That Sunday, when everyone had woken up, the three decided to make breakfast together, Mythra included. She was a little worried about the results, but Frankie had offered to let her cook the bacon while he and Pyra chopped the potatoes and refried the beans. No seasonings required, just flip and fry. Mythra decided she could do that.

While Mythra eyed the packaging of meat carefully, Frankie and Pyra each had a potato in hand and began peeling.

"They'll be here at 11, let's dice them up so they take less time to cook." Frankie advised.

"Will do, Frankie!" Pyra chirped as she set her peeled potato down before reaching for another one. As she did so, she noticed Frankie's tired and solemn frown. She frowned back in concern and made an effort to let herself be seen by him. "You doing okay, Frankie?" She asked with a furrowed brow. Frankie darted his eyes the other way and murmured unintelligibly. "Still hung up on last night, huh?"

"Mm Hmm…" Frankie said weakly. Pyra sighed fondly and scooted herself closer to him as she continued peeling her potato.

"Did you forget what we told you last night, already? We're here for you, Frankie. Just like you've been here for us…"

"I know, but… I don't wanna impose…"

Pyra chuckled as she shook her head.

"Frankie, Frankie, Frankie, you weren't the one who showed up in a blast of fire and smoke in the middle of a dark room just to say hi, practically begging for a place to sleep, if… anything… we've been a burden on you…"

"You don't really-"

"I do! I… I just do… okay? I… haven't ever been able to shake the feeling…"

"And… how long is 'ever'?"

"Oh… you know… one… two… three……. thousand years…"

Frankie looked at her sadly before scooching closer to her himself, their shoulders practically touching as they continued peeling.

"Heh… so how old are you, anyway?" Frankie chuckled.

"You never ask a lady that!" Pyra scolded as she puffed her cheeks out a bit, getting Frankie to laugh a bit harder before he turned back to the countertop.

"But… yeah… talking to someone who's scared of the same things you are… helps… even if there's a few… dozen tears…"

"Yeah… I'd say it certainly does…"

Pyra smiled sweetly at Frankie as he smiled back warmly at her, both focused only on each other as they gazed into the other's eyes. Neither of them realized it at first but… they were almost hypnotized by each other, Pyra's bright fiery red, and Frankie's deep soothing brown were a sight to behold for each of them. All Frankie really needed was Mythra's intense golden yellow to really send him over the edge.

"OW, FU-!!!" Mythra suddenly cried.

"Mythra! Mind the oil!" Frankie and Pyra said in unison.

—————————————————————————

"Big brobro!!!!!" Kaito exclaimed as he leapt into Frankie's arms with a giant hug. Frankie chuckled happily and hugged tightly back.

"Oh Baby bro…" He cooed as he patted Kaito on the back.

"Where's the food?!" Miko announced as she rushed inside just behind Kaito.

"Good morning, Miko…" Mythra said with a teasing smile.

"Morning, Missus Frankie Number One~" Miko teased back. Pyra and Mythra blushed furiously in response and turned away from her shyly and suddenly respectively. Pyra rubbed her arm quietly while Mythra stiffened herself defiantly.

"J-just get in already… breakfast is ready…" Mythra stuttered.

"M-Mythra helped… bacon is a little extra crispy… I hope you don't mind."

Miko shifted her eyes over to Mythra briefly, not really making any expression, just scanning her quickly. Through her blush, Mythra scoffed and turned away.

"Well, bacon is bacon, I'm sure Banana Senpai did just fine!" Miko announced as she made her way to the dining table.

"What DOES that mean?!" Mythra shrieked as she followed the smaller woman to the table.

"Ooh! Hey! And wait until you see what we learned from all those things back in-" Kaito removed himself from Frankie's embrace, ready to tell of his new findings. He was met with a cold and angry glare from Mythra, and an unsure frown from Pyra. Frankie, just behind him, didn't really know what to do. He was as curious as ever, but, especially after the night prior, now really didn't seem like a good time to bring it up.

Miko shifted her eyes between Pyra and Mythra nervously. She had to quickly change the subject. As she sat down, she took a piece of bacon and promptly bit into it.

"All things considered, Mythra… you didn't do awful on this bacon!" She cried.

"Not awful… but not good either. I get it." Mythra groaned.

"It's hard to mess bacon up, Goldilocks. It's a halfway decent first start! I don't mind extra crispy!"

"Whatever…" Mythra scoffed as she took a seat.

"The air is tense…" Kaito whispered to Frankie. "Why don't you get on over there and work your charm so you can make 'em smile again, eh?"

"N-no! There's no charm! I-I-I just… um…" Frankie tried to excuse himself as he walked with Kaito.

"Exist and make them happy? You're even better than I thought…" Kaito flashed his big brother a sly smile as Frankie blushed furiously, taking his seat at the front of the table, his own plate piled high with potatoes, bacon, beans, and a couple of tortillas on the side. Pyra sat next to him, and Mythra just ahead, the former putting an egg on her toast, and Mythra scooping a spoonful of potatoes into her mouth.

"Heh… this family just keeps getting bigger and bigger, doesn't it?" Miko asked a bit teasingly, but mostly genuinely.

"And I'm all for that!" Kaito exclaimed.

Frankie, Pyra, and Mythra were fixated on Miko's wordplay. On any other day, family would've just been a sweet emotional word to describe how close they were to each other. If Pyra and Mythra could remember their past well at all outside of dreams and rushing thoughts, they would've had plenty to say regarding the term. But given the current circumstances, the three of them heard the word 'family', and looked at each other nervously, as if Miko was suggesting something more… intimate. The three awkwardly blushed and continued to eat their food as Miko chuckled while Kaito smiled sweetly. Pyra then spoke up herself to break the silence.

"Is breakfast okay, Kaito…?" She asked quietly.

"Let me guess… you and big bro made the potatoes and… beans, right?" He asked. Pyra and Frankie glanced at each other sheepishly, blushing a bit before directing their attention back to Kaito.

"We… we did…" Frankie admitted.

"Heh… duly noted…" Kaito mused as he drank his tea.

"W-wait! What are you suggesting?!" Pyra called, turning even redder than before.

"Mmf… geh Myfra b'hind th' whee'l at a deshen' pace, an' we gaw- ourshelves q-white th' tr'o…" Miko added, a mouthful of food in her mouth as she spoke.

"H-hey now!" Mythra hollered, about to protest herself, only to realize she had no idea what to say, leading her to stop mid sentence and sit back down in a flustered mess.

"W-well… I wouldn't mind learning how to make those… tor…teeas or whatever it is Frankie calls them…" Pyra admitted.

"H-hah… it's my grandma's recipe… make the dough, throw it on the placa, slather with butter or get a bologna and fry it and you got yourself a delicious snack…"

"Oh! That sounds wonderful! You have to teach me how, soon!"

"The minute we run out, how does that sound?"

"Okay!"

"We can… make a meal out of them, right…?" Mythra asked nervously.

"Oh-Ho-Ho… you have no idea…" Frankie chuckled, causing Mythra's face to light up in intrigue. She was the first to notice Kaito and Miko giggling to themselves and immediately try to regain her composure in their presence, still blushing lightly as she spoke.

"S-so why'd you come over here then? Cuz if you just came to eat and give us an exposition dump, you can leave…" She said.

"Mythra!" Pyra scolded.

"Well, not exactly. We wanted to try and go over things with you, but seeing as how you're not comfortable with that, we're open to other options. Sorry, senpai." Miko offered.

"There you go! Using that word again! Are you trying to pick a fight, or what?!" Mythra hollered, standing over the table suddenly.

"W-what?! N-no, I-"

"Mythra! Calm down! Miko doesn't mean any harm. Senpai just means superior in her native language… they use it as a term of endearment for people older than them…" Kaito quickly defended his girlfriend, wrapping his arms around her gently as he maintained eye contact with Mythra.

"O-oh… I… huh…" Mythra looked down guiltily and shuffled in her seat a bit. "S-sorry, I… Guess I'm still having trouble adjusting is all…"

"Now that you mention it, Mythra, I do think we could afford to branch out a bit more now that we've gotten a bit more comfortable with this world. You said it yourself, we still don't know what everything else does here. If this is where we're going to be living for a good portion of our life, we really should try and learn more things about it." Pyra suggested.

"You won't get whiplash or anything, Pyra?" Frankie asked.

"Oh, Frankie… I'd say you worry too much if I wasn't anywhere near as bad as you, but I think we'll be fine… there's always other weeks to just relax, after all! And we've been having a great time experiencing the recreation of this world as it is, what's a little more action gonna hurt, hm?"

"Wow, Pyra, I never would've expected you to be the one getting up and staking the claim." Miko pointed out.

"Ah… well… I guess you could say I have a pretty good teacher…" Pyra said with a blush.

"O-oh, come on, you…" Frankie blushed back.

"You two are gonna make me sick. But then, I guess Pyra's right. It's all thanks to Frankie we're even living this life, after all." Mythra added.

"And how!" Kaito cheered while Frankie blushed a deeper red and sank into himself a fair bit.

"If it's not too presumptuous to ask, Miko, I have always wondered this myself. You, Frankie, and Kaito all consider yourselves a family, yet you all look entirely different, did you and Kaito come from far away?"

"Oh! I'm so glad you asked!" Miko cried happily as she shot up in her seat. "Just like Kaito said, my native language isn't English, I'm from Japan, to be exact! That's way on the other side of the world, didn't ya know?"

"Oh! That's… impressive… I'm no stranger to found families and everything but… from so far away without any Titans to link you all together… it's a bit shocking to say the least." Pyra said.

"And I'm afraid I don't quite understand this 'tongue' stuff too well. Frankie says stuff I don't understand all the time and Mexico wasn't exactly the chattiest trip I've ever had. What's that all about?"

"Can't say I know what you mean, that's how it's always been for us." Miko explained.

"Well, before the Tower of Babel was erected to humble man, everyone in the world DID speak the same language… but then, that only makes me wonder just how long ago you two used to live." Frankie suggested.

"That's not an event either of us are familiar with, you'll have to fill us in on it later." Mythra said.

"And the two of you are probably asking why I speak and understand English so well- WELL, I studied abroad for quite some time before moving over here completely, so I had to learn the language. It's pretty common to pick it up back home after all. And… heh… I did have help from the most amazing, handsome, gorgeous… incredible man in the world…" Miko leaned to her side towards Kaito, batting her eyelashes dreamily at him.

"Oh, Koko Puff…" Kaito cooed back as the two flirted briefly with each other before getting back on track.

"But that's only the beginning! The culture is a pretty big part of our differences too! You saw what was going on in Mexico! Compare that to over here, and it's like night and day, wouldn't you say?"

"Yup yup. There's plenty of culture mixing too." Kaito explained. "I myself happen to be half Iranian, but that doesn't stop me from delving into the many wonders of Japan."

"You mean anime and manga that have girls with 'tig ol' biddies', am I right?" Miko smirked.

"N-n-no! That's not ALL I'm there for… most of the time…" Kaito blushed nervously.

"Gotta love those swimming shows… gorgeously toned and muscular guys in super tight swim pants… just lovely… ohhhh and don't even get me started on Leon…" Frankie said in response dreamily.

"Better keep on your toes, Mythra, you've got competition~" Miko teased quietly. Mythra flushed with red as she glared at her, completely failing to hide her fluster.

"Hmm… now that you mention it, I do recall Frankie telling me he used to take something called… 'ty-c-cooahn-doh', was it?" Pyra asked.

"Taekwondo? That's right. That was a long time ago though." He explained.

"A-and what is that, I-if you don't mind me asking…" Mythra piped in, still nervous and embarrassed from Miko's comment.

"It's a Korean form of martial arts; usually used in self defense. I don't mean to brag, but I did work myself up to a brown belt before I had to leave~"

"Brown? As in copper? That's so close to gold! You must be incredible, Frankie!" Pyra gasped in awe.

"W-w-w-w-w-well… th-that isn't how the belt colors work and there IS no gold belt but…" Frankie stammered over himself as Pyra waited eagerly for a response. Kaito and Miko looked on with encouragement while Mythra really stewed over Frankie's description for a bit.

'Self defense, huh…?' She closed her eyes as she thought harder and harder about what this could mean for her, and the more she thought, all the better it sounded. Without a second thought, she scooched her seat from the dining table and stood up tall and proud.

"Frankie! You are going to be my teacher!" She announced, pointing confidently at him.

"What?!" Everyone else cried in alarm.

"The life of a Blade offers me powers and abilities and skill of weaponry beyond what any of you-besides Pyra- can comprehend, but as I've stated before, I'm not going down the path of just 'something for someone' and to do that, I need to make a name for myself as Mythra! Not the Aegis, MYTHRA, damn it!"

"Yeah! You tell 'em, big sis!" Miko applauded loudly.

"But… I'm not exactly qualified for the position…" Frankie protested meekly.

"I'm not asking you to get me right to the top in an afternoon, Dummy. Just to get the ball rolling. And I want you as my teacher because I trust you, okay?"

"O-o-oh… okay…" Frankie replied back with a blush. Pyra smiled cheerfully from his side.

"Whaddaya think, Pyra? You want in?" Mythra asked.

"Oh, nononono! You go right ahead!" Pyra waved her arms in front of her in a supportive, albeit brief, fluster as she spoke, "I'll be happy to cheer you on and help wherever I can! I myself am not just… ready… to go back to the fighting scene…" Pyra clasped her hands together and wrung them nervously, looking to the side as she continued.

Frankie noticed Pyra's discomfort and placed a hand on her shoulder reassuringly. As he did so, Kaito and Miko took note and whispered quietly to each other, out of earshot.

"That's interesting, I know they're separate people, but it still feels…I dunno…kinda big for them to take different approaches here." Miko stated.

"You're right. I can't tell why, but this feels like a big step for them, somehow…hm…" Kaito responded.

Mythra gave a trying but honest smile Pyra's way and nodded sharply.

"I getcha… just don't be too surprised when I put you in a headlock for practice!"

Mythra's sudden outburst revitalized Pyra in an instant as she furrowed her brow at her in reprimandation.

"Oh! Now you're just going too far!"

"Don't worry, Pyra, that's a lesson I don't remember, she'll be hard pressed to get it out of me…" Pyra snickered giddily as Frankie flashed a cheeky smile her way.

"What?! That's no fun! Reach into your subconscious! Do it now, Dummy!"

Kaito and Miko watched the entire exchange in jovial silence, waiting for the opportunity to jump in.

"We can be your sparring partners! That sound good, Myth?" Kaito asked.

"'Myth'?" The Blonde cocked an eyebrow at the smaller man.

"Yeah, Kokonut's a good runner- he'll be easy pickin's" Miko teased.

"Muffiiiiiin don't be so mean!" Kaito complained. Miko gave him a cheeky little smile in return.

"Now I must warn you… I'm a Mexican teaching a Korean class so… this won't be one to one… just what I know." Frankie said.

"I know. And I still stand by what I said." Mythra stood up proudly, allowing Frankie to smile as he excused himself and stood up as tall as her.

"Kaito! Fetch me my Bo Staff!" He exclaimed.

"Ne!" He exclaimed as he bounded off from the table.

"Well, guess we'll have to save the leftovers for lunch tomorrow… and I'm perfectly okay with that!" Pyra announced as she hurriedly began to clean up.

"Miko, get the protection, we're going to the den!" Frankie announced.

"P-protection?! You never mentioned a-anything like that!" Miko shakily cried. It took Frankie a second to realize what she was talking about. When he did, his heart skipped a beat as his eyes widened in horror.

"YOU KNOW WHAT I MEANT, IINO, JUST GET IT AND COME OUT ALREADY!"

"I HAVE NOTHING TO HIDE!"

"M I K O!"

'Heh… Miko's a lot dirtier than I imagined… she's gonna be plenty good for a laugh if I have anything to say about it…' Mythra smirked knowingly as she watched her and Frankie argue back and forth, surprised, but ever so giddy to find a crack in the little half-pint, but more than that, she was ready to get down to business.

—————————————————————————

"And you didn't want to go into… 'Loocha Leebray'… why, exactly?" Pyra asked Frankie, who was wiping clean his old guard, thick and red as well as protective.

"I just wanted to lose weight, not slam down on my competitors and make them flatline… besides, the tests in Taekwondo never really had fighting as a rite of passage… I'm a bit of a wuss, I'm sorry…" Frankie sheepishly admitted as he held his guard close. Pyra sighed fondly and patted his head in reassurance.

"I completely understand, Frankie, I'm just glad you had the initiative to keep yourself safe if you needed to- it takes a bit of a weight off my shoulders, honestly."

"Thanks, Pyra…" Frankie smiled sheepishly back at her. Pyra's smile widened as she looked back at him.

"I am wondering what's taking them so long though…" She wondered aloud.

"Kaito's good at finding things… I don't know where I placed my Bo Staff after I stopped using it… what Miko and Mythra are doing, I'll never know."

"This Bo Staff you keep referring to… does it have magical properties? Can it cast elemental attacks or anything of the sort…? If that's a stupid question, I apologize…"

Frankie chuckled and rested back on the couch.

"No. It's just a hard wood staff for striking… can't shoot fire or electricity or anything… sometimes I forget just how fantastic your time really was…"

"Yes, well…" Pyra took a hand and ignited a small flame, letting it roll between her fingers playfully, locking Frankie's attention as she kept speaking, "I do suppose both of us have a bit of learning to do on our walks of life, Hm?"

"Yeah…" Frankie said absentmindedly, transfixed on Pyra's fire like a tiger watching a celebratory night for man deep in the jungle from afar. He was immediately snapped out of his trance as Pyra's smiling face replaced the flame playfully, now he was just blushing nervously.

"And if I'm walking a path of change, I want you to walk it with me!" She exclaimed.

"You… you mean that, Pyra…?"

"Of course! And Mythra does too! Between you and me, there are times during lunch at work when Mythra will just start talking about you for no real reason to no one in particular, hah… Ron had to learn the hard way about bad mouthing you… but she at least has the courtesy to let him clean up his favorite noodles!"

"I- o-oh…" Frankie blushed even harder as he turned away. Pyra followed him as best she could, still smiling just as sweetly as ever.

"W-well… I guess it goes both ways, somewhat…"

"Hm? What do you mean?"

"When I'm at work and just… wanting to go home and cry a bit… m-maybe I think of the two of you and… it gives me the strength to keep on going…"

"……oh……"

Pyra was at a loss for words, all she could do was blush and turn in a similar manner to Frankie, both lightly fidgeting awkwardly, embarrassed to look at each other for the time. They desperately waited for someone, ANYONE to come back with anything.

"Turters! Turters! No! Bad turtle- bad, bad, turtle! Let! Go of the staff! That belongs to big bro!"

"K-Kaito? Kaito what's the matt-!"

Pyra rushed to go help out the younger man, only to be met with a sudden swipe from Frankie's staff… with an unusually small, green figure attached to it. Her eyes widened in shock as she backed up a bit, just barely getting out of the way before it struck her. The creature nibbled on the end of the stick carelessly as Kaito noticed what he had almost done.

"…ter…?"

Kaito gave a blank stare, going between the turtle and Pyra.

"...kay so…his name isn't Donatello if that's what you're thinking-"

"I-it's perfectly alright, Kaito- but… er… do you mind introducing us to…him?" Pyra asked, backing up a bit further.

"W-well… I would've liked to bring him up on less… pressing terms but… this… little… guy…!" Kaito grunted as he worked to pry the turtle off the staff and present it to Frankie and Pyra, "Is Turters! We found him at the San Adán Mission! Naming him was Miko's idea."

"Oh, well isn't he just darling…" Pyra cooed as she took the turtle in her hand, observing it joyfully. She couldn't quite tell why, but…she felt a familiar connection to this green lad.

Frankie snapped out of his trance and joined Pyra over.

"Kaito… you smuggled a foreign animal onto the plane, do you know the kind of damage that'll do to the ecosystem?" He asked.

"Oh, Miko and I did no such thing! We've been tracking him across the ocean! He's been swimming his way here the whole time!" Kaito explained.

"...really?"

"No, not really! We just sent him through customs like usual!"

"B-but…we never noticed-"

"Course not, you and Pyra were out of it and me and Miko didn't want to put more on your plate than there already was so…yeah."

Frankie was about to rebuttal until he remembered that Pyra was right by his side. She was absolutely enamored with the little critter, petting it gently and giving it sweet baby talk… he wouldn't admit it but he felt a tad bit jealous. At the same time, the fact that Pyra didn't seem to mind brought his frustration down quite a bit.

"Well… I guess it's not the weirdest thing that's happened these past few weeks… just have to get him fixed." Frankie said.

"That brings you one step closer! If you catch my drift~" Kaito cooed. Frankie turned away in embarrassment as he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

"I'll be right back, Frankie! I'm gonna get our little friend here some food so he can watch you train with Mythra together with us!" Pyra exclaimed.

"H-huh? O-h s-sure, go ahead…"

Pyra nodded cheerfully and then bounded off.

"Hope you don't mind a bit of turtle spit on your staff, sorry it took a bit, but the little guy wandered into the shed on his own… I had hoped we could've surprised you more." Kaito said as he handed Frankie his Bo Staff.

"I just hope I'm as good a teacher Mythra sees in me… I haven't fought in like… ever." Frankie said as he polished his staff briefly.

"Big bro, big bro, big bro. Remember, this isn't a Blade and Driver thing. This is a friend and friend thing." Kaito reassured him as he patted his brother's back. "Though in this case, we could be looking at a husband and wife thing in a few years~"

"N-n-n-n-no…! No… no, none of that… all those cuddles last night happened purely by chance…"

"Cuddles? Oh… oh I see how it is, big bro… you stud, you…"

"Nothing happened! Honest to god… this isn't an Isekai, you weeby doofus…"

"Alright, ladies and gents! Class is in session!" Miko suddenly called, snapping Frankie and Kaito's attention to her direction as she laid out a training mat on the floor. "Mr. Guosmán! Your pupil awaits!" Miko extended an arm and moved out of the way, proudly waiting for Mythra to enter the scene. Frankie was confused at first, looking over at Kaito to see if he knew what was going on. The younger man just shrugged.

Then he saw her. Emerging into the den was plain old Mythra. Wearing Frankie's old Gi, tied together with his old white belt. It was too big on her, her body language was nervous and flustered, and her hair had been tied up into a long ponytail.

In Frankie's eyes, she looked stunning.

His mouth hung open in awe as she came closer, quietly shuffling across the floor. That, combined with her being too small for his clothing made her look all the sweeter and cuter. His heart raced suddenly as his face flushed red, he couldn't take his eyes off her. The only sound that came from him was nervous, but very taken breathing.

"I look so stupid…" Mythra said as she glanced over at Miko.

"That's your opinion, big sis~" Miko pointed out as she rolled her eyes over to Frankie, who's lovestruck expression hadn't changed one bit. Mythra blushed back in surprise and embarrassment as she turned away quickly.

"Y-you stupid Dummy… quit looking at me like that, we've got stuff to do..." She said with a flustered brow.

"Do…? Do what…?" Frankie asked back in a trance.

"Like… start the lesson already?" Kaito helped.

"The lesson…? O-oh… oh, yeah, the lesson!" Frankie erected himself and cleared his throat quickly, still as red as ever as he went over to Mythra, tightly shutting his eyes so he wouldn't risk being too transfixed on her all over again.

"Grasshopper! No- wait… pínche, that's Kung Fu… Mythra! Are you ready?!"

"S-sure- just… let's… just…" Mythra slapped her cheeks together to snap her out of her own flusteredness as she screamed back at Frankie. "I'M READY, SIR! TEACH ME YOUR WISE WAYS!"

"Y E S!" Frankie called as he robotically walked away from her to get into position.

Kaito and Miko gave the two of them the lionshare of space on the floor, observing as the two combatants readied themselves. Frankie seemingly shook off his flustered shakiness once he took a deep breath, almost like he was entering a well-worn trance derived from his training. Mythra noted this and similarly tensed up, her own combat skills and muscle memory straightening out her stance. A dense silence filled the air around them as their focus heightened further.

"I was wondering, as clumsy as she can be, Mythra's clearly a seasoned fighter." Miko whispered to Kaito so as to not distract them.

"I mean, yeah, what's up?" Kaito quietly answered.

"So…if that's the case and she's as strong as she seems, would training like this even be necessary for her to pick this stuff up?"

"Well that's the thing, Muffin. There's a difference between knowing how to fight and mastering a specific discipline. I'm pretty sure Mythra could beat big bro in a one-v-one, but that's not what this fighting style is about. And even if she's experienced, it may be hard for her to pick up something that's so different from what she's trained before."

"...you picked this up from an anime, didn't you?" Miko side-eyed the bushy man.

"...you can't prove that." Kaito stated curtly, and then proceeded as usual. "And I mean, just think about it. If you spend so much time doing something one way, it can actually be a lot more difficult to learn something else from scratch cuz you don't have a blank slate anymore."

"Huh…you have a point there…" Miko's eyes once again fixated on the fighting pair, who were still clearly sizing each other up.

"Alright, Mythra… we're gonna start with some basic self defense… blocking, kicking, falling-"

"Pick up the staff." Mythra quickly interrupted Frankie.

"W-what?"

"I said… pick up the staff."

"Mythra, we'll get to the staff soon enough, but I really think we should focus on-"

"Pick. It. Up."

Frankie blinked quickly her way as Mythra stared straight ahead, not moving an inch. Frankie shrugged his shoulders and complied, clutching his bo staff in hand, pointed directly at her. Mythra smiled cockily as she kricked her neck.

"I dunno if you know this, Frankie, but Blades back in my time were a lot more complex than your little pole of wood right here. They had powers, they had energy, they had life, they had the very soul of Earth itself hidden inside their cores! Waiting to be unleashed to the world by a confident Driver with a bond so strong, their powers would be awakened for all to see!"

"Hey, big sis? I don't think now is the time to justify cheating if you were planning on doing any." Miko piped up.

"I was not!" Mythra barked back angrily.

"I dunno… I thought it sounded kinda cool, actually…" Frankie muttered.

"THANK YOU, Frankie. At least SOMEONE appreciates me around here."

"We all do, Mythra, but you said it yourself, you got things to do!" Kaito added.

"Yeah! Alright, Big Guy, jab, swing, swipe, it doesn't matter to me! Hit me with your best shot and I'll go easy on you, just cuz I like you so mu-AAAH!" Before Mythra could finish her thought, Frankie swept at her legs with his staff, sending her falling to her bottom.

"The locos and cholos on the street won't wait for you to finish, Mythra." He explained. Mythra groaned and got herself back up, whipping her ponytail violently behind her.

"Well… it's a good thing I came prepared…" Mythra lifted her hand and summoned her Blade, completely void of any light or energy surrounding it, aside from its fantastic display, it was as powerful as any modern day weapon. Frankie gulped suddenly, he really, REALLY didn't need to see Mythra's sword again, at least not so soon.

"I… I don't mean to be mean, Mythra, but if you're so adamant on trying not to be a Blade, using yours won't exactly help matters…"

"It's only for practice, Dummy, and I'm not enhancing it in any way. Besides, since you're my Driver, you'd be the one holding the weapon anyways, doing much of the same you're doing with me right now- think of this as a dual teaching session." Mythra smiled smugly at him.

"W-well…"

"Don't worry. It's got protection on, inside and out, you're in no real danger, Big Guy." Mythra told herself that more than she did Frankie, very careful to not have a repeat of their last excursion.

"Well… alright, I can live with that." Frankie nodded and slammed his staff on the ground in defiance as Mythra did much of the same to her weapon. "¿Listó?"

"Don't know what that means, but you better believe it!" Mythra put her sword in front of her now as both combatants faced each other with steeled energy. It was at this point did Pyra finally come back.

"Turters has snackies!" She hollered as she whipped her attention to Frankie and Mythra in alarm. "O-oh… is this… a bad time…?"

"It's okay, Pyra, this is all a part of the training! Mythra was very insistent on it!" Miko explained.

"Indeed…" Pyra furrowed her brow in concern and sat down warily. Kaito noticed dutifully and spoke out to her herself.

"You know Mythra, don't you, Pyra?" He asked.

"Of course I do… which is exactly why I'm so surprised she's wanting to be so competitive in the first place…"

"Well, maybe Mythra won't admit this, but I think she just wants to start off with something she's used to and most comfortable with~" Miko pointed out.

"That does sound like her a lot, but still… I had hoped this would be less duel and more self defense like Frankie had suggested… teaching her how to help herself in a situation with weapons and the like…"

"Give it time, big sis. Mythra knows what she's doing." Kaito said as the three of them turned their attention back to the silent combatants.

As one more beat of silence spread across the room, Mythra broke it as she stepped forward.

"Enough chit-chat, get ready Dummy!"

The blonde rushed forward and did a wide swing in Frankie's direction. It was quick, but clearly not as quick as Mythra could possibly move, perhaps it had something to do with Mythra's comment about "no enhancers." Regardless, with the strike being so direct and the arc of the swing so wide, Frankie had ample time to react to the sudden shift in tension.

And once he'd done that, his defensive instincts kicked in. He blocked the sword strike with his staff, and while it was an impressive move, Mythra's clearly greater strength pushed him right to the ground.

"YES! Alright! I win!!" Mythra hopped lightly in place as she cheered for herself, before quickly rushing over to help Frankie up.

"Hehe…heh…sorry about that, Frankie. I was just excited and stuff."

"A little too excited if you ask me…" Pyra said as she gently patted Turters' shell.

"I mean, I'm glad that was fun for you, Mythra…" Frankie said as he got up, a little dazed. "...but uh…I thought this was to help you train a new style of combat, not show off what you already know."

That reminder hit Mythra with a rush of embarrassment, and her face turned nearly as red as Pyra's hair.

"Yeah what kind of training is this? Looks more like cheating to me!" Kaito, clearly in jest, jeered.

"Boo, cheating Mythra!" Miko joined in.

"Oh would you two quit it? I was just…uh…warming up! That's it!"

"Orá… I'm not looking forward to round two if that's what you call a warm up…" Frankie winced.

"W-well, I… uh… this is a self defense course, right? Well… self defense me!"

"A little hard to do that holding giant hunks of plastic and metal…" Frankie pointed out. Mythra stammered nervously a bit and backed up slightly.

"Well… old girl needs practice… you know…" She clutched her Blade closely as she fidgeted nervously.

"Oh, Mythra…" Frankie shook his head fondly and picked up his staff. "Here, let's try something else. I strike, you parry, sound good?"

"Just remember that we're right here!" Miko called out. Mythra chuckled lightly and looked back to Frankie.

"Yeah… I can do that…"

Frankie nodded with a smile and looked back at Pyra, whose unease hadn't settled. He winced and gulped lightly, doing his best not to give an incorrect impression as he took a deep breath and jabbed at Mythra with his staff. Mythra swung her sword quickly downward to deflect the blow and quickly disarm Frankie, who picked it back up quickly and swung at her side.

Mythra leapt back and crouched down low, with her sword pointed outwards of her side, eagerly awaiting Frankie's next move. Without too much power, Frankie rushed his way over to her and tried to swing down to strike her head. Mythra responded by bolting upwards with a swift arc of her own sword, now coming nose to nose with Frankie in response. The latter blushed and gulped quickly as he realized just how close their faces were together. Unfazed, Mythra leapt back and kept her sword at her side as Frankie shook off his weariness.

Miko and Kaito were now watching silently, observing the altercation with great focus. Pyra meanwhile had gently rested her hand on Turters and looked on with a twinge of concern and conflictedness.

"You… you are good with a weapon, Mythra…" He began. "But this is far from what this fighting style is about…" Frankie demonstrated his point and threw his staff to the side towards the couch, letting it roll just until it hit the base. Mythra looked surprised before glancing back at Frankie, whose arms were folded patiently as he waited for her to do the same. Mythra looked at her reflection on the crystal of her blade and frowned sadly for a small second before furrowing her brow in confidence and tossing it aside to the same effect Frankie did.

With a flick of her head, Mythra placed her hands on her hips confidently and stared straight ahead with a smug grin. Pyra was intrigued and looked over to Frankie, who felt her expression soften up from behind him, allowing him to relax a bit more in the process.

"Before we continue, let me ask you, Mythra, do you have anything you want to do with your life?" Frankie asked.

"You're asking me?" She asked back. She looked to the ground in deep pondering, searching for an answer. Pyra's posture straightened up in curiosity as she too took Frankie's words into consideration. "Nobody's… ever asked me that before, I never… really thought I needed an answer for that…"

"I… I didn't open up anything, did I…?" Frankie's confidence faded to his usual nervousness as he shrunk into himself shyly.

"You certainly didn't for me!" Pyra answered from behind, getting everyone's attention in the room to deviate to her.

"It's true, Mythra and I don't have a response to that right now, but you asking that alone is more than enough push for us to think of an answer! Am I correct in assuming you feel the same, Mythra?" As Pyra finished, all eyes were back on Mythra again, who stood up straight once more.

"Well… yeah, I guess so…" She responded.

"Then why don't we let our friendly little mentor here allow us to take that first step?" Pyra redirected attention to Frankie, who flushed an even deeper red than before.

"O-oh… I just… followed along with what Mythra said…"

"And you're doing a great job, Frankie. Really, you are…"

Frankie darted over to Mythra again, who gave him a reassuring smile. Enough to allow him to refocus himself after taking a deep breath.

Miko and Kaito exchanged a knowing smile, proud of the progress the three of them were making, both physical and emotional.

"Well then…" Without saying anything further, Frankie made a dash toward his staff, catching Mythra off guard, rushing after him quickly, and in no time at all, caught up with him, ready to shove him aside in order to reclaim her weapon, as she knew by Frankie's quick action alone what exactly it was he was planning to do.

She took an arm and proceeded to swipe, only for Frankie to block suddenly by crossing his arms together and halting her progress. Shocked, Mythra tried swinging with the other arm, only for Frankie to reposition his arms and swipe it away with his own. Frustrated, Mythra groaned and tried kicking at Frankie, who was just barely able to weave out of the way with a flurry of light kicks himself. With one leg back behind the other, Mythra mimicked Frankie's stance and shifted balance between both feet, of which Frankie was very clearly proud of. He smiled brightly before turning to Kaito, who quickly picked up Frankie's guard and handed it to him.

"Ready, Mythra?" He asked.

"I was born ready!" She replied as she delivered a swift punch to the guard, causing Frankie to flinch a bit as he kept balance. She repeated the action with the other arm, then the other, and the other, and the other, and the other.

"Let's see some kicks!" Frankie shouted. Mythra silently complied by doing just as Frankie asked, alternating high kicks between legs as Frankie tightly shut his eyes, moving around every so often to ensure Mythra was still light on her feet.

"Ever heard of a roundhouse kick, Mythra?" Frankie asked.

"Show me!" She demanded.

Frankie demonstrated by putting down his guard and distancing himself between the two, spinning around quickly and kicking straight ahead before he completed the spin. Mythra watched intently and rolled her eyes back down to the guard, ready to try and parrot the action.

She had got it down with a single example. Performing kick after kick without hesitation, sending Frankie back just a bit as he kept himself protected.

"He's got a knife! Behind you!" Frankie cried.

Mythra responded by quickly spinning the opposite direction and kicking towards the imaginary person's face. Frankie chuckled heartily before pressing himself up against his guard and charging her with a roar. Mythra smiled toothily as she elbowed it hard, before proceeding to punch with alteration, keeping a solid stance as she pushed Frankie further and further back.

An hour had passed, and with Mythra's vigor going through the roof and Frankie remaining at her side as they both performed moves such as back kicks, pivoting, alternating between back stance and fighting stance, punching forward at the end of their pivot, Miko and Kaito took the opportunity to set the mood by setting up the karaoke machine. Mythra's day of training had turned into an energetic romp that even Pyra was getting in on, providing none other than the accompanying chorus per the song Kaito and Miko suggested.

"Everybody was Kung Fu Fighting! Your mind becomes fast as lightning! Although the future is a little bit frightening… it's the book of your life that you're writing!" She sang heartily, following the lyrics on screen as Frankie and Mythra continued on and on with their movements together. Even Turters seemed to enjoy this display, bobbing his head up and down in tune with Pyra's singing as the day continued on and on and on.

"Dinner's ready, everyone!" Pyra called as she brought out a steaming hot pan of beef and broccoli with a pot full of white rice to the table.

"Yay! I'm starving!" Miko called as she rushed over to take her seat.

"Frankie! Mythra! Come and eat!" She called once again.

"Aww, but Pyra! We can go for a little longer, can't we, Big Guy?" Mythra cried over to Frankie, who was sprawled out on the couch, breathing heavily as he took a big swig of water.

"You go right ahead Mythra… class is dismissed for today… your homework… is an A…" He then proceeded to roll off the couch, causing Mythra to place her hands on her hips and look at him in jovial disappointment.

"Man, you Dummy, what am I gonna do with you?"

"I can think of a few things…" Kaito said as he passed her, making his way to the table. Mythra watched him leave in confusion for a few seconds, pondering what he meant by that. And it only took a few seconds more for her to figure out what he meant.

"You asshole! Come back here and let me show you firsthand everything I learned!!!" She hollered with a large blush on her face.

With the day over, and the night from before far behind them now, Frankie, Pyra, and Mythra got just a little bit closer.