Life goes on with the world as it is currently. On the plus side, it does give me more time to write. Remember to stay safe out there. Now then, here's chapter nine.
The class representative tournament was only one week away. With only a short time before the fated day, the pilots competing had to make every moment count. Those not competing went on as usual with their studies and betting who would win in each division.
Ever since that night with Rin and the promise that Ichika didn't remember, Rin in a sour mood. And it hadn't improved since. Somehow, it managed to get even worse. She never approached Ichika, and she'd always turn her head whenever she passed by him in the halls. Her mouth was a frown just thinking or being near him.
Throughout the week, Ichika practiced with his friends to help him prepare.
Houki practiced sword and kendo technique with him when she could rent a training unit.
Cecilia helped him get use to the controls of his Byakushiki and practice evasive maneuvers by evading fire of her Blue tears and starlight rifle.
Jayden told Ichika everything he knew about Rin's IS from the battle he had with her and having mock battles to help Ichika against physical opponents.
After all the help and training his friends gave him, Ichika was feeling confident about his upcoming battle. Confident enough that he wouldn't KO himself at least.
And now there was only one day remaining until the interclass tournament. Cecilia called everyone together for a meeting. Well… more like she called Ichika. Jayden and Houki heard about it and invited themselves over.
"So where are we and what are we doing here?" Ichika looked at the tall building in front of them.
"This is the IS maintenance lab." Cecilia answered. Through some effort, she was able to reserve a scheduled time to use the maintenance lab. "We'll be looking over your Byakushiki to make sure there aren't any issues with it, such as loose parts or internal damage. Think of it as a check-up on your IS so you don't run into any problems tomorrow Ichika-san."
"But can't an IS just fix itself?" Jayden asked. Normally an IS could repair damage over time like restoring shield energy.
"It can but if there's a major problem or a malfunction, it may not be repaired until it causes problems. Better to check and fix them now." Cecilia answered.
"That'll be good, all this time I've been letting Byakushiki repair itself." Ichika checked out the Byakushiki bracelet on his wrist. He was smart enough to know he was currently too stupid to make any repairs on his own without messing something else up. "Thanks Cecilia, I'll be counting on you."
"You should be taking care of your IS Ichika. It's disgraceful to always rely on someone else" Houki interrupted, she was looking angry.
Angrier than usual that is. Houki held open the door for everyone. "Now let's get moving."
Cecilia lead the group to the reserved spot, explaining the functions and purpose of the maintenance building. The building was empty as students had finished classes for the day. The inside of the building itself seemed high tech with large platforms in the center of each area, most likely where the IS was to be placed on and computers for the maintenance team to work.
"Why are you doing this much to help Cecilia?" Jayden asked as he walked alongside Ichika. "First you hated him, and now you're going so out of your way to help him. Don't tell me you actually like Ichika now?"
Cecilia's face burned. "O-Of course not!" She composed herself, pretending the last three seconds never happened. "Don't you know? The enemy of my enemy is my friend. And I want to make sure our class wins the tournament. It's only natural that the elite help those in need." She puffed out her chest like always when she felt above everyone.
"Thank you for doing this Cecilia, this will be a huge help tomorrow." And thank you for everything you've done." Ichika thanked.
"Well of course I would do it." Cecilia's face was beaming. "Only someone such as I would be up to the task."
Jayden coughed loudly into his sleeve.
"Oh! And you guys to. Houki. Jayden. Thank you."
Shortly, they arrived at the reserved area.
Cecilia went over to the computers to set up. Once ready, Cecilia ordered Ichika deployed his Byakushiki in the designated spot and exit the machine.
There, the white IS stood in all its glory, giving the resemblance of a white knight. Jayden and Houki were tasked with attaching wires and having the IS hooked up to the machines.
"Okay everything's in place. I'll begin with a diagnostics test and move on from there. I'd ask if any of you'd like to help with this but you're all beginners and…"
Houki rolled her eyes.
"Yeah, we get it."
The rest of the time was Cecilia performing maintenance work on the IS through the computer, leaving everyone else to sit and wait. After some time, Cecilia did a final check over on the Byakushiki's systems.
"And that's that. Your IS had no problems but it was good we checked. You're all good for tomorrow. By the way Ichika-san. Have you considered adding some firearms to your weaponry? It will give you an edge in your battle tomorrow." Cecilia proposed. Against a melee type like Rin, having a range advantage was a big asset in the fight.
"Adding weapons?" Ichika had never considered the idea. He'd only ever used Yukihara Nigata up till now.
"Yes, by filling in the bus-slots." Ichika looked and acted like he had no idea what she was talking about. The blond brit raised an eyebrow. "You do know what bus-slots are don't you? Anyone?"
The looks on their faces ranged from confusion to 'what the heck are you talking about?'. Cecilia sighed; it would be up to her to explain.
"Every IS comes equipped with a main preset weapon that can't be changed. Think of them as the IS's signature weapon. For example. Ichika-san's Yukihara Nigata."
"Or Jayden's shield and your sniper rifle." Houki pointed out.
"Yes, but you're wrong about my weapon. Blue Tears preset weapon are the drones I use, which are called 'Blue Tears'. Yes, they're the same name as my IS, but it works in context." She continued before anyone asked about the confusing naming conventions.
"Additional weapons on your Infinite Stratos units are referred to as equalizers. They're used to balance out the fighting power of your IS. Such as a ranged weapon when your preset is melee and vice versa."
"So you're sniper rifle-"
"Is one of my equalizers." Cecilia finished for her. "In order to equip an equalizer, your IS must have a bus slot to store the weapon. Stored weapons are linked to the IS, allowing them to be used with the IS's network systems and give you statue updates on them. Both preset and equalizers can be materialized and dematerialized if the pilot commands it. "
Jayden recalled when Rin had made her scimitars appear and disappear. This explained how she was able to play magician with her scimitars.
Cecilia went on with her explanation. "In the past, the specs of the machine determined how many bus-slots were available. But nowadays every IS can equip at least two additional weapons."
"So, I can use additional weapons besides my sword. And I need bus slots to use equalizers." Ichika summarized. "How many of those slots do I have?"
"Let's find out." Cecilia typed on the computer, bringing up data on Ichika's IS as she moved through some files. Then Cecilia stared at the screen, had a look of disbelief, and then typed again. When Cecilia didn't answer everyone crowded around to see the results.
"W-What?"
"How is this possible?"
"Maybe it's a mistake? Check it again."
"Every time I check, it's the same result."
According to the screen, the number of bus-slots the Byakushiki was zero.
Zip.
Zilch.
Nada.
Less than one.
The gang tried to wrap their heads around this. Byakushiki was a third generation IS and yet it had no slots for equalizers. How could an IS be designed this way?
"Can't he just carry some extra weapons by hand into the match." Jayden asked.
Cecilia shook her head. "IS tournament rules forbid any tools or weapons not linked to the IS from being used."
So much for that idea.
"So Ichika can only use Yukihara Nigata." Houki was worried, sure that weapon was enough for his last battle. But would it be enough for this one?
"I guess it would be better to stick with what I know." Ichika said. As nice as extra firepower would've been, I wouldn't have been much help anyway. Even if he had any guns, lances, axes, etc. It wouldn't do him any favors if he wasn't properly trained in using them.
"I knew I'd… find you here… Ichika!"
Everyone turned to see Rin leaning against a wall panting heavily. Rin breathed like she'd just ran a marathon.
Ichika didn't expect to see Rin, nor hear she was looking for him. "Rin? Did you run all across campus looking for us?"
"NO! I mean… I just knew you'd be here. Anyway, I'm here to talk to you Ichika." The desperation in Rin's tone confused him but Ichika ignored it.
Unfortunately for her however, Ichika's friends didn't ignore her.
"You're not involved here so go away. This place is off-limits for those not involved." Cecilia argued.
"But I am involved, with Ichika that is. So, I'm all clear." Rin simply said. Naturally, everyone else argued for her to get out and leave them be. "Look, this is between me and Ichika. Can you non-important people stay out of this? Thank you!"
"Non-important! Why don't you say that to… hey get back here!"
Rin ignored the peanut galleries comments, pulling Ichika to a corner of the room to talk.
"Let's hear it." Rin folded her arms.
"Hear what?"
"Your apology! You're supposed to say that you're sorry for making me mad and avoiding me all week."
"But weren't you the one avoiding me?" Ichika pointed out.
"Well you should know better. Are you really going to leave a girl by herself if she askes you to leave her alone?"
"Of course." Ichika plainly answered.
Silence remained between the two of them.
Say what you wanted about Ichika, but he no idea how a maiden's heart functioned. The girls sweat dropped at how clueless he was.
Rin growled. "You're idiocy aside, apologize right now for the promise you forgot."
"What are you talking about? I remembered the promise that you'd cook for me."
"You got that part right, but you didn't get the meaning! Do you even want to apologize?" Rin pointed a finger at him.
"I'll apologize when you tell me what I did wrong."
"And I'm here cause I don't want to do that." Rin pulled on her twin tails hair in frustration. She was getting nowhere fast. "Forget it! How about this: In the interclass tournament tomorrow, the loser will have to do whatever the winner tells them."
Ichika smiled, this would be much better to settle the issue. "Fine by me. and If I win, I'm gonna make you tell me all about it."
"T-Tell you…" Only now did Rin realize what her bet meant. If she lost than she'd have to tell him… She shifted around nervously as her face started to heat up.
"You can back off if you want to."
"Like hell I would!" Rin roared. She never backed down and never surrendered. She just had to win and everything would be fine. "You better start practicing your apologies right now you big oaf! You insensitive blockhead!"
Ichika was getting tired of this. "Oh, shut up you washboard!"
Ichika's hand didn't cover his mouth fast enough. He knew a lot about Rin. You could insult her cooking or her heritage but there was one part of her you never brought up if you liked living.
"You said it…" Rin hissed under her breath.
"Woah! Wait! I'm sorry! That one really was my fault! I'm really sorry"
Ichika barley had enough time to jump out of the way as a partially deployed Rin struct her IS coated arm right where he was. The floor shook from Rin's impact. A small dent was left on the metal alloy floor where she struck.
"Just that one? It was always your damn fault." If looks could kill, Rin would be on trial. "I was thinking of going easy on you, but since it seems you want to die. I'll happily grant your wish. I'm gonna hit you with everything I have."
Rin called back her IS and turned to leave.
"You know. A normal person would've been seriously injured by that attack." Houki reminded Rin.
Rin's teeth clenched together. Her own words used against her. Didn't that girl understand what she was going through? Damn it she was too angry to think straight.
Rin gave Ichika a sharp glare before slamming the door shut. Everything went quiet now that she as gone. Ichika didn't know what to say now but his friends sure did.
"Ichika-san, you shouldn't be talking to a woman like that. Maybe you should take lessons on how to handle a woman's heart."
"You were so tactless back there Ichika. "
"Word of advice man, women don't like comments about their body. Trust me, I've tried."
Ichika shrunk back as everyone scolded him. Still, they did have a point. No matter what the outcome of the fight was now, Ichika would be apologizing to Rin.
/-/
The rooftops of the school were vacant except for one person.
As per usual, Vishnu was partaking in her sunset yoga hour. No one usually came up to the rooftops at that time of day making it perfect to exercise in private. She held her handstand as the sun was about to disappear over the horizon. The view looked like a piece of art that jumped from the painting into her view. This was the peace and quiet she lived for.
"Hi Vishnu."
"Gyah!"
THUD
Much like a Jenga tower after 15 rounds, Vishnu's handstand collapsed. The exotic looking girl ended up face planting onto her mat with the rest of her body following.
Jayden winced as he crouched down beside the facedown Vishnu.
Whenever he came up here, Vishnu was usually here doing yoga and she was always caught off guard when she realized Jayden or someone else was here, it always lead to Vishnu kissing the ground.
"How are you still not use to me? You're the easiest person to spook I've ever met." Halloween must have been a nightmare for this girl.
Vishnu was unable to look him in the eyes. "I'm sorry…"
"It's fine." Jayden waved his hand aside. "I should be saying sorry. And sorry again for coming late. I was held up helping Ichika with his IS for the interclass tournament tomorrow. Funny thing happened to. You remember Lingyin right, I've told you about her…"
The two sat a few feet away from each other as Vishnu tended to get nervous if he got too close. Their conservations usually went on like this with Jayden doing the majority of the talking and Vishnu commenting or responding. Like Jayden pointing out some constellations at night when the stars were visible or telling her of his latest attempt to get his IS to go through a first shift. Vishnu would occasionally nod or response, and it seemed like every day she answered more frequently. She didn't talk much but she was an amazing listener.
"So in the end, Lingyin was pretty pissed and stormed off. I swear she's gonna rip Ichika in half if she gets the chance."
Vishnu blinked at him. "He really did that to her?"
"I…. guess so. I'm not sure on the whole story but she seemed to hate him cause he broke a promise or something from long ago." Jayden tried to piece together as much as he could.
"Then, he deserves whatever she does to him." Vishnu words sounded uncharacteristically full of malice. Was it girl code to punish promise breakers?
"Right… anyway did you have plans for watching the fight? Me and my friends got permission to watch in the IS control room. You're free to come if you want."
Vishnu considered the proposal. "How many people will be there?"
"Me, Houki." Jayden sighed. "Cecilia… And the teachers who man the room during IS fights."
"Thank you but I have to decline." Vishnu shuffled nervously. "I'll watch from an outside screen in the school park. Since everyone's watching from the stands, I don't think anyone will be there."
Once again Vishnu had declined a social outing.
"You really like being alone, don't you?"
"I know it's not good. I'm sorry..."
"There's nothing wrong with it. Is it nice spending time with yourself?"
Vishnu fiddled with her bracelet. "I just find it easier to be on my own. I'm not good with people."
"You seem good with me." Good was kind of an overstatement. But she was much better with Jayden than she was with other people.
"I can handle a few people at time… But I'm not good in large groups. Or with people watching me." She scratched her arm and folded her legs. "C-Can we talk about something else?"
Jayden tried to think of a different topic. Preferably something that didn't involve too many people.
"Do you have any hobbies? Besides yoga I mean."
Jayden had told her a lot about himself, but he didn't know anything about her. Well, besides the fact she loved to do yoga.
Vishnu mumbled something inaudible. Her hands started to fidget nervously.
"What?"
Vishnu mumbled louder, still not enough to be heard.
"I can't hear you."
"I DO ARCHERY!" She shrunk back realizing what she yelled, spitting out a soft apology.
"Archery? Like bows and arrows? That's awesome. I didn't know you did that."
"It's another hobby of mine. I'm part of the archery club."
Vishnu reached over for her bag and pulled out what looked to be a glove guard for holding the string of a bow. It had a light orange color scheme to it with bits of red and yellow. She put it on, and it fit like a glove.
"I didn't even know we had an archery club."
"The school has lots of clubs. Ghost club. People Watching. Alpha Male club. Humans vs. Zombies."
Wait… why did one of those sound weirder than the others? Eh, it was probably nothing.
"Are you good at archery?"
Vishnu fiddled with her safety guard glove. "I'm… okay at it."
"Maybe someday I can see you in action."
"…"
Vishnu didn't reply, continuing to fiddle with the glove as her eyes shifted uncomfortably.
"Hey Vishnu. I've been meaning to ask. Who's representing your class in the tournament tomorrow? Just curious."
"Well… I never personally talked with her so everything I know is based off what I heard." Vishnu explained, remembering everything she knew about her class rep. "Her name is Velvet Hell and she's a representative candidate of Greece."
"Don't you mean representative cadet?"
"No. A representative candidate is one who has been selected as a potential representative by the government. They're kept in case something happens to the cadet of their country or if they can prove they would be a better person to represent their country."
"But doesn't your class have like, a bunch of cadet representatives?"
Vishnu flinched. Staring at Jayden. "Do you know them?"
"Not really. I've been meaning to find out who they are, but I've been to busy. Helping friends and IS training. You get what I mean."
Vishnu breathed in relief.
"So, if she's a candidate that means she doesn't have an IS. And yey she managed to be your class rep even without an IS unit?"
Vishnu nodded. "We didn't choose our rep by combat like your class did. We chose by election and she gathered more votes than anyone."
"Man, she must be really impressive for a girl her age."
"She's 17." Vishnu pointed out.
"Ah. That makes sense."
Wait. No, it didn't. She was how old?
"Wait. She's not only your class rep. But she's 17 and a first year?" Normally first year students were 15. Than again a thirteen-year-old really shouldn't be criticizing a seventeen-year-old about being in the wrong grade for their age. "How is she that old and a first year?"
"Yoho!"
Before Vishnu could answer. A voice called out in a sing-song manner, making Vishnu almost jump in shock. Jayden recognized that tone of voice.
Coming up from the rooftop was Honne and her friends Yuzu and Sayuka. All dressed in their IS school uniforms, and like always. Honne's sleeves were extremely long.
"Hey Honne, Yuzu, Sayuka, What'cha guys doing?"
"We heard you were up on the rooftops. The thing is, There's a betting ring for meal tickets and desserts on who's gonna win each division tomorrow. We're in charge of the first years." Yuzu pulled out a paper from her pocket with student's names, who they wanted to win, and what their ante was. "The ante are dessert and meal tickets."
"I'm choosing Ichika."
"I'm picking Ichika to."
"Me three!"
"And I want him to win to."
The four of them shared a laugh. If this kept up, it wouldn't even be a bet.
"Hey Vishnu, you wanna join in? Uh…. What are you doing?"
In what looked like a desperate attempt to hide herself. Vishnu had crouched into a ball and placed her yoga mat over her body. It looked like she was trying to hide herself… but there was major emphasis on trying.
"Is this your friend Jayden?" Sayuka asked. The three girls surrounded Vishnu for a better look at her as said girl tried to make herself as small as possible in hopes it would make herself disappear.
"This is my friend Vishnu; we hang out on the roof a lot." Jayden introduced.
Honne hummed and stroked her chin. She quickly circled around her, inspecting every part of her. "There's something about you… that I like! Nice to meet you. Any friend of Jaydee's is a friend of mine." Honne held out a hand covered sleeve to shake.
Vishnu breathing beganto speed up. She grabbed a small bit of Honne's sleeve and shook it.
After that, Honne's friends crowded around her, eager to make introductions.
"My name is Sayuka, and this is Yuzu. It's a pleasure to meet you." They greeted.
"Y-yeah… I'm Vishnu Isa Galaxy. Hello…"
"You're hair looks really good. Green is a nice color on you."
Vishnu paled. "Um…. T-Thank you…" she stammered. Was she doing this right?
"What were you guys doing up on the roof? Something secret or naughty?"
"No…." Vishnu's cheeks started to turn pink. "It wasn't like that." That sounded like a fair answer to her.
The questions and comments kept coming with no sign of stopping. Vishnu's breathing rate increased as she closed her eyes and covered her ears. She wanted to them to stop or herself to vanish. Anything that would make this stop.
Jayden watched from the side as the girls continued to ask her questions and talk. All the while Vishnu's looked to be in some sort of pain. Jayden recognized that look on her face. It was the same look when everyone checked on her after she choked on her lunch. "Guys, maybe we should give her some space?"
They continued, too interested in Vishnu to hear him. The comments and questions continued. Vishnu quivered until like a dam, her emotions overflowed.
Screaming at the top of her lungs, Vishnu threw away her yoga mat, grabbed her stuff, and bolted out the door back inside before anyone could get a word in. By the time they called out to her, she was long gone.
"Did…. Did we do something wrong." Honne looked down at the fake grass, now feeling guilty for her actions. Her friends soon followed suit.
"No… well, kind of. You didn't know so it's not your fault." Jayden tried to explain, not that he knew much more than they did. "Vishnu just has difficulty with a lot of people at once."
"We didn't know. Let's go apologize to her." Honne suggested.
"But won't she run away if we go up to her?" Yuzu pointed out.
"Don't worry. I'm sure she'll be okay." Jayden hoped. He was sure she'd come back here another day to do her yoga. "Once she's calmed down, I'm sure you guys can talk again. Lets just give her some space. Now than, was there a limit to how much we can bet?"
/-/
"Coward… I'm such a coward."
Vishnu was making her way back to her room. She walked as though her tail was between her legs...if she had one.
"I couldn't even keep calm with four people. And I just ran away without saying anything I'm such a failure." Every time people paid attention to her; she'd always run away. It was a miracle she could stay through class each day. Although being in the back in a corner defiantly helped avoid attention. It helped keeping everyone's eyes off her.
She didn't hate people. She just… wasn't good with them.
Only after multiple meetings with Jayden allowed her to somewhat become use to the boy.
He was… trying to be her friend, right? He knew her class had some cadet representatives but didn't know who they were. Vishnu looked at her archery safety glove. Did he really not know or was it an act? Oh man… She shook it out of her head. That didn't matter now.
What did matter were those girls. They looked to be Jayden's friends. And she just ran away screaming like a lunatic. Vishnu groaned back into her hands.
The way they looked at her, they acted friendly to her and they looked nice. Heck they even seemed like they wanted to be friends. Did they think bad of her for what she just did? Was she a freak in their eyes now? Was she overthinking this? Vishnu buried her head in her hands.
"Dang it Vishnu. This why you shouldn't do things…." She shuddered, hugging herself as though trying to warm up her body. Thankfully there was no one here to see this. She continued to her room to retire for the night. Climbing into bed, she went to sleep just to get the day over with.
Maybe tomorrow would be a better day.
/-/
On the day of the interclass tournament, Ichika and Rin's match was the first throughout the day.
Ichika looked out at all the students in the stands. Not one seat was empty as students chatted about while waiting for the match to start. He prayed he wouldn't do something stupid again like draining all his own shield energy. Although his attention would've been better focused on his opponent.
Rin was waiting silently for the match to begin. Her mood didn't seem any better than it had yesterday. Decked out in her IS, the ShenLong, she looked ready to make good on her promise yesterday.
"Both combatants, please get into your designated position."
The broadcaster prompted Rin and Ichika to the center of the arena on the ground. Each of them turned on their communicators to talk to each other. Eventually Rin broke the ice.
"Ichika I'll give you one last chance." Rin threatened. "If you apologize right now for what you've done, I'll pull my punches a little."
"I don't need any favors from you. Show me what you've got Rin." Ichika didn't like going easy on others, and vice versa for himself. A battle was only meaningful if both fighters fought at their best, just like he had against Cecilia. No matter the skill difference.
"Fine. But let me tell you this Ichika. The shields of the IS aren't perfect. The suit can be damaged by an offensive power that breaks through the defensive shields." What Rin stated wasn't a threat but a fact. If an attack was strong enough and the shield energy was too low. Damage could be done to pilot of the power output was too great.
Rin materialized her scimitars, taking an offensive combat stance. "Just know that whatever happens. It's not my fault."
Ichika drew his sword. He had to give it everything he had if he wanted to win.
3…
2…
1...
With the sound of the buzzer, both pilots acted. They immediately flew straight at one another, weapons clashing upon meeting. Their weapons grinded as their owners tried to overpower the other.
"A straightforward attack? That's just like you Rin."
"I could say the same about you Ichika."
The two broke off from their power struggle and proceed to clash repeatedly. Ichika kept his attacks close, not extending out too much like he'd learned from Houki. Rin countered, blocking with one scimitar and attacked with the other only to find her own attack blocked. Ichika was forced on the defensive as her scimitars outnumbered his sword two to one.
Rin then switched up her stragety throwing in sideways attacked mixed in with the vertical strikes. The mix up of direction kept Ichika on guard. Now they were back in a power struggle where they'd first began.
"Not too shabby Ichika. But it's time I show you what ShenLong can really do."
The ball-like things on Rin's shoulders opened up. Before Ichika could even guess what it was, it immediately fired. Ichika was sent flying back by what seemed like an invisible impact.
"And that was just a jab!" She had a proud look on her face. First blood had gone to her.
If that was a jab than the real attack…
A second blast came from Rin's other shoulder cannon which struck Ichika to the ground. Ichika's eyes widened as he checked his IS's condition. The suit had sustained damage from whatever Rin just did. Not even a minute into the fight and his shield energy had lost about 25% of its power.
Rin smirked as she aimed her cannons at the target named Ichika Orimura.
"Aww crap…."
/-/
"What the heck was that?"
In the control room of the stadium. Houki watched the live broadcast with Jayden and Cecilia by her side. All eyes were locked on the screen as Ichika flew to stay just ahead of Rin's shots.
"A long range attack. Why you didn't you warn Ichika about those Jayden?" Houki looked concern as she watched Ichika dodge the incoming fire from Rin.
"I didn't know. She never used them against me." Jayden defended. "But seriously! What the heck are those things? What is she firing and why can't I see whats being fired?"
"Those 'blasters' are known as "Impact Cannons". Their group's IS expert, A.K.A Cecilia, took it upon herself to answer. "They manipulate the barometric pressure of the atmosphere by compressing it into a cannon barrel and firing it like a shockwave. "
Jayden tilted his head.
"It fires compressed air at high speeds to make an explosion."
Jayden nodded in understanding.
Cecilia felt a vein pop in her head. From now on, she was using smaller words around this boy." But now that I see it, it really is a third-generation model. Just like my Blue Tears and your Nova Union."
"Its name is Edel Gleam." From the corner of the room, Gelimer gave the blonde brit the stink-eye. He resumed watching the match with Maya and Chifuyu.
"So, let me get this straight. Rin has a cannon that can fire invisible blasts. That's awesome!" Jayden's eyes beamed. Two glares from the girls reminded him whose side he was supposed to be on. "I mean… Oh no! This is bad… What can Ichika do against those things?"
Cecilia folded her arms, returning her view to the screen. "Whatever Ichika-san does, it better be soon"
Houki started to sweat. She watched on screen as Ichika took another swipe from Rin's scimitars. Every time Ichika took damage, she could feel her heart skip a beat. Ichika was starting to look desperate. Now she no longer cared if Ichika won or not, just that he came back safely.
/-/
"Not bad for dodging most of my 'Dragon's Roar' barrage." Rin would tip her hat if she had one for Ichika's performance so far. Lasting this long against invisible bullets that could fire from any angle without limit was no easy feat.
Throughout the fight Rin mixed and mashed her scimitars with the impact cannons for deadly attacks at both close- and long-range combat. Ichika had been able to hold out but it didn't seem like he could do it much longer. At 15%, his shield energy was a candle flame ready for Rin to snuff out. Meanwhile Rin was at about 70% in terms of shield energy.
Ichika gripped his blade tightly, remembering all the training he did with everyone. Everything they'd done was for him to win this battle.
They believed in him.
Ichika believed in his friends, and himself.
"Rin, I'll be going all out now." Ichika knew he had one way to win.
W-what do you mean? That's what you should've been doing since the beginning." Rin looked surprised, than felt insulted, did Ichika think she wasn't worth being serious? "I'm going to show you that we're not in the same league."
Rin spun her scimitars in her hands like cheerleader batons as Ichika got into position to accelerate to Rin. His sword glowed as he activated his one-off ability. From the moment it started his shield energy began to tick down.
It was now or never.
Ichika accelerated towards Rin with all the speed his IS had. As expected, Rin fired her impact cannons at Ichika to make him change direction. Even if Ichika couldn't see the shots or their trajectory, he did know they would be fired straight at him from Rin's position. He flew to the left, than right feeling the force of air fly past him as he managed to avoid her attacks.
He was almost there! Ichika clenched his fist ready to strike.
Rin gripped her scimitar's. Gripping them at her sides, ready to counter.
"UWOOOOOH!"
"AGHHHHHH!"
Just as the blades were about to connect, the arena shook with a sudden boom.
Both pilots stopped as the looked at the cause of the boom. Now in the center of the arena was a large crater with smoke concealing the center of it.
"What the heck was that?" Ichika asked through the private line but got no answer from Rin.
Smoke rose from from the center of the arena where the unidentified object crashed down. Whatever that thing was, it had managed to break through the arena's defensive barrier. Everyone from the control room to the audience to the combatants were stunned at what had just happened.
The smoke thinned out, allowing the object to be identified.
There in the middle of the arena, stood what appeared to be an IS. It was a greyish color that had abnormally long arms going all the way down to its waist. There was no neck, shoulder, or head that could be seen. It looked like it had full body armor in a way. The large size of that unit also meant that it wasn't a normal one.
It turned slightly in different directions, taking in its surrounds before stopping its sights on the two IS units up in the air. It looked over the pink one and then changed its attention to the white one. Its hands crackled and fingers clenched.
The invader had found its target.
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And now we move on to the big fight of the arc. I've been looking forward to this part, and things won't be going as smoothly as they do in canon. Let me know of your thoughts in the reviews. Thank you all for reading and I hope you look forward to what comes next.
Keep your sense of wonder.
Omake
"You… want a yoga lesson?" Vishnu confirmed.
Jayden looked like he'd seen better days. His hair was a mess and it looked like his eyes had bags under his bags.
"Yes please. I feel like I'm about to punch a wall and break my hand in frustration." Jayden appeared to be about to blow a gasket as his right eye twitched. "You said yoga was a good stress reliever and I need some relief from my stress."
While she considered herself decent at the exercise, she wasn't sure if she was capable of teaching it to someone.
"What's got you so angry?"
Jayden held out his ring finger in her face. "This!" Gesturing to the ring on it.
"You're getting married?"
"NO! My IS! No what matter what I do or try this thing refuses to undergo a first shift. I've tried everything."
"Jayden. It's okay if youu need time to get your IS-"
"No. I've literally tried everything. I've tried training. I've tried fighting stronger opponents. I've tried studying. I've tried yelling at it! I've tried threatening it! I've tried bribing it! I've tried making it jealous!"
That last one caught Vishnu's attention. "Wait what?"
"Got another ring, tried to show off to my IS. Didn't work. Now I'm out a hundred bucks and still no first shift." Jayden sighed heavily. "So please Vishnu, teach how I can relax with yoga. Before I toss this ring into the ocean or do something equally stupid."
Vishnu blinked. Was he joking or…? "Couldn't you try something else. Like taking out your anger out on objects?"
"Already tried that. Didn't work. On an unrelated note. If you see any holes in the first-year dorm walls, it definitely wasn't me."
A bead of sweat ran down the side of Vishnu's head. While she wasn't comfortable with group activities, she couldn't leave her friend in this state. Reluctantly she gave in.
"I suppose I can have you follow along with my poses, then you can do them yourself."
Jayden's eyes beamed. Already he could feel the anger leave him
"Thank you, Vishnu. You're the best"
"V-Very well. I, Vishnu Isa Galaxy, may not be qualified, but I will assist you with everything I have." Now that she made a promise, she was going to see it through.
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"Are you ready to begin?" Vishnu asked.
Jayden and Vishnu were on the rooftop, finishing up their warm up stretches to get themselves ready. Jayden was starting to have doubts about this, but Vishnu had gone so far to set this up he had to at least try.
"I guess, but do I really have to wear this?"
The boy had changed into a tight-fitting black shirt and black yoga pants given to him by Vishnu. Jayden pulled at his shirt, letting it snap back into place. And while he had to admit it looked mesmerizing on Vishnu's body, Jayden felt like he was wearing nothing at all.
"Its traditional wear. Tight clothes don't flap about everywhere, they're aerodynamic, not restrictive, and they allow the body to breathe." She explained. They also looked really good on the human body showing off all the attractive areas. But he didn't need to know that. Her eyes were on Jayden's body. The view going lower… and lower… and lower...
"Uh… Vishnu. Where are you looking?"
"Nowhere! Let's begin! We'll start with the Sirsa Padasana."
"The Siraata what now?"
"The head-to-foot pose." Vishnu translated.
She dropped to the floor with her chest on the ground. Bending her back to the point that her feet were dangling over her dark green hair. The boy felt his spine break just looking at it. Hold on. Did she break her spine just to do that?
"Does… does that hurt." Jayden blinked.
"Not anymore. Try doing what I did."
What Vishnu failed to realize is that while she had years of practice and experience performing those positions and loosening her joints, Jayden had none of that.
"Maybe we can start with something. Preferably anything that won't crack my back into little pieces.
"Let's try something else. We'll start smaller. How about the Eka Hasta Vrksasanan?"
"Are you making these names up?"
"I'll now demonstrate."
Vishnu positioned herself to keep her balance on one hand while spreading out her legs and holding out her other hand. It was like she was a one-handed tree. When she found her balance, she motioned for Jayden to try it.
This one didn't look too hard. At least it wouldn't break his bones.
Jayden got onto a handstand so far so good. Now to do it on one hand.
As quickly as he set it up, Jayden's body caved under his weight with the lack of support from his one hand... His head smacked against the fake grass and the rest of him followed.
"Maybe we'll start a little smaller. How about-"
Jayden interrupted her. "I think you and I have different definitions of 'little'. Look Vishnu. I'm a beginner. I can't do those insane logic-defying moves you can do. Please teach me something easy and preferably won't " Jayden begged.
Vishnu nodded along. "All right, I read you loud and clear. I think I know an easier pose that anyone can do."
"Good. Let's start with something sim… ple…."
Jayden's jaw dropped at the sight of Vishnu with both legs behind her head. It was a pose he'd heard about in rumors and seen on TV and movies. and now he was seeing it in person. It was official. Vishnu was a master contortionist.
"Try getting both your legs behind your head." She said like it was the simplest thing in the world.
"H-How!?" He pointed at her legs. Mouth open wide enough that a fly flew in and then back out.
"The trick is to steady you're breathing as you twist your leg into position. Vishnu simply said.
"I'm pretty sure if I tried that, I won't be walking anytime soon.
"How about one leg? That should be easy enough."
"We're you born without bones?!"
"Just give it a try."
Jayden sighed as he sat down. What's the worst that could happen?
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Vishnu exhaled loudly, feeling quite rejuvenated after a good yoga session. Honestly, having someone to do it with felt quite new and more fun.
"That was quite refreshing." She wiped the sweat off her forehead.
'Just give it a try.' Jayden mentally mocked.
Jayden just laid spread out on the ground like a dead body. After so much posing and bending his body in ways it maybe shouldn't have been able to bend. His limbs felt like they were on fire, and oh god his legs! Walking now seemed like distant memory. And that girl did this for fun!? At least he didn't feel stressed anymore.
Maybe that was because he lost all the feeling in his body, but that was anyone's guess.
"Do you feel better now Jayden?" Vishnu asked.
Jayden couldn't move much be he managed to get his hand in what vaguely looked like a thumbs up.
"It actually helped? I'm glad." She smiled. To see a smile that large on her face was like seeing a unicorn. Maybe it was the sun, but that smile was way too bright. Jayden didn't have the heart to tell her otherwise.
Well no harm done in making her happy, Jayden resumed laying on the ground like a dead man. Never before had doing nothing felt so good.
"Oh! Is that the corpse pose? I didn't think you knew that one." Vishnu dropped to the ground as though she'd been gunned down.
"Who the heck names these poses?"
Jayden sighed into the ground as he laid there with Vishnu. The blowing breeze felt nice on their bodies. The peace felt good.
"Thanks for doing this Vishnu."
"You're welcome…"
Another gentle breeze blew past them.
"Hey Jayden?"
"Yeah?"
Vishnu's cheeks turned a light shade of pink. "We've known each other for a little bit now. So… I was wondering."
She looked so bashful, Jayden wouldn't say outloud but it was cute.
"What is it?"
"W-Wo….."
Jayden's heartbeat rose. Was she…? About to confess something.
"Would you like to try two person poses?" Vishnu exhaled; it took all her courage to speak those words.
…
…
…
"what?"
"There are some yoga positions that require two people to do. We can bend and fold our bodies to make unique and dynamic poses. Would you like to try them?" Vishnu's eyes were sparkling more than glitter.
All of Jayden's bones screamed. A quick election was held by Jayden's bones and joints. In a unanimous decision, they voted to decline Vishnu's offer. All the mouth had to do was say no. Just say no to those pleading eyes… that hopeful smile… Just say no!
"Sure."
Through the smile. Jayden mentally screamed.
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Always remember to stretch boys and girls. Stretching is important.