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The duels went on for half an hour, and by that time, I had one two out of three ten minute battles.
"Okay, good job. That concludes the dueling session. Let's work on a battle simulation.
"Okay, over in the West corner of the room is the red teams castle and vice versa with blue team. Assemble your castle with whatever you need form this room or what you have on yourself, just please, no stripping."
I laughed out loud, along with a couple others. Rin smirked my way and wiggled his eyebrows, with his toungue sticking out. Thanks made me laugh harder, but I was able to quiet down.
We took a set of yoga mats, and even dragged a chin up bar to assemble our castle. We draped the dull yoga mats over the bar and stacked some boxes from the back room both in from and behind. The rec room is really big, almost the size of a baseball field, when all the walls are pulled back. Yeah, the walls are retractable. Pretty cool right?
Doe and Jasper, both with bow's as thier initiated weapon, were standing on the sides of the castle, partially hidden behind some stacks of weights.
Me and Aron, both very agile and with close range weapons, were going to be the ones to try to capture the other teams flag. The others, stayed to defend, aside from Emise, who was going up to the ceiling, which, mind you was pretty high, to spy on the other team by crawling across the pipes and beams.
Aron was wearing a brownish orange shirt that blended with the ceiling and the walls pretty well, so she and him switched shirts, which wasn't too weird since they were brother and sister. Her pants were black, but I figured it was probably pretty dusty up there, so she would get a but more dull.
The other team was ready just before us, so once were were done and in position, Cier shouted, "ready!" And then an air horn sounded, signaling the start of the game. Initially I had thought that having Rin try to steal the flag would be smart because he's faster than me, but It was decided that he would be more useful as a defender.
My feet slapped against the floor as I ran alongside the wall, Aron opposite me. I was actually quite a ways behind him. He's really fast. I'll have to ask Rin if he was a Runner.
An arrow whizzes past my head. I stumble and duck, but keep running. It just started me that's all.
Another one comes really close to my leg. I look around for my attacker, and spot a small head up at the top of the blue teams castle. My wings activate with a quick tap of my shoulder and I fly to the boy at the top.
He looks startled as I kick him down and onto the floor. I start a duel with him, and he throws one of his three knives. It whizzes past my shoulder, and then it hits me that he wasn't the one shooting at me, it must've been someone else. I fly away and up to the roof, until I finally see the one that was shooting at me. The girl is really small, short, and well hidden. I guess she was supposed to be the sniper or something like that. The only reason I noticed her is because she sneezed. I heard it, which told me sort of where she was, and then I saw a box move, and automatically I saw her. Cloaked in cardboard boxes.
Which is really pretty funny, if you thin about it. So I dive down and snatch her up. She didn't see me coming but the kid with knives did and immediately throws one, but fails to hit me since I changed directions at the last second. If I hadn't, then I would have a knife in my leg!
The girl squirms in my iron like grip and I zip her over to our side, to give the defender something to work on. I had expected them to be a little more busy, but nobody was moving.
Weird, but I had a job to do. So I fly back to blue's base and wreak as much havoc as I can. Flipping g over boxes, and tipping over stacks of weights. The blue team sees me, which gives Aron a small opening for a split second. Thank god he sees it and takes the opportunity, otherwise this would have been a little harder than we had thought. I spiral downwards, my sword held close, ready for some action. I slice through the first person that catches up to me. Then the huge defensive team storms up to me. All whopping three of them.
I hack away at their armor and block the attacks, but my movements are getting slightly slower. I'm tiring already? I look around quickly and see Aron clambering up the rock wall on blue teams side of the rec. room.
He's seen the flag! I let out a small yes, but I guess it wasn't all that quiet. The three of them look directly up towards the flag, and see Aron, almost at the flag. I see a flash of wings, and almost choke.
It's Aimee. How have I never seen her here before? The unique pattern of her brilliant wings stand out, a dazzling indigo with streaks of peach. My wings are fairly translucent with greenish veins. But I could never forget the color of Aimee's.
I shake myself out of my trance and fly up, intersecting her path.
"Ack!" She lets out a startled yelp as I crash into her. I get a good look at her face, and see how much it's changed; how mature it is now. We start a fight in mid air, and she smiles at me like an old friend. I smile back and cut a string that holds part of her armor together. It almost fall off. She retreats to the ground, but I follow, close in pursuit. She lands gracefully, and I do to. She begins to fumble with the broken strap, but I don't give her much time.
"I'm still here!" I announce. She looks up, startled.
"Oh." We start dueling again, and she takes off the arm of her panoply.
Her disadvantage makes the battle a little one sided, but I keep fighting with the same strength as I had before. She keeps her open arm facing away from me, no matter how hard I try and get around to it. She and I keep fighting, until I hear my name.
"Kenta!" Shouts Aron, from really really high up. I see his predicament, and spring up off the ground. He can't get down without engaging in battle, and that would leave with no choice but to leave the flag for until he finishes the fight or someone gets our flag. Which is looking really possible right now, because ever since I sent over that girl she's been all over the place. Sprinting from one place to another, setting off grenade after grenade. I reach Aron and snatch both him and the flag up in my arms. Sadly I left my sword down in the center of blue's base, so I can't defend myself. But I still cross over the line and into our territory, where Emise drops down from the ceiling, and Oakre comes out from our destroyed castle with our flag in his hand. I take it from him, declaring our victory. I put Aron down and Aimee fly's my sword over, congratulating me at the same time.
"Thanks kid!" I respond.
"Hey, I'm thirteen, I'm not a kid." She throws her head over her shoulder, with a defiant grin shining my way.
Cier and Joe come over to me, along with the rest of blue team, or group two.
"Nice going, Kenny!" She smiles at me, using my old nickname from when Jacobson and I were kids.
"Where did you get that from?" I ask.
"I heard you talking in your sleep when this all started, you know, way before AIMMOS, and you kept talking about a Jaco, and how he would call you Kenny. Sorry if it's not okay with you, it just slipped out."
"No no, I don't mind, not at all, actually."
"Oh thank goodness! But really, good job all of you." She looks at all of my team and smiles happily. Joe's talking with his group, and presumably scolding them, because he's scowling at them. I smile back at Cier, and look at our triumphant group.
I really needed this, it lifted my spirits and energized me, as well as made me tired. General Bob congratulated us all on our "wonderful performance" and then sent us off to bed. But we decided to stay up a little later, have fun and get just a little bit closer with each other, especially Jasper and Oakre.

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