He began walking towards Ava gently and with calculated moves. He knew he couldn't rely on the blasters he had seen some use on Ava; she sliced through them effortlessly with her almost invisible strings.
A different and smarter approach was needed.
"Viza, care to help here?" he asked.
[Sure]
[....]
[You have 100 Available Points, you can use 25 points to activate Level 1 Vibrant Veil for 5 minutes] Viza offered.
Dion felt a bit confident about what Viza said. He was gradually getting used to relying on the information given to him by Viza.
"Activate," he said, his eyes fixed on the moves Ava was making. He was sure each of her movements was a potential trap if not carefully avoided.
He could see her hands going to her hair once again, but he couldn't possibly see what she was doing. It might be possible she was cooking up something, but her string was so tiny and barely visible to the eye.
Or had she changed her weapon? He couldn't tell.
[Vibrant Veil Successfully Activated]
Dion moved gently towards her. Any miscalculated move might result in potential damage despite having a shield all over his body.
He couldn't see the veil, but he could feel a sudden change in the air surrounding him. He knew something was just there.
"Are you sure you're ready for this?" she asked as he approached.
"Why not find out?" Dion said with a tinge of hope and courage.
Ava noticed the change in demeanor and facial expressions. She could tell from his initial response that he was a bit scared or shy, but he looked totally different within a few seconds.
However, that didn't bother Ava much. She was eager to go up against him, despite knowing she would definitely win. But she also knew she might learn something from his moves, as they were somehow unique.
It was her normal habit to learn from her opponents, both weak and strong.
There was always something to glean, even from their mistakes, and that made her one of the best fighters in the base.
She stood still, observing how he approached—a tactical method to figure out how her opponents attacked. Surprisingly, Dion didn't take any attacking stance. He just walked to her, seemingly without flexing a muscle, except for the muscles of his cheeks. He was beaming slightly as he approached, totally concealing his intentions from her.
As Dion came close enough, he stopped, staring into her eyes, and she did the same.
There was an awkward silence between them as they exchanged looks.
Dion opened his mouth to break the silence when he suddenly saw Ava's hand swinging towards him. On her hand was a gauntlet, not with spikes, but with sparks.
He used his hand to block the blow. Upon impact, Ava jerked backwards from the force of his block. It was solid.
"Uhmmm, nice block there," she commended.
It came as a surprise to Dion, as he didn't feel the impact upon his skin. It was obvious the shield prevented the blow from even reaching him. He just needed to keep it up before the time elapsed. He needed to devise a way to defeat her before the next 5 minutes.
[You can use your points to unlock more weapons, if you wish], Viza offered an option.
Dion knew he had to be smart in the type of weapon he chose. He ought to go for something less conspicuous or almost invisible.
Ava knew he had only a blaster as a weapon, so a sudden change to a more formidable weapon might look suspicious, and he couldn't take that risk.
A sudden win over her might also seem off. She was the strongest in their group. He couldn't just come out of nowhere and defeat her. He knew he needed a more reliable reason or circumstance that might help him win.
"You're holding back, Princess, let it out," he taunted playfully.
"I can't risk hurting you," she replied with a reassuring smile.
"Trust me, I can handle myself. Show me what you're truly capable of," Dion taunted once again.
An understanding nod came from Ava as she lunged towards him, now wielding a long narrow stick held firmly in both hands. She skillfully swung it aimlessly in the air, as if testing his speed.
As she made eye contact with him, she swung it towards him from the side. Dion had been anticipating that, so he blocked it with his bare hands, shielded by Viza, unnoticed. The stick bounced back before making contact with him, completely elusive to Ava.
She was quite impressed by his movements and the strength he was displaying. However, Captain Ally, who had been observing for a while now, began to feel annoyed by Ava's actions. She could tell Ava was going easy and soft on Dion.
She knew what Ava was made of; no one had ever lasted this long when fighting against the Battle Princess.
Ava, on her part, was enjoying the challenge when Captain Ally, who had had enough, retorted, "Why are you going easy on him, Ava?"
Her voice resonated and echoed around the training ground, causing a few heads to turn.
Ava wasn't one known for disobedience, so she doubled her effort in attacking him.
As she continued swinging around, she began to lose herself in the moment. When she jumped up and unleashed a thunderous strike from above towards Dion, Captain Ally analyzed the power behind the blow and concluded Dion was already done for.
She had already readied her mouth to shout "next" when she saw Dion with both hands over his head, blocking her assault.
The power behind the shot was enormous, breaking the ground below, yet Dion didn't break a sweat. Instead, he feigned struggling with the stick, trying to make it look real.
"How did he block that?" Ava wondered. She knew she had put some force behind the assault, but he had blocked it unscathed.
To the onlookers, however, it seemed as if Ava was still holding back.
"Fucking get on with it!" Captain Ally shouted angrily.
Ava knew she had to go with full force now that Captain Ally was angry. She couldn't afford to make her angry.
[Time running out]
[10 seconds remaining]
The menu appeared before Dion.
"When I'm needing you most, you're vanishing?" he complained beneath his breath when he realized his shield was now gone.
"How do I defend myself now?" he wondered.