The late afternoon sun painted the dojo courtyard in golden light as five figures stood poised for battle. Four days of relentless energy training had transformed them—where once they struggled to summon even a flicker, now their auras burned steadily around them. Mono flexed his fingers, watching the thick, cream-colored energy swirl around his hands like liquid sunlight. It wasn't flashy like Hito's electric purple or radiant like Josei's gold, but it felt solid. Dependable.
"Remember," Sensei called from the sidelines, his voice cutting through the tension, "energy is an extension of your body. Waste it, and you waste your chance."
Hito cracked his neck, his violet aura flaring aggressively. "Five minutes. No rules. Last one standing wins." He shot Mono a sharp grin. "Try not to embarrass yourself, Butterball."
Before Mono could retort, Tokira moved—a silent blue streak across the courtyard. His palm lashed toward Hito's ribs in a strike so fast it left afterimages. Hito barely twisted away in time, the attack grazing his side and leaving behind frost-like energy burns.
"Cheap shot!" Hito snarled, his purple energy crackling violently.
Tokira said nothing, already repositioning with that eerie calm of his.
The battle erupted in earnest.
Mono barely had time to form his dull yellow energy into a wide, flat shield before Raiba's crimson hammer-blow came crashing down. The impact sent shockwaves up Mono's arms, but his cream-colored barrier held firm against the raging red energy.
"Nice trick," Raiba grunted, his broad shoulders heaving as his ember-like aura pulsed with each breath.
"Thanks," Mono wheezed, bracing for another strike. "Now stop hitting it!"
Across the yard, Josei moved with liquid grace, her golden whips slicing through the air with dangerous precision. Hito dodged and weaved between the attacks, his violet energy leaving jagged afterimages with each movement.
"You're getting predictable," Josei taunted, feinting left before snapping a golden strand around Hito's ankle.
Hito yelped as she yanked him off his feet—only to twist mid-air and fire a concentrated bolt of purple energy at her chest. Josei crossed her arms, taking the hit on her golden bracers with a grunt that shook her entire frame.
Tokira chose that moment to strike, appearing between them in a flash of blue. Twin blades of condensed energy formed in his hands as he spun—
Mono tackled him from the side without thinking.
The two went rolling across the dirt, Tokira's blades dissipating on impact. "Sorry!" Mono gasped, scrambling to his feet. "Instinct!"
Tokira just sighed, his usual stoic expression briefly cracking into something almost like exasperation.
As the fight wore on, fatigue set in like pouring cement. Mono's dull yellow energy, once flowing freely, now sputtered like a dying candle. His improvised shield had shrunk to the size of a dinner plate. Nearby, Josei's golden whips had shortened to mere ribbons, her breaths coming in sharp, controlled gasps.
Raiba fared worst of all—his crimson aura flickered dangerously as he braced against a tree, sweat pouring down his reddened face. "Damn... this... burns..."
Only Hito and Tokira still moved with any real energy, though even their auras had dimmed significantly.
Hito wiped blood from his nose, his purple energy crackling weakly around his fists. "Had enough yet?"
In answer, Tokira lunged—
Hito caught his wrist mid-strike and flipped him onto his back with a brutal efficiency. A well-placed knee to the stomach forced the air from Tokira's lungs in a pained gasp, his blue energy winking out like a snuffed candle.
Mono and Josei shared a look across the battlefield.
"Truce?" Mono panted, his cream-colored energy flickering unsteadily.
"Temporary," Josei agreed, her golden light barely clinging to her fingertips.
They attacked in unison—Josei going low with a sweeping golden kick while Mono channeled his last reserves into a concentrated blast of dull yellow energy.
Hito barely managed to raise a violet barrier in time. The impact sent him skidding backward, his boots carving deep trenches in the dirt. For one glorious moment, it seemed he might fall—
Then his aura flared violently to life.
A shockwave of purple energy exploded outward, scattering their attacks like leaves in a storm. One punch sent Josei sprawling into the dust. A spinning kick knocked Mono's legs out from under him, sending him crashing onto his back.
The courtyard fell silent except for the sound of ragged breathing and the occasional groan of pain.
Mono lay staring at the darkening sky, his arms feeling like they'd been stuffed with lead weights. Nearby, Josei wasn't faring much better, her golden energy completely spent.
Hito stood victorious at the center of the battlefield—though his triumph was short-lived. His purple aura flickered once, twice, then vanished completely as his knees gave out.
"Still... won..." he gasped, collapsing onto all fours, his entire body trembling with exhaustion.
Sensei walked among them, offering a waterskin to each in turn. "Hito is the last one standing," he announced, his voice carrying across the quiet courtyard.
Raiba groaned from where he lay face-down in the dirt. "Only because he's too stubborn to fall over properly."
Tokira sat up slowly, rubbing his bruised ribs. "He conserved energy better than the rest of us."
Josei shook her head, pushing sweat-damp hair from her face. "No. He fought dirtier."
Mono flopped back into the grass, his dull yellow energy finally extinguishing completely. "I hate that it worked."
As the others limped toward the baths, Hito remained on his knees, staring at his trembling hands. His usual smirk was absent, replaced by something more contemplative as he studied the faint purple sparks that still danced across his fingertips.
Five minutes. That was their limit.
And tomorrow, the UDC inspectors would arrive to see if it was enough.