The first thing Takato Mei did when she saw Yuki again was continually flick him on the forehead. Each one getting more rough.

Yuki could only try and shield himself from the onslaught of painful flicks.

The others were simply watching with satisfied looks or just ignoring them completely.

"Ow, ow, ow! Mei! Please, stop! It really hurts!"

"That's what you get for being a complete idiot and making trouble for Shinoda-san and the other directors. Now they are put in an odd position. I'm sure you just did it because you wanted to fight and not because you wanted to improve the image of the Yagura Branch."

Yuki backed away to look at Mei face-to-face.

He knew that what she was saying was correct. Showing off in front of that crowd was a major factor into his plan. Troubling Director Shinoda was not something he wanted, but he felt like he had to show his former squad something that was important.

Mei clearly understood that, but she said nothing since she also knew that it would just make the directors even more mad at him.

"Look... All I need to do is win against those trion soldiers. You and Sawamura-san are going to be monitoring everything and creating the trion soldiers, right? That means things will go smoothly. You knows my limits as well as I do, so you can tell Sawamura-san."

"No. I don't think you even know your limits. You tend to go overboard most of the time. Sorry. That's wrong. You go overboard all of the time."

"I haven't lately."

"That is because of your squad. You were afraid of really going all out in front of them since you wanted to keep up the image."

The ones speaking made sure that Arashiyama and Kuruma were not listening and instead were doing something else.

Their voices were low while they words continued to hit the parts they knew would hurt in their own way.

The only other ones to pay attention were Akasora and Shinoda.

"You wanted them to see you as 'Tsukiko Yuki' so badly that you held yourself back from really fighting. That was why I was worried when you faced off against that humanoid Neighbor."

"Hey, think about it some more. This means I won't need a limited area since no one else will be around."

"You aren't even listening to me. Hm... Either way, this does not mean you should go around destroying everything in sight. Those reporters will use whatever they can to get a scoop. If you start destroying buildings without any remorse then they will consider that when they turn in their reports."

"We will be live. They can't complain. They will also be there, so there is no way they can lie about anything. But that also means more than just the reporters will see you. Other agents will also see you fighting. If you want to keep up this 'Tsukiko Yuki' thing then you need to be careful."

Yuki nodded his head. He looked at his teacher and pseudo-teacher with a serious expression. The truth they were saying got through to him clearly. Staying focused while also being careful was how he would have to do things for this fight.

A few things were riding on this presentation. All of those reporters would be there to watch, it would be live for anyone else to watch, this would show the strength of Yagura Branch and it's members, and it would also put Yuki in a sort of spotlight that would allow his former squad to see him.

That just meant there was more than there should have been to this.

"Alright then... Shall we get started?"

There was a certain house with multiple flowers blooming proudly and hornets flying around without a care in the world. It was small but the garden filled with flowers brought out every aspect of the small house. This was the house that belonged to a certain sniper-girl.

Within the house was a woman with long haired that was tied in a braid. It fell over her shoulder and onto her long green dress. Her facial features were soft with not a single hint of her actual age being shown.

Sitting next to her was a small girl with short hair that looked no older than seven years of age. She seemed energetic with each movement containing a bounce in it that only children could provide.

"Hey, hey, hey, isn't Nee-chan going to watch? That's Yuki-chan, isn't it? Shouldn't she be seriously watching?"

"Mitsubachi-chan, you should show more respect for Kiyoshi-kun. He is a well respected person in Border. Not to mention that he is a frequent visitor to the flower shop."

"Right, right, right. Sorry. But still, isn't Nee-chan going to watch Yuki-san have fun?"

"I do not believe that he sees fighting Neighbors as a form of entertainment. He has to show that he is a strong boy in front of everyone."

"But... Yuki-san looked so happy when he said that he would seriously be fighting Neighbors again. It was seriously there! I really, really, really saw a smile on his face! He was seriously happy!"

The older Misaki was always amazed when her youngest daughter managed to find such small details with anyone she was fond of. From where she was, Misaki could not see Yuki's expression too well on the screen, yet her daughter could tell that he had a smile on his face.

Both of her daughters were amazing with her youngest having a pretty discerning eye while her older daughter was a member of Border, as well a well-known doujinshi maker. She herself was a simple flower lady.

Getting passed her amazing children, Misaki called out while facing behind herself.

"Suzumebachi-chan! Do you not want to see Kiyoshi-kun!? He appears to be starting!"

It was a bit rough to make out but she could hear her daughter yell back,

"I'm fine! I am working on some new lyrics to go with this volume! You can just tell me what happens!"

Misaki got a light frown as she put her hand in her cheek.

"Oh dear... It seems that she is still distraught over this whole ordeal."

Her older daughter had not been the same since after the recent invasion. She knew the reason for it but said nothing about it.

All she could do right now was continue to be a patient mother.

.

Even though she had told her mother that she would be busy with something else, Suzume sat in bed with a laptop in front of her. On the screen was the beginning of the one vs one hundred match between her former captain and the Neighbors that Border artificially created within that specific space.

She had heard Director Netsuki and Director Kinuta explain to the press that they were completely safe and that the Neighbors could not get out of that space. It was the truth and she knew it, that was why she tuned them out almost once they started.

Now she just had to focus on this fight.

"Yuki-san... I want to see if we were really holding you back. Please show me what you can honestly do when we aren't in your way. After that, I can tell how much work we need to do."

She spoke to herself since she knew that the older male could not actually hear her.

She was not mad like Toby or even more anti-social like Takeshi. All she felt from this whole thing was sadness that would not go away. She wanted to see if this would do anything for her as a person.

She knew that among the three of them that she was the only one watching this fight right now. That meant it was her responsibility to learn from this and go from there.

Yuki let out a small sigh as he looked over the artificial city under him.

He stood on top of a radio tower with an open area in front of him. Two buildings looking like apartment complexes were to his right while a few store buildings were to his left. Behind him was a city with high buildings. Behind that was a clear area with a bridge in the middle of it.

He knew that there were still five or so minutes until everything would begin. In that time he would plan out what his first few actions would be. He had been told that the materialization of the trion soldiers would be random and not directly to him.

When two minutes went by, he heard a voice from one of the two people controlling the area.

GM Aide: "Tsukiko, are you ready? To go over everything once more while the reports are getting settled in... Shitokei and I will be materializing fifty different trion soldier with varying level of power. They will be set in random places. This will be to show the reports the amount of time it would take you to get to a location from your current point. A timer will be show on the screen for them to see, but not for you."

White Fox: "That's fine. From what you guys mentioned before, as well as taking into consideration the amount of time the invasion took, I can guess I have around an hour in total."

GM Aide: "I cannot confirm nor deny that statement due to the directors wanting to keep that from you."

White Fox: "That's fine. I've already locked in that time in my mind. We'll just go from there and see what happens. Anyways. Please continue, Sawamura-san."

GM Aide: "Right. Once those first fifty trion soldiers are taken out, we will send in Arashiya- Ah! Hey!"

Kōgetsu: "Forget what she was saying. We're going in after you!"

White Fox: "Kei-san, while I would love to pick a fight with you on this... I've already caused enough trouble for everyone. The agreement was that Arashiyama Squad comes in after those fifty. I need to show that Yagura will be able to work easily with other teams to get the job done. If you come in then it will just turn into a pissing contest."

Kōgetsu: "What's wrong with that? We still have a score to settle."

White Fox: "I'm not Jin, Kei-san. Save that energy for when you want to fight with him. I'm sure the two of you will have much more fun like that then with something like me."

Yuki tilted his head as something came to mind.

White Fox: "There is also the fact that Kunichika may end up giving you a big advantage as payback for last time. Don't know if you remember but she - along with Kon, Kagami and Mako-chan - is still pretty mad at me for that time at the restaurant."

Kōgetsu: "So what? You two can- Ow! Ow, ow, ow! Mei-chan, please stop!"

Yuki nodded his head, understanding the kind of pain Tachikawa was currently receiving from his former Operator. It was the kind of pain that stuck with you.

With little delay, he heard a sigh from the other end. A sign that Sawamura was also going to do something to Tachikawa.

GM Aide: "Back on topic."

"She gets right to the point..."

GM Aide: "You have a minute. Let me finish."

White Fox: "Yes, ma'am."

GM Aide: "Now then. Once you are done with the first fifty trion soldiers, we will be sending in Arashiyama Squad to help you with the second set of fifty. They will be a bit harder to deal with since there will be five of you there. You are free to come up with any sort of strategy to deal with them all. Shitokei and I will be maintaining everything over here. That means we will be forcing you out if you cannot handle it."

White Fox: "And if I can't handle them by myself?"

GM Aide: "All of the director, as well as Shitokei, will have a nice round of smacking you upside the head before making you apologize to all the reporters."

White Fox: "Is that all?"

GM Aide: "Between the two of us, there is also a side bet that Akasora-san made with the others. If we have to force you out, you will be demoted and forced into a B-Rank squad. That being Ninomiya Squad. What's more, you will have to completely follow orders and will not be allowed to leave the squad at all."

White Fox: "And what if I completely reject this!? There's also the fact that the damn airhead would rather spend a day with Suzume than have me on his squad!"

Wisteria: "The alternative is dealing with me. What's more, he agreed to this on the basis that you would have to do everything he says as captain without complaint."

Yuki stood up on the radio tower as quickly as he could without falling.

Dealing with Mei was usually not something too bad. At least when compared to listening to Ninomiya. This was far different though, seeing as how they made sure to make things equal out.

If Yuki did not finish within the set time, or was forced out by the others, he would be doomed in some shape or form.

That meant there was only one thing to do.

"Alright! Let's get this started! I'm gonna show those reporters what the Yagura Branch will be made of!"

.

From behind him, Yuki could hear the sirens signaling the trion soldiers appearing.

He turned around to see them all the way across the map. From his spot on the radio tower, it would take three minutes to reach them by jumping from the rooftops while it would take just a bit more time by running on the ground below.

That's if I decide not to use any Triggers.

This was always a quick decision that he had to make when in combat with a wide area between him and the target.

For moments like these the choice was clear as day to him.

Teleport.

No time was wasted in using the Trigger he was most known for. The distance would be covered quickly and give him enough time to properly think of what to do next.

Since the teleportation distance was longer than his usual short distance teleportation the time it would take to teleport again was longer. This was the drawback to using long-distance teleportation.

The first ones are five Marmods, two Bambsters, and seven Badō. Got it. That means the ones I should be using is Yamamoto or Izumi. From there, an Attacker or All-Rounder should be good.

Nodding to himself, Yuki moved from one rooftop to another.

Among every Border agent, Yuki was considered one of the quickest. His power was always waning depending on what he was doing, but his speed and use of Teleport was undoubtable. The odds of catching him completely were always skewed depending on his opponent.

Crossing the distance from the radio tower to the trion soldiers was enough for him.

.

Without any hesitation and a glint in his eye, Yuki lifted one arm behind his head. A cube of trion appeared under his hand.

"'The first one is surging.'"

It was a phrase that Yamamoto Yorushi would usually say when going for a specific attack of his.

Due to Yuki's Side Effect, he was copying that same attack, as well as the phrase said during the attack.

He paid his respects to the original user of this kind of attack.

The Shooter of an A-Rank squad that had no actual ranking would be given something in return for having his movement used right now.

He brought his arm forward, the small cubes of trion following the movement of his arm. They moved down in an arch that resembled a harsh torrent.

The Trigger used was Viper. The power was weak when compared to Asteroid or Meteora. That was fine enough since he knew the attack that always came after the first.

"'The second is chaotic.'"

Bringing his second arm forward, Yuki formed even more cubes of trion. These ones moved up with his arms. The power was greater since the Trigger used was Asteroid. They would always attack straight, meaning they were headed straight up.

The Marmods he had attacked were hit by the Asteroid. The Badō in the air were also hit by some remaining Asteroid shots.

This meant that the final attack would come.

"'The finale is always earth shaking.'"

Bringing his arms down once again, this time as fists, Meteora shots were dropped from the air. Each one landed on a Marmod.

In total, the Marmods were all destroyed while five Badō remained with the Bambsters.

Focusing his eyes on the ones in the air, he used Teleport once more to appear above them all.

As he started to descend upon them he brought his arm to his hip, grabbing the new Trigger he had gotten with multiple forms.

Idōgetsu - the ever changing Trigger.

It was Trigger designed just for him and his odd way of fighting. The intricacies of it were known to the people who made it, as well as Yuki. It was still a prototype with a few things needing fixing. Even so, it worked well enough for Yuki to handle a Neighbor during the invasion.

The base form of this Trigger was a simple arm-length black rod with one end being larger than the other in descending fashion. The way of using was easy enough for someone who was use to quick wrist movements. That may have been a reason for why Yuki was able to move around the battlefield with ease while switching from one form of Idōgetsu to another.

Using Shooter Triggers were always the best when it came to mid-air fights. They were able to be fired from any sort of angle, Meanwhile, Attackers would usually have a terrible time if not prepared for the fight.

That sort of restrictions did not apply to Yuki.

With only a glance, he was in the air once more.

When he landed on one of the Badō, he would take it out and use it as a springboard before leaping towards the next one. This left not problems for him while in the air. It gave him the best position to attack without the usual issues that came with close-range attacks.

The fourteen trion soldiers that had materialized were gone in only a few seconds of contact with Yuki.

"Next?"

Wisteria: "Focus. Remember that they will only be getting harder. I'm going to make sure you don't slack off."

White Fox: "Well that isn't too fair, Mei. Either way, I'm leaving it up to you two to send them in. Are there any intervals I should be focusing on? Any pattern you two find rather fun?"

GM Aide: "Who is stupid enough to ask that? And who would be stupid enough to answer?"

Yuki gave a chuckle as he prepared for the next set of trion soldiers.

What came as a shock was the black orb right above him.

"Hey, hey, hey...! That's unfair!"

He used Teleport to move away as two large Banders came out from the black orb.

More black orbs started appearing at each teleportation spot he landed at. The second had blue colored Marmords, the third had a pink Bambster, and the fourth black orb contained green Badō.

While trion soldiers had usually been seen as white to show that they were basic, there had been a few occasions when the trion soldiers had been different colors. Those times had meant that they were built different from others of their kind. In this case, the trion soldiers had been programmed with other abilities by Mei.

Yuki could remember seeing the different colored Rabbits from the recent invasion.

Putting those thoughts to the side, he prepared for the next fight.

The color of each trion soldiers gave away what exactly they were capable of. It was a fact that the different colors for the Badō and Marmods were always to determine just how strong their bodies were. The pink tint of the Bambster was to show that it would always explode after being defeated. The times between the defeat and the explosion always varied. The Banders were plain white, meaning they were simple versions.

After registering all the information, it was a simple matter of acting and pushing forward.

That was exactly what he did.

Yuki ran forward with Idōgetsu in one hand.

A cube of trion appeared above him. It split into smaller cubes before being fired off in multiple directions. It had been a simple Asteroid, but he had to focus on each one he was firing so that they would not all go in the same direction.

Some flew into the air, attempting to hit the ones flying. Others went towards the Bambster and Marmods. Yuki himself went for the Banders.

Using the force from his running, he spun on the ground while fixing the position of Idōgetsu in his hand.

With one hard throw, Idōgetsu was launched towards the core of one of the Banders. Even as it fired off a laser beam towards him, Idōgetsu pierced through it while continuing on towards the core.

Yuki used that as a chance to go after the one Idōgetsu was not attacking.

He brought out a single Scorpion blade before disappearing from where he was.

He reappeared right above the Bander. The Scorpion blade in his hand was held with both hands so that the force would be able to break through the top of the head and into the core.

The two easiest ones are out now. So the question now is... Are Mei and Sawamura-san going to send in even more while I'm fighting the other ones? If so...that puts me in an odd position. I would be able to manage but...

Yuki let out a sigh while grabbing Idōgetsu from the second Bander.

"Right. I'll just need to see, now won't I?"

He knew what his next actions would be.

He had been in enough fights to determine what would help him and what exactly would hold him back.

So he made no hesitant move and ran forward once more.

"Tch. That damn faker. He says that he'll show what that new branch can do and then goes off to use someone else's style. That's just showing how much better others are than him. I suppose it makes sense when he is terrible in almost every aspect besides Attacker."

"Was that a compliment just now...?"

"Tsuji-chan, sshh, sshh! If you say that then he'll take it back. Even if I've already recorded him saying that, I don't want him to take it back!"

Inukai let out a noise when he noticed Ninomiya glaring daggers at him while holding out his hand.

Following the unspoken order, Inukai handed over his phone and watched as Ninomiya deleted the recording he had taken. Once he got his phone back he let out a sigh before getting ready to record again, just in case something like that happened again.

All of Ninomiya Squad were together in one room, watching the live feed from Border HQ.

Under normal circumstances only Inukai would have any reason to watch it, but this was a special occasion seeing as how they had been invited to watch it by Kuruma.

After having been told that he no longer needed to be there, Kuruma had been ready to go back to the Suzunari Branch office. On his way there he had met up with Ninomiya Squad by accident. This had caused him to ask them if they would like to watch the live feed with his squad.

Surprisingly, there had not been an accident concerning Taichi yet.

"Anyways... Ninomiya-san, you know that's an unfair thing to say. Copying other people's styles is Yuki's own style. His Side Effect is mostly to blame for that, but even so, that's just how he fights. Besides, you of all people know that it's difficult to fight him when he's not copying others."

Ninomiya clicked his tongue for a second time. He could vividly remember all the times he had fought against Yuki when the latter was not copying anyone's way of fighting.

From the side, they could hear Murakami give a hum of agreement.

"Wait... I have questions about that!"

"Hm?"

Everyone turned to look away from the television screen to Taichi. The boy seemed extremely confused, as if there was something obviously missing from the conversation.

A similar yet more subtle look could be seen on Tsuji's face as well.

"You guys have fought against Yuki-san in solo matches before? He hardly, if ever, has been in solo matches! I've heard that a lot of Attackers and Gunners always try to get him to fight them!"

Ninomiya, Inukai, Kuruma, and Murakami all had a collective thought of, "Oh. Right. Others don't know."

Figuring that Ninomiya would not want to saying anything about his enemy, Kuruma decided to speak up for everyone who already knew what needed to be known.

"There are a few people he has actually had solo matches with. He just tends to keep them private and makes sure that others don't find out about those matches. Mostly because he doesn't want others to think he's playing favorites."

"But doesn't that mean he is playing favorites?"

"Not necessarily. He's had multiple solo matches with two people in this room. But that's because of how they can help him. He's not playing favorites. Rather, he's finding a way to fight others while not actually confronting them. It's his sort of way of making sure others don't really know what he can do."

"Okay... I think I get it... So have you had a solo match with him, Kuruma-senpai?"

"Yeah. Only three times, though. Two of the times he was using other people's fighting styles. The third one was when he used his own way of fighting. That was...an experience. To say the least..."

"It was completely one-sided. Yuki had so much advantage that there was little to no room to attack."

"If we count him as just an Attacker, he's the same level as Kō. Using Kōgetsu at least. It's hard to really understand where he stands as a regular agent. He can work well with any sort of Trigger, but not to the extent of any of us. If Kizaki-san is a perfect All-Rounder, Yuki is the basis for what a general All-Rounder could be. Arafune is getting there, as you probably know, but he's taking it step-by-step instead of all at once."

"Tch. Even that is giving him too much credit. It's hard to give him any spot because he never fights like himself. He's always using someone else to fight, there's no way for us to really throw him in any one area."

"That is not completely true. The two of us know well enough where he could be placed. Who to compare him to and how well he stacks up with other agents. We can't say anything particular about some like Jin-san, but other strong people are a different story."

"That's fair enough... I suppose."

Taichi and Tsuji moved a bit at hearing the scorn in Ninomiya's voice. They could tell that the other three did not care too much about the way he spoke, having probably dealt with it on multiple occasions, but they were not too use to it. Even so, they continued to focus on both the conversation as well as the television screen.

Kuruma and Inukai gave their own sort of smiles at the conversation between Murakami and Ninomiya. They knew better than the other two about what exactly the two had meant by their words. Murakami was simply defending his friend while also admitting to what Ninomiya was saying. His responses were respectable while also showing that the kind of tone Ninomiya was taking was not too welcomed.

Inukai gave a laugh to ease up the air around them all.

"Well, either way, it's probably best to see what else comes from this. The Yagura Branch has already been made, so this is just a show for everything else. Even if it's not the way he himself fights, Yuki is showing off for the entire branch. That's the point of this. The reporters... Hell, even most of Border won't know that this is not how Yuki actually fights."

"That's true. I still don't know how Tsukiko-senpai fights. He has asked me for solo fights at least five times, but each time they all felt like I was fighting someone else. I recognized one as the way Ikoma-san fights while another time it seemed more like Izumi."

"Heh~ To get even that much from him is something. To be honest, I didn't even know you fought him before. I guess that's to be expected. Besides a few people, he's fought with the tops of B-Rank and A-Ranks at least once."

Kuruma was next to voice his curiosity.

"So that brings up a question for me."

"Oh? What do you want to know?"

"How much do you all think he can get through before having to fight his own way? Going off of everything that has been said; if he uses another person's fighting style then he will hit a wall with the trion soldiers. Whoever is in charge of making them will likely create some to counter the fighting style of whoever he is using."

.

"That's a good point."

Kuruma let out a hum while looking at the television screen.

On the screen was Yuki fighting against some more trion soldiers. The colors of them varied depending on what type they were and their power level. At the current moment it seemed like he was fighting more like Yukimura Ichijō of Katagiri Squad. It seemed to work well enough against these current opponents.

"If I had to guess, Takato is probably in charge of the creation of the trion soldiers. If not, it's probably Sawamura-san then. For all we know, one of them could be acting as an Operator while the other is creating them."

"Ah~ Kuruma-san, you're forgetting the other option. That being that they could both be creating them. Mei-san knows exactly what Yuki's limits are, while Sawamura-san would probably be in charge of this. They could both be creating them by using whatever data Mei-san has. That would be a good way to keep things in check."

"Right. My bad. I hadn't thought of that."

"That wasn't a problem at all. I could be completely wrong with that!"

Inukai waved his hand with a laugh.

There were always different possibilities that could only be seen by two people who had the ability to take a look into a future they could not see.

"So, to answer the original question..." They focused back to the screen while Inukai continued. "It's hard to really say how far he'll go. He's more stubborn than most people think. Isn't that right, Kō?"

"Hm. That's an understatement. Even Senpai has trouble dealing with his stubbornness."

"See? This is coming from his best friend."

"You never know. They might just go ahead and push him beyond what his copying can do. It hasn't happened with trion soldiers, but they probably have Mei-san with them, so there is a chance that we'll be able to see something amazing today."

"I see. Thank you for answering me."

Kuruma gave a nod before turning back to the television.

Something about what he saw made him get a sheepish look on his face. It may have been because of the fighting style that Yuki was using now, which was actually embarrassing from an outside view, but it may have come down to how accurate Yuki was with each hit.

It was actually amazing how much better Yuki seemed to be compared to the original users of each style.

There was something about moving fast that made Yuki feel like everything else was harder to understand. As if everything around him was far too slow for him to properly understand.

A person's body could not keep up with the mind under normal circumstances, and so could not move the moment a thought was made. This was no exception.

At the same time, the mind could not always keep up with what the body could do at a moment's notice. If the body moved on instinct and muscle memory then the mind would consider it something not necessarily important, so it would leave the person wondering what exactly was going on or what had happened.

This was a time like that.

Yuki moved across the battlefield using his natural speed and Teleport to the point that everything he was doing was simply because his body was used to fighting these kinds of opponents. It left his mind no time to catch up and tell him what to do specifically.

By the time he could focus in on an opponent they were already within cutting distance.

Having been an Attacker once, Yuki had a range of attacks where he knew just how far his opponent needed to be before he could get a hit in. The range his blade could reach had a certain range around him. It was small when compared to someone like Ikoma, but it was larger than most. That meant his blade had a definite area of effectiveness.

That did not mean his other attacks could not hit.

A close-range blade was deadly, but so was a long-range one.

Yuki used what he could to attack. Shooter Triggers had better effect when it came to ranged attacks, he knew that, yet throwing Idōgetsu seemed to work just as well. It was a tactic that let him close the distance between him and the target with little effort.

It was his own way of fighting.

There was a time when Suzu had told me that fighting to her was like dancing. Each step made followed a sort of pattern that made it all seem like a dance for her. I guess that's more true with preprogrammed things like these. Maybe I've gotten too used to their patterns that it's easy enough for me to not even think.

There was little chance that he could start seeing things the way Suzume could. His way of fighting was always far off from any sort of dance that it seemed rather impossible for it to follow any sort of fancy footwork that she could do.

That also meant that he could not tell if this really did seem like a dance. It just seemed like a fight that was easy enough for him to focus on other things. The abilities of each trion soldiers continued to go up as new ones appeared, yet they seemed like they were easy to figure out when compared to an actual person.

I've even lost count by now. Wasn't there a limit I had to get to before giving a moment for Arashiyama Squad to come in? I've taken some hits, but not enough to go passed what was needed, right?

Yuki furrowed his brows as he continued to move from one side to the other.

His steps were light and his speed was not decreasing one bit. There was a steady pace that had been set by him that seemed to be followed by the trion soldiers that were coming in far quicker than before. Even the numbers coming at once were greater than when he had started.

Whatever. Kei-san, Sensei, Tatsuhito, Izumi, Kuruma-san, Tsuji, Miwa, Kō, Minoru, Kanzaki, Konami, Nasu, Kako, Karasuma, Sekai-san, Yamamoto, Jin. That's all? Wow... I've really been focusing on the Attackers, haven't I? Maybe I just miss smacking things hard with Kōgetsu and that's why I'm leaning towards that side. Should I switch up to a Shooter again? Snipers are out of the questions since I've taken them out of my lineup. No point in them while I'm using Idōgetsu.

Yuki let out a small sigh as he looked around for his next target.

There were ten Marmods, fifteen Badō, and three Bambsters standing in front of him. Behind him, the sound of large trion soldiers could be heard. The sound was different from Bambsters in the way they stepped was not to crush things but simply get through with large bodies. That meant there were also some Banders behind him.

The amount was the largest sent at once. Both the air and the land were covered in a multitude of colors. Green flew in the skies, pink towered over the area, and an odd mix of gold, blue and white crawled on the ground.

Yuki ran forward without any thoughts concerning the fight.

His hand went for the rod that had been swinging wildly behind his hip. Idōgetsu was now his main Trigger, meaning it was what would be used to defeat all of these trion soldiers. The different forms it could take meant that there was a variety of different ways to take them all on.

"!"

That was how it should have been.

Yuki was unprepared for something to rush him from behind a building. The shape was more humanoid than the others and he saw a bipedal creature with features different from anything they had sent before. It was a trion soldiers that had a bulky build, with wide shoulders and long, large arms with three fingers and no thumbs, and also short but thick legs which ended on long two-toed feet. It had a long neck ending in a head roughly resembling a rabbit head. The interior of its mouth was black and it had a green core inside. It also had black stripes running through its shoulders until its hands, with black shield-like shapes in the sides of its shoulders, and the sides of its torso are also black. It also has a lizard-like tail.

So they're stepping up their game. Good. Now I can properly focus on the fight.

Yuki thought this as he flew through the air.

Due to the Rabbit coming from the left, it had taken his left arm off with its rush. The power was that of the originals he had fought during their latest invasion. The model seemed plain enough that Yuki figured it could do nothing special like some of the others.

That was good in its own right, seeing as how there were now so many that Yuki knew his natural instincts and Side Effect would not be enough. Even the people he was copying did not seem like they would be enough unless used by the originals.

He was just a copy of anyone he saw. The amount of power and skill he put behind each attack from someone else failed to compare to the originals. It was a simple fact that could never be gotten over by someone like him. Everyone continued to advance in their fighting while he would be stuck with how they use to be. In a sense, he was always behind when it came to another person's fighting style.

That did not mean he was out of options.

Tsukiko Yuki had once started out as a simple Attacker. That had advanced once he started using Shooter-type Triggers. Sniper-type Triggers had been added at some point, but he was less adapt at using them than any others. All the Triggers he would use were meant to help him copy others who could use those same Trigger better than he ever could.

Because of his Side Effect, Yuki could copy movements of others and register them for his body to use later on. Even if those fighting styles were used to a weaker extent than the originals, he continued to use them. That had quickly evolved into him using each fighting style as a basis for a mixed fighting style that relied on everything he had copied up until that point. It would grow as he copied more from others.

Then there was Yuki's own way of fighting that was completely unique to him.

A fighting style that relied completely on underhanded tactics that would guarantee his victory. They were hardly used due to the fact that he had so many options to pick from that there was no need to use his own style of fighting. It would be pointless to fight his own way if he had copied someone who he knew could already win.

This was different.

There was no point in fighting the way he wanted when it came to such opponents. Numbers of them all, the power level of the opponent - they were all things that he had kept in mind in each fight. Strategy and planning is what it took to win fights. Even the weak would be able to win using such things.

Deciding things with a nod to himself, Yuki readied himself once more.

.

He moved forward while leaning to the right. The ground felt easy enough to slide around on without losing control. Any movement he made could lead into the next, then the next, then the next, right to the spots he wanted.

Taking that new one out should be the priority here due to its strength and speed. But that would also give the other ones a chance to attack. Vice versa if I'm being honest here. I guess I just need to see what I can do and take advantage of what I know.

Yuki was use to using what he could to win. That meant he also knew how to use his opponents to win.

As he moved in for his attack, the Rabbit brought up its arms as a defense. Whether they were as strong as the originals he had fought before was a mystery. After all, he was not aiming to attack it.

Yuki jumped up so that his feet hit the arms.

Pushing himself even further up, he used the the Rabbit's arms as a springboard to gain height. That put him at the same height as the Banders' heads.

While in mid-air the Badō and Banders started attacking him. Each one started firing, programmed to take whatever chance they could get by one of the two maintaining the area.

The ground was always the best to fight on, that was a secret to no one. Compared to any surface, it was the easiest to move around on, as well as providing enough space to make large moves that would otherwise be impossible in other settings. It was far better than fighting on a platform or in the air.

Something like that did not bother Yuki. He moved through the air and twisted his body as if being in the air meant nothing. There was not foothold for him to grab onto, and yet he managed to dodge the attacks or block whatever he could not dodge. It was a sight to behold for those who did not fight on a regular basis.

Targets set.

"Senkū..."

Yuki moved back the moment his feet touched the ground. Distance was important after taking out the pink colored Bambsters.

The distance between the two Bambsters was enough for a chain reaction. The distance between him and the two Bambsters was enough for him to be out of range. The distance between the two Bambsters and the remaining trion soldiers meant he had to be quick with his work.

One step went into another before becoming three, then moving on to six. Distances continued to close between the ones on the ground and the ones in the air. Each attack transitioned from a single hit to multiple trion soldiers being taken out by another.

Yuki used a minimal amount of trion, instead allowing the trion soldiers to attack each other.

There was just one problem.

Damn, Mei. You really want me to put work into this, don't you?

Yuki lifted his leg while twisting his body. His managed to push himself back at the same moment the Rabbit went for an attack.

Well, it's not like I don't find this fun in its own way. But Sawamura-san is probably having trouble keeping up with Mei.

He used the momentum from the attack to rush at the nearby Marmod. He did not need to use up trion, instead continuing with his rush by only staying on the ground for a second before pushing off the ground.

There was no rest time as Yuki moved to the side so that he would not lose his second arm to the Rabbit.

At this point it was a matter of time and endurance.

Yuki had been fighting with minimal breaks while losing trion at a consistent rate as each trion soldiers that came in came with a fully stocked supply of it. Yuki had to either wait things out for Arashiyama Squad or simply admit defeat.

This was a choice he would rather not make.

The sight itself was amazing to watch.

The reasoning behind it was a bit terrifying for those who knew.

The Border directors, Sawamura Kyōko, Tachikawa Kei, and all of Arashiyama Squad continued to watch as Takato Mei typed quickly on two keyboards. Words could be heard under her breath and the sound of multiple keys being pressed at the same time. The sounds coming from the screens in front of them did nothing to drown out those noises that was coming from a single girl.

Sawamura did not know what to do as she sat next to Mei with wide eyes. She was suppose to assist in the current fight by regulating how many trion soldiers appeared at once and the power level of each one. Yet she could not do that when Mei had taken those jobs on herself.

They all knew that Arashiyama Squad was suppose to be teleported onto the mock battlefield around seventy trion soldiers ago, but there was no time to do so when so many trion soldiers were being made in such a rapid succession that it left no room to actually have them enter into the fray.

They were suppose to be given an opening to enter through so that they did not interrupt the flow that Yuki had created with his fighting. There was no such opening when everything that was suppose to be done by the two Operators was being done by a single person.

"Takato! Hey Takato, are you listening!? Arashiyama Squad was suppose to enter in already! Why are you sending in more-"

"You already know that it's stupid to talk to her while she's in the zone. Seriously, Masafumi, this is why I can't just leave things alone for five minutes to take a crap."

The doors opened up, catching everyone's attention, to show Akasora Chishi walking down with a sigh. His expression was relaxed and he was no longer wearing a suit and tie. He was taking comfort in his tracksuit that seemed to stand out in the room.

"Sorry about this, Kyōko. I guess even you haven't seen her when she gets like this. It mostly happens when it comes to my idiot student. The two have a nasty habit of pushing each other as far as they can go. It's been a while since it has been this bad though, seeing as how that guy on the screen has become sick."

"Chishi, what are you doing?"

"Hm? What's it look like? I'm gonna fix things up for you all. Arashiyama, get ready for combat. You guys with the suits, looking all snazzy, you should probably come up with some sort of explanation as to why things aren't going according to plan." Akasora let out a hum while continuing on. "I'm sure that I don't need to mention that you will need something good to please the masses while not losing face."

Shaking his head at the girl typing wildly, Akasora lifted his arm. He lifted it a bit while making sure to hear some popping sounds from his shoulder. When he felt like his arm was fine enough, he lifted it into the air again.

With no mercy, it happened.

"QUIT THE CRAP!"

There was a sound that filled the room as Mei's head hit the keyboard in front of her.

No one said anything as the girl had her head on the keyboard while the man behind her moved his fist.

"Chishi! What the hell was that!?"

Director Shinoda was the first to respond.

He rushed over to Akasora before pushing him towards the door with as much force as he could.

"What? I was just helping. That girl has a strong head on her shoulders. My hand actually hurts from hitting her. If anything, you should be checking on me here."

"Don't give me that! You can't just go hitting someone on the head like that! Especially not when we're in the middle of something! Even if her head is strong, she hit the desk hard! She's going to get injured no matter what the end result was!"

"Is that so?"

"Yes!"

Akasora gave a grin while getting scolded by Shinoda. His expression did not change, neither did his stance. There was no guilt from having just struck Mei as hard as he could.

It was made evident as to why that was only a few seconds later.

.

Sawamura was quick to check on Mei after having just witnessed something crazy.

"Ah~ Sawamura-san, it would be better for you to focus on the screens right now. Arashiyama has just entered and there is nothing for them to fight. At least send something in."

She knew that Tachikawa was right. Checking on Mei was something she wanted to do, but they were currently on the clock. She had to take charge of sending in trion soldiers while Mei was recovering.

She had decided to take over what Mei had been doing and sent in some more Marmods and Banders.

When she heard a groan coming from next to her it was a good sign that let her give a sigh of relief. From the corner of her eye she could see Mei slowly lift her head while making sure not to lay a finger on the keyboards.

She checked her surroundings and saw exactly where she was.

Sawamura heard Mei say something under her breath but made no comment on that.

"I was face planted into the desk... The reason for that..."

Even when she was curious about something, Takato Mei refused to ask any questions.

"You seemed to be in a daze while working. Akasora-san had come in and punched you hard enough to send your face into the desk. You have a large red spot on your forehead now, by the way."

Another groan. This time one of recognition.

"I am very sorry, Sawamura-san, everyone. I can get like that due to my Side Effect."

"You can say your apologies all you want late. For now, help out Sawamura-kun. Arashiyama Squad has just been sent in. We will continue on by sending in another fifty opponents for them to fight. After that... Well, we will come up with something to tell the reporters."

Mei gave a nod before turning around on her chair. She pushed one of the keyboards to the side while trying to keep her focus on multiple things at once instead of just the screens.

The noise of the keys being hit, the sight of Sawamura next to her working so diligently, the smell of some kind of cologne. Anything and everything around her was what she was trying to focus on. While around 10% of her focus was on the screen, 90% of her focus was on everything else.

Well, this is bad. I really should do something to show how sorry I truly am.

Let out a silent sigh, Mei continued on with her work.

Everything else would have to come later.