--- [Alex’s perspective]
“I think I’ve got a good grasp of your abilities now. Alex, you’re very good at BDM, so you could easily overpower him in a fistfight. Your specialty doesn’t seem to have any offensive capabilities, but it’s defensive potential is extremely high. Is that right?” – Luna
“Yeah, that’s about it. My specialty is very versatile and allows me to counter a lot of other abilities, forcing us into hand-to-hand combat. My BDM prowess will then allow me to get the upper hand against most opponents.” – Alex
“But since you can only use your specialty in your palms, you struggle to absorb many things at once.” – Luna
“Correct.” – Alex
“I see… A way to fix that issue would be to learn how to activate your specialty on other body parts, but fundamentally changing the way you use your specialty can be extremely hard. It’s definitely something to strive for in the future, but with the relatively short time you have to train now, I don’t think this is the best course of action.” – Luna
“What do you suggest I do then?” – Alex
“This is one of those few cases where I don’t think making up for your weaknesses is best way forward. Rather, I think you should double down on your strengths. Get even better at BDM. If you get even faster than you already are, that could make up for your biggest weakness by letting you absorb things faster, instead of absorbing more things at once.
But that’s not it, getting better at BDM will also increase your strength and durability. With more durability, you could take more risks without putting yourself in too much danger. As you saw in your fight against Shin, taking risks, and letting yourself get hit, is sometimes necessary to win.
And as your strength grows, you’ll be able to finish the fight quicker, meaning you’ll have to take less risks to win.” – Luna
“I see… That’s a good plan. I don’t know if I’ve ever told you before, but the reason why I’m even so good at BDM in the first place is because I just naturally pick up on it a lot faster than other people.” – Alex
“He’s right. When we first met, we were equally good at BDM. The difference however was that I had been training my entire life, while he had only trained for six months… Since then, the gap has only grown bigger and bigger.” – Shin
“Perfect! Even more of a reason for you to focus on improving your BDM even further. Alright, we have a plan then. Now as for you Shin… I got the feeling that you were still holding back, is that true?” – Luna
“It’s true. In addition to ice swords, I can also summon fire swords.” – Shin
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“Why didn’t you do it then?” – Luna
“Because they drain my stamina like crazy. After using them, I’m lucky if I can even stay awake.” – Shin
“I see… Working on that will probably be number one priority then. Not being able to use your ability properly and always having to hold back is a massive disadvantage. Whether it’s through limiting the output of your fire sword, increasing your stamina, or both, that should be your focus for the next two months.” – Luna
“Agreed.” – Shin
“Well then, I guess it’s time for Lett and Illian to spar.” – Luna
--- [Illian’s perspective]
“Good luck!” – Lett
“You too.” – Illian
Without wasting any time, she immediately goes on the offensive.
I haven’t even had the time to summon my shadow clone yet!
Just as I’m about to create my clone, she teleports in, and kicks me in the back, making me stumble forwards.
The pain makes me momentarily unable to focus enough to create my clone.
She takes full advantage of that fact and continues to attack.
A kick to the face, a knee to the stomach, a punch on the nose…
Her barrage is brutal, but she knows she can’t stop.
The moment I get my shadow clone up, it’s over.
Even if she knows I’ll be fine due to my specialty, she would never be able to ‘kill’ her friend just to get rid of my ability.
If I had just used it before the match started, this fight wouldn’t be nearly as difficult as it currently is…
All I need to do is use my specialty, but at this rate, she’ll knock me out before I get to do it.
As long as she keeps attacking me, I can’t use it, so I’ll have to get her to stop somehow…
Wait…!
I think I know how!
As she continues to thrash me, she suddenly calls out to me.
“Just give up already!” – Lett
I can tell that Luna is just about to stop her; but that’s to be expected, she doesn’t know that the tide of battle is about to turn.
All she sees is me getting my ass beaten…
“Neve-” – Illian
Just as I’m about to respond, she hits me square in the jaw…
I let myself fall to the ground and lie there lifelessly.
“… Did I go too far?” – Lett
“It’s okay, he’s not dead, just knocked out. One of the healers can fix any potential injuries he may have gotten.” – Luna
Just as she finishes her sentence, she calls one of them over.
My shadow grows…
“Wait… You little!” – Lett
Finally, I was able to activate my ability.
“You just pretended to get knocked out!” – Lett
I get back up on my feet, and the healer looks confused.
“Uhm, are you okay, sir?” – Healer
“I’m fine.” – Illian
“Oh, ok…” – Healer
“Pay attention Luna, I believe this is the first time you’ve seen my specialty.” – Illian
Lett immediately starts attacking again.
She teleports around quickly and attacks me from every angle.
None of them face me.
A kick to the face, a knee to the stomach, a punch on the nose…
Yet I’m not taking any damage!
They’re not causing any bruising, they’re not making me stumble, and no blood is drawn.
All the damage I would have taken goes straight to my shadow.
“Interesting…” – Luna
Time to finally fight back.
As she teleports around, I try to attack her, but she’s too fast…
I have to predict where she’s going, otherwise I’ll never catch her.
As she continues her attack, I slowly start to pick up on her patterns.
Although the way she teleports around may look random at first glance, it really isn’t.
The more time that passes, the closer and closer I get.
Until…
“Uagh!” – Lett
I finally managed to land a hit on her!
She tries to continue her barrage, but my attack clearly affected her a lot more than she’s letting on.
Her reaction time is considerably slower, and not long after, I hit her again.
“Alright, that’s enough.” – Luna