~The two boys rushed towards each other. Another sword materialized in Sage’s hands, this time it was a standard long sword. Sage released a horizontal slash, but Kai quickly slid under and used a sweeping kick, hoping to knock his opponent down.~

Sage: *He quickly jumped and turned mid-air, raising the sword over his head and bringing it down onto Kai.* “I’ve gotcha!”

Kai: *He looked out of the corner of his eyes and quickly rolled out the way. He threw a half-way charged blow from All-Star in his opponent’s direction, once again aiming to knock the sword out of his hand.* 

Sage: *The sword flew out of his hands. He quickly summoned another sword in response. This time however, it was a bit larger with a crescent like shape at the end, instead of a pointed blade.* “Shwing!”

Kai: *His eyes widened when he saw another sword manifest. This time, he was sure of what Sage’s tech was. “It’s gotta be Swordsman! The ability to manifest any type of sword he has trained with at least once before in his life. It looks like depending on the sword, his physical capabilities change. Like before with the Katana, his speed was off the charts! The Longsword, his agility and awareness increased. This blade, I’ve never seen it before… I can’t guess what buff he’ll get…” He charged All-Star one more time, this time letting it all go in one mighty punch.* 

Sage: *He stuck the head of the blade into the ground, the sharp edges facing both of them. The result of this? The air released from Kai’s attack was suddenly split in two, diverting away from him.* 

~The blast of air was enough to knock a few students, who were a little too close to the ring to begin with, back a little ways. Ms. Huggins was pushed back as well. As the attack faded, everyone returned to their senses.~

Aiden: “Jeez, how much power does he pack behind his attacks?”

Kyoge, Mikate, and Amy: *They spoke in unison.* “A lot.”

Aiden: “Oh…”

Sage: “This one is a personal favorite against air elementals… They call it the Wind-Cutter!” *He said with a smug expression.*

Kai: *He stood up to his full height, rubbing the side of his mouth with his wrist. “Wind-Cutter, he’s right. I really haven’t heard of it. But the name says more than enough.”* “You’re tech, it’s Swordsman, right?”

Sage: “Bingo!” *He leaned against the sword, smiling with all confidence.* “Took you a second to figure it out!”

Kai: “Actually, I guessed it after I knocked the longsword out of your hands…” *He narrowed his eyes. At the current moment, he was trying to charge All-Star and come up with a plan.*

Sage: *The smile faded off of his face.* “Good for you…” *He grinded his teeth. How’d that brat figure him out so quickly? Nonetheless, hold his own against such a powerful technique.* “Good for youuuuu.” *He said, seething through his teeth.*

Kai: *A strange feeling in his guy provoked him to raise his arms back into fighting position. A chill running down his spine. *

Kyoge: *A few seconds prior, he was lying on the ground. But the moment something snapped within Sage, he sat up quickly.* “He’s no longer treating this as a sparring match…”

Tyson: *He grinned, practically from ear to ear.* “You’re right. From this point forward, it’s a fight to the death!”

~With a sudden surge of energy, Sage rushed toward Kai with murderous intent. Wind-Cutter raised above his head. His emerald eyes were practically glowing. Kai rolled out of the way just seconds before Sage slammed the sword into the earth, causing it to give and crack. Before he could get himself back together, Kai rushed the emerald boy. Releasing a flurry of kicks and punches, each packed with small bursts of compressed air. This knocked Sage off of his balance and caused him to lose grip of his blade.~

Sage: *He skidded away, still seething.* “Damned brat!” *He reached out for the blade, and like Mjolnir to Thor, Wind-Cutter flew into Sage’s hands.* “You’re going to have to fight way harder than that!”

Kai: *He charged All-Star once more, this time throwing punches. Each punch sending a shockwave of air towards his opponent. “If I can’t get rid of Wind-Cutter, this fight is going to turn into an uphill battle!”*

~It all happened so fast… Sage used the flat side of the blade to block a few shots, before sending one back towards the sender. It moved faster than before, it even seemed stronger than before. Kai tried to block it, but couldn’t react in time. The projectile struck him in the gut and forced him down onto one knee.~

Kai: *He was coughing and wheezing, the projectile had directly hit him in the solar plexus. “Did the blade create that attack? No, that was my own. But it felt more powerful than when I launched it at him… How the hell did he manage that?” A few moments later, he caught his breath, but his strength was still weak. “Wait, I think I get it. The sword absorbed a few bursts then combined the energy when he sent it back. Otherwise, the attack would’ve lost momentum halfway through… Thinking back on it, he didn’t put enough swing into it either!”

Sage: *He walked closer to Kai, dragging the blade through the ground. He took a glance at the clock. Good, 2 minutes and 15 seconds left. “That’s more than enough time.” He thought.* 

Amy: “This is bad. Hey teach, isn’t this the part when you stop the fight?!” *She said quickly, spinning on her heel and looking toward Huggins.* 

Huggins: “R- right!” *She grabbed her whistle, ready to call off the match. Suddenly, the whistle was out of her hands.* 

Tyson: *He spun the whistle by its lanyard around his finger.* “Call it off now, and he’ll lose all progress. He’s so close to breaking past that mental barrier. If he can’t do it now, he’ll never grow anymore.” *He turned to face their teacher, his brown eyes showing his passion to see his rival become stronger.* “Isn’t that a teacher’s job? To ensure that his or her students can grow and overcome challenges?”

Huggins: “Yes but…” *She turned to the fight and sighed.* “You’re playing with another student’s safety at this point-”

Kenyan: *He stepped up from behind Amy.* “Actually, he’ll be perfectly fine.” *He leaned in closer to his teacher.* “Whether or not he manages to become better from this experience, he’ll be one step closer to overcoming that mental block of his. Sage is in on this whole charade. He’s a great actor, wouldn’t you say?” 

Huggins: *She turned to the other students.* “Is this true? This is all staged?” 

~A few other students nodded. The more noticeable ones being Tyson and Charlotte.~ 

Huggins: *Releasing the largest sigh thus far, she turned back to the sparring match.* “You better be right about this…” *Internally, she was disappointed. Here she was, trying to protect one of her students. Yet, the boy’s classmates were going as far as possible to push him forward. She bit her lip and gripped her clipboard.* 

~Sage approached Kai, taking one step at a time. Wind-Cutter dragging against the ground alongside him. Kai looked upwards, grunting as he managed to get himself back on his feet. Sage reeled back the blade, before quickly going for a swift cut aimed at his opponent’s chest. Kai swiftly avoided the blade before punching it out of the other’s hands. He then grabbed the sword and planted it into the ground. Before Sage could even reach for the sword, Kai kicked the flat part of the blade with a burst of compressed air. Wind-Cutter clattered onto the ground in pieces, the handle following after as Kai released it from his hands.~

Kai: *He slightly winced. He was right, a blade that could repel air wouldn’t be so easily broken by an attack combined with air. He shook the foot he used to break the blade and hopped up and down on his uninjured foot.*

Sage: “Took you long enough!” *He summoned a new blade. This time, it wasn’t happening within a split-second, rather an elongated process. Where he was summoning this sword from was a stream of blue-purple light. When the tip of the blade emerged from the light, it faded away. What he had pulled out was a Great-Sword. The benefits with this one? Increased strength and durability.* “Let’s see you take this one on!”

Kai: “Can’t catch a break…” *He returned to his fighting stance, pushing his right foot back slightly. With a burst of air he launched himself in Sage’s direction.*