I waited in the hallway connecting to the open stadium, dressed in my white fighting robes lined with light blue stripes. I didn't doubt that Isamu was in the same type of tunnel on the opposite side of the building, getting ready for our match.
"Please proceed to the door. Your match will start soon," a robotic voice, devoid of empathy, came out of the speaker in the wall.
I stood up and took a deep breath. I didn't know how to feel about this fight. On one hand, I was confident in myself that I could win. On the other hand, I was worried that if I held back again, something bad would happen to my reputation as someone who doesn't take his opponents seriously.
I was stuck between a rock and a hard place. A dilemma that tore my morals in half. There wasn't any point in trying to put up a front; Isamu would know. So I settled on going close enough to my full strength so that nobody would notice, but at the same time, holding back just enough not to cause serious harm to Isamu.
The doors swung open, and as I stepped onto the pitch, a gust of cold air hit me. I closed my eyes to shield myself from the wind. When I opened them, I was met with excited cheers from the whole stadium at the thought of finally having two promising fighters go up against each other. I ascend the steps up to the elevated platform that serves as the battlefield. I look across the platform of 40,000 square feet at Isamu. He looked calm and collected, but I could sense excitement emanating from him. It must have been contagious because I was feeling the exact same way.
"The battle between two powerhouses will now commence! The participants are Arashi Nakamura of Tokyo and Isamu Bakuhatsuu of Kyoto!
We took our positions on opposite sides of the arena and dropped down a bit lower, keeping our guard up. We waited, waited for the referee to drop his hand for the fight to start, the gentle gusts of wind making our hair look like it had a mind of its own, and when the ref lowered his hand to signal the start of the match, it was no different as we both surged forward, our right forearms colliding as we try to push one another back. I drag my left foot back for more power as I push off the ground with tremendous speed, forcing Isamu to back off as I throw a cross to his face to blindside him and a jab to his shoulder, which he deflects and strikes back with a leg sweep that knocks me off balance, but I manage to scramble away.
Now we are both back on our feet with only a short distance between us. I was originally thinking of closing the gap to try again, but I was beaten to it by Isamu, who ignites an explosion under his feet and delivers a roundhouse explosion-boosted kick right to the side of my ribs, his shin connecting with the side of my torso. It sends me spinning out of control as I crash down into the platform with a few scrapes and bruises, but otherwise still intact. For the second time in this match, I got up as quickly as I could and decided to switch it up. Isamu's explosions, while powerful and devastating, only have a short or medium range, and while he is able to close that gap very quickly by firing off explosions under his feet to propel himself forward, all I have to do is heighten my senses with enhancement, and I'll be able to react to him much faster. On top of that, Isamu has used up some of his harmonic energy reserves to enhance his body so it's on a level of my speed and power.
I dash back out of his limited range and start firing low-power lighting blasts from my Attribute. These won't take him out in one hit or do much damage, but they will keep him out of range and therefore unable to hit me.
But, I couldn't have been more wrong in my life, for I was hit with a sharp pain in my left shoulder, and the smouldering remains of my shoulder pad wafted up into my nose. The smell of burnt clothes clouded my senses as I leaped back even further to somehow get away from the attack. What had he done? There was no way his explosions managed to reach me. Even if it did, it would have left a much larger hole than the one imprinted on my combat robe. My head snaps up towards Isamu. I notice his right index finger is singed. He raises it to his lips and blows away the smoke.
"What the hell was that?" I ask him, my voice shaky but firm.
He smiles and aims his finger gun at me again. A bright orange beam of light fires out of his index finger at immeasurable speed. It takes every ounce of strength and speed I have to evade it. Skidding to a stop near the edge of the platform, kicking up dust and gravel in my wake.
"A compressed explosion. Only possible because of the speed and small exit out of my body that I gave it. Named Attack: Ruin Volley." Isamu explains
I grin widely, proud, happy for Isamu. "You managed to pull that off on a whim, didn't you?"
This was it, my body feels like it's on fire. This burning sensation is coursing and spreading through my veins like fire when it comes into contact with oil. The moment I have long awaited. It feels like I'm on death's door. But the fact is. I'm more alive than anything else in this world!
"Then I hope you're ready!"
And with declaration, lightning starts to pour off me in waves, crescent-like arc fixtures of electricity tear up the battlefield, digging into the platform and ripping long, jagged cracks through it. They looked like out-of-control twisters, each one 20 feet high. I was aware of the power I had unleashed on Isamu; I was aware that my class skyrocketed to a 6C. I was aware of everything. At that moment, I felt like a god.
Isamu hesitantly takes a step back. What is he feeling? He's trembling, every part of his body is shaking in a manner I can't explain. Until I realize, it's me who's shaking, but it's not out of fear, no, this is the excitement I'm feeling. My whole body is hooked on this feeling, shuddering, holding on like a vice, a crab that locked its claw around its next meal, and it refuses to let go. It's utterly fighting, for both my opponent and me. I see Isamu's mouth moving, but his words don't reach me. I'm lost in this sensation, this void of pleasure.
"-hear me?" Isamu's speech finally gets through to me, albeit fuzzy.
My head snaps up, aware again of the world, Isamu's voice bringing me back down to earth.
"Arashi. Can you hear me?" Isamu repeats himself, but it still takes a couple of seconds for me to register what he's saying.
What is going on with my body? I wonder.
I shake my head to clear it up, my thoughts becoming less foggy as I do so. With my head clear, I look forward, up into that face, full of concern.
"I don't know what's going on in your head, but snap out of it, Arashi!" Isamu says, dropping his stance.
I feel my face tightening, a wide grin showing itself. I took a step forward, he took one back. My guard is all over the place. Arms resting by my side, feet close together, shoulders relaxed, but somehow, I'm not the one in trouble here, and we both know it. Is that why he's in this state, cowering, shrinking every time he feels me getting closer? At first, I thought, why? Why was my friend scared of me?
Isamu hesitates, then launches a barrage of explosions at me. He mistimes all of them, making the blasts easy to evade. He slips, scrambles to his feet, and dashes forward, aiming for my arm. He twists it behind my back. Pain shoots through my arm. I respond with a kick to his ribcage, forcing him back and freeing my arm from his grasp. Isamu plants his feet to stay upright, aiming his index finger at me.
He's going to use that move again? I think to myself.
The same powerful jet of orange light fires out of his finger as it races towards me at Mach speed. Even if I were to try to dodge it, my efforts would be in vain. It was much too fast to move out of the way. I had one option left. Blocking what madness was poured into this attack. But what can I do? My attribute is a projection type, not coating, not even a union type. I don't have any defensive abilities in my arsenal.
Then, somewhere within my mind, I heard words I was told rather recently.
"If you're going to join my team, you need absolute belief in yourself. You can't contradict yourself when it comes to the battlefield."
Then, another voice, this one was louder, darker, more commanding.
"Move," it told me.
I blinked. I wasn't confused, startled, or baffled. I simply blinked. It felt like I missed an entire season of a show from where I ended up. I was far from where I last stood just a fraction of a second ago. Precisely 18.6 meters away.
High up in the viewing box reserved for the captains, Matteo was howling with excitement and laughter.
"This guy's a straight-up monster when it comes to speed! A little on the slow side, but I'll make it work."
He grins and leans back in his chair, propping his feet up on one of the tables that overlook the arena.
"Wow, you guys have so much in common," Leila, the captain of Silver Edge, remarked, her tone dry with sarcasm.
"Why thank you-" Matteo responded, sipping on his drink, which he then immediately spat out in realization. "Hey!"
Off to the side, Freya, captain of Iron Guard City, smiles faintly, putting a hand to her mouth to hide her amused expression. Matteo wipes his face and turns toward Atlas.
"So… regretting your decision yet?"
Atlas doesn't respond. He looks out the window, staring down at the platform.
"Arashi, was it?" He asks himself. "I will admit he surpassed my expectations faster than I would have originally perceived."
"The hell are you rambling on about? Matteo asks, skeptical.
"Do I need to spell it out for you?" Atlas retorts, sounding annoyed.
For a moment, Matteo could have sworn he saw the faintest whispers of a smile plaster themselves on Atlas's face.
"His reflexes, he reacted before his brain could send its signals to those parts of his body."
Isamu's face turns to shock and disbelief. Then, it slowly morphs into a smile.
"This idiot…" He said to himself.
I try to calm myself down, taking deep breaths of air, but it doesn't work. My body isn't behaving normally. My heart rate is skyrocketing, and I don't know why. It feels like I have a drum in my body in place of my heart; my lungs are being hit constantly with drumsticks. Making my entire body vibrate.
"Arashi!"
My head slowly rises. I know that voice. It's the one who has always been beside me, urging me forward. It feels soft, but I know it has the weight of a collapsing star.
"Arashi!"
There it is again. No, this one's different. It feels closer, a deeper voice too. That's when a blow lands directly on my left cheek. Falling back, my mind jolts back to the present moment. Isamu is standing over me, his hand clenched in his face.
"Snap out of it, you hopeless idiot."
A trickle of blood drips down my lips. It's cold, metallic taste freeing me from whatever spell I was under. Wiping the crimson liquid from my mouth, I force myself to stand, my body trying to find what strength it has left. My legs and arms are bruised. Still, I stood. My shoulder had a hole in it. Still, I stood. It felt like my lungs would collapse on me. Even after all that, I'm still standing.
I jump back, putting distance between Isamu and me as I get into a running stance.
"Right foot back, divert all Harmonic Energy to the legs and reinforce the bones…" I whispered under my breath.
Time seemed to slow down; no, it did slow down. Lightning bolts, filled with electrical energy waiting to discharge upon contact, were suspended in the air around me. Still crackling, but at a snail's pace, even Isamu was seemingly frozen in place.
I could feel my eyes light up with my Attribute, sparking to life with electricity. Then, I launched off the ground with incredible force, skyrocketing to levels of speed I thought not possible by humans. In less than the blink of an eye, in less than a nanosecond, I made contact with Isamu, slamming into him with my shoulder, then extending my arm to strike him in the chest with my fist. Knocking him across the platform and off of it, into the wall.
Named attack: Hypersonic Flash: Mach 5.