**FAMILY GROUNDS**

**FIELD A, 11:40AM**

**JUNE 28, 2012**

It was a bright and sunny day at the grounds of the Two Clans, a very busy day as well;

the day of the Tournament was fast approaching! Many were mostly in the Stadium

which is in the center of the complex, ensuring that all things are set in order for the big

day. Even though it was still rather early, many clan members and even outsiders were

getting themselves in order for the day to come. Among all this hustle and bustle, even

the Hunter Trainees were busy doing their final rounds of training, all getting ready to

display their growth over the past few years, and officially cement themselves as the

new generation of Hunters.

On the southern field, Field A, was a small gathering consisting of Emir, Fudo, Katashi,

Miwa, and Chojo. They were observing two young individuals, sparring in hand-to-hand

combat.

"This is...actually incredible..."

"You can say that again...look at him go."

As the faces of the young men were revealed…they turned out to be Ilmar and,

surprisingly, his younger brother Jamal! For almost two years, the two had been

engaging in rigorous Martial Arts Training, at Jamal’s request. As they sparred, they

reacted swiftly and flawlessly to each other’s moves, employing various forms of Martial

Arts such as Karate, Wing Chun, Aikido, and Jujutsu; they were fighting on equal footing!

As they sparred, their spectators looked on in awe, mostly at Jamal.

"An unbalanced one such as himself...yet, look how much he's grown."

"He moves quite well for his age; he's nimble, and is quick to set up the next move...but-"

Just then, Jamal landed a strong punch to his brother’s jaw. But, seemingly unaffected,

Ilmar steadied and delivered a heavy kick to his chest, thrusting him away to the

ground. Ilmar secured his victory.

"His attacks don't hit as hard as they should. Sadly, he won't be getting any stronger

than he is now," Emir pointed out.

Laying on the ground, Jamal lamented at his inferiority, realizing his limits.

"Tch...is this really the best I can do?..."

"Oi, don't sweat it you knucklehead," Ilmar encouraged as he stretched out a hand to

help his brother up.

"Obviously they aren't masters...but, their Martial Arts is quite refined. Almost as good

as you were at that age, Fudo-kun," Emir enthused.

"Well, I won't disagree."

As Jamal stood to his feet, Ilmar bumped him on his head.

"I keep saying you should stop holding back your punches, Jamal!"

"But, brother..."

"I get it, you don't wanna hurt me..."

Grabbing him in a headlock, he continued,

"But you CAN'T hurt me, idiot!"

"Look, the Tournament's coming up real soon, and everyone knows how unlikely the

two of you are to win. But, I wanna see you give it your all, brother! I haven't been

training you almost two years for nothing!"

Hearing these words, Jamal reflected on all his experiences for the past year and 10

months, all his training and even low moments. Looking also on everyone around him,

smiling at the progress he’s managed to make, he mustered up the encouragement and

swore to Ilmar:

"I will do my best, Brother!"

“Heh, you better!” Ilmar happily responded as they fist-bumped each other.

"That reminds me, Rakulli's training the other kid, huh?" Katashi asked.

"Yeah, I heard things have been going pretty well for him,” Fudo responded as he looked

on over a distant rooftop…

-------------------------------------------

"This will be your final Awareness test, Tarik."

Upon the top of a building were Steffan and Tarik, engaging in training as well. The lad’s

blonde-white hair and silver robe waved with the wind as he engaged in his final lesson

before the tournament day. He listened on as his Sensei explained the test.

"This Magic Technique of mine completely erases my presence, down to the very scent

of my energy. In fact, I used this some time ago to infiltrate Dragon Territory, and

capture one of their high ranks."

"If you can find me within 10 seconds, you'll have attained a level of Awareness that

scratches the surface of what even your Father can do."

"If you fail, don't even think about that Tournament...or future lessons from me," he

declared menacingly, his blue eyes glaring at his pupil.

"…Ready?"

Closing his eyes, and assuming a stance, Tarik responded:

"Yeah."

Lifting a hand, and crossing his middle and index fingers, Steffan whispered:

Secret Technique: Thin Ice · 白い氷 (Shi-roi Koo-ri)

For an instant, snow flowed all around his body, and he slowly disappeared into thin air.

Focusing, Tarik scanned the entire area, searching for the slightest residue of Steffan’s

energy.

"Focus..."

"Focus..."

After about 5 seconds, Tarik picked up on something; though completely invisible, he

found his energy! Just as he was about to lift a hand:

"Got you-"

?!

Something quite unexpected was done: Steffan’s energy was present in multiple

positions! He was forcing his pupil to find him with even more distractions; a total of 5

different clones!

"I feel 5 different signatures…and they’re all the same! Are these clones? That just makes it

way more difficult!"

"But, don’t freak out Tarik, stay calm. Focus...!"

Steffan however, was impressed to see that Tarik picked up:

"He's actually able to sense me in this state...very good, Tarik."

"But, what will you do? Can you pinpoint the real me?"

With only a few seconds left, he struggled to make a decision…until…

-------------------------------------------

**SOMETIME WITHIN THE PAST YEAR**

"Hey, Sensei. How are clones made?"

"Long story short, you can't make them."

"...you don't have to be so mean to me."

"Well, aside from having perfected Mana Manipulation, it goes like this: you'd take a

designated portion of Spirit Energy to create the clone."

"...Is that it? Then, why can't I-"

"The technique is sustained using your Physical Energy. I shouldn't have to elaborate on

the danger that poses to you."

"I...see."

"Wait, but what about Mana Replacement?"

"You're as sharp as ever, I love it."

"Eh?"

"However, it would take up too much energy overall. Your reserves are quite small,

especially considering you're unbalanced. In total, you would have to designate energy

for Mana Replacement, and energy for the clone."

*sigh*

"Well...what else should I know about clones?"

"Hmm…whatever a clone experiences or learns, is transmitted to the user when the

technique is undone. For this reason, the technique is really handy for spying and intel

gathering.”

“Although, one really big drawback is..."

-------------------------------------------

**PRESENT**

Eight seconds had passed at this point. Tarik’s time was almost up, and Steffan was

ready to end the test.

"I guess he's not at that level yet...but, he did manage to sense me. If I hadn't used clones, he

would've already pass-"

?

Right when hope seemed lost, Tarik stretched his hand toward one of the energy

signatures, not knowing whether it was a clone, and shouted:

INVERSE-FLOW! · 逆運動 (Gya-kuun Dō)

Tarik performed the Inverse-Flow Technique! Upon doing this, the clone was

completely paralysed...as well as all the others!!

!!

"He used...a magic technique on my clone?"

"Manipulating a clone's energy, can interfere with the energy of the original!" Tarik

ecstatically announced.

"I see...that cheeky brat. He remembered what I taught him and used it against me."

"But...that was Inverse-Flow. When did he...?"

As Steffan stood to his feet, his disciple was completely immersed in his victory.

"YEAH!! Just in time, right Sensei?"

"Haha...excellent work, my lovely pupil. 20 Points for you! I wasn't expecting you to use

Inverse-Flow at all."

"I can only freeze someone for less than a second, it's no big deal," Tarik nervously

responded with his hand behind his head.

"Without a doubt...he may not be skilled in other areas right now, but his Mana Manipulation

and sensory awareness are almost unmatched among his peers. He's definitely grown."

"Ahh...I'm just so happy," Steffan delighted.

"Um...Sensei?"

"It's nothing. I'm proud of you, Tarik."

As he was about to leave, he left one instruction with his student:

"I'll be seeing you next week...don't disappoint me."

Placing his fist to his chest, Tarik responded with a smile:

"I swear I won't!!"

-------------------------------------------

**ABANDONED WAREHOUSE**

**UNDERGROUND LOUNGE, 1:35PM**

Inside an underground lounge of the Dragons’ hideout sat Gyuwhan, playing games on a

handheld device, accompanied by Daisuke. They were visited by the three Leaders of

the Dragons’ Religious-sect, who came to Gyuwhan with a certain request.

"You said your names were...Kentaro, Mamoru, and Arata, right? So, what did you

want?" Gyuwhan asked, unconcernedly, engaged in his game.

"Sorry for troubling you, Ryūjin-sama. But, we wanted to ask a favor of you, on behalf of

the Religious-sect..." Kentaro elaborated with a nervous smile.

"Normally, the way we do things goes the same way: we offer lip service to the public,

gather numbers, and the certain amount that seeks to be "joined" with us are collected

and brainwashed. For a great number of years, this has been our means of

operating...but we were wondering if perhaps...maybe we could make some, slight

adjustments-"

"Oh, I see. You guys are just bored of the same-old same-old," Gyuwhan suddenly cut

him off, getting to the point for him.

"...Y-Yes Sir! I'm glad you can understand what we're saying..."

"Yeah. To be honest, I'd be pretty bored out of my mind too. Doing the exact same thing

every day...constantly obeying my superior, unable to have my own way..."

"Um...Ryūjin...sama...?" Kentaro responded, slightly fearful.

"You're much older than I am, so you must get that feeling a lot huh, Kentaro-san? I

couldn't imagine that, living my life under the orders of this old guy who holds my life in

the palm of his hand...and now, his son takes over from him, but it turns out...his son is

way worse than he was..." Gyuwhan assessed as his cold eyes began glaring at them.

"N-No!! Of course not, Ryūjin-sama! We have no qualms whatsoever about the

responsibilities that we've been given-"

"Oi."

Looking at Gyuwhan, Kentaro was ensnared in a hellish illusion…he was rendered

absolutely immobile; knees weakened, heart rate skyrocketing, as what seemed like a

nightmare beyond even death gazed into his soul.

Without a word or sound, he began foaming at the mouth, and fell straight to the

ground.

"Kentaro!" the two others yelped at the sight.

Pausing his game and glancing over, Gyuwhan asked them:

"That's right, you all came having the same concerns in mind, correct?"

"No Sir! W-We only accompanied Kentaro here, we'll be on our way now!"

"I see. Now, pick up your trash and get out of my sight," Gyuwhan ordered as he sunk

into the couch, resting his head in his hand. They then picked up their ally and stormed

out of the room.

“Anyway, this thing is lame,” Gyuwhan complained as he tossed the device aside.

“There’s going to be a tournament huh, Daisuke-san?”

“Yes my Lord, It’s a custom for the Two Clans, every 7 years.”

“7 years? That’s retarded…well, whatever idiots like, I guess.”

“So, if the years match up, then they should be just about finished with that Training

Programme, correct?”

“That's right.”

“I wouldn’t have believed without proof if you told me that those two were apart of

it…shouldn’t they be about 10 years old by now? They’re kids.”

“Well…to be honest, Sir, you’re not much olde-“

Before Daisuke could finish his statement, Gyuwhan hurled his game device at Daisuke,

who caught it effortlessly.

“Tch, I didn’t ask.”

As Gyuwhan stared into the ceiling, he engaged himself in thought,

"Jamal Sanjuro...Tarik Yamaguchi..."

"I have more important intentions regarding the two of you...but, I’ll definitely make you

suffer."

At this point, Gyuwhan then began to remember what his father Ivan had asked him

some time ago…regarding whether he sensed anything off…

"..."

"So, the puzzle all comes together now...I found it, Father."

-------------------------------------------

**FAMILY GROUNDS**

**HUNTER DOJO, 2:00PM**

Once again, we return to the Family Grounds, where the Hunter Trainees have all

gathered inside a Dojo nearby Field B with their teachers, Chojo and Miwa. Having

completed their second year of Training Camp, their teachers called them together for a

private congratulatory meeting. Chojo gave the main speech to them:

“Good to see you once again, students. I want to congratulate you once more for

completing yet another year of the Hunter Training Camp. It wasn’t easy, especially that

first year, however you all managed to pull through up to this year, and I’m proud.”

“Nevertheless, you all know me by now. I will, at this very moment, still encourage you

to quit.”

The assembly was silent.

“as I expected, you stubborn brats.”

“Anyway, today we simply wanted to congratulate you, as well as bestow you all with

your yearly grades and Specialties!”

Hearing that word, most of them were confused as to what that meant. Miwa however,

continued:

“I’ll now be giving you all your grades, as well as the Special Roles that you have earned.

Listen carefully:”

Satoru Yamaguchi

Grade: 100%

Specialty: Spellcaster

Ilmar Sanjuro

Grade: 98%

Specialty: Unarmed Combat

Akiro Sanjuro

Grade: 95%

Specialty: Armed Combat

Namiyo Yamaguchi

Grade: 90%

Specialty: Wave Controller

Saki Kirishima

Grade: 88%

Specialty: Spellcaster

Maki Kirishima

Grade: 88%

Specialty: Spellcaster

Kento Yamaguchi

Grade: 85%

Specialty: Kenjutsu

Kinshi Yamaguchi

Grade: 83%

Specialty: Mana Manipulation

Haruo Sanjuro

Grade: 80%

Specialty: Ranged Combat

Gina Sanjuro

Grade: 78%

Specialty: Flame Control

Amira Sanjuro

Grade: 76%

Specialty: Body Reinforcement

Galib Sanjuro

Grade: 75%

Specialty: Armed Combat

Zeke Sanjuro

Grade: 73%

Specialty: Scout

Genki Sanjuro

Grade: 70%

Specialty: Armed Combat

Jamal Sanjuro

Grade: 50%

Specialty: Unarmed Combat

Tarik Yamaguchi

Grade: 50%

Specialty: Mana Manipulation

Everyone was generally pleased with their results…except Jamal and Tarik, who were

horrified.

“We…came last?”

“50 percent?”

“i mean, what did you two possibly expect?” Kinshi muttered in the background.

As they snickered around after hearing the two lowest grades, Chojo cleared his throat

to address the class.

“Tarik Yamaguchi, and Jamal Sanjuro…these two students are referred to as unbalanced,

as they were born without one of the energies. Because of that, we decided that the

highest possible grade they would be able to achieve, is a maximum of 50%.”

Upon hearing that…they were all speechless.

“Um…come again, Sensei?...” Kinshi slowly asked.

“I said, that out of a total possible grade of 50%, both Jamal and Tarik each scored 50%

this year. Basically…you could say they scored 100% in the area that they were limited

to.”

Nobody said another word…they could only look at the two boys in shock. Their

brothers however, Ilmar and Satoru, while both looking away, had the same thought in

their minds:

"That’s my brother."

Continuing his speech, Chojo then encouraged them all saying,

“Now, trainees. The time has finally come for you all to show everyone just how great

you’ll all be in a few years, when you’ve all become fully fledged hunters. I encourage

you all right now, to do the very best that you possibly can in this tournament. Exercise

caution, and don’t be too reckless, but put on a spectacular show! Make us proud,

Hunters!”

Bowing their heads, they all responded in unison:

“YES SIR!”

**TO BE CONTINUED**