“Hey, Hakuro, I’m sorry. I shifted all the metal you told me to make under my skin to my chin before he hit me. I disobeyed you. I have to apologise.” There’s a slight twitch in the cat’s right eye and a chuckle from Raimon. Hakuro sighs, before speaking, “...Learn to be adaptable. You did the right thing. My words aren’t gospel. They are supposed to be something you grow from. Please, have a little bit of agency, won’t you?” Yugai nods and fires a thumbs up towards the cat. “Alright. I’m ready.” Yugai shifts his stance and stretches out his right limbs, and pulls back his left ones. A complete opposite mirror to how he stood seconds ago.“ Finally, you realise that since you’re missing your right eye, it is better to strike with your left side.” The mystic cat lets out a sigh of relief. “Oh? That was why?!” Only to be forced to make another one, since his Disciple seems completely clueless. “You two are a riot. Come on, let’s not do this. You can just turn around and go home.” Raimon smiles at the pair, seemingly in a much better mood now.

Yugai’s lips contort and a waterfall of words slip out. “Nah. I want to win. I don’t want to lose. I don’t want to run. I won’t surrender. I want to run away. I want to give up. I don’t want to fail the expectations put on me… I want to live up to them. I want to win. I want to run. I want to win. I want to run. I will not lose.” Madness is chanted like a mantra. The young man begins to shiver as something starts to snap inside him, as if he was psyching himself up to do something very stupid, his emotions running haywire. Two bolts of energy bounce within his body, smashing together over and over. His left index finger is slowly wrapped in white light and liquid silver until it forms a talon. The air becomes tense, as Yugai’s left eye aims at a particular part of Raimon. It’s incredibly obvious to everyone present, a killer lock-on gaze towards his throat. Even if it’s totally readable and telegraphed, the amount of serious conviction held in the coming attack is a clear threat to life, least in intent if nothing else.

“...Seriously? Heh. Are you a scorpion?” Raimon barely seems fazed at the sudden shift, but his eyes have hardened. He can’t let this affront go unpunished, even if he doesn’t believe himself to be in danger. “Last chance, go away.” Yugai simply shakes his head from side to side, in refusal. He’s going to do this, no matter what. Yugai kicked his feet off the platform, leading to the set of doors he had to pass through. Even if Hakuro had never told him the reason why, he charged forward with stupid blind faith. He leaps ahead, and thrusts his left arm with all his might. His nail gleams in the light, as it seeks to pierce the barrier of wind that protects Raimon, and to strike at him directly.

“Mystic Art: Tiger Sting!”

It’s an attack focused completely on a single point, to maximise offensive power. It’s the only technique he really had in his arsenal. Hakuro expects this to fail, this whole fight has been orchestrated for his Disciple to learn defeat as it is, a most valuable lesson, and in addition, he wishes to see if he can pinpoint the source of this unusual something, this x-factor that is plaguing his mind concerning the hasty boy. The attack meets the Gale Force Barrier head-on. It grips the silver needle and tries to twist it, until all momentum is removed. Yugai’s body shakes as he is met with the magical wind backed resistance… and then he smiles. The metal talon turns to dust. His left foot slams into the ground with sudden speed and force. His entire body lowers its mass, as he pulls his right leg and arm back as far as he can, and then swings with everything he has! Just like a baseball pitcher tossing a fastball. “The mystic art with his left was a fake? "Well, doesn't matter, if it can’t pierce my barrier, then there's no way a regular punch can—” Yugai’s right fist turns a shade of grey where its knuckles are located. Raimon does not move his head out of the way. He has complete confidence in his passive defence mechanism. It fails him instantly. The iron fist collides with his left temple.

Everyone is in shock. Nobody expected this. Judging by the look on Yugai’s face even he wasn’t sure if this was going to work, but it did, and once the realisation sets in he can’t help but relax, panting, and then laugh in joy. “Hah… haha… hah… hahaha…! I got ya! So, how about… taking me… seriously?” He’s clearly out of breath. It took a lot out of him to land just this blow. Raimon doesn’t look at all hurt by the punch, but he does seem genuinely surprised. “Well, I guess this isn’t a beatdown or a joke now. It’s a prank and one that needs to be punished… but again, I’m going to give you another chance, just leave already? Even if you hit me, it’s just not fun if this is all you can do.” This tone of dismissal was probably the worst thing anyone could say to Yugai. It doesn’t happen immediately, but a frayed set of emotions bubble over, slowly but surely, deep within him. He backs off a few steps as if this exchange is the same conditions as a sparring match, a reset of neutral positions before the next bout, and Raimon simply lets him, because he knows he has already won. Yugai stares back at him as if there’s something stuck on his throat that he wants to say. Meanwhile, Hakuro is once again confused by the actions of his student, but he did begin asking himself the most crucial and simple questions in response to this display."How? Why?"

“Ah, I see. He’s moving the mass of metal I made him make inside his body as if it’s a shot-out ball at extreme speeds to shift his weight and momentum. So, as long as his body makes the proper movements, he can add an immense amount of surprising force behind his attack by essentially hopping from one foot to the other, but with Mystic Power.”

Silence takes hold as Yugai returns to taking a stance favouring his left arm yet again.

“Hey, I’ve been meaning to ask, what or where is Catalonia? I’ve never heard of it before.” He breaks it with a question that causes Raimon’s face to instantly grow tired and aged in expression. “Urgh. Why… okay, do you know where Barcelona is? You’ve must have heard of Barcelona!” Yugai’s eye lights up as if the question has been a cloud of smoke that had been concealing his vision and fogging his mind until now. “Oh, so you’re from Spa-”

CRACK! BANG! CRUNCH! THUD. THUD. THUD. THUD. THUD. THUD. THUD. THUD.

Yugai now lays at the bottom of the stairs, with his lower body still technically on the staircase, while his upper half is spread out on the floor below. Blood trickles from his head. Nene walks over and inspects him, seemingly sighs, and then turns her neck up to look at Raimon. “Luckily, it seems that this customer is still breathing. Did you forget that lethal force cannot be used against intruders without the manager’s permission? No, of course not. You simply let your rage control you again.” There’s a scolding tone now, just an inch under the surface of her polite speech. “Ack. I’m really… I apologise, Nene. You know how I get when someone says stuff like that but, you’re right. I hit him a bit too hard there. I’ll call an ambulance and-” Crumble. Crumble. Two paws digging into the pavement. “Gggrroooaarr!” Yugai stands yet again, forcing his body to rise to the challenge despite its bruises and wounds.

“Seriously? I’m impressed. For real. I’m sorry for hitting you that hard. I could have killed you… At least no one can say you’re a quitter… but there’s no way you can keep fighting like this. Let’s get you patched up and we can forget that this ever happened.” Yugai pants to catch his breath, gasping for air, he roars again as he finds his footing and advances upwards. “Are you some sort of zombie? Where is this coming from?” Raimon could no longer hide the amusement in his voice, as the young man rose back, hungry for round three. “I’ve gotta apologise too. I must have said something insensitive. I’m not all that smart, so I probably tripped on your toes.” Yugai steadies his breathing, but you can hear irritation. It can hardly be called a fight, and that’s what’s eating at him. But he holds back from just venting and instead speaks the other thing on his mind. “Three consecutive jabs with almost no lag time behind them. My forehead followed by my solar plexus and then finalised with a liver blow. My body is aching. You’re amazing… Ah, right, I forgot to give you my name, even though you gave me yours. That’s so rude of me. I forgot my manners. I’m Izumi Yugai. It’s nice to meet you.” The boy is face to face with the champion, who is finally perturbed by the analysis of his opponent. “Y-you… did you mitigate and see all my hits?”

“Even if he used the same method from before to form magical metal defences at the points of impact he shouldn’t be standing now… Okay. I need to double-check this.” Hakuro focuses his mana to scan Yugai’s stats again. Something felt off here. He shouldn’t be nearly this strong or durable. A screen flashes before the eyes of the magical cat and sure enough, there was an issue. It was different than before.

Izumi Yugai

Age: 21

Mystic: Hakuro - True Name: ???

Form: Metal

Style: Tiger Kungfu

Strength - 18

Magic - 12

Dexterity - 14

Speed - 10

Endurance - 26

Charisma - 9

His stats had drastically increased from what they were before, almost all of them had practically doubled. How? It only took Hakuro three seconds to realise it, but he felt that was three seconds too slow. He curses at himself for being less than perfect.

“Ah, I get it. He’s been working in manual labour for a long time, his body has a strong base for taking hits and athleticism, but his lack of nutrition has been holding him back. But now, the mana that I’ve been supplying him with has somewhat made up for that. It’s spiking his metabolism and growth, that he had lost out on. He’s still at the lowest of the low rank-wise, but he’s taken a few steps forward just by signing the contract with me. I’ve never seen the effects of a few drops of mana be this drastic… I guess even I have things to learn. This is what happens if I constantly cherry-pick only talented individuals. I lose out on one whole side of the teaching experience. Though I don’t see how this should have affected his Charisma much if at all, he does seem more collected than before? It’s not passiveness, but relaxation. Maybe that has something to do with it. Still, even if he’s not the weakest anymore, he has to be approaching his limit. There’s no way he can take another blow. I should bring an end to this.”

Hakuro opens his mouth, ready to shout a command, but he holds his tongue as something catches his eye. Yugai’s body is now overflowing with Mystic Power. It’s an absurd amount for his level, he’s practically coated in a bonfire of it, and it’s growing with each passing moment as if someone is gradually pouring more fuel for the flame. Hakuro is slowly figuring out the answer to his enigma. “Hey, Mr Vivas. Punch me with that jab of yours again.” So far, Yugai has always made the first move, but he now asks for a proactive action from his opponent, and he requests it without fear. It only takes a moment for Raimon to mull it over. He cracks the whip that is his hurricane fast jab at Yugai for the fifth time today. It collides with Yugai’s left temple. Yugai’s head falls, but his feet stand upright. His upper body is now bent. It looks as if he is bowing to a superior at work the way a Japanese salaryman would. As if his body has been bent in half and is going to snap in two with just a light breeze, and when it comes, the legs will shatter into dust. He’s about to break. At least, that is how it looks.

“Grrooaarrrgghhh!” Yugai’s head rises, and his left eye has changed from hazel brown to shimmering steel. The bonfire of power has turned into a rocket launching to space. The hungry gaze from the singular eye bares its fangs at Raimon. A hawk has been playing with what it thought was nothing more than a mangy kitten or at best a tiger cub. It had foolishly forgotten that even a baby tiger is still a tiger. Not something to be trifled with. It may not have power or technique but it has an undying will and an endless desire to dominate the land. Yugai raises his right fist to the heavens and it turns completely silver up to his wrist. He’s going for that wild swing again that broke the Gale Force Barrier. He knows it works so he’ll strike with the same method but apply more force this time.

Yugai’s face becomes crazed with a lust for battle. Raimon’s lips crack widely in response, as if he is staring into a mirror. His olive eyes coat themselves with a radioactive glow to clash with the drawn blade in the irises of the boy. “Big mistake, kid. You’ve set a fire under me. When I see something like that, I have to respond in kind!” Raimon pulls back his right arm and readies it by his waist. He’s preparing the signature move, that had given him constant victories in the ring, but now amped up by both magic and ki and thus attained a whole new level of destructive power. A gale blasts across Raimon. The zippers on his trousers are undone, and the lower sections drop to the floor, turning them into boxing trunks. The clothes on his upper body are unbuttoned by the same winds and are thrown away. His muscles that have been trained for years since his youth are exposed, and they scream out like a bird of prey. The veins are bursting. 'Come close and you’ll pay dearly.' The final piece of the sequence. Two large red gloves are thrown from the sky and land perfectly over his hands. Raimon had transformed into the boxer who once took on the world, and won.

“Raimon! Stop! You do not have-” Nene’s voice is drowned out by a howling wind.

“So fucking cool! Magic is the best!” Yugai’s excitement erupts like a volcano. Childish passion has overtaken his rationality completely. “Watch your language!” Raimon grew up in a rather conservative home, but despite his warnings and discipline, he desperately wants to drop a few f-bombs of his own. He is ready to fire. The Cyclone Crusher. His signature corkscrew punch. His arm muscles compound, wind up, tighten, and load themselves, like a bullet in the chamber of a sniper rifle. The attack is in essence a counterblow. He always takes the best of his opponent, before knocking them out. It’s how he proves he’s number one without a doubt in his and the loving audience's minds.

A flapping sound enters Yugai’s eardrums from below. His eyes darted momentarily to the source. Raimon’s boots, the feathers on them, are moving on their own! Batting all at once to create a roaring sound like the taking off of a jet fighter. A storm is coming, no form of defense or shelter can protect you can and will be ripped to shreds, and to run away? You risk being caught in its spiral of death without any protection at all. Yugai can swear he hears the laughter of an older man coming from the resonating waves, that are gradually growing louder and louder. Yugai understands that if he gets hit, it’s over. So he comes to a decision. Swing before Raimon can charge at him.

Yugai’s fist comes down first. It misses. It falls flat, and swipes down. He’s in the pitching pose again. “Did he miss because of the lack of depth perception and vision from his missing eye?” The same thought strikes Hakuro, Raimon, and Nene at the exact same time. Raimon has to hide his disappointment. He was hoping for something more.

“Oh well. Too bad. To me, my Nubero! Take this! Mystic Art: Cyclone Crusher!”

The gun fired and the sound barrier got broken at once, as the deadly weapon was let off its leash. A fist, fuelled by a storm that portends death and defeat. Laughter like thunder cracks the atmosphere, as Raimon’s boots stomp into the ground and march forth, one after another, in a one-two step that grants his attack even more speed and power. It’s on a collision course for the dead centre of Yugai’s skull. If it connects it will kill, there is no doubt.

“I’ve got you now!” Everyone had been so focused on Raimon’s fist that nobody had noticed that Yugai’s left leg had been dragged back and focused. The baseball pitch had seamlessly transitioned into a soccer kick in the split second no one had been paying him any attention. At the tip of his shoes, where his left big toe should be, there was a sharp silver spike poking out. The same talon that Yugai used for the Tiger Sting on his left index finger was now on his foot instead. There's no reason he couldn’t replicate the technique and repurpose it as a kick instead of a thrust from his hands, and so, he simply did it when the idea came to him. The trajectory of this kick? Raimon’s crotch. It’ll stab him in the balls if the attack lands. The corkscrew punch will land and smash Yugai’s head first, but it’s quite possible that a post mortem final attack can be performed from this position. He is willing to die simply for the chance to land one painful strike against a far superior opponent. It’s actual insanity. That’s the final piece of the puzzle Hakuro needs to solve the issue of the unknown something nagging at him.

“I see! The boy is just extraordinarily emotionally unstable! He’s been holding it in all this time and now that he’s decided to express himself he’s going berserk! That’s why his Mystic Power is spiking too! He’s feeling a thousand different thoughts and emotions and letting them loose! He’s just like an extremely reactive chemical that when exposed to the right condition goes completely nuclear! He has no control or limits to his newfound resolve to enjoy life and the end result is this! Just going completely crazy with magic and turning himself into a force of nature! Pure madness incarnate!” The fist of the former heavyweight king of boxing is about to drop like a guillotine upon Yugai’s head! Both men unleash war cries as their attacks are almost complete.

“Freeze.” The air turns deathly cold in an instant. A chill that rivals the tundra at midnight.

The killer punch stops just before it lands. A literal hair’s breadth away. Yugai’s foot has also halted in its tracks an inch away from its designated destination. All the kinetic force of their bodies had been robbed and devoured by the spectre of winter. Someone, or something, has brought complete silence to both of them. The fight has been stopped with just a whisper from a man not even in sight. Neither Raimon nor Yugai can move even a single part of their body. Not even batting an eyelash is possible under the dominion of this emperor’s decree.

“Hakuro, I see you have not changed. You really do prefer sending your Disciples through the school of hard knocks and trials by fire. If you wanted my attention you could have simply phoned ahead of time. The modern age is full of such wonders. There’s no need for all… this.” A second voice, absolutely unlike the voice that had commanded an end to the fight, it was deep and slithers with words from the lungs that boom like drums. The cat looks towards the doors of Club Olympus. “Aodori, it’s good to hear your voice. It angers me in just the right ways.” There’s a smile on the lips of the cat that reveals its fangs. The first voice that had ended the fight now chimes in. It’s softer in tone but fairly deep, there’s majesty within it. A man who knows much and carries incredible strength and charm. “Raimon, Nubero. You should know better. You will not pull something like this again.” It’s not a threat. It’s the truth. “As for you, Izumi Yugai and Hakuro, welcome to Club Olympus. I’m eager to see what you can do. You may enter.”

The air returns to normal. Yugai and Raimon drop their fists and are forced to relax. Their passion and power had been robbed from them at a lightning-fast speed. They cannot defy the origin of the voice. Raimon knows it well, it belongs to the manager of the club, who is both his employer and the strongest man he has ever known. Greater than even himself. Raimon approaches the double set of doors and opens them wide, walks in, and turns around to look at Yugai. “Congratulations. I had a lot of fun.” There’s no malice or resentment. It’s genuine praise. “Yeah, me too. Kinda mad it ended prematurely but… well, I’m ready for all sorts of adventure. We can always do it again another time.” There’s a playful spark between the three eyes. Raimon whistles, as his gloves fly off his fists, and his clothes are carried back to him and gradually reassembled. In just a few seconds he has properly dressed again, returning to resembling a bouncer or barkeep than a boxer.

Hakuro leaps back onto Yugai’s right shoulder and whispers.

“You know he could have killed you without even trying before you could do anything at all, he was just humouring you. You do know that, right?” A swift response is given. “Of course.” Matter of fact. “I’m so pissed. He wasn’t even trying. It was more like a game of chess than a fight and I still lost horribly. I have to get stronger. I can’t forget what victory tastes like, if I do I think I’ll end up like I was before today. I need it… to win!” It finally dawns on Hakuro. This disciple will be more than a handful and perhaps his greatest challenge yet. It will never be a dull moment when the die has been cast. At this rate what awaited them both would be a wonderland of insanity and impulses. Even the Mystic that has lived for aeons is not sure how to feel about that. Yugai takes his first steps into Olympus. His steps resonate and sing through the walls as he approaches his destiny. It’s faint. Like the sound of small stones being skipped upon the surface of a lake. One step at a time. Small ripples in the rich river of fate.

A man approaches to meet him. A wooden clacking sound sings back towards the young man as the figure approaches. Singular steps sounded like the rushing of a waterfall that steadily makes its move to encounter the presence that has disturbed the tranquillity of the rivers that lead to it. The man is struck by the radiance as he walks under a golden chandelier and places both feet at the entrance and makes eye contact with Yugai and Hakuro. He glides out of fantasy and the far past as he stands straight and lands into the reality of the here and now, taking the unknown wonders of the world he had come from with him for all to witness.