Chapter 8: Potential
November 17 (3rd year)
Riochiro personally asked me to attack him using my Skill, although at first the request was, well, practically crazy to me, we proceeded with it anyway, as if it was a new part of combat training.
Previously in training was divided into three very important sessions each to learn both basic and complex sword use. The first was sword control, the second was teaching concept and techniques, the third was practice.
Those parts were generally going to take Riochiro, or anyone inexperienced with the sword, from novice to potential expert. But now a fourth came up:
Defense against Skillers.
This new session, created by Riochiro and exclusively for Riochiro, consisted of me attacking him with my Skill and him trying to see the obstacles and weaknesses that my skill had.
This with the objective of making that an Anomalous could beat a Skiller in spite of not having any type of Skill or ability that for them would be considered supernatural. The problem is that this is impossible.
Since you have no Skill and are only a "Homo Seres" your body is mostly limited. To think in statistical terms, we could say that 65% of your body is limited by the "anomaly" that makes your body unable to evolve.
For a "Homo Seres" that has this unavailability, it can only count on the processes that come from its previous evolution, the "Homo Sapiens".
So, coming to a conclusion, for Riochiro, who has no Skill in general, his body only gives him a faster regeneration to his wounds than the "Homo Sapiens", a slightly more resistant body and the reflexes that he can develop.
His chances of winning against a Skill user in a one on one combat are so low that they are even undecidable.
Or at least that's what I thought when I started this training.
At the beginning of this month, Riochiro asked me with a straight face and a determined look to attack him with my Skill. Of course, I disagreed with such a decision. Although for some reason, he managed to convince me.
And no grandpa. I-DID-NOT-LET-ME-SEDUCE-ME.
Notes from your grandfather: I didn't say anything. Although you know, you remind me a bit of your grandmother in that part, she was a bit of a Tsundere too.
Rikka's notes: What makes you think I'm being Tsundere?!
Notes from your grandfather: Well, at least you no longer deny that you like the boy, so I consider it a victory for me!
Note from Rikka: Mr. Kisaragi Ryuugamine, if you put one more letter in this diary, it will be considered, both legally and voluntarily, that your granddaughter Kisaragi Rikka, put a restraining order against you, we hope from the prosecutor's office that you will be prudent with the case and desist.
Note from your grandfather: Rikka, don't use the family lawyer for your jokes!
At the beginning of the training, I wasn't going to go seriously against Riochiro, I was even going to use my Skill to attack him, clearly I was still hesitating whether to do this or not.
But Riochiro, in spite of that, managed to anger me and make me use my Skill involuntarily. To make a long story short, the first day of this peculiar training ended with a 12-year-old boy crashing into one of the maze's ivy walls.
According to forensics, the crime scene showed traces of a deep and detonating rage, the victim showed no signs of struggle, so it can be said that the murder, apart from being cold-blooded, was almost instantaneous.
Note from your grandfather: Rikka! You got the detective involved in your nonsense too!? If you keep taking the family's private staff for such things I will punish you.
The next day, despite having calmed my anger, the results of the training were the same, although slightly different, as Riochiro had learned to slightly lessen the impact of my sonic attacks, although also with devastating results.
The day after that, it was also the same, I used hyper speed to attack Riochiro and end up in combat quickly, although the white haired boy got up again and again, I was determined to continue with this madness.
The days passed and passed, always with the same results, although with more signs and attempts of resistance from Riochiro, getting up from the dust again and again with a determined look on his face.
Countless attempts to counter my attacks had passed, while Riochiro had received countless blows and injuries. It was getting to the point where I could even swear that Riochiro's body was going to explode one of these days.
But little by little, Riochiro learned to block my blows, to placate them without being driven by the speed and force they generated to my attacks, and in two weeks, Riochiro finally learned to dodge my blows.
Surprised, I clearly asked for explanations. What the vampire-eyed boy answered left me surprised.
When a Ligthner is going to make a hypervelocity charge, it first has to make the electricity travel from its nerve center to its feet. This only takes a few moments of course since electricity travels at the speed of light. But then comes the tricky part.
Ligthner muscles have a different anatomy than that of any Skiller user. Between their muscles are large tube-like voids. Although tiny, these small muscle gaps serve to ensure that the muscles, when using hyperdrive, are not damaged.
As the electricity reaches our feet through the nerve, it travels through the muscles and concentrates in these muscle voids and then, from here, expands our fibers by opening them in all directions.
This process happens at the same speed that a gunshot could happen, so it is almost imperceptible when a Skiller is going to make a hypervelocity charge to when he is going to power up or simply cover his body with electricity.
Therefore, in a fight, unless someone can watch in slow motion and react as fast as a bullet, someone might find it impossible to react in time, giving only one option, to counter tackle and pray that the weight of your body and its very resistance will give enough play to be able to stop the deadly attack.
This makes the Ligthner unpredictable and deadly at the same time. And with a weapon in our hands, things get twice as complicated, or three times as complicated if the weapon is made of metal.
So how can Riochiro dodge my hypervelocity charges despite being an "anomalous"?
Riochiro explains that before making any type of electrical transfer to any specific part of the body, Ligthners tend to leave a certain trace of external static at the point where they have the most electricity accumulated.
This tends to be on the back of the forehead, which is why our hairs stand on end when we activate the use of our Skill.
So when we do a hypervelocity charge, we have to focus most of the electricity of our bodies on our feet, calves and thighs, so our hair, for a second loses most of its static and for a second stops bristling.
But the main point is that, by transmitting almost all the electricity from our bodies to our feet alone, our feet become the biggest source of electricity that is in our bodies, thus leaving a static trace that, before using the hypercharge is transmitted on the ground we step on.
All these details give Riochiro an exact second to be able to react before I pounce on him to dodge my attack.
Simply amazing.
Grandpa, when I wrote a few months ago that this kid would probably be a monster I didn't take my statement too seriously, so I'm going to rectify myself again:
This kid, is a monster.
Whichever way you look at it, no abnormal, that I know of at least, has ever reached this level of analysis and depth of analysis of the systems and techniques his opponent uses to attack.
Riochiro's deep determination, mixed with his great analytical skills, reflexes and techniques that he has developed throughout this training, give me to think that he not only has a chance to face another Skiller user, but also to beat him.
He may also, in time, become a master swordsman.
Notes from your grandfather: Being an anomalous human being, I'm pleasantly surprised by his great mastery of the sword, but seeing who his father is, I wouldn't expect anything less from my dear grandson Riochiro.
Note from Rikka: Exactly who is Riochiro's father? You seem to know him very well. Wait, "Dear Grandson"?
Notes from your grandfather: What? Jealous that I call others that? Don't worry, you'll always be my favorite.
Rikka's note: Call him whatever you want, old senile man! That's none of my business!
November 30 (3rd year)
After a long training Riochiro has finally managed to land his first attack while I was on a hyperspeed run.