“At least he’s not a water,” Mila commented.

“Earth, no advantage to press,” Shouri noted.

The pair stood in their designated box while the loudspeaker overhead went over the battle rules. It broke down to don’t do anything to seriously maim your opponent, listen to the referee, etc. Pretty standard stuff especially considering Shouri himself was a referee only two weeks ago.

“Remember when we touch-cast as kids?” Shouri asked.

“Yeah?” Mila looked to her current Maestro.

“I’ve been told my rhythm is… a lot. Just don’t lose focus,” He advised.

Mila considered those words. She had been on the receiving end of his spells from that fire fox of his. She nodded. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

And with that, she stepped onto the battlefield, her opponent, an earth-element canine of some sort matching her step.

When the two Resonators met in the middle of the court they sized each other up.

Mila was small and lithe – she could easily be mistaken for a piercing element from her build. Her opponent stood taller than her, an average thing by all considerations, they could be either a slashing attribute or one of the non-noble attributes.

Either way, not much changed about the game plan in Shouri’s mind. Mila was a Shielder with strong willpower. The average Resonator would have a bad time dealing with her combination of traits.

“Maestros! This is a one-on-one battle with no substitutions! Goal is seventy-five percent rhythm remaining! Let the battle begin!”

Mila opened strong, throwing a haymaker towards her opponent. They dodged the cat’s initial thrown fist, but in an instant, found themselves receiving the blow anyway. Mila had ignited her fist and used her wrist flames to change the trajectory of her attack.

“Oh.” Shouri noticed it wasn’t just her fist, but her footwork – when she threw the punch, she deliberately took one foot off the ground, then when she missed her weight shifted to her heel. The result of this allowed her whole body to whip around and face the new direction of her attack.

“Glad Lyle is an idiot, damn.” Shouri whistled, impressed.

The earth Resonator realized in an instant close quarters combat with this cat was dangerous and quickly cleared the distance between them.

“ I venti che battono il sahara !” the earth Maestro commanded.

“ L'Ordine di Gabriele, Allegro!” Shouri countered.

Mila channeled the rhythm she received from Shouri, taking on a slight glow. The spell choice was well-informed as the earth dog kicked up a sandstorm contained within the arena’s walls.

Shouri raised an arm and narrowed his eyes, trying to keep the swirling sands from getting in them. He glanced down at the tuner in hand.

Status: Ready

Rhythm: 97%

Good, it wasn’t going down, thought Shouri. He figured the sandstorm must deal rhythmic damage at the Presto level, so the Allegro level boost the L'Ordine di Gabriele was giving Mila’s defenses negated that chip damage. Or at least, that was the running theory.

However, the sandstorm did present the new problem of lowering Mila’s damage output. That only applied to spellcasting though. Perhaps…

“Mila, I’m gonna focus on trying to get you close to them, use the spells I send to close the gap – they’re not good at traditional fighting,” Shouri explained through the talk function on the tuner – he didn’t feel like blurting out his strategy for his opponent to counter.

He didn’t wait for her response, he just started calling spells. “Arcobaleno Fuoco, Piano!” Shouri belted out. Mila fired off the rainbow-colored ball of light instantly. It flew straight, heading right for the earth dog.

They took off in a sprint, Mila already running in the direction they were running.

“Arcobaleno Fuoco, Piano!” Shouri called over the first spell’s explosion. Mila fired off a second round of the spell, forcing the dog to come to a complete halt and change the direction they were running all while Mila kept running at them full speed.

“DIG!” the opposing Maestro yelled. The dog jumped into the ground below as if diving into a pool, splashing through the dirt and vanishing instantly.

“Mine Terrestri, Rubato! Go, Mila, go!” Shouri commanded.

The cat fell to one knee and began repeatedly striking the ground with her fists, wisps of fire licking the ground all around the battlefield. Finally, when Mila was done with her work, she bolted from her crouched position towards one particular corner of the battlefield.

“Wait! Don’t!” the opposing Maestro cried out.

But it was far too late – the earth Resonator burst out of a seemingly safe part of the court, only to be met by Mila’s blazing fist.

BEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!

“HALT COMBAT!” boomed above the battling Maestros. “This game’s winner is Shouri Tomoshibi!”

The sandstorm subsided and Shouri wiped the sweat from his brow. “Sotto.” He called out to disperse the minefield they had created.

Mila stood where she had stopped after delivering the winning blow. She flexed the digits of her hand, appreciating her handiwork.

The two dueling Maestros met in the center of the field and exchanged a handshake.

“Holy shit, are you like a pro duelist or something?” they asked. “I don’t think I’ve ever been mopped up so cleanly like that.”

Shouri chuckled. “Nah, I’m a hunter,” he replied. “She’s just that good,” he said, looking to Mila who tilted her head slightly.

----------------------------------------

“You’ve been through some shit,” Mila said as the pair resumed walking the streets of Alspo.

“You could say that,” Shouri said with a shrug.

“Here I thought you were lazing about, but you’re the real deal.”

The pair came to a stop.

“You’re a real Maestro, Shouri.” Mila grinned.

Shouri was at a loss for words, his heart throbbed painfully. He couldn’t meet her gaze, swiftly jerking his head away.

The fire cat let out a soft chuckle. “It’s okay,” she suddenly spoke. “I get it.”

“Mila, I-!” She silenced him with a single finger.

“When you met her, did you remember what I taught you?” she asked.

He trembled, clenching his fists tightly. “Of course I did.”

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“Good. I didn’t waste my time with you then,” boasted the cat.

“You’re so unfair,” Shouri grumbled.

“No, I’m a realist,” Mila replied. “We lost our chance years ago. I don’t think either of us could reach our full potential together.” She shrugged. “It’s… just too weird.”

The boy nodded slowly, his gaze avoidant. She vocalized his suspicion; he didn't think about her at all after he got kidnapped. The only ones on his mind were them. Even now, with Mila standing right in front of him, his thoughts were steadily drifting back towards his girls. He had promised himself to them... not... her.

A loud dramatic sigh brought Shouri back to reality. The blazing cat stood akimbo, her tail flicking about as she stared at him. “Besides, I know you - you already made a plan, didn’t you?” Mila questioned.

“Of course I did,” the Maestro grumbled quietly. “Like I was ever gonna let you go back to the streets.”

They remained quiet for a moment.

“Should we go then?” Mila broke the silence.

“Yeah, it’s about time,” Shouri mumbled.

----------------------------------------

“Damn, they work fast here,” Shouri noted, walking past a freshly paved section of the road.

“What do you mean?” Mila asked.

The Maestro pointed to the circular patch of fresh asphalt behind them. “That hole was made yesterday and they already filled it up,” he told her.

“Ah.” Mila nodded as they entered the airport terminal. “They probably don’t have anything better to do out here. Lotta desert from what I see,” she commented.

“You’re probably right,” Shouri agreed.

The two fell to silence as they walked through the airport. The chatter and noise of the other patrons served as a muffled backing track to their journey.

They stopped at gate 2I and took a seat.

“How long we gonna wait?” Mila questioned.

“Should be that one.” Shouri pointed out the window as a plane taxing the runway, drawing closer to the building.

Questions swirled in the cat’s mind, but even with her stubborn willpower, she found herself unable to give a voice to her inquiries. Was she nervous? Excited? Either way, it was hard to tell. Only time could provide her with the respite she desired.

Sitting in silence, Maestro and Resonator watched the plane park and slowly the passengers de-boarded the plane.

Finally, Shouri stood, Mila following suit.

“Hey Vince!” the Maestro waved.

“Shouri!”

The younger Maestro ran over and hugged Shouri tightly, earning a smile and a short laugh.

“How have you been?” Shouri asked as the two broke up.

“Good, super good!” Vince had gotten his usual energy back it seemed.

Shouri nodded. He looked to Mila who was scrutinizing the smaller boy.

“This is Vince,” Shouri introduced him. “He uh… he lost a Resonator due to Feroce.”

Mila’s eyes widened as she nodded in understanding.

Vince’s bright demeanor faded for a moment, his expression hardening.

“I only mentioned that because Mila was formerly a Feroce Resonator,” Shouri then revealed to the other Maestro.

Now it was Vince’s turn to appraise Mila. He nodded slowly, the implication clear.

The man connecting these two strangers took in a breath. This was the part Shouri was dreading.

“Mila, can I ask you to take care of Vince? I know losing his first Resonator hurt him, he’s still hurting.” Shouri then turned his attention to the Maestro in question. “And Vince, will you take care of Mila? She was the first Resonator I ever truly interacted with, she’s a dear friend to me and I can’t trust her with anyone else.” His eyes glowed with bright yellow rhythm as he spoke, a hand gripping Taika’s tuner as tight as possible.

Vince started to tear up. “Y-you trust me? With someone so important to you?” the greenhorn questioned.

“Of course,” Shouri smiled.

“Alright! I get it!” Mila suddenly exclaimed.

The two boys turned to the cat. She studied her Maestro-to-be and walked him, really taking him in. “He’s a little beansprout, but he’s got guts,” Mila decided after a moment.

Her gaze rose to meet Shouri’s. “That’s why you wanted to battle with me today then, huh?” She grinned toothily. “You wanted to show me the level to bring this sprout to, right?”

Shouri nodded, returning her smirk in kind. “Yeah, something like that.”

“Consider it done.” Mila flashed a thumbs-up. “I’ll whip him up into something respectable.”

There was one last thing that needed to be done to make it official. Shouri removed Mila’s tuner from his side and returned it to her. She regarded the device for a moment before flipping it around and offering it to Vince.

Vince went to accept the device but Mila yanked it away at the last second, holding it over her head.

“Before you take this, are you really sure you want me? I’m a bad girl with a troubled past,” she warned.

“Of course!” Vince declared with no hesitation. “I felt something… right from you as soon as I saw you,” he admitted, quieter.

Mila was disarmed, her smug expression fading. She looked to Shouri. “The fuck man?” she muttered. “You think you’re some kind of matchmaker?” the cat questioned.

Finally, Mila lowered her arm and allowed Vince to accept the tuner properly.

“You’re heading back out?” Shouri asked.

“Yeah. Back home – I don’t want to worry my folks anymore,” Vince admitted.

“Good, get back there then.” Shouri waved the two off.

“But if you ever need me-” Vince glanced to his side, regarding his new Resonator for a moment. “-us: let us know and we’ll be there in a moment.”

“That’s okay you don’t-”

THWACK!

Mila punched Shouri’s arm hard. “Don’t be a stubborn idiot,” she scolded him. “Learn to take help.”

Shouri rubbed his arm but forced a smile. “Fine fine.” He waved them off again. “Go to your flight.”

“Thank you Shouri.” The cat’s gratitude was palpable. “For everything.”

And with that, the newly formed pair left Shouri all alone on the terminal.

Once they were out of sight, the lone Maestro shakily drew one of the remaining three tuners from his side. He pressed down both the talk and listen buttons.

“T-taika?”

“Sho?”

“Can you come get me?”

“I’ll be right there.”