36: Pretext for Battle

Maria noticed the kokai not releasing both his limiters bound to his arms - only one. She was curious as to why as the power released as a result didn't amount to much. Why it was so… weak? She chuckled - if this was only half then they'd be fine. King Yuma and surprisingly Jin, were heavily interested in the fight. Just watching how he'd fight intrigued them.

Shale noticed Machi's movements and chuckled. He was shocked but amused by the way he fought, recognising it immediately. Every move he made, wasn't an imitation but they were someone else's moves adapted for his own. Everyone else watched his movements, wondering why they seemed so familiar. Shale didn't have to guess why, he knew instantly and turned to the one the moves belonged to.

But everyone else, they had to watch Machi's movements as they seemed familiar. "They're mine?" Silver asked. "How-" she was in disbelief that her techniques were being utilised. It was the very moves that Mira and Karma struggled against when going up against her.

"He was watching," Damaris revealed. "As you fought the girls."

*

'Training spiritual pressure is harder than ki,' Carbine said, 'though you can possibly do it.'

Smirking, Machi cleared the next group as Karma decided to tap out. 'Welcome back,' Machi chuckled, 'what's your take on the situation.'

'They're not the same strength as the ones that essentially rule the galaxy are they?'

Using the martial arts taught by Jisa, he kept them at bay while also simultaneously communicating with Carbine. Right now, with the mental distraction, he couldn't do anything too major due to the concentration being cut in half.

'No,' Carbine answered, 'much weaker. My guess is that they've captured or made and used them for training.'

Machi looked back at Karma who just watched the fight. "You wanna take over?" Machi asked as he paused for a second and she smirked and stood up from her seat on the arena floor.

"Alone? You trust me that much huh?" Karma teased. But that wasn't why Machi asked that.

But when she saw him grab her sword, she went wide-eyed. "Ah- e-excuse me!" Karma yelled. "My sword!" Machi held her sword and looked at her seriously, knowing that the opportunity presented to them, using weakened dragurs, was an opportunity presented to help her teach control over ki.

"And you criticise me," he shook his head, "a sword can't be your only strength."

Machi jumped up to the balcony and placed Karma's sword against the wall. "You not fighting?" Xox asked and Machi sat on the edge and watched as Karma began to struggle to control her ki. It was a lesson she needed to learn quickly and alone, Machi couldn't help her with stage 1 of ki control, and this would become a vital skill for the future, and using weakened dragurs without her sword would serve as her training grounds.

"I don't have to fight every fight. Nor train to be the only one at the top. And anyway, they're weak and not that hard to beat. The ones controlling the universe are worse than your little pets." Machi teased and Maria lost all control and struck at him.

Shale and Xox were moving to stop the blow, sensing the spiritual energy coursing through the blade, and the King just watched as she struck the kokai--

"Huh?"

Maria watched as her sword collided with another. 'That's impossible!' Shale was also stunned by how quickly Mira had gotten to the balcony. Even with their own techniques... it would have been difficult. And to block?

'Maybe we've underestimated your strength.' Xox theorised.

"What the hell did we teleport into?!" Mira yelled. Turning around, Maria jumped back and Mira looked to Machi, who didn't even flinch to defend himself. Mira huffed.

"Machi!"

"Hey, don't assume I caused this," he huffed and Mira looked down and saw the army of dragurs and a swordless Karma.

"Oi, weaklings," Rocco - who was on the floor by Karma - and Mira glared at Karma, "they should give you a challenge."

Machi clocked out as Mira began scolding him again - somewhere in between Karma teased them for getting kidnapped so easily - and he just sighed and looked down at Rocco. He nodded and Machi looked back to Karma who grabbed her sword that Rocco seemed to grab during that whole exchange.

"Mira your powers aren't suited for them," Machi answered honestly. A fact she knew well but didn't like being told that. Kicking the ground, she sighed and jumped down, muttering 'no shit Sherlock'.

Maria, Luis and Willow stood in front of Machi and Luis felt pity for the kid. "Don't feel pity for me, I'm not fighting you alone. I'd be an idiot too." He winked and the trio wondered what he meant by that. But they didn't care. As much as he was labelled kokai, he wouldn't be able to go against them. Right?

'Rocco will prove fruitful in this fight. Sonus is hard to best.' Carbine revealed. 'It's a form of hyper speed movement using spirit particles.'

Machi watched as Rocco teleported next to him and smiled. His appearance was dishevelled but still able to fight. "You up for fighting them?" Machi asked.

"Honestly I'd like a bed and a shower but sure." He answered rather nonchalantly and Machi smiled.

Shale wondered what that was. The technique Rocco used to appear on the balcony. It wasn't sonus as he didn't possess spiritual pressure, so he was rather confused. As Luis fired a beam at the pair, Rocco was slightly faster and they teleported.

"What's this?" Yuma asked and looked to Machi and Rocco. "He can't be using sonus. Nor spiritual particles."

But it was ever so clear. Machi was floating on air...?

"It's actually a thin layer of ice, but due to it being so thin, you can't see it from far away." Machi explained to Rocco and he nodded. But the teleportation...

"Separate them," Willow suggested, "he can only teleport himself."

'Wrong.' Jin thought, realising that the trio didn't understand that Rocco had teleported Karma to stop the blow Maria was going to land.

'You've shown naivety,' Astra thought as she watched the fight, 'Maria you and I are the same age. I've been a captain at the behest of the King, and so have you. But you have allowed that to get to your head.'

Shale noticed Astra was zoning out and wondered what was going on in her mind. "Shale you said he could burn the world," Xox spoke and King Yuma turned to his students, "why didn't you say that about Refed?"

Shale wondered the same thing considering how dangerous he had become.