In the Ryota household, Kaba and Kiba are watching tv, they are watching the news station. “Reports of unexplainable deaths have been popping up in a small area of Japan, for the past 3 weeks a large number of people have been found dead with no cause of death and no prior illnesses, it currently looks unlikely to be linked to the recent attacks from the chess club, as previously, they have only targeted heroes. These attacks have been carried out on random civilians and no link has been found between the victims. Once again the PA are doing their best to apprehend this attacker and with the help of HHQ have been deploying heroes to patrol more frequently. Due to the incident involving the chess club, they are all patrolling in teams of 2 until the club is apprehended and dealt with. In better news, no sign has been heard from the chess club since these attacks started. Is it linked, it is another part of their game, who knows but for now I wish the PA and the heroes all luck in finding this killer”.
Ryota is meditating in the training hall downstairs, a metal ball hits him in the face, “Ow” Hiro looks at him awkwardly, “Sorry about that, was a stray shot”. Ryota stands up, “it’s ok, the meditating wasn’t really working anyway, I still can’t feel the essence. But from what I’ve seen your skills are coming along nicely, that ball wasn’t super fast but it definitely hurt when it hit me”. Hiro scoffs “Hey at least I’ve improved my powers unlike you, now I can use 2% of my full power” Ryota shakes his hands in panic “No that’s not what I meant, I just meant it’s good that you’re getting better… moving on, how about flying, how’s that going?” She rolls her eyes “Honestly still not great, right now I can just about move these little balls at throwing speeds, larger objects like myself are much harder, I can still only move at the old speed and only just a few inches off the floor”. Ryota smiles “Well we’ve only just started, I’m sure you’ll be flying about in no time” Hiro chuckles “Yeah and maybe you’ll be able to do more than just crappy magic tricks”. Ryota looks shocked and offended. Suzuki enters, “hey guys, I know progress is slow to begin with but once you both start to use your powers more your abilities will grow very quickly. I believe in you both. Anyway, Hiro let’s carry on your training, I want you to fire those at me as fast as you can”. He activates a defensive wall and she starts firing the balls at him. Ryota goes back over to continue meditating.
Yuka and Tatsuo are practice sparring to improve their combat ability. Shuichi and Mizo are watching from the side, Shuichi uses his appraisal to check their stats then turns to Mizo, “their combat stats are very similar however it looks like Yuka ever so slightly has the upper hand, and of course, Yuka has his off-the-charts power but right now that isn’t very useful in hand to hand combat. Still they are both doing very good, especially since their powers aren’t combat types”. Mizo smiles “And what about you Shuichi, how are your stats coming along?”. “Well my strength and speed are a little above both of them but I’ve also been training with a sword every day for a while and also train with Master Kenshin regularly, obviously he kicks my ass every time without even trying but I’m improving slowly. And you, how’s your training going?”. Yuka and Tatsuo continue sparring behind them while Mizo replies. “I focus on my breathing techniques every day, I’m hoping to get that under control but training with Hotaka is amazing, he is unbelievably strong and if I go into a rage mode he manages to stop me with ease, I can’t believe we’re being trained by him. But I’m getting the hang of it slowly”.
Hotaka and Kenshin are also watching them fight, “Hotaka my dear boy you haven’t been to see me in some time, how are you? What have you been up to?” Hotaka smirks and replies smuggly “well you know saving the world and all that” Kenshin hits him on the back of the head with his hand. “I don’t remember training you to be arrogant”. Hotaka rubs the back of his head “ouch that hurt”. Kenshin rolls his eyes. “You’re supposed to be the number one hero in Japan and you’re crying over a little slap from an old man like me, good luck to these students”. They both stop look at each other and begin laughing. Shuichi looks over shocked and turns to Mizo “I don’t think I’ve ever seen Kenshin smile, let alone laugh”. Kenshin continues “So you are still with that beautiful wife of yours I see, you’re one lucky man that she hasn’t realised yet that you’re just a big child” they both continue laughing before titans face quickly becomes more serious.
Kenshin sighs “you’re worried about the killings aren’t you” Hotaka nods “first it was heroes, now it’s random civilians, it could be anyone next, Minita and I face risk every day, we’re used to danger but even my students could be in danger, I need to find out who’s doing this and stop them” Kenshin looks at the floor and shakes his head “well it’s good to see you care for these students but you can’t put the whole weight of the world on your shoulders, you’re just one man”. “But I’m supposed to be the number 1 hero, someone who can protect everyone, how can I say that if I’m letting all these people die”. Kenshin continues “You aren’t letting anyone die. People die every day, these people are being killed, yes, but at random. You can’t predict the future that’s not the ability you were born with, however, I know when you or the PA find whoever did this you’ll be able to stop them like you always do. Once you put your mind to something there’s nothing you can’t do, even back when you were merely my student”. They both smile at each other.
Daisuke gets hit in the face with a rock, this happens again and again, until eventually a larger rock hits him in the head cutting it off completely. Minita shouts out to them, “Ok, let’s take a break”. They download out of the simulation and go to get some food. Daisuke, Etsuko and Minita are eating and Minita addresses them “Etsuko, your control of Earth is coming along nicely however, you did take his head off a couple of times and set him on fire once, we still have a way to go with your control but it’s definitely improving. Daisuke you seem to be doing great going through objects but not so much allowing objects to go through you, also a couple of times you accidentally floated away or went invisible, but again, we can work on that, you’re both improving and going in the right direction, well done!”. They both nod and reply together “Thank you Minita Sensei”, Daisuke goes to grab his drink but his hand goes through it and Etsuko giggles, “however I think maybe still needs a little more improvement” Daisuke blushes and continues to try and grab the cup. Minita laughs at both of them.
Kenikai is writing in his book when he turns and speaks to his mentor, “Toshia, tracking my abilities just seems useless, there’s no pattern to it”. Toshia is playing video games in his apartment and Kame is in the back meditating. Toshia pauses the video game “Kenikai let me tell you right now… if Minita tells you to do something, you do it, no questions asked, she’s hella scary if you say no to her”. Kenikai looks confused, “how well do you know Minita Sensei” Toshia replies “Oh I thought I’d told you guys, she’s my sister” Kenikai drops the pen in shock and Kame opens his eyes. “Your sister… you never told us that”, “well kind of my sister, we grew up together as kids in the same orphanage, we were practically like family. When we got older we used to go beat up withered together for fun. Anyway, shouldn’t you be finishing up your entry” he looks up and Kame is there holding his pen “here you go”. Kenikai and Toshia look at him in shock, Kenikai shouts out “Kame, you’re holding the pen, you’re holding something” Kame looks down at the pen “Oh” his aura quickly gets thicker and he drops the pen “I guess I am starting to be able to control my aura better” Kenikai appears at full speed next to them, “this counts for a celebration, let’s go get some food” Kame smiles a little and they all get up and leave.
Ryota is in his training area at home, meditating, his eyes are closed and he can’t see anything but darkness. Suddenly it starts to turn to a faint light blue, he looks confused, opens his eyes and takes a breath, he looks around the place to see the underground cavern, he also looks over to see Hiro and Suzuki practicing together, he shuts his eyes, returning to darkness, again it starts to turn a faint blue, the blue light gets stronger and stronger until he opens his eyes. As he does he sees the cave they are training in filled with blue lights, he stands up and runs his hand through a stream of it “woahhh” he then looks at his chest and sees a strong ball of blue light coming from his core “Urm dad, Hiro, I think I can see magic essence” they both stop training and look over to him.
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
The next day all the students are in class and Daisuke approaches Ryota “Hey man I heard from Hiro you finally managed to see that magic stuff, well done, so does that mean you can do real magic now” Ryota replies in a confused manner “Magic tricks are real magic, but if you’re talking about spells then not quite, seeing magic essence is one thing but using it is another, I’ve still got quite a bit of training to go. Luckily I already know spells up to a level 4 mage so when I can activate essence I’ll already of caught up to my sisters and I can rub it in their face”. Daisuke laughs “Sounds like sibling love”. Hiro sees Yuka straining really hard at his desk, she walks over “what are you doing” Yuka takes a big breath “Well Hotaka believes I might be able to shorten the time it takes for my power to double so I’ve been trying really hard to focus on it but still nothing”. Hiro replies “that’s cool, Ryota’s dad trains me hard as well, we train so much but I still can only use 2% of my power, but I’m sure it will get easier for the both of us”. Yuka nods “I hope so”.
Mizo looks over at Yuka and Etsuko approaches her “Hey don’t get jealous that Yuka is talking to another girl” Mizo waves her arms about and begins to blush “Hey… woah I don’t know what you’re talking about, why would I get jealous… Yuka can talk to anyone he wants” Etsuko laughs “it’s ok, don’t worry, you may be starting to get your anger under control but you certainly can’t control the fact that you’re smitten over Yuka”. She starts to go completely red, Etsuko laughs again “Relax it’s ok I won’t tell him”. “What about you, is there someone you like?” Etsuko starts to blush as well, “I don’t know what you’re on about” Minita walks into the room. “Good news class next month is the Academic Arena competition, you have your uniforms and your powers are developing nicely so hopefully everyone should do well”, Tatsuo rolls his eyes and mutters to himself “must be nice for some”.
Minita continues “now remember, the arena is a great chance to test your abilities against other students, of course, it will all be done in simulation so feel free to go all out, also remember that some of these students will be from the top hero schools so please don’t be disheartened if you face students more powerful than yourself. Remember you’re here because Hotaka believes each one of you has the potential for great things. Usually, the AAs are comprised of 3 rounds which can involve one on one combat or team events so it will be important we all know exactly what we can do. Therefore in 2 weeks, we will be having a training simulation where all your ability mentors will attend and you will demonstrate to the class how your training has been going”. The class look around at each other. Again Tatsuo mutters under his breath “great I can’t wait” Shuichi whispers to him “Hey it’s ok, when your power comes in you’re going to be stronger than all of us just you wait” Tatsuo smiles and they fist bump each other.
Later that day Ryota is at the dinner table with his family “Hey Dad, so I’m sure you’ve been told but you’re coming to our academy so we can display any new skills” his dad finishes chewing and swallows, “that’s correct Hino”. Kaba and Kiba laugh “what are you going to show them? How good at meditating you are” Suzuki jumps in, “ok girls, Ryota still might not be able to cast spells but he’s come a long way in the past few months, I’m sure he’ll be casting spells in no time, and if he does he may even overtake both of you so you better carry on training hard as well” the girls eyes widen and Ryota grins. His dad winks at Ryota and continues speaking “I’m not sure if they told you but we’ve been asked to do a demonstration as well, so once they see my abilities they’ll know just how amazing you’ll be one day when you are a mage like me” Ryota smiles even more “Thanks Dad”.
Kame and Kenikai are sitting on a park bench, Toshia zooms in and appears sitting between them in a relaxed position. “Hey guys, thanks for meeting me on short notice”. Kenikai replies “that’s ok, what’s up” Toshia looks awkward and rubs the back of his neck “well, I’ve been asked to go out of town for a couple of weeks on a mission so unfortunately, I won’t be able to make your training presentation, sorry guys”. Kame speaks “That’s ok” Kenikai jumps in “yeah that’s fine, but where are you going, can you tell us about the mission” Toshia smirks “that’s top secret, can’t tell you a thing. Anyway enough about work, shall we go watch a movie” they both look at each other and nod.
Shuichi is swinging his sword in his back garden. 997, 998, 999, 1000. His older brother walks outside, “hey little bro, how’s everything at the academy?” Shuichi replies “it’s hard work but I’m finally seeing improvement, I’ve already reached level 16 swordsmanship skill, and I think practising with my master every week has helped. I know that in most games, higher levels are much harder to achieve, I guess I’m going to have to get involved in more real combat in the future to level up, but for now, it seems the programme I've been given is helping me”. “Just in time for the academic arenas this year, I can’t believe my brother is going to be on tv”. “I know, it doesn’t seem real, but I will try my best and be happy with the outcome no matter what happens”. His brother smiles. “Well I’ll be watching and supporting you, it’s just amazing to see how far you’ve come”.
Shuichi looks up at the night sky “the thing is I don’t know how good the other schools are going to be, I never got time to watch them when I was studying in the past few years, and our class isn’t exactly the most disciplined at the moment”. He looks at his brother “anyway, fingers crossed some of us get into the final stage” his brother laughs “that’s if you guys can get past the first stage” Shuichi punches him in the arm softly, they both laugh together. Shuichi receives a phone call, “Hello” Kenshin replies “Hi Shuichi, can you come to the dojo? I have something to show you before the demonstration” Shuichi replies “I’ll be there soon” he puts the phone down and turns to his brother “got to go, I’ll be home soon”. His brother shouts to him as he runs away. “Don’t be out too late”.
Yuka stares and strains at the pocket he just created, he stops and takes a big breath “Woah, this is hard” he takes a break and goes over to watch some tv, whilst flicking through the channels he stops on the news “The killings continue, 3 more found dead today, this unknown murderer continues to claim their victims randomly with no explainable cause of death, yet we are still no closer to finding out who it is and why they are doing this, however one eye witness reports to have seen a man entering the scene with a black hooded robe, if you see someone matching this description please contact the PA or HHQ Immediately”. Yuka looks at the TV, “if only I had the power to stop people like that”, he then looks at his hand, flicks the air, makes a pocket and begins to strain again.
Daisuke is with Etsuko sitting on the floor, Etsuko turns to him “Hey, it’s nice of the academy to provide you with normal clothes that don’t fall off when you go intangible” Daisuke smiles “yeah it makes my life so much easier, plus when I do let things pass through, it goes through the clothes as well and they stay attached and don’t get damaged, I’m not sure how they do it but it’s pretty amazing”. Etsuko replies “I think Shuichi said it’s something to do with the material of the clothes I don’t know it was all too sciency for me, but he also mentioned they managed to adapt the uniforms to Kame and Mizo as well.” Daisuke stands up, “I forget how lucky we are to be in a hero academy sometimes, right should we carry on with the training” Etsuko stands up as well “let’s do it” she approaches a large boulder, punches it and breaks it into smaller pieces, then starts flinging them using her powers at Daisuke, some of them go through him but a couple of them hit him, blowing holes in his body, he respawns and shouts out “again”.
Shuichi walks into the dojo and sees Kenshin, he bows and Kenshin bows back, “Shuichi the AAs are only a month away and I know you’re levelling up quickly, but I want to teach you something new before the demonstration in a few weeks, it’s a basic single attack and isn’t exactly powerful but it should at least help you a little”. Kenshin pulls out his sword and aims it towards a dummy, he swings it in the direction of the dummy, a small wave of energy is emitted from his sword slicing the dummy in half. Shuichi looks amazed, “how is that possible, is that your skill” Kenshin sheathes his sword “no this is only a small trick I’ve learned from my many years of swordsmanship, but now it’s time to pass it on to you, I’m sure one day you’ll be able to outgrow me and perform sword skills that will easily surpass this. now it’s time to give it a go yourself”.
Shuichi swings his sword at the Dummy continuously. Behind him, through the window, several days pass until eventually, it’s 2 weeks later. Shuichi holds the sword against his face, he aims the sword towards the dummy, takes a breath and swings it, as he does a small wave of energy comes from his sword, cutting the dummy in half. As it does a pop-up appears for Shuichi “new skill achieved, single blade slice” he smiles and punches the air. “Ok, now I’m ready”.