Battles

The name "Busou Shinki" translates to "Armed Divine Princess". So where does the armed part come in? In battles, of course! Battles between Shinki are a common competition that has always been part of their features. Shinki bought from the store come with a variety of tools to fit this very purpose. All ranges of publicity cover battles between Shinki, who are (usually) willingly pitted up against each other in various—not necessarily combat oriented—arenas for the sake of displaying the prowess of both Shinki and her Master.

As 15cm tall humanoid robotic constructs, Shinki are gifted with the ability to perform great feats of strength relative to their size, and are highly maneuverable. In essence, for their scale they are greater than any Olympian or hardcore athletic human can even hope to be. For this reason, and aided by the fantastic gear provided for them, Shinki battles have caught the eye of people the world over. The flashiness and high paced actions, or simply the ease of customizability for things like fashion shows have been the hallmark of the Shinki Battle.

Light-On Gear and Battle Fields
Of course, in combat, it's expected for things to be damaged or hurt. To reduce and even negate the dangers associated with combat beyond what a Shinki's armor can provide, a holographic projector and physical field generator known as the Light-On Gear. Without it, Shinki battles are potentially dangerous not only to themselves, but to humans and the environment.

Light-On Gears come in various forms for various purposes, including: tournament class Light-On Gear which are built into underground fighting zones, consumer Light-On Gear that can be set down on a surface, or wrist mounted Light-On Gear that has a detachable disk that can be thrown.

All of them have one thing in common: they're capable of projecting an energetic hologram that is solid to the touch, as if spontaneously generating an object for use. Outside of combat, this can even be used to provide a Shinki with her own living space without the need to actually construct anything out of real world materials.

One of the most important functions of the Light-On Gear, however, is the creation of the Battle Field. A Battle Field is a large holographic projection of variable size that can come in various functional "scenes" of deserts or island paradises or oceans. These Battle Fields are not purely aesthetic and simulate the conditions that they display (i.e. an Ocean Battle Field's water acting and feeling like actual water) and host destructible environments.

On top of this simulated experience, the Battle Field serves the important function of producing a containment field. Within this field, the power output of a Shinki's weaponry is reduced to the point that they can not critically harm each other. Also, the Battle Field's containment keeps stray munitions from escaping its area of effect, creating a sealed world for Shinki to fight in and preventing any unfortunate damages to surrounding spectators or the environment outside.

The field surrounding the battle can be made transparent or opaque at thediscretion of the person or Shinki who deployed it. Furthermore, to help spectators better see the action, holographic screens may be projected to provide views of the action similar to the various cameras utilized for stadium sports or television shows. In the case of a duel between two masters with their Shinki, Holographic screens are also shown to aid them in monitoring and providing intelligence support & suggestions for their partners.

Tournament Battles
The largest, most publicized and most prestigious battles all happen in Tournaments. These can range anywhere from single combat to tag teams to group fights and occur anywhere from small shops looking to get some extra publicity to large convention centers for international events. Often, one can find tournaments broadcast on TV alongside contemporary sports such as football or tennis. Getting into Tournaments can be both expensive and quite difficult though, and the more prestigious tourneys require you to have a sponsor to even be considered for participation. Many Tournament battles occur within large purpose built arenas with Battle Field Projectors.

Shinki Center/Table Battle
Not actually taking place on a table literal table, these are battles that occur within the confines of a special arena built for small scale Shinki battles and their masters. The arena is contained within a small dining table sized box with a Battle Field Projector inside of it. A popular location for these tables is the Shinki Center, a large department-store sized building with plenteous amounts of Shinki Merchandise, licensed repair shops and other sorts of Shinki related happenings within it. Tables are often used for Tournaments, though simple scheduled or unscheduled duels between two masters wanting to settle their differences or have their Shinki stretch their legs and have some fun do occur in such a way.

Much like the arenas for tournaments, the workings of a Table are simple: two or more Shinki stand on platforms at opposing ends of the table and the platforms are lowered downward to the inside of the table. During this sequence of being lowered, the Shinki's equipped gear and their model are scanned and cataloged for fairness and to monitor statistics. When down below, a field is projected and the fight begins. Multiple monitors set around the store show the events inside, and large holographic monitors are projected on top of the table for the Masters to observe and direct their Shinki.

The Street Battle
A mutually agreed upon—or sometimes not—battle that is declared between two or more Shinki without the supervision of their masters or a battle that is declared between two or more Masters while not inside of a Shinki Center. These can be 1 on 1 battles, team fights, or even mini-tournaments organized on the spot. These sort of battles are very common in parks and is a regular source of entertainment for everyday life. The purpose and reason for dueling vary from individual to individual.

In the case of Shinki declaring battles on each other without supervision, these battles are more akin to brawls than actual, official fights. There are no set rules or guidelines for Street Battling and the Shinki involved simply fight until one beats the other. A Battle Field is expanded for this, but even so most people frown upon this sort of fight, as it is often the result of Shinkis getting into arguments or stepping on each others' toes, which shows poor character and lack of being raised properly.

In the case of a Street Battle, a consumer Light-On Gear must be used to project a Battle Field or it will fall within the grounds of an Illegal Battle.

Illegal Battles
Fights that occur without the use of a Light-On Gear or other similar Battle Field Projector. These are highly illegal and incredibly dangerous both to Shinki, their surroundings and even humans. Without the Field, any attacks from a Shinki will cause real, irreversible damage to anything they come into contact with. Furthermore, if Shinki harm each other this way, they are not protected by the containment reduction effect and will inflict possibly fatal damage to each other, rendering a Shinki injured, broken, or in the worst case completely non-functional. For this reason, battling without a Field is strictly forbidden and is something the owner must agree to follow in the User Agreement. Most Shinki are completely aware of these dangers and will refuse to battle without a Field, and the Master is under signed contract to keep an eye on their Shinki in case the myriad of emotions that the Shinki can feel override their better judgement.

Of course, criminals and "shadow" tournaments completely ignore this and urge their Shinki to fight without any Field. One should make sure to never accept duels from strangers in back alleys, or go to tournaments that aren't sponsored or mentioned in magazines/on the internet as legitimate locations. After all, unwittingly entering an illegal tourney could very well result in you leaving with nothing but a mangled, broken and 'dead' shinki in your arms.

Non-Combat Battles
Just because combat is the most popular form of Shinki Battle doesn't mean it's the only form. All sorts of competitions are organized for Shinki, working similarly to how such things would work for humans in such respect. In these types of Battles, a Shinki can display the best of her personality and looks that her Master has nurtured for her.

Non-Combat Battles comprise of a large array of choices, such as: housework contests, cooking contests, gymnastics games, fashion shows, talent shows and swimsuit competetions–all of which never sees the use of the Shinki's special equipment and only relies on the her own properties, personality and disposition.

Some Shinki are even specifically designed for such battles like Butterfly Type Schmetterling who was designed for entertainment and singing.