Coughing from the strain of his automated body manipulation, Corona was laid out on a bed in the infirmary.
Beside him were Nove and Otto.
"I tried my best, but I couldn't reach him. As expected, Einhart is strong..."
"But you had her on the ropes. You might've won if it weren't for that weird armor!"
"I heard that armor was a gift from Tsukishiro-san."
"Ah... from him, huh?"
Nove, for her part, had heard about Shou from Teana (since her sister Subaru couldn't explain it well).
The story was that Shou might be involved in the crime that Section 6 was currently investigating.
Of course, she didn't doubt Shou, who never showed any such signs.
"(But to be able to prepare something like that... is it okay?)"
As Nove fell silent, Otto spoke up.
"It was still a great match! Lady Corona, you were amazing as always."
"Thank you, Otto. Thanks to you, I was able to fight until the end!"
"Ah... ah, that's right!"
Nove pushed the doubts from her mind.
"Everyone in the audience saw how incredible you are. Your original art, My Arts, is a great technique with endless applications. You can use it in so many ways if you train hard enough!... So,"
He said, a little hesitantly.
"We can keep going with this team, right?"
"Yes! I'm a member of Team Nakajima. I want to keep practicing with everyone!"
"Then, if you'd like, I'd be happy to continue being your trainer."
"Yes. Thank you, Otto!"
With renewed determination, Corona's days of training began again.
---------
"Hurry, hurry! Vivio's match is about to start!!"
"Nanoha, over here!"
Nanoha and Fate had finished their work and were running towards the venue.
There were three other women running in the same direction.
"Hurry, hurry! If we don't go fast, the match will start~!"
"We can still make it! Watch your step!"
It was Hayate, Signum, Shamal, Rein, and Agito—five of them.
"Hayate!"
"Did your meeting finish?"
"Nanoha-chan and Fate-chan!! As you can see, we're barely late!"
The match between Corona and Einhart had already finished. It was an understatement to say they were late.
However, they were just, just, just in time for the next match.
The match between Vivio and Miura.
---------
And here, in the fighters' waiting room.
Corona and Einhart, along with Rio and Kirin, had finished their treatment and saw Vivio and her second, Kro, off to the venue.
"Corona, are you sure you don't need to lie down? I heard what happened..."
"I'm fine! I want to cheer for Vivio's match with everyone."
Even so, fighters who have already finished their matches can't stay in the waiting room forever.
Corona and Einhart were going to join Nanoha and the others in the spectator seats to cheer them on.
"Oh. That's nice. Looks like everyone's together."
"Mikaya-san!? Kisara-san too!"
Mikaya and Kisara had also come to watch today's matches, curious to see how far the person who defeated them, Miura, could go.
Although they had already been eliminated, they were still able to come to the waiting room.
"I saw your match. It was a good one."
"Yeah. Everyone was so excited."
"Thank you very much!!"
"You two are going to watch from the audience, right? We were wondering if you'd like to join us."
Mikaya and Kisara joined the viewing group.
"That's so nice! I want to watch in the audience too~!"
"Me too..."
"Haha, you two need to focus on your own matches."
Kisara soothed Kirin and Rio, who were pouting like children (which they technically were).
"Harry is strong. She's not called Buster Head for nothing. And the girl named Yuuki... all of her matches so far have been K.O.s in under a minute. In my estimation, she's as skilled as, or even more skilled than, Einhart-chan."
"Yes!"
"We know! But we've been working hard to win!!"
After hearing their resolve, they headed towards the spectator seats.
---------
Vivio and Miura were waiting at the entrance to the ring.
The cleanup from the previous match was over, and it was finally time for their entrance.
"Almost time, Vivio!"
"Let's do our best!"
"Yeah!"
Her seconds, Kro and Dieci, encouraged her.
Vivio, who had been shadowboxing to keep her body from getting cold, picked up her device, Chris, a rabbit plushie floating in the air.
"Sacred Heart, set up!"
Not only did she wear her BJ, but her body also grew to an adult size. This was her adult mode, used to get the best fighting range.
"I've been looking forward to my match with Miura-san! I'm going to give it my all!"
"Good. Go all out!"
Meanwhile, on Miura's side.
"Hayate and the others made it. They're already in their seats."
"That's a relief!"
She was also moving her body to warm up, just like Vivio.
"This is a match I've been looking forward to for a long time, as fellow Strike Arts fighters. I'm going to go all out from the start! Star Saber, set up!"
"Yeah. But be careful of Vivio's counters!"
Miura nodded at Zafira's advice.
"Let's get started! The next match is another battle between rookies! And it's a Strike Arts showdown!"
Their entrance began.
"In the red corner, Miura Rinaldi! A hard hitter who uses the converged kick-punch Battou and sledgehammer fists! She scored a K.O. victory against a top fighter in the first round. Her skill is the real deal!"
"In the blue corner, Takamachi Vivio! A member of Team Nakajima who just showed us a fantastic match earlier. She's a finesse fighter who uses nimble footwork and counter blows!"
The two faced each other on the ring.
"A slugger versus a counter-puncher! Even though they're both Strike Arts fighters, their styles are completely opposite. What kind of match will they show us?!"
They took their positions and assumed their stances.
Even with the noisy audience, the moment before the match was silent. The two focused fighters probably only saw each other.
In fact, it was Fate in the audience who was getting nervous.
"I-I'm kind of nervous."
"Huh?"
"You won't last long if you're like that now."
Fate was easily affected by pressure.
"I wonder if Vivio-chan is nervous? She seems a little different than usual..."
"You're right, she does..."
Mikaya and Einhart, who had joined them, tilted their heads.
"Uh, well. I think that's probably..."
Corona, who had a good idea of why, began to explain.
In the ring, a space separated from the audience, the countdown to the match had begun.
"And here we go—the match begins!!"
The moment the gong rang, Miura moved forward.
"(I don't need to think about anything complicated. I just need to guard and get close!)"
She repeated the things Vita and Zafira had taught her in her head.
"(I'll go in close in the beginning and throw some punches! Aim for the body!)"
Vivio, in her adult mode, had a height advantage. Miura kept her body low and guarded her face firmly with her arms, wary of a counterattack, so she wouldn't repeat her mistake against Mikaya.
Vivio, meanwhile, simply stepped in place.
"(I'll show you my Strike Arts, Miura-san!!) Jet Step--"
She glided forward.
"Huh...?"
Before Miura knew it, her guard had been broken.
As she blinked, confused by the flurry of small punches, a powerful uppercut landed.
The crash of the concussion left her legs without strength.
"D-Down! She's been knocked down!! Just six seconds into the match! A flash of consecutive attacks caught Miura!!"
Vita and Zafira were in a panic.
"Aaaaaah!? Why did she take the first hit!?"
"She was being careful enough, but Vivio's speed was even greater."
The count was progressing as the dazed Miura didn't get up.
"Miura has collapsed. Can she get up?!"
"(Waaah, my vision is blurry. I... feel... sleepy...)"
"You fool!! Don't sleep! Wake up!!"
"Miura!! The match will be over!!"
"!!"
The voices of her seconds barely kept her consciousness from fading.
"She's up! She's up! The count is 9! She got up just in time!"
"Aah! So close!"
"But the attack definitely worked. Even if she gets up, she can't escape Vivio's attacks."
The match resumed.
Miura immediately moved forward.
She had just been knocked down once. Everyone thought she would be more cautious now, but Miura didn't think that way.
"(There's no running! I have to move forward!! That's all I can do!!)"
In contrast to the advancing Miura, Vivio didn't move from her spot.
She simply watched the attacks and dodged them. That was all.
Miura's punches didn't land. However, the force of her punches was damaging the BJ.
"Despite being knocked down, this lightning-fast hard hit! Miura is on the offensive, on the offensive!!"
But she couldn't hit Vivio. No matter how much she shredded the BJ, she couldn't reduce her life points.
"And in response to Miura's attacks, a precise counter is delivered--!!"
Vivio stepped in where she could and landed solid damage.
Her plan was to land a flurry of small hits, wear her down, and then land a knockout blow when her opponent's legs slowed down.
"Vivio's good... I didn't think she was this good..."
Even in Vita's eyes, her technique was solid.
Kro folded her arms and smugly snorted.
"Of course. How much do you think Vivio and I studied Miura's matches? We've learned everything there is to know!"
"Intellect and technique! The true power of a literary-minded fighter!"
However, Miura was just as dedicated to studying.
"(Vivio's attacks are fast, but they're not that heavy, except for her finishing moves!)"
No matter how much she moved forward, she was dodged and hit with a counter. Still, she kept moving forward.
"Then--"
Fists intersected.
"I'll counter, even if it's a double hit!"
"Ugh...!"
It was Vivio who lost more life.
After taking about three times the damage of her own punch, Vivio's guard loosened for a moment.
"Now!! Sky Fang!!"
Miura's kick, thrown without a moment's hesitation, tore through Vivio.
Unable to withstand the shock, Vivio's body was sent flying backward.
"--!!"
She slammed into the outer wall of the stadium, outside the ring, with enough force to make a dent.
"What's this!! This power is enough to blow her away right through her guard!! In just two hits, 30% of her life has been depleted! Is Vivio in danger?!"
The referee rushed over in a panic, but...
"(N-No good. I can't hold it in anymore...)"
"Vivio, do you want to continue the match--huh?"
Her face was not one of agony, but of...
"A smile?! Vivio has a huge smile on her face! No, Miura is smiling too! What in the world is going on--?"
"Right!"
"Yes! I agree!"
Leaving the announcer behind, the two understood each other without using words.
Vivio had been trying to hold back her excitement, thinking it would be rude not to have a serious expression during a match.
However, after experiencing Miura's incredible power, she couldn't hold it back anymore.
As two fighters whose styles meshed perfectly, their hearts connected in a battle where they couldn't let their guard down for a single moment, and Miura smiled in sync with Vivio.
"The match between these two Strike Arts users has been intense from the start, with both getting knocked down! However, both Vivio, who has returned from a ring out, and the waiting Miura are all smiles! There are two minutes remaining in Round 1. The match has resumed!"
The match was far from over.
"And now, a fierce slugfest continues in the center of the ring!"
Vivio parried and redirected Miura's punches, hitting back with her own. As the match progressed, Vivio continued to land small hits, while Miura moved forward relentlessly.
She moved forward, accepting the hits, and continued to punch through Vivio's guard. Even though Vivio was blocking properly, her life was being chipped away.
The damage to her arms was also accumulating.
Eventually, her guard was broken, and a punch landed on Vivio's body.
"Miura's body blow explodes!! She attempts a follow-up attack, but..."
Vivio's footwork was still swift. Without showing any signs of damage, she took a bigger step back than before.
A counter from Vivio landed on Miura's face as she took a shallow step forward.
The crash of the light concussion made Miura's legs momentarily lose strength.
"Now!!"
"Not yet!!"
Vivio saw this as a chance to step in. Miura gritted her teeth and held her ground. Their fists crossed.
This was the end of the first round.
Compared to the previous match, it wasn't as flashy, but the solid and even battle still drew cheers from the audience.
The intense martial arts battle was still far from over.
--- Ring, ring.
--------------------------------------------
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