It had been just about a week and a half since Pacifica's full discovery of her true ad-Lib and subsequent freak out about the whole affair.

With that matter settled, Shouri went on the hunt for a suitable teacher for his precious otter. Not just anyone would do. He needed to be sure of the quality of her perspective tutor.

Day in and day out he spent hours doing research and making dozens of calls (Taika got quite the rhythmic workout from this).

For all the effort, the search bore fruit.

"Alright, pack your bags girls, we're going to Salegio City," Shouri announced on the third evening in November.

"You're serious?" Rebecca asked. "That's an island," grimaced the fire element as she spoke. Shouri raised a brow. "Yeah? Did you think we were going to the desert to train her ad-Lib?"

Rebecca opened her mouth to snap back but didn't have a rebuttal. Instead, she turned to Pacifica. "You're lucky I love you," grumbled the fox.

"Thank you," squeaked the otter. She had mostly gone back to normal, though with the stress of her unpredictable ad-Lib, she wasn't entirely back to 100% bubbliness.

Unlike the last time they had a newly awakened ad-Lib, Pacifica's only exploded their drinks and made the bathroom a total mess. Nothing too crazy, but still disheartening for the future water charmer.

"It's okay Paci, it's not your fault." Taika rubbed her fellow Resonator's back.

"So what's the itinerary bossman?" asked Rebecca. "Drive down to Cantefino and take the ferry down to Salegio," he told the group. "We could do the drive in a day if we really push ourselves, but I don't want to. So, we'll go down to Corhiasela the first day, Cantefino the second, and take the morning ferry on day three to hit Salegio."

"Aw, you do care," Rebecca teased. "We should be fine to split our drive time into two shifts so neither of us gets burnt out," Shouri added. "Boss, you don't know me very well, burning out is my thing, remember?" "Oh, you got jokes huh?"

And then the fire fox was pounced by her Maestro. Pacifica couldn't help but crack a smile as she watched the playfight. It would be alright. She had the love and support of the ones she gave her heart to.

Though… the prospect of Ilea's mysterious backers hung in her mind. Would those people come after them?

She had to admit, it was a hell of a motivator to get this training done.

November 4th started bright and early. For once Taika was the first to rise. The foxy chef wanted to ensure they were well-fed before their road trip. It was supposed to be a six-hour drive to Corhiasela from what Shouri had told them last night, so she knew she couldn't overindulge in their morning meal, but leaving them content enough to make it to the halfway point was the goal.

For that breakfast had some decent variety – fluffy scrambled eggs, fried bacon and sausage, toast, hashbrowns, and a glass of orange juice.

Taika beamed at her handiwork. "Ah!" Before she forgot, she quickly capped the glasses. A recent purchase to prevent any otter-induced accidents. She knew seeing the lids on their cups made Pacifica quietly upset, but also Taika was sick of having to clean the stains out of the carpet and walls.

"She'll get control of it soon," Taika whispered to herself, the pang of hurt throbbing in her heart. The situation was so similar to her own from months ago, it stung having to tread carefully around her friend – she knew that pain all too well.

Just as Taika finished prepping breakfast, the rest of the group arose from their slumber. Shouri and Rebecca took their turns freshening up in the bathroom before it was time for Pacifica's morning shower.

Though… they had been criminally short for the normally water-loving girl. Her most enjoyed time of day had devolved into a utilitarian task.

It was another stake wedged in Taika's heart – she hated seeing one of the girls she loved like this.

It would be fixed soon, she just had to keep reminding herself of that.

"Alright Ems, you're in charge while we're gone," Shouri told the (very sleepy) vice-guildmaster. "You told me this last night man…" she yawned, still sporting her pajamas. Ritika was glued to her Maestro's side, also barely standing. "Emmy… sleep," whined the cat.

"Good, we'll be back in a week or two, maybe longer depending on how long this takes. Took Taika like a month, so hopefully we're not gone that long," Shouri informed her.

"I knowwww… I won't let them burn the place down, promise," another yawn escaped the woman's lips. "Can I go back to bed?" she whined.

"Yeah yeah, sleep well." "Have a good trip."

And with that, Shouri faced his group. "Let's hit the road, girls."

Rebecca was taking the first driving shift, with Shouri on driving duty for the latter three hours of the trip to Corhiasela.

They quickly left the town they now called home and their trip began in full. However, the quiet ride quickly wore on the group.

"Yeah, we need to break up this silence," Shouri decided. "Good, I feel like I'm going crazy," Pacifica chuckled. "Put on a tunecast or something," Rebecca suggested.

Shouri chewed on that thought for a moment. "Sure, why not?" He flipped through their choices on Rebecca's tuner.

"Welcome to 'A Duel with History,' the tunecast where we dive deep into the world of duelists and competitive battle, from legendary battles to the untold stories of the Maestros and Resonators who shaped history. I'm your host, Reilly, and today, for this inaugural episode, I want to start with the very first grand master and her crowning match."

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"Despite the match being almost two hundred years ago, we have many reliable first-hand accounts of the match. Since there were no grand masters at the time, there was only the winner of the bout to claim the title of World Champion."

"In the red corner, we had Maestro Claudio Gotam, a young adult from eastern Selvica, specializing in his continent's pride and joy Nature elements. In the blue corner was the star of today's story and our first grand master, Zoey Alkmini."

"Zoey was a humble girl hailing from a small village just south of Dorleans, Unis-Résonne. She had a natural talent with Resonators and her ace was a Solar element sky dragon named Irini."

"Now it can't be understated how brutal these fights could get. They didn't have the same level of technology we do now for healing and the old ink tuners of that era lost about forty percent of the rhythm pulled from the Maestro during transit to the Resonator. It was almost as if the Resonators of the era appeared weaker to our more modern and efficient tuners of today. But don't get it mixed up, they could hit hard and fast."

"With all that in mind the stage was set for an unforgettable clash. Fans of the newly blossoming sport were packed into the arena to witness this historic fight. As the ref gave his blessing, both Resonators stepped onto the field, their eyes locked in a fierce stare. Likewise, their Maestros held firm, studying their opposite. The entire colosseum was dead silent, you'd be able to hear someone coughing from the other side of the stadium."

"Though the fighting didn't begin with elaborate spellcraft, but a flurry of punches. Claudio's choice of Resonator was actually his own ace – a Selvican cat breed known as Odalis. With that flurry of punches Odalis' raw power was on full display but Irini's quick wing work and precise counters kept her in the game. The tense silence was broken and the crowd roared with every exchange."

"As you'll see in modern battles, it's not just about flinging the biggest spells, but chipping away at the opponent's defenses with physical blows as well. To newer duelists out there, a Resonator's natural rhythm shielding protects them not only from spellcraft but dampens physical blows. It's common wisdom that a good battle-ready Resonator will have some form of martial art under their belt. This can range from things like your traditional boxing to more esoteric combat styles like swordplay. It all depends on the Resonator's innate abilities and what they're most comfortable utilizing in the heat of battle."

"Back to our story. As the match progressed, it became a battle of wills. Claudio leveraged Odalis' brute strength versus Zoey's tactical brilliance. Every call she made was short but conveyed enough information to keep Irini informed and in the fight. That being said, while each fighter had their moments, neither could gain a decisive edge. The battle couldn't last forever, and with both Resonators reaching their breaking point it would soon come down to who remained standing."

"In the closing seconds, Odalis unleashed a devastating uppercut, but Irini dodged it with lightning speed and countered with a perfectly timed hook. With her opponent reeling from the blow, Zoey made the call that would make her a legend."

"Luce del Sole, Fortissimo."

"The brilliance was greater than even the sun in that moment and when the dust settled, Odalis was down for the count. The ref's decision was unanimous: Zoey and Idalis emerged victorious, and became the very first world champions."

"And now a message from our sponsor, Wonder Brea-"

Shouri cut the audio before they could get attacked by advertisements.

"Woah, that was crazy," Taika gasped. Pacifica nodded in agreement. "Heard that one before, but it does always impress me," Rebecca said. "You studied old battles?" Pacifica questioned. "Sure, one of my old Maestros was a history nut and wanted us to replicate some of the styles they used back in the day," the fire Resonator turned into a charging station.

"How was he?" Shouri asked. "He was alright, one of my better old Maestros, but definitely saw us more in a utilitarian way than anything else. Didn't stay with him long, I got traded for some other resonator I don't remember. Didn't leave much of an impression on me," the fox shrugged as she cut the power to the car.

Shouri nodded. He accepted his fire fox's words – she didn't immediately break down upon talking about this particular Maestro of hers, so he really must not have had much of an impact on her.

Either way, it was his turn to drive, so he stepped out of the car to stretch with the rest of his team while the car charged.

It was around eleven in the morning, but the day was young, he hoped the rest of their trip would be as peaceful as the start was shaping up to be.

After all was said and done, the car pulled into the north Corhiasela Maestro Affairs Office at around four in the evening. Rebecca and Taika were conked out in the back seat, leaving Shouri and Pacifica awake in the front.

The latter part of the day's travel had been quiet after the second tunecast ended and Pacifica made no effort to play anything new.

Her gaze was sullen, as it had been for the past couple of weeks. Shouri took up her hand in his. He gripped it tightly, and pulled her rhythm into his.

"It's okay," he whispered. "Remember what we went through for Taika." "I know," she whispered back. "I'm just scared." "Of what?" "Not being good enough."

She earned another squeeze of affirmation. "Of course you're good enough," said Shouri. "Now let's wake them up and relax for a little bit."

Pacifica sighed. Her heart panged with unease. Whatever the future held, she needed to be prepared for it. But would she even be ready for the training ahead? Only time would tell, and she didn't like that.

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