"If you intend to fight me, you must learn 'Height' and 'The Fall.' In Lucha Libre, the art of the break-fall is essential for both the one giving and the one receiving. You have the skills to defeat an opponent; now you must learn the skills to protect yourself. If you don't, you won't be able to handle me… or the journey that lies ahead of you."
In that moment, Rikka saw through the cheerfulness. Behind the Lucha-loving Goddess was 'Reason' and 'Benevolence.' She was overflowing with the kindness of one who cares for others.
And so—
"Yes! Big Sister!" Rikka replied, her voice clear and bright.
"What a good answer! I will wait one week! Learn the basics of the break-fall by then, and come find me! In Eridu… let us have a MUCHO good time! You and me! Flesh against flesh!"
"Wait, Wise King," Quetzalcoatl added with a wink. "You were right not to interfere. This way, your Ziggurat doesn't have to become a pile of rubble☆"
"You…!" Ishtar growled.
"Just a greeting for today☆ Well then, Ciao~☆"
With a backflip and a series of incredible leaps, Quetzalcoatl vanished from the Ziggurat.
—What a cheerful, intelligent goddess… Ea thought. That was how she saw her. Cheerful, yet profoundly rational. That was the face of the Goddess of the Sun.
"So," the Wise King sighed. "A personal challenge and a set date. She's managed the whole schedule. Do you have anything to say—?"
"Break-falls…" Rikka muttered.
"Hm?"
"I'm lacking… 'Break-falls'! King! I'm sorry, but please lend me a bit of land!"
Rikka's eyes were burning with a renewed fighting spirit.
"I take it from that look that your challenge hasn't wavered?"
"Of course! I'll do what needs to be done in a week and then I'm coming for her!!"
"Wait, are you insane?!" Ishtar cried. "You're a human! A regular human can't win against a Goddess in a fight—"
"I'm not going to 'fight' her, Ishtar." Rikka gave a thumbs up, her teeth glinting. "I'm going to reach a mutual understanding with Big Sister!"
With that, Rikka sprinted out of the Ziggurat.
"Master Chiron! Heracles! Achilles! I need a lecture, please!!"
Summoning her Servants as she ran, Rikka disappeared into the distance.
"Do you see, you useless Goddess?" the Heroic King smirked. "That is my Master. One who fights beyond the predictions of men, kings, and gods alike. The strongest Master of humanity. Though… as for her prospects as a bride, that's a different story."
"My body is telling me something," Ishtar whispered, looking dazed. "I don't think that's what a 'Master' or a 'Mage' is supposed to be…"
『Are you really the one to say that?』 Archer EMIYA sighed, his voice echoing the sentiment of everyone present.
For the next week, Rikka was thrown. Again, and again, and again.
"Ready? There are many ways to fall," Chiron instructed calmly. "This time, we will drill the break-falls for both strikes and throws into your very soul."
She was taught every nuance of 'slipping away' and the ABCs of the art of falling.
"GEH—!"
"What's wrong, Rikka?!" Heracles roared as he slammed her into the mat. "If you're feeling the damage, your break-fall is still too soft!"
She practiced until she could barely breathe, being tossed around the ring by the strongest hero in history.
"Hah… hah… Not… not yet…!"
"Ora ora ora ora!!" Achilles shouted, his fists moving at god-speed. "Twist your neck before your pretty face gets crushed! Read the move! Don't close your eyes!!"
"Wabububububu!!" Rikka took the barrage, focusing entirely on the 'slipping away' technique Achilles was hammering into her.
"One… more… set!!"
"I don't think I've ever seen a Master so physically battered," Dr. Roman noted.
"Senpai…!"
—Please, just don't overdo it… Ea prayed.
As the battle with the Chief Deity approached, Rikka continued to polish herself.
"Lucha Libre is built on mutual trust…"
Everything was for the sake of understanding.
The Night Before
"Phew…!"
（That was… less of a training session and more of a Spartan death march. I wonder how much of it will actually work…）
"…"
"? Ishtar?"
"Good work today," Ishtar said, handing her a piece of fruit. "Here. Eat this."
"Oh, thanks!"
"Can I… sit here?"
"Sure thing~"
They sat in silence for a moment, looking out over the city of Uruk.
"Hey," Ishtar said softly.
"Yeah?"
"Why do you push yourself so hard? Aren't you… overdoing it?"
"Where did that come from all of a sudden?"
"I was just curious. Being a Master is hard enough, but you're getting yourself hurt, too. Don't you ever feel like it's too much? Don't you ever want to just… run away?"
"Of course I do. All the time."
"Then—"
"But you know… 'There's no guarantee that happiness is waiting for you after you run,' right?"
"!"
"If I could throw everything away and run, maybe that would be fine in its own way. But I don't know if I'd find a happiness out there that would let me forget I ran away. And besides… I never had the courage to run away in the first place."
"The courage… to run away?"
"People who run are smart, in a way. They're brave. They can look at a situation and say, 'This is impossible for me.' They can make the decision to run, even if it looks pathetic. I would never laugh at someone who ran. It's just… I'm not capable of doing that. So, I just keep smashing my head against the wall like an idiot. Because that's just how I live."
"How you live…"
"Hey, don't get me wrong. There's no 'right' way to live. This is just my way. I'll probably be like this until the day I die. Where I fall… that'll be my finish line. So—"
"…"
"I want to do my best until I get there! That's all! Sorry for getting all philosophical. We should probably get some sleep, huh?"
"I suppose so. Goodnight, Rikka."
"Goodnight, Ishtar. …The height… still isn't… enough…"
Ishtar watched her sleep for a moment. "There's no 'right' way to live, huh…"
The Next Day
"So, you've come, my lovely Dragon-chan?"
Rikka stepped into Eridu. Her Chaldea uniform jacket was shredded, held in one hand. She stood there in her athletic gear—spats and a sports bra—covered in bruises but eyes clear.
"I'm here, Big Sister."
"This fight… is gonna be wild, nya!" a strange Jaguar-man noted from the sidelines…
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