The Saiyan was taking a very different method to arrive at the island than Ayami did; open flight to be exact! As a consequence her energy could be easily sensed since she was using more of her power to actually get some speed in there. Not that she was coming this far to actually cause a problem, but for anyone that could actually sense Ki, it was definitely like shooting up a flare compared to the normal population. Her own appearance didn't make things any easier in that regard.

Atsuko lands on the island, still clad in that armor and with a sword sheathed at her side. If this village seemed low-tech compared to the rest of Earth, then this Saiyan still somehow managed to look like a time traveler from another era. She cuts a rather imposing figure, but at the same time... Three kids ran up to her as if she wasn't out of place in the slightest, instead looking up at her with awe. The Knight couldn't help but smile underneath her helmet as she turned to the trio of children, she kneels down in front of them.

"Hello.", she gives them a simple greeting. It doesn't take much more than that to get the kids stirred up with excitement.

"Are you a real Knight, miss?!", one question flew out without reservation, and similar questions followed suit. Surprisingly enough, Atsuko was actually taking the time to address each question. It made for an odd sight, a normally intimidating warrior being nothing short of friendly, and like some sort of living hero walking around in the town to the perspective of the gathered children.

Eventually however, they remember that they really need to get to doing their chores. A few excited waves and then they run off on their way. The Knight stands up. "Seems like a nice place... Definitely more peaceful than the cities I've been to."

Atsuko noted that even though she was getting stares here, people weren't afraid of her. Even the children weren't, it was a pretty stark contrast to the cities. There must be practically no crime here to speak of... That explained why Ayami acted the way she did in regards to those thugs.

She waits a bit for Tomina to arrive, and then begins making her way around the island. Along the way she also suppresses her power back down to an average level, so as not to stir up any trouble. It does start to dawn on her that she didn't exactly get information on where to meet with Ayami aside from just the general island itself. But, that was okay. The Saiyan starts by closing her eyes and focusing on the energy around her. Most of it was about what she expected; average energy sources... A few that were stronger, clearly belonging to Martial Artists of some variety.

But there was one in particular that caught her attention, because it was one that she felt very clearly before; that was Ayami! "That was easy.", she comments mainly to herself, and then begins walking in the direction that she can feel Ayami's power from.

Along the way, most people just went about their business, not really paying Atsuko any mind other than the occasional wave or greeting. Both of which the Knight would return while focusing on the task at hand. Eventually she comes to a humble store, and just outside of it she spots the Elfen snacking away on a frozen treat.

Atsuko approaches casually and gives a wave. "Hello, Ayami. I spent a little bit getting used to the island; it's a nice place.", she then states.

---

Ayami Tomina

For some the sunshine would have been harsh. But for islanders it was just a normal thing to be sure. Ayami, the store's owner, the citizens going about their business, all of them seemed completely unphased and - at worst just lightly fatigued. Even the elderly residents much to the surprise of most people who visited here. Perhaps even to the two particularly powerful visitors? Speaking of: Tomina and Atsuko soon arrived on the scene, giving a wave to the water elfen! Ayami wasted no time returning the greeting with a bright smile on her face as she stood up and skipped over to the pair.

"Really?! That's great! But I betcha haven't seen allll the cool spots here! It can be boring sometimes but...I like it, it's my home. I'm doing fantastic Mina! It's always nice to be back here again y'know! Maybe you two can come stay longer when things calm down? We have plenty of room at my home!"

The proprietor of the store gave a small wave towards the two as he continued to sweep the sidewalk outside his store. His curiosity was piked as he turned to face the water elfen, poised with a question on his mind.

"These your friends? My they certainly look...Different! Is the one in the armor gonna be okay? It gets pretty hot in the afternoons here."

The elfen gave an excited nod in response, happy to answer his question without even an ounce of hesitance.

"Yep! They're from reaaaallly far away I think! Who Atsuko? No she'll be fine. She literally never takes that stuff off."

Ayami chuckled at her small joke. Not that it was an entirely WRONG assessment of the knight, joke or not...That one probably hit a little too close to home for certain people of a pink persuasion. Setting all of that aside... It was time to introduce her friends to this place! Or more specifically, to her home!

"Right, well if you two are ready we can go visit the one person who can help us with our problem! We can go sight seeing later, I promise I'll show you around when we have time! There's so many cool spots outside the village!!!"

So long as the two sisters were prepared Ayami would finish off her Popsicle, throw away the stick into a trash can, and began walking leisurely out of town! She gave a wave goodbye to the store's owner as she left, prompting him to give one in response as he resumed his daily busywork. The trip was scenic and only further served to display this island's beauty to the two visitors. Every single house was well kept - If not by their owners then by neighbors who always lent a hand to those who had a bit of a harder time on upkeep. Certainly none of this was for outside appearances, though they may have gotten no shortage of tourists it was clear that this level of upkeep was for their own personal pride. A pride for one's home. As the trio got further and further out of the village the houses became more sparse and spread out, but they were none the less well kept. A woman hanging out her laundry waved to the three girls, prompting Ayami to wave back before the woman spoke up; calling out to them.

"Word is going around town about how you handled those no good punks at Penguin Village! Ayami dear, please be careful! We do appreciate your effort but none of us here want to see you hurt!"

The water elfen grinned, looking back to the two sisters following her before looking over at the woman and speaking up.

"Don't worry Mrs. Yamada! I had help from two real strong people!"

The water elfen continued on her way after the brief exchange. They had finally left behind the greater village and were now in the "countryside"



It was just as beautiful as the village itself - Perhaps even more so. Beansprout's untamed wilderness coalesced with farms to create the perfect synchronization between man and nature. Mountains covered from peak to base in vibrant green trees gave way to plowed fields packed with healthy crops from various types of bean plants to rice crops. The road outside of town was rough but still well paved, as expected of a small island, the cost of infrastructure was not quite as high as would be expected on the mainland. Farmers of all ages and builds worked away at their crops as the sun beat down overhead. Most were far too busy to pay notice to everyone walking the roads, but the few who did take notice gave a short greeting and exchanged waves before returning to their work. The water elfen took in a nice deep breath before exhaling contentedly, stretching a bit as she walked. Soon after she finished this however she turned around to face her two compatriots, walking backwards as she did so.

"We're not far now! Just wait till you meet THEM. You're gonna get so much stronger your heads'll spin y'know?! I think they'll take a lot of interest in you two as well. Plus you're gonna get to see where I live!!!"

True to her word as they made their way down the road which winded through the mountains they eventually reached the coastline. But more interesting than just a coast, there was something else that met their gaze as they arrived...



The brick-paved road curved downwards past two carved rockwalls with statues of lions jutting out from their peaks. Ahead the path they were to take could already be seen: A natural bridge of sand connecting Beansprout with an even smaller island which was almost perfectly round. The island was dominated by a mountain of it's own which ended in two peaks which were asymmetrical in height. If one looked closely they could likely already see their ultimate destination; a clearing inbetween the two peaks which played host to a temple-like structure. Though it was also clearly not a place of worship, but a place of rest.



Though it seemed imposing from a distance it was clear that if this was where Ayami lived then it couldn't have been dangerous...Unless perhaps she was some kind of thrill seeker. She turned to look at the other two and motioned for them to keep following. The water elfen strolled down the slope and along the sandbank that led to the adjoined island. The ocean waves danced along the edges of their natural bridge creating a rhythmic sound that helped to calm one's mind...Ruined stone structures jutting out from the sea around this natural bridge revealed that once long ago there were man-made objects here. Perhaps a bridge of some sort? But this sandbank rendered the need for such a thing obsolete. At times the waves might rise over it, but the inventor was capable of controlling them. - Such a risk was less than 0% with her navigating the trail for the trio.

"Pretty cool right?! We're almost there! Just gotta make it up the mountain trail!"

As they made it back onto solid land a stone brick path met them, one not unlike the path which sloped down onto the sand bar behind them. The road ahead twisted and turned up the side of the mountain and was surprisingly well-kept despite how far it was from the village. A couple of people in Gis met the trio on their way up, giving a wave as they passed by. The road upwards was even more beautiful than the road that brought them here. Cherry trees blossomed with white petals which fell down at random intervals as the sea breeze swept across the road filling their journey with the smell of the sea and the sights of a forest. It was likely surprising to most how energetic the inventor girl was given her home environment stood opposite to that personality. As they continued to ascend the mountain they passed by a small shack which was well kept on the outside. It was different from the village architecturally - Wooden beams with brass fittings kept the roof held up and windows with iron lattice stood to decorate it's front. A sign hung above the door swinging every time the wind picked up. The sign indicated this structure's name and purpose: "Deep Blue Workshop". The elfen's eyes practically beamed as she looked back at her visitors, eager to share info on it.

"This is my workshop!!! It's where I make all of my AMAZING inventions!!! Later I'll give you a full tour of it! But first thing's first...We gotta go see someone important! They're waiting for us as we speak! It's just a little ways further up, we're almost there!"



As the trio would crest the last sloped path the trees gave way to a clearing, and within this clearing the structure which from so far back was difficult to see in proper detail now revealed itself to them properly. to say it was a modest residence would be an overstatement. The home was sprawling and every inch of the clearing was clearly the property of this residence as every space had a purpose. The grounds held such things that were clearly designed for training students in the way of martial arts. A gazebo which held an tatami mat sparring square underneath, wooden posts which held training dummies upon them, a zen garden surrounding three ponds all of which held koi fish and water lilies, and even stones placed above that were flat and wide enough for people to sit on them. This place was like something out of a comic book. The home itself was a mansion, there was no arguing as much. The path led straight to the front door, and off to the side? A massive statue of a woman lounging on her side sat as a silent guard over this entire residence. The air here was...Still. Unlike the path to reach this place that was at the mercy of the sea breeze, the trees stood as a vigil for the entire clearing against the winds. It was quiet, only the sound of birdsong broke through...But it was peaceful. As they approached the home the water elfen extended her arms, grinning.

"Well, this is it! Welcome to my house!"

---

Atsuko Tomina

A picture entered its way into Tomina’s head, causing her to smirk at Atsuko “You were obsessed with knighthood from the beginning huh? I wouldn’t be surprised if you walked around in a tiny suit of armor as a kid. Cape, helmet and everything.”

Tomina said teasingly. She deliberately avoided talking about Atsuko’s mother though. In truth that was a rather touchy matter. Despite knowing that Atsuko was her sister, she had never met the person who had raised her. It made Tomina feel like an outsider sometimes. She hated that feeling: looking in on everyone else from the outside. It’s how she had lived most of her life. So she avoided it however she could. Hiding behind teasing Atsuko was an easy way to do that.

Likewise, it made Tomina a bit jealous of the community she was walking through right now. Ayami grew up in a wonderful place. Why couldn’t she have had something decent? True she wouldn’t have met Lucy if she had. But the cold nights and the hunger were horrible. Even now she didn’t have as much as other people. Not that she wanted that many material things. But there were intangible things that she felt like she’d never truly have.

After Tomina and Atsuko met up with Ayami, Tomina was uncharastically quiet throughout the walk through the mountains. Which was particularly unusual, since Atsuko brought up the boss of those thugs. Tomina normally would have jumped at the chance for a fight. But she seemed lost in her own thoughts. She just took in the scenery, looking around at the scenery. It wasn’t until they started talking about the training that Tomina spoke up.

“I hope so. I can’t afford to slack off now. Otherwise, everyone is going to leave me in the dust.”

It was already starting to happen. Tomina knew that she was at a disadvantage compared to everyone else. Tomina knew her greatest strength was in her elemental abilities. They increased her power exponentially. But she was too scared to use them. She didn’t want to lose control. And that put a limit to how much stronger she could get. People close to her in power would be easily able to edge her out. She had to get control, no matter what.

Tomina had kept to the rear the entire way down the trail, walking behind the other two women. When they got to their destination, she felt another ping of envy. Looking around, she saw an awesome living space that Ayami had. The extravagance was something she was not used to dealing with. Still she forced herself to smile at Ayami.

“It’s hella awesome! And you have plenty of your element to work with. Those ponds are probably useful in training. It isn’t that convenient for me, that’s for sure. Fire’s hard to come by in the wild.”

Ayami ended up explaining that she wasn't worried about anyone coming here to cause trouble; apparently her whole family had a history of keeping this place well protected. The Knight was pretty impressed by that... That kind of reputation was hard to earn, to be able to strike fear into the hearts of criminals. Tomina also decided to chime in by commenting on what she thought Atsuko must have been like as a child.

It prompted a small laugh out of the Saiyan. "Well, I won't deny that it was fun to play around as a Knight. Never had anything that convincing, though.", she admits, surprisingly taking the teasing in stride. It isn't lost on her that Tomina is looking and acting a bit off, though... At first the Albino Saiyan left it alone, but she made note of it.

The only time her sister spoke up again was when the subject of training came up. "Sis... You're plenty strong. You'll get stronger too, and most importantly you'll learn how to control your power. If I could do it, you can too. I promise.", she offered her best attempt at comforting words. She didn't like seeing Tomina down in the dumps like this.

Or having to force a smile while commenting on how amazing something else was. She knew why, or at least some parts of it if not the whole story. There was a lot that Atsuko wanted to address, but she wanted to think over the right time and place to do so. Tomina might not like something deeply personal being brought up so haphazardly in public, so she relented for the moment. Ayami took the charge on that in her own way, in any case. Promising that this mysterious individual would be able to help her with that power.

It didn't take very long for things to get noisy, either. Ayami certainly had a powerful set of lungs... The eerie silence in the air didn't hold for very long either, as soon the door was opened and out stepped an old woman. Right away, the Knight could tell that this was the real deal; that power was immense! But there were more important things to focus on. Soul piercing gaze was met in kind as the Albino Saiyan stared back at the old woman.

Something raised an alarm in her head. She recognized this armor, or at least this style of armor. Instantaneously it put Atsuko on edge, though she didn't show it by much. Very subtle, slight shifts in her stance. Rather than anything offensive, it was defensive. As if she was ready to go on the back foot and cut her losses. It wasn't the instincts of a total novice, either. Whoever trained her, they did it well. There was a definite power and skill gap, but she had a good handle on Martial Arts.

She showed excellent restraint and control, too. Despite the fact that she was so on edge, she didn't even let her energy ripple in the slightest. After a brief silence she finally speaks. "You recognize this armor?", Atsuko asks. She recalled what Micaela had to say about all of this.

She was to be extremely careful about her identity. Though she highly doubted that Ayami or anyone she trusted would actually be a part of those assassins, she couldn't help the reflexes taking over. Eventually the old woman simply moves away after discrediting the notion of having 'seen a ghost', and not caring who was in the armor. Slowly, but surely the Knight would begin to ease.

Watching everything else play out left the Saiyan feeling rather conflicted. At first it seemed as though the old woman might actually help Tomina with that power of hers, but then she simply refuses to train the three of them! The Elfen was far from giving up however. What followed was a pretty intense back and forth that eventually culminated in Ayami's true emotions bursting forth.

"... Ayami. You don't need to worry. If it came down to that, I would face those thugs myself.", well, the Saiyan was certainly not lacking for confidence. She said it so naturally that it came across as 'having no other option.' There are many subtle things one can pick up when they're as skilled as the old woman is.

"Even so... We would appreciate your training. I can't deny that I need to be better to defend those people.", she then finally added towards Ayami's grandmother.

---

Ayami Tomina

The elder listened to the three of them speak. They weren't just...Begging like someone seeking a free meal. All three of them carried conviction in their voices. In some ways perhaps it reminded her of herself and how hard she sought to learn her family's trade. The knight spoke of personal responsibility, the water user spoke of wanting to solve the problem she had created, the fire user spoke of wanting to control her powers because...Even a villain didn't deserve to be consumed by the flames. Each one of them hit the matriarch to her core without even realizing it. If one had perhaps been paying close enough attention they might have caught sight of the old woman's hands shake very subtly as they gripped onto her wooden cane. Aya turned her head to look at the trio, a stern expression plastered across her face as she turned around and began to hobble into her home.

"Well...Don't just stand there looking lost. Come in, come in. We can discuss it over tea before we begin."

The water elfen stood up onto her feet, looking back to the other two with a soft smile. She motioned for the other two to come in before doing so herself. The inside of their home was even more beautiful than the outside in some regards. Centuries old tapestries lined the oak wood walls and a table at the front door way held several family heirlooms on display, all of them likely older than dirt itself. The floors were old - Oh how they were old. They creaked with every step taken on them. But they were well kept, and even had a light gleam of cleanliness to them. The windows were decorated with lattices which had artwork carved into them and the floorboards which lined the bottom of every wall was the same. The water elfen took off her shoes at the entrance and deposited them onto a shelf placed adjacent to the door. She then turned and bowed to the door before continuing to follow her Grandmother down a hallway which was lit by sunlight beaming in from outside.

As they walked down the hallway Aya took the time to speak to them, and...Answer some questions that had been posed to her earlier. The knight took notice of how the matriarch recognized the armor she wore. Aya could only let out an amused chuckle recalling just how on edge Atsuko had become in response to that.

"Of course I recognize that armor. I fought alongside the Knights of Yama plenty of times. So did my father. ... I didn't think one of you would be showing up to my doorstep. So many of them left. They were... seduced by greed, demoralized by evil. It takes a vigilant eye to keep true evil at bay."

The young inventor walked alongside her grandmother, amazed by the story she was telling.

"You never told me about the knights, Gramma. What were they like back then?"

The matriarch gave a gentle, warm smile...The first one the two sisters have seen since they arrived. It seems that her memories were fond judging from this.

"They gleamed like the brightest stars. Growing up in a family who held to tradition and utility over style and grace you can imagine how I was entranced by them. But the brighter a star is, the sooner before it dims into the shadows. They were powerful warriors, and incredible mages ... And...Good friends."

The old woman's smile faded, replaced by an expression that displayed unimaginable sadness. Oh she tried to hide it from them, but it was clear from the heavy air of silence that there was something she would rather not speak of. But soon the conversation was interrupted anyway. The four came to a sliding door and with a swift pull of its handle, it opened to reveal a room within.



It was a sitting room that was just as well kept as the hallways. On top of the green tatami flooring lied a short table in the center of the room surrounded by four sitting pillows on it's sides and a smaller table with a vase resting on it adjacent to the table. On top of the table sat a tea set. Several ornate cups made of fine ivory and a silver tea pot which was already filled with warm tea. The room was well lit due to the doorway which opened out into the yard outside. The room was peacefully quiet, the only sounds permeating this sacred place being bird song and the occasional chime of wind chimes which were hung above the doorway.

"Come, have a seat."

Both the elderly master and her granddaughter took seats next to each other, leaving two more seats open for the sisters to join in. Once everyone had been seated the matriarch set out tea cups for each of them and began to fill the cups with green tea. tea which was leaving a trail of steam as it sat idly. Aya looked over at Tomina as she poured out tea for all four of them and began to speak.

"Maybe you're wondering how exactly I could have guessed that you were afraid of your power. ... I hate to break the illusion but it wasn't any kind of sage arts. I've just seen a lot of kids like you in my time being a master. I hope you won't mind my saying so but you have a tough posture. You've...Dealt with a lot of hardship haven't you?"

The woman finished pouring tea and moved to a relaxed sitting posture, simply watching Tomina before continuing.

"... Your power doesn't make you a monster. We're all only as guilty as we've learned to be. I can't possibly know what you've dealt with. - And I'm not going to ask you to tell me. But I can tell from the look in your eyes that you aren't someone who likes to hurt others, and that's good enough for me."

The excitable water elfen was now dropping several cubes of sugar into her tea. Just...So many sugar cubes.

"Hey yeah I've seen Tomina fight! She's real strong! Do you really think you can help her learn to control her power?"

The matriarch would give a slow calm nod after taking a drink of her tea.

"Fire is just an element of nature. There is no element that can't be controlled. But if she wants to master it she will have to learn to turn that raging inferno in her heart into a gentle ember first."

Aya sets her tea cup down carefully, causing a light clink to ring out into the room. She looks between all three of them as she speaks.

"Ayami is already fully aware of my training, she has been a part of it for well over ten years now. But you two...I don't know what kind of training you've received. What I am going to teach you isn't so straight forward. It is a grueling, painful course that will test your limits. This isn't about growing stronger. You may not reach new heights by undertaking my regime. But I will teach you to better control what you already have. If a spider can spin a thread that is invisible to the eye then I intend to teach you to control your powers in just the same way. Turning your energy from a wall of power into a fine thread of focused strength...That is the goal of my teaching. If you really believe you're ready then I won't waste time imparting my lessons on you. But tell me. What is it that brought you here?"

The inventor was now taking several fast, joyous sips of her extremely sugary tea, grinning as she set the cup down.

"Well, you see we were at Penguin Village. And these tough guys were pushing around old people and I was like "HEY STOP!" and the guy was like "SCREW YOU" and then Tomina was like "I'M GONNA KICK YOUR ASS!" but Atsuko... Atsuko was just like "Please calm down." it was totally rad."

... The matriarch stares at her daughter with a genuine expression of astonishment. That...Was the most absurd and nonsensical story she had heard.

"And tell me what exactly this anecdote of yours has to do with your predicament?"

Ayami...Was busy downing the rest of her tea as the astute grandma asked a very good question. The water elfen slammed her cup down and nodded excitedly

"Oh y'see that's the part I was just getting to! See we beat their asses real good. But then they said they'd be back! So...They're probably gonna bring their boss. And...Even though they were weak they had REALLY good control, this boss guy's probably a master himself. The bad news is we don't...Really know how much time we have until they come back."

The elderly master listens intently to Ayami's ramblings, managing to pick up the needed context from that mess. She simply nods, rubbing her chin in deep thought.

"I see...So then time isn't on our side in this case. I can still help but I need to know you're willing. If you have limited time I can press the training harder to get results faster. But even for someone like Ayami who has been training under me for years...It will be a VERY difficult time. Even more difficult than normal. If I help you three, will you be willing to endure the pain and struggle for it?"

The young inventor gives a solemn, stern nod. Suddenly her excited expression was replaced with a serious one.

"I've been waiting a long time for this. I'm not backing down. ... I can't afford to see anyone suffer."

---

Atsuko Tomina

Tomina had always been good at being able to read people. She always found that odd about herself. She didn’t exactly consider herself an intellectual. She grew up on the streets and she talked like it. So her language was crude, at best. And she wasn’t very good at making long term plans or strategy. If someone needed a math problem solved, she was not the person to call. But people, that seemed to come naturally for her.

Her red eyes shifted to the hands of the old woman. It hadn’t been for very long, but she had observed them trembling. It wasn’t in anger though, since she invited them in afterward. This person was very hard to read, even for her. But the words of everyone there had reached her in some way. She wasn’t yelling at her for being rude at least. Tomina followed her into their living space. No, she totally wasn’t jealous of the fancy decorations and big house. No, not at all.

Tomina caught Atsuko’s eyes when Aya started talking about the knights. She wanted to see if the talk about some of them falling to evil got to her. She teased her a lot about it, but Tomina knew how important knighthood was to Atsuko. Fortunately, she seemed to be dealing with her own stress much better than she was. Tomina didn’t have to say anything about the matter. If she was that resolved with dealing with these assassins, then a conflict was inevitable. And Tomina would fight alongside her when that happened. That’s all there was to it.

Tomina took a seat, crossing her legs and staring at the old woman, and explained how she could tell that she had been through a lot. Tomina thought she was good at hiding her pain. She didn’t like to focus on that stuff and preferred not to drag other people into her problems. She rubbed the back of her head.

“I guess suffering through life is a commonplace problem. Maybe having power doesn’t make you a monster. But what you do with it can easily make you one.”

Tomina took a cup of tea in her hands, looking down at the liquid and at her reflection. The liquid rippled, and she saw the orphanage burning. And just for a moment, she saw something else burning. The one thing that was forever etched into her brain. She grit her teeth then tilted her head and swigged down her cup in one gulp. She didn’t seem bothered by how hot the liquid was in the slightest. She put it down, looking at the old woman seriously.

“I wouldn’t have come here if I wasn’t prepared to go through hell and beyond. There are some things that you have to do. Not learning to control my powers isn’t an option. I don’t care if I can’t master it in time to face that gang. If I have to fight their boss without having mastered my powers, then so be it. I’m willing to go through anything you throw at me, no matter how long it takes. I have to get control of my powers. If I accomplish only one meaningful thing before I die, I want it to be that.”

... And just like that, all of the tense atmosphere had been eradicated. The Knight couldn't help but stifle a laugh as Ayami reacted to what Atsuko looked like without the helmet, the resulting smack of the head by her grandmother didn't help either. It was pretty clear how much the two got along, even if seemed like the elderly master was being way too strict on the Elfen.

"It's okay.", she assures the matriarch. "It was Ayami's first time seeing me, after all." Still, the mechanic was something else... All of that sugar, and now how jittery she was... The Knight couldn't help but give a somewhat nervous smile as the master claimed that Ayami had a long way to go for tea preparation. "Her heart's in the right place."

Still, there came the truth that Atsuko had to remove her armor. She felt a little conflicted about this, but the assurance that no one would be able to find her here did put her heart at ease. She calmly rises from her seated position and begins to remove the armor now, setting it down neatly and organized out of the way. All the while, she was able to comment on the conversation as it continued. "That is true. The more people understand about these powers, the less they have to fear when they see or experience it."

She gives a calm, approving nod. "Having the right mentors will ensure less bad eggs, too.", still... There were people like Dom Remi; and probably even worse than that one too. All of this preparation helped them to one day defend themselves against threats like that. Now clad in only the robes that were underneath her armor, she was just in time to listen properly to Aya's declaration.

And all that was needed in response was one thing... The Saiyan didn't hesitate, just like Ayami. Though her determination was different from the excitement that the Elfen felt. "Yes!"

---

Eventually the group gathered in another room in the temple. Obviously it was meant for training, but the Saiyan wondered exactly what kind. This kind of place was much too small for fighting. The lack of dirt and damage only furthered that line of logic. Fortunately the old woman began to explain exactly what kind of lessons would be imparted here. So this was a test of finesse, reflexes, and fast thinking. You needed to be able to grab a cup fast, react to what your opponent was doing, and 'attack' all in uninterrupted motions.

That... Could be pretty difficult, especially against someone who was on an equal level to you, let alone a greater level. Still, the Knight wasn't one to back down from a challenge. She was about to accept the first challenge; but a certain Elfen on a sugar rush got to it before she did. The Albino Saiyan watched what unfolded closely, hoping to glean how it was done. That ended up being more difficult than first anticipated. There was one very clear master in this room, and she moved with speed and grace that was difficult even for Atsuko to follow.

Aya had obviously refined her technique to incredible levels. By her own estimation, she could manage roughly half of that kind of speed... That wasn't accounting for accuracy, either. No matter how hard Ayami tried, she couldn't close the gap, and after three rounds it was announced that they would be put on rotation.

Atsuko was the next to step forward, ready to try her hand at this. The Saiyan takes a seat at the opposite end of the table from Aya, and gives a calm nod. She would wait until Aya returns the nod, signifying that the challenge had started. Once that happened, she held zero hesitation and her power burst forth, she reaches for a cup and moves to splash the contents at the master!

If blocked, she would immediately switch onto the defensive, using both hands in an attempt to keep up with her opponent and block any counterattacks. The Albino Saiyan was counting on endurance working in her favor, which was likely to be a rookie mistake. She was waiting for her opponent to tire out so she could then capitalize on the opening that resulted. That meant she was focused solely on defense after the initial opening volley she tried for.

That was all assuming, of course, that Aya didn't just outmaneuver her entirely before Atsuko could even process what just happened. There WAS quite the power gap between them, after all...

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Ayami Tomina

Notes:
Ki Suppression broken, Atsuko's full PL of 180 is revealed!