Don had just finished explaining to everyone what to expect. As people started to join in the living, Don revised what he had gone over earlier in summary. No one truly knew what to think. They agreed to get stronger, but what surprised them the most was all the knowledge Don had. Eventually, April had woken up, but she still had that broken look in her eyes. She acted naturally, though like she normally did with a smile and a wave. The problem was, it felt creepy and off-putting since the look in her eyes never changed.
"Say, what is Nano-Seed Armor? You said that the Sin Squad used it." Ion inquired. He had been wanting to ask Don for some time since Don kept bringing it up. Don decided it would be best to explain what Nano-Seed Armor was. "Nano-Seed Armor is a suit of armor made from the strongest and most flexible material known. The armor is empowered by Seed Power. It has a core system that feeds on the Seed. It makes the armor impossible to break. Bullets bounce off of it, and the only way to damage the armor is with extreme firepower. Even a Grenade can only blow a portion of the armor off but will do nothing to the person wearing it." Don explained, stopping to make sure everyone was keeping up.
"To add to this, the Nano-Seed Armor or NS armor has a special function suited to The New World Government. It allows the wearer to summon special weapons and use them in combat. I am sure some of you already know about them, but for those who don't. Think of a sci-fi pistol that could disintegrate a human limb or even destroy an entire building. The power varies between the weapons used, but the point is that those who wear NS armor can call to various weapons. The weapons are exclusive to those in The World Government; however, the system is set up on a satellite dish. Anyone who wears the NS armor can use the weapons." Don was speaking from experience. He had obtained the NS armor in one of his runs and wielded those mass weapons of destruction.
For now, they wouldn't need to worry about getting NS armor. It wouldn't be until later, or at least Don hoped. Unfortunately, what came later was not something firearms of any kind could eliminate. Even with the use of Seed Powers, it proved difficult. Only someone with a strong offensive Seed Power would be capable of destroying those mutated things. That was without the NS armor. With the NS armor, the creatures became manageable but were still dangerous.
"Sounds fun~" April spoke up cutely, which caused everyone to look at her. She had retained her cheery nature, but in a way, it was creepy. She seemed like a completely opposite version of herself. In fact, she resembled a bit of who Don was. Whereas the Don now seemed completely different. Even Don noticed this change but only blamed himself for it. The reason April was like this was because of him. Because he failed her and died. Because he broke her. Even if he didn't show it, he was constantly blaming himself right now.
"Well... what are we going to do?" Josh asked.
"About?" Don replied.
"The training? You said you wanted us to train on awakening our Seed Power and becoming stronger. Is there anything specific?" Josh asked. Everyone else seemed curious about this. Even Rose was curious about the awakening of their Seed Powers. It was as if Don knew how to awaken a Seed Power.
"Of course. If you want, you can try to awaken your Seed Power now. I advise you to wait until tomorrow, though, since it can be mentally exhausting. The way is simple. Think of the most twisted, disgusting, and the ruthless thing you wouldn't want to happen and amplify it. That feeling you have and delve into it. The awakening of one's Seed Power comes from a single source which is emotion. How you feel will awake your Seed Power, but the activation differs per person. For example..." Don began to explain.
He would point towards Jake. "Jake's Seed Power is Nerocronatic Manipulator. It allows him to create and control undead. Right now, Jake can only control simple undead, but later on, I can assume you may be able to even create Ferals and control them. As you continue to use your Seed Power and play around with it, you will continue to realize more about it." Jake's cheeks flared brightly when Don put the spotlight on him. Although, Josh was more interested in something else.
"You never saw Jake's Seed Power, so I assume you know this because of a run? Does that mean you know everyone's Seed Power?" Josh asked. Don took a moment to think. He was deciding if he should answer Josh's question. In the end, he decided to do so. It wouldn't hurt anything more than him being alive and having all the information he needed.
"Yes. I could tell you what your Seed Powers are, but I think you should all figure it out yourselves. The only reason I said Jake's was because he already awakened to his." Don answered. "Then what about those of us he already awakened but know nothing about them?" Josh asked. He already awakened to his but wanted to know if Don was willing to divulge information.
"I see no harm in it. Josh, your Seed Power is known as Invisible Mine. Right now, you can create up to fifty mines, but later on, as you continue to use your Seed Power, you will be able to create more. I assume you can only control one at a time. Still, later on, you should be able to control multiple at a time, so much so that you won't even need to move a single muscle. Just the usage of your mind will allow you to do what you want." Don explained.
Josh's eyes went wide. Everyone else was also stunned. 'Is my Seed Power really that strong?' Josh inquired internally. "What about me?" Ion asked while pointing at himself. "You know everything that I do, but I suppose right now you don't. Your Limiter Release power isn't a strength increase. It just unlocks your body's potential strength. If you unlock the maximum, you will only last an hour. After which you are unable to move for half an hour. The evolved part of your Limiter Release is what increases your strength. In fact, it increases by tenfold. I recall you were able to lift an entire skyscraper with only one hand and toss it out as if you were throwing a fastball pitch." Don explained as he went through his memories.
Ion's eyes went wide. For the longest time, he figured his Limiter Release Seed Power was a strength increase. But, unfortunately, he hadn't even unlocked the evolved portion of it either. "As for your Hyper-Regeneration. You are correct. Your salvia has a healing component that accelerates the body's cells, putting it into a hyper state. It can even replicate blood cells." Don added, and Ion would nod.
"What about me!?" Jessica asked with excitement.
"You already know about yours. There is nothing I can say. The only thing is your evolutions will be extremely powerful. Still, at the same time, the drawbacks will also be powerful. So be careful when you use your evaluated Seed Power." Don expressed. Jessica didn't really care much for the drawbacks, except for her Shared Sense. The others she felt were manageable.
"And me?" Natalie decided to ask. Don looked towards her for a moment, then shook his head. "Not sure. You never told me. All I know is you can see inside of the human body." Don answered, and Natalie sighed lightly, although she was a bit relieved on the inside.
"And us?" Boss spoke up for him and Jen.
"Your inner strength Seed Power allows your bypass the first few layers of any surface or object to hit whatever is on the other side. This applies to armor and flesh. So you can fracture or even break bones and destroy the brain and heart without ever actually applying that much pressure." Don explained to Boss, then looked towards Jen.
"Yours makes your body unbreakable. It hardens not only your bones but everything else about your body. So a normal punch would do nothing. In fact, if someone like Tyrone or Noah were to punch you, it would feel like they would hit solid steel." Don explained to Jen what her Seed Power was. Jen felt like it was something like that but thought it more so made it impossible for her bones to break. She still felt the pain, though, but this confirmed it. Average or standard attacks would do nothing to her, which was why Fam's attack hurt but didn't break anything.
So far, no one else seemed to ask about their Seed Powers. Even Tyrone and Noah decided to stay silent because they wanted to figure it out for themselves. That was when Rebecca came forward. "Don, can you please tell me about mine. I haven't awoken to it, but I feel like I should!" Rebecca exclaimed. It seemed like she was in a hurry to awaken her Seed Power.
Don looked at her then shook his head. "I don't need to. You are already almost there. Have you heard the voice yet?" Don asked, which caused Rebecca's eyes to widen. "You know about that!?" She exclaimed, and Don nodded. "It'll happen soon. You will awaken to your Seed Power, as for when is entirely up to you, but all I know is soon." Don expressed, and Rebecca smiled. She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly while thanking him. Since April was in between them, she felt squished.
"Can't... breathe...." April muttered, and Rebecca quickly released them and stepped back. "Sorry! Sorry, I just got excited." Rebecca chuckled lightly while April took the time to get some oxygen in her lungs. "No problem!" April said with a smile on her face. April looked like herself, but everyone was reminded of the odd air around her. It didn't seem normal.
"Okay, so what's the training?" Dillian asked since no one else seemed to ask about their Seed Powers.
"Rose." Don shifted his attention towards Rose, who stepped into the middle of the room so everyone could look at her. She figured Don wanted her to explain. "Before I got into detail, I want you to all be aware of the fact that I am Don's pupil. He is my trainer. I am unsure if he will view you all as a pupil, but even if he doesn't, just remember this. Don's training is grueling and cruel. You will want to throw up several times and even feel the need to pass out on the spot. Even I am struggling to keep up with it." Rose explained. Everyone was now both curious and scared to find out what this training was.
"The training will start with a 10km run. When you get back, there will be no breaks. There will be no breaks in between the run either. You will begin doing four sets of rotation exercises, starting with twenty-five push-ups. You then transfer to sit-ups, then squats. After the squats, you will return to push-ups. You will do 100, to begin with, for the first month, then 200 hundred the next month, and 300 the following. You will increase by 100 each month. The run will also increase by 5km per month. After you finish your sets, you will get a five-minute break. After the break, you will be tossed into combat. Once that is over, the training for the day ends." Rose explained though everyone was nervous. They figured it would just be simple training, but Rose continued to explain they found out it wasn't normal.
"One more thing," Don spoke up, which caught everyone's attention. "During combat training, you will all be fighting against me. Fight as if your life depended on it. As if I was out to kill you. If you don't..." Don paused so Rose could take over. "You will die." Rose finished for him, and he nodded. It was clear that Rose had experienced this. Though no one spoke up, not until April said something.
"Darling~ Why are you training her and not me? Will you train me to?" April asked, and Don shifted his glance towards April. "You already have your own training regimen that your father bestowed upon you. That training would conflict with mine; however, you are more than welcome to stand by my side and fight alongside me." Don answered. At first, April was pouty, but she smiled brightly when Don said he could fight by her side. "Yay!" She exclaimed.
The scene would have looked cute if it wasn't for the fact that April and Don would be teaming up against all of them. "What about Rose?" Jen asked. "Rose will fight alongside you all. I can assure you that you will all need her." Don stated. Jen's brow rose and a grin curved across her face. "That so? You think we are all that weak, huh?" Jen asked. Since they were on the topic, Jen wanted to find out just how strong Don really was.
"I request a battle. I want to fight you." Jen said pointed at Don. Everyone was stunned, silly, but Jessica was grinning, and Boss was smirking. April's smile turned into a frown, and she crossed one leg over the other while staring at Jen with those creepy eyes of hers. An innocent smile slowly crept upon her face. If anything, she looked like a Princess or a Queen sitting on a throne. "Ooooh~" April mused creepily. "You want to fight my Darling? Without going through me first?" April's words felt chilly. Jen nearly stepped back but kept her position.
She knew April loved Don and Don loved her, but that wouldn't stop her from trying to bed Don. Just seeing him destroy Mark earlier caused her to feel a special way about him. It was like Don gave no fucks about anyone that stood in his path, and that alone turned her on. "I'll fight both of you if I have to!" Jen would grin.
April looked up at Don, "Darling, can I break her?" April had just asked the darnest thing, so much so that it felt like the April before them didn't even seem like April. They never thought they would hear those words come out of April's mouth, and yet, Don didn't seem fazed by it. Well, on the outside anyway. On the inside, he was only hurt. Blaming himself for the way April currently was. He didn't know what to do, or he if could even do anything. April was still someone he loved and cherished. She was his light, but right now, that light looked a little dark.
"What do you mean?" Don asked, which caused April to giggle lightly. "Make her never want to try and do something as foolish as to challenge you. In fact..." April looked from Don to Jen with that creepy innocent smile on her face. "I don't want her trying to touch what is mine. Just her hands will do. I am sure Ion will heal her afterward, and Nat will look after her, isn't that right?" April looked at both of them, and they both shied away. Something about the look in April's eyes and her expression caused some discomfort inside of them.
"Uhh... yeah." Ion replied.
"S-Sure..." Natalie responded.
"Great! Let's begin then!" April would hop off of Don's lap and collect her bow and quiver. Then, she would begin making her way outside to the front yard. Don got up and followed her, and eventually, everyone else did. They didn't know what else to do. Finally, Juan and Catalina decide to stay with Sofia and keep her inside. Alice and Sarah said they would prepare dinner, so they didn't stay.
Jen would crack her neck while standing opposite April at a good distance. "Are you sure about this? I don't want to hurt you." Jen would comment. She didn't believe for a moment April could hurt her. In fact, she felt like she would hurt April. "Worried about me? That's cute..." April would twirl an arrow from her quiver and knock it against her bow but didn't draw it back yet. She smiled cutely at Jen then turned to Don. "Watch over me, Darling~" April winked at him before looking back at Jen.
"Aren't you going to stop this?" Ion asked while standing next to Don. Boss decided to be the ref for this match, so Don stood on the sidelines with his arms crossed over his chest. "Why?" Don asked without looking at Ion. "Well, I mean, isn't this bad? April's clearly not in the proper mind space. If anything, she reminds me of a more sadistic version of Jess. April's current personality is the complete opposite of her other one. I know just how much you care about her, so shouldn't you say something?" Ion asked. He had been looking at the two girls, so he wasn't looking at Don. When he received no answer from Don, he looked at him; that was when he noticed just how hard Don was digging his fingers into his arm. So much so that he was drawing blood, and yet his expression remained unchanged.
'So it does bother you...' Ion muttered internally. Jessica overheard Ion's comment and nudged him. "What's wrong with being sadistic? You love it!" Jessica said with a smile on her face. Ion would shake his head. "That's different, Jess. You are a different girl. I fell in love with you because of that, but April is Don's girl. Don fell in love with April for a different reason, and now that girl seems to be completely different. It's as if her personality took a one-eighty." Ion would explain as quietly as possible to Jessica. Jessica looked at April, then to Don, then back to April.
"But, April accepted Don for who he was. So why wouldn't Don accept April." Jessica asked. Ion shook his head since it seemed she didn't understand it. "True, but can you truly say that is April. Isn't April a warm ball of warmth and fuzzy goodness? An innocent girl who wouldn't think twice about tormenting someone? Even if April was mad or upset like she was with us, she still forgave us, but after Don's death, something changed. You should know more than anyone else since she's your best friend and hung out with you when she wasn't with Don." Ion explained.
Jessica took a moment to think about it. He was right. April did seem different, but at the same time, April was still April. She still acted like herself at times. Even now, she was still acting like herself. Yet, it was like a darker version of herself—a sadistic sweetness. "Perhaps, but maybe this is what she needs. I am sure Don will still accept her in the end. I am." Jessica replied.
Ion sighed heavily and shook his head. 'April is Don's light. Without that light... Don is lost. Isn't that why he killed Mark? What if something similar happens later? What will become of this group then?' Ion asked himself internally, while watching the match begin.