"Alright! Let's get this sparring session started! Come at me with everything you've got!"
"Yes. I look forward to your guidance, Master. However, may I ask one thing before we begin?"
"Hmm? What is it?"
The following day, Yugo arrived at the training ground with his companions, ready to face off against Misery.
Just as they finished their combat preparations, Misery raised her hand and pointed toward one of the people watching the match.
"Who is that? I don't believe he was there yesterday...?"
"Ah... don't worry about him! He’s a bit loud and eccentric, but he’s a good guy at heart, so don't sweat it!"
"Who are you calling loud and eccentric?! Surely there are more fitting ways to introduce me—like 'lifelong rival' or 'greatest friend'!!"
"...No, I think that was a perfectly accurate introduction," Melt remarked.
"I completely agree," Fee added.
Marcos, who had somehow managed to wedge himself into the group from yesterday’s discussion, shot back at Yugo’s words with an indignant retort. However, since he was undeniably a loud and eccentric fellow, not a single person agreed with his outcry.
"Anyway, why are you even here, Marcos? How did you find out about this?"
"Fuhahahaha! I am not one to overlook the movements of my rival!"
"Ugh... he's a total stalker..."
"Fee, you mustn't grow up to be like that. Promise your big sister, okay?" Melt said.
"Ah, okay..."
"...He is a truly pleasant person, isn't he?"
"Right? I think you'll see he's a good guy once you get to know him!"
Yugo replied innocently to Misery, who had chosen her words carefully to describe the eccentric Marcos. After continuing the conversation with a smile, he let out a steady breath and dropped into a combat stance.
"Well then, shall we begin? Don't hold back; hit me with everything you've got."
"Yes. I intended to do so from the start."
Deploying his Blaster, Yugo faced Misery and observed her carefully.
Misery was equipped with the Wasp Needle on her right hand, while her left arm bore a gauntlet designed for protection. She held her left hand forward, raised to chin height, and kept her right hand pulled back slightly. Both hands were loosely clenched as she stared him down.
Seeing her stance and equipment, Yugo could already predict her fighting style.
"...Here I come!"
At the signal to begin, Misery thrust her right arm forward, firing a needle made of Magic Power from the Wasp Needle.
Yugo deflected the long-range attack, which served as a feint. As she closed the distance during the opening, he parried her strikes, nodding slightly as he confirmed her fighting style matched his expectations.
(She looks for openings with long-range attacks and quick jabs from her left, then looks to finish the job with a single blow from her right... It’s orthodox, but she’s clearly been well-trained.)
Misery's fighting style was rooted in the fundamentals of martial arts. A distracting left and a lethal right—she assigned specific roles to each hand and moved constantly to fulfill them.
Her strategy was to wear down the opponent with a barrage of jabs, create an opening, and then drive home a blow with the Wasp Needle infused with Magic Power. It was a simple yet effective tactic, much like her Magic Item itself.
Her punching speed and footwork were both excellent. Although Yugo was refraining from counterattacking to gauge her abilities, the speed of Misery's left-hand flurries was enough to make him marvel.
"Hu! Seih!!"
"...She's fast," Marcos noted. "That move where she closed the distance right after the initial long-range attack was impressive. There’s no waste in her style."
"You're right," Melt agreed. "I think her movements are faithful to the basics, built entirely around delivering that finishing blow."
"I wonder why her reputation was supposed to be so mediocre...?"
Hearing Melt and Marcos's evaluations and seeing Misery fight his brother, Fee once again questioned why she considered herself weak.
Certainly, Misery was attacking one-sidedly right now because Yugo was intentionally avoiding counterattacks. Even so, her movements looked refined even to Fee's untrained eyes. With that speed and mastery of movement, she should have been a formidable opponent.
As Fee pondered why she had reached a plateau, Yugo—still under the brunt of Misery's fierce assault—suddenly leaped backward to create distance.
"Now!"
At that moment, sensing a definite opening, Misery funneled Magic Power into the Wasp Needle on her right arm.
Just as she had mentioned it could extend to the length of a straight sword, a blade of Yellow Magic Power projected from the needle's tip. Exhaling, she lunged forward in a blur, unleashing a strike with her right arm—into which she had poured all her energy—aimed directly at Yugo's chest.
"Powered Stinger!!"
It really was an excellent move, Fee thought. Without missing a split second's opening, Misery had unleashed the very attack she had been aiming for. She had established her own fighting style and was executing it perfectly.
However—
"Ugh...!"
"Eh...!?"
A sound like shattering glass echoed through the training ground.
Before Fee's eyes, Misery's finishing blow—the one that should have been driven into Yugo—shattered. The tip of the Wasp Needle, extended by her Magic Power, broke apart with a sharp, crystalline noise. Fee's eyes widened in surprise as he let out a groan.
Misery's expression twisted with frustration. Seeing that her attack had failed to leave a mark, she immediately jumped back to put distance between herself and Yugo.
Having witnessed this sequence as her sparring partner and experienced the impact firsthand, Yugo spoke to her, his expression complicated beneath his helmet.
"It’s just as I thought. The reason you've hit a plateau, Misery... is a lack of finishing power, isn't it?"