Remaining outwardly calm, Rain directs an incredulous look at Ronin, responding in a nonchalant tone.
"Me? Did you forget who won already?"
Her expression becomes calmer, and the fear disappears from her eyes, but her gaze remains suspicious.
"But I was using Ichor...a lot of it."
He suspected as much, so he's not startled by her admission. He's also sure that she still outclasses the other students entirely. However, he can't help but feel a twinge of disappointment at the confirmation that she's not totally on his level.
He shrugs at Ronin, doing his best to convey indifference.
"I figured...but I forgive you for cheating. After all, I used Ichor, too."
She narrows her eyes at him, her expression becoming severe.
"There's no point in lying...I know that was your unmodified strength. I knew it as soon as you actually lost to me."
Her blue eyes continue staring into him, and their confidence elicits a pang of apprehension within him. But he's also...confused...to the point that he's not faking it when he directs a perplexed expression at the overly serious Ronin, his head cocking to the side as his eyes narrow and his voice becomes pitchier.
"Uhm...I need you to explain how me losing somehow demonstrates this immense strength you're accusing me of."
Ronin's lips press together, forming a thin line, and she remains thoughtfully silent for several moments as she studies his face. Eventually, she sighs, her tone becoming impatient.
"The first time you got my arm halfway to defeat...that was my full base strength. If you could overpower me at our baseline strengths, the same should be true when we're both using Ichor. When the strain suddenly disappeared from your face, and I felt that incredible rush of power from you, I thought that was your Ichor being activated. But then...you still lost, obviously sweating from the exertion. That's when I realized that you never activated your Ichor...you just stopped pretending."
Doing his best to appear unperturbed, Rain responds in an even voice without hesitation.
"I started using my Ichor bef-"
Ronin cuts him off with a terse voice.
"Don't bother claiming that you started using your Ichor before I reached full base strength. That timeline makes no sense, Rain. I reached full base strength well before you first moved me to the edge of defeat, towards the beginning of our match, and you spent quite some time evenly matching my strength before the first time you pressed your advantage.
"Why would someone previously so committed to hiding their abilities start using his Ichor right at the beginning of the match? No...the earliest you would have activated it was when I was at full strength, so that you could break that first stalemate. But in that case, we'd have been evenly matched in the end, too. So, obviously you never used Ichor at all."
After presenting her case, Ronin just stares at him expectantly, no trace of doubt in her expression. Rain feels unease invade his body, cold apprehension creeping up his spine, and he tries desperately to not react to Ronin's accusation. However, he can feel his jaw clenching.
'She's not backing off...'
Try as he might, he can't think of anything more to say that will dissuade her from her impression of his strength. With nothing to lose, Rain decides to try deflecting, though his voice is less lighthearted now than it was before.
"For someone who was so confident before this little wager, you're now quite adamant that your victory is a testament to your lesser strength."
Ronin's eyes widen in surprise for a few seconds. Then, she frowns slightly, a touch of...embarrassment...invading her expression.
"True...but before, I thought you were like me, and my goal was to show you that we're equals. My confidence came from the assumption that, at most, you'd be barely stronger than me. I never even considered this outcome. That's because...well..."
She trails off briefly, her expression growing conflicted as her eyes begin to study his face. Any attempt at disguising her emotions is gone...she resembles someone whose entire reality has been challenged, her expression full of confusion, and her eyes full of disbelief and curiosity. Her tone is...exasperated.
"...I have a God Bloodline, Rain...and I thought you did, too. Because that's as powerful as a Bloodline can be...the limit. So, why is it that my muscles felt halfway saturated with Ichor before I could even contend with you? Just what kind of Champion are you?"
His eyes involuntarily widen at her admission. A God Bloodline...Rain had begun to suspect it, of course. After all, she's clearly a step above the other students, who likely include Daemon Bloodlines. Still...he can't help but be in awe.
'The first God Bloodline ever, and from the renowned Fate Lineage...incredible. If it wasn't for the anomaly of the primordial, Chaos, and by extension me, Ronin would be at the pinnacle of humanity...she'd have no equals. As it is, she's the closest thing to my counterpart that I know of.'
Despite his fascination with her Bloodline, he also has the concern of her current line of questioning. She's convinced that he's stronger than her...stronger than a God Bloodline...that's clear. However, he's uncertain how worried that should make him.
After all, she's freely admitted to desperately needing his help. Plus, her own Bloodline is something she probably doesn't want publicized...there's mutually assured destruction. On top of all that, who would she even tell about him? She has nobody left, and the people that Rain is most afraid of finding out about his abilities are probably the same people Ronin hates most. So, does she really pose any danger to him?
He returns his thoughtful gaze to Ronin, who is just staring at him expectantly. To his relief, the fear and apprehension she initially exhibited are gone. Now, her expression is just a mix of bewilderment and curiosity.
He considers her question...what kind of Champion he is...he wonders what he should tell her.
Making up his mind, he shrugs noncommittally.
"I'm...the only kind of Champion that should matter to you...a strong ally. Or did I misinterpret your goals earlier, and these other details are actually what's most important to you?"
Ronin studies him with a conflicted expression, laden with confusion, doubt, apprehension, and curiosity. But eventually, the questions burning in her eyes seem to dim, replaced with something akin to guilt, and the tension in her posture relaxes. When she responds to him, her tone is...remorseful.
"No...I'm sorry. I'd promised to be the one sharing things about my abilities, not you, and you've already shared your Quirk despite that. I...appreciate you humoring me with the challenge. Obviously, its...outcome...will stay between the two of us."
Rain breathes an internal sigh of relief at the response.
'Thank gods...I was right...'
Naturally, this won't stop her from knowing that there's something amiss with his abilities, but at least she won't be pressing him for details. He gives her a pleased smile.
"Great! Of course, I'll keep this between us as well. You're enough of a target without people knowing that you're carrying the world's first God Bloodline, so I assume that nobody else is aware?"
She shakes her head dismissively.
"Correct, you're the first person I've told...not even Elisa knew. She was worried about being the target of mental attacks. But you've said that you're immune to those, and we don't have a connection that would identify you as a target anyway."
He raises his eyebrows curiously...he hadn't considered that. When you think about it, he is kind of the perfect confidant. Still, she's put a lot of faith in him today by revealing her Bloodline...in return, he practically bullied her into ignoring his. He doesn't owe her answers, true, but...he's not immune to feeling sympathy.
He gives her an appreciative smile.
"I understand...thanks for confiding in me. Also, I know I was kind of...forceful...about getting you to stop asking me questions a few moments ago. But I don't want you to feel like I'm not invested in our alliance, so...ask me a different question. I'll do my best to answer it."
She widens her eyes in surprise. For a moment, she seems like she's about to object, or at least ask him if he's sure, but then her curiosity appears to win out. Ultimately, she just nods at him appreciatively, her eyes studying him as she leans forward.
"Well...thank you. In that case, I'd like to know...do you have a second Talent?"
Rain's eyes widen in shock. He can't imagine what could possibly possess her to ask such a question. That is...unless...
'She must have a second Talent as well...why else would that even cross her mind?'
On one hand, admitting that he has two Talents is tantamount to admitting that he has a crazy powerful, God-tier rarity Bloodline. He should be hiding information like that. On the other hand, she...kind of already suspects that much. Plus, if she also has two Talents, it somehow makes her feel like a safer person to confide in...someone more like him than others. He's also the one who offered answers to her...so it'd be a little rude to back out.
Quickly making up his mind, Rain flashes a wide smile at Ronin. Her eyes were studying him intently, but her expression becomes hopeful when she sees his reaction. His tone turns amused...excited...and he leans towards her eagerly.
"So, you too, huh?"
Her eyes widen in surprise, her voice becoming uncharacteristically flustered.
"I...wait...so you're saying you do?"
His smile turns amused, and he nods at her impatiently.
"Yes, I do. And you?"
She blinks in surprise, seemingly taken aback by his direct answer. She responds in a stunned voice.
"Uhm...yes...me, too. That's the final thing that I was going to tell you...what my second Talent does."
He leans forward a little, his eyes shining excitedly.
"Well...if you're offering...please do."
Slowly returning to her calm default, she seems to consider how she wants to respond for several moments.
"It's...a temporary physical enhancement, of sorts...called Fated Strike. It's like it alters my target's destiny so that their defense is compromised by an entire Prestige level, at the exact time and place my attack hits them. The downside is that it requires a lot of Ichor to use. Thankfully, my other Talent, Foresight, doesn't require any Ichor."
His eyes widen in shock, mulling over her explanation.
'That's amazing...it's like a more reliable, Ichor-hungrier version of Fickle Strength. Honestly, I'm kind of jealous...her Talents might be even better than mine.'
He directs a bitter look at her.
"Ronin...that's just plain unfair...seriously. My Talent raises the Prestige of my body and all my summoned Relics by one tier for a single strike, and it doesn't use Ichor. But it only has a random, one in five chance of succeeding when activated...the rest of the time it does nothing. Yours sounds more useful to me."
Her face twists in confusion.
"Yes, that does sound rather...odd. I didn't know your physical enhancement Talent has such a caveat. Still, if you use it strategically, it could be more effective than mine in prolonged fights, since it doesn't need Ichor. Using Fated Strike three times is enough to completely drain my reserves."
He guesses that she has a point, but having to land five times as many strikes to do the same amount of damage seems like it'd be detrimental in most short-term fights, where one or two strategic blows are the goal.
He glances back at Ronin, and sees her studying him intently, wearing a conflicted expression. He raises his eyebrows questioningly.
"Uhm...what is it, Ronin?"
She becomes slightly flustered by the question, he blue eyes darting away from him briefly, and her voice sounds embarrassed when she speaks.
"Ah...I uhm...was just wondering what your second Talent is..."
She glances back at him, her eyes hopeful but not expectant. She's obviously curious about his other ability, but doubts that he'll tell her. He purses his lips thoughtfully.
'Well...that is the only real secret I have left from everyone here now, except my Lineage and the finer details of my Bloodline. Since hiding the latter two doesn't give me any strategic advantage in battle...'
He smiles apologetically at the patiently waiting Ronin.
"I'd...rather not say just yet. But ask me again after the Crucible, when we start training together and relying on one another in combat. I'd be willing to tell you then, I think. How's that?"
Ronin's lips move into a subtle smile, the tension in her face disappearing, and her eyes seem to warm slightly. Her voice becomes softer than normal...friendly.
"That sounds...nice. I'm glad to hear you planning for the future like that...expecting to trust me."
He gives her a sheepish grin, his tone becoming a bit embarrassed. Gratitude like that makes him uncomfortable.
"Uhm...yeah...don't mention it. Besides, you're the one who really did most of the trusting here today. Do you regret telling me so much? I mean...you basically don't have any secrets left...not when it comes to your abilities."
She gives him a humorless smile.
"No...regrets are a luxury I can't afford at present. Besides, I think your support is genuine. Honestly, even if I'm wrong and have to fight you to the death, none of my abilities work on you, remember? So, I haven't really disadvantaged myself by sharing them with you."
He chuckles darkly, thrown by the unexpectedly pragmatic justification of her trusting actions.
"Wow...you're just brimming with optimism about me, aren't you?"
A faint smirk comes to her face, and her blue eyes turn uncharacteristically earnest. At the same time, she offers her hand forward to him.
"Actually...yes. I truly am, Rain. And I want to thank you...for everything. I already feel better about the future than I did this morning."
He glances down at her outstretched hand, then back at her warm and patient expression. After a moment, he returns a smirk of his own and grasps her hand firmly.
"Don't start thinking I'm selfless or something...I'm looking forward to working with you, Ronin."