The next ten minutes passed in a blur of equipment checks and last-minute strategy discussions. Usagi kept nervously glancing toward the women’s locker room, waiting for Noel to emerge. When she finally did, the temperature in the gym seemed to drop ten degrees.

Noel walked toward us in her combat uniform - the same black dress with the high slits up both legs, but now paired with a utility belt that hadn’t been there during our first match. Her violet hair gleamed under the lights, and her face was a perfect mask of cold professionalism.

"Noel!" Usagi stepped forward. "We were just talking about-"

"Strategy remains unchanged," Noel cut her off, not even looking in my direction. "I scout from above. You immobilize priority targets. He handles whatever’s left."

"So we’re still a team?" Usagi sounded relieved.

"For now." Noel’s eyes finally flicked to me, grey and cold as winter. "After this match, I’ll be requesting a transfer to another group."

"That seems unnecessary," I said.

"I disagree."

Her voice was clipped, professional, and completely devoid of the breathless quality I’d heard less than an hour ago when my drain had pulled her Essentia into me. No hint of the soft whimpers that had escaped her mouth. No trace of the flush that had spread across her pale cheeks.

Just cold, controlled Noel Stark, heir to Stark Industries and top ten ranked student at Coastline Academy.

"We work well together," I pointed out. "One personal disagreement shouldn’t-"

"This isn’t about personal disagreement." Her voice dropped lower so Usagi couldn’t hear. "This is about you being something dangerous that I don’t fully understand yet. Until I do, I’m keeping my distance." 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

"Fair enough." I shrugged like it didn’t matter. "But maybe let’s win this match first before you file the paperwork?"

Her eyes narrowed. "Don’t push your luck, D’Angelo."

"Wouldn’t dream of it, Short Stack."

The nickname hit its mark. Her jaw clenched, a muscle twitching in her cheek. For a second I thought she might slap me again, but she just turned away.

"Five minutes to match start," she told Usagi. "Make sure your gauntlets are fully charged."

Usagi nodded, shooting me a concerned look. I gave her a reassuring smile that I didn’t entirely feel. This was going to be an interesting match.

Reeves called for teams to take their positions. The gym floor had been transformed into an urban combat scenario with concrete barriers, fake buildings, and elevated platforms that mimicked a city street. Team Four waited on the opposite side - William with his mechanical spider legs attached to his back, Jessica wearing her augmentation gauntlets, and Vince adjusting the settings on some kind of energy weapon.

"Remember," Reeves called out. "This is a capture-the-flag scenario. Secure the objective at center field and return it to your starting position. Elimination of opposing team members is permitted but not required. Begin on the horn."

I closed my eyes, centering myself. The drain had left me feeling strange after contact with Noel, her Essentia still cycling through my system alongside what I’d taken from Mera and Cheon. Three distinctly different flavors mixing together: cinnamon fire, electric honey, and now frost vanilla. My body hummed with excess energy looking for an outlet.

The horn blared.

Noel’s body immediately went limp as her astral form projected upward. I caught her before she hit the ground, carefully positioning her behind a concrete barrier. Her physical form was light in my arms, fragile without her consciousness inhabiting it. If anyone struck her body while she was projecting, she’d die instantly.

"Guard her," I told Usagi. "I’ll move toward the center."

"But the plan was-"

"Change of plans. She’s too vulnerable out here."

I didn’t wait for a response, launching myself forward with a burst of Rubber Body that sent me sailing over the first barrier. My legs stretched and compressed with each bound, covering distance in ways that defied normal human limitations.

Noel’s astral form hovered above, a translucent purple silhouette that most people wouldn’t notice unless they were looking for it. She pointed toward the left flank where William was scuttling up the side of a building on his mechanical spider legs, aiming for high ground.

I nodded, changing direction. The rubber in my legs compressed like springs, then released in an explosive jump that sent me crashing into William before he could reach the rooftop. My body collided with his, knocking us both back to the ground. The mechanical legs scrabbled for purchase as we fell.

"What the-" William’s eyes widened as he saw my arm stretch to twice its normal length, wrapping around his torso like a boa constrictor.

"Sorry about this." I tightened my grip until the legs stopped moving. "Nothing personal."

"How are you-" He struggled against my elastic limbs. "You’re supposed to be a Null!"

"Adaptive-type, actually." I squeezed harder. "Things change."

William’s face was turning red from the pressure. Not enough to hurt him, but enough to make breathing difficult. After a few more seconds of struggle, he tapped out on my arm.

"Yield," he gasped. "I yield."

I released him immediately. "Stay down and you won’t get hurt."

He nodded, catching his breath. One opponent neutralized, two to go.

I scanned the battlefield and spotted Jessica moving toward the center flag, her augmentation gauntlets allowing her to clear obstacles with ease. Before I could intercept, a glob of pink gum shot from somewhere to my right, striking Jessica square in the back. She stumbled forward, trying to pull the sticky substance off, but it only spread further, eventually immobilizing both her arms.

Usagi stepped out from behind a barrier, her face set in determination as she fired another shot that caught Jessica’s legs. The pink substance hardened on contact, cementing her to the ground.

"Nice shot!" I called.

Usagi grinned, looking surprised at her own success. "Thanks!"

That left Vince, who had disappeared from sight. The objective flag still stood untouched at center field, a tempting target but potentially a trap.

Noel’s astral form floated down beside me, her translucent features arranged in a scowl. She pointed urgently toward a building on the far side, then made a gesture like she was firing something.

"Vince is sniping from the third floor," I translated for Usagi. "Probably waiting for us to go for the flag."

"Can you get to him?" Usagi asked.

I considered the distance. With Rubber Body and maybe a gate from Liminal Step, I could reach him, but that would leave both Noel’s physical body and Usagi exposed. Not to mention using multiple abilities in front of an audience would raise even more questions about my supposed adaptive-type classification.

"New plan," I said. "You cover Noel’s body. I’ll get the flag."

"But Vince will-"

"Let me worry about Vince."