Seducing Aliens For SSS-Rank Skills

It was now a two on one.

Kalon looked at Marcus. The death-prevention field had him locked in place. He was on the floor unconscious, whilst the field slowly restored what was taken from him.

He was lucky man. If not for the advancement in technology, he would be an amputee.

Kalon stepped back and turned his head toward Thea.

"She’s yours," he said. "Finish it."

Thea nodded. Her blue eyes locked onto Lena.

Lena Voss saw the exchange. Her partner was out of the match. Kalon was standing there not moving. That left her alone with the water user.

She clenched her jaw and pushed her enhancement skill as high as it would go.

Speed and power flooded her legs and arms. Her only chance was to drop Thea before Kalon decided to step back in.

She rushed forward.

Thea met her straight on.

Lena opened with a jab. Thea slipped it. A cross followed. Thea blocked it with her forearm. Lena went for a low kick. Thea took it on the shin and did not give ground.

Water wrapped around Thea’s fists and forearms. When she threw a punch, the water hit a fraction of a second before her knuckles did. It made every clean shot heavier and harder to defend against.

Lena was still faster in the first exchanges. She landed a hook on Thea’s shoulder and tried to drive a knee up. Thea twisted her hips, caught the knee on her thigh, and cracked Lena across the mouth with a straight right.

Water burst on impact. Lena stumbled back a step and wiped her lip. Blood showed on her hand.

They reset and went at it again in the centre of the field.

Lena tried volume. Jab, cross, body shot, low kick, another cross. Thea’s guard stayed tight.

She parried the ones she needed to and let the rest glance off like a true trained martial artist.

Every time Lena overextended, Thea made her pay. A water-coated palm strike smashed into Lena’s ribs and folded her sideways for a second. Lena forced air back into her lungs and circled.

"You’re not just support," Lena said, breathing hard.

"No," Thea answered. "You think my mother would be okay with me just sitting back like a duck?"

Lena came in again. She feinted high toward Thea’s head and dropped low for the lead leg.

Thea read it, hopped the attempt, and dropped a short elbow that clipped Lena’s temple. Lena’s balance wobbled. Thea stepped in immediately and did not give her room to recover.

They ended up in a clinch. Lena tried to dirty-box giving short hooks to the body, an uppercut attempt, a stamp at Thea’s foot. Thea answered with short, heavy uppercuts that landed with wet, solid thuds. Each one dug in deeper than the last. Lena’s torso started to give. The enhancement skill gave her speed and power, but it did not stop the damage from adding up.

Lena shoved out of the clinch and tried to make space for one big finishing burst. Thea stayed on her. Water tightened around Thea’s right arm and shaped itself into a short, spiralling form that looked like a dragon’s head and neck.

"Water Dragon Fist."

The construct shot forward with the punch. It hit Lena in the chest and upper stomach at the same time. The impact lifted her off her feet and threw her several metres back. She hit the floor hard, skidded, and tried to push herself up. Her arms shook. The death-prevention field began flickering around her torso, reading the damage.

Thea walked forward at a normal pace. She did not run. When Lena managed to get one knee under herself, Thea hit her with a clean right hand.

Lena’s eyes rolled back. The field locked in fully and put her out.

The match was over.

The barrier dome powered down. The announcer called the result and confirmed that Kalon Manchester and Thea Bluegale had advanced again. Medical staff moved onto the field for Marcus and Lena.

Kalon and Thea turned and walked toward the competitor tunnel together. The crowd was still loud behind them.

Backstage felt cooler after the field. Staff and other competitors moved through the corridors. Some stared. Some stepped out of the way.

Kalon guided Thea away from the main flow and down a quieter side passage near the changing rooms.

As soon as they were out of direct sight, Thea grabbed the front of his top with both hands and pulled him in.

She kissed him hard. It was deep and messy. All the leftover heat from the fight went into it.

Kalon kissed her back. One hand settled on her waist. The other sliding to the soft curve that was he buttocks.

When they finally broke apart, Thea’s face was flushed and her breathing was uneven.

"Changing room," she said. "I want... No, I need to celebrate."

Kalon nodded. They turned and headed down the short corridor that led to the private changing rooms assigned to advancing teams.

They did not look back.

Ruby Red stood near a storage alcove at the far end of the main backstage hall. Her ginger hair was still tied back from the day before.

She had come to the arena to watch the brackets and to keep an eye on Kalon after he had turned her down in the hallway. Her plan was to try begging again.

She saw the darkness take Marcus Hale’s arm. She watched Thea finish Lena Voss with the water skill. Then she moved closer and caught the private moment in the side passage.

The kiss, the way Thea’s voice sounded, and the clear intent when they started walking toward the changing rooms.

Ruby’s face was blushed. The embarrassment from her own loss the previous day still sat heavy on her.

Watching this made it worse. For some reason, she was filled with jealousy.

She waited until Kalon and Thea turned the corner, then followed, staying to the edges of the corridor. Making sure neither of them looked back.

She did not call out. She did not announce herself. She simply followed them to the changing room door, stopped outside it, and stayed there, listening.