Sparring

While Kisuke was busy with Ais, Riveria was left with the other girls, "Riveria-san, where's Line-chan?" Aika asked her.

While drinking the tea that Medusa prepared for her, Riveria answered, "Loki asked her to rest and not do anything for at least 10 days. I heard that she spends all her time in her room reading her books and only comes out when she needs to eat or clean herself."

"Looks like she's doing her best," Aika muttered.

At this time, Yoruichi suddenly came into the room they were staying in and said, "Aika, Sona, Koneko. Sparring time."

The trio stood up and all of them wore a serious expression that confused Riveria. It's normal to have some sparring sessions between Familia members as it's a way to foster a greater connection with each other, aside from it being a good and efficient way of training. 'But why do they look more serious than when they were in the Dungeon? Even there, it was rare for them to show this kind of expression. Only when there was a serious threat to them.' As far as Riveria knows, sparring between people always has a lax attitude as it's only for studying their current techniques.

"Want to watch?" Yoruichi asked her.

Riveria nodded and followed them outside. They then reached their usual training area where there was a dense amount of boulders that can obstruct movements if not careful.

"We're doing the usual. Aika and Sona will go against me while Koneko will go against Kuroka." Yoruichi announced and Kuroka and Koneko separated from them as they needed to be in another area to fight properly.

Riveria stayed to watch Aika and Sona's fight since she is more interested in it, 'According to the information I got from the Guild, all of them should be at Level 2 and all of them announced that they reached it all at the same time. However, while Aika and Sona are very serious about this, why does Yoruichi still have such a lax attitude? Is she that confident?'

Aika and Sona then took out their weapons. The same weapons that they used in the Dungeon, 'They're going to use their real weapons?' It's common sense that you can only use your real weapon in the sparring if there's a large gap of skill between Adventurers. However, what shocked Riveria more is the fact that Yoruichi didn't prepare anything. Not even one piece of armor.

But before she could ask, Yoruichi spoke, "We'll do it the usual way. You two use everything that you can while I won't use any detection techniques or defensive skills and my Flash Step will be limited to only every 5 seconds. And if you're able to draw even a bit of blood from me, you win. Ready?"

Riveria was dumbfounded. Yoruichi was alone, a Level 2 like her opponents, without any weapons or armor, yet she still has to give such a massive handicap?

" "Yes!" "Aika and Sona shouted.

The first one to make her move was Sona as she conjured 5 normal sized snakes made out of water and willed them to go towards Yoruichi.

When they're about to reach the still stationary Yoruichi, Aika made her move and used Flash Step to arrive in front of her, brandishing her nodachi horizontally from a distance that Yoruichi's both hands and feet won't be able to reach.

Yoruichi, without a single change in her expression, jumped back, and bent backwards to avoid the nodachi. Aika is already expecting this so the moment she made a move to dodge, she also stepped forward.

At this time, Sona's water snakes went around Yoruichi and trapped her from behind and both flanks, leaving her open to attacks at all sides.

However, Aika and Sona didn't think that they could win with just this and carefully watched Yoruchi's every movement. And they were right, although it's already too late for them to process what Yoruichi just did.

From Yoruichi's foot, she kicked a small pebble and hit Aika's forehead without her being able to react. A small wound appeared on the spot where the pebble hit and it caused so much discomfort that Aika momentarily lost her focus. But she still did her best to watch Yoruichi's next move and tried to fall back, taking back her nodachi.

Yoruichi aimed a punch towards Aika's stomach and Aika hurriedly used her sword to block her fist. However, just before her fist hit Aika's sword, Yoruichi suddenly disappeared, 'Flash Step!'

Expecting that Yoruichi will reappear around her, Aika immediately focused her senses around her. Less than a second later, she felt some activity behind her and hurriedly turn around to counter-attack. But Aika had to stop herself because Sona was flying towards her.

Aika kept her nodachi and tried to catch Sona, but another pebble went flying and hit her forehead again causing her to fail to catch Sona. The two of them dropped to the ground, just a few seconds after the sparring started. "Hey, you shouldn't just watch me but also my surroundings." Yoruichi said from Sona's former spot with a grin on her face while playing with some pebbles.

"W-what is this...?" Riveria could only mutter her question.

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Five hours later, Kisuke and the already awake Ais came out of the laboratory to see everyone returning from their sparring session.

"Hohoho~. It looks like you took a beating again this time~." Kisuke commented as Aika and Sona supported each other while walking.

"Dang it! We couldn't land a single hit today either!" Aika muttered in frustration.

"I've already thought of everything I could just so that I can nick some of her skin... Still nothing." Sona, on the other hand, was about to cry from frustration.

"Hahaha~. You two don't have to be like that~. I can admit that you're getting better. It's becoming harder and harder for me to dodge." Yoruichi patted their shoulders.

Behind them is Riveria with her face a bit pale after witnessing their sparring. She thought that Aika, Sona, and Koneko were already very strong for a Level 2, that it was actually in the realm of impossibility, yet she was introduced to this monster, Yoruichi, who's supposed to be the same level and played with them like they're nothing special, "Did you hide your level from the Guild? Aren't you already a Level 5?" She finally asked.

While Ais was confused at Riveria's current state, but with the information she gathered, she realized that Yoruichi had just wiped the floor with her fellow Level 2's. Ais became interested in what she saw for her to act like this.

Yoruichi faced Riveria with a smile, "Nope. I'm really just a Level 2. But this just shows that Level isn't everything. It is important, but not the only thing."

Medusa then came out from the mansion and said to everyone, "I've prepared lunch."

"Great~. It's already late, but let's have our lunch. I'll tell you what I found out and my suggestions after filling our stomachs. Medusa-chan, please call Kuroka and Koneko. It seems that they already forgot the time." Kisuke instructed.

Riveria could only follow his arrangement while slowly but surely, her world view is changing and her common sense is being altered.

Editors & Author's Corner? We change this name every chapter… by 28th00

28th00: So Riveria has finally been shown what actual sparring is, huh? Jokes on her, she's only seeing the basic sparring! I assume Kisuke isn't as nice as Yoruichi is with sparring, not to mention Kisuke vs Yoruichi sparring. Who needs to hold back when even death can be healed!?

Alexander: Naahh. Yoruichi is, in her own way, as merciless as Kisuke. Maybe even a bit more than him. Don't forget, after all she was the Captain of the second squad.

Goyya: Yep. While Kisuke is merciless with his methods, Yoruichi is more heavy-handed.