Desire for strenght

A few seconds earlier, inside of Laura's head.

/Flashback/

-Genetic Modified guinea pig number: C0037. From now on your new identification code shall be… Laura Bodewig.

My own reason for life was to fight. I was created, educated, and trained for this purpose.

I was exceptional, being at the highest level. But that changed when humanity's most powerful weapon: The IS unit, was created.

With the intent to perfect me, they installed a nanomachine in my eye. Nonetheless, my body couldn't adapt to the change, and eventually, I was considered a failure.

But all of it changed when she came. She was the most capable instructor.

In the specialized IS forces, I once again became the strongest.

-Why are you so strong? How can I become as strong?

Smiling the girl said:

-I have a smaller brother.

...No.

Why do you have such a sweet smile on your face?

The woman I mirrored myself in can't be like this…

That was why I couldn't forgive him, the man that made her change so much.

As long as he disappears, she will train me again, and I will become stronger.

Or so I thought.

This man, Miyoshi Seiichi, defeated me completely. Be it in combat strength, strategy, technique. What is his secret? What do I need to do to become as strong?

As long as I had power. Enough power to beat him…

-Is that your wish? Said the mechanical voice.

-To possess incomparable power?

-Give me…

/Back to the present world/

Laura screamed in pain as bolts of lightning crackled around her.

Her IS started to change, its metallic hull bending and distorting, transforming into a strange metallic liquid.

The liquid started to change shape, consuming Laura in the process. It then began to take the form of an IS.

A loud siren started to resonate around the arena.

-Emergency situation! All tournament battles are suspended! Security level D established. Said the Arena AI.

-Soon instructors will come to take care of the situation, all students and guests must evacuate immediately.

-The valkyrie trace system huh? I said while looking at the transformation.

The reason why I didn't shoot her mid-transformation was due to the danger to Laura's life.

During the transformation, most systems of the IS are deactivated. Hence attacking now might lead to death. And I don't feel like becoming a killer for such a petty reason as ending the fight easily. And again, gaining data on this forbidden system is certainly valuable.

Her transformation ended soon. Her form was that of Yukihira, Chifuyu`s IS when she used to compete in the Mondo Grosso competition, something like a world cup for the IS. She gained the first title all those years ago(The competition is made in a 3-year cycle) and almost won the second one if it wasn't for Ichika kidnapping. This whole event was what eventually led her to go to Germany in the first place.

Her form was quite tall, being over 4 and a half meters tall.

It's fascinating how a mere program can change an IS so much.

The valkyrie system takes over the IS control and forcibly changes it.

A copy of someone is made and then downloaded into the program with a series of commands, (the one in question is Chifuyu in her heyday) then it overrides the IS it is installed on creating a copy of that person in it.

It was banned because of the immense side effects. But Laura for some reason never showed any.

I changed my hammer to a sword, it isn't as durable as the hammer, and its special barrier that reflects projectiles is lost, but it's all I need.

It's only a copy of the original, even Ichika only needed a single sword strike to defeat it, but that was because he grew up training under the original user. But I wasn't unprepared.

The VT(Valkyrie Trace) then rushed at me with its sword raised, I pulled my sword and deflected it, I then slashed at the chest area, creating a sizable tear in its armor.

From inside it, Laura appeared in a semi-conscious state, and then fell in my arms, The VT started to break apart into "smoke".

As I carried her to the infirmary. Laura started to mumble some things, I tried to answer her question honestly, even if she doesn't remember most of her questions it's fine.

-Why are you strong?

-... I…

On the hospital bed, Laura woke up with Chifuyu on her side.

They started to talk about the Valkyrie trace system

…

-From now on you shall be Laura Bodewig, not anyone else.

-... And also, you will never be able to be me. She said with a smirk

Laura just stayed there looking at the ceiling. What she was thinking about was known only to her, but she suddenly started to laugh…

At night, I enjoyed myself in the new male bathhouse.

In front of me was a holographic screen replaying the VT transformation.

-A full material change in a few seconds… But how? If it was a fourth-generation IS I might understand but the method used here is completely different from my prototype.

I had actually installed an expandable armor on my IS but never used it due to the heavy energy strain.

-Unfortunately, all research on it is prohibited, and I don't doubt they will remove it from Laura IS.

My outside data sources are decreasing with time. Be it the library or all of the virtual banks in the school and other public ones, I have already read them all.

Looks like it's time to start the next phase. Looks like the only way to get more information on it is by "borrowing" it. This phase took around a month. Now, it is already time to proceed to the next one.

Stealing knowledge. Currently, being found out would be fatal. I don't have the means to go against the world. So I will have to proceed with caution.

I still have 4 months until summer vacation…

Ichika then entered the bath while looking around. Because of the angle, he couldn't see me.

Looks like it's time to go, else I will see my bro`s girl naked. A clear violation of the bro code.

I got up and walked to another one of the exits. Ichika wasn't deaf so he heard me.

-Seiichi? Where are you going… As if understanding the implications of his words, he quickly shut up and looked worriedly between the door and me.

I just gave him a thumbs up and left, right when Charles, or rather Charlotte entered.

The rest? A story for another day.

The next day I woke up on my bed like any other day. Yesterday was a busy day, and at night I had a lot of data to skim through. I had barely any sleep, if things go by as in the story today would be the day that Charles is presented as Charlotte. Better not get late.

I walked leisurely to class when a sudden explosion caught my ears. I looked towards the first year building, only to see smoke spiraling towards the sky. I quickly jumped towards the hole on the concrete wall and asked out loud:

-What is happening here?

-Thank you Laura, you saved me. Said Ichika who was almost blasted by Linlin's canon.

-It was nothing. Said Laura.

The situation was as follow:

The new transfer student Charlotte was presenting herself to class.

The thing is that one of the girls remembered that yesterday night the boys went to take a bath together. Hence, since Charles is actually a girl…

Linlin actually got mad. Really mad. She came bursting through the concrete wall.

Laura turned to me now deactivating her IS and said:

-Yesterday I was wrong. Accept my apologies!

-I shouldn't be the one to receive your apologies.

-... I am sorry everyone! Said Laura

I walked towards the door knowing that today there wouldn't be any classes due to the damage.

-Wait! Said Laura

-Hum?

-Could you help me?

-Help you? What do you need help with?

-Train me! I want to improve. I understood my mistakes but that doesnt mean I don't want to get stronger.

-Sure. I always train in the afternoon.(Since I don't need to help Kanzashi with her IS anymore)

-It's settled then. She said with a smile.

With this out of the way everyone went to do their respectives club activities.

I also went to my room to relax.

I finished Kanzashi's IS

I will continue to train Kona and Laura

Cecilia is still in dire need of help in her culinary skills

And I need to prepare for the final step of the plan. It might be far away, being over 4 months in the future, but one can never prepare enough.

But there is one thing that bothers me.

-Where is Lylia?