The afternoon sun cast a lazy warmth over Shrek Academy training grounds, the golden light filtering through the canopy of ancient pines. Gentle breezes stirred the leaves, carrying the scent of grass and dew-damp earth. Though the hour was quiet, ripples of anticipation hung in the air. Team Two had reconvened after their morning's victory over the Defense type Kamen Rider Team, and now, following a hearty meal and brief rest, they prepared for their next trial—an elemental confrontation.
Li Wei stood at the center of the clearing, Zhao Wuji towering form shadowed behind him. His Diendriver rested at his hip, gleaming in the sunlight. Before him, the four members of Team Two—Zhu Zhuqing, Ning Rongrong, Xiao Wu, and Meng Yiran—formed a semi-circle, each bearing the marks of their morning battle but eyes bright with resolution.
"Today," Li Wei began, voice clear and calm, "our trial centers on elemental mastery. You'll face three Riders who embody wind, flame, and magical fire. Your task is to adapt your strategies, coordinate precisely, and counter these elemental powers. Understanding the nature of each element and covering one another weaknesses will be key."
A hush fell. Even the birds seemed to pause their songs.
Ning Rongrong lifted her Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda spirit, its facets glinting in the light. "My energy barrier will serve as your anchor. I can absorb and reflect elemental energy, but I'll need time to recharge after each major strike. Use that moment to press the attack."
Xiao Wu grinned, bouncing on the balls of her feet. "I'm ready! I've got tricks to dodge wind blades and weave through fire streams!"
Meng Yiran's green eyes gleamed with determination. "My venom can soak through elemental defenses. Just give me the opening."
Zhu Zhuqing stood silent, arms folded, her Hell Civet spirit coiled like a spring. In the pause before battle, her mind flickered through countless calculations. Wind whips unpredictably. Flames follow curves. Magic flares in bursts. She exhaled and nodded once. "Let's begin."
Li Wei stepped forward, drawing three cards in a smooth motion. "Summons—elemental defense team."
He inserted them rapidly:
[KamenRide: W (CycloneJoker)!]
[KamenRide: Saber (Brave Dragon)!]
[KamenRide: Wizard (Flame Style)!]
A scintillating radiance coalesced before them as the three Riders emerged. W green-and-black armor shimmered with a hurricane aura, his visor gleaming like polished glass. Saber brilliant red-and-silver plating crackled with fiery energy, his Dragon Sword held confidently. Wizard glowed with a deep amethyst hue, the ring on his hand swirling with arcane symbols as flame magic licked his fingertips.
Li Wei's voice rang out. "Your trial begins—go!"
________________________
A sudden gust whipped through the clearing as CycloneJoker dashed forward, wind slicing the grass in narrow blades. Zhu Zhuqing Hell Civet spirit flared, her hair snapping behind her as she charged with Hell Rush. Speed meets speed, she thought, but his wind gives him even greater range.
CycloneJoker spun, releasing a barrage of razor-sharp wind blades. Each whistled with lethal intent. Zhu Zhuqing ducked low, the blades grazing her coat as she surged forward, claws aimed at his knees. She landed a strike, then vanished—her Phantom Civet Legion erupting behind her in a swarm of ten shadowy doppelgangers.
Kua!
CycloneJoker activated his Cyclone mode. A vortex spun around him, scattering the clones in bursts of wind. Yet even as they exploded, Zhu Zhuqing felt the elemental backlash—tiny explosions of shattered shadow leaving her chest prickling with heat.
He testing me, she realized. Maintaining that Cyclone… it must be draining.
Zhu Zhuqing summoned her last reserve of strength and dove through the vortex, claws blazing with Hell Hundred Claw. She struck CycloneJoker shoulder, tearing through his armor and forcing him to stumble.
But the Rider was relentless. His Agito-inspired finish—Cyclone Joker Hurricane Slash—unleashed a spinning gale that sent Zhu Zhuqing skidding backward, swallowing her protective veil. She hit the ground hard, grit spraying as she struggled to stand.
Li Wei voice echoed from the sidelines. "Remember the lesson—wind will follows the pressure aur. Use that."
Zhu Zhuqing mind raced. Pressure… If I can force him to break the Cyclone, I can turn the tide.
She forced her footing, claws embedding in the earth. As CycloneJoker launched another assault, she countered.
"Hell Rush!"
She charged in, bathed in Hell Civet spirit. Under her boots, dirt flung upward. When CycloneJoker swung his wind blades, she leapt through the gusty arcs, grazing past his defenses to deliver a final, explosive slash. His Cyclone mode flickered, then collapsed as his spirit power waned. With a roar, he vanished in motes of light—defeated.
Zhu Zhuqing panted, spirit aura flickering. She met Li Wei approving nod and allowed herself a small, fierce smile.
___________________
Meanwhile, Saber Brave Dragon roared, stepping forward in arcs of flame. Each movement left embers in his wake. His Dragon Sword ignited, sweeping down in a blazing arc that threatened to cleave the earth itself.
Xiao Wu Soft Bone Rabbit spirit sprang into action. "Teleportation—Waist Bow!" she called. A shimmering ripple, and she was behind Saber. She jabbed at his back with a soft strike, testing his defenses. The flame recoiled, sizzling as though alive. But Saber twisted mid-strike, sword swinging in a raging helix of fire.
Meanwhile, Meng Yiran circled in the flames periphery, tongue blade at the ready. "Serpent Body," she whispered, her scales shimmering as venom immunity activated. She darted in, launching five mirrored serpent cane copies at Brave Dragon's legs.
Brave Dragon armor quivered under each strike, but his magic shield—a ring of medieval runes—flared to life, deflecting the venomous blades. With a roar, he unleashed his fire-lash, a tempest of dragonfire that splintered the ground and sent both girls tumbling back.
Xiao Wu coughed, flames spatters on her coat. "Yikes!" she wheezed. "We need a new plan!"
Meng Yiran green eyes narrowed. "We can't meet him head-on. We need distraction—bait and trap."
She gestured to Xiao Wu. "Let me corral him with venom webs. Then you teleport in for the critical strike."
Xiao Wu nodded, summoning her charm energy. She glowed faintly pink and blinked forward—Charm—targeting Brave Dragon's mind. His next swing slowed, sword arcs blurring as magical hesitation set in.
"Now!" Meng Yiran hissed. She slammed her cane into the dirt. Soulfang Venom exploded in a web of corrosive threads, burning through the runic shield and entangling Brave Dragon armor.
He staggered, roaring in frustration. Seizing the moment, Xiao Wu blinked behind him again—Teleportation—and delivered a coup de grace, a perfectly timed Waist Bow that cracked the back of his armor. The flames died in his eyes as Saber vanished in a final flare of light.
Xiao Wu landed lightly, excitement sparkling in her gaze. "We did it!"
Meng Yiran exhaled, venom still smoking on the ground. "Nicely done."
_______________
Throughout the elemental onslaught, Ning Rongrong had remained at the rear, her Sevens Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda glowing with serene authority. Each time Blaze Dragon fire-lash or CycloneJoker's wind-whirl threatened her teammates, she raised a shimmering dome—the Treasure Earth Barrier.
She watched carefully as elemental energies crashed against her shield.
'I can absorb some of the damage, but not too much.' she thought. 'My barrier grows stronger with each ally it protects—must time these shields perfectly.'
When Zhu Zhuqing first staggered under CycloneJoker, Ning Rongrong had amplified agility for the Hell Civet. Later, as Brave Dragon unleashed his second wave of flames, she invoked Strength Amplification to bolster Meng Yiran serpent strike.
As Zhu Zhuqing and the others battled wind and fire, a third figure stepped forth from the back. Cloaked in a crimson coat lined with arcane runes, his mask gleaming with a gem-like brilliance, Kamen Rider Wizard raised his ringed hand toward the sky.
"Flame—Please!"
The ring activated with a flash, flames spiraling around him like a fiery halo. He walked slowly, with the calm poise of a sorcerer more than a warrior. Each step scorched the earth slightly, controlled yet potent.
Ning Rongrong heart thumped as she watched him approach. I'm not a front-line fighter. But I've trained for this.
She extended her pagoda and summoned her Treasure Earth Barrier, enveloping herself in a dome of golden energy just as Wizard conjured fireballs in both hands.
BOOM!
The first orb exploded against the shield, sending ripples across its glowing surface. The ground around her cracked, but the barrier held.
"Interesting," Wizard murmured, almost conversationally. "A support-type who defends alone."
He raised his ring again. "Explosion—Please!"
A massive fire rune spun in the air, releasing a barrage of explosive bursts.
Ning Rongrong gritted her teeth, raising both arms, the pagoda rotating faster. "Reflective mode—engage!"
The shield flared with radiant runes and reflected one of the explosions directly back at Wizard. It wasn't enough to hurt him significantly, but it caught him off-guard—sending his coat billowing as he slid back.
He testing my limits… and I'm buying time.
She activated Strength Amplification, sending a boost toward Zhu Zhuqing last Hell Claw strike in the distance. Then she followed with Agility Amplification aimed at Meng Yiran, who leapt into a poisoned spin.
Wizard returned his attention to her. He stepped forward again, his hands weaving like a spellcaster.
"Flame Dragon—Please!"
A blazing serpent formed and launched at the barrier.
Ning Rongrong gasped—this was stronger than anything he'd used before.
Too strong for a full reflection… focus on absorption!
The barrier turned deep red, absorbing 60% of the flame before shattering in shards of golden light. The remaining fire seared her shoulder—hot, but not fatal.
She staggered back, panting. "Not yet… I'm not done…"
Wizard raised a hand to strike again—but paused. He tilted his head as though analyzing her spirit power output.
"You endured," he said simply, and then stepped back. With a twist of his ringed hand, he dismissed his flames.
From the distance, Li Wei's voice echoed, "Enough. Support holds the team together—and hers did exactly that."
Wizard vanished in a shimmer of flame, his test complete.
As the last Rider fell, she allowed herself a tiny nod of satisfaction. Her barrier had held, her buffs had tipped the scales, and her guardians had triumphed.
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As motes of Rider energy dissipated, the clearing fell silent. Four young spirit masters, battered but unbroken, stood amidst scorched earth and swirling motes of dust. Li Wei stepped forward, Diendriver putting a card into side slot.
[BuffRide: Ex-Aid]
He then shot toward all four of them, healing then a little and increase recovery boots. He then retracting into its holster before dismissing his martial spirit. Zhao Wuji's deep chuckle rolled over them.
"Once again," Li Wei said, voice warm, "you demonstrated adaptability and coordination. You understood the nature of wind and flame, supported one another, and seized openings. Well done."
Zhu Zhuqing chest heaved as she breathed in cool air. Elemental powers… she reflected. They each demand respect. But teamwork… that is the true dominion.
Xiao Wu wiped the grime from her cheek. "That was insane! I loved it! But it's really tiring to dodge the attack."
Meng Yiran cracked her neck. "Dragonfire… blazing hot. I'm still feeling the heat."
Ning Rongrong closed her eyes, letting the afterglow of her barrier fade. "I'll need to sync our buffs even faster next time."
Li Wei nodded. "And you will. Today trial is complete. Rest now—tomorrow we will need to spar against other school."
As they dispersed, laughter and quiet conversation weaving through the clearing, the academy grounds once again settled into peace. The elemental trial had tested their mettle—and burned bright lessons into their hearts, that adaptation, unity, and mutual support could overcome the fiercest powers of nature itself.
Tomorrow fight would demand more—but for now, Team Two basked in the glow of hard-earned victory, their bonds strengthened by fire, wind, and the unyielding spirit that bound them together.