Clear to cloudy
Target 42: Tiny cloud in a hurricane
Ricci jumps forward with tremendous force winding his short-sleeved arm back as the bracelet shoots storm-flames backwards. "Just because you're a cute girl doesn't mean I'll go easy on you!" He yells as he strikes. Rinoka jumps to the side as he comes near and he smashes a hole in the ground. He shakes his hand a bit and then looks to her.
"What the hell is going on with that guy's guardians? A pacifist, a kid and her butler and now a frail little girl…" He asks himself rubbing the back of his head with his long-sleeved arm. He winds back his other arm and tries punching her again and she starts running away from him. Kotsu grits his teeth thinking it's unbearable to watch and he looks away, but Reborn forces his head back.
"Just wait. She has something," He says and Ricci punches the air in front of him even if he can't reach her sending a pulse of storm flames towards her and she's thrown forward. She lets out a little gasp as it seems she frantically tried putting on her vongola ring, but fails and drops it as it rolls across the arena. Ricci jumps at her again with full intent of hitting her as she tries crawling to the ring, before she starts crying. She just wanted to be useful… But she failed. She couldn't even put up a fight… some guardian she was.
"I-I'm sorry I'm so useless!" She yells burrowing her face in her arm waiting for Ricci to finish her off. He stands over her raising his fist preparing to strike as the storm flames burst from his bracelet. He looks around a little seeing everyone waiting for him to do it but hearing her keep crying at her own uselessness he grits his teeth.
"What're you waiting for Ricci!?" Zaccaria yells and Ricci grits his teeth.
"What're you doing?!" He yells at the frail and scared girl and she looks back at him with teary eyes.
"I-I dropped my ring… I can't do anything without it…" She says sobbing and Ricci's bracelet stops shooting storm flames.
"You people are so freaking weird," He says and looks towards where the ring landed. He heads over picking it up for her and hands it right back, almost gently with how frail she looks much to everyone's surprise.
"W-w-w-why're… why're you helping… me?" Rinoka asks and Ricci looks to the side as Rinoka gently picks up the ring from his palm.
"You at least deserve a chance. And I ain't gonna fight someone who can't defend herself," He says and Zaccaria stomps his foot
"RICCI! STOP HELPING HER! If you help her and she wins then I WILL kill you," He says lighting up his katar angrily.
"I won't lose Zaccaria. I promise. But I'm BETTER than my old man! I ain't gonna hit an opponent while she's down!" he yells and glares at Albert who fought Cotton and Marco yesterday. "See that old man!? Unlike you I have confidence in my ability to win with my OWN power!" He yells and Albert chuckles.
"You say such things boy! But you're wearing MY invention!" He yells pointing to the bracelets.
Ricci is about to retort when Rinoka interrupts him. "T-tha-" She starts but Ricci holds up his long-sleeved hand silencing her.
"Don't thank me. I'm your enemy," He says and his bracelet lights up. He jumps back again as if to reset their positions, and Rinoka gets the ring on her finger. "Now that you have that ring… I'm not holding back!" He says bending down on his knees and shoots forward at inhuman speeds. Rinoka just manages to move aside, but Ricci's flames still burn her cheek and she gets a tiny cut. Before he even lands he does a half front flip and somehow jumps off the air going straight for her again. She takes out a little purple box she had in her pocket, but Ricci hits it dead on making it slide away a bit. She scrambles for it, but Ricci is too fast and ends up standing with one foot on top of it with Rinoka laying on her stomach looking up at him.
"A box weapon? That was why you needed that ring?" He asks and raises his hand his storm flame appears. Rinoka's flame gets a little purple flame on it. Ricci grits his teeth. "That's all the flame you can manage? Why the hell were you chosen to be a guardian…? You said you needed the ring to fight, but you can't even fight yourself…?" He says and she tries pushing her ring against the hole in the box, but Ricci switches his foot from being on the box to stepping on her hand. Not hard by any means since he's both barefoot and still kind of holding back since he doesn't want to hurt her too bad since she looks really weak.
Kotsu looks visibly upset seeing the sweet innocent girl forced to fight a fight she stands no chance of winning. "She can't win! He's too strong!"
Reborn smirks however only serving to make Kotsu more annoyed. "I wouldn't count her out just yet," He says and Rinoka pushes her hand as hard as she can, yet she still can't reach the box. She remembers talking to Reborn sometime during her week of training. He explained the cloud flame has the trait of propagation. To increase! She concentrates a little and suddenly her tiny flame shoots out a little bit and it goes into the box. Ricci's eyes widen. She used the cloud's propagation to increase the length of her flame!? The box shoots open and the animal inside hits Ricci's foot away making him fall backwards and Rinoka grabs the box quickly and runs to make some distance. Ricci recovers from the fall instantly.
"So you got that box open…" He says with gritted teeth and looks at his long-sleeved arm. 'Not yet. But I might…' He thinks and Rinoka stops running when there's a bit of distance. Ricci looks around with his bracelet shooting flames, ready to attack.
"So… where is your box weapon?" He asks and Rinoka looks at the little box in her hand.
"Chido!" She calls out and starts hearing a buzzing sound next to her ear. It's a tiny dim purple hummingbird with a cloud flame on its tail feathers.
"A… hummingbird?" Kotsu asks and Reborn nods.
"I gave it to her since she doesn't have what it takes to fight herself. It's a new one. Colibrì di nuvola!" (Italian: cloud hummingbird) He yells and the hummingbird zips around in front of Rinoka. Ricci prepares his bracelet again.