The whistle cut through the training hall.
Mist poured instantly from Aoi's fingers, swallowing the first floor in gray haze. Kengo shot forward like a bullet, his steps detonating against the tile with explosive bursts. His plan was simple—overwhelm before the robbers adjusted.
But Ryo wasn't about to let him. Sparks screamed as the boy magnetized the doorframes and pipes in the walls, pulling at Kengo's momentum like invisible hands. The runner staggered mid-dash, colliding hard into a pillar.
"Shit!" Kengo hissed, but he pushed off again, forcing himself forward.
Meanwhile Mika laughed, her body already cloaked in fire. "You're hiding in mist? I'll burn it out!"
Her flames roared, the veil thinning under the heat, but Aoi twisted her wrist desperately, rolling more vapor into the room, choking the fire's reach. The clash became a tug-of-war: mist versus flame, concealment against destruction.
Kengo finally got close enough, using the smoke to mask his path. He lunged, body bursting into a force-step sprint—
Only for Ryo to yank a pipe from the ceiling with a flick of magnetic polarity. Metal whipped around and caught Kengo square in the ribs, sending him sprawling.
The cadets watching winced at the impact.
"Control's sloppy," Solarius muttered from above, "but intent is there."
The fight dragged across rooms. Aoi tried covering Kengo's advances, but Mika's wild flames forced her to retreat, nearly singeing her own partner. The "police" managed to pin the "robbers" briefly, but Ryo countered by magnetizing Kengo's belt buckle, slamming him into a wall.
It ended messy. Mika, overextending with a fire burst, nearly knocked herself unconscious, but in the confusion Ryo escaped through a broken window, dragging her with him.
Match over.
Team H—robbers—victory.
But no one called it clean.
---
As the teams limped back, Solarius' eyes swept over the class. "Sloppy. Wasteful. Reckless. You fight like children playing with fireworks. And that's fine—because that's what you are. But…" He paused, golden gaze sharpening. "The world won't forgive your mistakes. Learn to control the storm, or the storm eats you."
The silence that followed was heavy.
Then his voice snapped like a whip. "Next match! Team C—Rina and Tsubasa. Police. Team D—Kaito and Hana. Robbers."
---
The reset came quick. The arena blinked fresh, ready for battle.
Rina stepped up first, glass fragments swirling faintly around her arms like a shimmering aura. Her control was delicate, almost fragile—but when focused, those shards cut sharper than steel. Beside her, Tsubasa stretched out her back, feathers of translucent light flickering into existence. The girl's Idol, Wing Veil, gave her bursts of gliding mobility and defensive screens, though her landings were clumsy.
Opposite them, Kaito cracked his knuckles, fists glowing with heat. His Idol, Ember Fist, made his punches combust like live coals. Hana, calm as still water, let vines curl from her fingertips, green chains of living wood creeping across the floor.
The whistle blew.
Glass met fire in a shattering scream. Rina flung shards like a storm, each one refracting the room's light—but Kaito punched through, his fists erupting flames that melted fragments mid-air.
Tsubasa dove from above, wings half-formed, striking at Hana. But the quiet girl had already laid roots across the floor. Verdant chains lashed up, wrapping toward Tsubasa's legs. She barely twisted away, feathers scattering in panic.
"Too direct," Solarius murmured.
The teams clashed again. Rina and Tsubasa tried to corner Hana, glass blades and aerial dives forcing her back—but Hana only smirked faintly, anchoring herself with roots while extending vines outward like tripwires. Kaito covered her, fists igniting corridors into miniature infernos.
Rina finally found her opening, a focused shard slicing past Kaito's guard and nicking his cheek. He grinned savagely, flames flaring hotter.
The fight built to a boiling point. Tsubasa, desperate, launched a reckless dive-bomb with Rina covering her. Together, they managed to trap Hana briefly, glass shards boxing her in while Tsubasa's wings shielded escape routes.
But Kaito roared, punching the floor so hard sparks exploded upward. The shockwave shattered Rina's fragile construct, freeing Hana. Vines surged, wrapping Rina's arms tight before she could react.
Seconds later, the "robbers" slipped out of the arena boundary.
Team D—victory.
---
The second defeat of the day left the room simmering. Students whispered, some frustrated, others awed.
Solarius' expression was unreadable. He only said:
"You're beginning to learn your limits. Now learn how to break past them."