Disclaimer: I don't own Infinite Stratos.

A/N: This is a revamped chapter, I'm going to be doing the fourth part sometime soon.

It's morning time at the IS academy. Ichika and Jaden were in their class, followed by Houki and Cecilia. Jaden did admit that he felt kinda bad from yesterday, but she deserved it.

The class didn't start automatically when the bell rang. Instead, Chifuyu was going to make an announcement. She cleared her throat. "Orimura, Smith, I'm afraid it will be a while before your IS arrives."

"What?"

"What do you mean?"

Jaden and Ichika were confused. It dawned upon them. They challenged Cecilia to a fight yesterday and totally forgot about it. 'Oh yeah, completely forgot about yesterday.' Jaden thought.

"On the plus side, due to certain...issues. The school will provide both of you personal units." Chifuyu said.

The class began to gossip. Jaden looked around the room. It seems to get an IS, or personal unit is really that big of a deal. He was busy pondering until he felt a glaze on his back. "Again with the staring" He muttered.

Ichika turned to Jaden. "Is getting an IS, really that major of a deal?" He asked.

Jaden just shrugged his shoulders. Until he felt a gust of wind zip by him. He didn't need anyone to tell him who that was. Ichika flinched. Turning his head upwards, he saw Cecilia starting down at him with a confident smile.

"I'm actually quite thrilled to hear that. After all, in a class representative match between me, you, and Smith, the outcome is already obvious." She bragged.

Yeah, Jaden isn't taking this anymore. "Looks like someone is too cocky. Don't you know you should never underestimate your opponent, even if they're just beginners?"

The class stopped gossiping. Chifuyu stood there with a smirk. She definitely admires his guts, more so than her own brother. That's going to come into play later on. Maya didn't know what to do. She was by now sweating with her mouth slightly agape.

Cecilia stopped, looking over at him with a burning fury. "I simply cannot understand your knowledge. After all, girls develop faster than boys. So what makes you think you can just down-talk me like that?!"

Jaden didn't even flinch. "Where did you get that from? I just said you should never underestimate your opponent before a match, like you doing right now."

This was getting them nowhere, quick. Ichika decided to take a stand in this. Can't let them think he's weak. "He's right. You shouldn't underestimate us. You may have had better experience, training, and even studying. But, don't think for a second that you have the upper hand automatically."

Jaden gave a smile at Ichika with him returning it. Cecilia was reaching her limit. She had to deal with Jaden's rude comment yesterday, making the entire class think she's a fool. And now this?! But she must keep her cool.

She'll swallow her pride for now, but don't think she will forget this. She smiled. "I do admire your guts to oppose me. But tell me. Have you ever worked together? Or even thought of a plan to defeat me?"

Jaden and Ichika paled. "Critical" They both muttered. She was right. They never even worked together. Let alone finish their workout at the same time. "As I thought." She said.

"But, I don't think it is fair for both of you to use training units. While I must pilot my own personal unit." She said.

Jaden and Ichika's eyes shot open. Ichika let out a sigh. "Hold on, you have your own IS as well?" Welp, they're dead. It seems she pulled a reverse on them.

"Oh don't you know? Very well then. As you both don't know, I should have to explain. I, Cecilia Alcott, am the glorious representative contender for Great Britain. In other words, I currently own my own personal IS."

"There are only 467 IS units worldwide. So obviously, those who possess such are elites among the earth's population of 7 billion." She pointed out.

"Only 467? That's all?"

"That's a bummer," Jaden said.

Ichika turned to him, giving a clueless look. "What do you mean by that?"

"I mean, only 467 units worldwide, and the population of earth is around 7 billion! Whoever the creator was must have been lazy or discouraged."

Suddenly a pen flew straight to his dome. "What the-" He turned to see who threw it. Surprise, surprise, it was Houki. But, why was she throwing a pen at him? Did the topic bother her that much?

"Anyway, why don't they just make more of them?" Jaden said.

A girl walked between Jaden and Ichika's seats. She almost had the same color hair as Ichika, but with two pink clips in her hair. "That's because the central component of all IS technology, the core has never been released. As a result, there are only 467 machines in the entire world. And Professor Shinonono has personally produced every single one of those cores."

"Professor who?" Jaden said.

The girls in the class stared at him in awe. Isn't his fault he doesn't study this topic. "You don't know who Dr. Shinonono is?!" One girl asked. The silence proved it. Ichika could only stare in pity. He could tell Jaden didn't know anything about Tabane, or her accomplishments.

He figured Houki should be worried, right? Nope. She was busy staring out the window, not paying anybody no attention. 'What's wrong with you Houki?' Ichika thought. He never saw her like this towards her older sister.

After Jaden got furiously grilled about not knowing who Dr. Shinonono was. The class went back to normal.

"Supposedly, the IS core is like a self-contained black box. This is because no one except Professor Shinonono can create one. But, the thing is, she refused to create a certain amount of cores. Therefore, companies, organizations, and countries have been forced to conduct research, development, and training, using a limited number of IS cores."

"I knew it," Jaden said. Then received another pen thrown at him. "Could you stop it?" He asked nicely.

"To complete our little history lesson, personal IS units were originally intended for those sponsored by governments, or corporations. However, yall cases are different. Therefore, they will provide both of you with personal units for data collection purposes." Chifuyu said.

"Is that all clear?"

"I guess so."

"Okay."

The same girl who was between Jaden and Ichika thought of something. "Um, excuse me, ma'am, do you know if the Shinonono in our class is related to Professor Shinonono by any chance?"

Ichika covered his ears. Jaden was confused, and a little bit curious. He wonders if Houki is related to this person that they worship so much.

"Actually, your classmate is her younger sister," Chifuyu said.

All hell broke loose again. Gasps were heard and the girls started cheering. Now Jaden knew. Now he gets it. She was chunking pens at him. Because he was 'insulting' her sister?! "That's quite a privilege to have." He muttered.

Houki felt the memories flood back to her. Losing her parents. Having to forfeit the national kendo competition when she was little. She couldn't take it anymore. "She had nothing to do with me!" She yelled.

There was a short pause.

"I am not my sister. And there's nothing I can tell you about her." She held her head down. Jaden and Ichika couldn't comprehend the fact that she just yelled. Let alone act this cold towards her older sister.

"Talk about bad blood." This time, she threw a pencil case at his head. "Where are you getting these things from?!" Again, he rubbed his template, a tiny dear drop left his eye.

The class sighed, guess they reached the limit on how much information they can receive in a day. Chifuyu took a silent sigh. "Alright Ms. Yamada, shall we start?" Chifuyu said. Maya flinched in response.

"Yes, right."

Ichika looked to where Houki was sitting. He never expected her to snap on them like that. Especially when they're talking about Tabane. Back when he remembered, Houki used to look up to Tabane. So, what happened?

Jaden looked to his right, indicating Ichika was looking at him or Houki. It was Houki. He wondered why he looked so uncomfortable right now. Well, that's his friend. He probably knew her for quite some time.

Jaden also joined in on the staring at Houki. Now he feels even worse. He didn't know he was bad-mouthing her sister. Based on that attitude she showed, she didn't really care that much about her. So, is she bipolar? Or something.

The class was still in session for right now. They were on something about the IS. Jaden barely paid any attention, but still kept himself from falling asleep on her. Don't want to deal with Ichika's sister right now.

"The IS, also known as Infinite Stratos, deploys a special barrier that operates as protection for its pilot. The unit's system has something similar to a human's consciousness. So though shared dialogue, and time spent together, the two of you will actually get to know each other better." Maya explained.

She continued. "Depending on how much time a pilot spends controlling an IS, it begins to understand the user's characteristics."

She paused for a bit, making sure everyone got it. Jaden didn't in the slightest. In his vision, the IS is like a personal girlfriend, that's a literal machine! That you can call upon and control?! That's a weird way to put it.

"I don't understand this woman at all" Jaden made sure to mutter that sentence. Noticing Ichika looking in his direction, he looked in response, to find out he wasn't looking at him. Again he was staring at Houki.

Ichika must really like this girl.

"So, your IS isn't a tool. Think of it as your big mechanical partner." Which confirmed Jaden's theory. A giant girlfriend, great.

"So does anyone have any questions so far?" she asked the class. One girl, in particular, the right side of Ichika. She had brownish-red hair. "Yes ma'am. So, as in partner, do you mean boyfriend or girlfriend?" She asked.

Maya instantly flinched. "I'm not sure. That is, I'm not experienced in that way, so I don't know." Then she cupped her cheeks. "But I wonder." Now she's swinging side to side.

Jaden facepalmed. This is the price he needs to pay in order to continue living here. He's never been in an all-girls school, so this was totally out of nowhere. Not that he expected this to happen.

He wondered what Ichika was doing. And surprise, again, he's staring at Houki. 'Just confess if you're going to stare at her all day.' Jaden thought. He felt himself getting angry. Why won't he confess to her?! If you're going to stare at her all day! Just do it!

Some time has passed, and now it was time for lunch. Jaden isn't going to step foot into the cafeteria unless Ichika is there with him. He's still not comfortable with girls staring at him while he eats. "Hey Ichika, wanna grab some lunch?" Jaden asked.

Ichika took a minute before nodding his head. "Sure, I was thinking about letting Houki join us. If that's alright with you." Ichika said. Jaden felt a smirk creep up to his face. 'It's time to play the third wheel!' He thought.

Ichika walked over to where Houki was sitting, which was on Jaden's left side. She was currently staring out the window. Until she heard a familiar voice. "Hey, Houki?" She just grunted in response.

Ichika got a bit annoyed but he had an idea. Lean towards her ear, he blew a low stream of air. She flinched automatically. Turning around to face a grinning Ichika. That stunt he pulled made her blush madly. But she did admit, it felt good. "What do you want!" She aggressively asked.

"Let's go eat lunch. I was thinking of letting you join us."

He then looked at the back of the class. "Would anyone else like to join us?" He asked. Jaden felt betrayed. Is he going to invite all those girls to sit with them?! Hell no, he won't be able to last a few minutes with all of them around him.

Several girls agreed, making Jaden frown even more. He looked over and saw Ichika grabbing Houki's hand. She stumbled a bit but regained her balance. This whole time Ichika had on this innocent smile. Then the worst happened. She shoved Ichika back, but he still didn't let go.

Both of them falling on each other, their faces inches away from one another. Jaden nearly laughed his guts out but stopped when he saw Houki giving him a death glare. "Um, Houki?" Ichika uncomfortably said.

His breath touched her neck, sending a shiver down her spine. She tried to hold it to her best ability. In a manner of seconds, she jumped off him, dusting herself off, and leaving the room without a word. Jaden walked over to Ichika, still laying on the ground. "I think you aroused her." He said.

"Aroused?"

"Nevermind, let's just go and eat."

"Sure."

While walking down the hall, Jaden wanted to ask Ichika a few questions. He didn't know why he wanted to. Just...he felt like it. "Hey, Ichika. What kind of relationship do you and Houki have?"

Ichika didn't expect this. Completely catching him off-guard. "Well, she's...my childhood friend." He answered simply. Jaden smirked. "Sure…." This time Ichika caught on that. "I'm being serious. There's nothing going on between us. We're just friends."

We're just friends. If Houki was here to witness him say that. She would have probably killed him on the spot. Anyways, more questions. "I noticed your relationship with our sister seems very….uh….strict. Is she always like this?"

That question was kinda normal, but an easy one. "Well, actually no. I didn't expect her to become my homeroom teacher. Let alone, work here." Jaden asked all these questions, how about he ask some.

"What about you? Do you have any siblings?" Jaden's plan backfired on him. Now he's the one about to start answering questions. "Well, yeah actually. I have an older brother." He confidently responded.

"Is he strict?"

"Naw, he's a chill guy. I sometimes think of him as my father."

"Well...that's something to know..."

There was an awkward silence. They arrived at their destination. Since it's only the third day, the stares have died down a bit. But he and Ichika still get them. Ichika spotted Houki in the line. "There she goes." Ichika pointed out.

"You really admire her, don't you?" Jaden asked.

Ichika suddenly felt the heat rise to his cheeks. He was now blushing. "No...well, yes...it's not like that. Why do you keep asking?" Ichika said, starting to get tired of Jaden's teasing.

"It's really easy to point out someone you like. Hell, you stare at her during class."

Ichika was speechless. Was he really that easy to read? Well, he did admit that he does stare at her during class. But, that's not a reason to assume things, right?

Grabbing their lunch, they headed for a table. It was only Jaden and Ichika sitting at a table before Houki suddenly appeared. Still blushing, she sat on the other side of the table. "Hey Houki," Ichika said.

She just grunted. Not a surprise for that. Ichika felt like he needed to get something off his chest. "Um, Houki? Could you please train us?" He pleaded. Jaden nearly spat out his food from Ichika's comment.

She flinched before letting out a sigh. "it's both of yall's fault for provoking her. So why should I help the two of you? Not to mention your friend here is disrespectful." She pouted.

"I didn't know she was your sister, okay? I'm sorry."

She thought about his apology. She didn't particularly know him, not as long as Ichika, but she's not a bad person who holds grudges, right? "I'll accept your apology, for now." Jaden's eyes lit up before dropping back down.

Ichika felt all the hope from within him slowly start to dissipate. Until a girl, with beautiful caramel hair and features walked up to their table. "Hey? Aren't you two everyone's talking about?" The two guys both looked at each other before in unison giving a slight shrug.

"Yeah, that's us," Jaden responded.

"You're going to be competing in a representative contender match. But, I have the feeling that you haven't used the IS properly, right?"

"Umm...you could say that," Ichika said.

"How long have you two spent operating an IS?" She asked.

Jaden didn't even get a chance to use the thing. Let alone own one. "Zero minutes," Jaden responded. She just hummed in response. Then she looked at Ichika. "For around...20 minutes." This time, Jaden started coughing out his food.

Ichika handed him a napkin he had on his tray. "You okay?" He asked his friend. Jaden, still trying to get the food out his throat, tried to speak clearly. "Yeah...im...fine." He said in between coughs.

"So, shall I teach you two about the IS?" she asked both of them.

Before they even get a word out, Houki bet them on the case. "Actually there's no need." The boys eyed her. Just a minute ago, she didn't even give a good answer to training them. Now she wants to?! Jaden starts to think there are some serious problems with this girl.

"Aren't you a freshman, too? I'm much more…"

"Since I am…" Houki cut her off.

"Tabane Shinonono's little sister." She said with a bit of venom in her voice.

The girl gasped, taking a few steps back. "Shinonono..." She paused. Knowing that she won't get a chance to train them, she backed off. "W-well...it can't be helped then." Ichika felt a little bad. But, he gave her a pack on the back. "Thanks for the offer though." She gave a smile then walked off.

Jaden swore he heard Houki growl. Ichika turned back to face Houki. She was giving a death glare at him. What did he do wrong? Jaden obviously knew the reason but shut his mouth. "So, you will teach us?" Jaden asked.

The glare she gave him, seemed like a no. "I'm going to train Ichika. You, however. Probably best if you go ask that girl to train you." She boldly said. Ichika wasn't furious but upset. He figured that she's still sore about Jaden insulting her sister. But he didn't know back then.

"Cmon, Houki. He didn't mean to insult Tabane, he just was making jokes, right?" He asked Jaden. He just nodded in response. Houki let out a sigh. "Fine. you can join us. But don't expect me to go easy on you for now on."

"You'll be surprised at how much damage I can take." Jaden boldly said.

"Really?"

"Yup."

"Fine then. Let's start your training. Meet me outside of the cafeteria."

Standing up, she emptied her tray. Luckily she was done eating, so she didn't waste any food. Jaden and Ichika looked at each other. "What's wrong with her? I already said I'm sorry. What more can she ask for?"

"I don't know."

'She's the mother of the IS's little sister. And acts like this towards other people other than Ichika?! She definitely has some issues.'

They followed Houki into some type of dojo. Jaden didn't have the slightest clue on what this place was, but Ichika did. He remembered this kind of training he used to do 6 years ago. Training day in and out with Houki. He felt a smile creep on his face from remembering the good old days.

"We're here. Go in the back, you'll find the equipment you'll need for your extensive training." She said. Walking into the complete another side of the building.

"What are we doing here? And, what the hell is Kendo?" Jaden asked.

"Kendo is Japanese martial art. I don't know what you call it over there in the United States, But I think there's something similar over there." Ichika said.

"I think you're talking about Fencing, right?"

"I think that's it."

Thinking they did enough talking, they went ahead and got dressed. A lot of things came to Jaden's mind when he put on this armor. He'd prefer going naked than this. Houki came out a few seconds later. Dressed in a similar outfit, but a white shading.

"Alright, Ichika. It's your turn." Houki declared.

"Sure."

Jaden figured it was time for him to inspect the battle. Ichika and Houki, standing a couple of feet away from each other. He couldn't' see their faces because of that helmet. But he could guess this was going to be very interesting.

The battle was intense. Jaden watches each and every strike that Ichika or either Houki made. It was very clear that Houki had the upper hand. Jaden could see the struggle in Ichika's movements. Lack of speed. The main thing Jaden noticed wrong with Ichika.

It didn't even take nearly 3 minutes before Ichika tapped out. "Alright, what in the hell is going on here?" Houki demanded. Ichika was panting hard. She really laid into him with that match.

"I don't know what you mean."

"Why have you become this pathetic? What clubs were you in during middle school?!"

Ichika chuckled. "I was the "Go home" club member, and haven't missed a day in 3 years. So, it's been a while since I last welded a Shinai." He nonchalantly said. This only made Houki angrier.

"Retrain…" She whispered.

"What was that Houki?"

"I'll retrain you! Starting tomorrow, every day, for three hours straight. Do you hear me?!"

"But, you promised to teach us about the IS." Ichika retorted.

"This problem comes before the IS! You never know what unit you could get. But, it's disgraceful to watch you lose against me. So, you'll retrain until I see you're ready for proper teaching, got it?!"

Ichika sighed in defeat. Jaden is lucky he's not in that situation, otherwise, he would have quit on the spot. After studying their fight, he noticed that it isn't that difficult or convenient to one of his favorite sword movies, Star Wars.

He doesn't totally remember it, but he used to study the styles of a lightsaber. His favorite character is definitely, Darth Vader. Why? The armor looks so cool, that deep voice, and… maybe he should stop thinking about it as if he's day-dreaming about a guy.

There are other characters that he likes. Obi-wan Kenobi, Mace Windu, Yoda, etc. And now his styles. He remembers watching the styles of a lightsaber. His favorite was Djem-So. The aggressive one out of them all. By watching Houki and Ichika fight, it's just like fighting with a lightsaber.

Now, he's pumped.

Ichika walked over to where Jaden was sitting. "Alright Jaden, it's your turn." He patted him on the back. Giving a smile, he got ready. Picking up his Shinai, he walked over to the other side of Houki.

Houki's face didn't leave its stern natural after scolding Ichika. "Since it's your first time trying out Kendo, I'll go easy on you." She said. Jaden didn't want her to go easy on him, but after seeing that fight, he might want to study her movements.

"Okay, I'm giving you a quick heads-up. There's something similar other than this that I've studied for quite some time. So I won't go easy on you." Jaden confidently said.

"We'll see about that."

Houki charged straight at him. He barely had enough time to block her attack, before going on the offense. He used his knowledge on his favorite lightsaber style, Djem-So, to overwhelm her with his attacks. But he clearly underestimated her. He went for a strike to her shoulder, to have it blocked then counter-attacked by her, hitting him directly in the head.

"I have to admit, you're pretty impressive, even though this is your first time trying Kendo. You said there was something similar to Kendo. Are you talking about Fencing?"

"Nope, something different."

Now that's a bummer. She tried to think of the name of what Jaden mentioned. What other swordsmanship could he be thinking of? She couldn't think of anything. "I don't know," She simply answered.

"Well, that's too bad."

Going back for more aggressive attacks. Ichika watched in awe. This is Jaden's first time trying out Kendo, and he's going toe-to-toe with Houki?! Someone who one the national Kendo competition last year. And knew from when he was little. There has to be something that Jaden is using, or doing.

It's just no way in his eyes. Now he definitely feels left behind. He didn't feel jealous, or anything like that. But…like a failure. There were reasons why he quit Kendo all those years ago but now isn't the time.

It was time for the climax. Jaden, surprisingly, was getting tired. Now he knows why Houki defeated Ichika. She has incredible stamina. She was able to counter, block, deflect his attacks with some difficulty, but was alright.

Now, he's the one taking more damage, more than Ichika had taken. Houki wanted to end the fight by now, but every time she lowered her guard, even for a split-second, he would come back, striking even harder than before.

The more damage Jaden took, the angrier he got. By now, probably 20 minutes have passed. Lasting way longer than Ichika. Jaden was now completely focused. He didn't want any interruptions right now. Houki was showing no signs of exhaustion. He unconsciously drew out his hidden power.

Letting out one massive attack, he hit her directly in the head, knocking the wind out of her. She fell back with a thud. Ichika rushed over to see if she was okay. "Houki?! Are you okay?" He asked her in desperation. She rubbed her head, shaking it for a few seconds to see if she had any conscious or severe damage.

"I'm...alright." She said. She noticed he was holding her head up with his knee, making her blush furiously. She quickly got up, dusting herself off. Meanwhile, Jaden was feeling sympathy. Why? He accidentally, almost, knocked her out.

Houki looked in Jaden's direction. He was gripping his Shinai very hard. So hard that the wood started crackling, she could hear the wood beginning to snap. "Jaden…" Ichika snapped Jaden out of his thoughts.

"Huh? Yeah…"

"You okay?"

Jaden started to calm himself down. "Yeah...I'm sorry, Houki." He apologized. Houki let out a slight chuckle.

"I've clearly doubted your abilities, so you can join us on our daily training. But as I said, don't expect me to go easy on yall." She said.

"Yes, Ma'am" Ichika smiled.

"Okay…" Jaden said.

Jaden looked at Ichika. He seemed so happy, and he probably forgot, at this very moment, that they have to face Cecila next week. He thought about Cecilia. From her personality, attitude, and status, they are kinda screwed. So Jaden needs to take advantage of this training.

'We might have a chance against her. There's a 50-50 chance that we get embarrassed, or take the victory. Don't worry, Cecilia, we are coming for you.'

A week had passed, and now it's time for Jaden and Ichika's match. Jaden didn't expect this. There were hundreds of students sitting on the benches outside of the area. Also, there were the people in business suits watching above them.

He thought this was going to be a semi-private match. Like a few people were going to be watching it, then the rest can view it on a platform. Not this! He was in a separate hanger from Ichika, waiting on his unit.

You see…they still didn't get their units, yet. He thinks that he's going to have to use a training unit until he hears someone shuffling on the speaker in the hanger. "Smith! Smith! It's here!" The speaker spoke. It sounded like Maya.

"Your personal IS is here!" She said.

Almost on cue, he heard metal doors opening, shaking the ground below him. He turned back and couldn't believe it. His unit. It was supporting a dullish-grey color with black and white trims. But, what's he seeing is real, right? Never in a million years, he thought of something like this.

"We've already told Ichika this, but you need to hurry up and get suited. The amount of time we can use the area is limited, so learn how to make it your during the battle." This time a stern and hard voice spoke. Jaden didn't need repeating to know who that was. Walking up to his brand-new unit, he touched the frame.

Suddenly, he felt a large amount of pain in his chest area and head. The pain was unbearable! He couldn't do anything but try and suppress the feeling. His eyes were shut tight, when he opened them again they were glowing red for a brief second.

Nobody saw this, so he was good. "Are you okay?!" Maya desperately asked over the speaker. Jaden didn't know what to think right now. He was...sort of fine. But at the same time, he felt like a bunch of information had forcefully entered his mind.

"Yeah, I'm alright." His voice was normal, but he sounded a lot more serious. Maya, nor Chifuyu heard him like this. Chifuyu smirked in amusement. She might see a good fight, something she barely or rarely saw in 6 years ago.

It only took a few minutes for Jaden to get ready. His clothes were different. Now, he was wearing, what seems like a two-piece swimsuit. But it was actually the IS piloting clothes he needed to use the IS properly.

He touched the frame again, having the same pain, but this time it was bearable. It was compared to a mini headache. His chest didn't hurt that much, but as his head, it was manageable. He boarded his unit, having several pop-ups, and notifications appear before his eyes.

The name of his unit was called. "Soviet Ranger…" He smirked at the name. It wasn't a bad name, but come on, couldn't they be a little more creative with the name. He was about to take off but Maya stopped him.

"Before you go, let me explain about your opponent's unit. Cecilia Alcott's machine, Blue Tears, is a long-ranged model IS."

"Alright."

"In every IS unit, there's a feature called "Absolute Defense." Its primary function is to protect the pilot's life in any attack. However, that deployment would cause your shield energy to be badly reduced, do you understand that?" Maya explained.

'She didn't even explain that much about her IS. She just said it was a long-ranged unit and that's it. How is that supposed to help me?!'

"So, Orimura, Smith, are you both feeling up to this?" Chifuyu asked.

"Yeah, piece of cake." Jaden was slightly shaken by Ichika's voice. He couldn't hear him a few minutes ago, why now? It didn't matter right now. All that matters is beating Cecilia. "How are you feeling Jaden?" Ichika asked his friend.

Jaden closed his eyes, taking a deep sigh. Opening them again, his eyes were full of determination. "Let's fucking do this!" This time, Maya jaw hooked open. Chifuyu and Houki weren't all that surprised. Hell, they were wearing some smirks.

Ichika couldn't keep up with his friend's verbal language. He was raised right not to say those words, only if he needs to say them he'll use them. "Alright, we're off!" Ichika and Jaden shouted in unison.

Feeling the gears turn beneath both of them, they were launched into the area. Cecilia, sitting stationary in the air waiting patiently, took on a confident smile. "I especially appreciate that you two managed to show your faces here. Would you like to apologize for your actions earlier? Or would you like me to properly teach you?"

"Not a chance." Ichika, calmly, but slightly intimidatingly said.

Cecilia turned towards Jaden. "Don't even think about it, not gonna happen," Jaden said. Cecilia already was feeling anger. She eyed both of them, specifically their units. She noticed Ichika's was pure grey with blue trimming on the bottom, and Jaden's was similar but with black and white trimmings.

Cecilia slightly smirked. "Such a pity. In that case...This is your end!" She quickly shot her rifle, landing a direct hit on Ichika. The attack grazed his shoulder, almost piercing through it. Jaden watched in horror. He couldn't do anything about that attack; it was too quick.

Jaden quickly searched for any type of weaponry on his unit. Until a menu popped up. It was showing the weapons tab. He saw his weapon was a...gun? And a sword. Well, not a bad combination, but a gun? He doesn't really have the experience of that kind of training.

"Aw, to hell with it!" Summoning the sword he had. It was named "Sakikasane" It resembled that of a simple katana. But the main difference was the blade. It was unusually thicker than a normal katana. This weapon is made for cutting deep.

Then he looked at the gun and figured he wouldn't be needing it. Guns just weren't his style at all. "Ichika, you ready?!" Jaden shouted towards his friend with a smile. Ichika obliged, nodding his head, then heading straight for Cecilia.

"Is this your brilliant plan? Challenging my long-range IS in hand-to-hand combat? Don't be ridiculous."

She fired multiple shots at Jaden and Ichika. Ichika's movements were sloppy, so sloppy that he almost crashed into Jaden a couple of times. Jaden on the other hand wasn't struggling that much at all. He moved like an expert, even though it was his first time piloting an IS.

In the control tower, Houki, Maya, and Chifuyu watched the battle. Houki was mainly focused on Ichika, while Maya was focused on them both. Even though she didn't show it, Chifuyu was concerned. Piloting an IS for 20 minutes, and lasting longer than most people against Cecila?! She could only let a smirk happen to take over her emotions.

Jaden cursed under his breath. "Damn it." This wasn't going well at all. He knew that Cecilia could let off so many shots before calling her trump card. He sighed, calling upon the gun he saw in his weapon's menu. "Blood Moon? Who names a gun that?! Whatever, at least it might help in this situation."

He summoned the gun's name. It looked like a standard gun you find at the gun store in America. Did they just throw random weapons at both of them? Or did they find out their preferred style, at all? Either way, they clearly didn't try that hard.

He took his aim. "Man, they make it look easier in the movies." He muttered. His aim was terrible, he couldn't shoot for anything. Cecilia almost started laughing at how bad he was at shooting something as simple as a gun. She dropped her guard for a few seconds, enough for Ichika to land a blow.

Using his weapon called "Yukihira", he felt for a swipe on her side. The attack grazed her side. The absolute Defense kicked in for a second to save Cecila from the fatal blow, but cost her a bit of shield energy. "How dare you! Landing a blow on me while I was distracted?! You shall pay for your actions." She deployed 4 drone-like objects.

"Woah!" Jaden narrowly dodged one of the objects. "What are those!" He dodged another one. Using evasive maneuvers, he's able to dodge them, but what he didn't expect for them is to also shoot. Now he really needs to pay attention. One wrong slip and he might have no shield energy left.

Speaking of shield energy, he looked at the gauge. It showed 89%. He didn't really know how much he has in full, but what he does know if that gauge drops to 0% he's in trouble. "I'll take your left shoulder!" Cecilia said to Jaden.

Jaden, unconsciously. Time seemed to slow down for him. His eyes shifted from their usual black to a red glowing state. He calmly readied his sword, prepared for what's about to go down. Time resumed to its normal speed when Jaden saw the blast coming his way, he calmly blocked.

When the attack hit Jaden's sword, it deflected. Coming back to its original source. Nearly striking Cecila, she dodges but barely missed it. Everyone stared at Jaden in pure awe. Even Chifuyu didn't know what happened. Jaden's eyes went back to normal. Looking around he noticed the fight stopped. "What happened? Why is everyone looking at me like that?"

Ichika quickly flew over to him. "Dude! You just used Cecilia's attack against her."

"I...did?"

"Yeah, you did it like you knew it was going to happen."

Jaden didn't recall that at all. He blacked out for a moment.

"Anyway we need to end this fight, I think we have a few minutes before the match ends," Ichika said.

Jaden obliged, getting ready for round 2.

"I commend that you used my attack against me. Seems that I might have underestimated you. But, don't think you'll get a chance to do that again." Cecilia said. Her bottom wings separated, revealing two rifle-sized cannons. "Try and use this against me." She fired.

Jaden and Ichika did their best on trying to shake them, but they had tracking on those missiles. Eventually, they bumped into each other, leaving themselves wide open. The missiles quickly clashed on them, covering both of them in smoke.

Silence.

There was nothing but smoke. Houki and Maya feared the worst while Chifuyu smirked. "The IS saved them." She calmly said. Houki and Maya didn't understand until the smoke started to vanish. What they saw made them gawk in surprise.

Ichika and Jaden's IS were different. Ichika's IS bulked up in appearance. His arms and legs were wearing a good amount of protection. His IS seemed to have expanded its wings, showing its full color of blue and white. His unit's size grew a bit. And most of all his headband and shoulder plates were different.

Jaden's unit was something to look at. What sparked the interest of everyone was his weapon, "Sakikasane". The hilt was different, it was rougher and grip, with a pure silver touch to it. The blade was seemingly replaced by a glowing blue beam. It hummed in a soothing sound. His frame color was different from Ichika's, taking on a pure shade of black and white trimmings seeming everywhere.

He had barely any armor on his shoulders or legs but his body and arms had a decent amount of armor on them. Unlike Ichika, Jaden had 4 wings surrounding his backside. "What happened?" Jaden asked.

"I don't know." Responded Ichika.

From the looks all over the area, people were at a gasp. Jaden and Ichika seemed to have collided with each other then a massive explosion happened. When they emerged they were fine, but their units were different. Cecilia was the most shocked out of all of them.

"Impossible…that's your first shift?" She said. "How can anyone have fought an entire IS a battle with their IS in a default setting?!" She demanded.

"What are you talking about?"

"Look! Your IS is different than before!" She said.

Jaden looked around him. He noticed Ichika's IS was different but what about his. He checked. "Woah! That's an upgrade." He noticed his weapon. "Wait a minute… isn't this just like a...lightsaber?" He inspected his weapon. Indeed it was.

Next, he checked his weapons menu. No new weapons were added, just the same things. But his gun was different. It went from a standard pistol you'll see in a gun store, to an advanced alien rife. His favorite aspect about it, the tint it took. A pure white shade of light.

Ichika checked his own unit. He's unit did look different. "I'm not sure what the heck we've been doing. But it looks like our units finally became our own." Ichika said. He looked to his right, noticing his sword. The blade retracted, out came a blue glow of energy. "Looks like I'm the one who's going to start protecting from now on." He said with a smirk.

"What do you say?" Jaden asked in confusion. What was Ichika murmuring about?

"Nothing. Let's take her down!"

Cecilia growled. "You'll have to try a lot harder than that!" She fired about 4 more missiles. Jaden and Ichika looked at each other, giving a slight nod and a smile.

"Too late we've seen them now." Ichika sliced all four of them in an instant. Jaden gawked at Ichika's speed. He wasn't this fast a few minutes ago. He really underwent a change with his unit? Or is Jaden just imagining things.

Ichika was seconds away from Cecilia. Retracting his sword, he readied for his attack. Making it to her, he executed his move, aftermath of blue behind him. But before he hit her the bell sounded.

[Ichika Orimura: Eliminated]

Multiple gasps were heard. How did Ichika lose? Jaden saw that he was seconds away from eliminating Cecilia. So, what just happened?

"What?! How did…" Ichika was about to retort but he lost fair and square by something. "Looks like it's up to you Jaden. Win this!" Ichika gave him a thumbs up and headed for his hanger.

'Thanks, Ichika. You're a true friend.'

"Don't think this will be easy now that your friend is out of the way."

Jaden had enough of her babbling. Unconsciously activating his powers, he closed the distance between them in a matter of seconds. "I think it's time for you to Shut. The Hell. Up!" Using his sword, he let loose a slice to her unit's frame.

The attack was so powerful that the "Absolute Defense" kicked in, saving her from a near-death experience. But in cost, it completely annihilated her shield energy.

[Match concluded, Winner: Jaden Smith]

Without another word, Jaden left for his hanger. Houki, Ichika, Maya, and Chifuyu were there to greet him. They congratulated him on his success. Ichika giving Jaden a friendly fist bump.

Hours had passed by and Jaden was chilling on the school's rooftop.

He wondered about the things that happened in his life. How did he get here? What his family back at home was doing? Normal things like that. "It's nice up here. Maybe...these 3 years won't be so bad after all." He said to himself.

A smile crossed his face. Then he remembered that Houki wanted to talk with Ichika. He abruptly let him go. That's why he's all alone on the roof.

His instinct told him something. "Come out, whoever you are!" He demanded. From the shadows out stepped a girl.

She looked identical to Ichika's sister, but with different eyes.

"Who are you!"

Silence.

"Answer my question!"

"I am...your worst nightmare." She finally responded.

"Really? That's your big opening?"

She let out a sigh. "Seems like you're much tougher than you look."

"I don't doubt it, but you look a lot like Ichika's sister."

That name. She lightly growled. "I am not her! I am something different, a better, no perfect version of her."

"Then...who are you."

She let a crazy smile take over her.

"My name is...Madoka Orimura."