Azrath could not believe what he was seeing! He sat in the branches of the tree closest to Noel and the Ahngreel staring at them in disbelief. He had spent the past twenty minutes debating whether to follow Noel or not. And when he’d finally made his decision, what does he find? Not only was Noel spending time training with the boy, but she also looked like she was enjoying herself!

She was smiling as she punched his palm over and over. The Ahngreel boy was smiling as well. As she hit his hand, the boy would, on occasion, give Noel a suggestion like, "Relax your shoulders" or "Tighten your elbows closer to your body." And, on other occasions, Noel would lean in and tell him something that Azrath could not hear. Her shoulders would shake with silent laughter while the Ahngreel stared at her bemusedly.

Azrath was at a loss for what he should do. Something about the scene below made Azrath feel like an interloper like watching something he shouldn’t. Still, he remained where he was for a good few minutes, watching the two in silence as they continued their sparring. And…was he wearing her shirt?! Azrath distinctly remembered that grinning creature. What was going on?!

Maybe he should go. Even hidden among the leaves, Azrath almost felt like a third wheel.

But then the fiend suddenly seized Noel by the wrist and pulled her toward him.

She gasped, "What are you doing?!"

And all of Azrath’s reservations vanished in an instant.

"You stop right where you are!" he said as he burst from the tree, claws at the ready. "Don’t you dare hurt her, you filth!"

The two looked up at him. Far from being frightened, Noel was as calm as if Azrath had walked up casually.

"Hey, Azrath," said Noel with a little wave of her captured hand. "Glad you decided to come out."

Judging by her expression and the Ahngreel’s curious sideways glance, Azrath understood that she had staged the whole thing.

Azrath sputtered. "Y-you knew I was up there?! For how long?"

"A while," she said, "Buster here sensed your presence." Noel jabbed a thumb at him.

"'Sup," said the Ahngreel with a wave of his own. "Name’s Brinn, but you can call me Buster." He let go of Noel as his smile broadened. "So, you must be Azrath! I’ve heard you’re a pretty great teacher. And I can tell! The way you masked your presence was nothin’ short of impressive. I could barely tell you were there with how weak your aura was!"

"Masked my presence…? What are you—?" It took Noel covering her mouth as she suppressed a giggle for Azrath to understand what the boy had said. "Why yes!" he said with false bravado. "Of course, I masked my presence! I merely…wished to test you. And you passed! Impressive, most impressive."

Noel’s giggles intensified. But the Ahngreel Buster’s eyes shone with admiration. "I’d expect nothin’ less from Noel’s teacher. Only a master could appear so weak! Totally amazin’, sir."

Sir, did he say? Azrath had to give Buster this; even if what he said was an insult—though a well-meaning one—he knew how to show respect, unlike someone he knew. Azrath shot the laughing Noel a dirty look.

She tried to make her face as innocent as possible, but Noel’s lips were tight as they tried to contain more laughs. Azrath’s scowl deepened. 

Buster did not seem to notice either of their expressions as he continued to beam up at Azrath. "I can see why Noel respects you so much."

Now it was Noel’s turn to scowl. "Whoever said I respected Azrath?!"

Buster looked at her with mild confusion and said in a tone of stating the obvious, "Well, you wouldn’t take your trainin’ so seriously if you didn’t have some dedication to his lessons."

"That’s because my life’s on the line! That has nothing to do with him!"

The Ahngreel gave a laugh. "You can’t fool me, Noel. I can tell you’ve been workin’ hard at what he’s taught you." His eyes returned to Azrath, "Flow, right?"

"Y-yes," said Azrath. He continued to watch Noel as she quietly seethed. Did he just manage to silence Noel, the queen of back sass? Azrath’s initial thought was that her mind must have been captured as Hilqamaar had done, but there was such an air of innocence—one most unbefitting of an Ahngreel—about the boy that Azrath couldn’t help but feel a pit of guilt at having thought poorly of him. Then he shook himself.

Azrath had to be careful not to fall for the same charm that had inexplicably captured Noel. Ahngreel are the enemy, he reminded himself. They are the enemy!

"Your Hidaar knows perfectly well what we’re up to," said Azrath in a much harsher tone. "We’ve been practicing Dynamic Drift."

"Azrath!" said Noel putting hands on hips. Though Buster, once again, seemed clueless of either of them as his face shone with sudden glee.

"No way!" said Buster, "Dynamic Drift?! Is that an attack you named yourself?"

"Why…yes?" said Azrath taken aback by the boy’s boundless enthusiasm.

"That is so Ahngreel!" Buster pumped his fists in front of his chest several times like he was trying to shake water off them, "Do you shout it out when you use it?"

Azrath could barely contain his disdain at being compared to an Ahngreel, "Of course not! That’s completely ridiculous! Who would ever do something like that?"

He saw Noel’s face go red before she covered it with her hands. Oh, right. Although, in her case, it might be more of a compulsion due to Urzuran’s influence. Maybe Urzuran had the same passion for naming attacks? Who knew? Was he the one who came up with Holy Lightbeam Attack? He certainly worked in mysterious ways. And a sense of humor.

Buster was not deterred for a moment, "You should sometime! There’s nothin’ like reachin’ a critical moment in a fight and lettin’ loose with all you’ve got! When you go in for the final blow and your energy is all in your fist, you shout the name of your attack as you unleash it. Oh, is it satisfyin’! You know what I mean?"

"No." Just watching this Ahngreel dance around make Azrath tired. "And besides, Dynamic Drift isn’t just some punch. It’s all about the flow and movement of an opponent, anticipating their momentum and using it against them."

"I get it!" said Buster, "It’s all about the footwork then, just like boxin’."

"Not exactly." He had no idea what the boy was talking about. Azrath looked to Noel for help. She only shrugged in response.

"Well, if you know about flow, then you’ve gotta know about rhythm, then? It’s an essential part of battle. All great fighters know about it!"

"Rhythm? I…uh…of course I know about rhythm." He was lying through his teeth. "But for Noel’s sake, why don’t you explain it?"

"Hey!" said Noel. She didn’t say anything more than that, however. In fact, her expression was relieved. It seemed that she wanted an explanation just as much as he did.

"Sure," said Buster with a shrug, "It’s pretty easy. Rhythm’s just someone’s natural tempo. It’s their own personal beat, how they move, how they attack, and even how they think. Everyone’s rhythm is different. The real test is how two rhythms collide in a fight; a true battle is about how to learn and control an opponent’s tempo while keepin’ your own in check."

Azrath was astounded by Buster’s concise explanation. It made sense. As a veteran fighter himself, Azrath had never had a name for it, but he knew the feeling well. The feeling of learning all there was to know about his opponent as he fought and exploited the weaknesses that would inevitably crop up. It had been intrinsic in Dynamic Drift without him realizing it.

"Is that why you had me punch you over and over?" said Noel.

"Yep, makes sense now, right?" Buster continued, "Rhythm sounds easy enough, but it’s actually mega-tough to master. All the top Ahngreel not only have complete control of their rhythm, but they can change it on a whim and adapt to their opponent like they were a different fighter."

"They can?" said Noel, her eyes round with worry. "What does that mean for me?"

The boy’s face grew serious, "It means that the Hidaar knew what he was doin’ when he picked Hilqamaar. That guy relied too much on gimmicky Arts to be a real threat. If you had faced me first, you would have never stood a chance."

Noel swallowed loudly. At her fear, Buster’s face brightened.

"Of course, that didn’t happen. I’m glad it didn’t because I got to meet you, Noel! And you would have never given me a friend!"

 Azrath opened his mouth to say something. Then he realized what Buster had said, "A friend? You called him a friend?!" It was clear that the Ahngreel had no idea what that word meant, but Noel knew. Her face told him all Azrath needed to know as took on that defiant expression that he knew so well.

"Yeah? What of it? Are you gonna tell me that I can’t be friends with an Ahngreel?" She folded her arms across her chest and raised an eyebrow as she waited for an answer.

"It wouldn’t matter if I did!"

"Now you’re getting it!" She turned to Buster, "So, what can I do about my lack of rhythm?"

"Simple," he said, "Practice until you find a constant tempo."

"That’s what I was worried about," said Noel, her face turning sour.

"And you’ve gotta get those emotions of yours under check."

"Huh?! What are you implying?" Noel soured into a deeper scowl.

"Nothin’?" Buster gave Azrath a confused look. Of the boy’s many talents, one he did not possess was tact. He just did not know how to talk to women. For that matter, neither did Azrath. He was on his own.

Noel’s face relaxed slightly, "Wouldn’t it be better to be erratic like you said?"

"No. Because it makes you predictable." Buster was calm even as Noel glared at him, "Even though it might sound like the other way around, a master of rhythm can still anticipate your every attack. If a master wanted to disrupt his own rhythm intentionally, that’s one thing, but at the highest level, fighters operate on what I like to call calculated instinct."

"Fighting beyond thought while still adapting to an opponent." Azrath understood well. That was the highest level of Dynamic Drift. He’d only reached it a few times during the war. It was like a form of enlightenment. As if his mind, body, and the world were one.

"So, you know it then, Teach?" said Buster, "I’ve never done it myself, but Oriander says it’s like his body moves on its own long before he’s even registered his thoughts. That’s the level you need to reach if you want to have any chance of matchin’ him."

"And I thought it was going to be easy," said Noel, her voice rich with sarcasm.

"Never said that." Buster rubbed the back of his neck with a hand. "And it’s gonna be even tougher to reach the Hidaar. The gap between him and Oriander is big. Like, really big. But I can tell that you have potential when you find your rhythm."

"If I find it, you mean."

To his surprise, Azrath found himself on the Ahngreel’s side. "I guarantee that you will."

"He’s right," said Buster, "In fact, why don’t we have a little sparrin’ match?"

Noel jumped, "Wait, right now?"

Buster nodded, "Yeah, but I wasn’t talkin’ to you." His eyes fell upon Azrath. They glittered with eager anticipation. "I want you and me to show her how it’s done."

"Me?!" Azrath "Why me?"

The Ahngreel gave him a wry smile. "I have a feelin’ that Noel needs to see what rhythm and flow can really do. I won’t be holdin’ back, and I hope you’ll do the same."

Azrath just stared at him. Was this some trick to eliminate him and take over as her teacher? Perhaps this was his true goal all along. But as Azrath stared into the boy’s eyes, he had the distinct impression that Buster’s only concern was Noel’s improvement. There was such an earnestness in them that Azrath understood why Noel had such faith in him.

He may have been an Ahngreel, but his battle genius was exactly what she needed. There was only so far that Azrath alone could take her.

"Very well."

"Aw yeah!" said Buster with a clap of his hands, "Now we’re talkin’! A battle with Noel’s teacher. This’ll be sweet!"

"Wait a second!" said Noel, stepping between them, "If you’re not planning to hold back, someone could get hurt or worse."

"Don’t worry, Noel," said Azrath, "This is not about strength." If it came to that, he would lose by a furlong."

"Right you are, Teach." Buster was rolling his right shoulder. "I wanna see your Dynamic Drift for myself."

"Likewise with your boxing." Even if it went against Urzuran’s teachings, Azrath still felt anticipation well up within his tiny body. It made him sick that he was so eager to see what this boy could do.

Noel looked between them with concern. After a moment, she sighed and threw up her hands, "All right then. Who am I to get in between boys and their stupid competitions?" And with that, she walked away and sat in the shade of the tree, legs crossed.

"Make sure you watch me closely, Noel," said Buster, "Not that your gonna wanna look away. I’m gonna work hard to dazzle you!"

Noel’s cheeks reddened, but she kept her eyes locked on the two of them.

Azrath was perplexed by the two of them. If he didn’t know any better… He shook himself. There was no need to dwell on their bizarre relationship. Right now, he had to focus. This was for Noel. He had to do his best as well.

He locked eyes with the Ahngreel’s, whose excitement was almost contagious.

"We go on your word, Noel," said Azrath. "Agreed?"

Buster nodded, his expression hardened into concentration. "Just make sure not to cut my shirt. It means a lot to me!"

"S-shut up!" said Noel, her face reddening further. "Just start your stupid match already!"