“Huh, you want a weapon?” Neigh raised an eyebrow as all of the students in Reito’s class broke into their cliques or exited the classroom.

“Pretty much, I’m in a bit of a rut as far as dealin’ with energy based Paths, y’know, like laser beams and the like. Can ya help me out?”

Neigh smirked and came out from behind his desk. “Askin’ me bright n’ early, eh? I like that!

Early? He does know it’s lunchtime...right?

“Of course I can! But it’s not just a one man show, you’ve gotta get Mari-chan to offer her services as well. She’s waiting, go on then.” He explained, pushing the body pillow he was holding in front of him and expecting a response.

This is exactly why I didn’t wanna ask this guy, do I really hafta do this? He wondered, sighing, before begrudgingly pleading to the pillow with his hands together, prayer style. “Ms...Mari, would ya be so kind as to help Teach make a weapon for me, please…?

Neigh brought the pillow to his ear as if they were making a secret joint decision, then brought his face away from it about two seconds later.

“She’s on board, kid!” He said with a thumbs up. “Her moral support is ultra important to my creative process. Now come on, lemme show you where the magic happens, just be sure to hold on to your hat!”

Reito rolled his eyes, following him. “Whatever ya say Teach, lead the way…”

To Reito’s surprise, they ended up going outside the Academy building, and into a building behind it that equated to the size of 1 and a half green houses. A metallic automatic sliding door opened to a large sum of scientists working on unique inventions, some on notepads, some on computers, with dedicated looks on their faces. The smell of different chemicals wafted around, making his nostrils flare. Neigh turned to Reito while raising his arm past him to show off the establishment.

“Wipe the sleep outta your eyes kid, because you’re looking at the Base Of Ops belonging to the Academy’s Science/Mechanical division! There are setups like this near every school, and as you know, I’m over all of it! Pretty cool, huh?” Neigh awaited a response, brushing his hair back and making an exaggerated pose.

“Not gonna lie...yeah. I was expectin’ somethin’ a little smaller, but this is a pretty big operation.

Sure you’re over all of this?”

“Of course. What, do I look like the type of person to lie to someone I’d just met to sound cool, even as an adult?”

“Well...to be honest... yeah. From the performance ya gave yesterday, I wouldn’t put it past ya.”

“Aren’t you blunt? Regardless, we can talk more about what you have in mind at my work space, come on.

Passing many work areas occupied by scientists doing experiments and running tests, one of them broke their focus and got excited, coming up Neigh.

"Mr. Banner, glad to see you’re well! I must thank you, because of the advice you gave me the other day, the student with the enlargement Path’s custom clothes were finally completed, They’ll be able to use their ability without having to worry about overspending on new clothes! Thank you!"

“No problem! If one of you guys couldn’t deliver on a request, it’d be a blemish on the Division as a whole. So if you’ve got any more questions, just ask, kay?” He flashed a thumbs up with a smile.

"Yes sir!"

Another holding a tablet approached him, this time, a woman."

"U-um...excuse me, Mr. Banner? There was an order I needed to fulfill by today’s afternoon, but the developments were running a bit slow due to a part I ordered being delayed, and I already gave them word that production would be finished tod-"

“Lemme see, which part is it?” He received the tablet from the woman and scrolled through it before giving her a reassuring smile. “Oh, that all? I have one or two of those lying around my place somewhere, I could bring it for you so the order could be finished today. Sound good to you?”

She gasped and bowed profusely.

"Thank you so much, I don’t deserve this! And you as well, Ms. Mari!"

She’s thankin’ the pillow too? Reito noticed.

“All a part of the job. Now, as you were.” He chuckled.

"Of course!"

She hurried back to her station.

People seem to respect him a lot more than I thought they would, didn’t think he’d be that great of a boss, guess ya learn somethin’ new everyday. Reito realized, a bit shocked.

“Sorry bout that, kid, this time around, or more specifically this year, we’ve got quite a few novices fresh outta college in the Division. Most of them couldn’t even dream of making items for a Pathos, but they’ve found themselves loving the work they do now. Course, I help out when I can, but I end up using Burnout and being laid out for a week, So I’ve gotta rely on them and my Co-head more often than not.

“There’s someone who’s able to keep up with ya?!”

“I know, shocking, right? Anyone put next to me is either gonna be overshadowed, or so distracted that they’re working alongside me that they spend the whole day gushing about it!”

...I meant more along the lines of, who the hell would be able to stand bein’ in the same room with you for long periods of time, but I guess that works…

“Neeeeiiigggghh!! I’ll kill you!!” A woman’s voice rang out.

“There goes her angelic voice as we speak,” he turned to his aggressor. “what's up Ba-?”

The brown skinned women in a lab coat responsible for the uproar grabbed him with her fingerless glove donned hands. by the shirt and pulled him close to her. She was noticeably shorter than him, but still leered straight into his grey eyes with her sharp coco brown ones.

She shook him back and forth, cross with him. Her two black belts shaking over her white hot pants with each motion. “Don’t ‘What’s up?’ me! Do you have any idea how long it took me to finish all your orders last week?! I worked myself sick because of you, I couldn’t even get outta bed yesterday! This is all because you use Burnout for vapid flashy entrances! What do you have to say for yourself?!” She growled.

It wouldn’t be wrong to think that this would disrupt the other scientist, but to Reito’s surprise, they all continued as if nothing was happening. His eyes darted around not even seeing one scientist who was even fazed by the uproar.

"Those two, is this the 5th time this month?"

"Nah, try the 6th. I swear they're like an old married couple."

"Still, don’t you think it’s cute? They go at it like childhood friends~"

“Oh, I get it. You wanna be praised, right? Here, Mari-chan, wait here for a sec.” Neigh put his pillow on a vacant chair and started petting the his aggresor's head, “there, there, you did great. Thanks for covering for me, what would I do without you, Baki?”

From her prior response, it was expected that she would get angrier. Instead, she began to mellow out and sway as she got lost in her thoughts. “Neigh...no...Neigh-sama~ I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have yelled at you~ How could I be so rude~?! You care about your employees as if they were your own flesh and blood, I’ll never doubt you again~!”

Her delusions were cut short by Neigh breaking away from her and accompanying “Mari” once more. “I’m sorry Mari-chan, please don’t get jealous, encouraging a colleague is a boss’s job after all~

“I take it all back, you’re still chatting up that damn pillow!” She gestured to a beaker, and began to manipulate the water in it to wrap around Neigh’s head, robbing him of breath. He struggled to get out of it, but he couldn’t get a grip on pure liquid.

“Um, ’scuse me…?” Reito walked up to her. “I...kinda need him for somethin’ important. Would ya let him go, please?”

She immediately broke her focus. “What?! There’s a student with you?!”

Dropping her hands in a panic, the water dissipated, freeing Neigh in the process. He put his hand on his chest, knelt down, and went into a coughing fit before his breath returned to normal. He sprung up to his feet, drenched, but smiled as if nothing had happened.

“Isn’t she charming?” He spread his arms out to introduce her. “I’d like you to meet Tsubaki Shindou, the greatest co-head in the world! I thought calling her by her name was a little too formal, so I just call her Baki! And guess what? She's a Pathos too! You probably won't catch her fighting that often, though.

“Formality is exactly why you should use my actual name…” I love the nickname though~! She said that last bit in her head. “But I digress. Pleased to meet you,” She greeted Reito, bowing in earnest.

Her demeanor had changed, she had completely committed to the role of respectable adult, her tone had even changed from an aggressive to a more calm state.

“S-same here, Miss... The name’s Reito Usodachi. Huge change! Is she even the same person?!

“Okay! Now that intros are outta the way, let’s talk design!” Neigh exclaimed, as he sat down at his desk.

“Yes, for starters, what kind of Path do you possess?” Tsubaki asked.

“Let’s see...to sum it up, I touch objects or hit somethin’, and dependin’ on the time limit I set for the impact, the effect happens that amount of time later. Ermm...I’m not the best at explainin’ things, sorry if it’s all muddled.”

“No, no, you were quite clear, Usodachi. In other words, it’s a Timed Impact,” she raised a finger to show she had a grasp of the idea.

“I call it Delayed rather than Timed but, y-yeah, pretty much. Only problem is-”

“The long range issue right?” Neigh finished his sentence. “We could make something to help you with that in about a day or so, right, Baki?” He asked her with a charming smile

“C-correct,” she stuttered, her face heating up, “the only thing that we would need is an idea of what the item would be.”

Reito raised an eyebrow. “Like a blueprint?”

“Like that, but an audible one. You see, kid, most of the items we design here are for a specific use, so we could make something that we think would work for you, but if it ends up being something that you’d find discomfort using, it’d be a waste. Then it’s back to the drawing board,” Neigh shrugged with shut eyes.

“What Neigh is trying to say is, it’s more about what you would want. So, what do you see yourself using?”

Reito mulled it over in his head. I wanted somethin’ to throw, yeah, but what? Needles, nails? And for the material, it’s gotta be hard so they can deal heavy damage to vitals and the face, but also durable so it doesn’t just collapse on me. If that’s the case, I think...yeah! I’ve got it!”

“Little spheres, about this small.” He made a small circle with his index finger and thumb to illustrate his point, “and for the material, can it be made outta...diamond?”

“Umm...Usodachi? I-I don’t believe we have such a material on hand,” the woman tried to keep her composure while explaining to him.”

“Do you hear how stupid you sound, kid!? Mari-chan, Baki, heard that?! Diamond, priceless, literally priceless, !” He laughed, holding onto his body pillow and grabbing Tsubaki’s Blue ruffle blouse to try to keep himself from falling.

“I just thought since you guys made all this high tech stuff, that you’d have it. Guess it was a stretch,” Reito slumped over a bit.”

Tsubaki grabbed Neigh by his shirt collar. “What the hell, Neigh?! In a situation like this, you’re supposed to let people down gently, don’t laugh in his face! He’s still just a kid!”

“So what if he is?” He recovered, wiping tears of joy from his eyes. “Doesn’t stop him from being a riot. If anything, I’m laughing because his drive is so front and center that he’ll say whatever pops into his head. That ain’t a bad thing, just took me by surprise a little.”

Neigh-sama~~

“Sorry to break it to you, kid, fresh outta diamond, come back in 1000 years when they’re a bit more common. Besides, that’d be a waste anyways. However, I can fix you up with something almost as reliable,” he explained, a passionate smirk on his person, “a little something I call, Nei-Metal.

Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

The boy raised his eyebrow. “ “Nei” as in, you?”

“Bingo! It’s basically a man made metal created by yours truly, every building in the City has at least a bit of the stuff incorporated into their design. It’s a place for Pathos after all, can’t have the buildings collapsing at the slightest freakout. Whether it’s a run amok semi, or something as off world as a meteor, objects made from the stuff won’t budge even a millimeter!

Tsubaki looked up to him, her face reddening and her eyes lighting up.“I shouldn’t have doubted Neigh-sama, of course he had another solution~~ He’s so~- Tsubaki rapidly shook her head, returning to reality. “Precisely. If you leave it to us, it should be nothing short of a breeze.”

“Kickass!” Reito snapped.

Neigh just laughed at him once more. “What a guy, you’re alright kid!”

“Ahem!” Tsubaki cleared her throat. “Just be sure to see Neigh this time tomorrow, as long as you can cover the costs today,” she brought to his attention.

“Oh man, guess I can say goodbye to eatin’ for a minute,” Reito realized, slumping to the side.

“Come on, don’t get all sad. I tell you what, since you gave me a good laugh, I’ll heavily discount it for you. Let’s just set the prep fee at 450 Glint, how about it?” Neigh offered.

He’s always doing things like this, but I can’t help but admire him for it~ Neigh-sama~~

“You serious? Wow! Thanks a ton, Teach, Ms. M-Mari! You too Ms.Shindou!”

“You’re very welcome, Usodachi,” she bowed.

“Anytime kid!”

With that, Reito left in a flash.

In the Kita training rooms, the two were clashing yet again with Shizuka watching them. Evie produced lightning from her hand and palm striked Reito, who blocked it with his right arm. The recoil caused him to skid back a ways.

It burns a little, he noticed, lowering his guard, but I guess I should expect that from gettin’ tagged by lightnin’.

He’d been fighting Evie for 2 days, and after getting hit by lightning attack after lightning attack, he realized that if I braced himself, he wouldn’t be paralysed as easily. He remembered reading on his phone one day that people who get tazed and stand up afterwards were still up and about due to that same principle.

He’s really getting used to it, he’s taking licks and keeping on. Shizuka noticed.

Evie transferred to his right side and reached for his arm before he stepped back and retracted it, remembering the attack. She made a leap toward the wall, and swiftly kicked off of it to perform an aerial roundhouse kick. To respond, he did a backflip to the side, cleanly avoiding any damage. He then landed from it to realize that she had transferred once more.

Keep tabs on the opposition...there! He remembered her advice, noticing a small trail of leftover lightning. Like he was expecting it, he brought his forearm to the side of his stomach as Evie slammed her leg into it.

She smiled at him. “Oh? Not bad, Tochi, two days ago, you couldn’t see where I was attacking from at all,” she jumped back a couple meters.

“I just got tired of bein’ pounded on, and I noticed durin’ your little ‘Transfer’ that you leave a trail of sparks behind. It’s hard, but if I pay attention and don’t stumble, I can guess where you’re headin’. You’re 7 pins up compared to my 0, so if I didn’t at least even out the playin’ field, I’d be in pretty shit shape.”

Shizuka observed them further from behind the glass and tilted her head. “Rei’s really adapted, if he keeps on like this, then they’ll be in ultra great shape for the match. Although...I don’t think she’s shown him everything she has yet.”

“So, you’ve got my number, is that it?”

“Pretty much. Next time ya try to attack me, I’m sluggin’ ya full out, and I won’t miss!” He slammed his fist together with a smirk, eager to finally get a leg up on her.

Evie’s smile faded, she closed her eyes and breathed out, bringing her hands together and beginning to hand signs. When she pulled them apart, lightning was emitted from them like the first time he saw her do it, but it was a bit different. It streamed from around her hands to her arms, then to her legs and upper body. Seconds later, her body was fully cloaked in trickling yellow sparks.

“Evie Style Lightning Release: Fulgur Mail...”

She’s wrapped in the stuff...better be on guard. He stepped back, curious of her next move.

Fulgur Mail...so it’s like armor…? Shizuka wondered.

She took her stance and began her attack, rushing toward him significantly faster than she did previously. Reito spun and readied a back fist, but she stopped the charge midway and proceeded to bounce from wall to wall at breakneck speed.

Unreal...the way she’s movin’...it’s so quick I’m gettin’ a headache tryin’ to keep up with her… It’s like Gran Torino…, her movements reminded him of a manga he’d read, his eyes darting every which way due to her changed movements.

She bounced around until Reito felt a slight burn on his back. He winced, rubbing. After that, the same pain shot from his shoulder, and then his stomach, causing him to cough out spit.

He fell to his knee. I can’t react that fast, at least I could follow body movement before, now she just seems like an actual flash of lightnin’! He rolled out of the way of another attack. “I’m not dumb enough to waste energy on reflectin’ a blow in this position, there’d just be 10 more on the way!”

He reached into a pocket holster he kept on the right of his jeans, and pulled out a small black sphere.

Thanks, Teach, I’ll put this to good use! He thanked Neigh.

“What’s that, a new weapon?” Evie asked, now standing right behind him.

"Yeah, I talked to Teach about-... Huh?!”

She swept his leg causing him to drop on his back, then mounted him, grabbing his face with her hand and restraining his arms with her legs.

“That’s 8 for me, almost there.” She smiled.

“Damn it…,” he got up, narrowing his eyes, “ya held out on me.”

She giggled at him “Well I couldn’t very well lead with it,” she said, getting up and wincing a bit, “Fulgar Mail gives me a better edge and all, but at its core, it’s a risky full attribute boost that pushes my body past its limits, so it’s not like I can use it constantly. About twenty seconds is my limit, so I plan on only using it to finish a fight quickly.”

He got up to his feet. “Quickly is an understatement, I got blitzed. If ya had such a technique up your sleeve, why aren’t you number one? I’m sure that Gold guy wouldn’t stand a chance if ya pulled somethin’ like that out.”

“Well, truth be told, It’s a technique I created to fight him specifically, this was the first time I’ve used it on a person.”

“I’m... flattered...? I guess that’s the right word. Although, I could do without gettin’ singed every couple seconds.”

“It’s your own fault, just train your eyes,” she put her right index finger and thumb up to circle her eye.

“You-”

“But, back on track,” she interrupted, raising a finger, “let’s take things up a notch. How about we make this next pin worth two, sound good?”

“No way, that sounds completely unfair! You only brought up that condition to make it easier on yourself!” He accused her.

“Wrong! Think of it this way, in a fight, more often than not, you’ll be forced into a situation that seems unfair. In times like those, do you really have the time to complain about how the odds are stacked against you?” she asked.

“Err, I guess you’re right- YEESH!” He cartwheeled to dodge an approaching blast of lightning.

“You’re in a fight, and no matter what, you’ve gotta win! So no matter what situation you’re in, calm down and think how you can get out of it like your life depends on it! Isn’t that what a future king would do?!” She shouted to him, firing another stream his way.

He knew that she was right, but he wouldn’t tell her that, seeing that smug grin on her face if he admitted it would just make him even more frustrated. He soon enough brought out the black sphere once again and rushed toward her, hoping to at least pin her once.

“First time for everything, now that I’m liftin’ one up, they have a decent amount of weight to them. Let’s see, aim for the shoulder, 30D 3.5S.” He thought as he tapped the sphere on it’s left side, and threw it and dodged the next blast by diving over it.

She noticed the weapon careening her way and fired one more blast before sidestepping the sphere. Close call, but even if I took a hit, Tochi won’t be able to capitali- as she thought that, Reito had already gotten right in front of her. “He’s got faster!” She didn’t have time to register the direction the sphere was changing and received a blow to her shoulder.

Putting her hand over where she’d just been hit, she stumbled backwards in pain. Taking advantage of the situation, her training partner finally closed the gap between the two, reaching to grab her arm and stomach. He thought he did it, he won.

“Gotcha! I wi-” He declared, sure of his victory. But before he could pin her, she smiled and stopped her stumble while letting go of her shoulder. Her free arm grabbed his shirt and brought him into a circle throw. Long story short, Reito ended up slamming against the wall and sliding down it back first with all the grace of a window wiper.

“Idiot! Don’t just assume you won from one chance!” Shizuka called out.

Mounting him with her lightning clad left hand aiming at his face, she spoke. “Turning oppression into an advantage, a pretty accurate example, don’tcha think?”

“In other words...ya just tricked me,” he summed up, gazing up at her.

She brought an index finger to her chin “Hmmm, yeah, I guess you could call it that depending on the situation,” she said, getting off of him.

He got up just the same. “To learn that from a ninja, I guess that’s fittin’.”

“Hmm? I’m not a ninja though.”

“...Huh?! But you are, right?! I mean, the dogi, the arm guards, the whole fit, the way ya move, that’s not ninja-like at all to ya?”

“I never actually said, “I’m a top class ninja.” or anything like that. Well...I guess you can say I can’t say that about me yet. Technically, I’m still training to be one, I’ve just always thought they were super cool, y’know?” She brought her hands together to make a hand sign, “And it’s all without saying a single word,” she pulled the collar of her dogi, “let’s just say, I know my way around costume design, even the maid outfit that you couldn’t keep your eyes off of was made by moi.”

“So you’re pretty into cosplay, did ya make it burn resistant too?” He asked.

I wish I could do something like that,” She sheepishly laughed, “I just had Mr. Banner’s division modify it for me. Most people think it’s childish to be into this stuff. In junior high, I was even called geeky by some, but...I think a ninja’s craft is amazing…”

...I feel like I said somethin’ I shouldn't have, but I’m kinda curious, his intrigue piqued, “...come to think of it, why’d you even come to Capital City in the first place? Ya don’t seem like the type to wanna be Queen of the place.”

“You wanna know my goal? What, do you have a crush on me or something?” she teased, tilting her head.

He flinched and turned his head to her. “The one time I’m actually askin’ about ya and that’s the conclusion ya come to? Come on.”

“Just kidding, lighten up!” She patted him on the shoulder. “I could tell you, but it might get a bit...personal. My papa is a straight laced businessman, he even founded his own company. Ever heard of Bryce Accounting?”

“Not till now, anythin' to do with math puts me to sleep.”

She waved her hand. “They mostly have a bunch of firms in America anyways, so you probably wouldn't have know regardless. He was probably the strictest parent in the world, I had to appear perfect in front of him, get near perfect grades in school, and eventually take his place as C.E.O., which involved extra studying.

Sounds like hell, he thought.

“Around the end of grade school, I started to get wiped out, I thought my mind would cave in or something, and everytime I asked for a break, he wouldn’t even consider it, all the while looking at me all cold and demanding like. But, one day, my mama told me a story about this legendary man named Hattori Hanzo who was a samurai turned leader of a clan of ninja!”

“I at least remember that name from history class.”

They looked to the training room door that had slid open with Shizuka walking through. “It rings a bell for me to,” she chimed in.

“So you know how cool he is then,” Evie snapped, “anyway, the story sparked my interest in ninjas and Japanese culture in general. and with the sewing machine she gave me, I started going to work on a slew of costumes. The shrine maiden outfit and dogi I made were my favorites for sure though.”

“Got interested in it? Aren’t ya from Japan?” Reito asked, surprised.

“I wish! Glad you couldn’t tell though. I’ve got a bit of the blood flowing through me, but I grew up in America. I took my mama’s last name, and papa gave me my first name.”

“So...you’re here to get away from your old man?” He guessed.

“That goes along with it, but the one thing I really wanted,” she turned to him and lightly booped his nose with a smile, “was to have a blast being the me that I wanted to be. Does that clear it up for you?”

“Give him a break, don’t you ever get tired of the whole teasing thing?” Shizuka looked to Evie.

Evie shot her a peace sign. “Nah, not with Tochi around!”

Reito covered his nose and stepped back a bit. “Y-yeah… Anyway, we’re clear as crystal, so can we just get back to the grind no-”

She wagged a finger inches from his face, stopping him in his tracks. “Not so fast! We had a deal, remember, buster? 10 pins on my end means you’ve gotta do whatever I say.”

“Shit! I forgot! If only I’d have crossed my fingers,” he thought. He then made a heavy sigh. “Alright then, I’m a man of my word. What do ya have in mind, gonna draw on my face? Have me sing an embarrasin’ song?”

“Those all sound pretty funny...but no. Just lend me your ear real quick,” Evie gestured him over to her side.

Shizuka watched Reito lean down a little as Evie whispered into his left ear. A few seconds later, the boy leapt up in shock, a slight blush on his face as he yelled at the girl.

“No way! Can’t it be somethin’ else?!”

“The choice is final, just make sure you practice and learn it before the match, and we’re golden,” she said, holding up an “ok” gesture.

Shizuka narrowed her eyes at Evie. “What’re you gonna make him do now?”

“Ninja’s secret! Trust me, it’s better if you just see it in action!” She refused to say, giving Shizuka a wink.

Shizuka looked at her, it wasn’t strange to guess that she’d have him do something embarrassing. Be that as it may, she also felt that Evie wasn’t the type of person to do anything too extreme. If she saw that whatever Evie would have him doing has a chance of going off the rails, she would be able to set her straight. So she just sighed and made her way back out the way she came.

“Well...alright, I mean it can’t be that bad… So I’ll leave you guys to it.”

“Grragh...fine. If I’m doin’ it, I’ll at least make sure I don’t mess up on it and look like even more of an idiot,” Reito groaned.

“Look on the bright side, you made me sweat once or twice. When we started, you were as slow as a snail, but now, I’d say you’re like a gazelle!” Evie complimented.

“And whaddya call yourself, Cheetah-like?”

“Maybe,” she laughed into her hand, “well, at least you know you can still improve, not like Rome was built in a day after all.”

“Still, bein’ behind ya makes me feel even worse about it,” he slumped over with a sigh.”

She gave him a reassuring pat on the back. “Well, we’ve still got a day and a half left, so don’t give up hope. How about we go at it again? Unless you don’t think you’ll be able to hit me again.”

He shot back up, gritting his teeth. “That’s the furthest thought from my mind right now, take your stance again and I’ll show ya a thing or three!”

She grinned. “You did get one clean hit on me, I’ll give you that, but I won’t let it happen again. We’re done with our little wager, so from now on, it’s a battle of attrition, I know I won’t get tired. But are you confident in your own stamina?”

“None of that matters if I put ya down before I get wiped out! I’ve got your moves in my head anyways, besides that last resort of yours, you’re not gonna even come close to scratchin’ me this time!” He proclaimed.

“Let’s hope that’s enough,” she thought to herself. “Then I’ll hold you to that claim!” Evie exclaimed with a smile.

They clashed for another hour and a half, with Shizuka watching every sphere thrown, thunderbolt shot out, and punch or kick being thrown or dodged. She observed Reito, sure, but her main focus was on Evie. As the girl bolted around as if she was the personification of a flash of lighting, Shizuka still noticed her shaking, and slowly began to see what was happening.

“Every day the match gets closer her shaking gets more evident. Is she…?”