26: Life Energy

Inside the laboratory, consisted of a private training ground where battles that occurred would record data to analyse energy output, fighting mechanics and a lot more that confused non-scientists. That's where these two were now. Jisa looked to Isaac Kalona as he asked for this fight. "Machi is OK with this?" She asked as they entered the grounds. Dawson was watching, wondering if his best friend was a suicidal maniac (he was, when it came to certain situations - e.g.: this very one) and Zac smiled, waving to him.

Kai didn't believe in a god. A higher being. "It's the fact the atheist prays that has me shocked about this fight." Anne chuckled and Jo wondered what sort of explosive battle they'd witness, and whether news reports would come out about them… and how much they could keep hidden from said news reporters.

"He left," Zac answered honestly, knowing how they valued each other. A type of connection a student has with his master. "He's looking into his past. But I'm more curious as to how he got to his current strength now. There's something about your training that let him grow so much." Jisa wondered if it'd be alright to expose she basically brought him to death's door at the very beginning but instead smiled through her draconic appearance and didn't say anything about their beginnings. And Plue, bless him but would expose the harsh regime that Jisa had put him through if he were here.

Evermore worried for Zac. But Anne assured them that he'd be fine. It was Zac after all. 'Yeah, but this is a dragur.' She reasoned to herself alone, unwilling to trust nothing was going to happen except an exhausted Zac.

"You want me to fight you how I did Machi?" Jisa asked. "I'd need 3 months and a standby medic."

"How about 15 hours and no medic?" He bargained - angering the medic in the booth and shocking Kai who restarted his prayers because damn, did Zac need it now.

Jisa chuckled and let her horns grow. "Dragurs strength and their horns coincide. Gehard had three when he fought Ever." Everyone prayed. Because Jisa showed five. "You will last this," Zac didn't know where her confidence in him came from, "because you... your eyes scare me." Zac smiled sweetly and cracked his neck. "Machi praised you a lot. Said how you valued his mind and didn't care about his strength."

Touched wasn't an emotion the mad scientist thought he'd be feeling but touched he was.

"But I have strength and you want to see it?"

"Yes."

Evermore watched as Zac's hair changed and began sticking up like it was being attracted to her electricity. But in actuality, it was none of that. To keep her daughter calm, Ever placed a thin unnoticeable shield around them both and watched as she kept asleep. As the energies clashed, the walls of the room broke down but regenerated just as quickly. "Lucky for terraformation," Kai chuckled, "otherwise we'd have been doomed." Dawson was in the arena and dodged all the debris from the match and watched as the area regenerated from Zac's attacks.

Zac didn't see a need for a weapon, his energy and hand-to-hand combat for this fight was more powerful, especially against someone who used it too. But as each blow landed on Jisa, she noticed an odd feeling residing in her scales. She wasn't healing like she normally did. Being blasted into the air, she used a large slap of debris to land on before looking down.

'What is this power?' Jisa wondered as she landed on a falling block of stone, riding it back down to the area. It was a power that made even Machi believe that it was one - if developed properly - could take out even Jisa herself. She was right. The dragur believed that. But noticed Zac had a major flaw in his power. Not the attack power nor the range or anything.

"Time." Ever stated. "Zac can't sustain that form for a long time. It eats at his life energy." Evermore didn't feel comfortable watching this but still continued the fight.

Jo froze.

***

Mira Hogwood wondered what she was doing with this lot. Her life was constantly the same. Maybe that's why but she wasn't complaining until they arrived at a ravine. It was a day's journey thanks to her position in Seraph Haven, but on that day just trekking through the unauthorised area, she was glad she made the choice to come. Even if it was on a whim, she wanted to see what Machi could do.

"We can teleport."

"Jump?"

Mira gained a headache and wondered if they'd survive. And even if they knew where they were heading to. Machi hummed as he looked down the ravine. "We go down," Mira said. They turned to her with shock. "I swear I see lava though," Rocco stated and Mira took one foot off the ledge and then the other. They all watched in shock as she dropped but as they looked down, they noticed she was...

"The currents are too strong to drop." She yelled and Karma jumped next then Rocco. Machi wondered why they were like this - having fun riding wind currents above a drop that would kill and even if it didn't you'd lose the bet in not landing in lava - then he questioned the currents - before jumping down and floating with the lot of them. Carrying themselves across to the other side, Mira and Rocco landed on solid ground first.

Karma followed second and Machi was the last to arrive but he walked back to the edge and looked down. "Has it always been like this?" He asked Mira and she nodded. "For hundreds of years. No one knows why." Noticing the sense of confusion and worry, no one had the balls to ask what was wrong but Rocco knew they had to get Machi to vocalise his thoughts.

"What's the matter?" Rocco asked.

"Nothing," Machi got up and walked and followed the girls, "just... nothing yet."

The 'yet' had them on edge.

*

Dawson noticed his wife's reaction to Ever saying Zac's powers eat at his life energy. Seeing her become more invested in the fight, he wondered too how Zac came about this higher form of power.

Watching as the arena was destroyed and formed back, everyone wondered why Isaac kept this power hidden. Seeing Jisa draw drops of blood, tired and yet still fighting, some of the higher-ups wondered why he didn't exert himself to keep Academy City safe. But it was just that. He couldn't.

They were 10 hours into the fight as Zac began running out of energy and just as Ever was about to end the fight, Dawson stopped her.

"He's tired and needs rest." Ever said.

"Just... watch."

Jo jumped into the arena after debating whether she should let everyone in on this, but seeing how Zac fought, she made the choice.

"I don't need healing." Zac was about to collapse and she didn't say anything. Placing her hands on his back and knelt down, Jisa also watched but also sensed the transfer of life energy. Zac felt his energy return back to him, growing as Jo kept her hands on his back.

"I don't know who taught you this Zac, but what you're accessing is the fourth stage of ki," Jo revealed. "Combination of ki and your powers. It's strong but what it also is, is incomplete, it's why it's eating at your life energy, which is ki."

Watching him collapse either way, Jo smiled and began healing him and Dawson jumped down and healed Jisa.

"He's strong. Could be even stronger." Jisa said as she watched her scales return back to an uninjured form.

"Yeah. Well, he had to keep up." Dawson chuckled.

"With his wife? I doubt it--"

"With Machi's father." Dawson cut her off and Jisa nodded. Seeing Plue run to her and cry in her arms, she chuckled and allowed herself to remain healed by the fire around her.