“OOooooOOo!” Ellee’s eyes widened. The air around Ivy became very different. Her green hair was fluttering ever so slightly as a strange aura surrounded her. The rocks and dirt around her feet began to shake in rhythm with each of her breaths. Ellee found this breathing technique very interesting. She began to copy what Ivy was doing, but all she got was more air in her lungs, making her cough.

“This is…” Ivy continued her breathing technique as she looked down at herself. She felt as if her entire body was starting to well up with power. It was a strange feeling but one she had hopes for. She held the handle of her sword and closed her eyes. Her mind seemed to take over, and her entire body reacted as if it were natural and got into a perfect stance.

She turned her upper body slightly and grabbed the hilt of her sword. She slowly opened her eyes and looked at the bellsprout not too far away. “First form…. Echo Slash…”

“Wha!?” Ellee felt the air tingle with electricity. She stared at Ivy, who had vanished from where she was and reappeared a hundred feet away with a dead bellsprout at her feet. “That… That was soo..! Cool! Ivy, what was that!?”

Ellee ran over to Ivy and hugged her in her excitement. She had not expected anything like that! “Hmm? Ivy, are you okay?”

“My muscles are screaming at me…” Ivy whined, but she had a big smile on her face. Ivy staggered a bit, her foot catching under the other, causing her to fall forward. Ellee, who had not been expecting Ivy to lose her footing, was caught off guard and tried to catch her, only for the both of them to fall to the ground.

Ivy's eyes were wide as she stared down at Ellee, who was staring back up at her with eyes just as wide. They had not just fallen but were currently face to face, lips touching lips. They had fallen in such a way that they were now kissing!

Ivy’s cheeks turned bright red. She quickly pressed hard on the ground and lifted her head, taking a deep breath. “Sor-Sorry!”

Ivy struggled to sit up and pressed her hand on her lips. Ellee didn’t even move from her position. She just stared blankly up at the sky. Her cheeks flushed pink. Just now, she felt a strange power flow into her along with the soft sensation of Ivy’s lips. She was not sure what she liked better just now. The feeling of the power that flowed into her or the warm, soft feeling of Ivy’s lips on hers. She slowly sat up and looked at Ivy, who was flushed from ear to ear and couldn’t bring herself to ask if she could do that one more time. ‘I‘ll wait until she’s asleep.’ This is what Ellee thought. She would first find out which she liked more or if it was just her imagination.

What both girls did not know at this time was that faint lettering, almost indiscernible to the naked eye, began to appear on Ivy’s system screen. It was so light that one had to look closely or they wouldn’t see it. It read:

[Skill]
Affinity Surge

“Ellee, sorry about that…” Ivy finally got her wits about her and did her best to compose herself. Ivy fidgeted, she didn’t know how to react in a situation like this.

“It’s fine. It was an accident.” Ellee could tell Ivy was flustered which was why she did not mention anything about what she felt just now. “Ivy that skill just now.”

“Ah… That was the first form of my breathing style Echo Slash. It basically allows me to move like lightning for a short distance. I was lucky that I was able to even reach this far. However, my muscles are very sore.” Ivy explained secretly, letting out a sigh of relief that Ellee had not said more about the kiss just now.

“Do you want to stop? We can make camp and you can rest if you want.” Ellee had no idea what burden this new power Ivy had put on her body.

“No, I'm fine. I came here to train. If this was a real fight I wouldn’t even have time to talk about anything. This just proves my body is not strong enough for this skill yet. So instead of resting I should be trying to use the breathing technique as much as possible to make it something I am doing at all times.” Ivy could tell just now her body was unable to keep up with the first form. She needed to strengthen herself and work hard so that her body could take multiple uses of this skill.

“Alright but… if I see that you are unable to continue I will stop you. I may be new to this whole human body thing but even I know putting too much strain on the body can be a bad thing.” Ellee was firm on this. She would not allow Ivy to hurt herself, no matter how much she wanted to become stronger. If she shatters her body in the process, it would make all her efforts go down the drain.

Ivy smiled brightly at Ellee and tilted her head to the side while putting her hands behind her back. “Then I will be relying on you, partner.”
Ellee stared blankly at Ivy. Her shoulder-length green hair fluttered in the wind, and her golden eyes shone ever so slightly. When combined with a smile that was like the sun, Ellee felt her heart starting to beat faster.