Minoru stared blankly as he looked towards the screen.
The middle section of the seating was where to get a better view of the entire screen while being close enough to see the smaller details of what was happening.
The very top section, where he stood behind, was where you could see the entire screen without having to move your eyes too much. It was easy to see what was displayed in front of him even while he thought about something else.
"Oh? Wanting to see how your student is doing? I'm guessing you taught him how to move like that."
A body moved up next to him and rested their arms and upper body on the railing.
"I actually haven't gotten the time to teach him anything, Tachikawa-san."
"Is that so…?"
He was aware of the look that Tachikawa was giving him, but there was little reason to care about it.
"I didn't really expect to see you here though. Is there someone you want to watch?"
"Yeah. Your student. I got rejected by him so I want to see how he's doing here."
"Rejected? Did you-...?"
"Not like that. Pretty sure he likes the little nightingale down there anyway."
He followed the finger that pointed to the trio in the middle of the seating.
Wakamura seemed to be saying something to the girl a seat away and the girl behind them.
Like the man next to him, those three were likely here for someone specific.
"I asked him to join my squad and he rejected me. He is like Murakami in that he's loyal to his squad. That's a good quality to have, but they are using their talents for something that holds them back."
"So you want to see how he's going to do when he's fighting for his squad then."
"Hm. Looks like you get it."
Minoru looked down with flattened brows.
The look he had gotten in return was one of knowing.
"The way you said that... You already know that that whole squad fights by themselves, so he still won't be fighting with them. That's where he differs from people like Murakami. Murakami fights with his squad and supports them, but Toby fights by himself but for his squad."
"That's not what I..."
He was waved off before he could finish.
"It's fine, it's fine. I get it. But that is definitely the reason I came by. I want to see what he can do. Even if he is fighting for his squad and doesn't have support like everyone else, he can still manage some great things on his own."
What the #1 was saying rang out in his head.
He knew that it was true, but it was also rather harsh.
It was a direct way of saying that the rest of Kotowari Squad was not good enough. The support they provide meant little to someone of Toby's level and they could not be seen as a real squad at the moment.
There was also a certain amount of judgement on Toby as well for sticking to Kotowari Squad.
This #1 was not completely at fault though, he knew that. These were thoughts based on his position and the fighting ability he saw in those people.
What he said was only the truth that he saw.
And now that truth was being displayed in front of them.
Minoru focused back on the screen and the fight that had started on it.
When he did...
"What?"
Fall.
Kurauchi continued to watch as his opponent continued to fall forward.
To others it would seem like he was simply running, but it was different for someone who watched his own attacks miss due to this.
The boy started as if running by touching the ground with his heel and beginning his next action before his toes could follow and hit the ground as well. This action seemed to be the start of his speed, but it continued beyond that.
Each time he started his second action a small square would appear in front of his knee or his foot. As if tripping on it, he began to seemingly fall forward before righting himself and moving ahead of the shots fired at him.
When it seemed like he would slow down a new square would form again and his fall would continue.
It looks like a sign frame... I'll just call it that then.
Kurauchi saw a weak but definite acceleration like the floor had been removed.
The boy seemed to grab the air and fell forward.
It was a gradual acceleration that almost made Kurauchi think he could fire and it would definitely hit, but...
"That is being naïve!"
Kurauchi moved over to the next building and made a cube of trion appear. He fired it forward while a second cube appeared that would be used to get in his opponent's way instead of hitting him.
He made it.
His plan was to block the path forward and force the boy to move in a way that would be too awkward for him.
...This should make it in time!
It hit the ground, the ground threw pieces up, and he did indeed force a different move.
He made him spin around.
The force of the attack spun the boy's body, affecting his stance.
This will work, thought Kurauchi.
Unlike Grasshopper, this Trigger's acceleration was generally cumulative, but if the accumulated acceleration was not maintained the Trigger would likely break and the acceleration would be lost. At best, the user would slow down. At worst, they could be sent flying through the air.
He had just altered the boy's stance, so...
...He should slow down or fall over!
However, Kurauchi saw his opponent calmly continue accelerating.
.
"What?"
Kurauchi saw a blue sign frame below the opponent's feet.
It displayed the name Headfirst Fall. Mostly likely for aesthetics only.
Despite Toby's stance being thrown off, it did not vanish or shatter.
It was working just fine.
Strange, thought Kurauchi. That shouldn't be.
"Headfirst Fall!"
The boy's voice rang out again and he made another leap. This time, he moved toward Kurauchi.
Kurauchi understood what kind of acceleration system Headfirst Fall used.
...It really does use the act of falling!
Falling began slowly and accelerated from there, but the acceleration itself was occurring from the very beginning.
That meant the directional control for its acceleration did not occur when the speed was rising.
...Does he control his next direction of movement from the moment of the slower initial acceleration!?
Any later interference would be corrected by the already controlled acceleration. Even if his stance was thrown off, the already promised acceleration would forcibly regather his body.
The vague acceleration of "falling" was likely a way of more easily controlling his movement if any interference occurred.
And currently, the boy was falling toward Kurauchi.
He had figured out that this was supposed to be the same Trigger that Tamakoma's Kagerei and their own Kanzaki used, but there had been a clear difference between them.
It was not that the trigger itself was different. It was how it was used that was different.
Kagerei and Kanzaki used their movements to continue their acceleration and not break their chain.
This boy was using his falling body to start the Trigger, which then created a different form of it with different standards and usages.
...It really is a "headfirst fall"!
.
Toby could feel so much as he fell forward.
He had not planned to do something like this; to change how a Trigger worked, but he remembered how he had used this Trigger when facing off against Seikai.
He had used more than just his own speed to move faster. He had also used his falling movement for it.
It was the same as now.
He had asked Nakagami to check over the abilities of the Trigger before their match and had figured out how to create such movements on their way to the Border base.
The stomping of the ground he used was meant for control and break, but also used for preparing to attack. It was how he had been fighting up to this point.
Once he figured out that starting with his fall and moving into his next action right away was a good way to gain more speed, he incorporated that in some quick practice before their match.
Now he could tell the difference.
He continued to fall forward while repeatedly activating Headfirst Fall to continue holding his speed.
Kurauchi had tried to prevent him from maintaining that speed by sending him spinning, but that did not seem to work either. His initial fall had begun and could not be stopped by something like that.
Then there were the Hound shots that had been fired at him came in.
Their speed and ability to keep pace with him had always been an issue that he found hard to get around. Skilled fighters knew how to pressure him with attacks like those and Kurauchi was no different.
He had used the right tactics, right speed, and the right amount of shots to put enough pressure on him to keep him at bay.
But now that was not enough.
The standard amount of necessary parts to put pressure on him reached a new level. New tactics needed to be thought of, greater speed was needed to keep up, more shots needed to be fired for no escape. If things stayed the way where now...
"You won't catch me like that!"
"You won't reach me like that!"
.
Toby's repeated acceleration via falling had left the Hound shots to try and follow after him. Each one changed course mid-air to do so.
Some shots had not been able to turn in time and crashed into something else, leaving I'm with more room to move around.
The way Kurauchi moved atop the buildings seemed slow to Toby now, but that did not mean he could catch up. As long as those Hound shots continued for him he would not be able to fall towards Kurauchi.
"In that case..."
Seeing that Kurauchi had changed position to another building, he began a new action.
Each time he had begun to fall forward, he would create Headfirst Fall while beginning a new forward movement.
That was not the case this time.
"-"
Instead of starting with his heel, he began his next action with his toes while pushing his body forward. The action had started with his toes, but his shoulder was first to move by forcing itself forward and to the side.
It began to put him into a different kind of spin.
"Headfirst Fall!"
"While you're still spinning!?"
A blue sign frame formed in front of him as his knee started to catch up to his shoulder.
His spinning fall increased his speed even more as he made his full rotation.
With his body now facing the multiple Hound shots, he fell forward into the pack of Hound.
"!"
He did not need to look back to know that more shots had been fired from behind. It had likely been to attack him for the front, but he had changed positions so now they were coming from behind.
The shots that had been behind him were now coming head on, but...
"Ah! Ha!"
Feeling his body begin to move, he thought nothing about how he should move and so began thinking about what he could do to assist his own body.
Activating another Headfirst Fall right now would increase his acceleration even further, but that was not what he needed to do.
Preparing some shields right now would guarantee defense if he could not dodge, but that was not what he needed right now.
Creating Scorpion blades right now would prepare him to attack after he had dodged, but that was not what he wanted to do right now.
Right now, what he wanted, what he needed, and what he did were all the same thing.
"Ha ha!"
Lifting his leg starting with his knee, he took to the air with a leap using his acceleration. It was not high up, but it sent him flying over the pack of Hound that came from the front while forcing the ones from behind to follow by curving up.
The ones that had been in front of him curved again and continued their pursuit of him. Some crashed into the oncoming cursing ones, putting even less pressure on him.
Instead of landing on the ground after his jump, he continued to fall as he hit the ground.
The continued fall was followed by another Headfirst Fall being formed in front of him.
"Ha ha ha!"
He let out a voice as he continued to accelerate on the open street.
The street itself became curved near the end while moving into the tall buildings that had been meant for the Snipers to have a better place to fire from.
Their fight had reached the end of the shorter buildings and was now in-between the two portions.
"Pa pa pa! Ha ha ha! Whoohoo!"
It meant there was only one place to go now.
.
Kurauchi was surprised by what he was seeing and what he was hearing.
Seeing Toby reach such amazing speeds and out running his shots was already something expected. Now he had raised his voice as he fell, accelerated, then fell once more.
"Whoohoo! Whoohoo! Ha ha ha! Pa pa pa!"
They were less like words and they did not even seem directed at Kurauchi at all.
Each sound that came from his mouth was followed by a step then an acceleration.
Kurauchi was not one for the arts and had only gotten a small lecture from his classmates and Suzume before, but even he could tell what was happening here.
It was something he had seen from others at his school before. Something that came with excitement and for those who enjoyed what they were doing so much.
Yes, some of the stranger ones had even said it was "excitengu". What that means exactly, I'm not sure. But what I am sure about is that this is the same thing as that.
Like those people he had seen, Toby was enjoying himself in this fight.
No, it was wrong to call it a fight.
Toby was running around how he liked and Kurauchi was providing some toys for him to play with. There had been some movement towards him, but Toby had yet to make a full attack against him this entire time.
This truly was just a time for Toby to play around and that was how the mood was set for the moment. Even so, he made sure that Kurauchi could not escape.
Since that was the case...
I will deal with him here! While he is still playing around!
Torimaru: "Well Awdry seems to be enjoying himself here."
Spear Idiot: "I'd say so. Just look at him out there. He isn't caring about what's chasing him, his trion usage, for the fact he's about to be attacked again."
Grumpy Cat: "'Having fun' like that can only lead to something bad for that mutt. He is being extremely careless, so I don't doubt that he will be taken out at this rate."
Spear Idiot: "So harsh. But that is true still. Well, kind of. But that's only because this is Toby we're talking about here."
Grumpy Cat: "That mutt... Well I can't say that his teammates are any better. I've seen something like this before too, but it had come from Suzume before. I don't know what is going on in his mind - and I would rather not know - but it will be dangerous for Kazuki if he thinks this is something to overlook. While we know he won't attack recklessly, there is a chance he has the wrong mindset right now."
Spear Idiot: "Is that a compliment to Toby or an insult to Kurauchi?"
Grumpy Cat: "I feel like complimenting that mutt will only end badly... I am only saying that when Kotowari Squad gets like this that it is better to take things more carefully.]"
Spear Idiot: "So it means you actually do know how to have some fun."
Grumpy Cat: "You...!"
.
"You're laughing quite a bit that it makes this seem like a show instead of a match..."
Wakamura hid behind the glare of his glasses while Kōchō had turned away at some point. Her shoulders visibly shook and her hand covered her mouth.
Asano who was behind him also questioned the reaction, but did not verbally express it like the glasses boy.
"S-sorry... But I-I know... Hahaha! I just know that he is enjoying himself so much out there. He is acting like a dog who is being played with by someone, so it's hard to get that out of my mind."
"And now I can imagine that..."
"So can I..."
"Oh look, dog ears. Listening to you has made me go crazy, Kashi. Good job with that."
"Glad to help," Kōchō said with a finishing huff.
She looked back to the screen at the same moment as when Kurauchi had fired more shots.
When watching what was happening she had been able to notice some of the Hound shots get destroyed due to something getting in their way or destroying themselves due to not curving in time to chase after Toby. That had been why Kurauchi felt the need to fire even more, to replace the ones lost and fire a new volley for more pressure.
"Can he even feel pressure at this point?"
"I think some of the others in higher ranks can manage to keep up with him. This just means Kurauchi-senpai needs to find a way to close the gap so he can put pressure on Awdry again. Without that pressure, it will be hard for him to win. ...Even if Awdry is playing around."
"You two should get it as much as the rest of us that us Shooters, you Gunners, and those Snipers have it rough against him. If not for Shana and Shor wanting to fight him and vice very, outmatch would have gone differently. It took both Maya and myself to take on Take, but that had its own circumstances to it. If I had been the one to fight Toby, well..."
"You don't need to say it. We had just fought him, so please remember that I had been against him and Taiyōko with Yuta backing me up. I know how hard it is to hit him. And it looks like he got even better between then and now."
Some more giggle could be heard after they had both let out sighs.
Kōchō had begun anew with her laughing.
"It looks like the one who likes him is the only who has yet to fight him. You two even got to fight against the people you like. What a shame."
"What!?"
"Hold on a minute."
Kōchō ignored their protests in favor of continuing to watch the match.
Compared to the level of fighting she was witnessing, her own abilities paled in comparison to them.
.
Toby, while looking to just be enjoying himself, and Kurauchi, who looked to be trying to find a way around that enjoyment, continued their high speed movements and thoughts. The smoothness the two showed while trying to outmaneuver was not something she could take lightly.
Without being in the B-Rank Wars or doing many solo matches she found it rather difficult to understand just what was needed in this fight.
Moto-san says that we can enter whenever we want and Maihime is always ready to go, but the rest of us don't really feel like joining. We manage just fine against Neighbors, so there really isn't a need for us to go against our fellow agents. Still...
Looking at the seat next to her and behind her gave her a good understanding that it was not the same for everyone.
While she was no slouch when it came to her shooting, she was aware that the girl behind her was far better than her at it. Coming up with strategies was not her strong suit to begin with, but that did not mean she could not see the boy next to her thinking at least five steps ahead of her. Both of them had reached that point because they had been participating in the B-Rank Wars.
It meant that something like these fights had more importance than simply showing off strength.
...It's a bit late for us to join, so I'll just keep watching. But...
She felt the need for that added word was important.
I can also learn from this. We can use it for when we need it and maybe even show it off ourselves.
These rank wars were showing her more than just fights and strength.
Toby was showing her the carefree nature someone could have during these fights while Kurauchi was showing her what it took to deal with that carefree nature.
"...And this is only the opening fight for the match."
The boy a seat away from her must have thought she was speaking out to them as he answered her unasked question.
"Don't get too used to it. Kotowari Squad is just strange like this."
"Definitely. They like these personal fights and only help each other to then make them into those personal fights."
"I wish I could speak up like you two. Then again, that should be a given since you two get to fight and watch the people you like."
The Gunner and Shooter duo were quick to defend themselves from the attack.
These kinds of people were troublesome.
In that same vein, they were dangerous.
People like these tended to base their actions on their mood. If they were hungry then they would hunt for food. If they wanted to play then they would drop everything to enjoy themselves. If they felt threatened then they would prepare to attack. And if they got serious then the true danger would show.
At the moment Toby was in a mood to play around and it showed with the way he ran around the area while making sure his prey could not escape while he had his fun.
"Ha ha ha! Pa pa!"
"-!"
The Hound shots gathered, they separated, they spun, they twisted, they curved, they moved straight, they did everything possible to reach the one who tried to run away and instead continued to fall.
"Just hit!"
It may have been due to the situation but Kurauchi felt as if that was what his own shots were saying as they continued to chase down their own prey.
For every jump he made to a different rooftop, Toby made at least three movements and moved a far greater distance than he could with no buffing Triggers.
Yet even with that speed and distance coverage, he was still far from reaching his target.
The distance between the two would take him at the least 10 seconds to cover. Those 10 seconds would be filled with shots of all kinds by Kurauchi.
Changing positions, forcing him to move away, and waiting for the right time was what he would have to use here.
Even then...
"Fight Awdry by himself!?"
Kashio's shout was met with an understanding glance.
Kurauchi looked to their captain with a raised eyebrow.
They had been discussing what to do against each squad when the idea of fighting the young Attacker alone came up. It made sense in a general sense, but everyone in the room knew what exactly that meant.
"I appreciate the confidence, but I will have a hard time doing that by myself. Do you want me to be bait or distract him?"
"Not at all. I want-... No. I need you to fight Tobe by yourself. You have the best chance between the three of us. Even if you were to provide support fire for us, I don't know how that would turn out. According to everything we know, he is still getting used to something new, so you would be best."
"But Awdry is-..."
"He is...?"
Kurauchi felt a bit sorry for their youngest member, but he knew what both sides meant with their arguments.
"We don't have a Sniper, but I don't think that would help much. Kasio, I could manage a win against him, but that would be all for me. I don't doubt that he would take too much from me in return. And you would get destroyed the moment you entered his range."
"So does that mean we shouldn't try to support with our own support fire?"
"We might just get in the way. Besides that, we would have others to worry about. If someone from Yuba Squad or Senzai go involved then that would be great since we would then know where they would be. It is highly likely that they will stay away from that kind of fight though."
It would make sense if that was the case.
Anyone within range of that kind battle would need to be wary of frontal attacks from Awdry and multi-directional shots from him. Doing something like that was far more trouble than simply staying away from the fight altogether.
Support fire sounded nice in theory, but even that would not work.
Anyone who had fought against the higher ranked Attackers who used speed knew why exactly that would not be with much and instead get in the way.
Even with the amount of people who he had faced off against, Kashio did not seem to think about why it was that this battle needed to be done.
That was enough for him to speak up and explain for his underclassman.
"To deal with someone like Awdry, you need to constantly be changing your attacks, shift between attack and defense at any moment, know the entirety of the space around you, and a few other things that we don't have time to go over. I would be moving constantly and maybe even in strange ways, so any supporting fire has a chance at hitting me as well. I would say try that if it looks like I am really on the verge of losing. That way taking me out would not be much of an issue."
"With the way you're talking, it sounds like you are agreeing to this."
He nodded in agreement.
It seemed logical enough when given enough thought.
"I get it. The other Snipers would have a hard time, Sensei's Shooter is nowhere near that level yet, and anyone needing to get in close could possibly get a win, but that would be all. Yuba-san could manage a win while staying in, but it would also be a risk for him that he knows not to take."
"Right. So that just leaves you: a very skilled Shooter who doesn't need to get in close, knows what to do, can win without losing too much, and can come up with any plan you need while keeping a close on on him at the same time maintaining a distance. Do you get it now, Kasio? That wolf is tough, but not impossible to beat. That fox who had been leading them was their strongest fight - as much as I hate to say it - and so with him gone, the others are simply wild animals who are moving on their instinct and emotions."
"That's it harsh, Ōji."
"I'm not completely over the incident with the sponsors. And thinking about that damn fox has gotten me irritated."
"So then focus on the others. If you think about Tsuki... Yuki. You will likely lose sight of everything again."
The sigh that came from the squad captain was enough to release some of the tension that had built up.
"Very true."
Looks like this was the right choice after all.
The amount of trion both of them were using continued to increase as one tried to run around while the other tried to catch him.
The pace that this fight was going at was faster than Kurauchi had expected and it was only growing in speed.
Ōji probably didn't even see this coming. He put me here because it was only right to do so, but now we can see that there was no other choice.
Kashio would have been destroyed long ago by the pure speed of the fight. He was no slouch when it came to fights, but this was not something he could handle without some major support from someone else. Speed, power, and tactics were needed at a high rate that he would not have been able to reach in a short amount of time.
Ōji's chances also seemed to be sliming down every more as the fight went on. From what he could see, his captain looked to still be able to take out the Attacker, but at a greater cost. There would be no doubt that he would need to Bail Out if they did not go for mutual destruction.
That left it up to him.
Don't stop, even for a moment.
Increase the shots fired, the types fired, change the accuracy of them, keep moving and don't stay in one place, and make sure you always have him in your sight. As long as I can keep those up, I should be able to run him down enough to catch him.
After catching him, don't let up on attacks. Cover the entire area around him so that his Side Effect can't get him out of it.
Takato-san isn't with them this time around, so there is no need to worry about her or her Side Effect either. So-
It was a single movement.
"!"
.
Kurauchi watched as green light scattered in the distance.
He had been moving to prevent Toby from getting a lock on him and had been focused on the movement of his feet and upper body the whole time. So where had these scattering lights come from?
No, he knew where they came from.
From Awdry himself!?
Looking back at the boy, he saw that he was still moving at an amazing speed. His falls contained his starting actions, direction for that action, and change if needed. It was the same as before, so that had not been what ceased those scattering lights. Instead it had been...
"Scorpion...?"
One after another, Scorpion blades formed in his right hand before being destroyed by any Hound shots that had gotten too close to him.
That in of itself made no sense as Kurauchi was sure that his shots would not be able to get so close for another minute or so. There was no way it could have made Toby react like that.
Wait... There is a chance. A way they could have gotten so close. But if that's the case then this will be getting worse for me.
Two Triggers were now being used by the boy.
In his right hand a Scorpion blade would be created, clash with the shots, shatter then scatter the light, and then reform in his hand immediately.
On his feet and knees a sign frame representing Headfirst Fall would appear to continue his acceleration without losing any of the speed.
As a natural counter, his Side Effect also seemed to be putting in work for the shots that he could not block with Scorpion.
It was a constant cycle of offense that worked as a defense.
They were ideal movements.
He started getting a bit more serious now, huh? So that means he is tired of playing and will now be going for his prey.
It meant he would be going after Kurauchi.
With his current speed, there would be no chance of escape unless he expanded his trion usage even more in an attempt to cover the entire area. Doing so would likely result in the same outcome as Ōji.
In that case, I think I should stop worrying about our distance and move forward myself.
With a new resolve to fight, Kurauchi created two cubes of trion.
I have only seconds before the last of Hound is taken out or dodged.
It was enough time for him.
The two cubes of trion began to shift and mold as they melded into each other. It would not be a single shot that was fired but a combination of two different Triggers put together that would leave an impact.
A composite shot.
Salamander.
A composite shot mixing together the tracking aspect of Hound and the destructive aspect of Meteora.
With Toby moving forward now, there were only so many ways he could move. Even if he blocked or dodged this attack, he would still receive some sort of damage from recoil. It would be enough to fire a last bout of shots.
The timing needs to be right...
With it now set in his mind, he waited for the opportune time.
.
The continued feeling of falling felt great.
Toby wished he could continue this for as long as he wanted, but he had received word that it would be better to begin attacking instead of running around.
The pack of Hound shots had not been much so long as he fell forward to escape them. None of them could catch up and some had been taken care of due to his own maneuvering. They crashed into each other, crashed into buildings that got in the way, crashed into the round when they could not turn fast enough, and they only continued to crash as long as he continued to fall.
Once he had been told to actually start fighting, that had changed. There was less crashing and more shattering and scattering.
He had originally thought that he would need to stop Headfirst Fall so he could use two blades to deal with the Hound shots, but that had not been the case according to their substitute Operator.
"Hey, hey, just keep that up. One blade should be enough. Besides, it shows off to the likes of these guys who have looks but can completely be jackasses!"
It was followed by a quick, "He's picking a fight, isn't he!? Isn't he!? That damn good looking president-type is totally picking a fight with the way he's doing things, isn't he!? Hey Lobo, attack! Sick 'em!"
"I'm not a dog! Are you listening!? I! Am! Not! A! Dog!"
That had been when he felt his energy reach a new level.
It meant nothing particular in a fight, but it was good motivation for him.
The first action that came from it had been a shattered Scorpion blade.
Within the span of a second he had managed to create a blade before throwing it in the direction of one of the shots. This was followed by another sign frame appearing to activate Headfirst Fall.
The moment he noticed the blade had shattered upon impact with the shot he created a new one while shifting his feet. The top of the roof came to an end one step away so the shining at his feet had happened the moment he reached the edge of the building.
Leaping into the air, he turned his body around as a set of shots came towards him.
With a single blade in hand and Headfirst Fall ready to activate at any moment, he began his full on defense using offensive measures.
The first thing he had done was shatter another blade using one of the shots and used the shattered pieces to activate Headfirst Fall. Still in a small spin, he began to fall at an angle that would place him on the side of one of the nearby buildings.
The remaining shots began to catch up as the spin also slowed down his forward acceleration.
Instead of creating another blade, he had chosen to take off one of his shoes and let it hang in the air for a moment. Once the shots reached a point he thought was acceptable, he activated Headfirst Fall and used the shoe as a starting point for his fall. It was soon destroyed by the shots while also destroying some of the shots.
With only one shoe left, he knew that it would mess him up with the difference between steps. That was why he took the other one off and held it in his hand.
"Hey Suzuka, are you helping the others like we planned? You seem to be paying a bit too much attention to my fight here!"
JK: "I am, I am! Everybody's waiting on your ass to finish up here though! Apparently these guys want to see who wins here!"
"Seriously!? Why!? That's now how this is supposed to go!"
JK: "Don't worry, the others are doing their job. Colors is setting everything up and Honest Sister is getting into place. Hoshi-chan has yet to reach either of them though since she was placed the furthest away from any of you, so it will take some time. Everyone else went Bagworm and we haven't seen them yet."
"So that's what you meant..." he sighed out while activating Headfirst Fall again.
I was wondering why Ōji Squad hasn't come over to help Kazuki. But it's because he's the only one who could keep up right now. They want to see where our limits are. Whoever wins here will be the target for others.
And of course everyone else is too far away for me to lead anyone to them... Just our luck.
The irony of that thought was not lost to him as he destroyed the remaining shots that had not crashed along the way.
So then what can I do to finally end this? The longer this goes on, the more trion we are both going to be using.
His thoughts were quickly interrupted by his own actions. The actions had been decided on by his body instead of his mind, forcing him to realize what was happening.
The last bout of shots had finally reached him, making his Side Effect activate to move him through those shots.
With his body now in a new spin moving towards the shots, he could get a better view of Kurauchi.
He had wanted to move around behind him, but due to the forward spin his actions could look like a frontal attack.
Kazuki must have thought that was the case as hesitance showed he was ready for such a thing. It may not have been a hardened defense, but he was prepared for it.
In his hands was a tube of trion that Toby was sure was some kind of composite shot.
Crap! Depending on what it is, I could be really screwed here! I can probably move around it, but there's no doubt there's an aspect of Hound in that shot! What can I-...
With his body now free from the spin and the Hound shots finally being completely gone, he was able to see the area in its entirety.
The tall buildings meant for the Sniper were behind him while the two of them were still within the inner edge of the outer area of the map. Kurauchi had to hold himself in place for a moment to prepare the composite shot and Toby could not stop moving or else he would lose the accumulated acceleration of Headfirst Fall. The area he had left was limited and the distance between the two of them was enough where he would get shot through if he did not move away at this very moment.
So that was what he did.
.
With the distance between Toby and Kurauchi being so small, he activated Headfirst Fall. Multiple sign frames appeared in front of his knee and foot as he began to turn his body.
The accumulated acceleration from his fall increased even more. While not reaching the point of Idāten, it did become hard to fully control his body as he moved forward.
He could see it. The composite shot being fired.
Crap! What now!?
In front of him was a tall building behind smaller ones, behind him was now a tracking shot that had another aspect added in, and Kurauchi was already moving again.
Huh...?
Wait.
I can try that...
Steeling himself for what was to come, he repeatedly opened multiple sign frames to activate many more Headfirst Fall. Once shattering, the sign frames continued to increase his fall as he moved across the rooftops.
Lobo: "Suzuka, prove yourself here for me!"
JK: "I don't need to prove anything! But what do you need!?"
Lobo: "Calculations!"
.
Kurauchi was sure this was his win.
Even with his speed and ability to move around, escaping any sort of damage from Salamander would be too much to ask without something having to be given up for it.
If he tried to outrun it then it would mean he would need to use even more trion to create the sign frames that made him speed up.
If he tried to dodge or use a blade to get rid of it then it ran a major risk of getting hit by the explosion that followed.
If he tried to simply block it with a shield then he would lose the accumulated speed from the sign frames.
At any of those points in time Kurauchi would simply fire an all-out attack against him. One that could not be dealt with so easily.
"This is Kurauchi. I have-"
"Headfirst Fall!"
.
The sound of someone howling out brought Kurauchi's attention to the first tall building that was outside of the outer part of the map.
"What is he...?"
After crossing the many roofs leading up to that building, the wolf who had been trying to run from the Salamander took a large leap.
As expected, the Salamander followed suit by curving to chase after the wolf.
Instead of plummeting to the ground or defending against the Salamander, the wolf made a single action.
He fell.
But it was not a fall that would lead him to the ground.
The falling wolf did not face the ground and did not move to the side. Instead...
"He's falling up!?"
The wolf's fall did not start with him. His fall started with the sign frames that appeared in front of his toes or his knees. From there his feet followed with his whole foot being used to step on the side of the building and then finished with his body following behind. The rapid appearance and shattering of the sign frames created an upwards fall for the wolf who seemed to be trying to reach the top of the building.
His speed was a bit lower than before, likely because of the kind of steps he had been taking, but it had still been enough to outrun the Salamander.
Kurauchi knew this would not be enough for the wolf to win. He was certain this would not be enough, yet...
"Hound...!"
He fired more.
He created cubes of trion that left to try and catch the upward falling wolf who tried to reach the top.
At the same time, he moved along the rooftops while keeping a close eye on the building and the lights leading to it.
With the speed he was going at, it would take another second before he reached top of the building.
"What then...?"
Where would that falling wolf go?
If he went onto the rooftop then it could be considered a win for Kurauchi. He would have pushed him back and proven that he could take out that wolf any time he wanted. That would have also been a good outcome, even if it was not the best.
If he tried to circle around the building then it would simply lead to the attacks hitting him or end the same way as the first outcome.
Going to the ground at this point would only seem strange and like a bad idea. He had been trying his best to reach the top, so what point was there in going to the bottom right after?
"But there are no other options left..."
There was.
Kurauchi saw it firsthand.
He saw the action that wolf had decided to take and could only stare at it while preparing another attack.
.
This is crazy! This is seriously crazy! I mean, I did do something similar with Noah, but this is still not something I'm used to doing! Last time it was because I had something to do! I had to reach up to him again! But this time...
It was not different.
There was something he had to do and someone he had to reach. Since that was the case, there was no reason to doubt this would work.
JK: "You are seriously a crazy kid! No wonder Hoshi-chan always told us about how fun sports with you are!"
Suzuka's voice reached him as he reached the top of the building.
The calculations, while not as detailed as Mei's, came in and he knew just what to do. How to move his body.
"Headfirst Fall!"
The moment his foot touched the edge of the building, he leaped back.
He was now parallel to the ground with his top facing the sky and his back facing the ground.
The Hound shots and the composite shot followed him. They were getting closer even as his accumulated acceleration moved him forward in the air.
"You better not be wrong about this!"
There was only one chance for this to work.
If it failed, he would take the full brunt of all those shots.
If it succeeded, it would mean victory for him.
What a cliché. But I guess that's just how it goes for sudden plans like these ones.
He gave a bitter laugh as he looked to the false sky in wonder.
He noted that there were no clouds. Just a clear sky that looked so fun to be around.
"But now it's time to move."
.
Kurauchi saw an arcing form fly up into the clear sky.
It was Toby.
He had pulled herself up from the fall and used that momentum to jump even higher than ever before.
It was all a series of forcible actions.
When looking over earlier, Kurauchi had seen no footholds for Toby to use Headfirst Fall on.
Activating Headfirst Fall in the empty air would only lead to falling.
Even if he could supply the proper direction and shift his position, he could not escape the falling motion.
But that was only without a foothold.
Toby had created a foothold for Headfirst Fall.
He had kicked off many created and shattering Scorpion shards.
"—"
And he fell.
He directed his fall toward one of the many buildings around him and slammed into it.
The rest was simple.
He repeatedly "fell toward" the buildings and used that momentum to jump.
"So he came back..."
His gray form formed an arc as he fell from the clear sky.
He fell toward the end of the next building over where Kurauchi was standing.
Their fight was not yet over. So...
"...Here I go!"
Kurauchi created cubes of trion and moved away.
He had to make sure he showed that he could handle this fight himself.
"Here I go...!"
He made a high-speed dash.
.
Toby saw where he needed to go and fell in that direction.
There was only a few seconds before it happened.
The distance between him and Kurauchi gave enough time for him to fire one last bout of shots before Toby reached him. With that in mind, he fell forward with nothing but victory on his mind.
First step!
The cubes were created and the following shots were closing in.
Second step!
The distance was almost nonexistent now.
Third step!
The last shots had been fired and the following shots were close now.
Moving forward would mean getting hit.
Falling back would mean getting hit.
Moving to the side would mean getting hit.
So what was left?
Taking a hit!
Toby started to activate Headfirst Fall. The sign frame started to form in front of him.
He saw Kurauchi prepare to move away as best he could. His body shifted to the side where he was likely to simply fall to the ground and off the building.
I won't let you escape!
Before the sign frame could fully form, he canceled the Trigger activation, causing the sign frame to shatter as he passed over it.
Upon shattering, the backlash of the acceleration hit him from behind, pushing him forward while also doing some damage to his legs.
Instead of focusing on the damage done, he created two Scorpion blades in each hand and used the forced push to finally reach Kurauchi.
"-!"
"!?"
In a quick and swift motion, his blades cut off Kurauchi's right arm.
"One!"
The following shots that had been going after him had finally caught up.
Since their target was directly in front of them, they continued forward.
They overlooked Kurauchi in order to reach their target and...
"!"
They collided with the one who had fired them.
.
An explosion went off as the composite shot collided with Kurauchi.
He could only stare down with wide eyes as the Hound shots followed along, hitting some of his remaining body.
Lines of trion ran along his body as he saw his lower body move towards the ground, his right arm being flung in the way of the remaining hounds, and his left arm being pierced through by his own shots as well.
Everything he had done to win had been brought back around to be used against him and create an opening.
"Two!"
As if to solidify his loss, he saw the wolf now in front of him.
Unlike the times before, he could not feel his chest anymore and realized his head had been severed from that body as well.
Bail Out
Kurauchi looked to the lights above his head as he registered what had just happened.
He silently got up before moving over to where Kittaka was. The looking she was giving him was a questioning one, but he wavered her off before speaking up.
"Sorry about that. I lost."
Ōji: "It's fine. Now we accomplished two things because of you."
"That's right," he nodded in agreement. "We made Awdry use a good amount of trion as well as..."
His pause had not been for any sort of effect. Rather, it was a way for him to organize his thoughts on what had just occurred.
"We know just how dangerous Awdry is now. Watch out for his speed and know that distance means little to him now. You would need to cover the entire area in an attack to get him or somehow get him by surprise. The amount of pressure you need to put on him has increased."
Ōji: "I see. Then we will stick to our plan. Kasio, you ready?"
Kasio: "Yes!"
Kurauchi gave another nod.
It was good that they understood what exactly the danger was at now.
It was not the same as before and new measures would need to be take against it, but it was still manageable for them.
"Now then, let's see how the rest of them do here."
Toby Awdry saw the confirmation of the fight in the appearance of his opponent having to Bail Out.
He took a breath and wiped his brow.
He made sure that damage was minimal on him, but...
"Oh?"
For some reason, the previous impact had managed to get a hit on him and prevent him from moving too much. Stopping the leaking trion was the priority for the moment.
Thus, he used a shield to cover it up and stop the leaking. With him using Shield it meant that Headfirst Fall would not be usable for the moment.
Then he looked to the destruction in the distance.
"...We can do it."
They could keep up with the top tiers.
Of course, the Ōji Squad Shooter could not use support from others at the moment. This victory was an imperfect victory, just like some of their previous ones that had also been similar in style. However...
"We know what that means now."
They could not view that as a victory. They had to look at it differently:
"We can do it."
He could not see anyone else appearing or moving around him.
It did not seem they had decided to withdraw yet, but they must have thought it best to keep a distance. So...
"We can already win when the conditions are right. And we should eventually be within reach."
Toby looked up into the clear and false sky.
He spoke into that vast blue.
"I hope that 'eventually' is sooner rather than later."
He lowered his gaze to the Radar that displayed anyone not wearing Bagworm, but that was not saying much at the moment.
He knew that he would be given a rest period by his squad. Trion bodies prevented fatigue from entering into the mix, but moving to another fight after the one he just had would cause more chaos than anything. And...
...What are the others doing? Better be something good.
They had been trying to set everything they needed up while he fought, but...
"Will they be found out? Suzume should be fine, but I'm really worried about Hoshi and Take here. They need some help at times..."