He had not even made it within thirty metres of her before the first phrase echoed throughout the training field.
"[Spark], [Stream]."
A steak of surging energy grazed his hair tips as it shot past his face. His nose was filled with a sharp bitter smell. He couldn't help but shake when every hair on his body stood on end.
"You missed." He desperately hoped his cocky tone hid his trembling hands. After all these years, he still couldn't stop the fear from swelling up in his chest every time he got ready to fight. He shook off his nerves and focused his gaze forward, finally donning the smirk he was starting to get known for.
"I wasn't really aiming for you." Her serious nature almost hid the immense sense of pleasure she seemed to have gained. She swung her arms out in a wide arch. Hearing a sudden crackle of energy, Pyrus shot around leaving his back to her. There he saw it. The ordinal jolt of energy she shot had split into two. Not only that but it was now turning, circling around back to her. Before he could react the two arcs met back up behind her, trapping them both in her make-shift arena.
"That's hardly a barricade."
"Give it a second."
She flung her arms up, the action being mimicked by the surrounding crackling stream. Soon an electrical net covered his whole field of view.
"So here's the deal: You apologize for that kiss thing, and I don't give you emergency shock therapy. Oh, and a short three…no four thousand word essay on why you are a piece of human trash that should never dare touch another living soul again." Her glowing cheeks gave away the embarrassment her voice worked so hard to mask. She was clearly way out of her comfort zone, but far too stubborn to admit it.
Pyrus's eye lit up as an idea crossed his mind. He spoke with his all too cocky voice, hoping it would be enough to bait her out.
"Counter offer. We have a little mock battle. If you win, Ill do everything you just said, but if I were to win, you become my partner for the duration of the training course."
He waited a second, carefully watching to gauge her interest. When he noticed she was just barely teetering on the edge of a decision, he continued.
"Surely a C-rank ability bearer like myself, even more one from the versatility specialist track, has no chance against a…"
"An S-rank, quad-combat specialty track prodigy." The glint in her eye told him all he needed to know. He had her. "No, you really don't. I accept your proposal."
"Well, in that case I should probably inform you that my C-rank is only for show. It doesn't have a set rank, since my ability changes so often. Right now I'd estimate it at about A, no S-rank." He tried to egg her on just a bit more.
"Is that so, and how would you say that would be possible." He face showed some genuine interest. She almost looked like a kid in a candy store, or rather a curious child in a large library.
"Well, to put it simply, my ability is to copy other abilities. Right now I'm packing some heavy duty artillery. Another little perk of my ability is that it shows me other people's abilities. Quite a good ability to have in areas filled with strong abilities. Places like colosseums, sports arenas, or even training fields." He shot her another cocky smirk, reminded himself to stay calm, and spoke. "So, how do you say we get this started? Ladies first."