Match after match passes as Shinku excitedly waits for his turn to battle and test out his skills until finally, he is contacted through his notifier to get ready for his match.

“Yes it’s finally my turn to fight and show everyone what I can do.”

As Shinku is leaving the stands he sees Batoru leave ahead of him and instantly felt a mix of anxiousness and glee. As he and Batoru left the booth to their corresponding hallways, Batoru called to him, “Shinku, remember our promise I made to you, make sure you fight me with everything you can or I’ll force you too.”

Shinku simply replied, agreeing to what he said, while internally, he couldn't get his irrational fear of this stranger out of his mind.

As they walked out onto the arena, they announce themselves to the audience, “My name is Shinku Ryota, I’m an earth magic user who specializes in revolver blades.”

“I’m Batoru Takumi, a wing magic user I mainly use shuriken and needles.”

The very second the match started, Shinku and Batoru launched their attacks. Batoru threw a shuriken as Shinku attempts to blast him with his guns but both dodge each other’s attacks.

“Hahaha! Alright, I was scared you were gonna hold on me from the start at least putting effort into trying to beat me so, lets kick it up a notch.”

Even though his mask was blocking his face, Shinku knew that Batoru had that same deviour smile he had when they first met him. Batoru called him out, letting him know that he's ready for him to get serious. As soon as he finished his sentence, he vanished an uproar in the audience as they marvel over his speed.

“What the hell, where did he go?”

“How did he do that?”

“This kid has no chance against somebody that fast.”

Shinku frantically tried to figure out where Batoru will attack him from, “What the where did he go, he was infront of me only a second ago what happe- “

Crash!

Suddenly, Shinku was slammed into a wall. Everyone looked for where the attack came from and saw that Batoru hit him from the side using his wind magic. The mysterious group of students closely looked at Batoru’s movements and talk among themselves about the fight.

“This one Batoru he seems to be quite formidable for his age, the other boy Shinku on the other hand hasn’t been able to do anything up to now, do you think we should intervene?”

Suddenly a female student speaks up against their plans telling them to hold off and let the fight continue. Shinku got up from the ground, breathing heavily, as Batoru shouted at him.

“Why aren’t you using you magic?! I told you, don’t hold back.”

Shinku looks on as Batoru grew increasingly angry that he wasn't being taken seriously.

“You want me to fight you more seriously ok you get what you asked for.”

Batoru attempts to launch another attack while Shinku uses his gun to create a dust cloud. Batoru misses his attack only to get caught in Shinku’s trap, as he hits Batoru with 2 rocks to the stomach and slamming him to the ground.

Shinku gritted his teeth, stomped the ground, and caused an earthquake. Using his magic to open up the ground, he stared intently at Batoru. He then jumped out of the way, thinking Shinku was trying to trap him in the rocks. Once he was airborne, Shinku used his revolver blades to shoot him into the wall, knowing Batoru couldn't dodge in midair. Batoru began laughing hysterically.

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“Hahaha, yes your finally taking this for real.”

Shinku didn't reply verbally but got in his stance with both revolver blades in hand. Batoru jumped down to the ground, still laughing, as he fell to the ground and pulled out three shuriken and disappeared into the dust clouds. Shinku looked around the room for where the next attack could come from.

Shinku suddenly hears a whitling sound coming from behind him , and a shuriken came flying at him and drops to the ground dogging the attack. Everyone was amazed at what happened. Suddenly, more shuriken came flying at him; he lifted himself in the air using a stone pillar to avoid the attack.

The shuriken hit the pillar and cut cleanly through the base. As Shinku fell off the pillar, “How are you doing this with your shuriken.”

“It’s really easy, I just you my wind magic to speed how fast the shuriken spin to the point where it can cut through almost anything.”

Shinku then used the debris, made balls of stone, and fired them at Batoru. As his attacks flew towards Batoru, Shinku tried to close the distance between them. Batoru noticed Shinku getting closer and used a gust of wind to make a dust cloud for cover.

Shinku looked around for where he was. While he was looking, he only heard his voice echoing through the arena. Batoru told him that although the fight was fun, it made him furious because he knew Shinku wasn't going all out. He shot a wind bullet at him, saying he's purposely trying not to cause serious harm. He shot Shinku again and told him this is what he meant by "or else."

Suddenly, Shinku got punched. Before he could hit the floor. A series of blows followed suit as the attacks came so fast. As soon as the dust cleared, Shinku tried taking shots at Batoru but constantly missed, until he thought back on his training from Ryota. Ryota told him he was focusing too much on where his target is instead of where he's going to be. Shinku used his right eye to focus on Batoru. Although he still couldn't hit him directly, he didn't need to now. Instead, he shot two blasts at the ground, temporarily blinding him with dust and stopping him, giving Shinku just enough time to use his magic and hit him in the stomach, knocking him back and to the ground.

After Batoru got up, he pulled down his mask, showing his vicious smile.

“This fight was amazing but, I think I’m finally ready to end this, oh yeah about the disappearing thing I used his wind magic to give a sudden burst that launched him a good distance. This took me almost a full year to learn haven’t mastered it yet though, I call it tempest step.”

Batoru then goes for his final attack to defeat Shinku , he was going to launch his final attack that he called Galestorm Volley. A move where Batoru increases his speed to the point he looks like a blur to the naked eye and blasts air bullets from each angle.

“What do you think of my final move? I might burn through magic like crazy but I’m confident I’ll take you out before I run out even though I’m near empty.”

As Shinku endures all the attacks he thinks back on how he felt when the match was about to start, the uncontrollable anxiety, and suddenly he falls to the ground seemingly defeated. Everyone looked on cheering on Batoru, then suddenly, right before Batoru was declared the winner of the match, Shinku got up again. Batoru turned to him and began to smile.

Batoru had a surprised expression on his face as he looks down at the ground.

“What the, why’s the ground getting so hot all of a sudden?”

The very ground he is standing on suddenly opens exposing a pool of lava. The crowd looks on in pure shock with no idea on the site before them.

“Remember that promise to go all out, now I’m going to keep it.”

Shinku stomped the ground, and a ring of lava surrounded him. The spectators went into a frenzy, fawning over this child with an advanced element, not only that but one as destructive as lava. Batoru began to breathe heavily. Shinku wondered if he's scared now and hesitated to attack. He asked if he's scared, and Batoru laughed hysterically.

“Why’s he laughing like that it’s so creepy.”

“Is he some kind of psychopath?”

Batoru thought back to his time living with his family. He was the child of an affair, his mother the mistress of a Yakuza family head. When he was seven years old, the head of the family found out and had tried to kick him and his mother out. When they tried to, he suddenly awakened his wind magic and took down twenty yakuza members, and the family head took a liking to him. From then on, he took him under his wing.

“For more than a year fighting has become so boring to me, seeing the same people use the same attacks repeatedly but, you Shinku, you’ve made this a fight to remember. Thank you for giving suck an amazing fight!”

As Batoru rushes into battle once again, the match was ended by a tall woman with long white hair. Batoru shouted and screamed in anger, “Why did you stop the fight, we were just about to finish it ourselves.”

“Young man the power you are up against is not something you can fight much less in the condition you are in right now, if you challenge his magic, you will lose and will be gravely injured.”

Batoru stormed off the arena grounds. Before Shinku can leave he’s instructed by the same woman to go to the infirmary to have any injuries he may have treated. He was then taken to the infirmary, and on the way there, Batoru waited in the hall.

“One day you and I will have a proper fight, not limitations, no safety nets and most importantly, no one holding back.”

Before Shinku could even reply Batoru walks off leaving Shinku feeling as if he angered him in someway unintentionally.