Veil wasn't thrown off for long and quickly jumped back to avoid Caster's fourth attack.
Caster exhaled and corrected his fighting posture before rushing in again with blinding speed. Veil narrowly side-stepped the attack, then he looked down at his own legs and said,
"Float."
Instantly, he began hovering just out of reach.
Caster looked up in awe, then Veil pointed and said,
"Charge and lock on target."
He pointed his foot toward Caster, and his body flew in that direction. Caster ran to the side, but Veil's body followed after him, and his kick struck Caster's chest.
Veil used the kick to backflip off of Caster's body, still floating mid-air.
Caster kept his legs firm, but the impact still sent him sliding several feet back.
He stared down at the floor and whispered,
"300%"
The aura around him became much more intense.
"Release," Veil muttered. His flight was cancelled, and as he landed, his breathing was a little ragged.
Without missing a beat, Caster moved in, throwing a right hook towards Veil's side. Veil barely blocked it with his forearm.
Veil was still wincing from just blocking the hit when Caster took the chance to land a blow to his cheek.
At the same time, Veil jumped back to lessen the impact as much as he could. But his face was still bruised and blistered.
Caster shook his hand and blew away the sting in his knuckles. Then he moved faster than a blink to strike again. Veil started to say something, and Caster grabbed his face and slammed him into the ground, cracking the arena floor. For a moment, they stayed like that, but Caster soon let go and backed away.
"My bad, I think I got too into it!" he shouted with a smile.
Veil sat up and wiped the blood from his mouth, then he smiled in return and said,
"That's fine, I'm enjoying myself too."
Caster read Veil's lips and gave Veil a moment to get back onto his feet before charging in again.
"Lose traction," Veil commanded, with his eyes on Caster's shoes. Immediately, Caster lost his footing and began sliding across the arena at the same breakneck speed he had been running at. Veil side-stepped out of the way as Caster slammed into the barrier wall.
Caster was knocked onto his back by the crash and blinked at the ceiling before chuckling loudly and yelling,
"Alright, you win!" He tried to stand, but his shoes were still too slippery, so he fell back onto his knees. Before trying again, he removed his shoes.
"Are you sure you can't keep going?" Veil asked with a proud smirk. Caster looked at him blankly, then pointed to his ears and said,
"I can't hear you."
They stared at each other in silence for a few seconds.
"Turn your hearing back on!" Veil snapped. Caster shrugged and replied,
"Still don't know what you're saying... but if your powers can affect my clothes, I'm outmatched. I would rather not have to strip naked to win a fight."
"Arena damage repair commencing," the robotic voice chimed.
Veil stood glaring at Caster as Caster stared down sadly at his shoes.
Flow rushed down to them and embraced Veil.
"Are you alright?" She muttered while looking at his swollen cheek worriedly. Veil smiled, despite the discomfort it caused.
"I will be once you heal me."
Flow got to work right away. As she healed him, Veil released the effect on Caster's shoes.
"Complete Reset," Caster muttered. The energy around him calmed, and he glared at Veil before adding, "Fix my shoes."
"I already did," Veil shot back. Caster beamed and happily put his shoes back on.
After healing his face, Flow moved her attention to the swelling on his forearm.
Aura stepped down to help Caster.
Shade noticed Fenix watching them calmly, so he decided to say,
"You don't mind her healing another man?"
Fenix cut his eyes at Shade, who jolted and looked down, regretting that he'd spoken.
"Don't be silly, that's her brother. I'm not completely irrational." Fenix replied smoothly.
Tension released from Shade's body, and a moment later, he said,
"But they're not actually blood related or anything."
Fenix laughed heartily at that. The laughter continued so long that Shade started to chuckle along awkwardly. Then Fenix stopped abruptly,
"Blood means nothing," he muttered, cold and expressionless. Shade was still mid-awkward laugh and didn't know how to reply. "I have no blood ties with my family... but my feelings for them are still only platonic. Are you implying that Aura isn't capable of that?"
Shade stayed quiet. He wanted to get a reaction out of Fenix, but he didn't expect this. The atmosphere felt heavy, as if Fenix might snap at any moment. While he was mentally spiraling, Fenix patted his shoulder. Shade stiffened, not knowing what to expect next, but Fenix just got up and walked over to Aura.
"How is he?" he asked, while staring at his fiancée fondly. Her focus was locked on Caster as she answered,
"Most of his injuries are internal, so it's actually taking a while to heal." She sounded exhausted.
"That explains why it hurts like hell," Caster remarked with a laugh.
Flow was focusing her powers on Veil's back, and her heart ached at seeing his injuries.
"Neither of you held back at all," she grumbled. Veil stifled a chuckle,
"Yes we did. I know Caster pulled his punches, and he's my friend, so I didn't really want to take him out or anything," Veil replied casually, while Flow shook her head in disbelief.
Panther entered the room at about that time and said,
"Hey, are y'all still going at it?"
"We were just leaving," Veil said, giving Flow a look to signal her to agree.
"...Oh yeah, it's getting a bit late, we're going to hang out alone before curfew hits," Flow answered. As she was speaking, Veil took her hand and led her out of the room.
"Okay... what about the rest of you?" Panther asked. Caster rolled his shoulders and stood up.
"I'm gonna go too, bye," he announced, shoving his hands into his pockets and heading to the exit. Panther turned her attention to Fenix, and he said,
"Shade and I just finished sparring so we're done for the day."
"Oh... then how about you and I spar, Aura?"
Her voice was upbeat when she asked, but there was also a hint of excitement.
"I'm actually a bit tired myself."
Panther clicked her tongue and said,
"Oh come on, it's just a little spar. I'm sure you can handle it."
Healing such complex injuries on the body of another person, along with using her powers to remove the effects of fatigue from both Flow and herself, had left Aura feeling slightly drained.
"Well... fine, but let's not use our powers. This isn't the best environment for me anyway. I wouldn't be able to fight at full capacity," Aura offered.
Panther smirked.
"Why not?" she inquired.
Fenix frowned, growing irritated with this exchange.
"I can't fully use my abilities unless I'm on the ground," Aura admitted begrudgingly.
"Who knew you had such a weakness. I can use my powers anywhere, so it never occurred to me."
Aura's eye twitched, then she tried to figure out if Panther was just a completely thoughtless person or if she was trying to provoke Aura on purpose.
"You know what," Aura began, "I think I do have the energy to go a few rounds with you." All the friendliness had disappeared from her voice.
"You don't have to waste time on her," Fenix whispered. Aura responded with a small peck and said,
"Don't worry, I'm fine." Heat rose to Fenix's face, and his desire to be alone with Aura intensified.
"Do you mind if I stay to watch?" Shade asked from the bleachers.
"Not at all!" Panther called cheerily.
The romantic atmosphere disappeared, and Aura sighed as she handed Fenix her overcoat. He folded it in his arms. Then he kissed her cheek; his gaze lingered on her for a moment as he pulled away. After that, he returned to the stands with Shade.
"He's really affectionate with you," Panther noted. Aura didn't reply immediately; she first walked into the arena and put on a pair of sparring gloves.
"Are you coming?" she asked, finally, already standing in the correct position, ready for a fight.
Panther was thrown off slightly but nodded and walked over.
"No powers?" Panther questioned as she got into position across from Aura.
"Do whatever you want." Aura was no longer trying to hide her irritation at this point.
"Okay!"
Panther's response was easygoing, as if she didn't notice Aura's mood or didn't care.
When the computerized voice declared, "Begin." Both fighters stepped forward, throwing a jab at almost the same time. Within a fraction of a second, Aura knocked Panther's punch upward and ducked down. Time seemed to slow down as Aura placed both her hands on the ground, propping herself up to use both feet to kick Panther's chin.
The power behind it sent Panther flying several feet across the arena.
It felt like the room was spinning, and the kick happened so quickly that Panther didn't feel the pain right away; it hit her gradually, growing worse as the seconds passed.
"This is a friendly spar, so get back on your feet. Then we can continue," Aura stated with a slight smile, as she got back into a fighting stance.
Panther sat, gritting her teeth and clenching her fists to help dull her pain. She knew that as soon as she got up, Aura would strike again, so she hesitated and used this time to think of a counterattack.
Fenix watched with quiet admiration.
On the other hand, Shade did his best to keep his reactions neutral in case they would set Fenix off.