Dragon Quest XI: Partners Until the End

[Chapter 25]

Taking a deep inhale, Freya let her eyelids close. For a few moments, she stood in silence, focusing on her mana swirling in her stomach. Then her eyes fluttered open and thrusted her hand out. Fire danced at her fingertips, growing massive and warm. All at once, the fireball shot out like a cannon, flying across the way and colliding with a nearby tree. The area where the fire made contact was singed and there was a distinct burning smell that lingered in the air now.

"Just like that?" Freya asked with a slight smile. Turning her head, she was met with two sets of enthusiastic gazes and warm grins. Nodding excitedly, Sinderella clapped her hands and a pleased hum escaped from her lips.

"Yup! Just like that, Freya!" The blonde cooed, causing the girl to jump in glee. Laughing lightly, the fighter continued on with a hint of amusement lacing her tone. "I think you've gotten the hang of it. A little more practice, and your Frizzle will be perfect,"

"Gonna be honest, I'm still a little surprised you came to us," Whambelina chimed in from the sidelines with a wave of her hands. She sat on a boulder, letting her legs dangle off the side as she glanced over at her close friend, who only shot her a mirthful smile in return, before returning her attention back to the teen. "I mean, you beat us and then ask for our help right after? You sure are a weird girl,"

"You guys were really tough opponents, and I wanna learn whatever I can!" Freya replied, her cheeks flushing slightly at the older women's chuckles. Sheepishly, the brunette scratched her cheek with her own shaky grin. "Though I'm still iffy about your attack, Whambelina..."

"Are you kidding me?! Look at what you did with Golden Boy yesterday!" Whambelina let out a cackle while she clutched her stomach, causing Freya's face to turn a bright red from embarrassment. Once her laughter began to lessen, Whambelina spoke with a smirk and wiped away the stray tears that began to form at the corners of her eyes. "Trust me, use those cute looks of yours and men will be dropping to their knees for you,"

"Though I'm not sure how good it will be used for the next battle," Sinderella mused while shooting her partner with an arched brow. The blonde then moved towards the Luminary's side and lightly patted her shoulder. "Speaking of, you should start heading over to the arena. Don't want to be late to your final match,"

"Ah, you're right!" The teen gasped, her form jolting as she realized how much time had passed. The girl then turned to face both fighters and bowed her head in gratitude. "Thank you again for the help, you two!"

"We girls gotta stick together, you know," Sinderella waved her hand, brushing off the brunette's words with a kind smile. Her hand then clenched and she held up a fist in earnest encouragement. "But good luck in the finals! You're going against Jade, so make sure you don't hold back!"

"Be sure to kick their asses and be this year's champions for payback for this little training session, alright?" Whambelina added as her arm shot out in front of her, holding up her own supportive fist with a beaming grin. "We're rooting for ya!"

Freya glanced between the two fighters and couldn't hold back the growing smile on her face. Raising her own fist up, the women let out a might hurray as the girl let out a simple sentence, full of conviction: