Hey guys. It's been a while.

I got busy with some other fics and free time. Hence why I took over a month.

I have a request for you readers, I am looking for a beta reader or a co-author. Not just for this fic but for two others as well. Like En Route to a better life and Afraid to Shoot Strangers. I have noticed with my request fics they hit off pretty well and I think it might have something to do with the fact I can talk about ideas and write things out before they are published.

If you want to, just let me know in the reviews.

Not making long this time. Let's jump in.

Started at 20/02/2020

Ended at 11/03/2020

Mattheus had been going over the stuff he had been getting and he was a bit surprised that in the matches that were upcoming. He was sitting with Ichika and Kizuna in the rooms. They have just gotten the message who they would face.

Ichika and Kizuna would fight Laura and Hayuru. Mattheus could guess why Kizuna would have a bone to pick with Hayuru. Not that it mattered for him. The topic of Laura had been going around the room when he came back after dinner.

They would settle the matter here with the two. Joel was sitting behind, working on the laptop. He would join the girls in the stage but would sit on the entrances. There was something bugging him.

"Lads." The two turned to the older guy. "I don't know if you two asked or not but I'm up against Dunois. For me, that can work." The Hunter was eager for a fight. He and Aine would fight Yurishia and Charlotte.

"Your match is up. Good luck." Ichika said and Mattheus pulled up the hoodie. "I make my own luck." Joel nodded to the two and followed his brother.

When Mattheus spotted Aine, he waved at her. "Adjzof. Pearce. Ready to fight?" Mattheus nodded but shot her a grin. "Oh come on. I think we're good for a first name basis. Don't you think, Aine?" She smirked at him.

"Sure, Mattheus. You have something to ask?"

"Yep. In this match, you got your powerup from Kizuna, right?" The silverette looked abashed but nodded on the blunt question. "Yes, so?"

Joel went to sit on the exit and Mattheus closed a bit of distance. "Aine. Me and Dunois. We kinda have a matter to settle. Something of our past.." Mattheus summoned Chasseur and the barrel laid on the shoulder of the Hunter.

Aine tilted her head and raised an eyebrow. "This has something to do with your sister?" The jaw of Mattheus tightened but he nodded. The wound had healed but it was one ugly, burning scar.

"I keep forgetting that is pretty much public knowledge. Yes. I don't know the whole thing on Dunois but she and my sis were friends from what I get. So I can't reach with her words. Do you mind if you leave her for me? I'm going to make her see that I didn't ask for it either and I'm missing my little sister. Besides, we both work better alone." Aine walked up to him and patted him on both sides of the shoulder.

Mattheus looked at her and she had a soft smile on her face. One he could get used to "You're not responsible for that. And you helped me and Kizuna. So yeah, I will help you. If you can help me reach Yurishia, I can take care of her without a problem." They shared a look and with a smile identical, they walked up to the entrance.

"Sure. That I can do. Thanks a lot. I owe you big time." Deciding to be a little bit bold, she pecked him on the cheek. Despite the fact she was just sixteen, Mattheus face lit up like a Christmas tree. "You and Joel paid me plenty during helping me out. As you say, let's rock."

Nodding at her but a bit dazed, Mattheus lifted his rifle on the shoulder. "Yeah, let's rock and roll." Walking outside, Mattheus touched his cheek. Sure, she was out of his age but that didn't mean he could enjoy what he got.

When he passed Joel, the punk gave him a thumbs up. Outside, their opponents stood.

"Come forth, Zeros," Aine said and around her sexy body, the machine was built.

"Lavathenian, time to start this one," Mattheus said and in his bomber jacket, the machine followed. They landed in the arena. Charlotte and Yurishia were ready to fight already. Ichika and Kizuna stayed behind in the room but they had a screen to see the match.

Houki, Cecilia and Rin were seated in the audience. They weren't sure who they had to cheer for. They had seen what all had gone and the animosity could be reached to them.

"This is going to be rough," Rin said and the two next to her nodded. The animosity could be felt from their place.

In the arena, Yurishia did her best to ignore the fact her teammate was glaring at Mattheus.

"Looks like you're here now. Good thing we face each other now." Mattheus rolled his eyes and looked back at her.

"Cut the bullshit, we're not in 1302. Ready when you are." Aine nor Yurishia had any idea what he was talking about but they didn't want to know.

[When both sides are ready, the countdown will begin]. The mechanical voice from Chifuyu Orimura spoke while she, Reiri, Kei and Maya were all seated at the top.

"Yes."

"Yes."

With that, the countdown began.

[Three] Aine cracked his knuckles while she looked at the scene.

[Two] Yurishia looked at the adversaries while she was ready to fight with Kuros.

[One] Charlotte held both guns up.

[Start]

Immediately, after that was said, Mattheus fell back while Aine raced forward. When the Hunter was sure he had enough distance, he raised his rifle and blew the trigger at Charlotte. Due to the heavy bullet coming her way, she moved out of the way. The bullets were slow but she couldn't afford to get hit by just one of them. Hence the low fire rate was better for him.

Yurishia used her multiple guns to fire at Aine but unfortunately for her, the girl moved out the ways easily from the heavy barrage. Aine was a close-quarters combatant, unlike Yurishia who relied on long-distance fights. For her, she had to get close. The Pulverizer wasn't an option to use unless she had support. The low charge time was one pain in the ass and not the one she would like to have.

With Mattheus as her partner, whose strongest weapon was a long-range rifle, they couldn't take that route. Yurishia moved out the way for her but it was a game of tag. One dangerous one.

In the control room, Reiri smirked when she saw the two fighting.

"You had an idea this would happen?" Chifuyu asked when she was seated next to her. Like her bedpartner, she had a smirking face.

"Both Adjzof as Chidorigafuchi are fighters who prefer to work alone in their fights. Put them in one team and both will take a piece of the fight. It was just one solution. But this is proving to be really good." Chifuyu was happy that not just their brothers could take care of this matter.

Neither Charlotte nor Yurishia could afford to be on the offense. While their guns were automatic or semi-automatic, the fact that Mattheus and Aine played aggressively. Aine used her speed to get closer to Yurishia and despite having more speed than Aine, Yurishia found it hard to avoid the attacks. She could try and fire her guns but Aine could easily stay out the way.

Aine was slower but she could also coordinate better her movements.

When she got close enough, one of her powerful legs shot out. Yurishia had no time to really see that coming and blocked the attack while that was just proving to be detrimental to her strategy.

Joel was right. While she could use her fist, she had two powerful legs that could also dish out some serious punishment. Yurishia could try all she wanted but in close quarters, Aine had the upper hand. The legs had a bit more reach.

While Yurishia could only feel a fist slamming in her gut, she found that Aine unleashed a barrage of pain on her. Her overwhelming power proved useless to be used as an attack class. Aine was used to that role while she wasn't.

Her powers were more of support hence why this was harder on her. Without an offensive partner, this was one dragging long fight.

She had no time to worry about Charlotte. While this was a tag team battle, Mattheus and Aine had separated them with no way to get support from the other and they weren't intent of making that happen.

Charlotte had also learned that and while she had more breathing room compared to Yurishia, given the fact both she and Mattheus used guns, it wasn't possible to focus on Aine.

Charlotte fired her assault rifle at Mattheus but despite aiming through the sights, Mattheus could avoid the gunfire. In a gunfight, he had the upper hand. Chasseur had a better range than one of her guns and despite his lower fire rate, the Hunter had no problem with fighting like this.

He was also faster than her unit and Joel was busy looking it over while he was working on the computer. He wasn't worried about Aine as Yurishia got a beating. They would laugh over it later but Mattheus needed some help. He wasn't getting anywhere so he tapped in his best help.

[Brother, you copy]

Or his best help tapped in.

[I hear ya. What do you suggest, Joel? I can't reach her but the same can be said about her.]

Joel looked it over and while they traded shots, neither of them landed it. The punk sighed. Mattheus had no problem staying out of the range of Charlotte's guns. Cecilia would be another thing but the French girl was fueled by rage.

Her attacks didn't work like they were supposed to. She was firing at the position of Mattheus while he had no problem firing back at her. She could avoid the attack from him but it didn't give Mattheus a good idea to fight.

If they kept this up, they'd be stuck there till the next day.

[Mat. Listen. I got an idea. It is a bit risky but you need to goad her. You need to be sure you can hit her. When she aims at you, let her fire, you go first as soon she aims at you. I have calculated the time you'd need without you getting hit.]

Mattheus couldn't help but gulp on what his boy asked of him.

[You sure this is gonna work. If it doesn't, it's going to be really bad for me]

[Just follow my instructions. Have I ever fucked that up?] Joel said back to him and Mattheus had to give that to him. Joel could keep him out of trouble easily and the calculations were good.

[Fair. Let's do this!] The Hunter said to the boy and he just focused on Joel. The boy had the fight on his laptop while calculations were made. He was sure this would work.

[Hold on. Begin with goading her.] Mattheus nodded and he flew closer to Charlotte. His rifle still raised while Charlotte was firing her guns. He avoided her shots but the Hunter would draw closer so moving was a bit tighter.

Between shooting, Mattheus moved closer to her. He grinned at her and Charlotte couldn't help but glare at the male. He wasn't sure about this when Charlotte again aimed at him. Holding back a bit, Mattheus flew over her. His speed was enough to keep her distracted.

When he was sure that there was just one second of silence, Joel spoke up [Aim!]. Promptly, Mattheus aimed his rifle. Charlotte had put the oversized SMG and assault rifle down. When she saw Mattheus, she smirked back at him.

He wasn't focusing on her or in this arena. When he heard Joel speak, [She is aiming. Hold off for one second.] When Charlotte pulled the triggers, Joel shouted [Fire!] and [Fall!].

Joel hated being called a genius but what he did was just a streak of geniality. Chifuyu and Reiri knew that Mattheus had Joel to fall back on. Both were ready to give the boy some compliments.

Kei typed in her machine [That punk really is something]. She was sour on what that boy had all said during the love room. He made them look like idiots.

Maya was a bit more positive. "Adjzof-kun really trusts that boy. The bet could have gone worse. Yet, they worked it out."

Charlotte felt the bullet hitting her and the shield points were drained in one blow. She could feel the pain and crash on the ground. When the buzzer went off, Yurishia decided she had been hurt enough for one day. Besides, her energy was in the orange zone. It was enough.

"I yield. Aine, it is enough." The silverette stopped her barrage and saw Charlotte. She was kneeling on the ground.

Despite all her aloofness, she knew that she had nothing to say. What did happen was the sound of explosions?

[Aine Chidorigafuchi and Mattheus Adjzof have won the match. They will go the quarter-finals!] Photos of both of them were shown underneath their names in kanji. Mattheus landed at Charlotte, dissolving his rifle.

Kneeling at her, Charlotte looked up at him. "You're willing to listen to me now, Dunois?" Mattheus wasn't in the mood for games. The silence in the arena was deafening. His face was a bit of friendly and relaxed.

"What do you have to say?" Despite being defeated and Mattheus looking at her, the Hunter was calm.

"Stop hating me. I did not kill my sister. And if you think you're the only one who got hurt when she was killed, think again. So stop this. It won't do you any good." Glaring at her, no one spoke up.

Charlotte was furious but she let him speak.

"I heard you were responsible for the death. Is that a lie?" Mattheus sighed and his face was older than what he really was. His mouth felt dry when he spoke again. Putting one hand over his knee, he shook his head.

"That isn't a lie. Freya died because she shielded me from the blast of the bomb. But I didn't tell her to do that. In fact, I should have taken that one. I didn't plant that bomb there." With a breath, Mattheus hoped that the truth would calm her down.

"Charlotte Dunois. I did not kill my sister. And if you think that I am piloting the Infinite Stratos with her core doesn't make me remind me of that fact, you're sorely mistaken." And with that, Mattheus had said all he wanted to say.

The rest of the mess was for Chifuyu and Reiri. Yurishia looked at her teammate while he and Aine landed at the spot where they began their match. Charlotte looked down on the ground. She wasn't sure about it all. When she felt a presence, she looked at the American ace. Yurishia had a soft smile on her face.

"Sorry that we lost." The busty blonde shook her head. "We didn't have a chance. But I can tell you this. I trust Adjzof. I don't know him like you do or what you learned of him. But our captain Kizuna trusts him. So let's go back and heal up."

When they landed, the two shut down their gears. "Aine, again. One big thank you." The woman shook her head but with a smile.

"I had an idea it would go like this. Mattheus, I am not sure about it but like Yurishia said, Kizuna trusts you. So I do." She extended one hand to the Hunter. Before long, Mattheus had wrapped his hand around it. One big handshake followed and next to the two stood Joel.

"Thanks for helping us, Aine." The earnest words did a lot for her and she knelt to Joel. When he was sure, she raised her hand and she began to ruffle his hair. The boy's face lit up while Mattheus grinned at her.

When Mattheus knelt next to him, Joel crawled in his back and the two stood up.

"So what you want from us, principal Hida, Orimura-sensei?" Aine turned around to see Chifuyu and Reiri standing.

Both of the young women had their arms crossed underneath their sizable assets. "We can congratulate you, Adjzof. You really made one bet, Pearce. Either way, you do know that people are wondering about it all with Dunois." Matheus shrugged on that and walked to them.

"You two have enough on your plate as it is. I don't think that I and Charlotte's drama was something you needed." The Hunter was a head taller and Chifuyu and Reiri could see he was not lying.

"I did with Charlotte what I was supposed to do. She wouldn't have listened to me. So this worked. And Freya asked me that in case something happens to her, I take care of her. She hasn't a good place. And I'll be goddamned if I don't change that. I cost her enough." Chifuyu and Reiri sighed while they could feel headaches aplenty.

"A guy who takes care of his mess. Something we can get used to." They could smile at him while Aine joined the four. Mattheus shook his head and Aine couldn't help but feel proud of him. For some reason.

"I did that because I could do that. Even I can use help. Either way next up is going to be a bigger problem. Your brothers are just fifteen. They'll need it." Chifuyu couldn't help but find it funny. He was just four years younger than them.

The Brunhilde and the Principal shared a look. "We can let you off the hook. I don't think it was your intention to start this mess. You have cleaned it up." And with that, Mattheus saluted them and left with Joel in tow.

"Principal. Teacher." And Aine followed suit while she and Mattheus engaged in some light conversation.

It felt good to have that sort of thing after all the shit came crashing down. And with that, their first fight was over. The next one would be between Kizuna and Ichika versus Laura and Hayuru. That would be a way uglier fight.

The Hunter joined the two males in the room while Aine said goodbye to sit in the girl's room.

"What a match." Mattheus and Joel looked at Kizuna and Ichika. The former said that about the fight. The older guy shrugged. "Well, what was I supposed to do? Either way, lads. I think it is time for your match." The thumb pointed outside while the two sighed. This wasn't going to be fun.

Mattheus raised his fists and the two looked at the Hunter. "Don't leave me hanging." With a fistbump, they left.

Joel smirked at them. "Give them hell." Ichika and Kizuna walked away while their faces were heavy. This was going to be very ugly. Joel took out his laptop as he began to work on his stuff.

"You think something is wrong?"

Mattheus sat next to the boy while he began to undress. The bomber jacket went off and the sweat had been dripping down on his back. A shower would be wonders. Joel didn't a word but his face was solemn as the Eros and Knight.

"My gut is screaming a lot of things. I think they'll need help. But for now, Mattheus. Shower. You stink like a rotting corpse." Flipping the bird to Joel, Mattheus took a towel. He removed his soft T-shirt and jeans. When his underwear went off, he stretched out and he began to look around.

Soap was aplenty and when he looked down, he was suffering from a certain problem. That kiss of Aine plus the feeling of her tits on his body when she did, left him with a raging boner and that wasn't going away.

Mattheus had long gotten used to it and due to being a few years older, he could deal with his urges. But right now, he needed release. And no one would walk in and he had no pressing matters. So with that, Mattheus entered the shower and took a bottle of liquid soap. He checked that it didn't have perfume and it was neutral, he had one thing to do.

When the water him, a bit hotter, he waited a bit until he was soaked.

The liquid fell in his hands and when thoroughly soaked by it, he wrapped them around it. While it was a bit messed up, he had his hormones and the fact that Aine was dressed into one skimpy outfit plus the kiss and the feeling of her tits, Mattheus began to jack off on the thoughts. It had been weeks since he had seen a form of relief.

The sexual tension in Amaterasu was catching up with him. His morals and his ideas stopped him into doing more heinous stuff and he was wise enough for it.

But it didn't stop the fact that he was surrounded by girls who were just four years younger than him, were really cute and developed. Images in their tight suits, the show of affections, the whole thing. Aine was his tipping point now and the strokes went over him.

He knew his own body well enough and with slow handling, Mattheus eased his fire. Groans escaped his mouth while he laid his head back. Using his hands, he moved back and forth.

The images were all taken from the daily life that he had and with that, Mattheus just had to go through memories instead of fantasies. Fixating on the breasts of the girls, he slowly got harder in his hand while he increased speed and pressure.

Due to all and the fact he hadn't done much relief, it didn't take long before the seed came out his body and landed on the floor. An intense feeling of relief washed over him.

Shaking his head, he really had to look for a girlfriend. Washing away the sperm he had left behind, he cleaned himself and he soaped himself in.

His head was in the clouds. One could say what they want but masturbation was a great stress relief. Just as sex but in this case, he wasn't going to ask around. When he was done, he dressed in a sweater and a clean set of pants.

"You took your time." Joel didn't look up while the screen was on. There was some break in between but the timer was just two minutes.

Mattheus couldn't have come out that shower any moment sooner. He wasn't going to comment on it but he looked at the whole scene.

The timer had begun to count down lower and the new participants were allowed to land at the fight. He could see how the two looked at the whole thing.

"I offered them some help but Kizuna said he had a plan." Mattheus didn't look up when Joel spoke. Both were fixated on the screens. They never watched tv in the same fashion. They would be focused on a tablet or smartphone while the tv played.

With ten minutes of commercials, you could do a lot.

But now, they looked at the scene in front of them. Kizuna stood next to Kizuna with Eros taking over the outfit of Zero and Ichika had his sword out.

Hayuru stood behind Laura.

"You didn't run away," Laura said with disdain and Ichika grinned at her. "Well, I don't really care about it. You want a battle, I'll give you a war." When the timer hit zero, Ichika raced to her but not on his own. Kizuna went right next to him. Ichika slammed into Laura while he smirked at her.

"So naïve. You think this will make you win?" Laura wasn't sure but he smiled at her. "Well, yes," Ichika said and he didn't say much. Taking a note on the book that Aine had started, Laura's body was kicked asides.

She turned to see Kizuna standing in her place. The Eros pilot didn't say much but he glared at the German. Turning his head, he looked at the eyes of Hayuru.

His face didn't betray any emotion while she was very intent to make his energy drain but yet, he wasn't afraid or batting an eye.

There was a very good reason for that.

Her blade met Yukihira. Ichika had stopped her. "Oh, no you don't!" Struggling against his sword, Hayuru felt how Ichika moved his sword around in a circle. Technique often beat raw strength and that was clear here how Ichika used his sword.

Chifuyu smirked. The extra lessons of sword fighting paid off as Ichika faced against Hayuru. She found that despite it all, that if you level the playing field, the Infinite Stratos and Heart Hybrid Gear were just fancy machines. Two people with a sword, a sword match.

Two persons with guns, just a sword fight. And even with her moving particles, Ichika's Yukihira was meant to covert energy. So that ability was shut down. And even with the 'inferior' machine, Ichika's Byakushiki was as strong as Kurezakura.

Hayuru never had to fight for real with her swords compared to Ichika or Houki. She often would charge, stab or cut. In contrast, Ichika could use his swords like a real weapon.

Chifuyu smiled proudly as her brother was using techniques. He had been watching her old matches. And that was helping him out big time as Hayuru could feel how Ichika used his sword. The only thing she could do was block his attacks. Kizuna turned around to see how Laura had been focused on Ichika.

Her IS was a middle type so she could fire her railgun at them. Not that Laura did that as she used a different weapon. Six daggers were launched at Ichika and they would have hit their target.

Would if Kizuna hadn't intercepted. Taking two of the ropes, Laura was taken aback for two seconds. The Eros Pilot had a neutral face and in this case, an HHG was superior to an IS as Kizuna pulled Laura off her feet. The monstrous strength of Zeros was infected in his system as Laura flew around the entire arena and not on her own volition.

Kizuna kept track of where Ichika was fighting Hayuru. A cruel idea sprang in his mind. He was the one who had begun to lose his morals.

"Ichika, up!" Without a single hesitation, Ichika flew up and Laura slammed into Hayuru. The cracks in the walls made it clear that it would have hurt and most likely killed them if they weren't wearing armor.

Ichika flew over to Kizuna. The left machinal hand was formed into a fist and Kizuna bumped with his own hand.

"Scatter?"

"Scatter!" The two flew up and build enough distance. The smoke hadn't even settled until energy charged. It wasn't even aimed at them but they didn't have to guess.

"Are you an idiot? What do you think you're doing?" The voice of Hayuru came out while she cussed out on Laura. Hayuru laid behind Laura who was firing blindly at Ichika and Kizuna.

"I am trying to fight. Shut up!" Ichika shared a look with Kizuna. They had to invest in long-range weapons but so far, they would just wait until either Laura or Hayuru moved. When she saw the two, Ichika was sure the eyes of Laura were fire red.

That was abundantly clear when she was in front of his face. She had launched herself up to him and she was struggling with the fact he had blocked her.

Yukihira was a sword in the basic so it could be used to block. Ichika would have a talk with Mattheus on the thing that in Europe, knights had shields.

Or the fact that most of the fighting was done with other weapons like spears. And like with Hayuru, Ichika had the upper hand in the style of techniques. Laura grew frustrated that he could be defensive.

"Damn you. How dare you use her?" Ichika made a grimace. Pushing her off him, Ichika made a swipe. Her blades met Yukihira again and she glared back.

"She is my sis. She is my teacher. But I ain't her. I follow her example. Not her shadow." He said as he pressed on her attack. Kizuna didn't bother staying behind but he cracked his own knuckles. Hayuru was still on the floor and she felt a force as Kizuna took care of her.

Her Absolute Defense took a beating when the attacks flew at her. Kizuna wasn't going to give her team to breathe. Both boys were heavy hitters in the long end if Kizuna could be powered up and Ichika could also hold off.

The double-edged sword that was Reiraku Byakuya wasn't his option. He could lose out of energy. On the off chance, he could use something else. Laura wasn't used to close-range fighting.

In the end run, Charlotte was watching with Yurishia on the battle.

"You think they can win?" Charlotte asked while the blonde American sighed. She wasn't sure of it. "I am not sure of it. Kizuna might be strong but against someone like Hayuru, that wouldn't be something I put money on."

"I think they can win." Aine joined the two and she smiled at the sight. "Kizuna and Ichika are strong. Both know how to do this." The two shut up when they watched the fight.

On the other end, Mattheus wasn't sure of it. "You think they can win?" Silence reigned over it while they fought.

"I mean, they can of course. But I am not sure. Bodewig is pretty strong and experienced. Not to mention Himekawa's track record. Even so, I don't know how it will go on. They lack guns and so far, they can better work together. What the two others can't. So I am out."

Again, the silence followed on it. Turning to Joel, the punk worked on his laptop. He was too focused. Or it appeared like that.

"Joel? Your gut is coming out?" The boy reacted and nodded. "I am sure of it, brother. There is something going on with Laura. I can't put my finger on it but it won't be good." Mattheus continued to look at the scene. Ichika and Kizuna were pushing back.

He looked up the ceiling. Mechalony came over him.

"My young sister, rest in peace. There is nothing you will need. Cause your spirit will return. To the land where we were free." The Hunter sang softly while he was sure that the songs of war were sung now.

"You got that wrong. It is your young brother." Joel said and Mattheus shrugged. He should get the boys to listen to that band. Sabaton wasn't the first group that got the name of a Native in a song and make it work.

In the fight, Hayuru began to feel that even with her attacks, she had to give out. With a brutal round kick of Kizuna, she blocked that with a sword. His other leg was used to give a kick up. He had taken up some videos and an idea he could use. Hayuru wasn't getting a chance to fight back while Kizuna used his own powers against her.

Her sword was stopped by him. "Oh no, you don't." A kick to the stomach was delivered. Catching breath, she leaned down while Kizuna grabbed her head.

A fist was slammed in her face. She wasn't sure how much she was in. Looking up to meet his face, Kizuna's face was a sort of furious. Hayuru wasn't sure how strong this guy really was but she realized that even Kizuna had his limits. She had pushed too far. This wasn't a show of violence. It was making things clear.

Still, Hayuru wasn't going to give this up. Standing back, she flew up. Launching her blades, Kizuna just looked at them and moved out of the way. He could avoid them or just fight back. His own unit was brimming with energy. Despite it all, it still wasn't lost on him.

But it was getting harder to fight Hayuru like this.

Turnabout is fair play as Ichika was slammed into him. Kizuna could stop them from crashing through. They looked at Laura who was furious and fuming. Ichika was catching breath while the two looked back at Hayuru.

"Can you take Hayuru out for me? Sword against fist isn't great." Kizuna asked as he helped Ichika off him.

The Knight looked back at her. "Sure, keep Laura occupied for me. I need to be one to get clear." Kizuna smirked at him. "How about we do this?"

"Yep." Ichika activated Reiraku Byakuya. Energy flew out but it concentrated at his sword. Ichika was sure that Joel got an aneurysm. The amount of energy loss because it was all over his machine. They kept up because it was still eating shield points. But not to the same extent as before.

Hayuru could feel the blow behind Ichika's attack.

He nearly forced her out of the arena. Chifuyu could only raise an eyebrow. She had won matches against Heart Hybrid Gears. That was due to the fact of Reiraku Byakuya. It could be a damage multiplier.

Kizuna turned to Laura who had been glaring on the other end. Before she had a chance to fight, Kizuna landed in her view. "Your fight is with me now. Joel, think you can help me out?"

[Sure thing. From my view, you got energy plenty.]

Like Byakushiki, Kizuna's unit lit up like a light and instead of yellow, pink energy floated around.

Kizuna broke through a speed limit. Too fast and hard for Laura to even spot him and it hit her dead center on.

The pilot could hear Joel speak with disdain. [The one who said that Eros is weak gotta have a chat with me. Kizuna, you gonna look a whole lot like Ichika now but I am not in the mood of thinking up a decent solution afterward. Knock her the fuck out and get this shit done!]

Appointing Joel as the head tech was a good thing. Laura's AIC was shut down due to the pain overriding her system. Those sorts of things should appalment your defense, not replace it. Kizuna proved that by the extent of energy.

Sure, he could lose like Kizuna but so far, the offensive abilities worked like a charm. Even when Laura had a claw on his body, Kizuna just ripped it off his body while delivering her a powerful uppercut. Laura's system was overridden with pain.

Hayuru was in the same predicament as Laura. She was too occupied of trying to register her pain. Ichika had been using his energy to the point that it was incredible how much he could fight. She had witnessed the fight with Mattheus and she had seen the brutality that Mattheus and Ichika had while fighting.

And that was shown here in how much Ichika could fight. He ignored his own pain that he has gotten from her. With a show of swordplay, Ichika used his blade by moving back a bit, his hands were going in a circle and with a swipe, the energy flow in her body.

A buzzer went off and Ichika stopped the attack. Hayuru was defeated. Glaring at her, Ichika moved the sword to his shoulder. He took one deep breath and flew off. He had Kizuna to help out. If things went well, she would stop being too stubborn.

Hayuru's energy had been drained to the point that she couldn't keep the gear up. The fastest way to get things solved was by allowing Kizuna to work out his magic. Her blush washed over while Neros dissolved. The fight with Laura wasn't over so she had to wait.

She could only look up to see how Kizuna moved a bit aside and the sword of Ichika from his left crashed into Laura while Kizuna's own left fist collided with her body as well. Laura was slammed into the wall. Slumping down, Ichika and Kizuna looked at each other. A proud smile was worn as a battle mark.

"Looks I wasn't that much needed. Thanks for that!" Ichika said while his left fist was raised again. Kizuna bumped it again.

"Well, I thought you needed it. Besides," he turned around to see how Hayuru was trying to fight against the pain in her own body.

"I think I have my work cut out for me!" Before the two could continue their banter, a voice picked in.

[Hate to interrupt in but I don't think Bodewig is finished with you two!] They looked up to see how Laura was having an existential crisis.

"Eh, Joel. What is going on?" The punk was busy on his laptop.

[One minute. Teach, how about we close the curtains? Things aren't looking pretty right now!] Maya and Kei looked at each other and nodded. Since last time, they went along with the rules. They were a whole lot stricter.

In Laura's head, she thought back at her time in Germany. How she met Chifuyu and Reiri. How they turned her fate around and how they gave her food for thought.

But she couldn't forgive the two. There was no fiber in her body that even thought of redemption for the two males. The ones who made them weak. The ones who should be removed from existence.

'Power. Give me more power.' Went in her head.

A voice, mechanical and male, spoke. Malicious in its intents yet alluring for what it offered.

'So you wish more power?'

'Yes, make me the strongest. The absolute strongest!' Her right eye lit up and yellow energy came out of it.

It conveyed to blue while her screams went over the entire place. The screams would haunt Ichika and Kizuna and everyone else to the rest of their days. Good thing the shutters went down.

It was like electricity and even so, there was some black gruel coming over Laura and transforming her unit. The screens were still on.

The teachers began to fear for the safety of those in the arena.

"Pearce, you are seeing this?" Reiri asked she knew Joel would heart them.

[Yeah, although no clue what it is. From what I am seeing her. A certain thing runs around. Valkyrie. That can't be good. Either way, I am picking up some things. You take care of the evac, I'm getting something. Hold on]

The two boys in the arena looked at what was going on.

"What the fuck?" Ichika hadn't even noticed the fact he said those words. They didn't have good influences. They didn't even notice the curtains were already up or the announcements going on. A high-level alert and the fact that all this fighting was for naught.

[Neechan, what is going on?] Kizuna shouted in his mic.

[No clue, Kizuna. But I am afraid that we have a big problem.] Reiri was sure that her brother had picked up words.

[Running for understatement of the century, big sis. Any help we can get?] The two boys saw how the German was transformed into something familiar. Her screams didn't stop until they saw what came out.

"Ichika, ain't that?" The Eros Pilot didn't have to finish the sentence that what was Laura stood was now some sort of morbid image of Chifuyu Orimura.

"Yep. That's insulting." Looking down, Ichika was drained of most of his energy. Going on one knee, he had no clue how he could continue fighting. He had enough common sense to let his stupid pride not get in the way. It looked like not every influence of Mattheus was bad.

[Eh, guys. I don't know what the fuck that shit for thing is or what the hell is going on? But I have something. Can't shut down Bodewig without the risk of killing her.]

He took a breath. [You two are full of surprises. Between the two of you, there's a connection running. Kizuna, you still got energy running, right?"

The male nodded and looked at Ichika and back to Laura. "Yeah, so what?"

[Listen. For whatever reason, and good thing I secured this line, you two got a connection. Eros is responding to Byakushiki. The whole thing is that you got a bond of warriors. You trust each other. So you two can share energy. Which is a good thing because Ichika, you're running out.] The two boys shared a look at each other.

"Are you suggesting that we have to?" An uncomfortable blush set in. The two were fond of each other but not in that way.

[Don't worry. Nothing like that. And I am not going to ask. What you have to do Kizuna is simple. Take on Ichika's arm and focus your energy. That should give you guys a connection. And don't worry. I told your sisters and shut down the screen. The world doesn't have to know this.] Ichika and Kizuna sighed while their bodies were slumped.

This was going to be fun. In some fucked up way.

Kizuna offered Ichika a hand and taking it up the upper arm. Kizuna knelt next to Ichika.

[Joel, how does this really work?] Ichika asked in his earpiece.

[Kizuna, Eros works on the trust of the HHG pilots, right? In this thing, it's a bit the same. You don't need to get each other off. You have to focus on your bond. On your friendship. Few things are as powerful as a bond between two males. Sounds cliché but it is. Despite it all, you two are palls. So focus on the good things. On the things you share. On what you like doing as males. Focus, my brothers.]

Ichika could think of the times they hung out, the times they talked about shit. How many times they related their lives, helping out their sisters, training together. How they met each other and despite a gap of eight years, they rekindled their bond like it was yesterday they had left. How they lamented to be in Amaterasu. How happy they were they weren't alone in this.

In that, a grin came over them and roguish in nature, friendly by trade, Ichika could feel how Byakushiki was loaded up.

"Thanks, Kizuna. I owe you big time!" Releasing the energy over the unit, Ichika stood proud before the unit.

"Let's make this count! On my behalf." Kizuna stood back while Ichika released so much energy that the arena shook. Gripping the sword, Ichika flew at Laura and despite the clashing, Ichika had a lot more power behind his strikes than Laura.

The Eros pilot just moved back to Hayuru. She had been sitting in horror while the Infinite Stratos pilots were clashing. She looked up to Kizuna. Taking a breath, he took a friendlier approach. Kneeling down, he touched her face.

"I am willing to forgive you. Let's begin again." Hayuru wanted to turn back on the action. But she knew. Deep down, she couldn't change that. He was right. She had done reprehensible things and yet, Kizuna was willing to start again.

Her own hand covered his and she nodded. A soft smile washed over.

"I… need some time." The boy smiled and then took her up. "I am going to carry you out when this is over. No complaints." Hayuru wanted to protest but she watched the fact as Ichika managed to get a cut in Laura. The black stuff fell away and Ichika caught her.

With the two carrying one girl in bridal style, Laura had just seen Ichika's face. The two nodded and flew to a gate. And that was the end of the tournament.

"What a shitshow." A young voice spoke up and in the room, normally, they would have looked abashed or embarrassed that a twelve-year-old was around men, four of five-time his own age but none of them could disagree.

"Very well put, young man." A grizzled veteran of the last few wars sat back while smoking. Unhealthy but none of them ever thought that lung cancer would ever be the thing that killed them. If you live with risks, you need a vice. And every day could be your last.

"I suppose we don't have any way to find out where the fuck that Valkyrie system came from." Kerlongsj sat back with his hands over his face. It was the middle of the night and yet, Anaton with a lot of other kids were up to see the match.

"Well, nope." The Devil turned to Sander who had a wry smile. "Found traces of it back from my dead unit. Nayuta had been working on similar things. But to think that it would result. Fucking hell."

The search for the fucked up genius went nowhere. Nayuta was gone from the face of the earth and no one could find her back.

The Hackers had friends, allies, and sympathizers in every place over the globe. Some of them, pretty nefarious but none of them could find back Nayuta.

The Hackers weren't going to interfere but so far, things had gotten pretty bad now. Kerlongsj just was happy that they didn't him now.

"Any luck in more things?" The men were grim.

"I am afraid we'll have to take some measures. And if we do them now, sir, it might be better than rushing it."

The Devil sat back while his fingers were going over.

"Mobilization of the combat troops. Begin arming, preparing and making sure that things work. I do not mean to start a war. Prepare but don't start anything."

The men left the place until Kerlongsj was alone with his brother and closest friends.

"What a lot of shit."

"Agreed. And brother, this isn't good." He wasn't going to call Chifuyu and Reiri now. They had their own worries and he would make sure to ask around for their help later.

In Japan, things were finally calming down. Hayuru was a bit ashamed of her behavior. So it was a surprise that at the dinner, she sat next to Kizuna.

The Eros pilot had his arms crossed while he ate a cup of ramen. Not the throwaway type but a good one. One that was a decent meal.

"I'm sorry." He looked up to Hayuru. Mattheus, Ichika and Joel were sitting in a different place.

The Hunter had the right idea of getting Kizuna to talk to Hayuru now she had cooled off. Same thing he had done to Charlotte. The French girl got her nose pushed on all bits collected by Joel.

There would be no undoing of the actions but at least, both he and the girl got some peace of mind.

With Laura, on Ichika's behalf, Chifuyu went to get a talk to her when she woke up. But now with Hayuru.

"I am sorry for my behavior. It has been horrible." Kizuna sighed while he looked at her. Putting the utensils down, he looked at the headstrong pilot.

They had to start, sooner than later but for now, she had time for the entire night to think about it.

"I can get where you're coming from. The whole idea is indeed completely perverted." Kizuna admitted and the guy continued.

"But I haven't asked for it. Believe me, I didn't. I was thrown into this. My gear can repair your points. Our opinions be damned. We're in this together, Himekawa. We'll see how things go from here."

Ichika sat next to the three IS girls, Houki, Rin and Cecilia. They had joined the two boys. Joel moved to Mattheus lap but the Flemish man was done eating. With a yawn, he felt that it was late enough.

"Hitting the sack. Night to you all." The girls nodded and said him goodnight while they saw Ichika being exhausted but he still wanted to talk for a bit.

He walked over to Hayuru and Kizuna. Noticing his presence, Mattheus was sure that he had one big part of wisdom to give.

"Tabula Rasa." And with those two words, he left.

"What a mess this was," Rin said the thing on their minds. Houki looked at Ichika in worry. He had been quiet ever since the whole thing.

"You're okay?" The Knight shook his head. "Besides the fact that I nearly got killed. Just wondering where all this came from, Houki." Slumping down, Houki petted on his back.

"We were pretty scared for you back there. But hey, you got out of that match. And we are all alive. For now, we can prepare for the trip." Cecilia said until she realized something."

"Oh, darn. I need to go shopping. I don't have a swimsuit. My sizes have grown." Rin looked down and grumbled. Her own chest was a very touchy subject. Especially she was the flattest of the group.

"Me neither," Houki was next to look down. "I am in need of one as well." Ichika would have been an idiot if he didn't pick up the social cues. But he wanted some little fun.

"I suppose that you girls don't want me along on that trip. I would just ruin your fun." The glare was a bit fun to see.

"On the contrary, dear Ichika"

"We need you to come with us."

"So that we know what you like." That would have been scary but the guy held on that. "So I take you three want me to come along? Anyone else?" The three shared a look. They wanted to come with Ichika along but they didn't know who else.

"We should ask tomorrow in Amaterasu. But that is for tomorrow. I vote we go to bed."

"Agreed." The three girls escorted Ichika to his room and after a hug to make sure that he was okay, he joined the room.

Mattheus was on his tablet reading while Joel slept next to him. With a nod and a shushed finger, Ichika got signaled to be quiet. The boy nodded and he went to bed. It would be something tomorrow but that was for tomorrow.

While the academy went to sleep, someone woke up.

"Finally awake?" Laura Bodewig turned to the voices of Reiri Hida and Chifuyu Orimura. They were calm. Both of the women had taken a seat left and right from her bed.

If you didn't know them. Because underneath there was a fit of seething anger. More than one would have guessed they could carry.

"Instructors." There was a slight, not even noticeable fear in Laura's system. She wasn't sure why they were angry.

"Bodewig. I hope you cooled your head." Chifuyu spoke and the glare was real. "Because Ichika and Kizuna have saved you from your death." That was cold. Her body shivered on the verge that she might be close to death.

"Our brothers saved your life. For the record, this is sensitive information as well classified." Reiri backed her sister up.

"The VT system? Does that ring a bell?" Chifuyu asked while she hoped that Laura would listen to her.

"The Valkyrie Trace System? With the IS pact in Alaska, the use, manufacture, research and all other works relating to that system are forbidden. Even the Hackers respect that part of the treaty." With a breath, the Brunhilde nodded to Reiri.

"Your IS somehow got that system in her. Mental state, accumulated damage and most importantly, the pilot's will. Or better put, the wish of the pilot." Reiri knew enough of the Infinite Stratos to talk about it.

"It was set to activate when all those factors came together. During the fight with Ichika and Kizuna." Chifuyu again talked and she calmed down when she looked at Laura.

"It's because I wished it then." Her fists came into the blankets.

"Laura Bodewig. Who are you?" Chifuyu asked and the girl turned to her.

"I am." She wondered about it.

"If you're no one, perfect. You're Laura Bodewig. You can't be me. And let me tell you something. You once wondered why we are strong, right." Chifuyu paused and Laura looked at her.

"It is because of our brothers. They're the singular reason we keep going. They are the ones that drive us. They're all we got left. We are not strong because we hate what is in front of us." Reiri stood up and walked away. Chifuyu turned around and with a kind smile, she looked at Laura.

"We are strong because we love what is behind us."

A clichéd way of ending and more because I am too lazy to add more to it now. The aftermath will be for the next chapter. After I got enough time to cook on how that goes.

The shopping and beach are all relaxation chapters where we can focus on a very important thing. Character development and tons of it.

I think I can safely say we have at least three of them before we get to the Silver Gospel.

Again, I am looking for a beta reader or co-author on this fic and others.

So if anyone finds himself up for the challenge, let me know in the reviews.

Thanks for the patience and I hope you liked it.

Just a heads up for the next updates.

Brave New World will have one after this and when that is over, I'm going back to Two Reasons come home. It's that those fics hit off well with people hounding me for the next chapter so make that of it what you will. It gives me a drive as I'm also budging someone else with a fic and hoping for new chapters.

Result. Three chapters in the first three months of this year. That is more than the year before. It is telling something.

Saluut.