in a default setting?!"
"I'm not sure what the heck I've been doing," Ichika commented, "but it looks like this IS has finally become my own." Another window popped up:
BYAKUSHIKI - FORMAT SETTING COMPLETE
1ST SHIFT
IGNITION BOOST ONLINE; DIVERT ENERGY FROM SHIELD TO BOOSTERS TO GAIN TEMPORARY SPEED INCREASE
OFFENSE AND MOBILITY INCREASED
YUKIHIRA NIGATA ONLINE
ONE-OFF ABILITY: "Reiraku Byakuya", THE BARRIER VOID ATTACK; DIVERT ENERGY FROM SHIELD TO SWORD AND PASS IMPACT OF ATTACK THROUGH BARRIER DIRECTLY TO PILOT
"Yukihira Nigata?... The Yukihira?..." Ichika whispered, "This is my sister's blade?..."
Lincoln was standing at the edge of the launch pad, looking up at the newly emerging angel.
Ichika looked down and saw him smiling. And he chuckled and turned to Cecilia, "Heheh...you know, I'm not sure how I should feel right now."
"What...what do you mean?..." Cecilia asked nervously.
"Help me out here," he responded, "Should I feel proud that I am using a sword my older sister gave to me? Or should I feel embarrassed for having been stood up by a middle school brat?"
"Middle...HUH?!" Cecilia turned down to see Lincoln, who was giving her the gotcha face.
"Phase three: Operation Lightning Rod!" Lincoln shouted to her, "One person takes the brunt and distracts you, while learning everything about your IS! The other internalizes the information, sneaks in, and finishes the job!"
"Three?!" Cecilia jolted, "Wait, three?! Then...what was..."
"Well," Ichika filled in the gaps, "We had to learn. And we learned about your snobby arrogance."
The more she thought about it, the clearer the picture became, and the angrier she got. This wasn't really a duel; this was a 2-on-1 matchup. Phase one was all about learning about the IS, and phase three she just heard from Lincoln. They worked together to beat her, but they knew she'd have a leg up on them if she saw them both fighting first. And they knew she was already a more skilled pilot than they were. That's where phase two came in: Operation Play Up the Arrogance. Long story short: by appearing weakened after each training session, they hoodwinked her into going first.
And thanks to that, the match and everything before it...was 100% theirs.
"You...This was...just an elaborate hoax?!" She stuttered.
"Yep, but even then, I needed help," Ichika said, "Maybe it's time I changed my relationship with everyone. Maybe...instead of always being the one that needs to be protected, I should start being the one that's doing the protecting."
"What the...where's all this coming from?! What exactly are you saying?!"
"I'm saying that I will defend my sister's name," Ichika prepped his sword for combat, "It'll look lame if her brother's a candy-ass weakling."
Chifuyu heard every word, but she was still waiting for him to own up to it.
"HONESTLY, YOU TWO ARE SUCH A PAIN!" Cecilia let loose every single rocket she could possibly let out.
"Too late, I've seen them now!" Ichika effortlessly countered every single rocket, slicing them all in half and making them explode a safe distance away from him. Then, he blasted off towards Cecilia, "Yes! I can do this!"
Cecilia tried to shoot, but he somehow got faster than before, too fast for her to track.
Ichika rushed to her, "YYYYYAAAAAAA-"
unknowingly triggering the Ignition Boost and Barrier Void Attack, without realizing how much energy was needed to power up both abilities.
One strike, he rushed in and took her left leg cannon.
BYAKUSHIKI - SHIELD 37/100%
BLUE TEARS - SHIELD 72/90%
One more strike, he took her right leg cannon.
BYAKUSHIKI - SHIELD 26/100%
BLUE TEARS - SHIELD 60/90%
One more strike, he swung down the middle and took her rifle, "HAAAAAAA-YAH!"
"AAAHAAAAAAAAGH!"
BYAKUSHIKI - SHIELD 12/100% (WARNING)
BLUE TEARS - SHIELD 3/90% (CRITICAL)
In just three strikes, Ichika managed to bring Cecilia to her breaking point. He stripped her of all her weapons, and her reduced her shielding to a bubble.
The students were cheering madly.
"This is it!"
"I can't even!"
"He's got her!"
"The new class rep!"
"Come on, man!" Lincoln kept his eyes on the fight, "Just one more strike is all we need!"
"I hear you!" Ichika prepped his sword for one last strike.
Cecilia backed away to a safe distance from his reach. But she was scared of that sudden burst of speed. And she knew it was only a matter of time before-
"I HAVE YOU NOW!" He did it again. He boosted again. He was inches away from striking her again.
But then...
BYAKUSHIKI - SHIELD 0 (EMPTY) - LOSE
His IS stopped locked up. The buzzer sounded. An announcement was made, "THE MATCH IS CONCLUDED. THE WINNER IS CECILIA ALCOTT."
"What?!" Ichika shouted.
"What?" Houki and Kim said.
"What?!" Cecilia shouted.
"WHAT?!" Everyone in the stands shouted.
"What?" Maya looked back at Chifuyu, would just gave his brother a satisfied expression.
But Lincoln was...gone... "...fish...paste..."
After their IS were fully repaired, Cecilia stood in front of her stats screen, thinking about everything that happened during the match. The sudden chemistry between the male pilots was unreal. So much so, that they concocted a plan not even she could see coming. All throughout last week, she was going on about how men have become inferior, and how a middle schooler shouldn't be in high school. Yet, here come two exceptions to that notion. Maybe there was more to them that meets the eye. She decided to ask them herself how in the world they were able to withstand the pressure. She was about to enter their holding area, when she heard,
"DANGIT! WHAT WAS THAT?! THAT HAS GOTTA BE THE WORST! COP OUT! EVER!"
"Now, now, Lincoln," Maya calmed him down, "There actually is a good explanation for what happened today."
"What reason could that be?!"
"Why don't we go over to them and hear them out?" Kim walked him over to the rest of the group.
"So...why'd I lose again?" Ichika asked Chifuyu.
"You lost because you used the Barrier-disabling attack," she said, "without taking into account how it would affect everything else."
"Barrier disabling attack..."
"Which punctures the opponent's barrier and passes the impact directly to its body. That's something only the Yukihira can do," she explained, "However, that ability has to cannibalize your own shield energy to function...Actually, I have to admit that when I won the first Mondo Grosso, it was mostly as a result of that one ability."
"I see...so, that's why the Byakushiki's shield energy suddenly plummeted."
"Wait a sec..." Lincoln interrupted, "Are you saying that this could be a one-shot kind of weapon?"
"Potentially, Yes," Maya answered, "Normally, we'd have to see a competitor's IS shield energy drop to zero before we decide the victor. However, both of your ISs are special cases, since both of your abilities damage your own shield in order to use them. It's a classic case of a double-edged sword."
"Right," Chifuyu said, "but there's something you have to keep in mind."
"What's that?" Ichika asked.
"Well...given the black box nature of the core, and the overall fitting process, an IS isn't complete to begin with, so calling it defective would be inaccurate. But since your IS is far more offense oriented, and Lincoln's IS is far more support oriented, they can't be handled the same way."
The boys sighed. Ichika looked at his new IS, which has now taken the shape of a bulky bracelet.
Then, Maya walked up to Ichika, "At the moment, your IS is in Standby mode. All you have to do is call it, and it'll deploy right away." Then, she handed him a book: IS PRACTICE MANUAL, Vol. 1, "However, there are a lot of regulations, so read this thoroughly."
"Hey!" Lincoln commented, "That's the book we were supposed to read before school started! Ah...what took so long?"
Maya just laughed nervously, while Ichika groaned.
"One more thing," Chifuyu walked to Lincoln and took the accessory off his belt.
SAVVY SUITE - SHIELD 137%
"Hey," Lincoln said, "My shielding went back up."
"You'll be required to wear this in all school matches," Chifuyu said, "so make sure you keep it with you at all times."
"Yes, ma'am," Lincoln nodded, also understanding that there may be a time when that handicap will not be needed.
Cecilia saw and heard the entire after meeting. For all her jabs at them with handicaps, an 11 year old boy just gave her one during the fight! Or rather, he had to! And if Ichika had just one more day to hone his skills, he could have done her in!
Oh, who was she kidding. They did do her in. Without beating her in battle.
Lincoln ran home early to take the first shower, while Ichika and Houki talked about spending more time together in the dojo. Lincoln reflected on everything that happened in the match. But that's when his mind played the connections game.
("Well, it is the responsibility of nobles to address the concerns of the lower class.")
("Since when did we roboticize DBZ?...")
DBZ...Vegeta...she's like Vegeta...hishomeworldgotblownupandhisdadgotaxed-Lincoln ended his shower early.
"Well..." Houki said when she got to his dorm, "See you tomorrow."
"Same here, Houki," Ichika waved, "See you."
"Ok..." Houki walked away while trying to avoid the swarm of girls that begged her to narrate her walk with him.
"Hey, Linc," Ichika walked in, "You wanna get something to eat?"
Lincoln turned himself and the laptop to him, "Uhhhhh...Ehenzeeahneh?..."
"Ok, weird. What are you doing in the...in the..." Ichika saw what Lincoln saw.
HEADLINE: TODAY MARKS 2ND ANNIVERSARY OF TRAIN ACCIDENT
ONE MONTH AGO: CONFIRMED SOLE SURVIVOR CECILIA ALCOTT TRANSFERRED TO IS ACADEMY UPON RECEIVING NATIONAL BLESSING
"Oh, crap..." Ichika muttered.
"Ah...we owe her an apology..." Lincoln winced.
"No, I don't think she'd appreciate it..."
"Oh...so...just act normal?"
"I guess."
Meanwhile, in her dorm room, Cecilia spent her shower replaying the last moments she spent with the boys in the air.
'What's with me?...' She wondered, 'Even though I was the overall winner...why do I feel this way?...'
She saw a hidden determination deep within both of them. Lincoln didn't say anything and dove headfirst into the fray. Ichika made his faith in himself and in his loved ones very clearly through his sword.
"Loud...Orimura...shield and sword..."