Chapter 60: Roses are Scary!

Class proceeds like usual, with the usual being, no-one listening and everyone doing their own thing.

Soon, the indoor classes end and the outdoor classes begin. The class suits up and heads out. While walking, Saiba thinks,

"If I wanna be a 'role-model', first I gotta show them that I'm better. That means getting stronger! I got knocked out by that Gordie guy, but I placed third in the ranking, so I at least have something going for me..."

He comes up with an idea,

"I'll work on my swordsmanship for now, honing my skills and refining my reflexes, or something like that..."

Isabelle instructs,

"Everyone! Today we'll just be sparring, so find a partner!"

Saiba starts looking around, but it seems everyone already has someone. In the corner of his eye, he spots a lonely girl. Rose stands with her red hair, green robe, and stick in hand. He thinks,

"Why doesn't anyone wanna be her partner? She's strong, right, and strong people are cool..."

He walks over and initiates small talk,

"Can't find a partner either, huh?"

She replies,

"No-one wants to be my partner because they don't want to lose to me."

Saiba mumbles,

"Oh... I see..."

He thinks,

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

Running out ideas, Saiba suggests,

"Let's be partners then! I'm not scared of losing!"

Agreeing, she nods. The two find an open spot and stand across from each other.

Rose stands with knees slightly bent, her weapon at her side, and her gaze fixed on Saiba. Saiba stands opposite of her, both hands on his blade and ready to pounce. They stare each other down as Saiba mumbles,

"Is it really okay to fight each other like this? What if someone gets badly injured or something... Well, let's just see what happens."

He makes the first move, pushing off with his legs and rushing towards Rose. She does the same, holding her weapon out in front of her. Saiba thinks,

"Okay, first is 'look for an opening'..."

He looks around and mutters,

"Done!"

He thinks again,

"Next, 'use your legs'..."

He stops his momentum and takes a strong step, using the built up pressure to assist his swing. He brings his sword down, but is interrupted as Rose thrusts her stick straight into Saiba's stomach.

Saiba gets pushed back as he the wind is knocked out of him. He thinks,

"She reached me first!? I guess she has a pretty long weapon, so her range is longer. Come to think of it, Lily never taught me how to deal with medium or long-range opponents. I guess I'll just find out on my own."

Once again, Saiba tries a head-on attack. This time, he watches the polearm attentively, awaiting its movements. To his surprise, it doesn't make any advances and stays in a ready position.

Instead, Saiba gets kneed in the stomach as he gets close to Rose. He falls onto the ground, kneeling and gripping his stomach. He thinks,

"I paid so much attention to the weapon that I forgot about the actual opponent!"

Rose swings her stick down on Saiba as he uses his sword to block it. He pushes her weapon away and hops backwards. Like before, he rushes straight at her.

This time, Rose makes the first attack as she moves her polearm towards him. Saiba notices and manages to react by turning his body and dodging.

Rose fixes her mistake by turning her weapon parallel to Saiba and pulling it back to hit him square in his waist. Saiba gets launched forward as Rose steps to the side, letting him fall on his face.

He slowly gets up and thinks,

"This girl's pretty strong... This is getting pretty interesting..."

He begins analyzing,

"Come on, brain! I didn't spend all that time playing fighting games for nothing! What's a weakness when it comes to polearm weapons?"

He continues,

"Uh... If I remember right, it said something like 'a weapon like this is an extension of your one's arm'. She has pretty good control of it and she can think fast in situations. There's only one thing I can think of. Alright, let's do this!"

Saiba runs forwards, sword trailing behind him. Rose bends down and flings her stick forwards. Saiba has been watching it as he mumbles,

"There!"

Lifting his sword in the air, instead of aiming for Rose, he slashes at her weapon and shortens it by more than half. It leaves it no longer than a basic ruler.

Taking this opportunity, Saiba retracts his sword and now strikes at Rose, herself. However, before the sharp edge lands, he twists his sword by ninety-degrees, awkwardly falling on Rose's forehead.

She falls backwards on the ground, dizzy, as Saiba stands over her. Realizing what happened, Saiba quickly steps back and apologizes,

"U-Uh... Sorry about your stick... I can pay for a new one!"

Rose stands up and brushes the dust off her while saying,

"Don't worry."

She grips her weapon and mumbles,

"Plant Magic: Create Weapon."

Out of the place it was cut, sprouts come shooting out, twisting and coiling in a cylindrical pattern. Her weapon returns back to its former shape. Saiba looks in awe as Rose says,

"Also, it's a staff, not a stick."

Saiba compliments her,

"You're pretty good at fighting, huh?"

She replies,

"You're not bad yourself."

Secretly, she thinks,

"Who is this man? He's the only one in this class that stood a chance against me. Could he really be the Legendary Hero?"

Getting back in a readied pose, with his knees bent and arms at the ready, Saiba suggests,

"We still have some time. Let's keep going!"

Rose nods back.

The two leap towards each other as they continue sparring and clashing weapons.