"...Yes, you’re exactly right."
Misery dropped her fighting stance and hung her head, her shoulders slumped in defeat as she confirmed Yugo's assessment.
As Yugo deactivated Blaster and walked over to her, his companions—who had been watching the spar from the sidelines—turned to speak to Fee.
"Now you see it too, don't you, Fee? Misery's weakness is her low attack power, caused by her lack of Magic Power."
"Yes... Because both her fighting style and her Magic Item are so simple, that flaw has a massive impact on her performance..."
"Exactly," Melt added. "The swords I create with my Sword Ring are also somewhat brittle, but the main difference is that I focus on long-range attacks. Above all, the biggest issue is that if your Decisive Strike fails in close combat, the situation immediately turns into a crisis."
Misery's weakness had been laid bare precisely because both she and her opponent used straightforward fighting styles. Her strategy relied on using Light Hits to create an opening and then following up with a heavy blow enhanced by Magic Power.
Seeing her face the cruel reality that even her fully-charged right-handed strike had failed, Fee spoke up to support her.
"But isn't that also because Brother is the worst possible match for Misery? There aren't many enemies wearing heavy armor, and since Magic Knights usually fight Magic Armor Beasts anyway, maybe she doesn't need to worry about it that much?"
"True, if the opponent is an Average-type Magic Armor Beast like an Arachlaw or a Toadstinger, she might fare well enough," Marcos noted. "However... what if the enemy is encased in a hard shell like that Black Crab Magic Armor Beast, or if she faces a Material-type monster?"
As Fee suggested, there were plenty of opponents against whom Misery's attacks would be effective.
However, it was equally true that there were many enemies against whom her strikes would do nothing at all.
As long as one fought as a Magic Knight, the excuse of "my attacks don't work, so I'm running away" was never an option.
Since it was inevitable that Misery would struggle against Magic Armor Beasts with high Defense, she had to overcome that weakness.
But Yugo had noticed yet another major flaw.
"I think this also stems from her lack of firepower, but Misery is far too specialized for one-on-one combat. If she were ever forced into a multiple-versus-one situation, she would struggle immensely."
"...Yes. I was aware of that flaw as well," Misery admitted.
This was her second great weakness: the inability to handle more than one opponent at a time.
Due to her High-speed Close-quarters Combat style, Misery had to concentrate her focus entirely on a single target. Furthermore, the time required to land enough Light Hits to set up a Finishing Blow was far too long.
In a duel, that wasn't a problem. But since Magic Armor Beasts often moved in packs, she was more likely to face a numerical disadvantage than a fair fight.
Worse yet, if the Finishing Blow she spent so much time setting up lacked the power to actually kill, the time she had to spend dealing with a single enemy would drag on even longer, leaving her exposed.
"I have no means of fighting multiple enemies simultaneously, and I lack firepower. These are the burdens I carry."
"Hmm, I see..."
To be honest, the situation was dire. If one were to summarize Misery's problems in a single phrase, it was simply that her fundamental capabilities were insufficient for her goals.
The question was how to solve it. Her companions began tossing out various ideas to bridge the gap.
"How about constantly channeling Magic Power into the Wasp Needle to keep it extended? She could fight as if she were using a sword..." Fee suggested.
"No, that would be difficult," Anhel countered. "A Physical Sword and one formed from magic power have completely different levels of durability. Clashing blade-to-blade would be nearly impossible. Besides, that would completely negate her specialty—using Light Hits to find an opening."
"But those Light Hits are unlikely to work on monsters, which have bodies far more resilient than humans," Melt pointed out. "If that's the case, Misery's entire fighting style falls apart anyway. I think we should at least consider Fee's suggestion."
"What if she changed her strategy to be long-range focused? ...No, that's probably too hard. Her current ranged move is strictly for Pokes; it's not something you can build a whole style around."
The group offered various solutions, but none of them felt like the right fit.
After a moment of thought, Yugo turned to the dejected Misery and asked a question.
"Hey, Misery. Is there a point where you'd be willing to change your Fighting Style?"
"Change my Fighting Style...?"
"Yeah. I think we should explore every possibility. I want to go through some trial and error, but only as far as you're willing to go. What do you think?"
Misery pondered his words for a long while before finally looking up.
"I... if possible, I want to keep this style. I know it's selfish, but this way of fighting is filled with everything I’ve ever aspired to be..."
"...I see. Understood. In that case, we’ll train you to be the best in that direction!"
"Yes! I look forward to your guidance!"
Hearing her resolve, Yugo made his decision, choosing to respect her will above all else.
However, there was no doubt that they were embarking on a reckless challenge.