BAB3 -Chapter 28

# Chapter 28: Rematch

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Flowers immediately bloomed in Tyra’s hair as a small cloud formed just above her head, raining down shining bubbles.

She activated *One With Nature* and *Invigorating Shower* at the same time.

“Wow, how pretty!” Reina laughed, her eyes sparkling. “I’m sure you won’t fail this time.”

Same as the first time they fought, she didn’t bother with any armor, just trash talk.

“You think if I beat you bad enough today, pretty gray eyes back there will finally let me replace you?” she added, tilting her head cartoonishly.

Her Sphere Skill was *Mischief Maker*, and from what Xay had seen, psychological warfare was half her battle strategy.

***Mischief Maker (Prowler Sphere) (S-Rank)** - Master prankster who uses misdirection, special effects, and tricks to spread mischief.*

However, she was questioning the position of a newly bonded woman.

A bright smile bloomed across Tyra’s face. “You could never take my place. Even now, I can feel the depth of Xay’s love radiating toward me.”

She giggled, hugging herself as she swayed side to side. “It’s welling up in my core—assuring me I’m never alone, and that I can’t lose.”

Reina frowned. “Sounds a little culty to me, but hey, you do you, I guess.”

She punctuated her words by blowing a kiss, activating *Whoopsie*.

***Whoopsie (Prowler Sphere)** - Place a jinx on a target, making them disoriented and clumsy.*

A glowing imprint of purple lips shot from Reina, wafting lazily through the air toward Tyra.

Tyra lifted her hand and intercepted the mark before it could land on her face.

Reina’s grin returned. “Now, let’s have some fun.”

Before Reina had even finished speaking, Tyra triggered *Nature’s Blessing*, shattering the mark against her palm in a flash of teal light.

“Let’s,” Tyra replied, as elementally attuned vines burst through the platform and pooled at her feet—*Heart Vine* in full effect.

Reina’s eyes widened. “Okay, okay, you’ve learned a few new tricks,” she squeaked, ducking under a lightning vine that cracked the air inches from her head.

Tyra unleashed a barrage of lightning, wind, and rain vines, lashing at Reina with vicious abandon.

But Reina’s agility was sharper than any of them had expected.

By rapidly cycling through *Now You See It*, *Now You Don’t*, and *Smoke and Mirrors*, Reina dodged each attack.

***Now You Don’t** - Become invisible to the naked eye.*

***Now You See It** - Instantly switch the locations of items or oneself.*

***Smoke and Mirrors** - Create illusions, clones, or false images to confuse and mislead.*

It was taking everything she had just to barely stay ahead of the onslaught in clouds of purple smoke.

The ground cracked and shattered under the force of Tyra’s assault.

It was clear which way the battle was turning—Reina was so focused on not getting hit, she hadn’t laughed or cracked another joke.

She was growing winded, her movements became less crisp, while Tyra hadn’t even moved from where she stood.

At this point, Xay was sure Tyra was holding back *Perfect Storm* just to keep from killing Reina and washing away the entire crowd.

Just then, a lightning vine snagged Reina’s leg, locking up her body for a split second. Several more vines crashed into her an instant later, slamming her to the ground.

Tyra eased off for a moment, checking to see if it was already over. But Reina slowly stagger back to her feet.

“No,” she panted, her chest heaving and mouth bloody. “I’m not losing to someone so damn soft,” she growled, wiping her face with the back of her hand.

Then she snapped, slinging purple kisses in every direction and coating the entire platform.

**Technique Identified: Pandemonium.**

***Pandemonium (Caster Sphere)** - Create an area of effect where anything that can go wrong, will.*

Tyra sent her vines out again—but this time, they moved in complete disarray. They slammed into one another, got tangled, or randomly lost their elemental charge.

Letting go of her vines, Tyra twirled her staff and dropped into Monkey Style.

She bounced, flipped, fell, rolled, and spun her way toward Reina. *Pandemonium* couldn’t keep up.

There was no wrong way to move in Golden Monkey Style—it was all about joy through motion. And judging by the wide grin on her face, Tyra was having plenty of it.

The technique prevented her from moving in a straight line, but it could not prevent her from moving.

When she was about three-quarters of the way across the platform, Reina panicked and piled on the mayhem.

She activated *Pick a Card* and tossed an entire deck of playing cards in-between them.

***Pick a Card (Striker Sphere)** - Throw playing cards with randomized effects.*

Explosions erupted instantly—*Pandemonium* made nearly every card as deadly as possible.

Shifu Wu reacted at once, slamming a *Five Seal Formation* down around the platform to protect the crowd from the blasts.

***Five Seal Formation** - Manifest a protective barrier utilizing the five mystical elements.*

When the smoke cleared, Reina was left kneeling alone on the platform. She was charred, burned, and barely conscious. She hadn’t been safe from her own attacks.

Still, she grinned in bloody triumph. “I win.”

Despite himself, Xay laughed. Lexi and Kimi joined in, earning confused looks from the others.

Dazed, Reina turned toward the sound, blinking slowly in pure confusion.

That was when the vine near her twitched, and Tyra phased back into view, completely unharmed.

She stood tall, her staff leveled at Reina’s neck, and her expression serene. She had avoided all damage with *Wild Aspect*.

“Tyra Flynn is the victor,” Vice Headmistress Blake announced at last.

Reina didn’t hear it, though. She had already passed out.

The crowd erupted, screaming in excitement.

Once Shifu Wu dropped the barrier, Tyra launched herself into Xay’s arms, kissing him deeply.

“Did you see me?!” she beamed between kisses.

“I did,” he chuckled, holding her tight. “You were incredible.”

“You made her beat herself with her own techniques,” Lexi laughed, patting Tyra’s back. “That’s some tasty payback.”

“A victory to be proud of,” Kimi said, touching Tyra’s shoulder. “Your hard work has borne fruit.”

*I expected nothing less*, Willow added haughtily. *If anything, it took too long. My fish is surely rotting by now.*

Tyra laughed. *Sorry, Your Majesty. I’ll be quicker next time.*

*See that you are*, Willow huffed, landing onto Tyra’s shoulder with a proud little hoot.

<<pretty fight="" good="" smell="">> Dragon offered, nuzzling Tyra’s cheek with her snout.</pretty>

Apparently, she’d developed her own naming system—Tyra was Pretty Smell, Kimi was Pretty Danger, and Lexi was Pretty Loud.

Lexi was not a fan.

“You’re lucky you’re cute,” Lexi muttered when she found out.

Everyone else crowded around Tyra with grins, praise, and a few playful shoulder bumps, while Vi stood back, watching wordlessly.

Across the platform, Dante scoffed loudly. “Useless,” he muttered, watching Reina get hauled to a care station.

Xay turned his head slowly, glaring at him with pure disgust.

“Jasper Owen and Alexis Sable, make your way forward,” Vice Headmistress Blake’s voice cut through the excitement.

Lexi bounded ahead, her bow in hand. “Let’s make this two for two.”

Jasper stomped across the ruined side of the platform with heavy footsteps, already tugging on his massive black gauntlets.

“Take her out quick,” Dante called from behind him. “Don’t let them get any more ideas.”

Jasper’s Sphere Skill was *Stone Sentinel*, but with his gauntlets, he could hit just as hard as the beatings he could tank.

***Stone Sentinel (Defender Sphere) (S-Rank)** - Master guard with a natural affinity for stone.*

“Begin,” Vice Headmistress Blake directed.

Lexi’s smile dropped and she got serious.

An icy, dark haze enveloped her as she summoned her *Abyssal Veil*.

At the same time, she locked onto a point just above Jasper’s right chest and marked it with *Lingering Darkness*.

Across the platform, Jasper’s skin thickened, the outer layers turning to solid stone as he activated Stone Skin.

***Stone Skin** - Shift outer layer of skin to stone.*

Lexi took aim and fired five rapid bolts of frost-laced darkness.

Jasper slid a foot to the side, and a massive *Stonewall* erupted upward to block the attacks.

***Stonewall** - Form a protective wall from solid stone.*

But the bolts twisted in midair, scattering as if they had a mind of their own. They curved around the wall entirely and slammed into Jasper’s chest, one after another.

As the fifth bolt struck, the mark detonated in a burst of darkness that launched Jasper onto his back.

He skidded across the crumbling platform, his right arm hanging limp at his side.

But Lexi didn’t stop her assault. While Jasper was still regaining his footing, she charged and unleashed a *Dark Frost Lance Cannon*.

He just barely rolled out of the way. The blast carved a deep furrow into the platform, spraying dirt and stone in every direction.

Jasper used the chaos to his advantage, slamming his gauntlet into the ground and kicking up a full *Sandstorm*.

***Sandstorm** - Kick up an obscuring storm of sand that enhances stone-based techniques.*

Shifu Wu quickly erected another barrier as Lexi walked boldly forward.

Lexi inhaled deeply, spread her arms wide, and activated *Frost Geyser*.

A swirling blizzard of frost, snow, and cold burst forth, smothering the *Sandstorm* and freezing the whirling debris into brittle crystals.

Before the visibility had fully cleared, two massive chunks of stone came hurtling toward her. Jasper had launched his *Boulder Bash*.

***Boulder Bash** - Stomp up a boulder and kick it forward with crushing force.*

But Lexi was just as in tune with frost as she was with darkness.

She sensed the incoming projectiles through the blizzard and slipped into a *Dark Passage* without hesitation.

Jasper glanced around warily, then lowered into a full defensive stance as a dusky brown aura enveloped him.

**Technique Identified: Rocksteady.**

***Rocksteady** - Ground self in defensive stance, drawing on the strength of the stone.*

A cloud of darkness bloomed on the far side of the platform.

Watching it, Jasper lit up like a spotlight as he activated *Battle Beacon*.

***Battle Beacon** - Shine brightly, drawing the attention of all nearby enemies.*

But unlike their first fight—when the technique had forced Lexi out of her shadow—this time, nothing happened.

The darkness persisted beneath the intensity of the light.

Xay caught the sound of Instructor Grant chuckling beside Vice Headmistress Blake.

Three more clouds of shadow emerged at the edges of the platform.

An instant later, frost bolts erupted from all four clouds. Each shattered into razor-edged crystals on impact thanks to Lexi’s *Frost Shrapnel* talent

Jasper was pelted from all sides by an enemy he couldn’t even see.

Bolts of darkness and *Lance Cannons* came periodically between shots, further eating away at Jasper’s considerable defenses.

With every mounting impact, Jasper’s *Stone Skin* cracked more and more.

The power behind Lexi’s onslaught shook his *Rocksteady* stance, forcing him to falter and grimace in pain.

The first time they fought, Jasper had been a terrible matchup for Lexi, but now, the roles were completely reversed.

Lexi methodically dismantled Jasper from the safety of her darkness.

After just a few moments, Jasper dropped to his knees, unable to withstand anymore.

“Take that dickhead!” Winnie shouted, with Juniper grinning at her side.

They’d explained earlier that it was Jasper who attacked them while Dante had focused on Peanut and Bev.

In the next second, Lexi emerged above Jasper and drove her foot straight down in a White Crane Style kick.

She slammed into the center of his chest, cratering Jasper backwards into the ground.

Winnie, Juniper, and Bev cheered loudly.

“Get the fuck up!” Dante shouted, his aura flaring so hard it knocked the crowd near him several feet back.

But it was too late.

With a twist and a dexterous high leg raise, Lexi brought down a brutal axe kick onto Jasper’s face.

Then she did it again. And again. And again.

Over and over until something cracked and Jasper finally blacked out.

“Alexis Sable is the victor,” Vice Headmistress Blake declared, her voice ringing with finality.

“You’re my idol,” Juniper murmured, confusing several people nearby.

“Useless!” Dante raved and ranted. “You’re all fucking useless.”

As he shouted, his eyes landed on Vi and finally acknowledged her standing just behind Ezra on Xay’s side of the platform.

“Vi?” he asked with confusion in his tone. “What the fuck are you doing? Get over here, you’re supposed to be on my side.”

Vi just shrugged, holding back a sultry smile.

That seemed to make Dante even angrier. “Fine! I don’t need you! I don’t need any of you!”

He stomped forward, his aura billowing out in untamed waves.

Jasper had already been dragged off, and Lexi had returned—but Xay didn’t get a chance to properly congratulate her.

Because now, he had to discipline a petulant child.

“Make him pay,” Peanut said, shooting Xay the first grin he’d seen on him all day.

It seemed the unique way Tyra’s technique, *Nature’s Touch*, directly healed had done wonders.

Xay nodded and stepped forward, activating *Elemental Force Ward* around what remained of the platform to contain Dante’s aura.

A fifteen-foot high, silver-white barrier appeared as a rectangular band around them both. Xay left the top open.

Dante didn’t even acknowledge it, glaring daggers of absolute hate at Xay.

Xay shot him back the same amount of vitriol. This had been along time coming.

“I don’t care what my dad wants,” Dante seethed, tightening the white wraps around his hand. “I’m going to break you worse than I did your little nerd friend back there.”

His Sphere Skill was *Psycho Brawler*.

***Psycho Brawler (Striker Sphere) (S-Rank)** - Master pugilist capable of channeling psychic force.*

Xay’s mana cycled, his Jetnir Orbs split into four, and his internal energy spiraled as he breathed with the world around him.

“I’m going to make you apologize to each and every single one of them before I put you to sleep.”

Dante let out a harsh, raspy laugh. “Come and try.”

“Dante Diamond and Xavyer X,” Vice Headmistress Blake announced, her voice cutting through the tension. “Begin.”

Dante opened with *Psychic Hold*, trying to lock Xay in place as he barreled forward.

***Psychic Hold** - Immobilize a target using psychic force.*

Xay flexed his own control over psychic force and shrugged off the technique with ease. It didn’t even slow his stride as he charged ahead.

Seconds before they collided, Dante lashed out with *Mind Spike*, hurling an attack directly into Xay’s mind.

***Mind Spike** - Create a sharp stabbing sensation directly into the mind of an enemy with psychic force.*

But Xay had anticipated it. The attack bounced off a variation of *Force Ward* protecting Xay’s brain. He didn’t even flinch.

Xay crashed into Dante like a maglev train.

They met dead center on the platform, their fists colliding with a thunderous boom.

White and blue auras exploded outward from the impact, slamming into one another before rebounding violently—forcing both of them to slide back across the stone.

Dante frowned, clearly thrown off by the fact that he’d been matched so easily.

But Xay was just getting started.

Activating *Psi Element*, silver-white flames ignited across Xay’s hands and sneakers, blazing with a radiant intensity.

His four Jetnir Orbs sparked and crackled with arcs of silver-white lightning as they took up positions around his elbows and knees.

Dismayed by the display, Dante shouted in frustration and let loose a barrage of invisible *Psionic Bursts*.

***Psionic Burst** - Emit concentrated bursts of psychic force on a specific target area.*

Xay’s *Extrasensory Perception* tracked the attacks easily.

He caught them midair using *Supreme Psychokinesis* and hurled them right back at their sender as he charged in again.

Dante’s fists glowed and he activated *Impact Flurry* to fight off his own techniques.

***Impact Flurry** - Surround fists with psychic force and launch a series of rapid, mana-enhanced strikes.*

At the same time, Xay slid under Dante’s guard and activated *Martial Burst Engine*.

Temporarily collapsing his cognitive threads into one, the world slowed around Xay. In that heightened condition, he launched a flurry of upward-angled strikes.

His first flaming punch drove the air from Dante’s lungs in a single, explosive whoosh. The second punch lifted him off the ground.

A charged Jetnir Orb then slammed into his torso midair, stunning him before he could even draw a breath. Three more followed in rapid succession.

Then came two spinning kicks, one after another as Xay followed his flailing body upward. The kicks sent Dante flying faster, high above the barrier.

Xay teleported past him in an instant, unleashing the exact same sequence again—this time, twice as fast, twice as powerful, and angled downward.

Dante crashed into the ground, creating a five-foot-deep crater.

Panting and bloodied, Dante slowly climbed to his knees and let out a primal scream, unleashing a devastating *Pressure Shockwave*.

***Pressure Shockwave** - Release an explosive burst of psychic force in all directions.*

The force rippled outward in a jagged burst, warbling the air.

But Xay simply bent the walls of his *Elemental Force Ward* inward, reshaping the outer barrier.

With a final guiding push from *Supreme Psychokinesis*, he angled the shockwave and redirected it back at Dante.

His own pressure slammed into him from all sides, launching him skyward like a geyser.

Xay was up there waiting for him. The speed and power stacks from his new *Martial Burst Engine* built more slowly, but they also took longer to fade.

He tore into Dante mid-air, twisting on flaming wind as he flowed through Heavenly Phoenix Style.

Flying kicks and spinning backhands came faster and stronger, until the rhythm shifted and Xay movements surged into an electrified Southern Dragon Style.

Dante found no respite.

Nearly all his bones were fracturing at an alarming rate. One elbow had bent in the wrong way. He couldn’t feel his left leg anymore.

His skin was blistered and burning from the heat, and he hadn’t been able to draw breath in over two minutes.

At one point, he tried something. His body lit up with a technique.

**Technique Identified: Counter Parry.**

***Counter Parry** - Parry incoming physical attacks, or counter strikes with double damage.*

But it was too slow—Xay had already struck him five more times before he could even move, then batted away his counter on the sixth strike.

Just as Xay wound up a punch that would’ve knocked Dante clean out, he stopped.

Instead, he grabbed him by his fraying collar and teleported directly in front of Peanut, Bev, Juniper, and Winnie.

“Apologize!” Xay demanded, shaking him.

Dante groaned something incomprehensible, his head lolling to the side.

“Apologize,” Xay repeated, shaking him harder this time.

“Ah, bro,” Peanut said, lifting a hand. “Pretty sure his jaw’s broken. He can’t really talk.”

Xay leaned forward to check. “Oh. Well, shit.”

Lexi burst out laughing.

“Xavyer X is the victor,” Vice Headmistress Blake announced from behind them.

Dante really did pass out after that, and then the crowd went absolutely nuts.