The announcer looked around nervously at the audience, as if unsure whether or not to declare an end to one match and a start to another. However, when he saw the majority of the contestants looking at him with a combination of shrugs and rolling eyes, he slowly nodded and decided to let the momentum of the evening’s events continue.

“Very well!” He declared.

“Micro of the Fire Mountain Turtle Sect is the winner. Yes…”

Some cheers were heard among those counting gold in the stands, but a collective sigh of dissatisfaction was the predominant noise in the air.

“We now continue to the final round…” The announcer pushed through the awkward tension.

“Yin, the reigning champion of the annual tournament of these five honourable sects, heir to the Dark Thunder Sect, will face Micro, the mysterious new representative of the Fire Mountain Turtle Sect!”

Micro watched as Yin quickly climbed the stairs and nodded to the announcer before bowing deeply to Micro. Micro tried to mimic the gesture, and Yin seemed satisfied when their eyes met once more. Though his face was obscured by the dark hood he wore, the same deep black colour as the rest of his robes, Micro was able to discern a faint smile.

Micro noticed the tension of the crowd grow cooler as Yin prepared himself to fight. He looked around and saw several of the workers smiling at him as they quietly left the arena through several smaller gates. One old man with an eyepatch smiled so sincerely at Micro as he left that Micro thought he could feel his heart warming slightly.

“I understand why Kel defends you now, Micro.” Yin suddenly whispered across the stage, his voice carried by his aura in such a way that only Micro could hear him.

“It is clear you are no enemy of mine, though I still don’t know what you are…”

“What am I…?” Micro said, tilting his head.

“I guess I’m not just a truck anymore… But I’m still a Micro.”

“Your sense of self is indeed intact then.” Yin whispered with a nod.

“And the sincerity of your actions is honourable, though your actions are difficult to fathom.”

“Thanks, I think.” Micro smiled.

“Tell me one thing, before we fight…” Yin whispered.

“What is the path you walk?”

“I’m trying to find the road home.” Micro answered quickly.

“I need to master a lot more Core Cards so I can get from this world to my world.”

“You speak of unimaginable powers as though they seem trivial to you…” Yin replied with wide eyes.

“And yet I sense no arrogance in your words, no pride, no hesitation…”

“What about you?” Micro asked.

“What’s your destination?”

“Destination?” Yin repeated slowly and thoughtfully.

“At the end of the path I walk… Power…”

“Power…” Micro repeated, then he shrugged.

“I don’t get it.”

“Perhaps soon you will.” Yin whispered as his aura flared.

“Oh, the fight!” Micro blurted out as he increased his own aura to prevent himself from being swept away by the intimidating force Yin was radiating.

“I’ll warn you now…” Yin whispered as he moved his hands through the air, channeling energy through the air in a complex pattern.

“I’m not an opponent you can easily imprison.”

“I’ll do my best!” Micro shouted, and the fight began.

Micro reflexively coated himself in armour and rooted himself to the ground as Yin’s aura grew stronger, but he was surprised by how slowly Yin ran towards him while apparently preparing a punch. He took his time preparing an aura shield and braced himself for the impact of the punch, then watched as Yin did exactly as expected. Yin’s fist traveled through the air quickly, though nowhere near as quickly as most of the attacks he’d seen over the course of the tournament, and it seemed to carry less energy than most of the punches Micro had witnessed cultivators throw.

CRASH

Micro’s shield and armour shattered instantly as Yin’s modest punch collided with his shield with a sound that couldn’t be confused with any other.

“Thunder?!” Micro shouted as he stumbled backward across the stage while Yin stood up straight and shook his fist in the air.

“Your shield was harder than I expected.” Yin whispered as he flexed his hand.

“I’ll have to try harder.”

“I was wondering what thunder would be like as an art…” Micro groaned as he tood a few deep breaths. Not bothering to summon his armour again, he rooted himself to the ground and summoned a much denser shield and brace himself again.

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CRASH

Another punch tore through his shield like a rock through glass. The impact of the punches’ collision with the shield flung Micro backward before it even reached Micro himself. He managed to stop near the edge of the stage, then crawled away from it quickly and stood up once more. Yin raised an eyebrow as Micro immediately took the same stance, apparently unintimidated by his attacks.

“You’ve done well to remain conscious after two attacks harnessing the power of thunder.” Yin whispered with a respectful tone.

“But you will eventually break.”

“Is that all though?” Micro suddenly asked, poking his head out from behind his shield.

“What?” Yin asked, pausing his attack in confusion.

“The vibrations…” Micro added.

“Is that all?”

“My art allows me to shake the foundations of a person’s being…” Yin explained softly.

“Nothing is unaffected by thunder in this world, be it the body or the soul…”

“Huh…” Micro frowned.

“Well, do your best!”

Yin tilted his head, staring with wide eyes at Micro, who gave him a thumbs up with one hand while adjusting the position of his shield with the other.

“Very well.” Yin eventually whispered after resolving himself.

“I will honour you with my strongest attack.”

Yin lowered his fist for a moment, then opened his hands, pointing his palms up toward the night sky. MIcro watched intently as the energy around Yin began to swirl and vibrate with increasing intensity. He could clearly see the dark elemental energies of the night sky gathering around Yin, then flowing through him to produce an ominous rumble.

Though the audience was smiling and cheering as Yin prepared his attack, many of them shifted in their seats as the vibrations intensified. Some younger spectators looked like they might be sick as they brought their hands to their mouths, and several lost consciousness fairly quickly. Micro was relieved to see that the mundane workers had already cleared away, then he focused on Yin, who extended both hands outward as far as he could reach to his left and to his right. However, he didn’t brace himself with energy in any way. Rather, he lowered his stance slightly and smiled at Yin.

“The most advanced technique passed down to each heir of the Dark Thunder Sect after mastering the sacred Dark Thunder Art…” Yin whispered as the unmistakable sound of rolling thunder began to radiate from each of his hands.

“Thunder clap.”

Looking at Micro as if to warn him to brace himself, Yin finally brought his hands together.

CRACK

A violent shockwave filled the arena, deafening to those who hadn’t braced themselves with a strong enough defensive aura, and painful to those who were sitting the closest to the stage. Micro closed his eyes and leaned into the force as his whole body shook, falling to one knee as it passed through him. The thunder clap echoed throughout the city as everyone’s ears rang, and Kel was not alone in his look of concern as Micro wobbled on his knee.

“That’s definitely thunder…” Micro said, grunting as he brought himself back up to his feet. He shook his hands and stretched his neck quickly, then took a deep breath and relaxed.

“How are you standing…?” Yin quietly gasped.

“I saw the thunder pass through you… No jade level core could withstand the shock…”

“Oh, it did hurt a little.” Micro admitted.

“This body’s shock absorption is terribly designed. But if we’re talking about vibrations, that wasn’t too bad.”

“Wasn’t too bad…?” Yin stepped back anxiously.

“You raised no shield, and yet your soul remains unmoved…?”

“Hey, I may not have been the most comfortable truck, but wherever the old man drove me, I was the one dealing with most of the vibrations.” Micro stated proudly.

“No bumpy road ever kept the old man from arriving at his destination safely!”

“You absorbed it… with your soul…?” Yin asked, his voice finally rising above the level of a whisper.

“But that’s…”

“It’s what I was built to do.” Micro said with a prideful laugh.

“A bit of thunder is nothing compared to some of the roads I’ve handled! Never mind when his son was driving me into town to meet his girlfriend…”

Micro chuckled nostalgically as Yin’s mind raced. He grew flustered as he prepared another Thunder Clap, and he was further unnerved to see Micro begin to walk casually toward him. He brought his hands together once again to both the excitement and discomfort of the cheering crowd, and once again Micro was knocked to the ground. Yin took a tentative step forward to confirm whether Micro had finally succumbed to the attack, but Micro stood up even more quickly this time.

“I guess for humans, that much of a shock would do a lot of damage.” Micro said as if he were carrying on a lighthearted conversation over tea.

“That’s why you don’t punch very fast, right?”

“We’ve always relied more on our art than our physical abilities…” Yin couldn’t help but answer, caught up in Micro’s pace.

“That makes things a lot simpler, to be honest.” Micro said with a nearly apologetic look.

“Because my new body is pretty strong for a human.”

Yin instinctively summoned all the thunder he could channel with his internal energy as a chill crept up his spine. As Micro lunged toward him, fear of everything he knew Micro to be overcame him, but he was too paralyzed by his fear to scream before he was lifted from the ground.

“Huh?” Yin was only able to open his mouth in confusion, and he was quickly embarrassed by the sound he let out in the process.

“I’m sorry you don’t get to decide your destination today.” Micro said as he lifted Yin in the air, pinning his arms to his side by wrapping his own arms around him in a bear hug.

“But you’ll arrive safely.”

Yin thought of struggling to break free from Micro’s hug for a moment as they began to move together to the edge of the stage, but it was clear to the spectators who could see the look on his face that he was already utterly defeated.

As Micro released Yin from his firm grip, the audience watched every movement Yin made, expecting with every breath that he would somehow turn the tables on Micro, but Yin’s feet touched the ground by the stage with a sound so faint that only Micro heard it. The crowd started wordlessly at Micro, waiting for the situation to make sense. The announcer opened his mouth, but no sound would come out. Micro looked around with a smile to see Tohan’s face red with excitement, the gold in his hand shaking violently. He looked back to see Kel and Tae smiling with wide eyes, though they also shared their shocked silence with the other contestants.

“I guess I managed to make a few friends today then!” Micro called out to Kel, who only widened his awkward smile in return. Beginning to feel uncomfortable with so many people staring at him, he turned his eyes upward to the night sky and sighed, but something about the sky caused him to frown. He looked back down at Kel and pointed up to the sky, then shouted.

“Was the moon always that colour?!”