Change my Mind

by Xenowishes

A young boy discovers he can activate the IS. This should be a dream come true until he realizes how insane these death machines are. Forget being a pilot, he just wants to live in peace. Now his government is forcing him to attend IS Academy. With rogue IS units, mad scientists, and terrorists targeting the Academy, the boys have one job. Stay alive.

18. Not a Skate Date

Hey all, as always at the end of one arc and before another there's an intermission chapter. Consider how many episodes Charlotte and Laura took in the original I figured this was about two arcs worth of content.

The city bus stopped itself on the side of the road, letting two passengers off.

"Okay, it's just a short walk from and we'll be at our destination." Jayden and Houki exited the vehicle and continued on foot through town. Each of them were dressed in casual clothing since they were outside the academy. Houki opted for a white top and a blue jean-like skirt to complete the outfit. Jayden meanwhile was dressed in a green button up shirt with loose fitting long pants. Along with that was a scarf and baseball cap to keep himself unrecognizable. The last thing he needed was a bunch of people swarming him for pictures and autographs.

"I wasn't aware of an IS training facility out in the town. It was never mentioned in the academy handbook nor anywhere online." Houki said.

"It's a… special place. All the arenas at the academy had been booked for use for the entire day. So we have to train somewhere else. And if we're going to be a team, we gotta get some practice working together."

"All right. How far is this place we're going to?" The bus dropped them off in the middle of the city, an area way too highly populated for an IS unit to be used. "Also, will there be a unit for me to use? Do we have to share the field with anyone? How long are its hours of operation?" Question after question was asked but no answers were given. Something wasn't right. "What's going on Jayden? We're going to an IS training facility like you said. Right?"

"Okay so don't be mad Houki, but this place doesn't use the Infinite Stratos."

"You mean you lied about us training together?" Houki spoke angrily.

"I didn't. It's a place we can train together."

"So, you're telling me we're going to practice using the IS. Without an IS. Care to explain how that's possible?"

Jayden turned the corner and motioned for Houki to follow him. Showing her would be a lot easier than explaining it. Against her better judgement, Houki continued to let Jayden lead her till they reached their destination. In front of them was a mid-sized building, only one story tall but looked wide enough to hold sporting events if it wanted to. The sign above the doors were just two words but they gave Houki everything she needed to connect the dots.

Skating Rink.

"Ta-dah!" Jayden extended his arms. "We're here."

Houki blinked twice, then stared at the building.

…

…

…

She proceeded to walk away.

"W-Wait Houki! Come back! It's not exactly IS practice but it's close to it." He had to grab the back of Houki's shirt to even try to stop her, though it made little difference as Houki walked on dragging the boy behind her.

"Jayden, I feel like I have to point out that that!" Houki pointed. "Is a skating rink. A place which has nothing to do with the Infinite Stratos."

"That's not true. Skating with skates is like skating in the Infinite Stratos. It beats running when performing ground-based movement. The Infinite Stratos 360-degree movement can function like skating if the user is close enough to the ground."

"Which is irrelevant when the IS can fly."

"Being close to the ground can help sometimes. I try to stay low if I can in my battles. That way there's one less direction attack can come from."

Houki covered her face with her hand. She was getting tired of having to point out the obvious. "Given the wide-open size of the arena, that'll be unlikely to happen. We'd be better off reading the textbook sections on IS movement."

"This will be way better than just reading some boring textbook about the IS. It's almost like actual experience."

Houki barley managed to keep her face in the realm of annoyance and not anger. "This isn't a game Jayden. We should be training for tomorrow, not goofing off."

"It is training!" Jayden defended. "And not just that. I figured a bonding activity could help. We barley know anything about each other. What's my favorite color?"

"No idea."

"Exactly. If we're gonna team up, we have to get in synch. I mean, we know nothing about each other. Also it's green by the way. I like the lighter shades of it better."

Now that, he wasn't wrong about. Outside of a handful of interactions Jayden and Houki had rarely spent any time together. The time they did interact was either during class or when the whole group got together. It wouldn't be the worse thing to know a little more about her partner.

"Fine." Houki figured there could've been worse ways to spend her day. They were already here so she may as well try it. At least skating would simulate IS ground skating movement assuming Jayden was right about it. Just Jayden and her together in a skating rink for a few hours hanging out. Spending timr together and maybe getting food afterwards if they stayed out long enough. Heck, if Houki didn't know any better that almost sounded like a…

"Great! Let-

"Hold it!" She yanked the back of his shirt, turning him around to look Jayden dead in the eyes. "Listen up. I'll do this on one condition. The time we spend today is just training. Just training. A training session and nothing else. Got it?"

"Why does that-?"

"Got it?"

"Okay okay. It's a training session and nothing else." Jayden repeated. "Why does that matter?"

"Because… Because I said so. Now let's go."

/-/

Gelimer checked his watch for what was the tenth time this minute. He was at the right place on the right day at the right time.

Today, he had one goal. Keep Maya Yamada out of IS academy to give Olivia Sedgewick time to duplicate her keycard information. All he had to do was just keep her outside of IS Academy and the best way to do that would be to ask her out on a date. Something he'd never done before but hey, it couldn't be that hard.

Olivia had gone to great lengths to give advice on how to ask out a girl. But honestly, he didn't see the point of it all. It was literally just going up to Ms. Yamada and saying "Hey. Wanna go out to the mainland this weekend?"

And she said yes.

That was all it took to make today happen. Honestly, he didn't get why everyone thought dates were so complicated. Just go up to someone and ask them if they wanted to spend time with you. That's it. If only all the doubters and jocks in high school who told him he'd never get a date were here. He'd be rubbing it in their faces.

The biggest issue he had right now were the clothes he was wearing that Olivia had forced him to wear before she'd let him leave the Academy. Even dressed in a short-sleeved polo shirt and long brown pants, Gelimer still felt naked. Olivia refused to let him leave with his favorite lab coat. What was wrong with it? it was comfortable, fashionable, and function. Truly the perfect form of attire.

Yup. Everything was smooth sailing now. Just him and Maya on a date for hours doing things like…

…

…

Come to think of it… what do people do on dates exactly?

This was a problem.

"Stay calm Gelimer. Stay calm." Normally Gelimer would remain calm when there was a problem, but as he thought about what exactly date entailed more issues begun to emerge. Ms. Sedgewick had told him she'd need a long time for everything to go off without a hitch, about six hours. He had to entertain Ms. Yamada for six the hours. His body tensed up, what was he supposed to do for six hours?

Gelimer's eyes bounced around looking at other people in the park for quick inspiration. People eating and carrying shopping bags. That was it! Food and shopping. It was so obvious. They were great time wasters and would give him extra time to think of other things. Plus, he could get her a gift. Who didn't love a gift?

Wait. Was he supposed to have a gift for her at the start of a date or did you only do that on special occasions? If Maya showed up with a present in hand and he had nothing he'd look like a complete idiot. He needed a gift asap, but what? "Think, Gelimer. Think. You're intelligent. You're capable. You're resourceful. You can find a gift. Something like… Ah-hah!" Gelimer pulled out a clump of wildflowers growing from the ground. There was still a clump of dirt hanging on at the bottom but at least they were totally fresh. At least he had something to offer when-

"Gelimer, there you are. I hope I didn't keep you waiting."

That was Maya's voice. This was it.

Gelimer turned to face the woman in front of him. His first thought was a quick message of thanks to Olivia. If he'd gone with his original outfit of everyday ware, he'd have looked like a fool. His colleague had dressed up for the occasion, wearing a green classy blouse along with blue demin shorts and black shoes to complete the look. Altogether it was a stunning outfit Maya was wearing which kept his eyes locked on her. Seeing her like this, Gelimer's mind couldn't process this sight. The same Ms. Yamada he'd seen everyday looked much more mature and stunning comparing than usual.

"Mr. Brighton? Is everything okay?" Maya asked.

Luckily the man's mind rebooted just in the nick of time. "Y-You did. I mean you didn't! I only just got here. You look nicely dressed…"

The woman tried her hardest not to blush, instead her smile became a bit wider. "Thank you. You look well to. I think this is the first time I've seen you without that lab coat."

He responded with a nod. So far everything seemed to be going good. Next part must be the exchanging of gifts. Gelimer stiffly extended his arm with the recently plucked flowers at her.

"Oh! Um… thank you?" She nervously accepted the flowers, placing them in her purse. Maya then paused before digging into her purse once more. "Hang on. I-I got you something to." She frantically dug through the clutter inside her purse until she pulled out a small scrap of paper and offered it to Gelimer.

A coupon for 10% off your next drink at Sunbucks!

"A coupon? Err… thanks, I was hoping for something like this!" People really did exchange presents. Good thing he managed to predict this problem in advance.

"I'm glad you like it. Now that we're here, is there anything you wanted to do today?"

Gelimer opened his mouth but no words were coming out. The man swore he'd made a plan earlier but he couldn't remember it.

Gelimer had never been on a date before, but he couldn't let her know that! He had to look like he knew what he was doing.

"Y-Yeah! I got great things planned." Gelimer laughed awkwardly. "So great in fact, that they'll be at the end of the day. So why don't you pick the first thing we do first? I mean, I've done this so many times that I've got loads of ideas." He put on a smile that almost looked painful.

"M-Me!?" Maya shrieked. Cried. Howled. Gelimer wasn't sure what it was, but it was definitely one of those. "I mean of course. I've done this plenty of times with guys as well. All the time in fact. Now what do I wanna do?"

Good question. What did she wanna do? There were plenty of answers, but Maya felt like this was a multiple-choice question with one right answer and a million wrong ones. She didn't want to risk boring the man on their first time out together.

Maya had never been on a date before, but she couldn't let him know that! She had to look like she knew what she was doing.

Both of them started to sweat. They hadn't expected the other to be so experienced in dating.

Time went by and Maya hadn't chosen what they were going to do. In a panic Maya did the first thing that came to mind. Point a finger in a random direction and hope for the best.

"A movie?" Gelimer confirmed.

Maya followed her finger to where she'd pointed. The local movie theater in town. She hadn't planned on catching a film today, but this was just what she needed. It gives her time to collect herself and keep them entertained. It was a win for all.

"Sounds good to me. What did you wanna see?"

Oh right, she to pick a movie. What genre would he like? Maybe action or sci-fi, Gelimer loved to work on the Infinite Stratos. Would a romance film be too cheap? Why did everything have to be a choice.

Gelimer wasn't fairing any better. Did he have to pay for the movie? Was it sexist to pay for everything? Was it sexist to not pay for everything? When did life get this complicated? He swore life wasn't like this ten minutes ago.

Maya and Gelimer each let out a microscopic groan. This would be a long day.

/-/

Jayden was waiting for Houki right near the entrance to the rink inside the building. The place wasn't very populated at this time of day which would give them plenty of space to skate. The boy gave his muscles a stretch raising his arms into the air, getting himself reacquainted to wheels stuck on his feet. It had been a few months since he last skated, but it was like a riding a bicycle. You never forget. At least, he hoped that was how it worked. He found Houki making his way towards him.

"I'm good to go." Jayden announced. "You ready Houki?"

Houki didn't give a response, she was too focused on making sure she didn't end up introducing herself to the floor thanks to the deathtraps on her feet. She held on to whatever she could as she inched herself closer to Jayden. Once she felt confident enough to move, she proceeded to walk towards the skating area. Which lasted for all of three steps as she lost her balance, prompting her face to have an intimate meeting with the ground.

Jayden winced as he watched what he hoped would be the last time she fell. Houki's face was going red Whether from the fall or embarrassment, he wasn't sure. "Are you okay Houki?" He offered his hand to help her up only for it to be unnecessary with Houki managing to stand on her own.

"Have you ever skated before?" Jayden asked.

"I've… watched people skate at the park."

"Want me to give you some tips?"

"I'll figure it out. I don't need any help." Houki said as she slowly inched her way onto the skating rink. Once on the hard skating floor she proceeded to move forward just as she did when she walked. Just a few steps led to Houki falling with her butt landing on the floor.

"Oooww…" Houki, rubbed her sore tailbone. This was going to take some getting used to. Despite the repeated failures Houki was managing to keep her cool. Besides if she was struggling, so should Jayden. While she looked for him, a figure skated right past her.

Jayden was skating across the rink with no issue. And by the looks of things, he was good at it. He wouldn't be winning a medal at the Olympics anytime soon, but he looked to be in control of where he was going.

"Harder than it looks huh?" Jayden stopped himself next to Houki.

"You done this before haven't you?" She said with vague curiosity.

The boy nodded. "I've been where you are, I lost count of how any times I face planted when I first tried it. The only reason I'm not tripping over myself is because of my teacher, Natasha. I can show you what she taught me if you want. What do you say partner?" Once again, he extended an arm out.

Houki considered it this time. She wasn't too fond of asking for help but the same could be said for falling over herself again and again. When she glanced back at him, he was still offering his hand to her. She knew what the right answer was. She reached out to take his hand only to instead grab his wrist at the last second to help get back up.

"When it comes to skating, it's all about relaxing and letting the wheels move you forward. You don't have to try to walk with wheels on your feet. Just push off the ground and let the wheels move ya." Jayden moved forward to show a demonstration. "Give it a try."

Houki tried again, letting the skates move her forward on their own. As she rolled along Houki rose and lowered her foot like walking only to feel her balance go somewhere that wasn't here. Before she could hit the ground a pair of hands wrapped themselves around her waist to halt her fall.

"Gotcha. You okay?"

"I'm fine. Now let go of me." She lightly shoved him aside.

He couldn't get why Houki was so touchy about being touched. Must've been a personal thing. "You don't have to stomp your feet down." Jayden pointed to the wheels on her skates. "It's not like walking. Just keep pushing your feet against the ground one skate at time. When you got enough speed let yourself roll!"

Houki did as she was told, letting herself roll forward before pushing her foot off the ground and bringing it back to the floor to stabilize herself.

"You've got it! Now let yourself coast. When you feel your slowing down, push again!"

She did as instructed letting the wheels move her along. And once the speed died down, Houki pushed off her other leg to propel herself forward. It looked like she was getting the hang of it and nothing could stop her now. Nothing but the wall of the rink.

"Break! Break!" Jayden yelled.

"How?"

"Spread out your legs parallel! Quick!"

She spread her legs out and while it didn't stop her completely, she felt a massive loss in speed. Her extended arms managed to stop herself in front of the wall, preventing a crash. After a sign of relief, Houki looked determine to keep going.

It took a couple hours with a lunch break in-between, but Houki was getting the hang of roller skating. There were some rough patches like teaching her how turn, but she picked up on it after some trial and error. Plus a few falls here and there.

Jayden skated along the rink with Houki keeping up beside him. He figured he must've been a pretty good teacher. That or Houki was a quick learner. Either way she was keeping up with him. In what took Jayden weeks to get right, Houki had gotten in a few hours.

"Like I said earlier, it's like moving on an IS on the ground. It keeps your movement unpredictable, so enemies don't just assume you'll fly straight up. Natasha told me that."

Houki answered with a silent nod, rolling along beside him. He checked on Houki and there were no issues with her form. She really was a natural at this. His eyes just happened to move up to her face to find a rare a sight on Houki.

A smile.

There was always a frown or at best, a neutral expression on Houki's face whenever he saw her. Like someone had removed happiness as a setting for Houki's moods. Now while skating she looked to be enjoying herself with a smile on her face. He didn't wanna stop looking at her. When Houki wasn't being angry, she was actually kind of cute.

With his eyes distracted on Houki, he unintentionally moved closer and closer till the two were almost side by side.

Bump

Jayden's foot ended up in front of Houki's. Balance took one look at the duo and decided now was a good time to exit. In a desperate attempt to remain standing each person tried to grab the other for stability which only served to make them spin around till they made a reunion with the ground.

Jayden braced himself for hard contact with the skating rink floor. His body hit the ground and yet something felt… odd. Instead of a hard landing, he got a pretty soft one instead. His eyes saw this 'ground'. It was white and looked familiar, almost exactly like the same white top Houki was wearing. He shivered, not just from the fall but from realizing just where or rather who he was on. Just in front of him was Houki rubbing where her head hit the ground.

When he moved his hands, he could feel something in them. A foreign feeling that was both soft and warm. Not to mention large enough that he felt his hands couldn't hold all of it. If his face was in her stomach and his hands were above that, it meant they were on…

Jayden followed his arms to confirm what he already knew. In that moment Jayden felt the room had dropped twenty degrees.

In his hands were boobs.

Houki's boobs.

Jayden gulped. His pulse thumped like a rabbit's foot. This was actually happening. He was touching boobs for the first time. Time seemed to freeze for him. Then it unfreezed when Jayden and Houki made eye contact.

Remember that smile from earlier? Well, it must've been a mirage cause Jayden couldn't find it anymore. Houki's face went steely as her eyes moved from Jayden to his hands, and then switching back between them.

"Jayden." Houki said in a voice that could cut diamonds. "Get. Off. Now."

He wasted no time trying to remove himself from on top of her so Jayden tried to push himself off her. To do so meant he had to push his hands down right on those melons attached to Houki's chest. The moment he did a squeak escaped from her mouth. The look Houki was given him had frozen his body completely.

Houki's face reddened even further becoming a mix of anger and embarrassment. Without warning she winded back her fist.

"Houki wait!"

The IS skating training ended early.

/-/

Ichika wasn't used to holding a gun, more specifically an assault rifle. The only weapon in his life he'd ever held before now was a sword. Either a wooden one or his signature weapon of Byakushiki, Yukihira. And with the training from his first childhood friend and older sister, he'd gotten pretty good with a blade if he said so himself. He'd learned how to hold and use it properly. Going forward however, a sword may not be enough for tomorrow.

The firearm in his hand wasn't completely unfamiliar. Like a sword it had the weight of a weapon that could take a person's life if used carelessly. Rather then the force to swing, it required the precision to aim and hit its target. Ichika got into position, holding the assault steady with both hands.

"I'm ready!"

Targets materialized all around Ichika in the arena field.

Ichika aimed the assault rifle at a target and pressed the trigger. The best way to learn about ranged weapons was to use them firsthand, and Charles was more than happy to give him access to one of his weapons. This way he could learn about firearms, and the best way to learn them was to use one firsthand. It was a different experience using this type of weapon compared to a sword.

Taking aim at target, Ichika held down the trigger for a brief moment. The recoil made the weapon push back, but a strong grip helped minimize the knockback After the bullet hit, he moved onto the next target. In less than 20 seconds he'd taken fire at each target at once.

None of the bullets had pierced the center but at least every shot managed to hit the target somewhere.

"Man, this is tough, but I think I'm starting to get the hang of this shooting thing. What do you think Charles?"

His friend didn't give an answer back. Ichika looked to his partner who seemed lost in thought.

"Charles?

"Eh? Oh! Y-yeah, you're beginning to improve Ichika."

"Is everything all right Charles?" This wasn't the first time today Charles had seemed distracted. "You seem kind of out of it today."

"It's nothing."

"I can tell something's wrong. Maybe talking about it will help."

The cross dresser sighed. Not much could get past this guy when he was focused. "It's about my father. Ever since I told you about my real intentions for attending this place, I ceased my mission on stealing IS data. I've been lying so far about my progress on obtaining data, stringing him along. But after today, he'll definitely know I've abandoned my mission."

Ichika couldn't blame her for wanting to cut ties after everything that man who was supposed to be her father had done. "Why do you think that?"

"I was supposed to meet with someone sent by my father at this time to deliver the data I was supposed to acquire on third generation IS units. My father's going to know something is up after the guy reports that I never showed. He's guaranteed to know I've abandoned the mission."

"When are you supposed to meet him?"

"One hour ago. I just… really don't want to be involved anymore than I am."

"But that shouldn't matter. As long as you're a student here, your dad or his corporation can't touch you. You've got diplomatic immunity here."

There were laws and regulations for students attending ISA as Ichika had pointed out earlier. Outside governments and corporations couldn't influence IS Academy students without their consent.

"What you've said is true. I'm a student here so the laws protect me. But I'm also a student who was part of a conspiracy to steal important IS data and lied about my identity. What would happen if the staff here learned of that info?" The realization on Ichika's face answered for him. "Exactly. I would without a doubt be expelled."

That was something Ichika hadn't considered till now. "You think your dad will reveal everything?"

Charles shook her head. While that would definitely get her kicked out from the academy, it would also expose her father as the mastermind behind the whole plot. They'd both go down as a result. Her father didn't play for mutual destruction. He played to win.

"My father is many things, but stupid and reckless isn't one of them. He'd leak information about my mission and get a scapegoat to take the fall for him. Then he'll claim ignorance of the entire thing. And if not that, he'll do something else." And if she could think of one way, her dad could think of ten. "And given the blunder he made in sending me here, he'd be extra determined to make sure this tied up all loose ends."

"Even so, you're a cadet representative of France. Don't you have any influence?"

"I do. But my father will be the one to make the final decision. Technically speaking, I work for him."

"So, there's nothing we can do?"

For a moment, both of them were left alone with their thoughts. No matter what solution Ichika tried to think of, there was no ending where Charles came out squeaky clean. His train of thought derailed when Charles spoke up.

"I didn't say that. There is… one thing. But it's not guaranteed to work."

"What's your idea?"

"As you know, the Dunois Corporation is having financial troubles. They sent me here as a male to raise awareness of their brand and increase sales. My personal IS unit is part of the Raphael Revive series, a second-generation unit. The IS tournament tomorrow will have many important people in the IS field watching. It's a chance for countries to show off their latest IS units piloted by cadet representatives. Are you following along so far?"

Ichika nodded with uncertainty. He wasn't exactly sure where Charles was going with this.

"Whoever wins the tournament will have their IS unit gain a lot of attention. Say if we won for example, the Raphael Revive series would gain a surge in popularity and may inspire other countries to buy Revive from the Dunois corporation. It would help their financial situation and discourage my father from replacing me as their cadet representative."

It would be quite the story if Mr. Dunois had his son fired from being Dunois Corporations cadet representative. Especially if she managed to win the entire tournament. She knew if her father had to pick between helping his company and hurting her, he would pick his company without hesitation.

"So if we do well enough, your father won't try anything since you'd be too valuable to throw away?" Ichika summarized.

Charles gave a nod. There was no guarantee this would work, even if they managed to win the entire tournament. If they placed anywhere but first, her father wouldn't acknowledge it as a victory. He was the type of man who believed that if you weren't first, you were last. A cruel outlook but it was the outlook of the man she had to deal with.

"Ichika. I know I've asked a lot of you since you learned who I really am, but I need to ask you for your help once more. Please… help me win the tournament." Charles was about to lower her head. Only to stop when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"You didn't need to ask; I'll gladly help you."

"Thank you Ichika." Charles looked to be full of determination once again. She didn't deserve a guy like Ichika as her friend, and once again he was going above and beyond what anyone would do for her.

"Of course. Now let's get back to training." Before, Ichika entered the tournament because he could. Now, he had a reason to fight.

/-/

"Houki I'm sorry. At least talk to me." After the… accident, Houki had called it quits and headed back on foot to ISA. Jayden followed behind her, rubbing his still stinging cheek. If kendo or the IS didn't work out, he figured Houki would a great career as a boxer. "Houki?"

She didn't acknowledge him.

"Are you still mad? I feel like you're still mad."

Houki continued saying nothing. Jayden had been apologizing every second since they'd left the skating rink. But that didn't stop Houki from wearing a scowl on her face.

"Are you mad because I touched your boobs?"

Finally, Houki spoke. "No Jayden. I'm mad because you're right-handed."

Jayden opened his mouth.

"Yes, it's because you touched them you moron!"

"I didn't mean to grab them; I fell. It was an accident."

"Well, you sure took your time getting your hands off my chest."

"Okay that was my bad. But I didn't mean to trip us up. I got distracted and things just happened." Once he felt those things in his hands, hit body just froze up. Even now his palms unconsciously mimicked the shape he'd held those bombshells.

"Stop lying. I know you enjoyed it you pervert. And quit saying sorry. I've heard enough of your apologies." She knew she'd have to forgive him eventually since they were going to be fighting as a team tomorrow. But that didn't have to be right now. Houki continued on walking ahead of him. They kept going on till they reached the town's park at the center of the mainland.

"Can we at least take a rest? My feet are killing me." Jayden asked.

"Fine."

Houki sat herself down on a bench overlooking the ocean, prompting Jayden to do the same. The two sat in silence for a short while as Jayden tried to think of the right words. That ended in failure. He then considered a different approach that involved walking away for a moment. When he came back, he was holding two vanilla frost treats in cones he got from an ice cream man. He extended one of them out to Houki who reluctantly accepted.

"Do you forgive me now?" Jayden asked.

"If I forgive you, will you stop apologizing?"

"Huh?" He hadn't expected it to be this easy.

"Then I accept your apology. Now stop saying you're sorry all the time. It's get annoying." She was still upset from what happened at the skating rink, but she was pretty sure holding onto this anger wouldn't do her any favors in battle tomorrow.

"Thanks, Houki."

She gave a nod, licking her ice cream.

Jayden tried to think of a topic once more, going with the first thing that came to his mind. Or rather sight. Which was IS Academy that could be seen in the distance.

"You must've worked hard to get into IS Academy right Houki? It's one of the top high schools in the world."

"Not exactly. I didn't go there because I wanted to."

"What do you mean?"

"I was forced to attend the school for my own protection."

"Wow, just like me."

Houki slightly turned to Jayden. "Like you? Oh right. Because you're a male."

"That's part of it. A kidnapping happened and I got forced here."

That grabbed Houki's attention. "Kidnapping?"

He winched, that was a thing he wasn't supposed to talk about per Gelimer's orders. But what he didn't know probably won't hurt him. "Something happened that led to me coming to Japan whether I wanted to or not. It's a bit of a long story if you want to hear it."

Houki leaned back getting herself comfortable. "Only if you feel like it."

It had been months since the kidnapping, but Jayden could remember it like it was only yesterday. The day that he was kidnapped by Irene whom he considered to be IS trainer at the time. From the fear of being hundreds of feet in the air trapped in Irene's IS to the end of it all with Natasha, Jayden told her all of it from start to finish. He made sure to omit a few details like the part about his real age being falsified.

Houki didn't seem too interested in the story at first, but as she listened to him, she gained more interest in his tale prior to IS Academy.

"Then when I woke up, I was in the infirmary with Natasha. Gelimer figured if the kidnapping happened once, it would probably happen again. So, he figured I should come to IS Academy where I'd be safe. And that's how I ended up here."

"I'm sorry that happened to you."

"It's all right, this place has been pretty good to me. I think." Gelimer hadn't been wrong. Outside of the mechs with weapons of mass destruction, unmanned rampaging mechs with the sole desire to kill, and foreign students with sharp pointy objects; IS academy was a pretty safe place.

"That's something we have in common." Houki said.

Jayden stilled. "You were kidnapped to!?"

"Kidnapped? No. Forced to attend? Yes. Remember, my sister created the world's most powerful weapon. I guess she figured eventually someone, or some group would try to kidnap the people she loved most and use them as hostages to make her do things. When Tabane divided the 467 IS cores among all the countries in the world, there's a reason Japan got the most of all the countries."

That did explain a lot.

"The Japanese government went to great measures to protect me and my family. I was moved to many towns during my middle school years. It wasn't uncommon for my family to stay in one town for a few months and then be forced to move to another without notice. And before I knew it, not only were my parents also not living with me anymore but my big sister who'd started all this had disappeared to hide herself from the world. And since I was her little sister, I was under constant surveillance."

Houki thought about the many friends and relationships she had to sever for her own safety. How many? She'd stopped counting at some point after 10. The most important one to her that she had to leave behind was Ichika.

"I had to leave everyone behind, even Ichika. But he didn't give up. Somehow, a letter he sent managed to reach me. He talked about how school was going, the new friends he made, and how much he missed me. It felt so good hearing from him. But due to safety reasons, I wasn't allowed to respond."

"Houki…"

"Ichika didn't give up on me, and I wasn't going to do the same. So, I continued doing the only thing I had left of our bond. Training." She recalled the countless times she swung her sword. "I figured that if I trained like hell, one day I would see Ichika again. That was my path to power, and what drove me forward."

"That's… wow." Jayden wasn't sure how to respond to that.

"And when the news broke out how Ichika became the first man to be able to use an IS, I knew that he was going to end up in IS academy. Imagine my surprise when I was told that I would be attending IS Academy for my own protection. It was almost like fate wanted us to meet once again."

"So, you came here in the end."

That she did, and when she reunited with Ichika Houki felt… disappointed. She'd learned that Ichika had given up kendo after she was forced to move, and it was like the connection they had vanished without a trace. Even worse, Houki almost felt like she'd been replaced when Rin transferred to the academy.

"But regardless of what happened, I want to show everyone my strength and win to get what I want."

"You mean the tickets to that super expensive restaurant. Can't blame ya for wanting to eat five-star food." He never took Houki for a foodie. "We get two tickets each if we win. Who are you gonna ask out if you win?"

"Someone I'm fond of."

"Who?"

"Ichika."

Houki clasped her hand over her mouth one second too late.

"Ichika? Man you must be really fond of the guy. If I didn't know any better I'd say…" Jayden wasn't use to love, heck he barely anything about it. And yet Houki's answer sparked a thought in him. Houki seemed to really like Ichika. The ways she looked at him, the worry she showed during the unmanned IS rampage, and even her story just now. The rusted gears in his head started to turn as one dot connected to the next and the next. "Oh my god… You and Ichika! Ichika and you…"

Houki had never wished she could rewind time until now.

"Houki do you… like Ichika?"

Houki looked like she wanted to crawl under the biggest rock in the country and never come out.

"Oh my god you do! Oh man. You like Ichika!"

Jayden's eyes widened while Houki's shrank. She tried being nice and ended up accidently telling her biggest secret to Jayden. At least things couldn't get any worse.

"Wait till Ichika hears this!"

Well, what do you know? They could.

Him knowing her crush was one thing. But him blurting it out loud to Ichika may as well be the end of her world. Without warning she got up and hoisted Jayden up by the collar of his shirt, to look him dead in the eyes. People were starting to stare but Houki didn't give a damn. This problem had to be nipped in the bud immediately.

"Listen and listen good. You are to NEVER speak about what I just said to anyone. Especially Ichika. Because if you do, there is no force on this Earth that will keep you safe from my blade. Do you understand?"

If looks could kill, Jayden wouldn't be among the living anymore. He nodded his head like his life depended on it.

"Swear it on your life."

"I swear! I swear on my life!"

"Good." She released his shirt and buried her head in her hands.

So Houki truly had a crush on Ichika? That's what Jayden thought as he picked himself off the ground. It explained a lot of her weird actions. Teaming up with him, training so hard, and involving her sister all for the sake of her crush. As a thirteen-year-old, Jayden had the base ideas of what love. All he knew came from movies, tv, and books on what love was. Two people liked each other and wanted to be with each other.

"Hey Houki? Can I ask you a question?"

She rose her head from her hands. "Yes… I like Ichika."

"Not that. It's kinda weird but maybe you know.

"Just say it."

What's being in love like?"

That wasn't a question she had expected.

"Does that even matter?"

"It does to me. I've never been in love before, like with a girl. I've seen it in stories but you're the first person I've ever seen. You're doing all this because you love someone, so I wanna know what it's like. Is it like loving a parent? I mean, I love my dad."

"It's… complicated."

Complicated seemed to be Houki's favorite word. "Can you un-complicate it?"

She paused for a moment to think about how to put it best. "For starters it's not exactly like family love. Close to it but different. It's like a feeling inside you that you'd do anything for someone else. You would fight through anything for the sake that person. To see them smile. To be with them. And on your end, it makes you feel like the happiest person ever. Does that help explain it?"

Honestly that explanation left Jayden even more puzzled than before.

"Sorry. That's the best I can put it."

"Honestly you're not too far off my dear." A voice spoke from behind the bench. "There are many forms of love and no one way to define it." Rolan walked in front to make herself known.

"Rorentsuine!? What are you doing here?" Houki's face scowled.

"Please, call me Rolan my dear. And I was just practicing the fine art of eavesdropping. But may I say you look quite lovely today my samurai."

"You're a lot of things Rolan, but I didn't realize stalker was one of them."

"I do a lot for love, but I would never stalk anyone." Rolan defended. "I was finishing up a date with a lovely lady from school. Had a nice day at an art museum. Even ran into a few teachers from school. Anyway, we had just wrapped up our and date and going out separate ways." Jayden and Houki turned their heads to see a girl from IS Academy blowing a kiss Rolan's way. "And then I saw one of my favorite girls strangling the guy I keep running into. I just had to say hello."

Jayden looked impressed, maybe she wasn't joking about the 99 girlfriends she had. Houki didn't look to be any mood to talk with her. So, Jayden did it for her. "You mentioned something about what love is."

Rolan helped herself to a seat in between them. "There's no one true definition for love. Everyone has their own interpretation of what love is and why they do it. Some do it for money, some for social standing, and others because they want to be with someone special. Love is what you make of it, that goes for everyone. But I didn't stop by just to talk about philosophy, I came here for you Houki."

Shinonono rolled her eyes. "No."

"Ouch, so cold. I didn't even ask you yet. But I'm not here to ask for your heart. I'm here to ask for your hand. In combat."

Jayden and Houki shared a look of confusion.

"Word on the street is that you're looing for a partner for tomorrow's tournament. And I need one as well. There are so many girls asking to team up with me, but I know when an angel needs aid."

"What?" That request made Houki break her silence.

"Sorry but that information is outdated. Houki and I are already a team." Jayden said.

"Seriously? You two are a team." Rolan did her best to stifle a laugh. "Let me rephrase that then. Ditch this guy and team up with me."

Jayden could tolerate quite a bit, but this girl was starting to test his patience. "Just ignore her Houki. She's just saying whatever she can to get to you."

"I'm being honest. I know I can fly circles around you in an Infinite Stratos. Don't take this the wrong way but you're not that great in IS combat."

Was there supposed to be a right way to take that?

"You're a beginner IS pilot, and you can do some cool things every once in a while, Jayden, but you can't do them consistently. I've seen some of your battles, and it's like flipping a coin on if you do good or blow it. Sorry to say, but you're gonna be left behind compared to Houki."

Jayden wasn't gonna go lying down without a fight. "Look here you stupid heart snatcher. Don't think that because you know a lot about love and how to get a woman's heart that doesn't mean you can take what you want. Houki isn't yours."

"Same to you. Then why not let the lady choose for herself? I'm guessing you chose Jayden because you wanted a personal IS user and Jayden was the only choice left." Rolan's deduction was right on the money. She rested her arms behind her head. "Well, if you want a better option, I'll offer myself my dear."

"Don't listen to her Houki. I've got my own IS, much better than a training unit she'd use."

"I've seen your IS and it's much better than a training unit. But I don't use training units. I prefer to use my personal IS in combat."

"Exactly. So just-"Jayden paused. "Wh-what'd you say?" He'd heard Rolan say the words my personal IS. Now she had Jayden and Houki's full attention.

"My personal IS unit." Rolan repeated.

"A personal IS!" Houki blinked. "But that would mean you're a-"

"Allow me to introduce myself once more. My name is Rorentsuine Laurent di Fil Ney. But you can call me Rolan for short. I'm the Cadet Representative of Holland. Pleasure to make your acquaintance." She finished her new introduction with a bow.

"No way…" Jayden and Houki scanned Rolan's entire body to find any accessory that could remotely be considered as an IS unit. No necklaces, earrings, or anything that could be an IS unit in an inactive state.

"Looking for something like this?" From her pocket, Rolan pulled out a black choker and attached it around her neck. "I'm not very fond of wearing jewelry and trinkets, doesn't feel right to me." She only brought out her IS for show for testing or when she needed to play a trump card to impress. In this case, it was the latter.

"Y-You're lying."

She was going to enjoy this. Rolan struck a pose with her held out her hand and in a flash of light, her arm was covered in a black metal with a green oval encased across it filled with some sort of energy. They both recognized this as a partial deployment. That choker on Rolan's neck was the real deal.

"You really are a cadet representative." Houki acknowledged. And that IS pattern, Houki recognized seeing a girl with in an IS with that bright orange color design mixed with emerald-like green. Both of them were sword users, although from what she recalled, Rolan favored the rapier as her weapon of choice.

Rolan let out a chuckle. "What can I say? I'm a knockout both in looks and on the battlefield. Well, Houki, who do you want. Jayden or me?"

"This is ridiculous. Let's just go Houki." Jayden started to walk away only to realize he was walking alone. Houki was still there looking to be in deep thought. "Houki?"

"Hush Jayden. Let her decide."

Another option had presented itself, she had to at last think about it. Houki had her eyes closed as she considered the pros and cons of both pilots. Skill was no contest, Rolan was better hands down. As a cadet representative she probably had years of training compared to how many months Jayden had. Like he'd confessed, Jayden hadn't truly begun IS training since he arrived in Japan.

Then there were the IS units. Jayden's Edel Gleam specialized in its high shield energy and defenses. Not to mention his shield was… what was the word? Impenetrable? Yeah, that worked. His shield had managed to stop any attack that came its way. It was a mighty tool, but the only one in his arsenal. Rolan had a rapier for a weapon, she knew that much at least. But considering this was the IS of a cadet representative, it was bound to have more weapons hidden in it. If it was between offense or defense in an IS battle, Houki preferred offense.

The only other thing to consider was Rolan's flirting and advances onto her. She could just hear the pickup lines spewing from her mouth over the next two days. On the plus side, if she did choose Rolan, the deal she made with Jayden about introducing him to her sister would be null and void.

Everything was looking Rolan. Some unwanted advances would be a small price to pay for the strength of a cadet representative on her team. That was what Houki believed after reviewing the facts.

So, what was this feeling in her gut? Her mind said one thing, but everything else was saying another.

She peeked one eye open to examine Jayden who was on the verge of making himself slippery with sweat. Houki was aware her attitude at times could be less than pleasant. And she'd admit regrettably that her anger could get the best of her on occasion. And through her outbursts and assaults, Jayden was still with her. Any hit Houki threw at him verbal or physical, he'd take it and come right back. And then there was the promise to work together to win. And here she was considering to ditch him at the last minute for someone offering better.

Her decision was made.

"Rolan."

Rolan's face rose while Jayden's lowered.

"Thank you for you offer but I'll decline."

"What?"

"What?"

Jayden and Rolan asked in unison, each their jaws hung open.

"As much as I want to win, I want to do it with my own power. Not have someone else do it for me."

Rolan's blank stare met Houki's. For the first time the white haired girl looked nervous. "You can't be serious. You actually want a weaker partner?"

"He may be lacking in skill, but I believe in Jayden's defenses as well as his ingenuity. He'd better than you think he is. He'd stick with me and wouldn't try to take someone else's team mate away." Houki referenced a specific someone who wouldn't be named. Okay fine, it was Rolan. "And finally, we promised each other to team up. And like someone important taught me, my word is my bond." Houki's face turned a hint of red after saying that.

"But… but…"

"I've made my decision, and that's final."

"Ms. Shinonono you-"

"You heard her make her choice." Jayden cut her off. "Now go."

Rolan was no stranger to rejection, it happened when you went after so many love interests. But this kind of rejection where she'd lost to this boy. It felt insulting. Like losing a footrace to wheel-chair bound kid. If one listened closely, they could hear Rolan grind her teeth in frustration.

"If that's what you want, then I won't bother you anymore for now. Just hope that you two don't face me in the arena." She gave Houki one last smile before taking her leave.

Once she was gone, Jayden felt a wave of relief watch over him. "Thanks for sticking with me. Did you really mean all that about me?"

"Parts of it…" Some of it Houki had to make up as she went along. But the parts about his loyalty and the promise. Those were 100% genuine.

Jayden gave a smile. "You really are a nice person Houki. Even though we were both forced to come to this place, I'm really glad I met you."

Houki wasn't blushing. It was just the setting sun shining on her.

"I'll say the same." Houki coughed into her sleeve. "I turned down a cadet representative for you, so you'd better not make me regret it tomorrow."

"Don't worry, I'll take on anyone tomorrow."

/-/

The sun was beginning to set just as the monorail doors opened to let people off at IS Academy. Houki trekked behind Jayden albeit at a slower pace, the former looking exhausted after everything that happened.

"Are you always this exhausted after coming back from the mainland?" Houki was looking done with the world around her.

Jayden waved his hand in a so-so manner. "It varies. Some days can be a lot more hectic than others; I think this is the first time my disguise stayed intact all day. But I'm doing pretty good all things considered. I hope today wasn't too awful for you."

"It was." Houki spared no feelings. She caught the defeated look in Jayden's eyes after saying that.

"I'm sorry for the bad day. I really did want it to be just training. I didn't mean to make you bitter with…" The groping or Rolan. Which of those two was the least terrible?

"It's fine. I've decided to forgive you for…" Houki coughed as her cheeks went the lightest tint of red. "You know what I mean… J-just don't bring it up ever again."

"Got it."

"Although, I did have a good time roller skating with you. It was fun." It warmed his heart hearing that. At least some good had managed to come out of today. "You're surprisingly good at skating. Is it a hobby of yours?"

Jayden shook his head. "I just had a really good teacher, her name's Natasha. She's a speed demon on the rink and a beast in an IS. Taught me everything I know about skating."

"Natasha?" Houki recalled Jayden mentioning that name earlier. "Is she a friend of yours? Relative?"

"Friend." Jayden answered. "Well, teacher would be a better word. And not just in skating. She's the one who saved me when I was being kidnapped, so I owe her my life. Not only that, but it was also her who taught me the basics of IS movements and made learning fun. She's a really good teacher." It'd been months since he'd seen her in person, hopefully he could change that one of these days.

Houki nodded along, half paying attention to what Jayden was saying. Someone approaching them from behind. Turning her head, Houki saw a blonde woman walking toward them with an excited look across her face. A look that resembled a cheshire cat grinning ear to ear. The woman made a shh motion as she crept up behind Jayden. "This Natasha person… does she have long wavy blond hair, blue eyes, American, and looks somewhere in her mid-twenties?"

Those were some odd questions Houki asked. Even odder was that all those traits could be used to describe Natasha. "Do you know Natasha?"

Houki motioned for Jayden to turn around.

The woman behind him was about to cover his eyes from behind. Her grin flipped into a pout, crossing her arms underneath her bust. "Aww… You're no fun."

"N-Natasha!" He was taken aback before rubbing his eyes and pinching his arm. Yup, she was still here. "You're here! You're actually here!?" Without warning he wrapped his arms around her to give the biggest hug he could. Natasha returned the gesture by patting him on the head.

"It's been a long time. You really missed me?

"Of course! What are you doing here? Not that I'm not happy to see you, but shouldn't you be on the other side of the planet?"

"I'm here for two reasons." Natasha held up one finger. "First, many officials from countries will be arriving tomorrow to watch the tournament to scout out potential future pilots. I'm here to assist with the scouting. Second." Another finger rose. "I'm also to help provide security. With so many of the academy's IS machine being used for the tournament a couple nations were asked to send in some extra help in case someone or something occurs. Like say a rampaging unmanned IS came to cause trouble. It was Gelimer himself who recommended me"

Jayden seemed confused. "But you're just an average pilot. You don't even have an IS."

"You're only half right. I was an average pilot." She corrected. "Since you've been gone, I've been putting in a lot of hard work. Now I'm representing America as a cadet."

Jayden gasped. "You don't mean!"

"I do mean."

"Congratulations!" He wasn't even upset that she'd become a cadet representative before him, Jayden just looked so happy for her. "When did this happen?"

"A few weeks ago."

"And you didn't tell me?"

"I wanted to save it for in person. I wanted to see that excited look you make when you deal with IS related things." With the look Jayden was giving, it was well worth it.

"So, where's your Personal IS? Wait! Don't tell me." He closely inspected every accessory Natasha had on her. It was only when he got to her face did, he notice the new sunglasses Natasha had resting on her head. "Your sunglasses! That must be its closed form." He reached out for them only for Natasha to lightly push his hand away.

"No touchie the shades. Sorry to disappoint you but my IS isn't ready yet. It's in development. I'd love to tell you about it, but I'm under NDA so…" So playfully zipped her lips shut.

"Come on Natasha, you can't just tell me you're getting an IS and not tell me details. Please!? I won't tell a soul. I'll take it to my grave if I have to." With the determination in his eyes, he maybe wasn't kidding about that last part.

A finger came up and twirled into a lock of golden hair, twisting it around her finger. "All right Jayden, I'll tell you one thing." She pulled Jayden close to whisper into his ear. "This IS will be a collaboration between America and another country. Together they're going to try to make an IS that's more powerful than any third generation IS that's been built." She smiled seeing the stars in Jayden's eyes. When she got that IS, she'd give Jayden an up-close look at it. "But enough about what's new with me. How about you? You told me your IS managed to obtain its first shift? Am I going to see it when you compete tomorrow?"

"Oh definitely. Me and Houki are competing, and you'll get to see how far I've come. Oh right! This is Houki, one of the friends I made. She'll be my partner in the tournament tomorrow."

Houki had remained silent the entire time those two conversed. The dynamic they shared reminded her of a relationship between an older and younger sibling. "My name is Houki Shinonono. Nice to meet you."

"Ah! So, you're Houki Shinonono. I've heard a lot about you."

another comparison between her and her sister.

"Gelimer talks about your sister a lot when he rants, and sometimes your name gets dragged into it. Honestly, you don't look as dumb as he says you are."

It didn't make her feel any better.

"So are you two just friends or…"

Jayden opened his mouth to talk but Houki beat him to it. "We're just friends. Tournament partners for now and nothing more."

"I kid I kid. This one's too shy to try to go anywhere beyond friendship with a girl. Maybe in a few years."

Jayden's cheeks started to turn a light shade of pink

The blonde let out a laugh, rubbing Jayden's head. Even a few months apart wouldn't stop Natasha from treating Jayden like a little kid.

"It's been fun Jayden, but I need to get myself unpacked. I'll be rooting for you, and here's some motivation."

Natasha crouched down to wrap her arms around him.

By now a few people were starting to look their way, a lot of students who were wondering who the attractive blonde American was and why she on the verge of squeezing the life out of him.

"Good luck Jayden." She gave a wink before heading towards the main building. Jayden's brain had all but shut down, leaving him speaking gibberish.

"So, you've got a thing for older girls?" Houki noted. "Pervert."

That brought Jayden back to reality. "T-That's not it! Natasha's just really friendly. She's like the kind of person to really show their affection. She's just friendly." His mind flashed back to the kiss she gave him at the end of his kidnapping. Yup. Really friendly.

"Is that it? Because from my view of your face it looked like you were really enjoying that hug, she gave."

"T-That's…" This was a losing battle. Time for a subject change. "That's not important. We definitely have to win now. We'll have so many nations watching us, all the more reason to give it everything we have."

"Tell me something I don't know." Houki sighed. "I've had enough meetings for today. I'll see you tomorrow, Jayden. You better be ready."

He was carrying more expectations on his back than ever to do well. Everyone was going to have their eyes on him when he fought. Keeping his IS and meeting the inventor of all IS everything hinged on how well he fought. Tomorrow, Jayden would fight with all the strength he could muster.

/-/

Ms. Sedgewick's eyes were reading over the paper in her hands. Across from her Yua Tani had her arms folded as she watched the teacher intensely. Every red mark that the teacher made on the page prompted a wince from the student.

Eventually Olivia let the paper fall to the table. A bright red 71 in the corner in the upper corner.

"Finally!" Yua pumped a fist in the air.

"I wouldn't say getting a 71 is cause for celebration." Olivia advised. A score like that was barely above a passing score.

"I'm not happy cause I passed. I'm glad cause now I can leave."

"Very well then. I hope you learned something from this tutoring session."

"Yeah, that you're a terrible tutor." Yua thought. She had tutors before and what Ms. Sedgewick had done was not tutoring. All the teachers had done was drop some textbooks in front of her and told her to come take a mock test when she was ready. It felt more like she was being forced to study and take a mock test afterwards. Only after the seventh attempt did she finally pass. Barely.

"Since you've passed, you're free to go Ms. Tani."

"Yeah whatever. Thanks for nothing." She gave a half-wave before leaving. Her mind was too exhausted to the point where all she wanted was to get some sleep.

"No Ms. Tani, thank you." Olivia leaned back in her chair. Reaching into her pocket she pulled out the result of all her efforts today. A keycard. With this little thing in her hand, she could access everything she needed to at IS Academy.

And some of the security at ISA may noticed a few glitches in the system today. Though now, she had the perfect alibi. Ask Olivia what she was doing this day, she could say she was tutoring Yua all day long.

It had taken Yua seven tries to get a passing score. Seeing a student of IS Academy struggle this much made her wonder if that girl was even cut out for a place like this. If she was struggling, that wasn't her problem. Yua never bothered to check her answers, had she done so she'd been finished a lot quicker. Truth be told, Yua was able to pass on her third test attempt, but she had to stay a bit longer to strengthen the alibi.

The teacher pocketed the keycard in her lab coat. The basement of IS Academy was hers to explore when she had a good opportunity. She doubted there'd be anyone there when all eyes were on students competing in the tournament tomorrow.

And speaking of the tournament…

Olivia checked on a file on her laptop. A little project she'd been working on for a long while. The tournament would be the perfect opportunity for a field test. All she needed was someone ignorant and gullible enough to use it.

And Yua was overqualified.

It's been a long time coming but the tournament is now upon us. Next time, the school wide tournament officially begins. I've been planning this out for a while, getting everything set up and managing each of the upcoming battles. If you like IS battles you won't wanna miss what comes next. Get ready for action.

Leave a favorite and follow if you enjoyed the story. Also let me know what you think in the reviews. I love hearing fan feedback, questions, criticisms, and more.

Keep your sense of wonder and I'll see you next time.

Reviewing Reviewers

B123: I wanted to give Vishnu something to do and have her show off her IS. In a world of guns having a bow and arrow gives some unique attacks against Laura. I felt Laura was always cruel at this point in the story, looking down on the other pilots for the difference in power. And don't worry, there will be plenty of matches coming up.

Anubis-Bahamut: Thank you so much for the kind words. I wanted to make Jayden a realistic OC, one who has a normal backstory. Making the story like, the ordinary meeting the extraordinary. The omakes are some of my favorite parts to write, I love getting the chance to put the characters in crazy/what if scenarios. Thanks for the words of confidence, stay tuned for what comes next.

To the guest who left the review on chapter 17, thanks for your words. It helped give me the motivation to push through and finish this chapter. My life is busy where I have trouble finding time to write but I'll continue to push out more story.

Omake

"Club members rejoice! I declare the third gathering of Alpha Male Club to officially begin." Marissa Hollybell rose her fist in the air. "To find the Alpha male!"

"To find the Alpha male!" The entire club minus one answered back. That minus one being the girl named Rinko. In a chair she sat off to the side, watching as girls settled themselves down and awaited their leader's next words. This whole thing felt ridiculous. Why was she here again?

Oh right, someone had to keep this club in check.

The audience looked to be awaiting Marissa's every word with bated breath. "We've been blessed with a wonderful gift! Another male who has the ability to pilot the Infinite Stratos had joined our beloved academy. Charles Dunois! With his addition a new contender has joined the fray for the title of Alpha Male. Girls." She snapped her fingers. Her assistants Kat and Anna wheeled in the whiteboard. Once divided into two sections, now it was split into thirds to make room for Charles. With a quick thanks to her assistants, Marissa continued.

"He's a representative cadet from France. Not to mention he's such a gentleman. Already he stands out compared other boys here. And on a personal note, that guy is like a sunny day in the Savannah desert if you know what I mean." Marissa faked-fanned herself for emphasis. "Kat, does our newcomer have his eyes on anyone?"

"From what we've seen, no. But we're run through some hypothetical scenarios and believe there's a high probability Mr. Dunois and Ms. Bodewig will end up as a fan favorite couple." Kat answered.

There were some confused looks in the crowd. Laura Bodewig had only been at IS Academy for a short time, but she'd left quite the impression as someone you didn't want to get involved with. And somehow that girl would end up falling for the blonde gentlemen?

"Care to explain your reasoning?" Marissa asked.

"Both Charles and Laura transferred in around the same. Being the newbies in a place like this, they're bound to get along eventually over their unfamiliarity with IS Academy. And once they hang out, a spark of passion will ignite."

The reasoning made some sense. People were starting to get on board with the idea.

"I guess they would be kind of cute together."

"Like a prince and princess?"

"Yeah. I'm seeing it now!"

"I bet they'd do adorable things like eat mixed berry crepes."

"Ooh ooh! I bet they would wear matching pajamas to bed."

"That's it. I'm totally shipping them now."

"We tried reaching Ms. Bodewig for a comment but all she did was glare at us and walk away." Anna shuddered. That glare Laura gave, it was like she was about to destroy them. "But we were able to snap a photo of her. Although we'll need a new camera, our old one has a knife stuck in it." The photo was added to the board on Charles's section giving the potential alpha male his first girl on the board.

"Excellent work ladies. You never fail to deliver. What else do you have for us?"

Kat and Anna shared a nervous look.

"Well? Out with it. Don't be shy."

"We have nothing else to report." They spoke in unison.

"Eh?"

"Apologies Marissa. My sister and I have been busy practicing for the upcoming IS tournament. Because of that we've had little time to look into other potential love interests for the males."

So, there were no knew love interests to talk about. Marissa bit her thumb. Everything would be okay. She could BS her way through the rest of the meeting. She glanced up at the clock… wow that was a lot of time to fill. But no fret, there was another option.

"Sally, tell what new products are available."

In the back of the room, Sally was sitting at the merch table playing around with a rubex cube. Sally was the girl who'd Marissa put in charge to create new alpha male products for purchase and manage supplies. Hey any good franchise needed merchandise to capitalize on the hype. The table however was completely bare of objects.

"Huh? Oh right. I have nothing." Sally said.

Marissa blinked. "What do you mean you have nothing!?"

"I mean I have nothing. Can't make it any simpler."

Marissa's eye twitched. "I mean why do you not have anything to sell in the first place. I made you head of sales."

"I've been busy."

Face meet palm. "Let me guess. The upcoming tournament?"

"Nah, I've been trying to solve this puzzle." Sally raised the rubex cube she'd been fumbling with for the past few days. It looked no closer to being complete than when she'd started.

There was no point in talking about old products. "Dang it Sally. I'm docking your pay for this."

"I'm getting paid? Awesome!"

Marissa pulled on the ends of her twin tailed hair. Maybe choosing your head of sales based on a name out of a hat was a poor decision on hindsight. Now… how was she supposed to put on a show without any show? There had to be a topic worth talking about. Previous girls? Too old. Recent accomplishments? She had no information of what they did. She desperately scoured the room for help, and she found it. Someone who'd never let her down.

"Vice President Rinko! Do you have anything for us to talk about?" Rinko had a malicious grin on her face. That was good sign, right?

"Nope." While Rinko wasn't a malicious person, she was finding some joy seeing Marissa struggle.

The hope had died out as quickly as it shone. Why did her staff pick today of all days to be useless? She could already hear the bored yawns of the devoted club members. It was only a matter of time before people started getting up and leave. And with them all their money er… spirit. Alpha Male club was finished. It wasn't like there was something in the works that wasn't ready to be shown.

Well… there was that one thing. A small pet project of hers. When you had too much time on your hands, you had to fill it with something. There was always a chance it could come in handy one day.

And that day was today.

"Since we don't have anything new about the students to talk about, this is a perfect time to start our next club discussion. Don't forget, we have more than just male students at our academy." Marissa scurried out and returned wheeling in another blank board on wheels. Marissa gave the board a hard spin making it continuously turn over and over. When she had all eyes locked on it, she stopped the board dead cold to let them read.

Gelimer Brightton's love life betting pool!

And that wasn't all. On the board we're a list of names and groups of people.

Chifuyu Orimura

Maya Yamada

Olivia Sedgewick

The principal

A female student

A male student

Someone, a girl in the crowd clapped awkwardly. When no one joined in she let it die out.

Rinko smacked a palm to her forehead. "God dammit Marissa."

"Now I know what you're all thinking. 'Marissa you cute loveable genius'" She playfully winked. "'Mr. Brighton is a teacher, not a student. There's no way he can be an alpha male.' And to that I saw you're absolutely right. While he can never walk among the alphas of the male race, there's much to be learned in his dating tactics. Lately I've noticed him becoming chummy with some of the staff. Now's the time to prove your stuff and figure out who he'll get funky with!"

The crowd didn't seem to share Marissa's excitement.

"But I don't think he's interested in romance. Every time I see him, he's always talking about the Infinite Stratos." A girl in the club said out loud.

"Isn't he too old to be worth talking about?"

"I think he's in his twenties?"

"Twenties? With hair that white? Nah. Gotta be in his nineties."

"He gave me a D. I don't like him."

"Meh."

The club president's hype wasn't spreading like she'd hoped. Time for a last last resort.

"Of course, the club will be adding a catch to spice things up. Use what you know to make your prediction on who our only favorite male teacher does the deed with. And if you're feeling dicey you can add a little moola to your bet. Or a lot! The more you bet, the higher your pay off should you call right!"

Like flipping a switch, the excitement in the crowd turned on. Even with girls of multiple nationalities in one room, money was a universal language.

"Take your bets everyone. Use what you've learned and let me know who you think our one and only male teacher will tie the knot with. Good luck and may- YEEOUCH!"

Marissa felt a sharp pain on her ear. Rinko held the club president's ear in a vice grip, dragging outside for a little chat.

"Oooww Rinko. What are you doing?"

"That should be mine line." The club was three meetings in, and already they'd evolved from senseless violence to underage gambling. Obsessing over boys in a contest to romance girls and selling shady merchandise was something she somehow tolerated. But having people gamble over who their male teacher did the deed with? A line had to be drawn at some point and this was it. "You can't be serious about this."

"What's the big deal?" The angry glare Rinko gave her had Marissa raise her hands up defensively. "It's just a club activity."

"It's gambling."

"Hey! It isn't gambling. It's just encouraging club members to wager something of value on an event with an uncertain outcome for the intent of winning something else of equal or greater value."

"Y-You literally just defined gambling!"

"Huh… So, I did." Marissa shrugged her shoulders. "Oh well."

"Oh well? What do you mean 'oh well'? How about putting a stop to it?"

"I don't see what the big problem is. They're free to engage in freedom of discussion and spending money to try to win more money and I'm free to make profit from an activity by preying on addictive and destructive habits. Two wrongs make a right. Right?"

"Wrong. Last chance Marissa. Put a stop this or I'll report these actions to the principal."

"The Principal! Rinko…" For once, it seemed Rinko managed to pierce through her thick skull.

Rinko didn't want to be a tattletale, but the whistle had to be blown at this point. The teachers had brushed her off thinking she was joking or going insane. The principal however may take this seriously if she mentioned the gambling going on now. There were rumors that the principal was eccentric but those had to be rumors.

"Rinko… You're a genius!"

"Huh?"

Rinko's hands were snatched up in Marissa's. "Every school club needs an advisor. Without one we could be shut down or worse. Deemed unofficial! If we get the school principal to be our club advisor, we'd be the most powerful club in the school! I knew there was a reason I made you vice president." There were stars in her eyes just imaging the power she'd wield. And to make that imagination into reality, Marissa ran off to find the principal.

Rinko pinched the tip of her nose. This would be fine. Everything would be fine. The principal would dismantle this excuse for a club and things could go back to normal. It wasn't like their school principal was as impulsive and reckless and Marissa.

…

…

…

Oh shit.

"MARISSA GET BACK HERE!"

The search for the alpha male has taken a detour. I'm sure they'll find their way back on the path.