"That's what we said but…how exactly do we do it?" (Yukio)

"You've got a point. Diav, you began charging up all of a sudden. Surely, you must have an idea."

"Nope, not at all. I was just hoping that if I powered up high enough, I might just get lucky."

"Guess it can't be helped. Let's try it out. Ready…"

*Foom* they power up. "Stronger!" and they powered up more. "Even stronger! More! More!" until they started sweating.

After about a minute, "Hey Yu, yours is decreasing! Try harder!" and Yukio did, "Come on!" and then he lost breath and dropped to his knees.

"No, it's no use," he started panting and the others powered down.

"Don't give up, Yu. It's not like we have any other ideas."

"But, if we just blindly raise our power like that, we won't get anywhere either. We'd just be wasting our energy."

"Then what do you suggest we—"

"Be quiet!" Diavolo interrupted him by putting his hand on his mouth.

"What was that for, huh?"

"I'm telling you, be quiet! There's someone outside. I saw a shadow."

"Who would be awake at a time like this? Other than us of course."

"Shin, look!" Yukio pointed at the window, where he saw a dark figure, that instantly dashed away. Saying nothing else, Shin immediately ran out the door and looked around.

"You're kidding. There's nobody here anymore?!"

"So you still think I'm lying?"

"What does this mean?"

"Um…It's been bothering me a bit, but then again I thought if it was something to worry about at all."

"Don't beat around the bush, Yu. Tell us."

"Well, it's been over half a month since we came here, and we've found that the only people living here besides us are Hannah, Marvin, Mr. William, Mr. Stanley, the chauffeur, two chefs and three maids. Even if they are so rich, they don't have any guards or anything. The walls are not even that high and there are no spikes or anything. Isn't it weird?"

"You don't mean to say that it's a…"

"…thief?!"

"Yeah, probably."

"We better check inside! Fast!"

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At the mansion entrance, they slowly opened the door and peered inside.

"Hall room, clear." (Diavolo)

"How are we supposed to search this huge maze of a mansion? We barely know where the common rooms are located." (Shin)

"Look there! Someone's heading for the kitchen!" (Yukio)

"Well that was fast." (Shin)

"Maybe he's looking for a knife," Diavolo took a detective pose, and gasped, "Don't tell me it's a…serial killer!"

"Why on earth would a serial killer be stealing a knife from the very house he's targeted?! And why are you sitting like you're about to solve a huge case?!" Shin did a jab at him.

"Shh! Come on! Hurry up!"

They stood in front of the kitchen door. They peeked in and saw someone fishing around in the fridge.

"The fridge? Now why would a serial killer want food instead of a knife? Don't tell me he's trying to…poison our breakfast?!"

"Nobody said it was a serial killer! Stop jumping to conclusions!"

"HANDS OFF THE BEEF SOUP, SCUM!!" and he jumped at the figure.

"WAIT, DIAV!!"

"EAT THIS!" he latched onto the suspect.

"I said wait, Diav! That's…Mr. Stanley!" hearing so, Diavolo immediately ceased his fidgeting.

"Could you get off of me, please…"

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Once everything was settled, they all sat at the dining table...calmly. "What are you doing up so late, Mr. Stanley?" Shin asked.

"I guess you didn't know this, but didn't you notice that Master William is always absent during breakfast?"

"Yeah, but isn't that because he's old and needs his rest?"

"Ufufu! You have it backwards. Even if sire is quite old, he always maintains his fitness routine. His motto is 'Fitness is youth! Youth is glory!' or something like that."

"Haha! Sounds so much like him."

This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author's work.

"Everyday, after three, he has a small meal and goes up the hill due north of here and meditates with other fellow aged men. It's highly refreshing and makes you feel alive. I'm just preparing his extra early breakfast."

"Oh, you're so diligent, Mr. Stanley!" complemented an impressed Yukio.

"No, it is but my duty. So then, what were fine young men like you three up to this late at night?"

"Well that's um…ehehe…!" Shin scratched his head.

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The next day, the three were drooping limp on their seats at school.

"Seems our first training night was wasted…" (Shin)

"Yeah…" (Yukio)

"I wanna hurry and sleep…" (Diavolo)

"Haha! What's wrong? Can't handle it anymore?" (Garth)

"Now, now, Garth. It's not good to tease so early in the morning," Nicolas added, "It must be hard keeping up with Prez' strict training scheme. They must be trying their best…to stay awake, that is!" and the two of them laughed.

"You bet we're trying our best! We'll show you at the exam! But at least we didn't have to train to have better breath than yours!" (Shin)

"See? I told you your breath stinks." (Nicolas)

"Don't take his side!" he got flustered.

Noticing a certain someone's silence, Nicolas continued, "Oh? Why so quiet, Mr. Signore?"

"Oi, is he actually sleeping?" (Garth)

"Give it up. You can't wake him up once he's like this…" (Shin)

Diavolo honestly couldn't bother reacting to the scene right now, so he kept his eyes closed and remained silent, "Even if I am asleep…"

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And so that night,

"…my senses are always active!" and he opened his eyes facing Stanley. Shin and Yukio stood beside him. They were in the dojo.

Recalling the previous night,

「"Oh, so that's what happened, was it?" (Stanley)

"Yeah. So please, don't tell anyone about this!" (Shin)

"Understood. But why be hasty? I understand that you want to become stronger, but Master Hannah did tell you that it can be dangerous. So what keeps you going?"

"I just wanna prove to Hannah that I can handle tough situations. She shouldn't have underestimated me!"

"Shin isn't very honest, is he? He actually owes Hannah an apology for yelling at her. He doesn't like yelling at girls himself, so he feels a little guilty. So he wants to surprise her as an alternative," Yukio smiled at the blushing Shin.

"A-as if!"

"Don't worry, your secret's safe with me. If you need any help, don't be shy to ask."

"Ah, in that case, do you know how one could use Material Natura?" (Diavolo)

"Hmm?"

"You see, even if we are determined to go through this, we have no idea how it works or how to learn techniques with it. If you know anything that would help, we'd really appreciate it."

"Hmm, well I have been taught a few things from Master William. I guess I could help out."

"Really?! Saves us a tonne! Thanks!" (Shin)

"Yes, but not today. Master William will wake up pretty soon. You guys should go to sleep. Come to the dojo after midnight tomorrow. We'll start then."」

And so back at present,

"So then, is everyone ready?" the three gave a strong nod and replied 'YES!' simultaneously.

"Alright then. Let's begin. The first thing you should know before starting anything, is which type you use. You've already done that by that device. So that's one checked.

Second, is to know what your fighting style is, or what you want to do with your element. That will help you to get a clearer image of what affinity you'll be more inclined towards within your type. I'll skip the boring details. I'll explain as you do the work yourselves. My motto is 'experience is the best teacher'."

"HAHAH! Now we're getting somewhere!" Shin gave a wide grin since someone finally spoke his language. Thank goodness they asked Stanley for aid, was what was going through his head at that moment.

"Mr. Ron, I heard that you knew Material Natura from the start. Since you're a Plasma type and the symptom was a static shock, it's safe to conclude that your affinity is electricity."

"Okay. So what do I do?"

"Please be careful, as Plasma is the most dangerous among the four. One needs to know what it feels like to be affected by their element themselves. Unless they get used to it and make proper adjustments, you may end up killing yourself. You've already experienced being electrocuted, but just in case, go touch the two poles of that battery."

"Got it!" and he walked towards it.

"Mr. Hitoshi, you're a Liquid user, correct? What would you like to use your power for?"

"I never gave much thought about it, but I guess...I just don't want to fall back, and I want to be able to protect my friends. Hannah trained me to focus on defense."

"Liquid and defense, huh… that's a little tricky. It's more suited for aiding in healing and boosts in the early stages. If you're smart, there could be some workaround with tricks. Although it would've been a different case if you could turn water into ice, but that scope is too high now."

"Wouldn't ice be solid?"

Meanwhile, Shin was looking around the battery pack. He was a little confused as to what voltage to set it at, "Now where do I set the meter? Ah, well! The higher the better as they say!"

"Solidifying is still possible. Although it's too advanced for you now. Sorry, but you'll have to start with normally manipulating water. The basic exercises."

"It's okay. I don't mind."

"So then—"

BBBBBUUUUUUUUUUZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

They all turned towards the source of that sound (and light) that basically spelled out danger.

"I-I-I t-think," Shin said, or by the looks of it, tried to say, while trembling with his burnt hair standing on ends, "I'll re-re-remember th-the f-f-f-feeling from now o-o-o-on……." and collapsed.

"I warned him it was dangerous. Anyways, Mr. Diavolo, you'll do the same exercise as Mr. Hitoshi."

"Alright, got it."

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And at the same time, another unbelievable scene was occurring on a field somewhere in the city.

"What is it, bro? Why did you call us here this late?" (Garth)

"Garth, Nic…I want you to kill me."

"What?" (Nicolas)

"Stop joking, bro. We—" (Garth)

"I'm dead serious. I feel a 'storm' brewing. The time to meet my match is close. Fighting those lame battles with Hannah has made me weak. I want to go all out for once. That's why...I want you two to come at me with the intent to kill. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger."

"But still, bro…"

"Shut up! This is an order! You two have finally gotten used to Material Natura, haven't you? Consider this a test, where the winner is the last one standing!"

Garth and Nicolas looked at each other. And once their eyes met, they knew what they had to do. They nodded, "Okay, I understand. Let's do this!"

Both of them powered up, "AAAAAHHHHH!!!" and charged at the casually standing Claude.

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And thus, time flowed, and the day finally arrived.

"I heard that today's an off day for Sector-A, so it's pretty empty," said Yukio, the three standing at the school's main entrance.

"That's a relief. Too many people might've made me nervous enough to hurl..." Shin gagged.

"Shut up, you sound like a wimp! Hurry up before they close the gym door! Let's show 'em who's boss!"

"Yeah!" and they stepped in.