Starlight's new training regime improved them at a very rapid pace. Pearl and her protege were remarkable in terms of honing in on a person's skills. Still, it was truthfully thanks to Reynolds that such an improvement happened in the first place. From fighting Adelle, most of the team, excluding Deveron, learned how to control their energy into a protective aura, negating attacks for a limited amount of time. Alexia’s control of the periodic table increased as well in such a short time-span. But, her efficiency in manifesting stars only grew with a few more tricks up her sleeve. Heidi’s singularity was proficient enough to the point her alteration of heat started to manifest itself into magma and lava related attacks. Any sort of heat-based material she could easily control when the right requirements were met.
Cheveyo still utilized his many spirits, but now he has the willpower to dive deeper and tap into the more unnatural ones. As for Roy, his proficiency in body enhancements allowed him to awaken a second singularity. A noticeable increase in speed mixed with a hint of electricity caught Reynold's attention.
This rapid increase in development brought a smile to Reynolds' face. Perhaps now he could stun the nation with this team. But, their training was far from over. They still had until December to prepare. A week had already passed since their training with Pearl and Adelle began, and a rough week it was.
“Heh~! So what did you think that time?”Alexia nudged Adelle by her side. The two of them seemed to be getting along well. Adelle returned to offer back to Alexia, elbowing her in the gut.
“Quite. I must say you’re more trouble than you’re worth. Each time we fight, you just keep getting better and better... So tell me, what was that thing in the sky?” Adelle adjusted herself to stand up properly after being nudged.
“Oh. You noticed? Well, it's a secret.”
“A secret, hm? No matter, we all have our secrets.” To Adelle, Alexia was quite the fighter. Every time they fought, the faster Alexia caught up to her. Out of the entire team, Alexia seemed to be the most adaptable and creative one. When it came to pure ingenuity in a fight, Alexia was becoming exceptionally talented at it. What a troublesome team, she just helped improve. If Adelle had to give a standing on where Starlight would be if placed in the realm of France nationally, they’d be at least 29th or 30th in terms of school rankings. But, to America, such a scale like that meant little.
Adelle glanced over to Pearl, hoping her mentor would help her out in this next fight. But, she was chatting it up with Roy and Heidi giving them tips on improving even more. The aspect of unlocking a second singularity wasn’t uncommon, but it was quite challenging. The body needed to be under pressure to awaken a second ability. Even then, what you’d get would be left up to fate. Not only that, you’d need to be efficient with your starting power as well.
“Deary, you all have progressed quite remarkably. But, your new techniques and tricks are still amateur level. But that is all the time we can give you.” Pearl looked at the four within the room; Deveron was still nowhere to be seen.
“Thank you very much!” Heidi was in quite the spirited mood, of course, who wouldn’t be, progressing rapidly in such a short time thanks to professionals' skill. However, as they said, their level was still amateur.
“We can still train! For I still have this!” Alexia reached into her uniform, pulling out the card Campbell gave her back at the tournament. Pearl immediately swiped it, taking a gander at what was on it.
“How rare. Campbell inviting someone to test his dolls. If he invited you, then that means he saw something special in you. Isn’t this today? His facility is in town, though it says you can only invite one other person.”
Alexia attempted to take the card back, only to be easily pushed away by Pearl. Reynolds moved in to take the card from Pearl. Alexia grew frustrated that she couldn’t take the card away from Pearl. Still, Pearl was flustered, having the card taken away by Reynolds.
“I remember this now, you did mention this, but it says you can only invite a single partner from your team to join you.” Reynolds flipped the card over, seeing if there was any other information. Though he was only met with minimal text that he couldn’t decipher.
“Oh! I can go!” Heidi raised her hand immediately, moving over to Alexia.
“Yeah~! It’ll be great. Think we can go now?” Alexia looked to Reynolds, who knew if they kept skipping school days, all of them would need to cram as much info before finals, but that wasn’t until next year.
“Look as much as I’d lo-” Reynolds paused only to be interrupted by Pearl.
“Now, now. Let’s allow the two birds to flock to their destination. I shall take it upon myself to show them the way; Adelle will also.”
“W-What?” Adelle grinned, turning at Pearl, not really wanting to go towards some cramped facility.
“Yes, it will be a good experience for you also. You have not fought his dolls. They’re quite capable of preparing you for the Euro League.” With that, Pearl and Reynolds agreed, Cheveyo and Roy were needed elsewhere in the school. Heidi didn’t mind skipping a class or two; Adelle was less than enthusiastic about this. Fighting robots wasn’t what she signed up for.
The four of them departed from the academy heading to Campbell’s facility. Upon arriving, Alexia and Heidi were met with a familiar face, Maria, accompanied by Angela.
“Mary?! You’re here too?” Alexia forgot they were also invited by Campbell.
“Of course~. As if I’d miss this opportunity for our second match.” A smirk showcasing itself on Maria, she was ready to go at it as always. Angela pulled on Mary’s cheek just to have her keep their focus.
“Now, now, Mary. We’re only here so he can sponsor us for the individuals! Don’t go screwing this up!” Angela let go of Mary’s cheek.
“Ow Ow Ow! Yeah, Yeah! All I have to do is break some robots. Easy.” The seething pain from the side of her mouth became eased once Maria placed her hand against it. “What’s the worst that can h-” Yet again, She was pinched!
“Don’t go saying that! You keep jinxing us!!” Angela stopped, controlling her temper for the moment. Keeping Maria on a leash was a difficult task, but one she was ready to achieve victory over! Her eyes shifted onto Heidi. Upon their eyes locking, Alexia and Maria felt the tension in the air.
“Have you grown since the tournament?” Angela asked, only for Heidi to smile brightly, her confidence much more profound. Though, it was clear the way she held her posture was fashioned like Adelle and Pearl. Likely, out of Pearl being her and Roy’s favorite pro-fighter.
“I have. If we have an opportunity to battle, then I’d love to show you what I can do this time around.”
“Good to hear it. I look forward to it myself.” Angela extended her hand out for Heidi. The two of them shook hands, the tension Alexia and Maria sensed subsiding. The doors to the facility opened up, and there to greet the six of them was none other than Campbell.
“HELLO~!!! Welcome! My most prestigious guests!” A cheeky smile on his face, but his attitude much more bright. When he saw Pearl, his face twitched a tad, but only Pearl noticed it. Her eyes steered off to the left, watching birds fly off in the distance.
“Right this way~. Inside you’ll find all the equipment you’ll need to make you stronger.” Campbell showed the girls in, leading them towards a testing chamber. Pearl followed behind at a slower pace, more so getting the feel of the facility.
Making their way down the halls, various technicians and scientists would be filtered about in the area. Some rushed to their next destination, while a few held documents in their hands. Alexia noticed some of them wore protective vests underneath their coats. Guards among those within the facility blending in well.
Campbell stopped at a set of two steel doors, taking out an I.D card and swiping it against a panel the doors opened up. Revealing a large empty room.
“Alright, this is where you’ll be training, kids~. My lovely assistant will be with you shortly.”
“Wait, but where is the machine?” Alexia was perplexed as to why they were stepping foot into an empty and plain-looking room.
“The machine is the room. Now, don’t worry too much about the details. Just step in and have fun.” Campbell quickly gave a wave goodbye walking off. Pearl stood there, not really looking into heading inside.
“He’s in a rush. But, you heard him step inside. The room itself is still in an experimental phase still, but it’s gone through hundreds of tests. It can simulate fields similar to that of the national machines.” Throughout arriving on this trip, Pearl’s manner of speech returned to normalcy. No crowds around to keep up the act, and being in such a place like this put her on edge for some reason. Her hand gestured to the others to go inside now.
Alexia had to force Adelle in upon the young girl's refusal to step foot inside. A sense of claustrophobia, perhaps? Despite the room itself being rather large, to those inside, it felt small. The doors behind the five girls shut; they were now in an eternal white void.
“System start!” A robotic voice echoed in the room, only for the entire void to transform into a large stadium arena. All five of them centered in the middle.
“Whoa! This is bigger than I expected it to be!” Angela, amazed by the stadium and the square-tiled fighting arena, placed her hands onto Maria’s shoulder. “So are we fighting each other? If so, is it a free-for-all?” Maria allowed her energy to flow, the fighting spirit gleaming in her eye.
“I-I don’t think that’s going to happen anytime soon, Mary.” Heidi looked around a bit confused, only to be stopped by the sound of metal clanging against the stone. All of their attention turned to the east part of the arena. A figure with loose wires, bolts about to bust off its hinges, and hardly anything supporting this scantily clad skeleton that one would call an android—clearly, an older model.
“Allow me to test you. Step forth...Registering...Challenger!” The android stood there motionless, awaiting one of them to make the first move.
“Urgh...They’re giving us this as a first test?” Adelle couldn’t believe it. Yet, the first one to take the offer was Maria herself.
“GO!!!” Breaking free from Angela’s grasp and sending their fist wailing towards the android. The next few seconds were witnessed by the poor robot being sent flying through the stadium broken into pieces.
The rest of the girls were left speechless. Adelle merely took her parasol and unfolded it, only wishing to remain idle. Then, the same robotic voice echoed across the arena.
“Strength analyzed, updating counterattack procedures.”
“Hehe, you hear that? Counterattack.” Maria readied herself. Only for Angela to grab her and pull them back to the others. “Now look at what you’ve done! You caused the harder ones to appear!” Just as Angela started bickering away at Maria. From the ends of the arena, twenty androids appeared this time, unlike the old one. Their figure resembled that of faceless humans, both male and female, neither in clothing. Only their metallic smoothness is a distinct feature and blue lines around key areas of the body, such as the shoulders, thighs, head, and stomach.
As swiftly as they appeared, the androids attacked!
“This is my first time fighting something that isn’t really human. Should I be concerned?” Alexia braced herself, only for Adelle to gently brush up against them from behind. “No.” Only leaving Adelle’s voice before she took her parasol and swung it in the direction of the androids. A gust of wind picking up half of them and knocking them out into the arena stands.
On the opposite side of the two, Maria attempted to intercept the other half coming their way, only for Heidi to interrupt her. The clouds parted ways as the gentle embrace of light shined down onto the stadium. The temperature rapidly increased. Before the androids made it close, parts of their bodies, including the head, legs, and chest areas, burst into flames from the amount of heat being concentrated on them.
Angela wiped away the sweat from her forehead, feeling the heat subsiding. If she was any closer to Heidi, then she’d likely have fainted from the intense heat. “So you did learn something new?”
“No, No. That’s just my usual ability. I need specific conditions before I can show it off.”
Specific conditions to be met? Angela started to worry about that one. It was already rough fighting a walking sunbath. What would she even call Heidi now? The idle thoughts quickly subsided the moment the same robotic voice announced itself.
“Scanning. Threat level confirmed. Proceeding to final protocols.”
The arena shook, some of the tiles beneath them lifting up due to the rumbling. From the stadium's left side, the ground opened up, revealing a new android being lifted upward by a pillar. This android was different from the last, instead of having faceless features and showing wires all around it like the rest. Its skin resembled the girls standing there. This unit had short deep blue hair, sporting a white naval uniform fitted with an open heavy coat around it, black metallic stockings gently matching into slim fit boots. The color in their eyes at first started out as pink, only for the eye itself to spin around clockwise. Tiny numbers rapidly running through the Iris of this new unit, only for the eyes to stop and change into a greenish hue.
“Assessment: Five individual targets located — Distributing threat levels. Two regional threats confirmed.” The droid's eyes looked down at the group below, then spoke once more. “Registering Three national threats. Beginning assault protocol.”
Alexia quickly gripped her right hand, only to move forward and toss a small star at the android about the size of a fist. The tiny star pinged off the android as if nothing happened, only for it to slowly collapse its energy into thin air.
“Mockery: Your aim needs work. I suggest you test yourself elsewhere, Star-Child.” The android mimicked Alexia, also pointing its index finger at the girl. Compared to Alexia’s pity excuse of a star, the tension in the air thickened upon the manifestation of an orb at the tip of the droid's finger. Electricity discharged around it, and the heat started melting away the pillar. Then, it was released, piercing through the air, making its way to Alexia.
Adelle grabbed hold of Alexia’s arm moving them behind her, only to reflex the orb back at the droid with her parasol. The android calculated the trajectory of it being returned, quickly jumping off the pillar as the energy collided, vaporizing the pillar, then hitting the seats in the back, leaving a hole in the stadium.
Just as the android touched the ground, Maria tackled it, only to be easily thrown off afterwards. A good attempt, but the unit already adjusted to each fighter's weight and parameters. Their head turned towards Maria.
“Compliment: You have improved your speed since the last time, Maria Sutton.” The android would backhand Angela attempting to tackle them, also sending the poor girl out of bounds. Maria rose to her feet, taking a moment to witness future events. The android awaited Maria's response but received none. Working inside its head, the unit wondered why Maria did not attack nor speak back.
“Suggestion: Would you kindly atta-” The android got immediately knocked back by a star half the droid's size. The explosion was controlled by a fierce wind knocking it away from Maria and Angela. When the smoke cleared, the android was still standing, missing parts of its synthetic skin revealing the wires and inner mechanics. The hair on the unit was also blown off and half-burned.
“Apology: I am sorry for not introducing myself.” The android’s skin started to repair itself rapidly, and its hair started to regrow, changing from a deep blue to a fiery red.
“Whoa...So how many droids are like this?” Alexia hoped someone would answer her. This kind of training might take a turn for the worst if they weren’t careful. They knew when to hold back, at least with a living person, but the android was going all-out from the get-go.
“Do pray this is the only one.” Adelle commented, tightening her grip on the parasol. Heidi also braced herself. Once the Android was finished repairing itself, it noticed its clothing was a bit burned, yet paid it no mind.
The android's voice also started to change this time around, becoming less robotic and sounding far more organic in nature.“Introduction: You may simply call me… Byte.”
