It was tense.
Tsukiko Kaede could feel his whole body tense up as he watched the time run down.
His sister and her teammate seemed to be having trouble on the final battlefield. The single boy there was managing to push back the two of them while maintaining his position. It was hard to tell without being an actual fighter, but even Kaede could see the difference between the three of them.
"My brother had said something about that guy."
A voice spoke up from next to Kaede.
"I don't think he meant to say it out loud, but he did. He said it and I heard it. Apparently, that guy has some sort of qualifications to be un... Un... Un-something-or-other. But it was apparently a big deal since he sounded so serious while saying it."
Some new knowledge.
Kaede now knew something more about the opponent his sister and her teammate were fighting. Whether that knowledge meant anything or not was something he could not figure out himself.
.
"Do you think he can do it, Hime?"
Minoru did not turn his attention away from the screen when speaking to the girl next to him.
He had witnessed what Toby was currently capable of and was now focusing on what Takeshi could do.
Lukas had said that they were no longer friends. That seemed good at the time, but that may have actually ruined Takeshi even more. But as far as I know, he didn't really view anyone as a friend. What will happen now that he has some values he needs to go over?
Having only heard about what happened, Minoru felt like there had been some hope in the Laser-Shooter. Hope that he was just going through something and could came back from it so that others would not have to worry.
He was seeing the result of everything that happened.
There was a clear difference between what he had heard and what he was seeing.
There was no need to hope when the answer was right in front of him.
"I am not sure... I do believe in Kotowari-kun, but he is against two people who seem strong in their own right. I am...far too inexperienced when it comes to judging these kinds of things. Please forgive me for that lack of experience."
"You don't need to apologize for something like that."
Minoru nodded his head sternly while giving a caring sideways glances towards the dejected girl.
"That lack of experience means you have a lot of room to gain experience. No one tries to stop moving forward, so don't focus on it and keep at it. You have good people backing you up at all times."
"You are very kind. Thank you very much, Minoru-senpai."
Minoru gave a return smile down at the girl while hearing some noise around them.
Their conversation was not anything close to a whisper. Others were listening in while focusing on the fight going on in front of them.
Males around them could be heard muttering under their breaths or letting out resigned sighs.
Minoru gave a hum while looking at the screen.
She can gain fans just by being near people. Those people then focus more on her as she speaks and shows her personality. That's scary in its own right.
Amaya felt the edges of her lips move up by a small bit as she moved forward for the first time in the fight.
Up until now she and Asano had been defensive when fighting the Laser-Shooter with no way to go on the offense. It had started to make her jittery with her feet touching the ground a few more times than she would have liked.
With her remaining teammate resolving herself to finding a way to win, she found a renewed sense of spirit as she took a step forward. All uncertainty left her body the moment she felt the hilts of her twin Kōgetsu blades.
Eri: "Kuni, how much time is left in the match?"
Messy Artist: "You have roughly ten minutes left."
Their time limit was set.
Eri: "We are at the edge of the map and he has his back to it. If he tries to run then he would have to pass by one of us first. Maya, you're faster than him, so he likely won't lead us into another chase."
Overprotective Sister: "Good. I was tired of just running around while Shana got to have fun."
Asano continued on with a but.
Eri: "But... That means he will be continuing this battle of power and defense. He could also try to force his way through."
Overprotective Sister: "So it's still going to be annoying."
Eri: "Pretty much."
Amaya felt a groan escape as he moved positions once more.
She took note of how the amount of hiding spots had decreased during their conversation.
Eri: "I did come up with something though. To see what kind of plan he will be using in these last ten minutes. Maya, you're speed is what we'll need for this. You just need to rush in and try to get as close as possible. And don't worry about his attacks. I will deal with those on my own."
Overprotective Sister: "Oh! Have you finally gotten it down!?"
Eri: "No. My form is is basic, but there is this one Trigger called Shield. It does wonders when trying to defend."
Amaya felt herself twitch at the way she had been told that.
Overprotective Sister: "Haven't you mentioned that Shield won't work against this guy? How is it suppose to help here?"
Eri: "It's fine. Just make sure your legs don't get taken off. Oh. And if you can, please keep at least one arm. The rest of your body is a nice target for him. I'll just be prioritizing your legs, chest, head and one arm. The rest is up to you."
Overprotective Sister: "You little..."
Those were the things she did not have to worry about.
Asano had told her which body parts would have some guard to them, meaning she would need to move them out of the way should an attack go towards them. It seems easy enough since she would only need to focus on moving instead of defending or attacking until the last moment.
"Right! Let's get going!"
.
Amaya moved forward with both of her blades at her side, ready to be pulled out at a moment's notice.
It was a head-on attack that seemed to fit with her character.
The damage done to the surrounding area was preventing her from finding a quick hiding spot to use against the laser-like beams that came from the Laser-Shooter Trigger. It made the single focus attack even more dangerous for Takeshi as he shifted his legs and lifted one arm to his scarf.
Attacks like these were considered suicidal attacks out of desperation. That desperation could lead to a dangerous situation where he could get taken out alongside his opponents.
I need to watch my steps as well. Too far and I will be leaving the area.
The difference in speed could be dealt with given how much information he had on the head-on girl running towards him. She was not one to think when attacking, being more of an instinctual person as opposed to a strategist.
"..."
Knowing that already, Takeshi fired his Laser-Shooter towards her.
The power behind it gave away that it was Asteroid being fired.
The single beam grew to two. The two beams grew to four. The four beams tore through the air, pushing the air away to make way for the attack that could tear through most defenses in a matter of seconds.
The targets had been her head, chest and two legs. If even one of those hit then the fight would have been over in an instant.
Of course they would be defended.
Takeshi saw shield appear in multiples to get between his attack and his target.
The forward facing girl was likely not the one to crest them as he was still ready to attack instead of defend.
Asano-san.
The girl was not someone to fear in a shootout. Her style was basic and lacking in some fundamental places while her speed and defense was real actively average when compared to the heavy hitters like Nasu, Izumi and Ninomiya.
But...
She is a strategist. That alone is something to worry about. Although in this case it isn't too much of an issue since I am not too bad at thinking during a fight either. Still...
Takeshi watched as each Shield was destroyed the moment his Laser-Shoot touched one. Even with the destruction of the defenses, the girl being defended had not taken a single hit from the four laser-like beams he had been firing at her.
Even if his Trigger broke through the defense with no issues, there was still a small moment where his attack would have to break through. Adding multiple layers of weak shields meant they would get destroyed easily, but it also meant that those small moments where he would have to break through would also add up.
This was the result.
His Laser-Shooter continued to break through the Multi-Layer Shield, but could never reach the moving target who had speed that exceeded his own.
The speed of the forward facing girl did not waver for even a moment as she moved through the Multi-Layer Shield and the Laser-Shooter's four beams of light. At times she would have to shift her speed to twist around surprise attacks, but that never used up energy for her run.
Takeshi took a step back when seeing the girl moving forward.
He then remembered how close to the edge he was.
This is a nice strategy. We aren't too use to working as a team, so people like this are always great to see. Toby is usually happy while giving a small howl whenever he's in this kind of situation. Suzume-senpai would probably start wiggling around with her arms wrapped around herself. A doujinshi or two would even come out of it.
But what about him?
How had Takeshi acted during those times? How would he act at a time like this?
The answer came as the forward facing girl reached her target.
"...!"
Takeshi saw the girl finally get close enough to where he would be in danger if he fired his Laser-Shooter so close to himself.
"Finally caught you!"
The forward facing girl tightened her grip on both of her blades as she drew them.
Two large arcs followed the movement of her swinging blades. They were made in the air to show that the extending slashing Trigger known as Senkū had been used.
The attacked had landed.
Or it should have.
.
Amaya felt as if reality had lied to her.
She felt no feedback from her attack and she could not see the boy in front of her anymore. No lights were moving through the sky either.
What happened!?
The boy had disappeared a moment before her attack had connected with his body.
It was a strange occurrence that she could not understand. He had not Bailed Out and he had not moved beyond the bounds of the area. If either one had been the case, the match would have been over.
The answer had came as a Multi-Layer Shield and a yell appeared.
Eri: "Maya! Move! He used Teleport!"
Her body had registered everything before her mind did as her feet started to move while her upper-body moved forward to help her push away from where she stood.
The Multi-Layer Shield had been useful when they had been prepared and on the offensive. Now they hold no value as multiple laser-like beams tore through them and reached her. One of the beams took off the right side of her stomach. It had been a miracle that her middle and left side was still in tact.
She put away her offensive Triggers and shifted to help with defense, moving away while doing so.
Her own defensive meant nothing in the face of the destructive Trigger.
Damn it! We forgot about Teleport! Compared to his teammates, he doesn't use it too much!
She could only curse their forgetfulness as she realized the situation she was in.
Their initial attack had been a straight minded one that would rely on her speed for a quick attack to determine how their opponent would respond. Afterwards she would back away to a safe place where they could think of something else.
But that had failed.
Amaya had her back towards the edge of the battlefield and there were no longer any places for her to hide. Everything had been turned over in a single moment and neither one of the two girls had been prepared for it.
Another thing that shows us just how much we are lacking... First Suzume and now Takeshi. The upper tier teams are beyond us at this point.
"Damn!"
She was trapped.
Right, left, behind, above. They had all been blocked off by the versatility of the Laser-Shooter and the destruction of all hiding spots. The only way out of it would have been to be taken out or leave the area.
Leaving the entire map during a B-Rank War match would mean that Kotowari Squad would not be gaining a point. It would also leave Tsukiko Squad's Shooter by herself and a bad taste in their captain's mouth.
That left only one option left.
"!"
Without any hesitation, she moved forward.
I'll leave strategy to Eri. If I get in close and keep moving then he can't properly aim at me.
As soon as she saw one of the lasers attacking her, she would create a shield while holding onto one of her blades. The quickly made defense would break apart the moment the attack hit, but it would give her enough time to move where the damage would become minimal.
The process of creating and destroying the shields became the set pattern for their fight. Evading, predicting and countering had been the basis for each attack.
"Oh!"
Without much thought, Amaya moved her own back while her body shifted so that its lowered a bit to put more strength into her arm.
"There!"
With a hard throw, one of the two Kōgetsu blades tore through the air like a javelin thrown by a professional.
"Eh?"
The realization of what she had done hit her as her body turned to move from one of the lasers being fired at her.
She had used one of her two blades as a throwing weapon instead of a slashing weapon. That meant that either the slashing-throwing weapon would be struck down by one of the laser-like beams while she circled around him or she would be attacked while the slashing-throwing weapon went for her target.
It had been an instinctive attack more than a thought out one that ended up working out for her.
Which will he go for!?
She saw the choice a moment later.
Two laser-like beams went for her body while Takeshi moved to the side, arm stretched out. His hand reached out, grabbing the hilt of the blade
Damn it!
Her attack had failed again.
"..."
"?"
She tilted her head at the next action taken from the boy.
Instead of destroying the sword, he impaled the ground with it. Now the blade stuck up next to him, as if taunting her for her previous action.
It was a taunt for her to reach out for it.
.
Asano could see it from her position at a distance and in one of the few hiding spots remaining.
Her captain had decided that she would keep moving forward. There was no place left to go but forward. Pushing through that kind of attack would be impossible, but that had been her only choice, so she took it.
As crazy as ever.
She smiled.
But that makes me happy.
Asano's expression turned bitter when she thought about her team. Thought about the people she had met and learned from.
At some point she had felt something close to stagnation the more she saw her fellow Shooters. Nasu, Izumi, Kako, Ninomiya, Mizukami. There were many other Shooters who came to mind.
Even Kotowari-kun.
Each one was strong. Each one had respect in some form from others.
Then there she was.
She had the basics down no problem. Creating the shots, changing the power and speed of each one, understanding the patterns that would be best to use. Everything that had been preprogrammed or needed the simplest of thoughts to work had always been easy for her in combat.
What was troublesome for her, and anyone else using Viper, was the more intricate parts of the Trigger that made it only have two people who could properly use it to its full extent.
A keen sense of spatial awareness and the skill to visualize something that does not yet exist.
She gave a bitter laugh.
Only Nasu and Izumi-senpai can do that. Then Kotowari-kun has his Laser-Shooter to make things easier for him.
She created a cube of trion before firing it off to assist her captain.
I guess I'm still not too comfortable when firing my shots like the rest of them. Damn. Even Maya understands how to do this better than I do. Should I be sad about that or happy?
She started to make her way towards a safer area where it would better for her to fire without having to worry about a counterattack right away.
A Shooter's roll could be switched from attacking to support. Some favored attacking because of their keep sense of attacking or their simple love for destructive attacks at a distance. Everything depended of the fighter and how they viewed the battlefield.
Asano found herself enjoying the supporting roll while attacking when she needed to be offensive. Being flashy and in the middle of the action had never been her priority, instead leaving that up to her teammates.
They give me time to concentrate on my target. But the fact I need so much time means I still need to work harder to support them.
There was more to those thoughts that she did not want to think about.
Kotowari-kun hasn't moved from his position. The only time was to move away from my attack. He knows that it's easier for any Shooter to hit a non-moving target. Is he doing that on purpose? Is it an insult?
She shook her head as she thought about it more.
No. He is just too use to this kind of fighting. He doesn't see the need to move around if his attacks are so dangerous. He really is a good boy. But...
But.
The Laser-Shooter Trigger is still extremely dangerous. Disregarding his personality, Kotowari-kun knows exactly how to use his weapons.
There was still an obstacle that was getting between them and victory.
A strong obstacle.
Overprotective Sister: "Hey, Eri! I need some more help here! I...'lost' one of my blades."
It was a lie and they both knew it.
Asano let out a sigh as she focused on her next attack. If her opponent chose not move then she would take that for her own benefit. Using what she could was how victory was obtained for those unsure of how to win through power and skill.
.
A conversation came to mind.
Asano could remember how the conversation had changed along with the people. Takeshi had gone away, needing to find his team's Attacker, and had been replaced by her own captain. Nasu continued to sit next to her, a knowing smile on her lips.
At the time it had just been a random conversation change, but now she understood why it had happened.
It was to help her in this match.
She and Nasu had helped Takeshi by talking to him. That made him more prepared to fight in this match. Now it was her turn to get some help from her fellow Shooter.
She is a very kind person.
Asano smiled at the thought of the help she had gotten afterwards.
From one Shooter to another, that was what it had been. Some extra help had come from her own battle-loving captain. Their words had been the same thing to make sure she understood it. Something that had been ineffective at first.
I guess I do understand how someone can be comfortable with firing shots. It's like being comfortable doing anything else. You get so into it and enjoy it to where it doesn't even feel like you are trying to do it in the first place.
That must be how Maya is when fighting.
Her captain always seemed so happy when fighting others. It had not matter what their rank was or how good they were. It had been the fact that she could fight and was comfortable swinging around her two swords that made her able to continue fighting without worrying too much about other things.
Some others from this match could have also been viewed in such a light. They were all comfortable with what they had been doing to the point that they thought nothing of it.
Misaki was dancing with Shirogane and Shashin. Shana was having fun with Awdry-kun and Shor-kun. Even right now, Maya is going at it with Kotowari-kun. I'm sure they don't even realize what they were doing during that time. They didn't think too much about the fact they were in a fight.
Battle here were far different than how they were depicted in fiction. They had no power ups and spirit meant little when fighting others stronger than oneself. Asano was well aware of these facts, yet she found herself entertaining the thought of such things happening.
When I think about it, even the requirements for Viper seems kind of like that. Let's give it a try. A keen sense of spatial awareness-
"Kuni, can you send me some feed from Maya's view?"
Messy Artist: "Sure thing!"
And the skill to visualize something that does not yet exist.
A line that has yet to appear. A path that needed to be created, but could not be done by anyone else. Something needed to be seen by only her own eyes and then constructed from her own thoughts and imagination.
It had been foreign to a strategist like her who thought about the fight using the information she already had instead of what had never been seen.
But now...
I think I get it. I'll take some hints from some people. Kotowari-kun and Maya being included in that.
Small spheres of trion started appearing. Each one was as small as a marble.
"Let's try it this way instead."
One by one, they seemed to appear as if loading a weapon ready to fire.
They circled around her wrists like rings.
.
Amaya was glad that she had managed to cut through enough to make a small escape. It had been due to the assistance of her teammate that she had not been shot through.
The amount of places to hide were still less than the number of fingers on one hand, so that left her with the only choice she had.
Keep running.
The time for the match was getting shorter as they continued this chase.
As she ran, Amaya noticed that the number of laser-like beams had been shortened as well. Instead of three following her, there was just one.
Her second Kōgetsu blade was still in the ground next to Takeshi's stationary feet. This left her with only one blade to fight with at the moment.
With time running out the best we can do right now is stall out so that both teams gets points instead of just their team. I don't think that we can manage this even with both of us going all-out.
It was a troubling situation.
With two less laser-like beams attacking her, Amaya understood that they could not win. The more beams that were targeting the more likely it would be for Takeshi to run out of trion. Since the number had gone down it meant that he was conserving trion so that he would not Bail Out due to running out.
Her own trion was running out with the quickly made defenses as well as a good amount escaping from the earlier attack that had taken one side of her.
"This really sucks..."
Eri: "Maybe if you didn't go and 'lose' one of your blades, you wouldn't be saying that."
Multiple defenses appeared once more in front of Amaya, holding off the laser-like beam long enough for her to make another escape.
The assistance from her teammate had been appreciated.
Eri: "Hey, go get your other Kōgetsu. You having only one is weird. Don't just change fighting styles like that because you feel like it. I won't know what to do at that point."
Amaya smiled at the command given to her by Asano. It was different from their usual banter and was filled with determination that had not been there before.
There had been no reason to respond with something like, "How am I suppose to do that!?" or "Easy for you to say!"
The time was running out and if her friend had told her to retrieve her second blade then it meant that she would be able to do so without fail. To do such a thing meant that she had to only do one thing.
Something she was use to doing.
Keep running! Run forward!
.
Amaya ran forward, preparing her defense while also anticipating Asano's own defenses. The target was the blade by Takeshi's feet that had been taken and stabbed into the ground.
There was nowhere to hide and nothing to use as a shield against the Laser-Shooter Trigger, yet the girl ran forward without much care for such things. There was very little time in the match and something needed to be done.
The straightforward attack was similar to the first one. Knowing that, Takeshi had prepared himself to repeat the process that had happened once already.
Doing the same thing twice should not work against anyone who was as smart as Asano, he knew, but it was worth a try to see if anything changed from the few moments where she had been absent from the match.
A second orb of trion appeared next to his body as his right arm was lifted into the air in front of him.
Two laser-like beams tore through the air with the target running right towards them without much thought of what would happen.
Multiple layers of Shield had appeared in front of her and curved to make a small semi-circle around the two beams. Amaya moved to the side, where the beams were not being fired. The Multi-Layer Shield continued to protect her from the beams as they shifted and started to move sideways.
Amaya ducked and twisted her body in the opposite direction the beams were moving, giving her even more time to move forward.
"..."
A third orb manifested in front of the boy, shimmering a bit as a sign that a third beam would be fired towards her. That would make it the maximum amount he would fire unless taking a large risk in the battle.
There was a few feet between Amaya as the grounded Kōgetsu blade. Three laser-like beams were caging her in from the front, right and left sides. Ducking or jumping would have been a good way of evading, but they would simply follow her and increase the time it would take to reach her blade. Creating more defenses would get a roughly five more seconds of time for her to move away and go forward, but at the cost of using more trion. Defending here came at a price.
But...
"!?"
Attacking becoming both offense and defense.
A rain of shots came down from above, stopping short of reach Amaya even as she ran forward.
Not wanting to take a direct hit and not being able to use another Trigger in time, Takeshi moved backwards. He was away from the blade.
Without his attention solely focused on the running girl, the three laser-like beams slowed down in speed and moved in a more slanted motion than in a straight line.
"There!"
Seeing her chance, Maya pushed forward while ducking under the beams. Her feet shifted so that she leaned towards the left. She was almost within reach of her blade.
"!"
The three beams disappeared without any warning.
She had registered it as she took another step.
When they had disappeared, three more were being fired.
It was a quick decision that allowed her to reach the Kōgetsu blade, but get shot through by the new laser-like beams being fired. Takeshi had not anticipated the rain of shots, but he was quick to adapt and change the battle in order to lose the blade in favor of gaining a point.
"That was a nice move! But!"
But.
"-!"
Once she was within reach of the Kōgetsu blade, Amaya lifted her leg starting from her knee going to her toes. The leg was raised even higher to where it touched the top of the Kōgetsu blade.
Using the blade as a springboard, she jumped into the air as the three laser-like beams shot through empty where that she had previously occupied.
She was moving forward and upward. There was no way for her to go down writhing being forced to do so by some other fact.
"!"
That fact had been a Shield in this case.
Amaya could feel her body become difficult to move while in mid-air, but she placed her feet on the mid-air Shield. With a push that came from the force of her jump, she moved down towards the male Shooter.
"Here!"
Holding on to her remaining Kōgetsu blade, she started with a slashing motion. She could see the three beams disappear once more, but knew that the next attack would come after she had landed. The amount of time it would take to prepare the attack gave her the chance she needed.
.
Takeshi saw the attack coming from the ground.
He had been unprepared for Amaya to jump into the air instead of grabbing her second blade.
I don't have enough time.
He had gotten rid of the three beams he had been firing once he realized that his target had become airborne. He turned towards where she had jumped but could not correct his beams' potion in time, so he decided to create new ones to attack.
The issue came in the fact that she was already going in for an attack while he had tried to create the new beams.
I have to at least move away!
Commanding his body to do as he wanted, Takeshi pushed his body to right. His upper-body was first to go in the direction with the rest of his body following after due to it having to push the rest of his body.
That had been when the attack came.
The falling girl hand cut through his left arm while bear key missing his leg.
Next hit!
He had completely given up on attacking and prepared for the next attack that was coming.
Amaya had wasted no time in twisting her body while lifting her second Kōgetsu blade to cut through him.
Teleport!
Takeshi felt his feet touch the ground once more as he narrowly dodged the second attack. The momentum would be lost with the increase in distance between the two of them. This gave him his own chance to attack.
Yet something happened before he could.
"-!?"
A heavy shot came down from above, taking off his right arm. The attack managed to take out his entire shoulder while also scraping his side.
.
Asano smiled once her hit had been confirmed.
The small marble-sized balls of trion around her wrist continued to circle around her wrist for a few seconds before being fired off one-by-one. Each time one if them had been fired, a new one would take its place.
The two circling rings if trion had followed a path that had been created in the moment by following the arm movements of Asano as she tossed her arms to the side, up, down, and in many slanting motions.
This was how she would create the unseen paths and fire using those paths as a direction for Viper.
Wow! I didn't think I would get use to this so quickly! There are still issues I have to work on, but now I understand it enough to help out Maya.
"Right! Let's keep going, Maya!"
.
Amaya continued to grin as she saw Takeshi second arm get taken off of his body by the shot fired from a distance.
The time they had left was extremely short, so she knew there was no time to properly compliment her teammate for such a great job.
There we go.
As she ran forward once more, she grabbed the Kōgetsu blade that had been stabbed into the ground. Now that she had both blades in her hands, she moved in with her body closer to the found but with light steps.
That was when she saw it.
.
Asano was unsure as to what had happened.
They had been just pulled off an amazing attack on the Laser-Shooter. So then why did it feel like something was missing?
"Oh... That explains it."
She turned her head to the side to see that a large portion of the battlefield, as well as her own left side, was completely gone. The shape of the attack was similar to a large circle that had cut through the entire area.
"This was his last attack. It has to be."
Cracks starting running along her face. The amount of trion she had left was not enough to keep her going. Half of her body was now missing and he knew her location.
"So close!"
Bail Out
.
Amaya noticed the lights flash through the sky as she felt her own body. Her right side had been completely destroy along with the ground next to her. A large attack had been fired directly at her and in another direction.
With only three fighters remaining, it was clear what that light had meant for them.
"Crap. We lost."
"..."
"Heh~ But I guess did help us get better."
Cracks had long since appeared on her face before her body started to glow. Without anything else being said, her body turned to light before flying away.
Bail Out
Songstress: "And there is the match! With only seconds left, the winner of round 3 is Kotowari Squad! Since Captain Kotowari was the last one standing, his team gains the survival points. This puts the final score at 2-2-6!"
Bamboo Sniper: "That last fight made it seem like Tsukiko Squad realized what they had been lacking. Both their captain and Shooter managed to take an arm from Kotowari and were only taken out because of an unexpected attack from him."
Kitora: "Kotowari-kun may have gotten desperate with that last attack since they had so little time left. If that attack did not take the other two out, he would have lost for sure."
.
"He won... I am so happy."
Minoru looked down at the girl next to him to see her holding her chest while letting out a breath.
The last fight might have put a bit of pressure on her since it seemed to be extremely close by the end of it. He understood how something like that felt by just watching it.
"So? What did you think if that last fight? Takeshi managed to pull off the win against two opponents. He had taken those two heavy hits, but still won."
"It was amazing to watch. Tsukiko Squad's members also did so well that I was rather speechless."
"What did you notice in their fight? You seemed to be paying a good amount of attention, so you must have seen something there. It's fine if you didn't, I just want to know if you did see anything particular there."
"Well... Um... It might be because I am still far too inexperienced, but I believe I was only able to notice the simple things going on. I apologize, Minoru-senpai."
"No, no. It's fine. How about we listen to the recap and the commentators' thoughts? See if you found anything similar to them."
"Yes."
Minoru smiled down at the girl.
Asano sighed as she got up from the mat next to where her captain lay. The two had reached Bail Out relatively close to each other, so she was still laying on the mat.
Walking with her captain to the next room, she saw Ayugai and Shana looking at the two of them. While the former sat back in her chair, looking exhausted, the latter walked up to them to give them high-fives.
"We lost. I'm sorry. I ended up taking too long to think things through. Next time I'll make sure we score more points."
"It's fine. You clearly went through some character development during that time, so I think that can count as a win. Besides, I got to pull off something fun in that last moment~ So it's a double win there!"
Asano smiled at the energy coming from Amaya, even after they both had just been taken out. It lessened the pain of losing a bit.
"So that's why you wanted me to tell you about my fight when you were in the middle of your own."
Asano tilted her head at the comment.
Shana, being the one who had spoken up, looked towards her.
"You didn't see it. This girl had asked me to tell her about my fight with Tobio and No while she was fighting Takeshi. Now I see why. She wanted to see if she could use anything from our fight."
"Hey, it worked out in the end. I mean, we didn't get the point, but I did mange to get the guy by surprise. Even took an arm off while I was at it."
"Yeah. So did Eri."
"Hey, I just noticed something." Ayugai was the one to speak up this time, gaining their attention. "Shana was the only one of your three to score any points this time. You two were so busy with Kotowari-kun that you didn't go after anyone else."
Both Attacker and Shooter froze instantly.
The loud laughter from Shana could be heard as her teammates tried not to register what had been said.
"The first squad to get thrown out if the match, huh?" Noah sighed out as he scratched his head. "Ah! I guess that's fine. When it came to points we ended up tying with Tsukiko Squad."
"Don't worry, Taichin! Next time Minubuki-sama won't lose! She'll make sure we win for sure!"
"That was my bad. I was too caught up in the queen's dance to do much of anything. I'll make sure to fix that next time it comes up."
Noah smiled towards his two teammates.
His own fight had been far too fun for him to think about anything else. He understood well enough how the other two, who loved dancing with Suzume, could get caught up in the match.
At least we all pretty much had the time of our lives.
Righting his stance, he cleared his thoat while looking at each member of his team.
"Right. I'll be counting on you then. You too, Sora. Please continue being our Operator."
"I wasn't planning on quitting, Shor-kun."
"Heh heh."
Noah could only continue to smile at seeing the reactions of each one of his teammates. They had been the first team to get taken out, but they had managed to hold their own against a powerful defense and an amazing attack. That had warranted some self praise.
While still enjoying the company of his team, Noah turned towards the monitor Sora had been using to listen in on the commentators.
Takeshi could only stare blankly into nothing as he was forced into a pair of soft cushions for the briefest of moments before getting pulled into a headlock. He was able to see Mei looking at them with a small smile, but otherwise not doing anything.
The loud voice that came from the boy holding him could also be heard above him.
He would rather have not heard it at all.
"That was great, Take! I didn't think you would throw out a large ass attack like that at the end! You better put in that much effort the next time we are training!"
"I would rather not. I like those two more than I like you, so that is a definite rejection from me."
"Heh heh heh~ Foolish teammate, are you honestly trying to give me more material? I mean, I will take it with some gratitude, but be sure that a doujinshi will come out of it. But..."
Takeshi was unsure how to feel from the sly smirk he was getting from Suzume.
It never meant anything good.
"So how did it honestly feel to have two girls after you for so long? Heh heh heh. It must have been nice for you. But then again, you honestly might not understand what that would mean to others. I am sure that some people will get jealous if I say, 'My honestly adorable teammate was chased around and played with by two older girls. How does that honestly make you better than him? How is he a monster at that point?' Heh heh heh. Yes! This is perfect! A doujinshi and a song can come from this!"
Once the girl grabbed herself and started started wiggling around, he knew it was time to properly ignore her and the delusions that came from her mind.
Finally being freed from the headlock, he went over to the speakers to get a better listen in on what the commentators had to say about their match.
I barely won. It's best for me if I can get some good advice here.
Both of his arms and a part of his side had been taken out at the very last moment. He used a lot of trion early on and later on in the fight, putting him extremely low should his last attack have missed.
Both Asano and Amaya had put up a good fight with the end of it being where they really showed themselves off. If not for his own knowledge of them, the fight would have ended far differently.
He was grateful for their help early on.
"Oh, hey, why don't we log in? That way he can mess with the others during the comments~"
Takeshi let out a sigh as he watched Toby log in to his account on Border's chat.
Werewolf: "Hello, hello!"
American Idiot: "We just got done fighting!"
Shore: "Pay attention to what they're going to be saying."
Werewolf: "But it's Ai."
Honest Sister: "And Narasaka. Honestly no reason to listen."
Wisteria: "All of you need to pay attention."
All: "Right!"
Songstress: "Now it's time for the review of the match! The start came from Captain Tsukiko and Agent Asano taking on Agent Misaki. It seemed like they were unprepared for her odd way of countering them and their offenses."
Kitora: "I doubt anyone would expect to go against such a...strange defense. It also seemed to work offensively as well. Misaki-senpai has always been a bit out there, so I am not too surprised by this."
Bamboo Sniper: "In that kind of environment a Sniper should be key to victory. If we are applying regular rules here, that is. With Misaki being involved, it changed things to where the Snipers were the front fighters for the first part. Actually, she didn't really use sniping Triggers too much there. Basically, she turned everything upside down like the strange woman she is."
.
Honest Sister: "So Kitora-chan is fine. She has some potential for the future. Narasaka though... Well, you should all honestly say goodbye to him."
Platinum: "Now, now. No reason to get so upset, my queen. Just dump him in a mob doujinshi and you will feel much better."
Hummingbird: "This is a dangerous conversation..."
Wisteria: "Please pay attention."
.
Songstress: "Regardless of the strangeness... Agent Misaki was able to handle both Agent Shirogane and Agent Shashin. It seemed like she was holding herself back a bit though, so I feel like the end of the fight was just something Kotowari Squad felt like they had to make happen."
Kitora: "That should go nicely into the next fight. Since Misaki-senpai and Shirogane-senpai were taken out, that left Shashin to try and counter the attacks from Awdry and Lee-senpai."
Bamboo Sniper: "If Shor had not shown up, Shashin would have been taken out. It was because of that that Lee managed to get that point. After that it just seemed to be more of a random brawl between battle-loving fools."
.
Werewolf: "'A simple brawl' my ass! Suzume, I'll help you out at getting back at this jackass!"
Honest Sister: "Heh heh heh~"
American Idiot: "I'll punch his face in for that!"
Voice of Reason: "You can't do that. You will get in trouble."
Shore: "He just doesn't know how to have fun..."
Minubuki-sama: "Oh! Oh! Taichin is mad!"
Hummingbird: "Shahsin-san, please don't antagonize him."
Wisteria: "Please pay attention. All of you."
All: "Right!"
.
Songstress: "But that was just how it would see to some others. Their attacks and defenses seemed to be thought out, for the most part."
Kitora: "They did not seem to miss a beat near the end. The start showed just how much Toby was lacking when compared to others. The time he had spent getting mad for no reason slowed him down and made him become stagnant while both Shor-kun and Lee-senpai continued to work towards bettering themselves."
Songstress: "As harsh as ever, Kitora-chan... Especially when it comes to Awdry-kun.'
Kitora: "But that isn't to say that he was bad. After notching his own lack of abilities against the other two, he worked on covering up those lacking areas. To do something like that in the middle of a battle is important and can be a deciding factor. It is also something that is usually done by more skilled people."
Songstress: "As tsundere as ever, Kitora-chan."
.
Werewolf: "I won't take back anything I said about Tōru. But Ai is being a tsundere again! What do I do here again? Oh! But I'm glad she realizes how great I am!"
Colors: "Shut up and die already."
Honest Sister: "Heh heh heh. We have our own semi-tsun over here too~ Just don't honestly go around calling anyone an idiot and we will take good care of you, Colors-kun."
.
Songstress: "That fight ended, amazingly enough, in each team gaining a point. I guess those three really did want to stay on equal terms with each other."
Kitora: "I wouldn't be surprised if that was true..."
Songstress: "Well, that leads into the next and last fight between Captain Kotowari, Captain Tsukiko and Agent Asano. The latter two seemed to be doing well enough in the forest, but seemed to loss in the cityscape. Agent Asano also seemed to be hesitating a good portion of the fight. Why do you think that is?"
Bamboo Sniper: "She was unsure."
.
Colors: "Unsure?"
.
Songstress: "Unsure about what?"
Narasaka nodded his head, knowing full well what Kitora meant by her words. It had been seen in multiple Snipers during training before. For it not to happen with Shooters and Attackers was almost an impossibility.
The nod from Narasaka was seen by the two girls, giving Kitora a reason to continue her explaination.
Kitora: "She was unsure if she wanted to show herself. As we had seen, the moment she attacked, Kotowari-kun struck back harder than she had. If someone is unsure if they can even hit someone stronger than them, they tend to hold back from giving themselves away. But that also becomes something bad when the stronger opponent ends up gaining advantage during that time."
Bamboo Sniper: "Tsukiko most likely had no such thoughts since it was a Shooter she was fighting, but it is exactly that reason why Asano might have held off on doing much there. By the end of it, she did seem to get rid of some of that uncertainty and attack. The result was not bad either, but if that had been done before then the fight would have ended much differently than what we saw."
Songstress: "I see. So, in a way, you can say that the fact she was fighting someone stronger also helped her get over that uncertainty she had. This was a beneficial thing for Tsukiko Squad then."
Bamboo Sniper: "Yes, well... There are of course more to it than that. There are other things that had happened that caused Tsukiko Squad to lose. One of which was strategy. Asano and Kotowari are strategic-types, so it also came down to who could outsmart the other one."
Kitora: "If we are talking about basic strategies, Asano-senpai lost in that very quickly. Kotowari-kun had really one in a single moment."
Songstress: "What moment would that be?"
"The moment Tsukiko Squad followed him out of the forest," Kitora and Narasaka said.
.
Redhead Sister: "What!?"
Voice of Reason: "My bad..."
Colors: "..."
.
Kitora continued talking, not knowing the damage her words had done to the captain of Tsukiko Squad.
Kitora: "If they had not left the forest, Kotowari-kun would not have been able to use Teleport as well as he did. The trees would make it difficult for him. What's more is that Tsukiko-senpai would have a better chance at closing in while Asano-senpai could fire from a good spot."
Bamboo Sniper: "If Kotowari were to cut down the rest of the trees then he would have to use a lot more trion, putting him in an even worse position. Basically, the fight was decided the moment they followed him out of the forest."
Songstress: "I see. Well, I'm sure those words hit Tsukiko Squad hard right about now. I know that my squad would go into hiding for something like that."
Kitora: "Is that really something you should be saying, Uta-san?"
The older girl only smiled.
Songstress: "Well that wraps up this match of the B-Rank Wars. Thank you very much for joining me."
Bamboo Sniper: "Yeah."
Kitora: "Thank you for having me."