Zteel

"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! BOYS AND GIRLS!"

The coliseum intercoms hyped the crowd.

Nyota and the brothers had just completed their battle against Squadron 1-C's cadets, leaving only their trio as well as the Big Three's as the only ones left standing.

"For the moment we've all been waiting for! The final battle between the two best squadron's this tournament has to offer!

In one corner, we have the tourney favorites! Representing Squadron 1-A, we have your Big Three, Enki Thorsten, Tatius Paxton and Idalia Alejo!!"

The Big Three strode from the darkest parts of their tunnel out into the beaming sun as the crowd cheered them on.

"And finally, we have their challengers! These three cadets have put on quite the showing thus far this tournament, showcasing their willpower, strength, and drive to win.

I reveal to you, one final time, Sage Hikari, Kilo Hikari, and Nyota Atar!! Your Three-Headed Basilisk!!"

The trio emerged from their tunnel and marched to center-stage.

They faced their opponents and shared a brief dialogue before the nearby referee began their countdown.

"Finally, it's been a long time coming!" Sage started, Idalia stood ahead of him.

"Hasn't it?" She replied with a smile. "It's been a while."

Kilo looked over, observing Sage and Idalia's body languages as they spoke to one another. Catching Sage's attention, he made a gesture, pinching his nostrils together with a frown and giving a thumbs down.

"We expected you to make it this far," Tatius started. "Almost thought you'd probably give out in that first round against your own squad mates."

"And I hadn't known we came close to killing people for fun," Nyota sharply remarked as he shot Tatius a glare.

"Ooh, that's spicy!" Enki provoked. "I think you made our little fellow here a bit angry."

"Oh, for the last time, it wasn't deliberate!" Tatius groaned, placing his palm over his face. Enki laughed as Idalia disapproved.

"What? I'm serious!"

"It doesn't matter," Nyota interrupted. "It's you versus us now."

"You're gonna wish you hadn't fought us," Kilo added.

"So, let's get ready, shall we? The people want a show, so let's give them the best one yet."

"Are we ready?" The referee shouted, raising a white flag in hand. The cadets all nodded at once.

The crowd chanted along. "Three!

Two!

One!

Fight!!"

Immediately, Sage prepared a defense. A circle of fire swirled around the base of his feet.

"Blue Flames MO: Sweltering Shield!"

Kilo did the same, a channel of fire in the shape of a dragon rotated around him from head to toe.

"Red Flames MO: Dragon Shade!"

"Crystallization Modus: Quartz Domain!" Idalia coated exactly half of the court stage in her rugged crystal.

Nyota and Sage prepared attacks to project at the Big Three.

"Blue Flames: Genesis Beacon!"

"Blue Lightning: Roaring Flash!"

Just as they had done in their battle against their fellow squad mates, the two attacks combined and the impact they left was massive.

At least, that would have been the case had it not been for Tatius's major defense protecting him and his allies.

"Wind Generation MO: Hollow Airfoil!"

With an outstretched palm, a whirlwind of air formed and developed into a massive dome that shielded the Big Three from the barrage. Together, the three stood unfazed with the dome still intact.

Nyota drew his katana that Jora had gifted him and went for Tatius. Kilo followed close behind with an attack of his own.

Enki underwent his Brute Build transformation and approached both of them head on. Nyota dodged his blitz and continued past him. Meanwhile, Kilo met him directly.

Idalia stepped up to defend Tatius and herself from Nyota, but Sage unexpectedly stepped up to take her on instead.

"Aww, are you opposed to fun or something?" Idalia complained as she pressed against Sage.

Sage replied, "I don't see the problem, especially considering I'm sure this is the matchup you've wanted from the very beginning of this tournament."

They deflected off of one another and drew their weapons before wrestling them against each other, Sage his sword and Idalia her staff.

Idalia continued. "Please, don't give me that. And I'm supposed to believe the sentiment isn't mutual?"

Sage simply laughed as he continued to attack, swinging his sword and having the attacks battered and deflected, causing sparks to fly.

"Plus, you never took me up on my offer," she frowned sarcastically.

"Offer?" Sage was puzzled. "What offer?"

"You don't even remember? Such a shame!" She jumped into the air and drove a kick aimed for his face, that which he blocked with his forearm.

As he recoiled back, she relentlessly pressed against him more.

"Back in the southwest? I mentioned sparring and relaxing?"

"Ah, yes!" He remembered. "And grabbing something to eat!

Well, I made it to the final round with the grand chance to fight you on the big stage, in front of Noriko no less. Surely, I win points for that."

Idalia rolled her eyes.

"Either way, I have much respect for you regarding all that."

"Oh? Home come?"

Sage paused to reply. "You're bold, a lady who knows what she wants and goes for it. I appreciate that, it makes things more…" He searched for the proper word to complete his thought.

"I don't know… fun?"

Idalia laughed, twirling her steel staff around before assuming another attacking stance. "I'm flattered."

"Tell you what," Sage began. "I'll take you up on the offer after we're through with this. Loser has to pay, how does that sound?"

"Sounds like you have yourself a deal, Sage," she replied. "But enough chat, let's finish this, shall we?"

Meanwhile, Enki and Kilo traded blows at rather quick speeds. Enki best utilized the weight and power of his attacks to cripple Kilo, whilst Kilo mixed the usage of his Red Flames into his close combat.

However, Enki proved to be faster, and when Kilo failed to keep up, Enki delivered two clean hits into Kilo's abdomen and chest respectively.

Clenching his chest, he was pushed back a few meters or so.

"You're no match for me, kid." Enki shook his head. "No match."

The impact of the punch was almost sharp, but its lasting impact was shorter than it otherwise would have been without Kilo's defensive ability.

"I'm not used to this ability yet," he thought. "But all I need is for it to last longer than it did last time."

Kilo rebounded, continuing to throw punches at Enki. None of them delivered, but he began to notice an opening Enki failed to protect where he could deliver an effective attack.

And so, after throwing a few more, he prepared a fiery one with a fist and firmly delivered it into Enki's stomach.

He smiled confidently, as he was amused with himself.

This attack did some considerable damage to Enki, who stretched his neck and rolled his shoulders back as he sized Kilo up again.

"Okay, maybe you're worth spending some energy on after all."

Concurrently, Nyota had summoned lightning in his hand and slammed it against Tatius's domed wind defense, successfully breaching past it.

The dome disappeared. Tatius was slightly surprised by how easily Nyota had gotten through it, but easily evaded him nonetheless.

Taking Nyota aback, Tatius completely vanished from plain sight.

"Dang it!" He thought to himself. "I forgot he could do that!"

Nyota looked around to find Tatius had appeared directly vertical of him, an arm outstretched down directly at Nyota with an open palm.

"Wind Modus: Hollow Airfoil!"

Nyota managed to barely escape out of the line of Tatius's attack, but he failed to evade its impact.

It left a small crater within the concrete ground. The heavy gust dissipated on impact and blew Nyota away.

He caught himself, but to his surprise, Tatius was high in the air again. Although this time, he was much higher and diagonal, and his bow was loaded and poised to release.

"Galestorm!"

Beginning with a running start, Nyota knelt low to the ground, lightning flashing all around him. He then lunged forward directly for Tatius's attack.

Tatius released the triplet of arrows before they fused into one. Using his sword to protect him, Nyota deflected the attack, but it succeeded in knocking him out of the air.

Of course, Tatius descended back to the ground.

Refusing to relent, Nyota attacked Tatius again on level ground. His katana smacked against Tatius's bow countless times and continued to do so until the two remained pressed against one another in a stalemate.

"You're relentless," Tatius complimented. "If you give up now, things won't have to get worse."

Nyota strained, "I'll take my chances."

The two leaped away from one another once again and Tatius finally withdrew his bow. Left without a weapon to defend himself, Nyota saw an opportunity to continue to blitz.

However, Tatius continued to leap away with every swing, simply kicking Nyota away from time to time.

Kilo continued to blitz Enki, gyrating around him as he threw an elongated series of jabs and kicks. Enki continued to protect against them, guarding his face and body with his forearms.

"It's like he's a practiced boxer," Kilo noticed. "Now would be a great time to show out."

He pulled his arms back, one after another, before extending them out toward Enki's guard. His palms emitted blasts of fiery combustion.

"Red Flames MO: Ruptured Chamber!!"

Failing to impact him much, Enki was knocked back a few meters, his face and body still guarded before he dropped his arms.

"This guy," Kilo groaned. Annoyed, he performed the same attack again. Although with much more force and a few more instances, his attacks were seemingly deflected with almost no effort at all.

Enki laughed. "Is that all you've got? That's nothing! Now, it's my turn, you haven't seen anything yet."

In a blur, Enki blitzed Kilo, kneeing him in the abdomen.

"AHK—"

Before he could process what had happened, Enki had already nailed another couple of attacks as Kilo glided through the air parallel to and across the court. In this instance, Enki delivered a kick into his stomach again, followed by a final heavy punch across his face.

For a brief moment, Kilo blacked out. Eventually, he landed back onto concrete, at which instant he rolled and struggled to stand. The wind was knocked out of him, and his limbs trembled and grew numb.

"I… can't— Huh?!"

Before he could react, Enki had already reached him again.

"Earth MO: Gauntlets!" Gloves made of hardened soil formed around Enki's hands. This time, he slammed the concrete ground, causing a few tall slabs of concrete from the ground to rise and create walls lined up in a row, one after another.

"Strength MO," he shouted with a mischievous smile. "Splintered Core!!"

The impact was also strong enough to launch a knocked Kilo a meter or two into the air. The air pressure around them pulsated.

Finally, Enki's gauntlets were recalled and the matter of one transformed into a hardened pillar.

In a single motion, he gripped the column and swung it into Kilo, hammering him across the air back into the direction of and through the concrete walls. Kilo laid on the ground covered in their debris.

Both Sage and Nyota looked back to their fallen comrade.

"Kilo!!" They shouted.

"We're not done yet!" Both Tatius and Idalia refused to grant their opponents time to assess their ally's wellbeing. Instead, they both performed and landed effective attacks on them.

As both Nyota and Sage were knocked to the ground, they couldn't help but to remain distracted by Kilo's condition.

The stadium gasped collectively. Surely, Enki's attack would have killed any ordinary person. No one could see the impact his barrage had generated just yet.

Enki's stone club dissipated, and his Brute Build transformation had come to a culmination.

"You see, Tatius? That's how you kill a kid!" He boasted.

The smoke continued to clear, and after another minute or so, everyone's conjectures were answered.

Kilo dropped to one knee before rising to his feet, one arm clutching the other.

Though bleeding from the top of his head, he bared a massive grin on his face.

The crowd roared and rejoiced. Enki's look of pride dropped to one of annoyance as he rolled his eyes.

Sage and Nyota exhaled deeply as large sighs of relief, as did Idalia.

"Enki," she called. "We're still not trying to kill anybody."

Sage looked up to her, as he too was knelt to the ground. "You don't seem nearly as passionate about that sentiment now as you did before."

Idalia shrugged. "You three can handle it, can't you?"

"Kilo!" Nyota shouted. "Are you okay?"

"As good as I'll ever be," he replied. "This new defensive ability saved my ass. Without it, I would've been a goner."

"That's right," Nyota thought to himself. "It resists attacks and special effects as well as heals him over time."

"What a copycat," Sage chuckled. "He tried to match my 'Sweltering Shield' ability and managed to make something better."

"Great," Nyota replied to Kilo. "Then we continue on!"

Enki groaned with a facepalm. "Jeez, the three of you really are annoying!"

Nyota gripped his blade once more before darting for Tatius. Initially distracted, Tatius eventually saw Nyota approaching.

"Really, what is it with you and this sword?!"

Closing in on a striking distance, Nyota leaped high into the air and tried to strike Tatius from above.

With the simple fling of a wrist, Nyota was carried away by a gust of wind, though he landed back to the ground on two feet rather athletically.

Meanwhile, Sage continued to battle Idalia, his sword battered against Idalia's staff—now coated in her rugged crystal—at blinding speeds, causing sparks to fly.

They leaped away from one another and Idalia raised a hand, sharp crystal shards levitated around her, poised to be redirected. She flicked her hand forward, swiftly directing the traffic in Sage's direction.

Without worry, Sage stood in place, trusting that his Sweltering Shield ability would adequately protect him.

And it did, the crystals melting away in front of him as the base of fire that circulated around him rose to protect the rest of his body.

Idalia frowned. "That ability of yours is going to be burdensome. But I've seen it bypassed before."

"How did she know?" Sage asked himself before thinking back to his match with Faris. He remembered Faris's Water Modus being able to bypass his blazing ability due to their elemental relationship.

Nonetheless, he remained fairly confident that Idalia would have a difficult time bypassing his ability this time around. There was no way her Crystallization MO could circumvent his Sweltering Shield.

Or, so he thought.

Idalia simply approached Sage in a hurry. When she reached him, he continued to defend against her with his sword.

The two danced around for a few minutes until Sage found himself in the territory Idalia had initially started the match in.

He thought back to when the match initially began, Idalia's first action of coating exactly half of the court with crystal.

"That's right!" He panicked. "Quartz Domain! She had it set from the very beginning!!"

"Now I've got you where I've wanted you from the start!" She rejoiced. Immediately, the crystal flooring began to move, traveling to cover Sage's feet and restricting his movement.

The crystal began to rise all over his body, stiffening and preventing him from being able to resist.

Once the process had completed, leaving only his head exposed, he tried to rid himself from its hold, but to no avail.

"What is this?!" He struggled as Idalia sauntered over to him.

She smiled teasingly as she neared his ear. "Don't worry, we're not done yet," she taunted before leaping in front of him.

Grasping her staff, she encased it within rugged crystal again before first swinging it across his face, then through the side of his torso.

This shattered the crystal Sage was encased in. Though her attack freed him, it also ferociously knocked him to and across the ground.

Laying flat on the court side that hadn't been covered by crystal, Sage coughed and dusted himself off. Using his arms to help him up, he looked up to see Idalia waltz in his direction.

Though, she didn't come to him. Instead, she stopped meters ahead and crouched down with her staff flipped over her shoulder with a slight chuckle.

She looked to her side as she spoke. "We can't be done so soon. C'mon, stand up. Don't tell me you're tired already." She frowned almost mockingly as she looked back at him.

"You still have a fight in you, no?"

Sage panicked. "What do I do? This girl is…" He looked her in her eyes as she relaxed in front of him.

"She's toying with me?!"

--

Kilo remained standing in place, still gripping his opposite arm.

"I can't lie," he thought to himself. "I don't know what else I can do.

I can't rely on Nyota and Sage to bail me out this time. I've gotta think of something."

Enki started. "Hurry up, kid, just give in already! You have no more tricks to pull, give up or I'll really put an end to you."

Kilo looked down and assessed himself, observing that his Dragon Shade ability was still activated but withered away by the second.

He drew his blade that Jora gave him. "I guess I'll have to settle for this ol' thing."

Enki laughed aloud. "That's it?! You're helpless. You could've at least given me one final fireball or something.

It doesn't matter," he rushed Kilo again. "I'll just pummel you again with my bare hands!"

Kilo did the same with one arm dropped to his side, the same arm he could no longer feel or move.

Right before they met, the two leaped into the air. Enki threw a powerful punch, leaving Kilo with no other option but to brace his sword ahead of him as protection.

Hardly enduring the punch, Kilo was knocked to the ground but stood up. He prepared one final feeble attack.

"Red Flames—" he coughed, leaping into the air in an attempt to attack Enki from above. "Ruptured Chamber!!"

The combustion blasts went off, with Enki simply protecting against them with the palm of a single hand while simultaneously latching on to Kilo's shirt.

Almost inevitably, Enki tossed Kilo many meters away across the court, leaving the helpless cadet defenseless as he rolled across the rubble and wreckage that was left of the coliseum court.

Enki dusted his hands as the intercoms announced Kilo's defeat.

"Well, I struggle to say that much was an exercise."

Nyota turned to see his fallen comrade. Distraught, he turned back to Tatius.

He relentlessly swung his sword at him, who ducked and dodged until he was eventually cut along his arm.

As he was caught off guard, Nyota continued to swing, grazing Tatius again on his cheek with the very tip of his katana. After a few more swings, he prepared a close-ranged attack and launched it.

Snatching his arm back, a ball of lightning came about in his hand before extending into Tatius.

Tatius thought to himself. "All this energy, it's impressive. It's a shame, though. I can tell he's straining, using his reserves and all else he has left.

"Blue Lightning: Roaring Flash!!"

BOOM!

Tatius leaped back away from the smoke that the impact left. Mere seconds later, Nyota continued to relentlessly give chase, launching the same attack again.

BOOM!!

Falling back, Tatius caught his balance and drew his bow with the intention of creating space and preparing an accurate ranged attack.

Pulling his bow string back as he glided away, Nyota delivered the same close-ranged attack once more. However, not before Tatius managed to get an arrow off.

BOOM!!!

The remaining impact was even greater, both visually and acoustically, though Nyota's attacks seemed to get weaker after each occurrence.

As the massive cloud of debris cleared, Nyota withdrew his blade.

"You can be such a nuisance," Tatius joked before preparing his bow once more.

"So I've been told!" Nyota shouted back, catching his breath.

"But look at you. Unlike you, I'm the one who's been saving energy. You've been relentless, but don't think I haven't noticed your energy depleting."

Nyota looked down to a hand, lightning flashing around it in an irregular pattern.

He realized Tatius was right.

Tatius continued. "Each attack you've thrown, one after another, they've been decreasing in power." He held his bow up and aimed it at Nyota as he pulled its string back.

"I'm confident this should end our battle, right here and now."

Meanwhile, Sage had quickly stood up, as did Idalia, who had still been crouched down prior.

He thought to himself, "I'm unsure of what to do next. Clearly, she's stronger than me, holding much more power and energy in her reserves than what she's exposed.

I have to stay on this side of the court to maximize my advantage, that much is obvious. Other than that, she's got me on the defense until this is all said and done."

He balled a fist. "Doesn't help that I'm nearly out of energy. It's a shame, all that conditioning just to fall short."

"What? Are you just going to stand there?" Idalia questioned. "Don't tell me you're afraid of my Quartz Domain. What else 'you got?"

Sage didn't reply or react. Instead, he stayed in place and assumed a fighting stance.

"Fine, if that's how it's going to be," Idalia grabbed her staff and sprinted at Sage. As she ran, she passively projected countless crystal shards in his direction.

Sage used his sword and his Sweltering Shield to defend him. However, some of the darts bypassed his guard, revealing its frailty.

The two clashed and fought back and forth for many minutes. Sage used his Blazing Carousel Technique sporadically, high sweeping kicks suffused with fire.

Unfortunately, most of his efforts were skillfully denied or evaded, and eventually, it became clear that Idalia had overpowered him.

She blended low kicks pervaded with her crystals into her assault that left their usual paralyzing effect. When he was knocked off balance by them, she followed almost each one up with a rapid swing of her staff.

He would eventually drop before unsteadily rising to his feet again. Finally, with enough space between the two of them, they composed their final attacks.

Sage cupped his hands and pulled them back to his side. A blazing orb of his blue flames emitted a radiant cerulean aura.

Idalia pulled both her arms back, prompting a great palisade meters in length to manifest before her.

"Please hold on!" He chanted to himself earnestly.

"I think this might be it!" Idalia shouted from across the court before extending her arms outward.

"Crystallization MO: Rushing Ramparts!"

"Blue Flames MO: Genesis Beacon!!"

As the crystal barrier trudged on toward Sage, he released his most vigorous and most accurate long-ranged attack yet. The attack was so strange in fact, that it somehow managed to briefly change the lighting within the coliseum, a sheet of darkness eclipsing the airspace.

Even so, the wall continued to progress despite Sage's storm managing to tear a gaping hole into it.

Sage hollered as he strained his muscles as much as possible to sustain his power.

However, Idalia did the same, and despite his struggle, it became clear to all in attendance what was inevitable.

The crystal barrier reached Sage, towering down and caving in on him on impact. A large dust cloud light in color coated the area all around him.

Idalia walked over to him as it cleared. When it was all over, Sage was found lying down on his back enveloped in crystal fragments and particles. Completely exhausted and fairly injured, he hadn't bothered to escape the wreckage.

Extending a hand with an exuberant grin, she spoke, "Guess you're paying this time."

Straining a laugh, he helped himself up to grab her hand before she helped him stand.

The crowd cheered.

The emcee declared. "What a battle! Idalia Alejo defeats Sage Hikari with an epic ending!

Sage delivered his strongest attack of the tournament, but it proved to be no match for Idalia's prowess!"

Sage groaned. "So, what were you thinking?"

She placed a finger on her chin before deciding. "I don't know… I was feeling a bar."

"What?" He laughed. "You're hardly old enough to drink."

"Okay, and…?" She challenged. "I'm a servant of the people, and I'm this much closer to winning this thing," she made a tiny gesture with her fingers. "Safe to say I get to do what I please for the time being."

Finally, she clasped her hands behind her back and leaned into his ear, catching him off guard. She paused before she spoke.

"Nice going. I'm looking forward to our next chance to do this." She then smiled from ear to ear.

--

"Sage and Kilo lost. Now, I'm the only thing standing between the Big Three and victory."

Nyota had just witnessed Sage's defeat at the hands of Idalia. Nonetheless, more immediate matters had taken precedence.

Tatius stood armed from a distance with his bow loaded, poised to fire. And according to him, this attack would not be typical.

"Take this!! Wind Generation Modus: Galestorm: Sonic Resonance!!!"

Once again, the arrow released a rippling sonic impact through the air through its course just as it had done in Tatius's last duel against Raphael.

In an effort to evade, Nyota leaped out of its path. To his surprise however, it changed its direction fluidly.

"What the—?!"

Quickly guarding himself with a small lightning forcefield, Nyota took the arrow and its impact head on. Causing quite the explosion, Nyota caught his balance before seeing yet another arrow on its way.

He did the same thing to defend himself. Except this time, his defense was weaker, and the impact was much greater.

It hurled him away, but he caught his balance and stood upright. Eventually, he realized Tatius was serving the exact same attack over and over again.

He tried his best to escape, but it seemed as though Tatius would have his way in the end.

Eventually, it became a humorous matter for both Tatius and Enki. Idalia casually observed from a distance.

Sage tended to Kilo who was still out cold. During the process, he, of course, showed concern for his comrade who remained in battle.

"I need one of those defensive abilities expeditiously!"

Nyota complained to himself as he panicked, desperately in search of a way to effectively fight back.

"This is getting kind of hilarious," Tatius mocked.

He paused his barrage in preparation of another attack.

"Alright, time to stop fooling around. This one is for the win!"

Nyota took the brief moment to assess his situation. Accepting that his power was depleted, he recognized that he wasn't left with many options.

So with no other idea of what to do, Nyota prepared one final series of attacks.

"Sage, Kilo, I'm sorry. It's up to me to get us this win, but I'm not yet strong enough.

So please, bare with me as I make the most of what I have left!"

"Here it goes!" Tatius shouted, his arrow yet again poised to fire. "Wind Generation MO: Galestorm!!" He unleashed his attack.

Nyota prepared a ranged attack of his own. Summoning two orbs of blue lightning, one in each palm, he pressed the two together with urgency before projecting them out to meet Tatius's attack head on.

"Blue Lightning MO: Roaring Flash!!"

When the two attacks met, the impact left behind blew away much rubble and broke through much more as it reverberated through the air.

When it cleared, Nyota emerged from it with another assault, and within a split second, he found himself mere meters away from Tatius.

"Impossible! He's so fast!!"

"BLUE LIGHTNING: THUNDERBOLT DRIVE!!"

The series of events left Tatius shocked as he hadn't expected Nyota to disguise his close-ranged attack with such an extreme one.

Nonetheless, he knew just how to one-up Nyota in just a slither of time.

And within the blink of an eye, he was no longer mere centimeters in striking distance.

In fact, he had vanished from plain sight.

"No…" Nyota trailed. Immediately, he realized what Tatius had done.

Turning around and looking to the sky above, he spotted an airborne Tatius with his bow aimed directly for him.

Tatius smiled before letting go of its string.

"Checkmate."

The bow reached Nyota and exploded on impact, slamming Nyota into the court and forming a modest crater in the process.

With that, the match had concluded.

The crowd rallied at the conclusion of the tournament.

In the stands, Jora remained seated alone. He gazed out to center stage as he watched the defeat of his cadets.

Yet it wasn't disappointment he felt, nor was it anything else of the sort.

Instead, he was relieved, relieved with the tournament's conclusion, as well as the fact that it was his mentees who had made it to the final stage.

As young as they were, as well as inexperienced relative to their opponents, it was something about the state of affairs that left a palatable taste in his mouth.

Perhaps it was the fact that the tournament alone was enough to reassure him that they were indeed capable of facing whatever challenge would come their way.

He closed his eyes and sighed a breath of relief. He was proud.

Then, he let out a simple, "Great job, guys."

He then looked out to his right toward Noriko's platform, Elwin standing to her side.

She applauded slowly before speaking. "Wonderful! Great job, 1-B!"

"I don't understand, Director," Elwin interjected. "He lost."

She wagged a finger. "Well, you're correct that you don't. Squadron 1-B is younger than 1-A, they stood no chance against them. Idalia, Tatius and Elwin were bound to win from the start.

Those 1-A cadets, as stated before, not much must be said about them. They're already better than half the higher-ups!

But the fight that 1-B put up, I must say I'm impressed. Moreover, as I've stated before, Nyota is simply astounding!

It's not everyday one gets to see a lightning Modus. It's imperative I have him work for me relatively closely. He's to be first on my list.

And those other two boys, they're talented, too. They may tag along to some extent."

Bothered, Elwin shook his head in disapproval. Then, he looked to Jora again from afar, who continued to onlook the conclusion of the tournament.

Noriko had turned her attention back to center stage before noticing Elwin's demeanor.

"Is something the matter?" She asked.

"No, Director, I'm just… certain I've seen him before."

"As have I, Elwin," she replied, annoyed, turning back. "As have I."

"No, I mean prior to our initial visitation here—"

"Elwin!" She raised her tone. "You're beginning to grow pestilent. Since you seem to be so adamant about this boy, do tell. Just where have you seen him?"

Elwin was taken aback by Noriko's retort, but he wouldn't hesitate to inform her of the information that he had.

So, he came close to her ear and whispered covertly.

"Back then, during the last raid, I…"

As he explained, his voice was lost among the roar of the spectators, booming fireworks around the arena, and a jet that flew overhead.

Despite the noise, he continued to recollect, provoking a wide grin from Noriko. When he was done, he stood up and took a step back, elated with her reaction.

She started, "You don't say…

So he must be… him, then."

She sat upright in her seat, eyes glued to Nyota as he and the brothers shook hands with Idalia, Enki and Tatius.

"Well… isn't that opportune."

The crowd continued to cheer in the background. Most of the spectators began to leave their seats and file into the inner hallways of the coliseum for departure.

Pleased, Elwin turned back toward Jora and observed him from afar. He watched as Jora, too, left before turning into the hallway from Noriko's platform and doing the same.

"Great!" He dusted his hands. "Now it's time for a little damage control."

--

Jora strolled through the crowded coliseum halls.

Cadets, instructors and other affluent personalities of Lunanova congregated together in bunches, discussing the tournament as well as shopping with various stands tended to by merchants.

As he continued to walk, he ran into a familiar face.

It was Airrion.

"Yo!" He shouted, waving a hand high in the air.

The two met up and continued to walk. "Sorry I missed the match. I went with Trifon to the hospital. That's where they relocated his cadet."

"No problem," Jora assured. "How is she?"

"Doctor said she's doing alright. She may be there for a few days at least." Airrion replied.

"I don't understand what happened out there. The plan to my knowledge was never taking anyone's life," he paused for a moment expecting Jora to reply, but he had nothing to say.

Then, he continued. "But you know how it goes, you can't really teach heart. And just as it's hard to teach, it can be just as difficult to strip away. At least I know my kids are ready for what's next out there.

Anyway, I heard my squadron won?"

"Yeah."

"Great!" Airrion rested his hands behind his head. "Guess that means I took two wins today. First my cadets beat Trifon's, then yours," he laughed.

Jora finally replied sarcastically. "Well I'm sure Trifon would love to hear it."

"Oh man, Jora. You know me, I couldn't care less. But somebody's got to remind him who gets the better squadrons, and it ought to be me."

Airrion continued to speak, but Jora was distracted and hadn't noticed as eventually, he spotted Elwin ahead of them among the many heads around.

Jora grew alarmed. "What could he want?"

Their eyes met and didn't let go until they stood face to face.

"Jora Newman!" Elwin opened his arms.

Jora laughed nervously. "General, how'd you enjoy the tournament?"

Elwin looked to the side before intently looking back at him, hands jammed in pockets. "Oh, it was one for the ages, for sure. Way to start the series, it is inaugural after all," he continued.

As you know, Director Noriko's been fond of your cadets, their ability to get to the final match and fare well against Squadron 1-A…

Especially that Nyota kid."

Jora remained quiet, unsure how to respond. Meanwhile, Elwin peered behind him to see a confused Airrion. He nodded in greeting before redirecting his attention.

"Between you and me, she says she has a special place for him and believes in his potential. She sees him as a prodigy…" He trailed off, Jora couldn't help but to sense disgust coming from his words.

"He is good, though, and his Modus is amazing. It'd be a shame were he to turn his back on his… 'figurative' maker, of course." He grinned.

Jora forced a chuckle. "Yeah, it'd be a shame. But you know, that's part of my job, ensuring that my cadets are able to discern what to do from what not to do, what's honorable and what isn't, and what's real from what's fake."

"Oh, you're certainly right, but cut yourself a break! All you have to do is train them as best as possible and leave all the rest to the Director."

"Ah, what can I say! I take my job very… seriously."

The two now stood face to face, almost standoffish. Airrion continued to observe from a short distance, still greatly perplexed.

Finally, Jora placed his hand on Elwin's shoulder as a farewell. However, he was frightened by what immediately followed.

"Well, I've got to get going! It's been great talking with you—"

Jora received a flash of what would take place in Elwin's future. It was something so jarring in fact, that he froze at once.

Elwin looked at him with a wicked grin. Having already been familiar with Jora's Modus prior, he concluded what it was that he saw.

"Yeah… well, it's been a pleasure talking to you too," he said before placing a hand on his shoulder and turning to Airrion. "Both of you.

I'm a pretty busy man, as I'm sure you know, I've got more business to tend to."

"Right… okay… See you later, General."

Oblivious, Airrion bid farewell to him as Elwin brushed past them both with a hand in the air.

"See you around, Newman!"

Jora remained frozen stiff. At this point, Airrion grew troubled. "J-Jora… Jora! Is everything alright?" He gave him a shake of the shoulders.

"Y-Yeah." The two of them continued to walk.

"What happened back there?"

Jora shook his head. "Nothing."

"You sure—?"

Jora cut Airrion a fierce gaze, prompting Airrion to end his interrogation.

As a result, he blew a raspberry before letting out a simple. "Yeah, alright man."