'Big day…'
The air was thick with anticipation as the elevator ascended, rattling through the dimly lit shaft.
'You can do this... You can do this...'
Takumi Jiraiya stood alone inside, his heart pounding steadily in his chest as he fixed his Blazer.
The orange lights of the steel elevator flickered along the walls, casting eerie shadows that danced across his face.
He gazed at his reflection in the steel doors, barely recognizing the person staring back at him. The boy looking back was no longer the same boy who spent his days hidden behind his room, scribbling down blueprints for machines no one believed in.
This boy was stepping into something far greater than himself.
The elevator jerked slightly as it came to a halt. The hiss of hydraulics filled the air, and the steel doors slid open, revealing a dark tunnel stretching out before him.
A cold blue light illuminated the far end, glowing like the edge of a distant world.
Takumi stepped out of the elevator, his movements slow and deliberate, as if crossing a threshold between two lives.
His old one quiet, obscure, full of machines and daydreams was gone.
Ahead lay something new, something dangerous. But he welcomed it. The doubt and fear that had once clung to him like shadows seemed to evaporate, replaced by a singular, burning focus.
He was here to win. Even if it meant risking everything.
The tunnel's cold air brushed against his skin, carrying the distant roar of a crowd. He knew where he was headed, and he knew what awaited him.
He didn't have their powers, their abilities. All he had was his machines, and a burning desire to prove...
Aetherians were born with gifts, elemental forces woven into their very essence.
Takumi was different...
Misunderstood. A boy with mechanical parts and a brain that worked like a machine, building things that others could only dream of. And yet, it was those very machines that had brought him here.
His fingers tightened around the strap of his bag, the weight of his inventions comforting against his back.
Inside, nestled in carefully constructed compartments, were the years of work, devices designed to create and project the illusion of powers of Aetherians.
They weren't perfect, but they were enough to give him a fighting chance. Enough to keep up the illusion.
Takumi's pace quickened as the tunnel widened, the roar of the crowd growing louder, vibrating through the walls like a living thing.
His heart thrummed in time with the noise, his mind racing through evaluations, plans, and strategies. He had been preparing for this moment, but nothing could truly prepare him for the reality of it.
As he neared the end of the tunnel, the blue light brightened, swallowing the orange hue that had clung to him moments before.
With each step, the noise grew louder, the thrum of excitement buzzing in the air like static. He could see the arena now, massive, electric, a coliseum.
And there, standing in the centre of it all, was his opponent.
The crowd's cheers intensified as Takumi stepped into the arena, the stark contrast between the roaring masses and the silence of his own thoughts almost jarring.
The stadium itself was a technological marvel, a ring suspended by energy fields, surrounded by towering screens that flickered with information and three times the size of the Tokyo Dome. But it wasn't the arena that captured his attention. It was the figure standing across from him, the one waiting for him in the centre of the battleground.
She stood tall and poised, her blonde hair falling in sharp lines across her shoulders, a rapier gleaming in her right hand.
She didn't move.
She didn't need to. The pink aura swirling around her, shimmering like stardust, spoke for itself. It was the manifestation of her Aetherian power—something Takumi couldn't hope to match physically.
But that's why he had his machines.
The crowd erupted into cheers as the announcer's voice echoed through the arena, booming above the noise. "And now, ladies and gentlemen, the final match of the night! Takumi Jiraiya!... Against Her Majesty Ren Arisawa!"
Ren's eyes locked onto him, emotionless and calculating, her aura shifting and crackling with latent energy.
Takumi didn't flinch. He had expected this. He had prepared for it.
But standing there, face to face with someone who wielded true power, he could feel the weight of what he was about to do pressing down on him.
This wasn't just a fight. It was a test. Not just of strength or skill, but of identity. He wasn't just fighting Ren. He was fighting the truth about who he was—and who he wasn't.
Takumi reached up to his head, adjusting the black goggles hanging around his neck. They weren't just for show.
His machines were controlled by the neural interfaces embedded in the lens, devices that allowed him to control his drones and holobots with precision.
He slipped them over his eyes, the glass flickering to life with a soft hum, and immediately, the world around him sharpened.
The announcer's voice faded into the background as Takumi's vision focused on Ren, his opponent, and then flicked to the five others sitting in the VIP section of the arena.
His past opponents.
They were watching him now, observing every move he made, as if silently assessing whether he deserved to be here. A knot of tension twisted in his gut.
Takumi had fought them all.
Each fight had been a step closer to proving himself, to showing the world that he could stand among Aetherians, even without powers of his own.
But now, standing here in the grand stadium, with thousands of eyes watching, Takumi knew that this was his greatest challenge yet.
Ren hadn't moved, her expression still unreadable, her rapier held loosely at her side.
Takumi tightened his grip on his equipment, the familiar weight of his holobots bringing him a small measure of comfort.
He had worked for years to create them, refining their systems, and perfecting their abilities. His holobots could project illusions, create distractions, and manipulate the environment.
They were his secret weapon—his only advantage.
But Ren wasn't just another opponent. She was skilled, focused, and unyielding. One wrong move and the illusion would shatter. One misstep and everyone would see the truth.
He wasn't an Aetherian.
The thought clawed at the back of his mind, but he pushed it aside, focusing instead on the task at hand.
This was no time for doubt. He had come too far to turn back now.
With a deep breath, Takumi began to walk forward, the crowd's cheers swelling once again.
His movements were calm and confident, but inside, his mind raced with calculations. He would need to time everything perfectly—every move, every step, every breath.
As he neared the centre of the arena, he saw Ren's grip on her rapier tighten slightly. The pink aura around her flared for just a moment, like a warning. Takumi's heart skipped a beat, but he kept his pace steady. He couldn't afford to show hesitation. Not now.
The air between them seemed to hum with tension, and for a brief moment, everything else fell away.
The crowd, the arena, and the lights all faded into the background. It was just him and Ren: Challenger and opponent.
The match was about to begin.
He gave a double tap to his goggles which activated the internal display of his goggles.
*BOOP! BEEP!*
[SYSTEM ONLINE]
The timer of the clock on the board then started to count down as the energy field slowly powered on as the duel was about to start. The crowd roared and counted with the clock as it hit zero.
And then, in that split second before the first strike, Takumi's mind flashed back to the moment when everything had started...