Graduation Day

The sound of giggling stirred Raishun from his slumber. Eyes still heavy with sleep, he let out a tired yawn and inspected his surroundings. To his surprise, he wasn't in the doorway where he remembered passing out. Instead, he was in the middle of his living room, a fluffy red blanket he recognized as Morgan's draped over his midriff.

"Wha…?" He murmured in confusion.

"Good morning sleepy head." Carmila said with a smile. She was kneeling beside him, dressed in an oversized sweater and shorts. It was a far cry from the leather armor and tight-fitting clothing she wore whenever she went on patrol. Behind her, Morgan peeked her head out, then quickly ducked when Raishun noticed her. From what he'd seen, she wasn't wearing her cloak.

"Didn't you promise to make it back on time?" Carmila huffed in mock anger, "Poor Morgan had to help drag you inside when she saw you in the doorway again."

"I was nervous and couldn't sleep." He mumbled with an apologetic smile. "Figured I'd get some last minute training, you know."

"We both know that no amount of last minute cramming is going to help you defeat Castor. But I suppose I can let it slide if it's because of nerves." She pulled a scroll from her pocket and pulled up a picture she had taken. It was of her and Morgan smiling, with a passed-out Raishun in the background. There was a trickle of drool leaking from his mouth onto the carpet.

"What!? H-Hey come on, delete that!" He scrambled to his feet and reached for the device. But Carmila was too fast and casually stepped aside with ease. "If Castor sees that he'll never let me hear the end of it!"

"I think I'll keep it for now. But oh dearie me, I don't think the village has everything I want to pick up for our little get together." She pressed a finger to her lower lips and winked at him. "If only there was someone who could escort me through the dangerous city. It might be too much for a country girl like myself to handle on her own."

"Really? Blackmail?" Raishun replied with a sigh.

"Ouch! My shoulders suddenly feel all stiff from having to cook every single day. And my feet hurt from all the cleaning." She sniffed, and for a moment, it looked as if she would cry. He knew she was faking it, but he'd be damned if she wasn't a good actor. "It feels like I'm not appreciated in this household."

"Alright alright! I get the message." He grinned in defeat, "It'll be my treat."

"Good. Now, if you want to beat Castor you need to get some food in you. And there's no better breakfast than the one prepared by own our little chef."

Carmila stepped aside, allowing Morgan to walk forward. Pulling her hands from behind her back, she extended a small plate filled with an assortment of blackened food. He could faintly make out what used to be a slice of bread and what he thought was fruit.

"H-here." She murmured bashfully as she bounced from foot to foot. "I wanted to make you something special so you'd win."

"Awww you made all this for me? Thanks Morgan." He took the plate from her, but not before stroking her hair in appreciation. The gesture made Morgan crack a smile, and she watched him with barely hidden anticipation. He ate quickly, doing his best to ignore the charcoal flavor that filled his mouth. When he finished, he let out a satisfied sigh and patted his stomach in thought.

"Mmm, you definitely got talent!" He grinned and snuck a playful look at Carmila. "You might even be a better chef than you know who."

Carmila pouted, but Morgan beamed with pride at the compliment. With a broad smile, she ran off into the kitchen with the plate. There was a sound of running water, no doubt she was already tackling the mess she had made preparing the meal.

"I should probably get going." He sighed, fiddling with the armlet on his wrist. "It's almost showtime."

"You'll be alright." Carmila said reassuringly as she adjusted the collar of his shirt. "Morgan and I will be there to cheer you on. So don't let us down okay?"

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When Raishun arrived at the town square, he could hardly believe his eyes. The usual market stalls had been completely covered with multiple posters picturing either him or Castor holding their weapons. The usually crowded streets were exceptionally dense today. He had to squeeze past several people just to move a foot forward. All the while, people would pat him on the back or offer advice of good wishes.

Once he had broken through the crowd, he found himself in front of what looked like a boxing arena. It had ropes surrounding the square box and was equipped with towers on each of the corners that seemed to provide extra support. Screens were mounted on the surrounding buildings and displayed information like names, a picture of the fighter, and their current level of aura.

So lost was he in the atmosphere that it took him a moment to realize that Castor had walked up beside him.

"Whaddya think?" He asked while patting his student on the back. "Normally we wouldn't go all out for a good old fashioned brawl. But when everyone realized two Legions would be fighting… well, they got a little carried away."

"It's fantastic." Raishun said with a wide smile. "It kinda reminds me of the stages I would perform on… before I became a Legion that is." He turned slightly and smacked his teacher's chest with the back of his hand. "I'll have to put on a good show by wiping the floor with you."

"Well, well, someone's feeling cocky today!" Castor stepped past him and jumped over the ropes and into the ring. Once he was in his corner, he leaned against the ropes with his arms crossed.

Raishun joined him in the ring, standing in the corner opposite him. He looked around excitedly and saw Morgan and Carmila watching from one of the nearby buildings with the mounted screens. The two of them waved to him, Morgan, in particular, looking rather excited, even though only her head could be seen through the window.

"You know what, I forgot to tell you something." Castor said as Raishun waved at the two. "We have a rule here in Dadabarunga where the winner can ask any one thing of the loser. Money, property, a job… even the hand of a relative in marriage."

He said the last part with a grin and watched expectantly for Raishun's reaction. But the blue-haired Legion simply mulled the words in his head for a moment before nodding in affirmation.

"Got it. You better not lose because I'm gonna ask for something big!" Raishun taunted, enjoying the look of disappointment on Castor's face.

"You're no fun!" He whined before suddenly taking on a serious expression when a man dressed in a referee's uniform walked into the middle of the ring.

"Are both fighters ready?" The man asked, his hand raised high in the air. When both Legions nodded, he brought his hand down. "The first one to deplete the others' aura wins! Believe in your victory, and fight!"

The referee barely had enough time to dive out of the arena before Castor made his move. His crimson rapier sang through the air, ready to pierce Raishun's throat. The blue-haired Legion reacted with milliseconds to spare. He blocked the strike with the flat side of the Caligula and countered with a swipe of his own.

"Hoho!?! You actually learned something!" Castor grinned with excitement as he parried the swipe with ease. The two of them exchanged a rapid series of thrusts and slashes, neither one gaining the upper hand on the other.

"I've got some tricks of my own you old man!" When he saw a gap in Castor's guard, Raishun drove his shoulder into Castor's chest. The blow knocked the man off balance enough that he could land a shallow cut across his side.

"OH! First blood goes to the student! What a turn of events!" The referee yelled as Castor clicked his tongue in annoyance. The damage he'd taken was so minor that Raishun couldn't even tell if his aura bar had gone down.

"Now you've done it!" Castor roared, "The kiddie gloves are coming off!" Castor slammed his fists together, and the crowd began to cheer louder than before. Raishun's eyes wandered to a particular figure in the group, who turned out to be Yona. He could only laugh as he saw her snapping picture after picture of her fiance with a comically large amount of blood pouring from her nose.

"What's got your attention?"

"Wha--!?"

There was no time for Raishun to react. The first thing he felt was a large explosion of energy coming towards him, followed by what felt like a train slamming into his ribs. The force of the strike threw him backward, and he bounced off the ropes with a painful thwack, only to be blasted into the floor of the arena.

He clutched at his stomach, groaning in pain while forcing himself to stand. With a loud cry, he activated his semblance. The golden wing appeared, and he planned to charge Castor with it. But when he saw what stood before him, he froze in shock.

Castor was gone. Where he had stood was a hulking figure clad in muscle and metal. The slits where its eyes used to be shone with white light, and it let out a defiant roar that shook his bones.

"What the hell is that!?"