chapter 3 -
Team 7 stared blankly at the match notice.
Elluras stomach growling broke the silence.
Kaede and asami both let out a little chuckle.
Team 7 proceeds to head to the snack bar before heading into their assigned dormitories.
Across from kaede, Ellura sat perched on a low wall, gobbling down a sandwich. Her white hair shimmered faintly in the light. Beside her, Asami was stretching quietly, golden ponytail swaying with every motion, blue eyes calm but alert.
Kaede spoke.
"We have a couple hours spare. I want to know everything."
Ellura raised a brow. "Everything?"
"If we're going to fight together," Kaede said firmly, "I need to understand how you two operate. How you think. What you're capable of."
Asami nodded. "Agreed. If we're fighting together we can't step In unprepared."
Kaede stepped forward, her tone even. "I'll start."
She held up her right hand, flexing her fingers slowly. "I can absorb and manipulate kinetic energy. Every step I take, every hit I block or take — it builds up inside me."
She rotated her wrist, letting the words settle.
"I can steal the kinetic energy of inanimate objects such as bullets missiles that are fired towards me but not from a living person unless it's transferred through physical damage. If I want to, I can store it in a specific part of my body — like my fist. I've got pretty good control over how much I can output."
Ellura whistled low. "So you're a like bomb waiting to go off."
Kaede gave a faint sigh. "Something like that."
"But…" Ellura added, narrowing her eyes. "You take damage in order to gain energy?"
Kaede nodded. "That's the trade-off. Every hit builds power — but it still hurts. Every step forward is a risk."
Asami hummed thoughtfully. "And if we boost your durability…?"
Ellura looks at her. "So that's what you did in the combat exam, I felt invincible."
Asami straightened. "Yep, My ability lets me enhance attributes — strength, speed, reflexes, defense — either on myself or others. But the boosts are temporary and they drain me fast. Too many enhancements at once, and I'll faint."
She glanced at Kaede. "But if I funnel everything into your physical durability or strength during a key moment…"
Kaede's eyes lit up. "I could take more hits. Build up more energy. Or even end the fight with a single hit ."
"Exactly."
Ellura, loudly gobbling on her sandwich, "You two are terrifying."
Kaede looked at her. "And what about you?"
Ellura leaned back, quickly finished off her food. "I'm an illusionist — I can create visual, auditory, and even tactile illusions. Not just copies of myself, but full environments, fake movements, sounds… anything the senses can register."
Kaede raised a brow. "That's a lot of control."
"Exactly. I can scatter enemies, split teams, bait traps — all without taking a real hit." Ellura grinned. "And if Asami boosts my stamina, I can hold the illusions longer."
Asami tapped her chin. "Our synergy is better than I expected. I enhance and support. Ellura misdirects. Kaede absorbs and finishes."
Kaede nodded. "We just need to make sure I don't release energy near either of you. I'm not… subtle when I let it out."
"Got it," Ellura said. "We keep our distance, scatter the enemy, and funnel them toward you."
Asami smiled. "We'll build your momentum. And when the time comes…"
Kaede's fist closed. "I'll land the final blow."
They spent the next few minutes testing combinations In the yard. Ellura sent out waves of false Kaedes across the yard while advancing sneakily to strike dummy targets. Asami switched her buffs from Kaede to Ellura and back again, learning how their bodies responded, how long the boosts lasted, how much energy she could spend.
Every moment added confidence. And trust.
It wasn't perfect — yet.
But something was forming.
By the end of the night, they were breathless, sweating, and smiling.
All but Kaede.