Thank you all for being patient. Life caught up with me and I lost a lot of time that could've been working on this. Here we go, the conclusion to the class rep mini tournament.
"You did really well out there Houki!" Ichika placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. "It was a good match."
Houki didn't even raise her head. She kept staring at the hangar's floor, too ashamed to look anyone in the eye. The match between her and Cecilia felt more akin to a slaughter than a battle. She looked pathetic in front of everyone, especially Ichika.
"It was a good fight Houki." Jayden commented. "You did the best you could and that's all that matters."
"Personally, I thought it was pretty awful." Gelimer commented, and he was looking extremely satisfied. It was as though he just had a 24-hour session with the world's greatest therapist. One may feel like that way after seeing the little sister of the person they hate the most get humiliated.
Both boys gave the scientist a look that screamed 'you're-not-helping.'
"What? You want to give her a participation medal? From the way she fought, it's clear she didn't even bother thinking up a stragety. Just keeping hitting her until she dies. I was truly a plan that couldn't be fathomed by the greatest minds of our generation." Gelimer mocked.
"Gelimer!" Jayden roared.
He ignored Jayden and walked up to Houki, staring down at her.
"Do my words sting Ms. Shinonono? That's because they're true." Gelimer finished talking, only to stop as he figured out how to deliver the icing on his vengeful cake. "But you did prove one thing Ms. Shinonono, you're definitely nothing like your sister."
Houki's head somehow managed to sink lower.
Ichika clenched his fist, he wasn't going to stand for someone making his friend feel this way. Especially when she was already feeling down.
"Ichika! Ichika! Ichika!"
Before Ichika could give the professor a piece of his mind, the vice homeroom teacher Maya Yamada came running into the hanger. She looked like she was about to tumble over from her mismatched steps and lack of breath. She tried speaking but it was a little difficult to understand her when she stopped for a breath every syllable.
"Are you all right Ms. Yamada?" Ichika asked. Ms. Yamada could only pant as a reply.
"Ms. Yamada, please calm down." Gelimer insisted. "Take a deep breath. Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in." Gelimer instructed as Maya followed along. "And now breathe in." The woman held her breath waiting for Gelimer's command, all the while he smiled maliciously. Maya's face was starting to change color due to lack of oxygen.
Smack
Chifuyu appeared and whacked Gelimer on the head. Maya was once again catching her breath.
"Mr. Brighton, I suggest you treat your fellow staff members with the respect they are deserved." Chifuyu helped her colleague settle down while the white-haired man rubbed the impacted area of his head.
"It's here! Mr. Orimura's personal IS!" Maya announced. As she did, the hangar door behind her opened, revealing an IS unit. A large dull grey unit was in view of everyone now as they all stared.
"A personal IS?" Ichika asked. "But I don't have one, whose giving me it?"
"The Japanese government." "Chifuyu answered. "They wanted to give you a personal IS unit in order to gather data, to see if there are any differences when a male uses an IS compared to a female."
"That's really Ichika's IS?" The three students looked in awe, but the most star struck was Ichika.
"That's right, this is Ichika Orimura's personal IS unit. The Byakushiki" Maya announced.
"Byakushiki…" Ichika repeated.
"Well It's about time. Sylvan, Orimura, hurry up and get ready. We've delayed the match long enough." Chifuyu ordered.
"Right now! But…"
"HURRY UP!" The three teachers yelled as their voices overlapped with one another. The staff were all on the same page.
"Meet ya outside Ichika." Jayden ran for the entrance of the hanger. With a cry of 'Nova Union' his body was covered in a flash of white light as he deployed his IS, and flew out to the arena. Ichika was too mesmerized by his own IS to pay attention. He kept staring at the unit which was now his own.
"Good luck Orimura." Maya wished him as the teachers headed into the command room to watch,
He put his hand on its frame, realizing it wasn't like the first time he touched an IS. He couldn't put his finger on it, but it just felt different to him. Whatever it was, it felt familiar to him. Ichika settled into his IS. He couldn't explain it, but he felt like Byakushi and himself were linked somehow. Like they were fused into one.
He had to think on it later, now it was time to fight.
"Houki."
"Wh-What?"
"I'm going."
"Ah…mm, do your best Ichika…"
After bending down slightly, the Byakushiki lightly floated in the air and flew out to the arena.
/-/
Out in the arena. Both boys floated in the air in their IS units, watching as the screen counted down from 60. Neither one was sure why the count started from so high, but it gave the two guys a chance to get a good look at each other's Infinite Stratos unit.
Ichika's IS was grey. Pure grey with no decorations whatsoever. It had a decent amount of armor on the frames with floating shoulder guards. Most of its armor was on the Legs as well as the arms up to the elbow.
Jayden's IS was a pure dark green color, as though someone had dumped green paint all over and called it a day. It was a thin frame with armor located on the arms, legs, and torso.
Overall Ichika looked a bit nervous, testing out the movement on his IS while Jayden seemed calm. Unlike his time in an IS in America, this wasn't a fight for survival and the risk of danger was low. He felt okay
"So how does it feel flying?" Jayden asked. "Pretty great huh?"
Ichika moved around a bit, getting use to the machine. "It feels kind of strange, And I can see in every direction around me."
"I think it has to do with the IS sending information to the pilot's brain to make it happen. Or something like that." Jayden tried to explain, not being completely sure on how it worked either. "I'll wish ya good luck Ichika but don't get too confident. The one whose gonna take down Cecilia will be me."
"We'll just see about that." Ichika smirked. He had no intention of just going town easy.
As the countdown neared the end, both guys summoned their weapons.
"Just a sword? Well it's better than fighting bare handed." The blade appeared in his hands. It looked pretty ordinary but it least it was a weapon he was familiar with. Ichika got into the same kendo pose he used when practicing with Houki.
Gelimer had only installed the weapons in his IS this morning so he was about to learn what weapon his IS used. Through the menu, Jayden deployed a weapon. A mid-sized buckler shield appeared in his right arm, large enough to cover about half of the IS. Like his IS, it was also dark green although lighter in color than the IS. He then deployed his other weapons.
…
…
…
…
…
Nothing happened.
There were no other weapons or equipment on Nova Union besides the shield. Jayden realized he had to fight with a shield as his weapon. Which meant that Gelimer made a shield, and thought it was a good idea to leave him with that.
Jayden's curse on Gelimer was drowned out by the buzzer signaling to begin the match.
Ichika took the initiative, taking his weapon and slashing across, forcing Jayden to block him. Ichika then attacked again, with a horizontal slash forcing Jayden to fly back to dodge. Once Ichika missed, Jayden flew back in with his shield in both hands to crash it into Ichika.
"Woah!"
Ichika parried with his weapon. The sword and shield clashed against one another with both of their wielders trying to overpower the other.
"I never took you for the guy who would use a shield to fight."
"Yeah…. Me neither." Jayden cursed Gelimer once again.
Neither one was making progress in overpowering the other so Jayden decided on a different method to attack. He pulled back causing Ichika to push himself forward with his momentum and swung his shield again, this time it collided with Ichika's IS. First blood had been scored by Jayden.
Quick to retaliate, Ichika winded back his sword over his head. With a yell he swung down to attack while Jayden was close. Ichika landed a 'men' strike, a long slashing stroke connecting with the head of Jayden's IS.
Each boy pulled back and swung forward with their respective weapons. Sword and Shield clashed once again, neither side willing to give inch. The two boys shouted as they gave it their all to breakthrough to the other.
/-/
"Ooh! Both Jayden and Ichika are amazing!"
Maya exclaimed while watching the live broadcast on the screen in the control room. Gelimer, Chifuyu, Houki, and Cecilia were all with her watching the battle. Albeit someone were more interested than others.
"They're below average at best." Cecilia remarked. Despite the boring performance, she watched to gather as much information as she could on her future opponent. After all, she'd be facing the winner of this match. So far, it was boring to watch. Despite the mundanity, Houki and Cecilia's eyes were glued to the screen.
"Well it's not like they can do much." The man raised an eyebrow as Ichika swung at Jayden, landing a direct hit on the center of his IS. "Each of them only have a melee weapon and no other equipment to work with. This battle is basically a glorified slug fest." A small smile graced his face as he watched Jayden avoid one of Ichika's attacks.
"Speaking of melee weapons, Jayden's happens to a shield." Maya looked over at Gelimer. "Why is his primary weapon a shield when there are much better offensive choices like a sword or a gun?" Maya asked, generally curious.
"While swords and guns are seen as the main primary offensive weapon, I considered what else could be used. Something that people wouldn't expect. Most people are creating the next weapon to inflect damage, yet very few individuals have a say to stop of defend against the enemy's weapons outside of dodge and avoid. Besides as the old saying goes, a good offense is a good defense."
It did make a little bit of sense. Most weapons made were designed to take down the enemy as soon as possible. Maya could see why he would make something like that, even if she still believed an offensive weapon would be better.
"Not to mention I've seen Jayden fight, and he's more of a defensive type. I'm surprised he didn't try to weasel out of this." Gelimer added.
"…"
Chifuyu folded her arms under her bust. She was seemed pretty irritated watching the battle on the screen.
"Is something the matter Ms. Orimura?" Cecilia asked. Her teacher looked more annoyed than usual.
"They're both making so many mistakes, leaving themselves wide open. And neither of them know how to capitalize on the other's errors."
"Considering their skill levels, that's to be expected." Gelimer remarked.
"Regardless, one of them has to win sooner or later." It was a fact that Maya pointed out. Regardless of how long it would take, the adults continued watching, some silently cheering on their favorite to win.
Throughout the match, Houki's eyes never left the screen. Unaware of the commotion behind her, she watched Ichika as he dodged out of the way of Jayden's kick. She clutched her hands into fists as she watched him fight. Her eyes shifted nervously as she watched.
"Ichika…"
/-/
"ARRRRGGGGHHH!"
"HAAAAHHH!"
They were matching each other blow for blow. When one struck, the other was able to counterattack. When one blocked, they struggled to overpower the other. The fight itself was pretty basic as both combatants only has a melee weapon to use.
The boys continued their battle for about 10 minutes, each of their shield energy were below 25. The next attack would decide the winner.
Jayden moved to the left to avoid one of Ichika's slashes and dove down to dodge another one. Over the course of the battle, Ichika had gotten use to the IS, learning how to fly decently and control himself. Jayden was forced on the defensive as Ichika's sword out ranged his shield.
"TAKE THIS!"
Ichika was in the act of rushing him down, leaving Jayden to do nothing more than defend by putting his shield in the way. The sword continued to slash across the shield to no effect. Through the onslaught, Jayden kept up his resilience, pushing his shield out in front of him. Sooner or later Ichika would have to stop and that would be his time to go for the kill.
They continued like this for quite some time, but neither side was making progress. Ichika continued swinging but even he was starting to feel fatigue from his constant attacks. Suddenly his mind came up with a plan, a risky one that could leave himself open to attack but would give him a shot at victory if it worked.
Ichika ripped his sword free slashed across, only rather than aim at the shield he stopped it halfway, creating a feint which Jayden fell for as he held his shield out. The sudden force from Ichika knocked the shield out of Jayden's grasp dropping it to the ground below.
"NO!"
Jayden watched as his shield dropped further and further away from him. With his shield knocked away, Ichika saw his chance. He flung himself forward and struck with all his might. His blade scratched against the energy shield, ripping into Jayden's energy shield. A big fat zero displayed on screen regarding his shield energy and the match was at its end.
/-/
After the match, Gelimer dragged Jayden to a corner of the hanger for a polite little chat.
"WHAT HAPPENED OUT THERE!?"
"I Lost."
"THAT PART WAS OBSVIOUS! HOW DID YOU LOSE!?"
"BECAUSE 'SOMEONE' GAVE ME A SHIELD FOR A WEAPON!"
"Oh sure, blame the weapon." Gelimer rolled his eyes.
"Hey! The battle was close, give me some credit for almost winning."
"Close only counts for horseshoes and grenades. You just can't admit it was your own lack of skill, can you?"
"Again, my weapon was a shield! I need a weapon to fight, and you made my primary weapon a shield! The only weapon that's used to defend instead of attack! For someone who claims to be so smart, you make a lot of stupid decisions."
Things got rather heated as they started to bring up each other's faults. While Jayden and Gelimer were busy arguing over whose fault this was, Houki was able to get close to Ichika.
"Ichika! You did it. You won." Houki smiled. Despite how close the battle looked; Houki knew Ichika would win in the end. Not because she believed in him but because of her training of course. Definitely the training… is what Houki told herself. Ichika was just glad to see that Houki was feeling better now.
"Are you feeling okay Ichika?" Chifuyu asked.
"Yes Chifuyu-nee. I'm all right."
"I see." Chifuyu looked relieved. "Congratulations on your first victory."
Ichika mouth grinned ear to ear. She didn't express it often, but he could tell Chifuyu was worried about him. The fact that she used his first name and didn't even call him out for calling her Chifuyu-nee was proof of it.
"Why Ms. Orimura is that concern you're showing for your brother? I guess your iron clad heart has a soft spot somewhere under all that metal." Gelimer joked. This had to be the first time he had seen Chifuyu when she wasn't 100% professional. "I thought teachers weren't supposed to play favorites."
"Is that so Mr. Brighton? Then tell me, who was one smiling whenever Sylvan landed a blow onto Orimura." Chifuyu retorted, smirking as everyone had their eyes on Gelimer as he squirmed.
"I….er… have no idea what you're talking about Ms. Orimura." Gelimer turned away.
Jayden felt touched that Gelimer did cheer him. He did care in own way, or as close you could get to caring.
"Look! It doesn't matter." Gelimer finally faced them, his cheeks now a light shade of red. "What's important is that Mr. Orimura doesn't get too comfortable, you still have one more round to fight. And it's the one you don't want to lose."
"Cecilia Alcott." Her outbursts and insults replayed themselves in Ichika's mind.
"Yes. That is her name. Now, may I borrow your IS Ichika?" Gelimer asked. "I need it charge it for your next battle."
"Charge it?" Ichika looked at his IS which had taken the form of a bulky bracelet.
"At the moment, your IS is in its stand-by form but all you have to do it call it and it'll deploy right away." Maya explained. "While in that form it will manually recover shield energy over time, which could take anywhere from a few hours to days depending on the damage it took. However, like all good things in life, there's a way to cheat around it. We can give the shield energy from another unit to your Byakushi through a power transfer, this way we can begin the next battle post-haste."
Ichika handed over Byakushi to Gelimer. He inspected it for a few seconds before putting it away in his coat pocket. "Thank you. This shouldn't take long." He took the Byakushi and left to find an IS unit.
"Shinonono, Sylvan, you're welcome to watch the battle in the command room if you wish." Maya told them as she and Chifuyu headed over there. The three students were now on their own with a short amount of time before the battle would begin.
"So Ichika, do you think you can win? You thought of a plan right to beat Cecilia, right?" Jayden asked.
"I mean I'll try my best but you saw how good Cecilia was. Besides, my IS right now is barley better than a standard training unit. At least I think it is."
Jayden sighed. "So you're going to wing it?" They really didn't want Cecilia to win but they neither one had a plan to beat her. At this rate, Cecilia would keep Ichika afar with her ranged weaponry and shoot him down till he was out of shield energy.
"Umm… guys." Houki cut in. "When I was fighting Cecilia, near the end of the battle, I noticed something about her."
Houki told them what she noticed when fighting Cecilia. Both boys' eyes widened hearing this information. She explained everything noticed, including whatever theories she had on Cecilia's IS. Both boys were stunned at what Houki had noticed. Things that neither of them had paid attention to.
"You might be right Houki." Ichika remembered how Cecilia acted during the battle. Specifically, when those drones of hers were flying and shooting about.
"I never noticed until you brought it up. You're incredible Houki." Jayden said, making Houki look flustered.
"It's just something that I noticed, and It's only a hunch. I can't guarantee if it's true or not."
"Even so I'll keep an eye out for it." Ichika thanked Houki whose face was now blushing.
"Everything okay Houki? Your face is going red." Jayden leaned in for a closer look prompting Houki to push him away.
"You better not lose you Idiot." Houki reminded Ichika,
"I won't."
Regardless whether what Houki noticed was true or not, they had managed to come up with a plan for Ichika to take on Cecilia.
/-/
"Oh my, so you didn't run away after all." Cecilia snorted as she placed a hand on her hip. She defiantly gave off a princess vibe.
Ichika finally got a close hand look at Cecilia's IS. The bright blue machine, Blue Tears floated with Cecilia piloting it. It looked unique in that it had four rear armor fins on its back and the large laser rifle that Cecilia wielded. Watching Cecilia's last match, Ichika knew those fins were drones that she could command.
"In case you haven't noticed, you're way out of your league. Since I'm so generous, I'll give you one last chance." Cecilia offered.
"Chance?"
"To surrender. I watched you fight that little boy, and there's a clear gap in strength between us. I suggest you give up or you'll end up like your friend, battered and beaten into a shell of your former self."
Ichika scowled at Cecilia. "You can't possibly think I'd just give up after what you've done do you?"
"So be it. Just remember when you're face down on the floor, I offered you a way out."
The countdown reached zero and a buzzer rang commencing the match to start. Ichika immediately rocketed himself to Cecilia. He had to close the gap between him and her, ASAP.
"This is your brilliant plan? Challenging my long range IS in hand to hand combat?" It seemed like there was no end to this guy's stupidity. Cecilia aimed her starlight rifle and fired.
Ichika maneuvered left and right avoiding laser after laser from Cecilia's starlight rifle. Eventually, he couldn't get any closer without giving himself too little time to dodge. He leaned back to fly backwards as he continued to dodge lasers blasts. For every five or so shots he dodged, one managed to hit its mark.
"Come on… bring out your drones." Based on what Houki told him, Ichika may have a chance to get close to Cecilia. To do this, he needed her to bring those bit drones she used. For now, all he had to do was stay alive until she summoned them.
The battle continued like this for 15 minutes with Ichika being unable to get close to Cecilia. It appeared his speed was less than Houki in her training IS, giving Cecilia more than ample time to take aim at Ichika. So far, the battle was appearing to be quite one sided.
"Although you don't know when to give up, I must applaud you for lasting this long against my Blue Tears. No one has ever lasted this long against me in an official match." It sounded like she was giving him a compliment, but the way Cecilia said it made it seem more like an insult. "Of course, It's time I end this match."
Her bits flew out from the pointed ends of her IS. Four of them in total. The blue blasters flew to circle around Ichika as Cecilia guided them. All the while she remained in that one spot.
This was the chance he was waiting for. No longer focused on dodging, he put all his efforts in reaching Cecilia. Dodging the blasts that came form her drones, Ichika began moving towards Cecilia. However, in doing so, that meant tanking laser shots from the drones and Cecilia's rifle in the process. His shield energy was paying the price for his actions.
Ichika was getting closer and closer to Cecilia at the cost of his own shield energy. He was now below 200. He swerved left and right, managing to avoid the incoming lasers just by a hair. He was getting himself close enough to strike Cecilia.
Cecilia clenched her teeth. She was forced to fly back to keep enough distance between herself and Ichika. No longer firing her rifle, she focused entirely on keeping away from him. The drones continued to fire although now almost all of them were missing their target by quite the distance.
"Houki was right. Those bits of yours can only move and fire with your command. And while you're busy controlling them, you can't do much else." Ichika summarized. He swung at Cecilia only missing by a few feet this time.
Cecilia growled and fired her rifle. Ichika stopped the incoming shot with his sword. The distance between them was getting smaller and smaller. She lowered her head, putting her face out of view.
"YOU'RE WIDE OPEN!" Ichika rushed forth to get in range to attack Cecilia, gripping his blade to prepare his assault. Now that he was here, all he had to do was keep in that close range and rush her down. This was it. Ichika could actually win!
Unknown to him however, Cecilia was smirking under her long blond hair. She issued a command to her IS.
Two more bits had appeared from behind Cecilia, now directly parallel with Ichika.
"What!" Ichika quickly looked at the drones behind him with the 360-degree view given to him by Byakushi. Yup, there were four bits behind him. So why were there two more in front of him!?
The English pilot scoffed. "You think you're so clever, don't you? Well sorry to disappoint but my IS is equipped with six Blue Tears!" The two recently deployed drones charged and fired. With Ichika's current velocity, he couldn't turn in time to avoid them. The two lasers collided with him head on, enveloping Ichika in a thick cloud of smoke.
/-/
"ICHIKA...!"
Houki shouted out. Everyone watched the broad cast from the command room as the image showed the black smoke which scattered from Cecilia's bits connecting onto Ichika. Based on the remaining shield energy Ichika had left, those shots should've put him at zero.
"That's it then…" Maya sighed with disappointment. Just when Ichika was starting to do well.
"DANG IT!" Jayden stomped; This made Cecilia the winner. "It should've been me out there fighting, I'd have knocked out Drillhead."
"Don't flatter yourself Jayden." Gelimer rolled his eyes. "It wouldn't have made a difference if you were there instead. The skill gap between you boys and Cecilia is just too high for you to overcome as you are now."
While everyone squabbled, Chifuyu let out a snort. Despite everything, she looked as though everything was okay.
"That idiot got saved by his machine." Chifuyu hid a small smile from everyone else. The smoke began to vanish, revealing a pure white machine right inside of it. Now the real battle was about to begin.
/-/
The smoke had cleared out, although there was no buzzing sound. Which meant the match wasn't over? "What's this?" Ichika looked over his IS which had gone and reshaped itself. While before his IS was a dull white color, now it was pure white with a dark blue as a secondary color.
Cecilia's eyes widened. Even the crowd looked shocked with most of the students wondering what was going on. It seemed like Cecilia knew what was happening.
"That can't be. A first shift! You mean to tell me you fought up till now in a default setting!?"
"I guess so." He looked over his IS once more. "But it looks like this IS has finally become my own."
Cecilia scoffed. So, what if her opponent had achieved a first shift, she wouldn't let that stop her. "Don't get comfortable you peasant, the only difference now is that we're on equal footing. I'll still be the victor in this fight."
"Go down you irritating fool!" Cecilia unleashes a squad of four missiles heading towards Ichika. Ichika sped off to avoid them only this time he was keeping ahead of the missiles and not losing ground. His first shift had given him a boost in speed, precision, and control of the IS. Ichika deployed his weapon, although it looked… different.
The blade was now pure white, just like his IS. He read over its specs as he avoided the lasers coming at him. The blade was now named the Yukihira Nigata. It felt sleeker and more powerful to Ichika. Now he felt like he could properly fight back.
Cecilia took command of her six drones as they surrounded Ichika. She figured If they were close enough and they fired at the same time, Ichika shouldn't have enough time to dodge all of them.
Seeing himself surrounded, Ichika took note of all the drones' positions. Ichika boosted himself from one Bit drone to the next, cutting them down as though they were nothing but practice targets. Cecilia had underestimated the speed boost he acquired with the first shift and managed to dodge the lasers while striking a drone. As he struck his sword glowed a bright blue, extending its length as well. With one swipe he cut it in half, leaving a small explosion in its wake.
"That's impossible!" Cecilia stared with wide eyes. One of her drones had actually been taken out.
Ichika moved on to the next drone, dodging the laser fire and cutting it in two. One by one he clashed apart all the drones with his glowing blade until the only things left in the sky was himself and Cecilia.
For the first time in an official match. Cecilia was worried. All of her bits had been destroyed so quickly. Felled by that one glowing sword. The glow that resembled…. "No…. it can't be! Why is that weapon here!?" She could her body shiver as she now recognized that sword. The sword with a dangerous and deadly ability. A power that had sparked concern amongst official IS pilots.
Panic was all over Cecilia's face. She fired her starlight rifle only for him to block it with his sword almost effortlessly.
Ichika looked at Cecilia, wondering why she wasn't doing anything. 'Is she in a daze?' he thought. Whatever the reason was, he couldn't waste this chance. Now was the time to end this fight.
Ichika rushed straight for Cecilia, causing the girl to cower as she flew back slowly. As he got closer, he could finally see her face.
That look on her face, it wasn't one of pride or contempt. Her body was trembling, and her mouth was open. There was no mistaking it. It was fear. Pure fear.
'Cecilia… Is she… getting scared now?'
That frightened look on her face, he wondered if this was okay. Was it all right for him to strike her down? His brain was telling him to go while his heart told him to stop. Ichika pulled back on his IS, stopping himself in front of Cecilia with his sword only inches away from her IS unit.
Her eyes were closed so she wouldn't see it coming. After the hit never came, Cecilia slowly opened one eye, her sight was locked onto the sword and then on Ichika. He had actually stopped himself from slashing her. They floated there suspended, neither one knowing what to do.
BZZZZZZZZZZZ
"THE MATCH IS CONCLUCDED. WINNER. CECILIA ALCOTT" A robotic voice called out across the arena.
Everyone in the vicinity erupted in a chorus of "what?".
/-/
What? Why? How?
These were all questions Jayden asked, flabbergasted at Ichika. The man had victory right in front of him and he had stopped just before the finish line.
"We were all cheering for you and you end up doing this? You big idiot!" Houki glared at Ichika. The angry stares from Jayden and Houki were starting to burn a metaphorical hole in his head.
"I'm not sure what happened either." Ichika rubbed his head, even he was still trying to figure out what happened. "I didn't hit her, but I swear Cecilia didn't hit me either." Speaking of Cecilia, she was standing in the corner all by her lonesome.
"You lost because you used the barrier disabling attack too recklessly" Chifuyu explained.
"The barrier disabling attack?"
"The attack will heavily damage the opponent however in order for it to function, it requires energy to power it. So, whenever you use it, you'll be damaging yourself with the potential to inflect major damage to your enemy. When your sword was glowing, you were powering the blade by draining your own shield energy. In the end, that's what reduced your shields to zero, making you lose the match." Chifuyu explained.
Jayden put his hand to his chin, trying to remember something. His eyes then bolted open. "HOLD ON! Wasn't that Ms. Orimura's special ability. When she competed in the Mondo Grosso, that was her famous move she used to win almost all her fights."
Chifuyu nodded her head. "I have to admit, when I won the first Mondo Grosso, it was mostly because of that one ability." Chifuyu recalled times where she felled opponents in one hit with the barrier disabling attack.
"So, I have the same weapon my sister used!" He looked at his bulky bracelet. In a way, Ichika was carrying on his sister's legacy.
"I also have to mention one other thing. The barrier void attack has one other drawback." Chifuyu stated. "That ability has the potential to inflict serious harm to the opposing pilots by striking through the absolute defense."
"WHAT!" Ichika, Jayden, and Houki yelled out. All this time Ichika had a weapon that could harm the pilot, and no one had told him.
"And you waited till now to tell us this!" Houki called out Chifuyu. "What if someone had gotten hurt or worse!"
"My apologies. It had been so long that I hadn't recognized it until the blade was already active. By then the match was almost over anyway. I also had faith that Orimura could use it responsibly."
All that time, Ichika could've accidently hurt someone with that weapon.
Jayden sighed in relief; he was glad he fought Ichika before he got the first shift.
"Cecilia…" Ichika looked over at Cecilia. The girl wasn't even making eye contact with him. She must have known about the weapon and what it could do. That must have been why she was so scared during the end of the battle.
"I shouldn't have this sword." Ichika announced. "If someone could get hurt because of it, then it shouldn't be used."
"That's only of course if you continue attacking for too long while the barrier void attack is active. It wouldn't be any different than shooting at an IS with no energy in it." Chifuyu stated. "Orimura, I have faith that you can use the weapon responsibly. If you wish I can get you another weapon for your IS."
Ichika wasn't sure if it was right for him to have a weapon this dangerous, but if his sword believed he could do it then he would work to prove her right. In a way, it was like his sister was always with him to. "No. Chifuyu-nee I'll keep it and control this power."
"Good answer." Chifuyu smiled as she delivered a smack on Ichika's head for his answer. "And it's Ms. Orimura.
"Gather around everyone, it's time for your performance evaluations. Maya called over all the pilots. The four pilots lined up for Chifuyu to give them her reviews on their battles. "Ms. Orimura, if you would be so kind." Chifuyu took to the center to address each of them.
"Ms. Shinonono, I understand you were at a major disadvantage in your battle, but you showed that you went into the battle without a plan. You'll also need to work on evade incoming fire." Chifuyu summarized.
Shinonono stared down at the ground.
"If you understand then reply with a yes ma'am!"
"Y…yes ma'am."
"Sylvan, you were focused too much on defensive actions that you let your opponent control your actions. Look for ways to make your own moves instead of always reacting to your opponent. Also, I highly recommend you look for other forms of weaponry.
Jayden sent Gelimer a brief glance of distain. "Yes ma'am."
"Orimura, you quickly adapted to an Infinite Stratos you never operated before, but it's clear you did little to no research on the IS in general before today. You also made stupid mistakes in the first half of your second battle. Without your IS unlocking its first shift, you have lost hands down. Finally, while it is nice to show mercy to an enemy, your hesitation cost you a victory that should've been yours.
"Yes ma'am." Ichika answered.
"Ms. Alcott, while you are the winner of the tournament, that's only because your opponent faltered in the final moments. Focus more on having your drones evade a charging enemy while maintaining fire. Have the other drones provide covering fire for one if you need to. You should look to not rely solely on your long-range weapons, I know your IS has a knife in its equalizer slot.
Chifuyu wasn't a teacher for nothing. After seeing just a few battles, she was able to identify each pilots' weaknesses and what they should do to overcome. No wonder she was so respected in the community.
"Yes ma'am" Cecilia replied.
Chifuyu relaxed herself, having finished her short lecture. "That's all I have for you. Get some rest over the weekend and work on improving yourselves."
The tournament for the representative of class 1-1 had come to an end.
/-/
Drip drip drip
Hot water poured down on Cecilia from her shower head. She could be alone, making it a nice place for her to gather their thoughts. Cecilia's mind pondered as the water rushed down her body. Today, all she cared about was victory, to prove she was the best in her class and deserved the title of class representative. Now her mind was on something else.
"Ichika Orimura."
That one man had thrown her thoughts into disarray. When she thought of him, everything felt… strange. Her body felt hot and her heart would beat faster than normal.
"Why am I feeling this way? I won the tournament but…" She didn't want to admit it, but her victory wasn't earned. Her memories flashed back to her battle with Ichika. It seemed like victory was all but guaranteed, then his IS transformed into its first shift giving him enhanced stats and the Yukihira Nigata. A weapon with the power to pierce through shield energy and trigger the absolute defense of an IS.
In the final moments of the battle, Ichika was charging straight at her aiming to strike her down with one swing. And then he had stopped.
"If only I hadn't panicked and shot him when he was… no if he didn't hesitate and used his sword to strike me down, it would have certainly been my loss."
The look in his eyes back then weren't those of one rage or determination. They were of concern. Concern for her safety.
"If he didn't stop, he would've been able to cut through my body due to his unique ability. 'Reiraku Byakua.' That nullifies the shield energy of the IS." Cecilia hugged herself, taking in what it meant. "He wasn't focused on winning; he was more worried about me getting hurt." For the first time since she could last remember, a man had cared about her.
Her father was a low-class man while her mother was in the upper class, holding the Alcott family name. Having married into a wealthy family, her father felt quite inferior to her mother. He rarely did anything, spending more of his time getting drunk to wallow in his misery while spending on whatever fancy he wished to have. Having a father like that, Cecilia vowed to become never like that man.
Meanwhile her mother would handle the work and finances while her father stayed out of the way. Cecilia always respected her mother, how she managed numerous companies, was highly respected and although strict, she was a fantastic mother. Cecilia's life was of happiness as she grew up with her family.
All that continued, until three years ago. Both of Cecilia's parents died in a train accident. She never knew why they were together on that fateful day. There were rumors of a conspiracy but nothing that could be determined. In the end, the event was nothing more than a tragic accident. Just like that, Cecilia had lost her parents.
Due to their death, Cecilia was now the inheritor to a vast fortune once she came of age. A fortune that many people wanted for themselves or their company. Cecilia worked hard to protect it, biing the only thing her mother left for her, she wouldn't lose it. In order to keep it safe, Cecilia accepted a proposition from her country's government. In exchange for keeping her family's fortune under her name, Cecilia agreed to be England's first test pilot of the third generation IS, Blue Tears.
With the way society was today, Cecilia had a sense of superiority with her bring a representative cadet and female, she felt no man could ever meet her standards.
Ichika Orimura though…. He seemed different. Cecilia felt her chest heat up just thinking about him. What was this feeling running through her? She imagined what it would be like to be in his arms feeling his embrace. The more she did, the hotter she felt.
"He's like the prince charming I always read in fairy tales." Just like from the books her mother would read to her when she was young. "Ichika Orimura, could you really be my very own prince charming? Her face blushed just thinking about him in a dashing outfit holding her hand. As good as her imagination felt envisioning herself and the boy, something dark was brewing in the back of her mind.
Doubt. Minor doubts but still doubts none the less. Was he really the man she thought he was or was it a one-time fluke? She had been lied to by men before who tried to get close to her mainly for the sake of snatching her family's fortune. Was this another attempt to steal her fortune? He seemed genuine but still…
She had to know for certain. She wouldn't stop until she knew what kind of man Ichika truly was. She had to find out his true identity and the truth behind her own feelings.
"Ichika Orimura, I want to know. I want to know who you really are."
Only the sound of water flowed echoing throughout the bathroom.
/-/
Jayden was in his purple long-sleeved shirt and pajama pants while Honne wore her traditional fox onesie. It was still super adorable on her. Honne was reading a fashion magazine while Jayden looked uneasy, his eyes kept looking at and then away from Honne. Time to get this over with.
"Hey Honne."
"Hmm?" She looked up from her reading material.
"I…. er…. I….I'm sorry"
Honne looked confused. "What for?"
Jayden couldn't look her in the eyes. "You know…"
"Know what?"
"Your training!" Jayden blurted out. "You spent all that time helping me learn how to fly an IS the past few days, and I ended up getting taken out in the first round." Losing to someone who hadn't had any prior training in an IS, it made Jayden feel even worse.
Honne simply shrugged her shoulder. "It's no big deal, and I had fun hanging out with you." It's like Honne's default emotion was happiness. There seemed to be that could wipe the smile off her face?
"Next time I'll try to do better. And if you want to hang out sometime, I'll keep my schedule open for ya."
Honne considered it. "I wouldn't mind. Under one condition." Honne stuck her tongue out at him.
"Of course, I'll bring a bunch of snacks for us. The sugary ones."
Honne cheered happily. Both were looking forward to it.
"Good night Jaydee"
"Good night." Jayden headed to the bathroom for some personal hygiene before setting off to sleep. As he was brushing his teeth, his phone rang out. Jayden answered it without looking at the caller ID.
"Mi, Man I mull mu meck moomormow?" He answered, with a mouth full of toothpaste.
"Too busy Jayden? And we haven't talked in so long..." A familiar voice said. Jayden immediately recognized it.
"Matasha!?" He spit out all of his toothpaste. "Natasha!" The woman who had trained and taught Jayden for a month before he moved to IS Academy, she was one of his favorite people in the world.
"It's been a while since we had a chat." Natasha said. "I heard about your class rep tournament from Gelimer. He seemed a bit disappointed, saying that you got third place.
"Uhh…. Yeah! Third place…." Jayden face began to leak sweat. He couldn't let himself look lame in Natasha's eyes. "Out of everyone!" Technically it wasn't a complete lie.
"By everyone do you mean the four people who competed?"
Jayden squeaked.
"You need to stop lying to make yourself seem better. Girls won't like you if you do that." Natasha scolded. Jayden answered with a meek 'yes ma'am. "Well I'm learn sooner or later. Now why don't you tell about your new school life. I want to hear about it."
For the next 10 minutes, Jayden went on a talking spree about everything at IS Academy. How much better this school was compared to his one, and the people he met.
"Her name is Honne, and she's really nice and sweet. She even helped me practice for the tournament.
"You have a girl as a roommate, consider me surprised. Just don't so anything rude or pervy to her Jayden." Natasha teased. Why does everyone keep telling him that?
"Of course not! I would never do anything like that."
"Awww, aren't you a little gentleman. Then I wonder who was the one staring at me in an IS uniform back in the infirmary in America? I can't seem to recall."
"Yeah err…Me neither…" Jayden groaned. She would never let him live that down. Natasha just laughed.
Anyway, don't get too discouraged from your battle. Think of it as a good learning opportunity to know what you need to improve on. Your goal is to get stronger right?"
"No." Jayden simply answered.
"No?"
"I don't want to be stronger. I just don't want to get myself killed." Jayden emphasized. "These machines are great and but bring out there in life or death combat…. I just can't do it.
"Really? I thought that changed when you were fighting in your class tournament."
"I only fought because those stupid rules forced me to."
"So, you didn't enjoy it then? Gelimer told me he you smiling during your battle."
Jayden remained silent. Even though he lost, there something about the IS battle that he couldn't explain. His heart was racing when fighting Ichika. Because of fear or adrenaline, he couldn't figure out. Still the memories of getting kidnapped came to back to him. He tried to give Natasha an answer but couldn't figure out what to say.
"It's okay if you don't know. All I'm asking is that you just think about it." Natasha reassured him. "Anyway, I need get ready for my day. Between you and me there's like an eight-hour time difference. I'll talk to you later Jayden."
"Bye Natasha!" She ended as Jayden looked at his reflection in the mirror. Did he really want to fight, or would it be better to just stay out of an Infinite Stratos completely? He figured it would be best to sleep on it. Jayden headed for his bed, only to discover a girl sized problem waiting for him. Honne was in bed. His bed.
"Honne… you're sleeping in my bed." In his bed laid Honne looking peaceful as she rested. Jayden's face went red just looking at her until he shook the color off his face. He gently shook her, trying to wake her up with no success. The was no way she could be asleep already right?
"Honne… if you don't get out of my bed, I'll tie your hair into a pretzel." Jayden warned, wiggling his fingers as they inched to her pinkish hair.
Either she really had fallen asleep that quickly or she's thinking he's bluffing. Either way she wasn't budging. Jayden reached over to carry out his threat.
"I mean it! I'm going to do it…" He inched closer and closer. However, no matter how close his fingers got; he couldn't bring himself to disturb her. She looked too peaceful and the boy couldn't bring himself to do it. This was Honne's victory.
"Dang it…"
Grumbling, Jayden climbed into the other bed, the one that should've been used by Honne. He settled in getting into sleeping position, trying to keep out of his mind he was sleeping in a girl's bed or that the bed smelled a bit like Honne. As long as no one found out about this he should be good. Jayden said his good nights and followed Honne's example of going to sleep.
/-/
"Say, Ichika?" Houki finished untying her hair ribbon for bed. She and Ichika were back in their room getting ready for bed.
"Yeah Houki?" Ichika finished brushing his teeth.
"Are you upset that you lost today?" She had seen that Ichika looked really determined to win before the he flew out to the arena.
"Well yeah, I wanted to win as much as anyone else."
"Then why did you hesitate back then? Your opponent was faltering and had the means to win the match. How did you let a perfectly good opportunity just pass you by?"
As everyone had pointed out, he lost because of his hesitation and he couldn't deny it. "When I was about to attack her, Cecilia looked so scared."
Houki gave him a look like she was asking are-you-serious?
"I mean it. I can't strike someone down who's afraid, can I?"
Houki couldn't even face Ichika. Or rather, she didn't want him to see her face to be seen. Her cheeks had gone totally red thinking about Ichika. How he calmly saw through everything and his opponent. Not many people would be nice enough to show concern, even for someone like Cecilia. It was what Houki though a man should be. It was the Ichika she knew and loved.
"Houki?"
The Brunette snapped out of her thoughts. Gone was her rose tinted face. Now she wore her usual scowl.
"Y-you idiot! Because of your hesitation you sealed your own defeat." Houki mocked.
"I guess I did deserve to lose that one." He nervously laughed. "I'll just have to train so I don't lose to her next time."
"Yeah, you better start practicing with the IS."
"Of course. Would you be willing to teach me then Houki? For real this time."
Houki seemed taken back. "Really? You want me to teach you?" She hadn't taught him anything about the IS over the past few days and he was giving her a second chance?
"Of course, I feel a lot more comfortable with you than other girls."
Once again, Ichika made Houki's face turn red.
She looked unsure what to do, rubbing her legs together. "A-all right then, I guess I have to. I'll teach you in my own special way next time." She smiled at Ichika, happy to hear he still wanted to be with her.
"Thanks, Houki I'm counting on you."
Looking at the clock, he decided it was time to get some rest. Both of them got settled into bed as Houki turned out the lights.
"Good night Ichika."
Good night Houki… Oh!" Ichika rose up. "I forgot to ask you something."
"What?"
"Do you wanna go out?"
'G-G-GO OUT!'
Houki's mind went blank as she internally screamed.
And with that, the class rep arc has ended. I wanted to spice things up with the formula. Rather than just have one-character fight Cecilia, I turned it into a mini tournament to give other characters some screen time and put in a few more fights. Personally, I think the fights turned out ok, I tried to split the focus but ended up giving most of it to Ichika as he did most of the fighting. Still I hope you enjoyed the battles and character.
The next chapter will be sort of an intermission chapter, getting some character development before the next arc begins. Those of you who are familiar with a certain IS game known as Archtype Breakers, you may recognize a few characters.
Let me know what you think in the reviews. I look forward to hearing comments and criticisms.
Look forward to the next chapter and keep your sense of wonder.
Omake
The final teacher cleared the hallway, roaming the halls to make sure no student was breaking curfew. As she passed a corner, a girl peeked out the corner of the room. She secretly watched her until the teacher was out of sight.
"All clear!" She announced to everyone in the room.
A girl from class 1-1 nodded. "Everyone! we're ready to begin."
All the girls that had gathered settled down. There was about 40 of them give or take, each one a student at the Academy. They all took a seat while the lead girl stood at the head of the room in front of a curtain.
"Attention, may I have your attention please." One girl raised her hand to draw all eyes on her, she stood at an average height and had long brown hair with green eyes. The other girls ceased their muttering to focus on her. "My name is Marissa Hollybell and I'd like to Thank you all for coming to our club. Now that we've all gathered, we can begin the official inception of our club"
"Yaaay!" One girl literally jumped for joy, a few others cheered and/or applauded.
"I'd like to welcome you all…"
Marissa pulled open the curtain revealing a board. On the left near the upper corner was Ichika's photo with Jayden's photo on the opposite corner. In the center was a title underlined for emphasis.
Who is the Alpha Male?
"To the Alpha Male research club." She exclaimed, performing jazz hands for some extra flare. "This year two boys have enrolled at IS Academy. We're here to determine the truth. To find out who is true alpha male of IS Academy!" Marisa explained. The girls all cheered for their quest.
"Excuse me." One girl from the crowd raised her hand. "Um…Why are we doing this?"
'Oh, that poor naive girl' Marissa shook her head at her ignorance. Looks like she would have to inform her uneducated friend. Marissa walked over to her. "Tell me, what is your name and purpose for being here?"
"It's Rinko, and I thought this was the knitting club."
"Well Rinko." Marissa wrapped her arm around Rinko's shoulder. "Since the beginning of time, men have lived with one another. They will work together and bond with another as they get acquainted. Any place where men gather will turn into a battlefield. Only the strongest can be leader no! The alpha. The Alpha is the one who can lead all to glory and prosperity. We must figure out which of these boys is the true alpha male to support him and his endeavors. Now do you understand young one?"
Some of the other girls were crying at the beautiful speech. Tissues were handed out to those who needed to dry their eyes.
"Uhh….. yes?" Rinko figured it would best to just agree and move on.
"Excellent. Now the first thing we have to do to find the alpha male is determine their feats and accomplishments." Marissa said. "That way we can compare them to see who stands out more. Currently the only data we have to go on is the Class rep tournament. While neither boy, they did fight, and the winner was Ichika."
"So that means Ichika is the alpha right?" Someone in the crowd called out.
Tutting, Marissa shook her head. "Not quite. When it comes to finding the alpha male, there's another aspect that must be taken into consideration." She paused for dramatic effect "Women."
"Women?"
The crowd murmured trying to figure out what she meant.
"They say any strong man has the power to seduce women, so an alpha male should be able to assemble a harem of girls to their side. Based on our spy's intel, each boy has spent ample time with a girl in this school." Marissa snapped her finger and two girls, dressed in all black like a discount ninja, put up a picture of a girl under each boy's photo. Houki's photo under Ichika and Honne's under Jayden. To say they were good photos though would be a lit. Houki looked like she was about to blow a gasket as she swung a sword hitting Ichika. meanwhile Honne was fast asleep with half her face covered by her sleeve.
"Apologies Marissa, these were the best photos we could take. It's like their default emotions are anger and sleepy." The two girls bowed as they apologized once again.
"Wait, you have people stalking Ichika and Jayden?"
"Or course." Marissa confirmed. "You need all the data you can get."
"Intel has also confirmed that Ms. Shinonono and Ichika and childhood friends and she has even taken the liberty to train him." One of the spies explained. "Meanwhile Jayden and Honne have spent an ample amount of time together. Training with the IS and sharing snacks with one another. There were also rumors that they're sharing a bed, but we could neither confirm nor deny it."
"How interesting. Both of them have managed to charm a woman to their side. Only an alpha male could work that fast." Marissa considered.
Rinko was too busy wondering if she was having an aneurism to correct her.
From the crowd, one girl spoke up. "Well it's clear that Ichika is the alpha male. He's taller, stronger, and looks totally reliable. Those are all traits an alpha male would have."
"Hold it!" Another girl challenged. "Jayden isn't as big, but he seems way craftier. Plus, he's super nice, he gave me some of his snacks when I was hungry."
"Yeah, it's not all about brawn, brains are important to. Plus, I've heard that shorter guys tend to try a lot harder." A smaller girl commented.
"No way, the Alpha is about dominating. Being stronger than the others and showing you're number one. Ichika is forceful when he needs to be and always kind!"
As more and more girls voiced their opinions, they moved to sides of the room groups based on who they supported. About half on one side with half on the other.
"JAYDEN!"
"ICHIKA!"
"JAYDEN!"
"ICHIKA!"
"JAYDEN!"
"ICHIKA!"
Lighting began to crackle between the eyes of the two groups. At this rate a brawl would break out.
Marissa banged her makeshift gavel on the desk. "Everyone stop, we can't do this!"
Rinko sighed in relief.
"Without proper equipment of course. Everyone arm yourself. That way it'll be a much better fight." Every girl scoured the room for something to use a weapon. A book, a chair, a stapler, one girl had even tied her shoes together to make some sort of shoe num-chucks. Everyone regathered, armed with something to use. Marissa took the lead once again. "Ok is everyone ready?"
"HOLD IT HOLD IT HOLD IT!" Rinko waved her arms frantically. The last that needed to occur was someone getting their head knocked off. "Can't we just have a vote or something!?"
Everyone paused for a few moments to comprehend what Rinko had said. A vote did make more sense.
"Everyone drop your weapons; we're taking a vote." Marissa declared.
Everyone did as such with one girl reluctantly following along.
A vote was then held to determine the alpha male. The amount of people on each side were counted.
After the counting, the final tally led to….
…
…
…
…
…
"A tie." Marissa announced. "After counting everyone's votes, we have a tie. Welp, only one thing to do. Last side standing will have their man be considered the alpha!"
The girls all scrambled to pick up their junk weapons.
"Not again!" Rinko panicked. These girls were insane and willing to commit harm for their beliefs. "WAIT!" Rinko stopped them just before the girls were about to charge "If we do this! We…. Won't determine who the real strongest guy is! We'll only prove which girls are stronger, but it's not about us. It's about the guys. We don't know enough about them to draw a conclusion." Rinko was sweating bullets. These girls were insane on finding out who the alpha male was.
"Our sister makes a good point." Marissa spoke out, acting like a leader to her people. "Both guys are accomplishing a lot but neither one appears to have a clear advantage over the other. As our duty, we'll have to gather more data on the boys before we can determine who the alpha male is."
"Yes leader." A bunch of girls responded Rinko could feel her heartbeat return to normal. At least they weren't going to knock each other's lights out. For now. She let out a huge sigh of relief.
"I expect everyone here to keep a close eye on the boys. We need to determine which boy is the alpha male and we won't stop until we find out." Marissa finished her speech. Every girl nodded, knowing what they had to do.
"Once we have more information, we'll reassemble to determine who is the strongest male at IS Academy. For the alpha male!" Marissa declared.
"FOR THE ALPHA MALE!"
"For the alpha male…." Rinko reluctantly joined in.
The battle to determine the alpha male was to be continued. Not that the males knew about it.
/-/
The journey to find out who is the alpha male begins.