- Oliver -

  His body begged for more rest.

  'Mr. Oliver. Please. We 't take it anymore.' The boy could almost imagine his legs begging for fiveness.

  With each passing day, the training sessions became even more intense. Even after eight hours of sleep, it still didn’t feel like enough.

  I four days, Nico had made the boy train from m until afternoon, with a short break, and then tinued fighting irial Tower. After two secutive victories on the sed day and reag the fourth floor, he increased the iy even more, with three fights each day for the st three days.

  'Damn it! If I hadn't screwed up in those three fights, I wouldn't be so messed up,' Oliver thought.

  I two days, he had lost three matches; unfortunately, he still wasn't used to fighting against certain types of Boons—especially those involving mind trol or disarmament. On Thursday, he had his first defeat, fag an oppo who could emit sleeping gas. It was his quickest and most surprisi.

  'But finally, I’ve reached the tenth floor; only one more to go.' The boy fluffed the pillow, preparing to sleep.

  --

  --

  "Wake up, boy! Wake up!" Nico shouted ihe room.

  Oliver jumped up on the bed, not knowing where the noise was ing from. His eyes struggled to stay open to figure out what was happening.

  "H-How did you get in here?" Oliver asked, frowning.

  "I have my ways. Never doubt what I'm capable of," Nico replied, smiling mysteriously.

  "e on, today will be a bit different. We have many things to discuss, and you o prepare for your st fight," Niented.

  --

  --

  The first time he enjoyed Selene's breakfast, Oliver thought he would never get used to it, especially after everything he had been through oreets and in the academy. But after almost a week, he already felt at home whehe androids came to take his order.

  "Today will be your st training session; it will be simir to the other days. We'll focus entirely on bat; we o improve your reas. You’re making too many mistakes when fag unknown Boons," Nico expined as they both waited for their orders.

  "Yes. But how was I supposed to imagihat the girl from yesterday could create tentacles on her back?" Oliver pined. "If she hadn't grabbed my legs, I would have fihe fight."

  "You have to be prepared for everything. To this day, we don't know all the limits of an Ork; when you're on the front lihere won't be a teical sheet expining what your oppo is capable of," Nico replied.

  Oliver lowered his head, thinking about his most ret experiences. Sihe Academy tests or whe lost with Katherine, he knew what he was fag. It formed a false expectation that he could pn every battle.

  "Today will be a bit different. Every ten floors, there's a Coliseum, ahat only occurs when there's a certain number of oppos. Oenth floor, there are ten; oweh, twenty, and so on," Nico expined.

  "What?! So I'll have to faine oppos at the same time?" Oliver asked.

  "Yes, but also no. The ten will ehe arena simultaneously, but you'll hardly faine oppos—maybe three or four. Besides, you don't o defeat them all. The top three advao the floor," Nico expined.

  'That's not so bad,' Oliver thought. He was already used to fag three fights per night, so it wouldn't be that different.

  "You thought, 'That's not so bad,' right?" Niicked Oliver.

  ‘Is it possible his Boon has mind-reading properties?!’ Oliver thought, trying to keep his face impassive.

  "Trust me, I've been training you sihe beginning of the week to face the tenth floor. But there are some things it's impossible to prepare for; each Coliseum is pletely different from the others, from the terrain to items," Nico expined.

  "What do you mean?" Oliver inquired.

  "For example, I once had a Coliseum where the water level rose every minute. We fihe fight with the water already at waist level. Good thing there wasn't someone who trolled electricity," Nico replied.

  Oliver put his hands on his head, running his fihrough his hair. If he hadn't been nervous before, now he couldn't have helped it; he would have had to face a pletely unknown arena with unknown oppos and powers.

  "That's why it's important to train your ability to react to the ued," Nico cluded.

  Both remained silent for a few minutes, each thinking about the few days. Oliver was especially nervous about returning to the Academy aing his friends again.

  "But if you mao win today, I’ll give you a prize. I'll take you to watch my fight," Niented.

  "Yht? You're also going to fight today?" Oliver asked.

  "When a fighter is already on the higher floors, finding oppos to keep advang bees quite difficult. But as soon as a new person is registered on the floor, a bat invitation is sent to everyone," Nico expined.

  "And it's scheduled for today?" Oliver asked.

  "Yes. Much ter than yours, but it's for today. Win, and I'll bring you to my floor to watch," Nico cluded.

  --

  --

  "Today's training will be quicker. There's no point in f you to learn more about the h Army's fighting teique. You already have the basics; you'll find a way to keep evolving," Nico began.

  Nico started walking to the ter of the training arena, with Oliver beside him, trying to uand why they were there if they wouldn't train fighting teiques.

  "Oliver, you don't o expin your Boon to me. I don't know yet how it works, but it's evidently not reted to direbat effects," Nico said.

  Oliver nodded without further expnation.

  "In this case, there's a big problem for you. Even if you had yer on, you're missing a Finisher," Niented.

  "What do you mean? Isn't it enough to hit the oppo until y him down?" Oliver asked.

  "Yes, but imagine a battle. It might take a long time to immobilize or damage your enemy. In the meantime, your oppo will have several ces to discover your weaknesses and turn the fight around. That's why having something that end the fight quickly will increase your ces of victory," Nico tihis time, he approached the boy.

  "I won't tell you yet what my Boon is; you'll have to find out," Nico said with a smile. "But let's say I have the same problem as you. What would be my solution?"

  "I have no idea. Create a teique?" Oliver replied.

  "Creating a teique isn't wrong, but it's not enough. You o use everything at your disposal. You must extract all your physical and energy potential," Nico expined. "This is going to be a crash course on Energy bat."

  "Close your eyes," Nico said.

  Oliver found it stra followed the and.

  "Imagihat Energy is a force tained in the Z Crystal, which you use even without a Ranger Armor. Imagihis force flowing, ing out of the crystal, and merging with your body," Nico said softly.

  The boy began trating, trying to extract the energy within. He could vaguely feel something emanating from the gau and threads of energy embrag his arms, but it was so subtle that it was almost imperceptible.

  "I-I think I felt something. I think?!" the boy ented.

  "Great! That means you are highly sensitive to the Z Crystal; this will help a lot," Niented.

  "So pay attention because I'm going to show you my teique. I won't be able to perform it often, so stay focused," Nico said.

  --

  --

  Ding

  | The 10th Floor Coliseum will start in 30 minutes

  Both were sitting ih-floor hall, waiting for the battle to begin. While Oliver was the people in the hall, Nico sipped a drink he had ordered.

  Uhe lower floors, this one was crowded, making it difficult to know who his oppos would be.

  "It's always like this. The Coliseums are alacked. Sihey're always different, they are more iing than watg regur floors," Niented between sips.

  Oliver had nothing to say; he didn't know the bettor's experience. He just hoped that some people who ented on his previous fights would support him today.

  ‘Maybe eve a boost.’ The boy hoped.

  A noise caught everyone's attention in the hall. A small group suddenly opehe entrance doors, all dressed in biforms with the Selene insignia. Leading the group were two people Oliver reized—the twins.

  Murmurs could be heard at all the tables; the bettors khey would be among the batants if they had e to this floor. This would ge the odds for all partits.

  "Hmm, now it got tricky," Niented.

  "Did you see any of their fights?" Oliver asked.

  "I did. Both are good," Nico replied.

  "Did they use Boons? How do they fight?" Oliver asked.

  "The boy produce poisons; I don't know how it works or what the effect is, but it drips on his skin. He doesn't seem strong or adept at hand-to-hand bat, but if you get too close a poisoned, you're screwed," Nico expined.

  Oliver nodded; he hated that type of oppo.

  "As for the girl, I think she's even more dangerous. She's good in bat, and her Boon is a bit fusing. I still couldn't uand how it works, but she seems able to emit pressurized gas," Niented.

  Oliver couldn't imagine how this was used in bat. Seeing the boy's fused expression, Nico tinued expining.

  "Whenever an oppo got close to her, they were pushed as if he'd been punched. But it was high-pressure gas," Nico said.

  "Oh! I think I get it," Oliver replied. His gaze didn't leave the oppos. Nico thought fag them was terrible, but Oliver actually preferred it. Finally, he would faething that wasn't pletely unknown.

  Ding

  | The 10th Floor Coliseum will start in 10 minutes

  | Partits, ehe preparation room

  "Let's go; it's your time," Nico said.

  Both left the main hall, heading toward the preparation room. However, at the entrahere were two guards. As they approached, oepped forward.

  "From here on, only batants ehe Coliseum will be a bit different today," the guard expined.

  Nico pced a hand on Oliver's shoulder.

  "Good luck, boy; just do as we practiced," Nico said in farewell.

  "Don't worry; It’ll be quick, then we'll go to yht," Oliver replied.

  After saying goodbye, the boy passed through the door. Upoering the preparation room, he found the other nine petitors who would ehe Coliseum.

  Oliver looked at each of them, trying to assess. However, most were pletely unknown—except for three. The twins attracted the most attention. But there was another person he reized—a girl wearing an IWT vest and a white mask that looked like por.

  'I hope she doesn't remember me,' Oliver thought.

  While he was still his oppos, a hologram of a floating head appeared in the middle of the room.

  "Are you ready to start the Coliseum?!"

  GCLopes