Valkyria Saga

{Date: 10/13 - Thursday}

{Time: 10:30 AM}

"Alright Orika, good job on the warm ups! Now, let's get down to nitty gritty of training!" I said, smacking my fist against the palm of my hand.

"Okay!" Orika said, her excitement bubbling to the surface as she got ready to begin her training with me.

I picked up her journal off the ground then began to flip through some of the pages. Genesis hovered beside me, looking through the different regiments as well. As we scanned through the pages, we decided to work on her Combat and Advanced Spirit Control.

"Alright, let's work on your Spirit Control a bit more first. We're gonna teach you to use elemental attacks like energy blasts and manipulations," I said, setting her journal on the ground then stood up straight.

Orika nodded, taking a step back and readied herself for the lesson. "Alright. What do I do first?"

"To start, the first thing you need to do is awaken your Spirit Energy," I began, awakening my energy points and channeling my Spirit Energy around my body. "Like this."

Orika nodded, amazed by how easily I awakened my energy and how much more control I have over it now. She shook her head to regain focus, taking a deep breath and exhaled, beginning to focus to awaken her energy points within.

Orika clenched her fists, her eyebrow twitching as she tried her hardest to awaken her Spirit Energy. She let out a heavy exhale, leaning down and placing her hands on her knees, panting softly.

"I don't know what I'm doing wrong..." Orika sighed, standing up straight and got in a relaxed position.

I crossed my arms, analyzing her first attempt in my mind. 'Hm...she didn't seem to do anything wrong, but let's see something,' I thought, scanning Orika's body using Spirit Sense.

Orika noticed me gazing at her intensely, my eyes wandering around her body. She began to grow a bit shy, her cheeks becoming slightly flushed. "Uhm...is everything okay?"

I finished scanning her, finding that her potential was sealed. 'Interesting...Sealed Energy. No wonder she can't channel her energy fully.'

"Okay, let's go a more simple route. Just channel your energy around your hand. I want to see something," I said, crossing my arms and watched her closely.

Orika nodded, holding up her hand then began to focus her energy. Soon, sparks of Spirit Energy fluttered around her hand, her energy finally surrounding her hand in an icy blue hue.

'I figured as much. Her other energy points have been sealed, but by who and why? I guess it doesn't matter for now,' I thought, uncrossing my arms and smiled at Orika.

"Alright, this is a good starting point. Now we're going to go over a basic technique known as Soul Blast, it's a very basic energy blast technique," I said, holding my hands out at the targets a distance away from us.

Orika watched my demonstration intensely, making sure to pay attention to every second. Once I was ready, I fired an energy blast at the target, the orb of energy flying through the air like a speeding rocket. The blast collided with the target, causing an explosion, surprising the other students in the training area.

Orika was at a lost for words, her mind unable to comprehend what just occured. She looked at her own hands, gazing at the Spirit Energy flowing around her hands. "We can do that..?"

I chuckled softly at her reaction, crossing my arms and looked at Orika. "Well? You give it a try~"

Orika looked at me then back at her hands, nodding to herself. 'If she can do it, I can do it too...' She thought to herself, readying herself for her attempt.

Orika held her hand out toward the targets at the distance, relaxing her mind. Once she was ready, she began to slowly draw out her energy from within, shaping it into a sphere of icy blue energy.

The air around us began to slowly cool, small snowflakes radiating from the orb of energy. Orika fired the orb of energy, but it only travelled a few meters before dispersing into snowflakes.

Genesis covered her mouth, trying to stop her laughter. Orika heard Genesis's snickering and let out a long sigh, slumping her shoulders.

"It's okay, Orika..! That was only just the first attempt! Everyone failed their first attempt at least once," I said, trying to motivate Orika and cheer her up. I turned toward Genesis, flashing her a mock frown. "Genesis, stop giggling!"

"I'm sorry, it just was not what I was expecting!" Genesis breathed, trying to stop herself from breaking into laughter.

Orika lowered her head again. "It's okay, Hisumi. It was pretty comical how it didn't even reach the target before dispersing..."

I gently pat Orika's back, knowing she was a bit discouraged but I didn't want her to give up so easily. "Alright, let's take a ten minute break. I'm sure you're just fatigued from the warm ups is all."

I began to take Orika to a nearby bench along the sidelines and sat down with her. We watched the other students training, each one with their own partner or group. Each student in the area right now was in the same boat as Orika, new to this lifestyle.

However, after using my Spirit Sense on Orika and finding her other energy points sealed, I knew Orika had the most potential out of everyone. I just needed to find a way for Orika to see it as well.

I stood up from the bench, walking forward then turned around to face Orika with a bright smile. "You know what we should do? We should have a sparring session!"

Orika glanced at me quickly, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. "But what about Spirit Control?"

"C'mon, I know you're dying to go one on one with me. Besides, in the heat of battle, you may never know what your body could do," I said, hopping up and down, smiling confidently at her.

Orika smiled at me, a sudden blaze awakening within her. She stood up from the bench, giving me a nod. "Alright. Let's do this!"

Alice continued to watch over the class, overseeing our training while helping a few of her students understand a few concepts they didn't understand. As she watched, she noticed me approaching her, a warm smile playing on her face.

"Ms. Alice, I have a request," I said, standing in front of her with a hopeful smile.

Alice held her arms and met my gaze, a curious expression forming on her face. "A request? What do you need, Hisumi?"

I looked back, noticing Orika waiting expectantly at the center of the training area. I turned back to Alice, a look of determination on my face. "Orika and I request that we have a Mock Battle!"

Alice watched as I bowed toward her, a light chuckle escaping her lips. "Stand straight, Hisumi. There's no need to get all dramatic for a mock battle. I'm happy to grant you your request, but there are a few rules to this battle."

"For D Rank Mock Battles, weapons are not allowed, Burst Mode is prohibited, and the battle ends when one Valkyria yields," Alice explained, glancing at me and Orika who stood a distance from me.

My eyes sparkled with excitement that our request was accepted and I turned toward Orika, giving her a thumbs up and a bright smile. Orika's eyes lit up, beaming a bright smile at me in return.

The students cleared the area for us, allowing room for me and Orika to have our mock battle. The digital walls shimmered to life, enclosing the battlefield in a soft glow. Orika stepped into the center, her hands trembling slightly as she clenched her fists. Across from her, I stood relaxed, my stance firm but fluid, like a seasoned fighter ready for the dance of battle.

{Test Your Spirit!}

{Battlefield: St. Fraskia Academy - Training Area}

{Opponent: Orika Chiba - D Rank}

Orika heard the cheers of her fellow peers, the sounds of the spectators giving her a nervous sweat. She glanced at me, noticing how calm I was. "Th-this is my first ever fight in this academy, but don't hold anything back okay?"

I smiled at Orika, getting into my stance. "Alright, Orika. You do your best in this spar as well."

Some students whispered excitedly, 'I bet Hisumi's going to wipe the floor with her.' Others cheered Orika on, hoping for an underdog surprise.

Alice noticed that we were ready, taking her spot as the referee then held her hand out, blowing her whistle. "Alright, the mock battle between Hisumi Nomura and Orika Chiba will begin! Fight!"

The sharp blast of Alice's whistle echoed across the training area. Orika's heart skipped a beat as she dropped into her stance, her gaze locked on me, who stood poised and unshaken, a confident smile on my lips.

Orika grunted softly, rushing toward me at full speed with a swift punch, but I swiftly evaded her strike with ease. Orika began launching a series of attacks at me, each attempt meeting the air as I dodged her strikes with calculated and measured steps.

'I need to show her that I can do this..! Not only for Hisumi, not only for Yukito, but myself and grandma!' Orika thought, launching a swift spinning kick toward me.

I watched as her foot rushed through the air with high velocity, ducking under her strike then countered with a powerful palm strike to her side. Orika grunted as my strike knocked her back, causing her to roll along the ground.

Orika recovered upon one knee, looking up at me and panted softly. She knew there was a clear gap between our skill and experience, but knowing the fact didn't soften the blow from how easily I was able to evade and counter her.

Orika clutched her side where my palm had struck, the sharp ache radiating through her body. It wasn't just the pain—it was the reminder of how far she had to go.

"I told you Hisumi would be an easy pick," One student murmured to her friend, giggling softly and continued watching the fight.

"Yeah, I mean it is to be expected. She is able to land a hit on Leilani after all," The other student agreed, shrugging her shoulders.

Orika heard the whispers of a few doubters, their words causing her to feel even more discouraged. Just as she was about to let out a defeated sigh, she heard me calling out her name, looking up at me with a discouraged gaze.

"Stand up, Orika. If you accept defeat here, you'll never know what you're truly capable of! Don't you want to make your grandmother proud?" I asked, giving Orika a look of determination and encouragement.

Orika thought back to yesterday when she made her promise to her grandmother at the hospital, the memory playing clearly in her mind. "I do want to make her proud...I want to get stronger!"

"Then show me, your partner and soulmate, that passion! Show me that will to make her proud!" I challenged, getting into my stance.

Orika closed her eyes, smacking her cheeks to make herself focus on me and the battle and not on our peers commentary. She opened her eyes, letting out a soft exhale. "Okay! Here I come!"

Orika's breathing steadied as a cool determination replaced the flicker of doubt in her eyes. She dropped into a lower stance, the faintest shimmer of Spirit Energy beginning to gather around her hands.

My smile widened, recognizing the shift. 'That's more like it.'

Icy blue energy began flowing around Orika's hands, her gaze becoming more focused. Suddenly, she rushed toward me at high speeds, launching a faster strike than before. I blocked her strike, grunting softly as her aura began to cover my forearm with frost.

Pushing her back, I launched my own strike but she slipped under it, landing a clean counter to my midsection. I grunted softly as I slid backwards, catching myself then looked up, noticing Orika running toward me.

"Hold on, she's kinda making a comeback," One student said, slightly sitting up straight against the wall.

"Right, this is starting to get good now," Another student said, leaning forward to focus more on the mock battle.

Orika let out a battle cry, sending a flurry of chilling strikes at me, getting me on the backfoot and the defense. I was forced to evade each of her strikes, knowing if I was touched, she could cover me with frost.

I evaded Orika's next strike, watching her jump backwards then noticed her Soul Blast hurling my way. I evaded it not taking any chances with it, noticing it dispersing into snowflakes. 'She failed her Soul Blast again...'

Orika grunted softly at her failure again, watching as the snowflakes floated to the ground. Suddenly, a gear shifted in her mind, her eyes faintly glowing with an idea hatching in her head.

I noticed that spark in her eyes, a genuine spark that I was familiar with. Without warning, Orika fired another Soul Blast at me, dodging her energy blast once again. As usual, the blast dispersed into snowflakes and began fluttering to the ground.

'Here goes nothing...!' Orika thought, holding her hand out, manipulating the snowflakes beside me.

I noticed her focusing her energy, turning to my side and noticed the snowflakes glowing brightly. The snowflakes began to merge into one, shining bright and detonating in a chilling blast of energy. I grunted as I was knocked back, rolling backwards along the ground.

Alice looked a bit surprised—impressed even by Orika's creativity. A few students even whispered amongst each other, noticing how she was able to catch me off guard.

I stood up slowly, grunting softly as I looked at my arms, noticing them covered in frost. 'That wasn't a normal Soul Blast. Her Soul Blast is very unstable due to lack of experience, yet can still be manipulated even after failure. No...'

I stared at Orika, genuinely impressed, getting into my thinking pose and began to analyze what Orika accomplished. 'That wasn't a Soul Blast...that's was an Elemental Technique using the failed Soul Blast as a base. Orika, you are actually a genius...'

Orika heard the subtle praise she was getting, her mind racing with excitement as she looked around at her peers. 'I really did that...and it worked...'

I smiled at Orika, stepping forward and rolled my shoulder. "That was a nice attack you got off on me. I honestly wasn't expecting it!"

Orika smiled at me, her eyes bright with excitement as she was proud of herself. "When I was watching the snowflakes falling, my mind was asking, 'Why not manipulate the snowflakes itself? We can make something with that!'"

"I honestly wasn't expecting to do much with the snowflakes, but I'm so glad that I took that chance!" She exclaimed, feelings a strong sense of pride within herself.

I chuckled softly at her, proud of Orika myself. "Well, don't celebrate too early! We still have a battle to finish!"

Orika nodded at me then got back into her stance while I got back into mine. The students around us cheered as we continued to battle, and for the first time, Orika felt free like a young bird soaring in the air for the first time.

I could see the excitement in Orika's eyes as she sparred against me, feeling a surge of excitement myself. Sparring with Orika made me see how much fun fighting can really be at times, especially against someone you like and care about the most.

I began to understand Yumeji's and Kikyo's Rivalry Synergy now and how it feels to be in sync with your soulmate in and out of battle. Our battle looked less like a fight and more like a dance between the creative yet amateurish and the seasoned, more experienced.

Soon, I landed the final strike that finally took Orika out, causing her to fall on the ground. I took a step back, getting into my stance again. "Are you continuing?"

Orika panted heavily, shaking her head and fell back on the ground. "No, I think I'm done. I yield..."

Alice blew her whistle, the sound ringing around the training area. She held her hand out toward me, looking in my direction. "Mock Battle Over! Hisumi Nomura is the winner!"

The students cheered for the results of the battle, but although they all knew that I would emerge victorious, everyone still gave Orika her flowers for her valiant efforts against me. After witnessing such a mock battle, the other students began to feel a surge of motivation to try their hardest as Orika did.

I helped Orika up, taking her to our bench so she could rest for the remainder of the class. Sitting beside her on the bench, I allowed her to rest against me, her head gently resting upon my shoulders.