Golden eyes briefly glance up in order to check the position of the sun in the bright blue sky.
He mentally calculated that it was time for the match to commence, 'It's time…'
The young man was presently propped up against a thick trunk of the tree when he causally lifted one of his hands up to the sky.
His index finger drew a wide outline of a circle against the blue backdrop, tapped the middle of the center and dropped his arm back down by his side.
A golden light then materializes against the surface of the forest floor, which creates a whirlpool formation until it morphs to a solid circle.
Natalie's body gradually rises up from inside of the ground until her feet finally grace the solid surface.
The circle slowly dissipates from underneath the soles of her shoes.
'Now it's time for me to put on my disguise…' Jordan inwardly mentions to himself before he morphs to his Avatar state.
The golden figure then hops off of the branch and lands beside the young woman.
An evil smirk soon stretches across his face at the thought of Natalie being his and his alone.
'That blonde twit is in for a rude awakening.'
His eyes leisurely peer over at her and issue out an order, "Head to these coordinates. Make sure you come back victorious."
The raven haired beauty merely nods her head in obedience and proceeds forward to the intended location.
On the other side of the forest,
"He's awfully kind of a quiet today, don't you think Namikaze?" Canaan worryingly poses to the orange haired Knight of the Round while they closely trail behind the blonde.
'I can't wait till I see that stupid Avatar. I'll make him pay for messing with Natalie and my family!' He inwardly promises as he tightly clenches his fist against his side.
Namikaze directs his focus on to the young man in front of them before he offers up a reason why, "I mean it isn't every day that you have to fight against your lover."
'Wait…I have to calm down, anger will not solve anything especially not in a fight against a brainwashed Natalie.' Minato hastily reminds himself while he constantly attempts to remain calm about the situation.
"Lover," Canaan astonishingly repeats right before a small smile stretches across his face, "I take it he was able to successfully confess his feelings to Miss Natalie?"
"We won't know until he squares off with her." Minato's master honestly asserts after he eventually redirects his attention back on to the road in front of them.
'We're almost at the drop-off point.' The older males inwardly noted once they came to a halt at the specific point in the path.
"This is as far as we can escort you." Namikaze abruptly spoke up after the trio arrived at a stone marker that was clearly marked by Mai.
Canaan simply stares at his pupil and offers some words of encouragement to the young man, "Trust your training."
Obsidan eyes then direct his gaze on to his current master, who merely reaches one of his hands out to ruffle the crown of his head.
He purposely flashes him a thumbs up before he ultimately sends the young lad on his way.
"Now that seems like what he needed to hear in order to calm down." Canaan honestly admits after he senses the change in his aura.
Namikaze drops his head, closes his eyes, and discloses, "Everyone used to think that Minato was a complete and total idiot, who was incapable of being something great in life."
"People were exteremly shocked once he managed to become my squire. I mean I was known to be a rather tough and strict teacher back in the day."
"He was the only one that accepted and finished the challenge."
'I know you will do everything in your power to bring Natalie back to us…well more like to you.' He honestly concludes.
His master eventually mentions, "I guess it's our turn now."
His comment earns a nod from his fellow comrade prior to their departure to their next destination in order to witness the fight.
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"They should be at the rendezvous spot for Minato to meet up with Mai." Rick naturally assumes after he reads the clock's face for the time.
Aikka shuffled about until he collected the papers that fallen off from the surface of his desk.
"Is this how you all feel when you have to go to war to defend Noursaia?"
His question earns a sigh from the raven haired male, who commands the entire military at his orders.
"The life of a soldier isn't meant for everybody, especially knighthood."
"We solemnly vowed that the greater good for our people supersede any of our personal relations. That, in turn, is the greatest sacrifice any human can make on any world."
"War is ugly. We're murders that butcher the wrong and right for the sake of the protection of our home."
"None of the soldiers truly relish in war, except for the ones that earn the title of War Hero."
"They are finding themselves longing for another war just to satisfy a personal hunger."
The king processes the older man's speech, which leads him to think, 'I never thought about that!'
'I usually just trust Rick's judgment whenever it comes down to any of military operation.'
'I think I may understand just how he was able to make such a deal with Kross in the first place.'
"If it weren't for your rational decision, I think the Trogs would've successfully invaded, overthrown the Royal Family and secured the crown for their own personal conquest."
"And for that, I thank you for making such a hard decision." The king sincerely thanks his right hand man along with a bow at the waist.
"Your highness, that isn't quite necessary." Rick attempts to downplay until the king interjects with, "Actually it is…you put the needs of others before your own!"
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"Why hello there, Minato?" Mai politely greets the blonde after he finally ascends the small hill that leads to their final destination.
Since there was no answer, she merely directs her gaze upward to the sky and says, "I guess knights do have a thing about punctuality."
"Where's Natalie?!" He instantly cuts right to the chase.
His obsidian eyes closely watch the princess casually leaps to her feet from a tree stomp.
"Slow down there loverboy!" Mai teasingly quips before she includes, "You'll surely be reunited with your beloved real soon."
"I'm just surprised that you would even allow Kross to openly embarrass you like that." The young man purposely jaws as he carefully observes her for her first reaction.
However, there was no significant reaction from the ever so composed spy other than a retort, "I have no idea what you're talking about."
"He looks at you…just how I would look at Natalie." Minato firmly declared, which suddenly struck a heartstring from his honest statement.
'You have no idea what's in store for you, loverboy.'
Mai merely signaled for him to follow her.
She started to lead him into a heavily wooded area until they eventully reached the break in the forest.
He patiently waited where the princess instructed him to stand when his ears eventually catch the sound of bushes rustle from contact.
'What in the world?!' Both Mai and Minato mentally wonder right before the raven haired woman emerges from the bushes in her battle uniform.
Instead of the standard red Noursaian military issued uniform, it was completely black with light gray broad outlines and trimmed in gold.
Her half skirt now fully circles around to conceal her navel. A pair of twin daggers rest on the outer portion of her thighs along with a sword attach to her back.
Yet the thing that caught their eyes was the absence of the golden diamond mask, which was now a golden wreath that presently adorned her head.
Her eyes were no longer green, but instead they were half yellow half golden with flicks of brown.
'What the hell did he do to you Natalie?!' Minato angrily grumbles as he continues to observe Natalie's new physical features.
"I will merely serve as a referee to make sure you all don't kill each other. Other then that, fight!" Mai dutifully breaks down the rules of the fight to the pair prior to her quick depature from their sights.
'So who will make the first move?' Everyone, except Jordan, silently question while they hone their sights in on the pair in the middle of the forest.
"Draw your daggers. Go in for the kill." He quickly issued out the order.
The Avatar honestly believed that the one who capitalized on the first move would have the upper hand in the fight.
Natalie swiftly draws the twin daggers from her thighs and quickly dashes forward toward the barehanded Minato.
She rotated one of the daggers downward as she started with a preemptive strike followed up with a slash to his chest.
Minato barely dodges the attack right before she creates a shallow cut across his tunic but captures her arms within his.
He easily disengages one of the daggers while he was in slight awe at the woman's sudden ability to utilize dual weapons.
The raven haired woman quickly spins around in order to stab him in the jugular. However due to his hold on her, he was able to easily block it with his free hand.
'Her back's wide open.' The young man instantly presumes in the middle of the fight.
The blonde then roughly settles his foot against her lower lumber and forces his weight forward.
The young woman aimlessly stumbles away from him right before she instantly launches one of the daggers at him.
The solider was only able to shear some of his hair before a "thunk" noise was heard upon the blade wedged itself in the trunk.
'Her aim is a bit sloppy, which is good.' The knight silently considers while he carefully approaches the Iron-Fist Warrior with extreme caution.
The captain speedily sprints toward him, ducks out of his line of vision, and executes a flawless floor sweep against the blonde.
Minato barely avoids the kick since she was able to catch a bit of his leg. Yet, he gathers the momentum to complete a roundhouse kick.
Natalie then raises her arms to absorb majority of the impact but due to his momentum, her body flies until it connects with one of the trees nearby.
'Eh…what am I doing?' She wearily wonders to herself while she confusingly stares down at her brand new uniform.
Her slight hesitation to stand or move instantly capture his attention, 'Is she coming out of being brainwashed?'
'Now this might be something interesting,' Mai mentally determines after she spots the expression of confusion on the raven haired woman.
'This might be my chance.' He considered as he charged at her with her head hung low. The young man then draws back his arm for a punch.
The raven haired woman abruptly dodges the punch right before his fist connects with the tree trunk. A few seconds later, it explodes from the inside out.
The young woman then seizes his collar within her grasp and throws his body back on to the hard ground.
The blonde sharply winces from the sudden shock to his spine.
The young man unexpectedly feels her body on top of his with her hands tightly wrap around his neck.
'Is she strangling him?' Namikaze contemplates.
He deliberately shifts to get a better view of the fight since the tree blocks his vision of the pair.
'Would you look at that…she's strangling him!' Jordan chuckles at the present action of the Iron Fist Warrior.
The young knight's face rapidly starts to drain of color while she squeezes down on his Adam's apple.
His mind instantly registers that she plans to crush his windpipes by sheer brute force.
"If an opponent is strangling you, chances are their hands are busy with your neck, correct?"
Minato merely nods his head at his instructor, who continues his explanation, "Since their hands are busy with your neck…"
"…your hands are free to move." He finally recalls.
Minato swiftly shoves the palm of his hand against her chin, which breaks the hold from around his neck.
'Good, Minato.'
'That woman really was about to crush my windpipes.' He breathlessly realizes while he attempts to catch his breath.
That is until his obsidian eyes watch her withdraws her sword from it's sheath.
The solider expeditiously charges with her sword downward, which means she plans to stab him in his current position.
The blonde was merely rolling out of the way in order to avoid the sharp blade from piercing his body.
'I have to time this right. If not, I'll lose an ear.' The young man mentally plans as he closely studies his opponent's movements.
Luckily, he was able to catch her blade between his hands.
A "no way" shockingly emits from Mai's mouth after she witnesses the move the knight was able to pull off.
'He's better than he looks.'
The taller of the two then purposely tosses the blade to the side, which throws her off balance and allows him to secure one of her shoulders within his grasp.
Her opponent once again executes a kick, except this time he connects with her stomach.
The captain haphazardly fell backwards until she landed on the ground and clutched her stomach in pain.
Minato captilazes on that brief time lapse to stand to his feet while he watches his opponent desperately wriggles around on the ground like a fish out of water.
"Catch your breath. Take him down." The Avatar issues another order after he sees Natalie currently about to lose to Minato.
She manages to catch her breath in time to wrap her legs around his ankles and forces his body down to the ground.
'I let my guard down.' The blonde inwardly admits as gravity naturally works on his body.
His obsidian eyes closely observe her dash for the sword, grab it within her grasp, and somersault a good distance away from him.
The young woman then squats low, uses the forest floor as her base, and strongly pushes off of the ground for maximum acceleration.
The spectators watch as the Iron Fist Warrior launches toward him, which the young man manages to somehow slightly dodge the assault.
The raven haired woman suddenly feels a fist roughly connects to her lower face and physically pummels her in to yet another tree.
'Sooner or later, he's going to cause Deforestation with the way this match's going…'
The young knight was observing her sluggishly standing to her feet after enduring such a powerful attack.
The solider then easily realigns her jaw to its proper place before she advances toward him once again.
He mentally times his opponent attack and slaps the length of the blade to the left, which leaves her wide open for yet another attack.
'Yep, he's going to destroy the forest by the time this is over with.'
Minato soon found himself a bit exhausted since he used about a quarter of his strength.
His sights then land on her sword. 'I got to get rid of that sword.'
The blonde hastily wraps his fingers around the hilt of the sword, rotates toward a direction and hurls her sword.
It did not go too far but in the direction of Canaan, who easily catches it.
Jordan chuckles at the naivety from the young man, who's mind assumes it is on the verge of victory.
'The show barely started…it's about time for Act II.'
Obsidan eyes behold the wreath instantaneously compresses in to a golden orb that briefly hoovers over her head.
The light brightly illuminates her head until it gradually fades away from the crown of her head all the way to the end of her chin.
'What's going on here?' The young man wondered as the wreath morphed in to a Gladiator helmet. (A/n: Just picture the goddess Athena's helmet.)
'I told you Act II would be so much better!' The golden figure boastfully deems with a smile that greatly rivals his ego.
On the other hand, Namikaze promptly ruminates, 'Just exactly what did your jealously give birth too, Avatar?!'
'Oh…this is a new development.' Mai inwardly muses once she feels the winds around them pick up in strength and speed.
The wind viciously whips around the young woman's body and temporarily blinds him as well as the nearby spectators.
Eventually, it circles around her body before it settles to a gentle calm breeze. The raven haired woman seems to naturally emit a strong raw power.
'I have a bad feeling about this…' Canaan nervously presumes.
His mind processed the potential strength of Natalie ever since the wreath transformed to an olden style warrior's helmet.
She simply extends one of her hands in the direction of her sword, which begins to quake until it was free and rapidly flies toward her.
Her golden eyes firmly remained locked onto her opponent before the woman dramatically pointed her sword at him.
"End him now." The intergalactic dignitary whispers his next order this time in her ear.
Jordan senses more people in the vicinity other than Minato and Mai.
The solider gracefully slides the palm of her hand down the length of the blade all while she squats to a lower position.
'I'm starting to feel fatigue.' Minato wearily judges once he feels his strength begin to rapidly decrease, especially if their fight continues to prolong any longer.
Mai immediately conceives that the blonde starts to feel the weight of the battle on his shoulders.
This leads her to regard, 'What will you do now, Minato?'
The knight silently yet tediously plots his next move but the moment did not last long since she instantly lunges at him with great speed.
'Her speed increased?'
The solider easily nicks his cheeks before she abruptly steps forward, hurriedly rotates her torso and powerfully jabs her hilt against his ribs.
'Whoa…' Namikaze and Canaan inwardly utter in awe at the new development in the fight between the two.
The captain instantly follows up with a hook to the jaw, which sends him directly in to the ground.
Natalie then repeatedly kicks her opponent in his stomach.
'This is starting to get ugly.' Mai anxiously conceives with a small smile present on her face at the sudden turn of the fight.
Minato wearily caught her leg, tightly latched on to her ankle and slightly twisted it from the applied pressure.
'She shouldn't be able to walk.'
He then immediately locks his forearm around her leg and physically forces her to her knee.
'Crap…I'm out of breath!'
The raven haired woman defiantly spins around and proceeds to repeatedly wail on his face.
'Sheesh…she's too strong!'
The young man weakly grabs her fist within his grasp and utilizes his free hand to lock on to her face.
This slightly causes the helmet to shift off to the side of her face.
The mald then forcefully wraps his fingers around her face, roughly forces her head toward the ground, and speedily pins her down.
"Aw...no you don't." The blonde breathlessly utters right before he reaches out to her helmet only to feel a surge of electricity jolt through his body.
The knight repeatedly attempts to break the barrier that protects her head from his grasp.
It prompts him to firmly proclaim, "I will sacrifice my body, even if it means that this left arm will be useless to me in the future…I will save her!"
'I guess now is a good time to try out that technique, eh Namikaze?' Minato considers after he shuts his eyes in order to concentrate.
His actions prompt his master to immediately register exactly what he plans to do next, 'That idiot!'
'Is he really planning on doing what I think he is?!'
Jordan manically cackles at his rival, who was at the end of his tether.
His attempts to break the barrier around Natalie's head were futile, 'Ha, the blonde twit is so desperate!'
"Namikaze Special Move:" A whirlwind swiftly whips around his hand.
"…Lord Fῡ Gale Thrust" as he gradually breaks through the barrier.
"Natalie!" Minato frantically screams out to her right before he finally removes the helmet from on top of her head.
"…and there you have it!" Mai ultimately proclaims from her vantage point after she then hops down to the ground floor.
A wider smile materializes across her face while she happily conveys, "You know...you really got to be a sucker for the cliché love triumphs over all."
'No wonder he likes to use that move!' He abruptly surmises since the special move utilizes strong gust of winds that manage to shred some of Natalie's clothes.
'Even still...I'm pretty tired myself.' The young man wearily concludes.
The blonde starts to lose consciousness until he overhears a masculine voice orders, "Get up."
"It's over!" Mai gravely declares after she abruptly appears from the dense forest setting.
She was leisurely ambling over toward the Avatar in order to declare, "You lost."
Namikaze promptly removes himself from the trees, dashes over to the pair, purposely blocks the Avatar's path and furiously demands, "You must uphold your end of the bargain!"
"That bet wasn't with me so hand her over…now!" The golden figure firmly proclaims.
He faces away from the princess in order to address Namikaze.
The intergalactic dignitary abruptly leaps toward the pair until he feels something sharp unexpectedly pierces his right shoulder and easily brings him to his knees.
Master Canaan swiftly casts a bindment spell over the arrowhead upon contact with the Avatar's skin.
He slowly yet cautiously approaches the group.
"We need to get them back to the Infirmary as soon as possible." Namikaze hastily informs the archer after he briefly checks the two over with his eyes.
"Go on." Mai boldly asserts prior to her declaration of the result of the match, "I acknowledge Minato as the winner of the match."
"As the terms per our agreement, we will no longer invade Noursaia and Natalie is yours."
"What about him?" Canaan curiously probes about the fate of the Avatar, especially after his transgression on the battlefield.
The young woman roughly wraps her hands around his collar and discloses, "As a sign of my friendship with Natalie, I will personally escort him off of the planet."
"Oh, by the way Master Canaan…"
She patiently waits until she earns his attention in order to thank him, "Since you casted such a nice little bindment spell, it makes it a whole lot easier to deal with him."
"Thank you."
The princess simply watches as the two males each secure Natalie and Minato before they venture back down the path.
The spy then casually peers over at Jordan, releases a sigh, and shakes her head at the sad poor excuse of a man in front of her.
'How am I going to explain this farce to Kross?'
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Author's Note:
12.14.16 Major editing revision
04.06.17 Minor editing revisions