Chapter 7: Prep With High Voltage

After classes ended, Shizuka made her way to the Kita training facilities while making sure to keep her identity under wraps with her hoodie.

“She said training room number fifteen...no sign of her anywhere though,” she said with her eyes wandering.

Her sights were soon fixated on her best friend, who was up against a wall growing more and more impatient by the minute. He tapped his foot against the floor while mumbling to himself. “What a bore, if I wanted to sit around doin nothin’, I would’ve jet home already. What’s takin’ her?” He questioned tapping his foot on the ground.

“Yo, Rei. This is kinda weird. Knowing you, I would’ve thought that you’d be bumming it around your dorm by now,” she greeted him with a two fingered wave.

Hearing her voice, he looked up and slowly raised a questioning raised eyebrow. “What’s up? Y’know, minus the ‘bummin’ it’ deal, I could say the same to you, why’d ya drop in so suddenly?

“About that, I thought she’d be here by now, bu-”

“You made it~~ Shizu, Shizu, Shiiizuuuu~~!” Evie sang.

“Speak of the devil, there she goes.” She said, turning to greet her Although to her dismay, Evie flew towards her, drooling with her arms open while wiggling her fingers.

“It’s been sooooo long, how’ve you been~~?!”

A hand held out in front of her, she stopped Evie in her tracks, even though she didn’t relent and kept reaching out to grab her. “Calm down, it’s been a day for one thing, and for another, I’m well, but not enough to let you touch me how you want.”

“Hey, can ya put a can on your pervy side for one sec?! If ya haven’t forgot, we’re supposed to be trainin’!” He growled.”

“Of course I remembered,” she rebutted, retracting from the purple haired girl’s palm, “I just needed to recharge my Shizu reserves!” She proclaimed, with her hands on her hips.

“Ya called me here for such a stupid reason?” Shizuka growled, baring her teeth as she pulled on Evie’s cheeks.

“Wait, wait, wait! That’sh not all, I shwear! Justsh shear me out!” She tried to tap out, pleading to her as she was released from Shizuka’s grip.

“I didn’t tell you over the phone, but, Tochi and I have an upcoming special match. Long story short, we’ve got a couple days to prepare for a fight with numbers one and two of Kita.”

“You’re kidding?! Rei, what the hell is it with you and pissing off the upper ranks?” She asked, grabbing him by the shoulders and giving him a shake.

“H-h-hey! I-I’m n-no-t a b-b-bottle of-f ketchu-up, q-q-quit ittt!” He begged, being quickly let go. “Why do ya hafta assume it’s somethin’ I did?” He asked, only to think for a second. “...Actually...don’t answer that… In a nutshell, I didn’t want the Treasurer position, so I told ‘em to piss off, which leads us to now.

She pinched the bridge of her nose. “You’ve gotta be kidding me, you really turned down the position? What were you thinking?”

Reito looked to the side, trying to avoid her gaze. A distant look on his face, like he was ashamed of something. Shizuka seemed to get an idea in her head of why he did it, but for whatever reason, she withheld from talking about it and let go of him.

“Whatever...I guess it doesn’t really matter now. One thing though,” she brought up, turning towards the one who called her there, “why do you need me?”

“I was getting to that. You’re definitely super strong, so you probably know the ins and outs of a fight, like cleaning up mistakes, and capitalization, among other things, right? You're an O-...well, you know.

“No...you’re right,” She responded, looking down at her hands. “I’ve had alotta combat scenarios and such drilled into me, forgetting it would take me a lifetime. If it’s advice you want, then I’ll watch you guys spar, and give you it afterwards.”

“Thanks a lot, Tochi’s really gonna need it!”

“Yeah, for su-...wait… Whaddya mean, I really need it?”

“Oh, sorry, was I not clear enough? Let’s be honest, I watched your fight with Kara and knew in an instant that you wouldn’t even touch me in a fight,” she told him, waving her hand back and forth.

“Huh?! So you’re sayin’ ya don’t think I could tag ya even once?!” He asked, his brows furrowing bit by bit.

“Bingo! Glad you get it! Knowing what you can and can’t do is the first step to improvement!” She winked with a snap.

Silence fell upon the three before he stomped toward the training room door. Once he got in, he peeked out of the door, pointing at the inside. “Get in here...we’ll test that little theory...”

“Roger, roger! Shizu, make sure you watch us closely, kay?”

“Like a hawk,” she made an “ok” with her fingers.

The door closed behind them as they made their way to their respective sides. Reito began stretching while also glaring at his tease-happy schoolmate.

She put her hands on her face and turned away from him with a smile. “Come on Tochi, if you look at me with such a lustful gaze, I’m not gonna be able to fight properly~~”

Tch! If you’re not gonna take this seriously, then I’ll make the first move! He thought, rushing forward as fast as he could, aiming to sweep her feet to knock her off balance. Although, to his surprise, it only came into contact with air as he felt a weight in his shoulder.

“That was a nice warm up shot, even though it didn’t hit me,” complimented Evie, who had perched herself on his shoulders. “What’s with you? I’ve seen slideshows faster than that.”

Are you serious?! That was as fast as I could go! Sweat rolled down his forehead.

Damn, she definitely moves like a Kunoichi! Shizuka noticed.

Evie pulled on his cheeks, playfully. “I guess that wasn't such a theory then, huh?”

“Shut-!” He reached to pull her off of him, but she’d dismounted already and kicked him in his side, sending him flying before he hit the floor and rolled. Shaking his head, he sat up with one hand on his knee.

Evie sighed. “Honestly, are you even trying? Training or not, you should give it your all, or else Maestro and Gold are gonna wipe the floor with you,” she told him, a stern look on her face.

“If what you’re sayin’ checks out...then I guess I’ve got my work cut out for me...damn!” He realized, punching the floor in frustration.

“Hmm...I know, to get you motivated, how about a little wager? We’ll spar with the intent of pinning one another. But, as a handicap, I have to pin you ten times, and you do the same to me only once,” she proposed.

“Seems pretty generous, even with the skill gap,” he thought. “Okay...what’s the catch?”

She held out one finger. “Whoever loses has to do whatever the other says, and no request is off the table.

A rather conniving look creeped onto his face. “Hehe, any one thing, ya say? Anything...anything...anything!” The one word repeating in his mind with an indecent grin plastered on his face.

“Did I get your mind racing yet?” She donned a cheeky grin. “I know you’re a guy and all, but try to stay focused.”

Quickly snapping out of it, he shook his head. “S-Shut it, I’m fine! Anyway...your Path. I feel like I’ve been getting small glimpses of it since we met, so how's about you enlightening me on how it works, “partner”?” He requested, placing sarcastic emphasis on the last word.

She gave him a chuckle before answering. Well...since you’ve asked so politely! Sudden Storm...that's the name of my ability,” she explained, before appearing behind him, lightly blowing into his ear.

“YEEESH!” He jumped back the moment he felt her breath, his face reddened as he placed both hands over the ear she blew into.

“Even in a situation like this. Would it kill her to miss an opportunity to tease someone?” Shizuka brought a hand to her forehead, questioning her friend’s decisions.

“Earlier, you wondered how I disappeared then popped back up with a snack in my mouth earlier, right? Well, it’s because I can teleport… Or well...maybe more along the lines of warping?” Putting a finger to her chin, she questioned her own explanation. “Although I can’t move through anything solid like a person or an object, I can carry them with me when I use it. I have a limit of five per day, although it’s just a sub ability I created called Transfer,” she clarified, using Transfer to move back to her prior position.

“That explains how she’s always poppin’ up outta nowhere…,” thought her training partner as he regained his composure.

“But, the main part of my Path-” She began, before pulling up her mask, covering up to her lips. Her hands were brought together, then quickly separated, and in between the space her hands left trailed sparks of yellow electricity. It then appeared and danced around her right hand as she brought it up for the boy to see clearly.

“Is my Lightning Release, I’m a lightning girl. I decide the voltage and can raise the power up to about 120 volts, but considering that we couldn’t kill in a match anyway, 60 volts is plenty. Getting hit by one of my charges is I’d say, a little stronger taser shot, considering a Pathos’ natural durability. I can’t generate it infinitely though, eventually I’ll run out of charge and won’t be able to use any for a couple of hours, but if there’s any electricity around, I can just absorb it to recharge.”

“Electrokinesis?” Shizuka gasped. “That’s pretty strong...even just looking at it simply. On top of that, it’s a Nature variant Command type…”

“Are ya kiddin’ me? Why the hell does someone like you have such a cool power? All I can do is punch or touch things and wait for results. Talk about a bum rap,” he sulked, slumping over.

“Then you’ve gotta make the best of it,” she fired a stream of lightning at him through her fingers, “Evie Style Lightning Release: Thunderbolt!”

He rolled out of the way, sweating a bit. The incoming training would be a lot harder than he anticipated.

“You’ve got a pretty cool looking fighting style under your belt, if you combine that with your Delayed Impact, it could be a pretty lethal weapon!” She sent three more bolts his way.

“It’s called Retribution Fist, and besides deflectin’ physical blows, it’s supposed to be used to redirect energy based attacks, but-”

Dodging the first two, he was left in a position where the third cornered him. Knowing there was nowhere to run he held out two fingers on both of his hands and clad them in Aura, catching it for a brief moment. The bolt crackled and sparked as he tried to divert it, his teeth gritting all the while, only for it to fizzle with the impact sending him towards the wall.

“That was close! Rei, you almost had it!”

Sindge marks covered small parts of his fingertips as his Aura dissipated. “Ow, ow, owwww!” He blew on his hands. “I’m still shit when it comes to projectiles!”

Seizing the opportunity, his opponent took the initiative to Transfer and close the distance, grabbing his arm and shoving his head to the floor, she scored her first out of ten pins.

“One point... Sorry, explanation or not, the conditions are the same. Still, you have something that you can work on, I can’t help you with your “Retribution” issue, but if it’s a Path problem we should be able to figure something out.”

“Thanks, now could ya get off of me? There’s no extra points for the time pinned, unless you’ve added another rule,” he tapped the floor.

“Oh, yeah! Sorry!”

She did just that, letting him hurry to the other side to reset the situation.

“Damn it, this sucks! I can’t use my ability without touch, an-” His thought was cut short by the girl Transferring to him and coming down with an axe kick over his head. He pivoted to the side to dodge it, but only narrowly.

He mulled it over in his mind. “And the hits keep comin’! What can I-”

“Keep your eyes on the opponent, if you get flustered or lose focus even once, it could be an instant loss.” She appeared again on his left, grabbing his arm with her left hand, and generating lighting on her right hand, unleashing it on his side. “Evie Style Lightning Release: Bolt Strike.”

“Guguggaaaaahh!! He fell down on his back, jittering and shaking. He tried his hardest to get up again, but his arms buckled and shook with every movement, trickling with sparks of electricity. “C-can’t g-get u-up!”

“You took an electric shock point blank, after that, at that point it’s best to just call it quits,” she told him, sitting on his back and scoring another point. “That’s another down for me!” Getting up, she offered a hand to him while pulling her mask down to unveil a smile. “How about we call it for today? All work and no play isn’t good for anybody.”

Gritting his teeth, he reluctantly took her hand in the end. The two exited the training room and Shizuka greeted them with a raised hand and a smirk.

“Well, I’ll be,” Shizuka beamed, “who knew you were such a speed demon? It was hard keeping track of you with all of that crazy movement. And lightning Command type too? Other than Mr.Banner and Ms.Shindou, you’re the first Nature variant I’ve seen. Guess you’re not called the Fulgur Shade for nothing, huh?”

“Am I really that impressive?” she rubbed the back of her head, her cheeks turning a light scarlet.

“Yeah, yeah...I get it already, she’s great...and I hate to admit it, but...she’s for sure a better fighter than I am,” he turned to Shizuka. “So...help me out you two, what can I do?”

Unlike his earlier eager tone, he spoke in a more calm, and light one. A look of determination plastered on his face as he asked his best friend for advice in earnest. There wasn't a hint of snark or sarcasm in his tone.

He’s frustrated...stuff like this really gets him going, huh? Shizuka thought, looking up. “Well...I’ve been thinking about what you could fix for awhile, but I needed a better look at what you were working with. Let’s start with your approach, or your lack of one, to specify.”

“It sucks, yeah. I know that, at least,” he agreed “when it comes down to a straight up fist fight, I feel like I can hold my own with most people. Even if I fought someone with a Transformation type, I can use Retribution to turn their power against them, and since everyone’s vitals are in the same area, I can shut down their ability to fight back by strikin’ them.”

“Buuut, if there’s ever a Pathos with an ability that shuts you out via long distance,” Evie made a gun with her finger.

“It’s an uphill battle, well...more like one without legs. Granny can redirect stuff like that no problem, but because I didn’t listen to her, I’m handicapped. And if I focused on landin’ one giant blow during a fight when I’m peppered with projectiles, well, I’d hafta rely on my body to hold up from all the built up damage.

“So problem solved, just get a projectile. You used stones and rubble pretty well, so if you had some thrown object you could rely on, you’d be pretty well rounded,” Shizuka pitched in.

Reito put his hand to his chin. “Easier said than done...It’d have to be pretty durable, can’t have it breakin’ on me in the middle of a scrap. Hard material, hard material-,” he repeated the words aloud until his stomach interrupted him with a growl.

“You really worked up an appetite, huh?” Evie teased.

“Guess that’s the signal. Time to head home, Rei?”

“Err, I guess...but after I get some food in me, then it’s right back to theorizin’. Even thinkin’ is hard on an empty stomach,” he rubbed his stomach. “I’m kinda feelin’ a burger type of mood this time around, you down? I’m payin’.

“As long as you didn’t forget your wallet again, sure thing. Let’s mosey,” Shizuka replied.

“You guys go on without me, there’s something I have to take care of, sorry.”

“Good, because I wasn’t really askin’ you.” He walked off with his left hand in his pocket and his right making an “adios” gesture.

“Come on, don’t be a dick about it, dude!” Shizuka scolded.

“Oh...sorry… Maybe next time I’ll try to be more friendly, emphasis on the maybe and try, part,” his eyes lit up, and he stopped in his tracks, and turned around to face Evie while pointing at her. “Oh yeah, one last thing.”

“Hmm...?”

“Ya might be ahead of me for now, but just watch. In a day or so, I’ll be runnin’ circles around ya, so don’t be surprised when I surpass ya. Hear that, ya short stack Lightnin’ Bug?

“Lightning Bug?” The nickname surprised her and she began to laugh. “That’s...actually pretty fitting… I like it, Evie the Lightning Bug~” She giggled into her hand.

Is it even possible to get under her skin? He wondered.

“They say talk is cheap y’know, so why don’t you show me just how much stronger than me you can get?” Evie gave him a wink.

He flinched, blushing. “Erm- Yeah, obviously! That’s the plan, midget!” He shouted, leaving in a huff.

“You’re teasing him a little more, trying to egg him on?” Shizuka asked her.

“On the nose,” she confirmed, tapping her nose. “All things considered, even if he does get pumped up for fighting, it’d slow us down if he slipped back into his slacker tendencies halfway into the prep time. Think of it as extra insurance to keep him motivated.”

“Not bad, like waving a red in front of a bull. Rei’s alright as long as he keeps this up, but there’s another thing I noticed, I didn’t wanna bring it up in front of him though. Concerning you, whenever you move, you jitter a bit, almost like you’re scared.”

She sweat a bit. “Ah, that, well what do you expect when you play with lightning-”

“No, that’s not it, I’ve been hit by electricity at pretty high voltages in the past, and I can tell when the reaction’s a result of that, or fear. Also, elemental command types aren’t normally affected by what they control, unless they go beyond their limit...and you guys only fought for a couple minutes.”

“Oh well,” she sighed. “I can’t hide it I guess, pre match jitters, Whenever I think about an upcoming match, I start shaking in my boots. Suppressing it’s hard work, but it’s nothing to be worried about, really!”

“Is that really it though…?”

“A mega cutie like you is worried about someone like me~~? This is almost a dream come true~~ But I swear, that’s it! Now go on, Tochi’s already so far ahead of you!” Evie pushed her forward aggressively.

Shizuka looked her in the eye before leaving. “If that’s what you say...then I won’t pry. Rei may come off as an ass...but he has his reasons. At the very least, nothing he does is outta malicious intent. Even so...when it comes down to it, just know we’re here for you...okay?

“Same here, just save that for when I’m actually in a rut!”

Hearing that, she hurried to catch up with Reito. When she was sure she couldn’t be seen anymore, Evie sank to her knees and put a hand on her chest.

“...Just a few more days… Gold...gotta beat him, don’t be scared, you’ve gotta help Tochi,” she repeated all of that to herself like a mantra before slowly rising to her feet once more and entering the same training room they came out of. “I’ll up the voltage, try to change the color, anything… Just gotta get stronger.

Reito and Shizuka walked down a busy street on their way back to their dorms, a burger in their hands. They were on a city block with eateries at every corner. The afternoon sunlight beamed onto the streets, and the sounds of people clamouring filled the air, along with the smells of burgers, fish and various sweets. Shizuka donned her hood as well, trying her best not to alarm others. Reito bit into his burger over and over, at the same time, he made a wide smirk, satisfied with the taste washed over his face. “Gotta say, I give ‘em a hard time, yeah, but burgers from any fast food joint really hit the spot if you haven’t had ‘em in awhile.”

“It’s definitely a nice change of pace, although you could eat with a little more tact,” she said, pointing to his crumb covered face.

“It’s eatin’ with efficiency. I just destroy whatever I’m chowin’ down on in one fell swoop, then I get a napkin and get rid of all the crumbs in one go. Se-”

A discarded can tripped him up, sending him stumbling into traffic.

“Hey, look out!” She reached out and grabbed his shirt collar to stop him from stepping into the path of an oncoming car.

“YEESH, I ALMOST DIED!”

She pulled him back before slapping him upside the head. “Dumbass! It’s your own fault! Seriously, how do you keep your head on your shoulders?!”

“Thanks for savin’ my hide. And to answer your question, I’m not a biologist, so I’ve got no clue what biological voodoos are keepin’ me in one piece.

She smirked. “You asshat, no one asked you to be that specific, come here!”

She smiled, putting him in a headlock, although it was obvious that she was just messing around. He tried to get free, but nothing came of it.

“Ok, sorry! Uncle, I give! If ya have me like this, how’ll ya eat!?”

“Unlike you, I can focus, worry about yourself,” she bit into her burger while continuing to walk, keeping a hold on him, “but back to more important things, your Delayed Impact. Why don’t you use the full force of that to make an air cannon, that oughta be good enough right?”

“What you’re askin’ ain’t impossible, but I’d hafta risk the functions of both my arms because of the drawback. If I use it at full power for about three attacks, I’ll lose feelin’ in what made the attack, beit arm or leg. And switchin’ which arm or leg I use won’t up that limit, whatever I use the third max power blow still gets the drawback.”

“Sorry, just an idea. I’m sure you can come up with something though.”

“I need to...I wanna wipe that cocky smirk right off her face...it pisses me off.”

“You really wanna beat her, huh?”

“Damn right, her Path’s a hurdle in it of itself, but she doesn’t only have that goin’ for her surprisingly. When she fights, it’s like she becomes an entirely different person, when I looked at her, I got the impression of an aloof jokester. But when it’s time for fists to fly, all of a sudden she’s dead serious, Meat Tank wasn't kiddin’.”

“So this is your 100% determination, I’ll hand it to you, I’m even getting pumped up just listening to you,” she laughed.

“Don’t get ahead of yourself, it’s 81%, ya hear? Nothin’ more, nothin’ less,” he defended, turning his head away.

She released him from the headlock only to laugh at him a bit more, holding her sides and she bent forward a bit. “Yeah, yeah, I get it!” Her laughter was so loud that some of the people they walked by stared at the two with raised eyebrows.

“She tries her best to lay low, but she’s actin’ like some laughin’ gas just hit her,” he thought.

Continuing on, they were at the Kita Complex before they knew it, it had begun getting dark at that point, so there were various lights on around the buildings and in the dorm windows. The two made their way up the stairs.

“A moving team usually packs your belongings and takes them to your new dorm while school hours are going on. Just to be sure, you do know which floor you’re on now, right?”

“Of course I do. Whaddya take me for?” He continued up the stairs only to turn around seconds later with a sheepish smile. “...But say for instance, “hypothetically”, I didn’t, I find out about somethin’ like that?”

“Oy vey,” she sighed. “Just take out your S.P. already.”

He hurried to pull the object out of his left pocket, fumbling a little and almost dropping it before he hit the button in the middle, making the projection appear in front of him.

Shizuka gestured toward the bottom left. “That right there is your current dorm number, 136A, so that’s about the second floor.

“So more walkin’, woopee,” he closed the S.P and stored it in his pocket while reluctantly heading up the stairs.

“Well, here it is, 136A,” he scanned in like usual.

“Let’s check out the new place-” He began to proclaim, tripping over a box just a few steps in front of the door.

“Again, watch your step.”

There were six boxes in the entrance, two of them going along the right wall, Three along the left, and one in the middle. Getting up from his tumble, he began to look around.

“Okay, I’ll admit, that one was my fault. But ignorin’ that, take a look, this place is a hell of alot bigger than my old one!”

Although there was a slight exaggeration on his part, he wasn’t entirely wrong. It smelled a bit sweet, but he couldn’t quite place the exact scent. The new dorm was quite spacious with a more homely feel to it. The arrangements of appliances felt more thought out, and it was overall a complete far cry from what he knew before. There was even a window with an extravagant view. When he looked through it, even the Kita side of Capital city seemed beautiful against the afternoon sky.

“Woah...pretty sweet. Almost as nice as your place, eh Shion?”

“Yeah, it’s to be expected really, you’re top 4 in the school, but it’ll be gone in an instant if you start losing too much.”

“Damn, you’re right. In that case, all I’ve gotta do is not lose, right? Shouldn’t be too hard.”

“Do you even hear yourself when you talk?” She lowered her eyelids. “Bah, nevermind, it’s about time I took off anyway. Oh, and one more thing, you hesitate too much, it makes your attacks slower and easier to react to. That’s something you can change, but for the edge you need, the Science Division’s probably your best bet. I can vouch for ‘em, without my hilt, I’d be pretty hard to use my Path. Late!” She left, closing the door behind her.

Parting ways with Shizuka, Reito walked to his new bed and jumped onto it, back first. Sprawled out on top of it, he raised his right hand and slowly began to clutch it.

“To be King...guess it’s gonna be harder than I thought..."