The member of the class who was shocked the most by Line-sensei’s words was without a doubt Yuki, each of her classmates being stunned as well.

Even Hikaru’s fatigue disappeared when hearing Iceflame won’t be participating in the Class Battle, Exo’s surprise turning to despair very fast.

(Exo) ‘-So we’ll be left without Yuki in the field?! That’s it!! Whatever hope we had, it’s lost!!’

(Seiren) ‘-Hold it, Exo! We may be fighting without our baby doll, but Nightsong won’t be with her class, either, so I’d say the odds haven’t changed in either side’s favor yet!’

(Yuki) ‘-But why?! Why are the two of us excluded from the Class Battle? Is it a punishment for our previous fight?’

(Tenji) ‘-No. The purpose of a Class Battle is to demonstrate the participants’ skills and the two of you showed everything you have during your fight. Hence there’s no need for you to get involved now.’

(Yuki) ‘-But Ulura may have more tricks up her sleeve! There’s still time until the Class Battle, so can I learn some new stuff, too!! Please, sensei! It’s my fault this whole conflict started! I should fight by my classmates’ side as they face Nightsong’s class!! It’s the least I can do!!’

Hikaru put his hand on the white-haired beauty’s shoulder then, revealing his reassuring smile despite his exhausted appearance when his friend turned to him.

(Hikaru) ‘-Don’t worry about us, Yu. We’ll be fine. You already had your fair share of fun with Ulura, so now it’s our turn.’

(Yuki) ‘-But this …’

(Tenji) ‘-I’m sorry, Yuki, but I’m afraid there’s nothing I can do. The other reason for the exclusion of you and Ulura from the Class Battle is a request from her parents. Given the condition she was left in after her fight with you, the Nightsongs don’t want to see their daughter getting hurt bad again so soon. Leaving Ulura’s class with one member less while our class is in full strength would not be fair, so it was decided that due to the display of your abilities, you will be the one left out. Now the scales are even again.’

Yuki’s homeroom teacher kept talking after that, but she wasn’t listening anymore. She couldn’t focus on his words with the overwhelming sense of guilt swelling in her heart.

If she hadn’t stood up to Ulura, her victory wouldn’t have changed the students’ perception of Martian Class #3 and they wouldn’t have decided to challenge the baby doll’s classmates to a Class Battle. Some would say the black-haired tyrant was to blame for overreacting and challenging Yuki, but it was her choice that led to this turn of events. Hers and nobody else’s.

Maybe another reason for Hikaru to accept the challenge given by Hock and Gorudora was him thinking that since Yuki had stood up to Ulura, he needed to do the same with her classmates.

The kindness of all her classmates who had brought Iceflame nothing but joy since meeting them was repaid by her with dooming them to face Nightsong’s class. And she herself, the one truly responsible for the Class Battle happening in the first place, wasn’t even going to be a part of it.

‘-I won't let it end like this. I’ll keep training. As hard as possible. Hard enough to achieve results that can change both Line-sensei’s and the opinion of the other teachers as well, and even the Nightsongs’ opinion.’ thought the white-haired beauty who was dead-set on directly contributing to her class’ victory.

After Saya came home from work that day, she approached her to discuss both the coming Class Battle and how she could secure a position in her class’ team for it, this happening while the two were cooking dinner.

Hikaru and Graid were out in the yard, the spiky-haired teenager’s uncle having taken over from his mother to supervise his training, while Iziya and Rose were setting the table, the head of the Summerbolt family being able to focus her full attention on its newest member.

(Saya) ‘-You want me to train you to develop a new ability in five days? (the fiery mom left the knife she had been using up to that point  to cut a potato in large chunks on the cutting board, looking at Yuki now with a serious and somewhat sad expression) I understand why you want to do this, Yuki, but it doesn’t work like that. While being superhuman, your body still has its limits. Pushing yourself far beyond them is more likely to lead to negative side effects than help you discover a new ability.’

(Yuki) ‘-So you’re saying I should just stand by while Hikaru and the others are giving everything they’ve got to prepare? Saya, that’s something I could never do. Isn’t there something that can be done about this? How else can I change Line-sensei’s mind and that of the others?’

(Saya) ‘-Line isn’t the problem, nor anyone else in Sunbird. It’s the Nightsongs. Those two and especially Ukris will not be swayed after she’s made a decision, no matter what.’

(Yuki) ‘-Do you know them? Ulura’s parents, I mean.’

Saya turned her eyes away from Yuki now, the baby doll still being able to see the tensing of the muscles all over the face of Hikaru’s mother.

(Saya) ‘-Let’s just say I’ve had dealings with them in the past. I would like that to never happen again. If Ulura won’t be participating in the Class Battle, it makes me happy that you or Hikaru won’t have to deal with a Nightsong any longer. You dealt plenty with one of them already and have suffered enough, so I think it will actually be better for you not to be a part of the coming fight.’

(Yuki) ‘-But, Saya …’

Saya cleared her throat to interrupt the icy beauty before she could finish her sentence.

(Saya) ‘-Seeing how stubborn you are about this, though, I’ll see what I can do. Firstly, you’ll have to keep up your physical training with Hikaru. You’ve only used the full extent of your powers once but you didn’t know nearly enough about them, then, so it will be different now. For someone who hasn’t used a 100% deva output, suddenly releasing all that power can prove to be a great strain and by the time you get used to it, your opponents will have taken you out.

Hikaru’s class had never participated in a Class Battle, while Ulura’s class has done it two times already, so they have the advantage of experience over you guys as well. You need to develop your stamina as much as possible to match what they have.

Next up, the development of your abilities. Let’s start with the five basic abilities for every deviant. Have they tested how good you are at each of those?’

(Yuki) ‘-No. I don’t even know what those five abilities are.’

(Saya) ‘-It’s a set of five distinct abilities that every deviant, no matter the deva they possess, should be able to use. They include creating some structure from one’s deva, creating clones, manifesting one’s totem animal, cladding oneself in one’s deva and running one’s deva through organic and inorganic surfaces. I know you can run your ice through things because Hikaru told me you channeled it through the ground to create a mass of ice spikes under the feet of the bastard that attacked you three last week. You told me you covered yourself in ice armor when you fought Ulura, right?’

(Yuki) ‘-Yeah. A couple of times.’

(Saya) ‘-You can clad yourself in your deva as well, then. The spikes, blades and needles you create with your ice count as structures, so that’s one more ability you have. What about your totem? Have they tested you to find out what it is?’

(Yuki) ‘-It’s a deer.’

(Saya) ‘-Oh, nice one. An Artiodactyla like mine.’

(Yuki) ‘-I haven’t asked actually, now that I think about it. What’s your totem?’

(Saya) ‘-A ram.’

(Yuki) ‘-And Hikaru’s?’

(Saya) ‘-A sabertooth, the same animal as the totem of our family. We can leave the questions about everyone’s totems for later, though.’

(Yuki) ‘-Sorry, I got off track.’

(Saya) ‘-Have you managed to create a deer out of your ice yet?’

(Yuki) ‘-I’ve tried, but it hasn’t worked.’

(Saya) ‘-Don’t worry. While being able to use all five basic abilities, most deviants excel at using one of them over the others. Considering your ice’s a static type deva, creating clones shouldn’t be hard. It’s much simpler than manifesting your totem animal. Have you tried that before?’

(Yuki) ‘-No, not yet.’

Iziya and Rose came in the kitchen, Hikaru’s aunt going to wash her hands first while his grandmother waited.

(Iziya) ‘-Table’s all set.’

(Rose) ‘-How’s dinner coming along?’

(Saya) ‘-I put the last batch of potatoes a minute ago, so it’s going to take a bit longer. (she turned to Yuki) You can go to the yard to get those two up here, though, Yu. And make Hikaru explain the creation of clones to you.’

The baby doll replied with a nod and left the kitchen, going into the dining room and down the stairs from there. She passed through the second floor where the bath and the toilet were, finally reaching the first floor where Rose’s room was, going out the door and around the back to the middle-sized yard of the Summerbolt residence.

Hikaru currently laid on his back with a number of bruises on him while breathing heavily on the grass between the two apple trees in the yard, Graid leaning on one of them as he observed his nephew.

(Graid) ‘-You’re a long way from catching up to my speed, boy. Take this seriously. Hock’s got a Daroid deva as well and if you go up against him in the Class Battle, he’ll kick your ass in less than a minute.’

The mad bolt grunted while trying to get back up on his feet.

(Hikaru) ‘-I don’t get it. You’ve got a much bigger muscle mass than me. How can you move that fast?!’

(Graid) ‘-Using elemental teleportation and the Daroid for faster movement is not the same thing.’

(Hikaru) ‘-You’re right. My teleportation ought to be faster because my body doesn’t take any stress and only my deva is used when teleporting.’

Yuki got to the duo just then, helping Hikaru up as the ultrauncle grinned.

(Graid) ‘-You’re slower because you’re going at only a 15% output.’

The spiky-haired teenager looked at his uncle with utter shock now.

(Hikaru) ‘-You’re saying you’ve been using more than 15% all this time? Since when?’

(Graid) ‘-Since before you were born, kid.’

(Hikaru) ‘-But I don’t see … doesn’t it affect your body?’

(Graid) ‘-I’ve trained myself in order to build enough stamina to withstand a higher output with no drawbacks. Which is the reason for the training you’re going through right now. Although you’ll be able to use your deva freely during the Class Battle, you body’s not ready for that yet. Thus using a 100% output will quickly lead to your exhaustion. You won’t have a short fight on your hands as the one with that guy at the construction site, so tiring yourself out early on can prove fatal.’

(Yuki) ‘-Dinner’s almost ready.’

(Graid) ‘-Let’s get to eating, then! We’ll get back to training afterwards.’

(Hikaru) ‘-I’ve got some homework to do, so …’

Yuki’s friend who was supported by her received a Reloid-enveloped slap on the back of the head for that, clearly having irritated Graid

(Graid) ‘-The hell with your homework! You can do that later! I have work to do, so I won’t be able to train you all night!’

(Yuki) ‘-I’ll be joining you for training later as well.’

(Hikaru) ‘-Huh? Why train when you won’t be participating in the Class Battle?’

(Yuki) ‘-I won’t let you guys fight this battle alone. I’ll find a way to secure my place among you. We’ll take them down together, Hikaru. I promise.’

 (Hikaru) ‘-I think I’m the one who should be apologizing, actually. To you and to the rest of the class as well. I accepted Hock and Gorudora’s challenge, after all, so it’s my fault there’s even going to be a Class Battle.’

(Yuki) ‘-But you did it because you knew a Class Battle is what everyone wanted, right?’

(Hikaru) ‘-That’s what I thought but maybe some of our classmates are of a different opinion and just don’t want to say that to my face. Except for Exo. He’s being painfully honest about his unwillingness to participate.’

(Yuki) ‘-He’ll come around. I’ll help with that however I can. And you don’t have to feel that kind of guilt. I think … maybe having a Class Battle became inevitable from the moment I faced Ulura. (Hikaru was getting ready to respond when Yuki interrupted him) Which is why I’d like to ask you to explain to me how to create clones.’

(Hikaru) ‘-Clones? Why?’

(Yuki) ‘-I talked with Saya about how my skills can be improved to convince Line-sensei and the rest to let me join you guys in the Battle and she suggested mastering clone creation.’

(Hikaru) ‘-Alright, then. (just as he said that, the two friends and Graid reached the long oval table of light-brown wood in the dining room where Saya, Iziya and Rose were serving dinner) Eat up well, Yuki. If you’re serious about this, you’ll have to go through tortures too great even for a superhuman.’