The tournament arena left Kaelan in awe. Five floating battlefields hung in the air, surrounded by packed stands filled with spectators. Thousands of eyes followed every move.
"Team Grit from Aethelgard Academy!" the announcer called. "With members: Sofia and her Stormdancer, Marcus with Guardian, and Kaelan with... Rustbucket?"
A wave of laughter rippled through the crowd as Rustbucket appeared — its rough, mismatched frame stood out against the sleek, polished Artifacts of the others.
"Ignore them," Sofia whispered through the comms. "Just focus."
Their first match was against a team from the northern academy. Three blue Artifacts moved in perfect triangular formation.
"Standard triangle pattern," Marcus reported. "I'll move first—"
Before he could finish, Kaelan had already launched forward. Rustbucket dashed ahead with unpredictable movements, spinning like a red tornado.
"What is he doing?" Sofia shouted.
But somehow, the erratic tactic worked. The enemy, used to perfect formations, couldn't lock onto him. Rustbucket's chaos threw them off completely.
"Now!" Kaelan yelled.
Sofia and Marcus immediately caught on. Using the confusion Kaelan created, they struck hard. In under two minutes, the first match was over. Team Grit—victorious.
Back in the waiting area, Riko was practically bouncing.
"Data shows a 120% improvement in coordination! Kaelan's unpredictable patterns made it impossible for them to read his moves!"
But Dr. Aris didn't look as cheerful.
"Kaelan, you're still tapping into your Grit. I can see it in Rustbucket's light pattern."
"But I'm controlling it," Kaelan argued. "It's not like before."
Sofia and Marcus didn't say anything—they didn't seem to mind.
Meanwhile, Riko was already busy digging up data on their next opponents.
The team trained through the night, getting ready for second match.
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The Second Match
The next match turned out to be much tougher. Their opponents from the western academy were known for their rock-solid defense. Their formation was nearly impenetrable.
"We can't break through!" Marcus groaned after several failed attempts.
Kaelan studied their movement patterns. Something about it felt familiar—like the Prototype from back then, only on a smaller scale.
"Let me try," he said quietly.
He closed his eyes, reaching out to Rustbucket. This time, he didn't force it—he listened. The machine glowed faintly, its plates shifting and reshaping.
"Auto-reconfiguration!" Riko shouted. "It's changing on its own!"
Rustbucket's form became sleeker, sharper. It darted forward, cutting through the enemy formation—not with brute strength, but with precision.
"Amazing!" the announcer's voice boomed. "Kaelan from Aethelgard just broke through the Iron Defense!"
Then something strange happened. When Rustbucket touched the enemy Artifact, red light spread like a net—but instead of destroying it, the enemy landed softly, undamaged.
"Purification energy…" Dr. Aris murmured from the stands. "He developed it unconsciously."
The opposing pilot tried to re-sync with his Artifact—but couldn't. For a few seconds, he was completely locked out, stunned.
Kaelan advanced, Rustbucket's weapon aimed squarely at them.
The referee quickly intervened, declaring the match over—Team Grit wins again!
Afterward, the enemy pilot approached Kaelan."What did you do back there? For a few seconds I couldn't even connect to my Artifact —Also, it should've been completely wrecked, but instead... it feels better somehow?"
Kaelan frowned. "I… I don't know. It just happened."
Rumors spread fast—"The Artifact Healer????????purification?????? people called him. Other teams started to look at Kaelan differently—not with fear, but with respect.
That evening, as the team rested, Sofia approached him.
"I have to admit… your way of fighting—it's weird. But it works."
"Thanks," Kaelan replied with a faint smile. "But we're not done yet."
Marcus joined them. "Heard rumors about a team from the East. They've got a… special pilot too."
Riko pulled up a tablet. "Yeah, some say she can make her Artifact vanish. But that's impossible, right?"
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The Eastern Match
The next day, they faced the Eastern academy. Three black Artifacts took the field—sleek, elegant, and fast. The middle one caught everyone's attention: a spiral pattern glowed faintly on its forehead,kinda like Rustbucket, But,,,,on its forehead?????
"Kaelan," Sofia whispered. "Look at the one in the middle."
The pilot waved at him—a girl with sharp eyes and a confident smile.
As the match began, her Artifact suddenly vanished.
"What the—?" Marcus shouted.
Kaelan could still feel it. The spiral mark on his hand pulsed in sync with something unseen.
"She's not invisible," Kaelan muttered. "She's resonating with her surroundings."
He commanded Rustbucket to strike empty air—and nailed it. The black Artifact reappeared right before impact.
"You can sense me?" the girl's voice echoed through the public comms, curious and amused. "Interesting."
The battle raged on, two unique Artifacts clashing fiercely. Sofia and Marcus handled the other two flawlessly, keeping them at bay.
In the final moments, Kaelan made an unexpected move. Instead of attacking, he drove Rustbucket's fist into the ground, unleashing a wave of red energy that threw every Artifact off balance.
"Now!" Sofia shouted.
Their team struck together—three enemy Artifacts hit the ground. Another victory for Team Grit.
Afterward, the girl approached Kaelan.
"My name's Lin," she said. "You're just like the rumors said."
"You've got a special ability too?" Kaelan asked.
Lin smiled faintly. "Not like yours. I only learned to mask energy. But you… you're different."
Oh, and one more thing…"
She pointed at the spiral mark on Kaelan's hand.
"From what I know about those pattern marks… that one's from the First Artifact. You're connected to it."
Kaelan froze. All this time, he'd thought the mark was just a scar from Rustbucket.
"This tournament isn't just about fighting," Lin continued. "They're searching for the chosen ones. And you're one of them."
That night, Kaelan couldn't sleep. Lin's words kept echoing in his mind.
If he really was connected to The First Artifact… what did that mean?
Dr. Aris found him on the hotel balcony, staring at the stars.
"I heard your conversation with Lin," the doctor said softly.
"What does it all mean, Doctor?" Kaelan asked. "I feel like I understand less and less about myself."
"That's exactly why we keep moving forward," Aris replied. "To find the truth."
The next day was supposed to be the semifinals—but something unexpected happened.
"For security reasons," the announcer said, "all pilots with unconventional abilities must undergo a special test."
All eyes turned to Kaelan and Lin.
The real battle, Kaelan realized, might not be in the arena anymore—
but behind the scenes of a much bigger game.