— Watedia, Aldredath 13, 8054 —

(Thursday, December 8, AD 2129)

“Steady… steady… you’re doin’ a good job, keep it up…!”

“Ngh… why is this so hard?!…”

“Just stay focused, man!”

“Easy for you to say…” Austin muttered, though nonetheless maintained his attention on his blue and golden claymore as it floated through the air a few meters away from him. The weapon maintained the exact same upright orientation as it moved closer and closer to a sandy training dummy; as it approached, Spike slowly backed away, giving the incredibly sharp blade a wide berth.

Once the sword had moved to within striking distance of the dummy, Austin attempted to swing it through the air from a distance. His brow furrowed as the blade began to shift, rotating down to slice through the head of the training dummy — all while Austin reflexively leaned forward and to the side, unintentionally mimicking the rotation he had forced on his sword. As soon as he realized he was about to topple over, he stopped concentrating on his sword and began wildly flailing his arms around in an attempt to regain his balance, only to fail and collapse to the ground with a soft thud. A second later, his sword clambered to the ground, as well.

“Damn it…” he muttered to himself, craning his head to glare at his sword a few meters away. He then rolled over onto his back to stare up at the cloudless late afternoon skies, and didn’t shift his attention away from them even as he heard approaching footsteps.

“Well…” Spike commented, stopping next to Austin and looking down at him. “That wasn’t bad, I guess.”

“’Wasn’t bad’ my ass,” Austin retorted. “It took all of my concentration just to move my sword that slowly through the air. And I still can’t figure out how to move shit without moving my body the same way!”

“Just give it time, and more trainin’. This seems hard, ain’t no one expectin’ you to get it right the first time.”

“Yeah, but I was at least able to manipulate my sword effectively back during the attack in Relédiaka! Why can’t I do it now?!”

Spike shrugged. “I dunno. Didn’t we hear at some point that Chaotics usually do better in a real fight, compared to trainin’? Somethin’ about adrenaline, or somethin’?”

“Man, I dunno…” Austin released a frustrated sigh. “These Imperator powers of mine are so hard to grasp… why couldn’t I have gotten something simpler? Like actual telekinesis?”

“Huh?” Spike passed Austin a confused glance. “You don’t got telekinesis?”

“You’re kiddin’, right?” Austin finally climbed back to his feet and brushed the sand off of his pants and back before turning to give Spike an incredulous look. “Would I be havin’ this hard a time if ‘Imperator’ meant ‘telekinesis’?”

“Man, I dunno. I ain’t a Psychotechnic.”

“Right… well, Imperator Psychotechnism doesn’t work like telekinesis. It’s more like, when I take control of something, I become that something, in a sense. Like, if I want to move something that I’m controlling, I have to think like I’m moving my own body. Which then, you know, results in my actual body moving.”

“Oh…”

“As opposed to a ‘Manipulator’ Psychotechnic, which is actual telekinesis as we know it. A Manipulator could just pretend like they’re gripping the sword from afar and swing it around easy. Instead of havin’ to think like they are the sword…”

“Well, I’m sure you’ll get the hang of it eventually. You’ve already figured out how to move stuff through the air without chasin’ after it, at least.”

“I guess, but what’s even the point? This Imperator stuff seems strictly worse than regular telekinesis…”

“Hmm…” Spike held a hand to his chin in thought. A moment later, he said, “if what you’re tellin’ me is right, then I think there’re situations where your Imperator stuff would be better.”

“Oh? Do tell.”

“If telekinesis is like carryin’ somethin’ from a distance, then there’s gotta be some kinda force limit, right? Like, if a telekinetic tried to hold me down, I could probably overpower their telekinetic force with my superstrength. But if an Imperator like you took control of my body, then it’d be a lot harder to resist, because there ain’t really any force to resist in the first place. You control my body; I don’t.”

“Huh… I guess…” A contemplative look crossed Austin’s face, only to be soon replaced with a sour expression. “At that point, I bet it turns into a battle of wills instead of raw strength, huh? As if ‘willpower’ was ever one of my strong points…”

“Of course it ain’t, with an attitude like that,” Spike retorted. “C’mon, dude. You’ll never get better if you keep puttin’ yourself down like this.”

“Yeah, yeah…” Austin rolled his eyes in response. He then turned toward the training dummy and held out his right hand; his sword that lay on the ground disappeared in a flash of light, and immediately reappeared in his outstretched hand. “Well, time to try again, I guess…”

Spike stepped back, watching Austin as he gripped his claymore with both hands in front of him. The latter took a deep breath in preparation to move his sword through the air once again.

“…Wait.”

“Huh?” Austin glanced over at Spike. “What?”

“Your form…” Spike stared at Austin for a moment, and at his hands in particular, which steadily held his sword out in front of him. Spike then dropped his gaze to Austin’s feet, which were positioned firmly under his shoulders — a position that Austin had taken without a second thought. “…I ain’t too well-trained with swords, but I can recognize a trained stance when I see one. You ever get claymore trainin’?”

“What? Of course not. You know how much I hate training.”

“Well, you had to’ve gotten that stance from somewhere. Maybe you got secret claymore-weildin’ skills. You ever tried usin’ that thing the regular way?”

“Uhhhh…” Austin stared at Spike, dumbfounded, before shifting his attention down to his weapon. “…I guess not…”

“Give it a few swings, then.”

At Spike’s suggestion, Austin focused his attention on his sword. Tentatively, he approached the training dummy, stopping just a meter in front of it. After a second of staring at it in doubt, Austin took a deep breath and positioned himself to cut through the dummy — at which point he found himself planting his left foot forward, while he brought his two-handed sword down to his right side, angled down and behind him with his right hand just below the blade’s double crossguard, and his left hand gripping the base of the hilt. This feels weird… maybe Spike is right…? Austin mused. Well, let’s see…

A second later, Austin moved to slice through the dummy. Without having to think about how he moved his body, his right foot moved forward in tandem with his arms and hands swinging up and across his chest, bringing his claymore through a steady upward arc that cleanly sliced through the chest of the training dummy. As the dummy fell apart, Austin easily stopped his swing with his sword next to his left shoulder, almost like holding a baseball bat.

“…See what I’m talkin’ about?” Spike said a moment later, bringing Austin back to his senses.

“…Weird,” Austin commented, dropping his stance and dismissing his sword with a flash of light. “How’d I know how to swing so smoothly? I’ve never used a claymore before…”

“Hmm…” Spike mused. “…Hey, remember back when we were on Earth, when you had that trainin’ match with Twy at the dojo? And how you used those longsword techniques on her out of no where?”

Austin briefly thought back to the night two months ago that Spike was talking about, back before either of them even knew they had Chaotic abilities. “…Oh, yeah. Roshu said something about me using the shinai wrong…”

“He also said that you were usin’ actual longsword techniques, don’t forget that.” Spike briefly looked down at his own hands, onto which he summoned his red and gold armored gauntlets to inspect. “…I’m already trained in hand-to-hand martial arts, so I didn’t notice any new skills or anythin’ when I got these gauntlets… but I wonder. For you and everyone else, maybe when you got those weapons, you also got some kinda base-level proficiency with ‘em, too.”

“That sure would be nice, if it were true…” Austin replied, and then huffed. “But as is, we barely know shit about these weapons. That Pallan guy basically just called us the galaxy’s saviors and then dumped us in this dusty hellhole without explainin’ anything!”

“No kiddin’. It’s a little annoyin’, when you think about it…”

“I’d just like to be able to ask him what the hell is goin’ on, but…” Austin sighed and shrugged. “Guess that ain’t an option right now. Anyways…” He glanced upward, at the skies that were turning orange and red as the sun approached the horizon. “…Should probably call it here, huh?”

“Suppose so…” Spike replied. “We have been out here for a while.”

“Yeah. Thanks for helpin’ me out. I know you usually train with Mark and Karísah, so I feel kinda bad about draggin’ you away from that…”

“Ah, I woulda been on my own, anyways. Mark’s gone, and Karísah’s focused on her finals, just like all the other students here. The fact that you actually wanted to train, despite claimin’ that you hate it, wasn’t somethin’ I could ignore, either. Besides…” Spike looked down at his right fist, opening and closing it before balling both of his hands into fists and slamming them together. “I think I’m finally startin’ to really get the hang of this strength of mine.”

Austin smirked as he eyed Spike’s hands. “Finally ready to get handsy with your girlfriend again, eh?”

“Well, not quite yet, but close— wait.” Spike passed Austin an annoyed glance. “What was that?”

“Oh c’mon, man. It doesn’t take a genius to see you’ve been keepin’ your hands off Sky ever since you got your superstrength. Y’all used to be all over each other.”

“Ah ha… uh… sorry?”

“Nah, it’s fine, dude. Might sound a little bad, but I’m kinda glad that I’m not the only one still tryin’ to get used to my powers…”

“Pretty sure that’s all of us. Though… hmm.” Spike paused for a moment in contemplation, eying Austin all the time. “…You’ve been more into it since we got back from Sikalia. Did somethin’ happen?”

Austin’s expression immediately soured as he pointedly turned away from Spike. “…Maybe.”

“It got anythin’ to do with why you signed us up for the fuckin’ ACT without askin’ us?”

“Look, man, I already apologized for that…”

“I know, and I probably would’ve signed up, myself, anyways, but it was still a dick move. I just wanna know why. This got somethin’ to do with Pierce?”

“…”

Spike sighed in response to Austin’s silence. “…Guess I won’t pry, if it’s that bad. But if he’s givin’ you trouble, I can help out.”

“It’s nothing I can’t handle on my own,” Austin insisted. “In fact, it’d be meaningless if I couldn’t handle it on my own.”

“Some things are like that, I guess. Still, friends are there for a reason. If you change your mind…”

“Got it. Thanks. Now can we drop the Sikalia thing, please?”

Spike looked down at Austin, warily noting the thinly-veiled irritation writ across his friend’s face. “…A’ight,” Spike eventually conceded. “Won’t bother you about Sikalia anymore.”

“Great—“

“The ACT thing, though, is a whole ‘nother question.”

“Agh…” Austin released a sigh of desperation. “Let’s just get dinner, for now…”

“Can’t argue with food,” Spike replied cheerfully, as the two finally began to return to their dorms.

---

*

That Evening

“There we go…”

Twy stepped back and crossed her arms, a contemplative look upon her face as she inspected the easel in front of her, lit as it was in the deep orange of sunset. Depicted in flowing watercolors were a handful of massive oak trees, standing taller than a mountain peak that appeared in the center. A bright blue sky, covered with the white wisps of clouds, served as a peaceful backdrop to the fantasy image, while a number of smaller trees formed the foreground at the bottom.

All done with no brushes… it looks better than I expected, Twy thought to herself as her eyes slowly swept across her painting. Still a little sloppy in some areas, but I think I like this technique. Using my Hydrotechnism to place paint on the paper directly, with no brush, makes it a lot easier to make certain shapes and contours than I thought.

She nodded contentedly before turning to the side and beginning to pack away the paints. Just as she closed the case, a metal creaking noise drew her attention to the side, where the door to the roof of WCU’s dormitory had just opened. Before anyone even stepped through, Twy had a good idea of who the newcomers were — she could sense three presences nearby, after all. The following shout merely confirmed her suspicions.

“Oh, sis! There you are!”

“Hey, Sky,” Twy acknowledged, barely passing her sister a glance as she continued putting her things away. “If it’s about dinner, I’ll be down soon. You can go ahead with Spike and Austin.”

“Oh? And what about us, hmm?”

“Huh?” Twy stopped packing her things and looked up at the sound of a third female voice. Instead of finding Austin and Spike accompanying Sky, Twy found herself looking upon Phoenix and Kestrel. “…Oh. Sorry, I just…”

“It’s no problem,” Phoenix replied casually, her hands on her hips as she stepped up next to Sky. She then looked up at the orange-tinted sky and released a wistful sigh. “Damn, the sunset is pretty nice from up here. You picked a good spot, Twy!”

“It is pretty nice, isn’t it?” Twy commented, joining Phoenix in gazing upon the sun that was now halfway past the horizon. “There usually aren’t that many people up here, either. On this side of the roof, at least…”

“Good for lunch,” Kestrel stated from her position next to Phoenix. “It’s quiet.”

“Man, you two introverts and always wanting to be alone…” Sky shook her head in disbelief. “Even when eating, too. C’mon, y’all! Everyone knows that eating is more fun with a group!”

“Which brings us to why we’re here.” Phoenix glanced toward Twy. “Sky, Kestrel, and I were thinking about getting dinner in town. Want to come along?”

“If that’s what you wanted to ask, you could’ve just messaged me…” Twy responded as she stacked her paint cases on top of a small stool near her easel.

“And what’s the fun in that, huh?” Sky countered. “I wanted to see what you were doing up here! Painting, right?”

“Uh, yeah—“ Twy began to reply, only to be cut off as Sky bounded over to her side and turned to look at the easel, which was facing away from the roof doors. Surprised, Twy quickly exclaimed, “h-hey! Th-that’s—!”

“Woooow!” Sky remarked, her eyes wide with wonder as she beheld the watercolor painting attached to the easel. “Hey, sis, did you paint this? This is pretty good!”

“Well, look at that,” Phoenix commented, moving over with Kestrel to join Sky in admiring the painting. “This actually is pretty good!”

“It’s also not for sharing!” Twy insisted, “this was just a practice piece!”

“This is practice? Damn, Twy.” Phoenix whistled in admiration. “I’d like to see what you can do when you’re serious, then!”

“Yeah, see?” Sky elbowed Phoenix knowingly. “I told you she was good.”

“Wh-what?” Twy glanced uneasily between the two. “…You told her about my painting…?”

“And why not? Can’t I be proud of my sister?”

“Uh, well…” The painter’s face flushed red as she bashfully diverted her gaze. “I-I guess… but this one isn’t even that good, I was just trying out something new…”

“New?” Kestrel echoed.

“Yeah, well… you know.” Twy held up her right hand, into which she gathered a small floating bubble of water. “I wanted to see if I could paint with just my powers, without using any brushes.”

“Whoa, really?!” A massive grin spread across Sky’s face as she pumped both of her fists in excitement. “That’s cool! That’s so cool, sis!”

Kestrel nodded affirmatively. “Nice idea. Good painting.”

“Finding a non-combat use for your powers, huh…?” Phoenix mused, her hand on her chin while she looked back to the nature painting in thought. “Honestly, Twy, I think that’s impressive. I don’t think something like this is even possible for me…”

“Oh, that can’t be true… can it?” Twy questioned.

Phoenix shrugged in resignation. “When I looked up all of the Chaostechnic abilities on the relaynet, they all seemed pretty combat-oriented to me. And with the way Chaostechnism works, I can’t really just invent new techniques… it kinda sucks.”

“Well, you can still use your powers to do cool flashy stuff,” Sky pointed out. “Remember the talent show we saw on Sikalia? That was pretty cool!”

“What? I remember some kind of band performance, but that wasn’t very flashy. Good, but not flashy.”

“No, the one before that. There was a whole light show!”

“Before that…?” Phoenix echoed, momentarily confused — until a look of realization crossed her face, followed by a sour expression. “Oh… right. I missed that one.”

“Oh yeah, you did, didn’t you?” Sky replied. “Well, it was pretty cool. Kind of like a rave, almost. I think you would’ve liked it, Phoenix.”

Kestrel nodded in affirmation. “Mmhmm.”

“Yes, well, I was a little… busy at that time,” Phoenix responded with a scowl.

Twy eyed Phoenix with unease before turning back to Sky and Kestrel. “Speaking of that talent show, though,” she said, “Sky, you seemed like you got your creative flame back.”

Sky snorted in amusement. “Hee hee, creative flame…”

“Oh, you—! Damn it. Why do I even try.”

“Ah, lighten up, sis!” Sky remarked, moving over to throw her arm around Twy’s shoulders. “Besides, you’re right! I do wanna get back into singing. But, well…” A frown crossed her face. “There’s not really anywhere to do that here… not in any kind of specialized sense, anyways. And unlike painting, singing on top of a roof into the wind isn’t really a great way to practice.”

“Not much room… or equipment,” Kestrel muttered.

Phoenix passed Kestrel a knowing glance. “Oh? So you’ve looked?”

“…Mmm…” Kestrel grunted in response, without meeting Phoenix’s glance.

“Well, at least you can control air and wind, right?” Sky pointed out. “That already gives you an advantage in making music. I don’t think fire can be used the same way… I guess flames can make some unique sounds, though it’s still pointless if I can’t record them…”

“If it’s just equipment you need, then why not ask Kaoné?” Twy asked. “She’s the one who got me my paints. I’m sure she could manage something for you.”

“I dunno. Mics and speakers and software and all that is a little more expensive and complicated than paints…”

“Kaoné’s a Materiatechnic, Sky,” Phoenix deadpanned. “She can literally create stuff out of thin air! We’ve seen her do it!”

“Basic stuff, yeah,” Sky countered, “but can she make complicated electronics and software?”

“Could ask,” Kestrel commented, extending her right hand outward to point over the edge of the roof and at the campus grounds. The other three women moved over to the side of the roof, leaning against the waist-high barrier to look down; sure enough, Kaoné was approaching the campus buildings, walking alongside Davídrius. The two Deans were too far away to hear anything that they were saying, but they appeared to be engaged in friendly conversation.

“Huh. Don’t they live in the city?” Phoenix questioned, watching as the two Deans stopped in the middle of the dusty campus courtyard. “What are they doing on campus, and so late?”

“Probably busy Dean stuff,” Sky said. “More reason not to bother her.”

“You never let me being busy stop you from bothering me,” Twy countered.

“Yeah, but you’re my sis! That’s different!”

“Well, this is new,” Phoenix remarked with a smirk as she glanced at Sky. “I knew Twy was an introvert, but I didn’t know you had a bashful side, too, Sky.”

“It’s not bashful to not want to bother a busy person,” Sky insisted, only to look over at Kestrel in surprise as the latter raised her hand in a casual wave. “What are you waving at?”

Kestrel nodded downward. “Spotted us.”

“…So she did,” Twy commented. Kaoné and Davídrius both were looking up at them; Kaoné offered a wave in response to Kestrel before turning back toward Davídrius. The two Deans seemed to exchange a parting, at which point Kaoné began to lift into the air and Davídrius disappeared in a cloud of dust. “…Oh. She’s even coming over here.”

“Don’t have any excuse now,” Phoenix remarked as she elbowed Sky in the ribs. The latter responded with a sigh of resignation, but had little chance to say anything else before Kaoné alighted on the roof next to the group.

“Having fun?” the Dean questioned while brushing off her pants and waist cloak.

“We were about to head out for dinner, actually, but we got distracted by talking,” Phoenix said.

“Ha! I know what that’s like,” Kaoné replied cheerfully. She looked out westward, toward the horizon past which the sun had fully sank several minutes ago; now the sky was rapidly darkening, replacing the orange of sunset with the dim reddish aura of twilight. After taking a deep breath, she said, “it’s a surprisingly nice day today, too. I guess what they say about Treséd and equinoxes is right: the week or two before and after are the only times there’s good weather.”

“Equinoxes?” Sky echoed. “Is there an equinox soon?”

“The Spring Equinox was three days ago,” Twy answered. “Spring officially started in Treséd on the same day that we left for Sikalia.”

“Not that spring really means much in a desert,” Phoenix lamented.

“I hear that same complaint from the locals all the time,” Kaoné remarked. “The seasonal changes can be rather beautiful elsewhere on Nimalia, though. The colors of the leaves up in Nimaliaka Central should be shifting, soon…” She released a wistful sigh.

“Well, if it’s beauty you’re after,” Sky remarked, passing Twy a knowing look before backing up toward the easel. “Then there’s something here you should look at!”

“What…? Wait, Sky—!” Twy began to protest, but Sky had already grabbed the easel and carried it forward. While her movements were sudden and brash, however, she never once disturbed the painting attached to the easel.

“Hmm? What’s this…?” Kaoné questioned, looking over at the painting while Sky tried to show it to her, and Twy tried to stop her. “…A painting?”

“Uh… yeah…” Twy smiled sheepishly, finally giving up the struggle so as to not damage her own art. Bashfully, she stepped to the side, allowing Kaoné a full view of the watercolor trees and mountain.

“Oooh… so this is what you wanted those paints for?” Kaoné fabricated a small device in her hands and turned it on, emitting light to illuminate the immediate area that had fallen into the darkness of dusk. As the light fell on the painting, a warm smile spread across the Dean’s face. “It looks great! I’m glad you put those paints to good use!”

“And get a load of this: she says she used her water powers to make the painting,” Phoenix pointed out.

“Really? Is that so…?” Kaoné paused for a moment, closely inspecting the painting before backing away and giving a nod of approval. “…On a closer look, I can see that. The painting itself is already beautiful, but the fact that you were able to make this using your Hydrotechnism is even more impressive — it shows that you’ve developed a good level of control.”

“Uh… thanks…” Twy responded bashfully.

“I’m not just flattering you, either. Have you considered showing this off for Creators’ Day?”

“Creators’ Day?” Sky and Phoenix echoed in unison.

“That’s a new one…” Phoenix commented. “Some kind of holiday…?”

“Sounds religious,” Sky remarked.

“Hmm? There isn’t really anything religious about it, I don’t think,” Kaoné refuted. “Creators’ Day is a day to celebrate creators and creations of all kinds. Writers, artists, painters, musicians, inventors, cooks… even smiths, architects, and engineers. You know, creators. Everyone is encouraged to create their own material, no matter how big or small the project. You don’t even need to share your creation with others; it’s the act of creating that Creators’ Day celebrates most.”

“Oh. Huh,” Sky responded, her head turned up in contemplation.

“That sounds pretty neat, actually,” Phoenix declared. “Earth doesn’t have anything like that.”

“Is this a new holiday?” Twy questioned.

“It’s relatively new in Treséd, but in general, no. Creators Day is actually one of Nimalia’s oldest holidays,” Kaoné replied. “It dates back a few thousand years. It still isn’t quite as old as Hunger’s Bane, or Darkest Day… but I think Creators’ Day is actually about as old as Brightest Day.”

Sky snorted in amusement. “Wow, you have both Brightest and Darkest Day?”

“The names are kind of silly, I suppose, but it gets the point across,” Kaoné said. “Brightest Day for the summer solstice, and Darkest Day for the winter one. Anyways, back on the subject of Creators’ Day… the actual holiday is on Ranth 7th, almost two months from now. It’s one of the few global holidays that Compound Tresnon celebrates, too. I’d definitely recommend that you all participate, if you can.”

“A day for creative stuff, huh?” Sky mused. “That does sound like a lot of fun, yeah!”

“And if it’s two months away, then we have plenty of time to prepare,” Phoenix remarked. “And yet, it’s just enough of a crunch to really get you moving! …Oh! I know!” She turned to glance between Sky and Kestrel. “The two of you are into music. Sky, you like to sing; Kestrel, you’re more of a composer. You compliment each other nicely!”

“Mm…” Kestrel grunted, her lips pursing slightly.

“I don’t wanna force you if you don’t want to,” Sky commented, looking up at the tall, silver-haired woman, “but personally, I think it’s a great idea! Oooh, and we could get Twy involved, too, to make some kind of big art backdrop for a musical performance!”

“I don’t remember saying that I wanted to be involved…” Twy muttered.

“Ah, c’mon, sis! It’ll be so much fun!”

“…Phoenix?” Kestrel said, turning her stoic gaze onto her friend.

“Of course I won’t just leave you on your own, Kestrel!” Phoenix replied enthusiastically. “I might not be musically- or artistically-inclined myself, but there is one thing any good performance needs: the perfect outfit! One that’s hella stylish, but also matches the performer, and conveys the theme of the performance…” She eagerly rubbed her hands together. “Sky, let me pick your outfit for this! It’ll be perfect!”

“Alright!” Sky grinned at Phoenix and pumped her fist. “This is really coming together! Yeah!”

“Leave Sky to get all carried away with something like this…” Twy muttered to herself in resignation.

“Ah ha ha… sorry,” Kaoné replied quietly as she glanced apologetically at Twy and Kestrel. “I didn’t mean to make trouble for you.”

“It’s fine… probably,” Twy said, while Kestrel responded with a deep sigh.

“…Now, with that all said!” Sky declared, turning away from Phoenix and back to the other three, “we’ve been talking for a while up here on the roof, when we could have been doing it over dinner! C’mon, I’m really fucking hungry right now!”

“That makes two of us,” Phoenix commented. “Kaoné, you want to join us?”

“Oh, no. I just had dinner,” the Dean replied. “Actually, I got a little distracted, as well. I originally came up here to talk to you all about something.”

“Uh oh…” Sky’s grin immediately flipped upside down.

“Don’t worry, you’re not in trouble,” Kaoné insisted. “For the first thing, I just wanted to ask. …Are you all really sure you want to try out for the Annual Chaotic Tournament?”

“Oh, right. That’s happening…” Twy muttered.

“I saw you all on the sign-ups, and… I just want to be sure that you all know that the ACT is incredibly competitive,” Kaoné continued. “You all have been making great strides as Chaotics, that much is true, but…”

“…But we don’t stand a chance, is what you’re saying?” Phoenix finished.

“I don’t want to sound quite so pessimistic, but, well…” Kaoné smiled uneasily. “It’s pretty rare for new Chaotics to make the qualifiers, let alone win the entire tournament.”

“Sure, but we can still learn something if we try, right?” Sky pointed out. “Losing sucks, but I also wanna see what level all the other students are at!”

“I suppose you have a point, there…” Twy mused. “We’ve only ever seen other Chaotics in action under… less-than-ideal circumstances.”

“You can’t go into a competition expecting to lose, anyways,” Phoenix insisted. “That’s only doing a disservice to both yourself and your competitors. Personally, I intend to take the ACT as seriously as any other competition!”

“…Alright, then.” Kaoné sighed in resignation. “Just… be careful with your training, and the tryouts.”

“The four of us will be fine, I assure you,” Phoenix replied. “Now, was there something else you wanted to talk about?”

The Dean nodded. “Yes, but this won’t take long. You all have another trip coming up soon.”

“Another one?” Sky and Twy responded in unison; Sky with excitement, and Twy with incredulity.

“You really are sending us all over the place, huh?” Phoenix remarked.

“I suppose, but I just want to help you all learn and grow as much as I can,” Kaoné said. “Given your… unique circumstances, my hope is that this next trip will help you all tremendously.”

“…Oh?” The four Earthian women all glanced amongst themselves before turning their attention back to the Dean.

“Where are we going, then?” Sky questioned.

“Well, on the 15th, in two days…” Kaoné declared, “all of you Earthians will accompany me to Anika, the capital of Riverana. There, we’ll get a chance to speak with Pallan, to try and clear up any questions we all have over the Oraculmic Prophecies… and your supposed role in saving our galaxy.”