Let's Train Heroine

The battlefield seemed to pause for a moment as Lucan's calm demeanor returned. Jubilee, balancing precariously on her unicycle, grinned at him with unbridled mischief, her multicolored hair catching the flickering light of her whimsical creations.

"Oh, my handsome hero," she teased, her voice dripping with playful sarcasm, "is that all you've got? You're starting to bore me. I thought you were more than just a good-looking punching bag!"

Lucan ignored her taunts, his expression unreadable. Inside, his mind was racing.

With a steady breath, he spoke his first word. "Slip."

Jubilee's grin widened. "Slip? What kind of—"

Her sentence was cut short as her unicycle suddenly wobbled. The once-perfectly balanced contraption veered wildly to the side, and Jubilee flailed her arms for balance. "Whoa! Hey, that's not fair!" she squealed, leaping off just before the unicycle tipped over and exploded into a puff of confetti.

She landed in a crouch, glaring at Lucan with mock indignation. "Clever trick, darling. But I hope you've got more where that came from!"

Lucan didn't respond. Instead, he said another word. "Freeze."

For a split second, Jubilee's movements halted entirely, as if the air around her had turned to ice. The effect only lasted a moment, but it was enough for Lucan to conjure a wave of water magic, aiming it directly at her.

Jubilee managed to regain control, spinning out of the way, but not without losing her balance again. "Alright, now you're just cheating!" she pouted, snapping her fingers to summon a rain of oversized juggling pins from the sky.

Lucan sidestepped the falling pins with practiced ease, his voice steady. "Shrink."

The juggling pins instantly reduced to the size of toothpicks, clattering harmlessly to the ground. Jubilee stared at them, her jaw dropping in exaggerated shock.

"Excuse me?!" she exclaimed, pointing an accusatory finger at him. "Do you have any idea how long it took me to conjure those? Rude!"

Lucan allowed himself a faint smirk. "You talk too much."

Jubilee's eyes narrowed. "Oh, is that how it's going to be? Fine. Two can play at this game!"

She raised her hands dramatically, summoning a carousel horse from thin air and launching it at him. Lucan responded with another command.

"Float."

The carousel horse stopped midair, hovering as if caught in an invisible current. Lucan gave a small wave of his hand, and the horse drifted lazily away.

Jubilee stomped her foot, her cheeks puffing up in frustration. "Alright, now I'm mad!" She reached into her sleeve and pulled out a deck of cards, which she flung at him with alarming speed.

"Dodge," Lucan said calmly.

His body moved effortlessly, weaving through the barrage of spinning cards as though guided by unseen forces.

"Are you even trying?" he asked, his tone as steady as ever.

Jubilee growled, throwing her hands up in exasperation. "You're impossible! Why are you so calm? I'm literally throwing the kitchen sink at you!"

Lucan raised an eyebrow. "Sink?"

Before she could respond, an actual kitchen sink materialized above her and fell with a loud clang. Jubilee leapt aside just in time, staring at the dented floor where the sink had landed.

"Oh, come on!" she yelled, glaring at him. "That's not fair, and you know it!"

Lucan took a slow step forward, his dark eyes glinting. "You're the one who keeps turning this into a circus."

"Because I am the circus, darling!" Jubilee shouted, summoning a wall of balloons to block his advance.

Lucan didn't hesitate. "Pop."

The entire wall burst in an instant, showering the battlefield with bits of rubber. Jubilee shielded her face, peeking out with an incredulous expression.

"Okay," she said, holding up her hands. "Pause. Time out. Let's talk about this for a second."

Lucan stopped, tilting his head. "Talk?"

"Yes! Talk!" Jubilee said, nodding eagerly. "I mean, sure, you're kicking my butt right now, but do you really want to hurt someone as adorable as me? Look at this face!" She gestured dramatically to herself, batting her eyelashes.

Lucan stared at her, unamused. "Distract."

Jubilee froze for a moment, her hand halfway through another exaggerated gesture. "What did you—"

She suddenly found herself unable to focus, her mind clouded by an inexplicable urge to count every speck of glitter on the ground. "Wait, why do I care about this?" she muttered, crouching down to inspect the sparkling debris.

Lucan took the opportunity to summon a swirling orb of water and light, aiming it directly at her.

But Jubilee wasn't out of tricks yet. With a snap of her fingers, the orb transformed into a harmless bubble that floated away. She stood up, her grin returning. "Nice try, darling, but you'll have to do better than that!"

Lucan sighed, his patience wearing thin. He needed to end this before his mana reserves ran dry.

"Fall," he said, his voice carrying an undeniable weight.

Jubilee stumbled as the ground beneath her tilted sharply, sending her tumbling down a slope that hadn't been there moments ago. She landed in a heap, her hair askew and her clothes covered in dirt.

"That's it!" she shouted, springing to her feet. "No more Ms. Nice Joker!"

She raised her arms, conjuring a massive spinning wheel that loomed ominously above her. "Let's see you word your way out of this! Spin the wheel of fate, Lucan!"

"Slow," he said, directing his focus at the spinning wheel.

The wheel's rotation immediately decelerated, grinding to a halt just as it was about to unleash a torrent of chaos. Jubilee stomped her foot again, her frustration reaching new heights.

"You are so annoying!" she yelled.

"Annoying?" Lucan repeated. "That's rich, coming from you."

Jubilee crossed her arms, pouting. "You know, I was going to let you win so I could claim you for my harem, but now I'm not so sure."

"Let me?" Lucan's calm mask slipped for a moment, replaced by a flicker of annoyance. "You're delusional."

"Delusional or determined?" Jubilee countered with a wink. "Same thing, really."

Lucan took a step forward, his mana reserves dangerously low. He needed to end this now, but Jubilee's chaotic energy made her unpredictable. He clenched his fists, his mind racing for the right word to tip the scales. Continue reading at empire

As if sensing his hesitation, Orbit scurried up to his shoulder, chittering excitedly. The little squirrel held up a small piece of the broken dice it had gnawed on earlier.

Lucan glanced at it, an idea forming in his mind. He looked back at Jubilee, who was preparing another absurd attack.

"Break," he said softly, focusing on her spinning wheel.

The wheel shattered into pieces, its colorful fragments scattering across the battlefield. Jubilee froze, her grin faltering for the first time.

"Oh," she said, tilting her head. "Well, that's... inconvenient."

Lucan's chest heaved as he took another step forward. "Enough games, Jubilee."

She met his gaze, her eyes sparkling with defiance. "You haven't seen anything yet, darling."

Lucan narrowed his eyes.