Navar's eyebrows raise in shock when he learns about Tokoyashi's Supernatural heritage. "No way, Dad! You're a Supernatural?! Why didn't you tell us?"
Tokoyashi chuckles and runs his fingers through Navar's hair, ruffling it up. "You guys never asked. That's why silly."
Navar's rage boils over, causing him to slam his hand into the table and send Miri's burger flying. "Hey, don't play that 'you never asked card!' That's unfair, and you know it!"
Miri's eyes narrow with aggression as she exhales a sigh of irritation, fixing her glare on Navar. "Can you not hit the table like that? I'm trying to eat here."
Navar sinks back into his seat, laughing and avoiding eye contact with anyone. "Sorry…"
Tokoyashi places his hand on Navar's shoulder, and Navar feels a warm, comforting pressure. "How about training to make up for it? What do you say?"
Navar considers Tokoyashi's proposal for a moment, and then a wide grin spreads across his face. "Yeah, let's do it."
Tokoyashi meets the eyes of Astran and Juyon, seeking their answer. "How about you guys? Do you want to fight?"
"Sure, why not? I could use some training with my JōKai," says Astran.
"Sure," says Juyon.
"Ok then," As he slides the back door open, Tokoyashi peers at everyone over his shoulder. "Follow me," Tokoyashi leads Navar, Miri, Juyon, and Astran to their backyard, a sprawling 20-acre land with trimmed, verdant grass and a diverse array of trees and boulders. "Before we begin, I suggest you guys stretch. Since you were fighting in a war, I bet some of your muscles are tense."
"Dad, what will the fight be?" asks Miri.
"It will be a one versus four. You guys versus me."
Navar jerks his head back in astonishment when he hears Tokoyashi's proposal. "Dad, are you sure? I mean, taking all four of us on, isn't that too much?"
"Yes, I am. Anyway, you all will have five minutes to stretch, and you'll need every minute."
During their stretching session, Chikuma strides over to Tokoyashi, her face twisted with indignation. "Whatever you do, don't destroy the goddamn damn property. Cause I don't wanna fix it again!"
"Don't worry, hun… I'll take it easy on em."
"Whatever. Just don't go overboard. I wanna have a house to make dinner," Chikuma rolls up her sleeves and enters the kitchen to prepare dinner.
After five minutes pass, and the rookies stretch, Tokoyashi stands from his seated position. "Ok, now to get started," Tokoyashi thinks to himself. He approaches a green bush and pulls out a seven-foot-long, five-pronged trident, its vibrant yellow color contrasting against the natural colors of the forest. "Now then, shall we begin?"
"Yeah!" says Navar.
"Ok, give it your best shot. Come at me."
"You bet!" Navar unsheathes his sword and rushes towards Tokoyashi, but Juyon restrains him by grabbing his shoulder. "Huh? What is it, Juyon?"
"Be careful on charging in so fast. He could be leading you into a trap."
"So what should we do, then?"
"If you guys want, you can take some time to strategize. I can wait," Tokoyashi sits on the ground, his trident resting across his thighs as he waits for them to strategize.
While they huddle up and make a plan, Juyon studies Tokoyashi's face, noticing his mellow expression. "There's something odd about him. He has a relaxed demeanor too relaxed. And his eyes, those eyes are the eyes of a man who's done many times. He's a strong one, very strong. And why can't I even sense his presence?"
After strategizing for twenty minutes, Navar, Miri, Juyon, and Astran separate and assume their battle stances. "Ok, guys! Let's do this!" says Navar.
Tokoyashi beckons them forward with open arms, a fierce determination in his eyes. "Give me all you got!"
Navar glances at Miri, his eyes conveying a shared understanding. "Alright, Miri, let's go!" Navar and Miri charge toward Tokoyashi, their JōKai's summoned as they close the distance for the attack.
Miri leaps forward with lightning speed, her two wrist slot daggers primed in a thrusting position. "Twin Dark Daggers: Pouncing Strike!"
Navar readies his blade below his waist, then swings it in a full arc across his body. "Shining Sword: Brave Man's Slash!"
Tokoyashi plants his feet in the dirt and aligns his trident horizontally, ready to defend. When their weapons meet, he easily counters Navar and Miri's attacks, suspending them in midair.
"How in the world are we staying in this position? Shouldn't we be on the ground by now?" Thought Miri. Miri glances over toward Juyon, who is waiting for the right time to attack. "Juyon! Now!" says Miri.
Juyon descends from mid-air, the force of his fists accompanied by a fierce gust of wind and Hard Terrain JōKai, as he prepares to land a right hook. "Bellowing Bison!"
"You shouldn't have announced his presence," With a powerful thrust, Tokoyashi flings Navar and Miri upward into Juyon's body, sending them flying in different directions across the yard.
"Block this… Cosmic Summoning: Stardust Burst!" Astran's Cosmic JōKai blast surges forth, hurtling toward Tokoyashi with unstoppable force.
"Oooh, Cosmic JōKai!" Tokoyashi sheathes his trident on his back and stands with arms at his side. Suddenly, a mystical force surrounds him and redirects Astran's attack toward a nearby tree.
Astran grunts in frustration as her attack misses by a wide margin. "No way. I swear I aimed that attack at his chest. How did it miss so bad?!"
Tokoyashi's left arm extends, and a heavy burst of Water JōKai erupts from his hand. "Water Summoning: Siphoning Stream!"
"Shit!" Astran's blade gleams in the light as she positions it defensively, planting her feet into the ground for a sturdy defense. "Cosmic Blade: Ursa Repel!" As soon as the water wave hits her sword, her defense crumbles, and she's hurled into a heap of rocks and debris. As soon as she hits the ground, a sharp pain shoots through her leg, and she winces as she tries to stand. "Damn, I can't move.."
"One down, three to go," The trio of Navar, Miri, and Juyon reemerge into the fight. Tokoyashi grins at them, a mischievous glint in his eye. "Oh, you guys are back for more?"
Juyon summons Hard Terrain JōKai on his fists, encasing them in a stonelike substance. His eyes flick over to Navar and Miri. "Listen up. I'll attack him with all I have. I doubt it will do any damage, so wait for the moment my attack creates an opening, then attack him with your strongest attacks. Got it?"
Navar's face breaks into a wide grin as he looks at Juyon. "Yeah, we got it."
As Juyon runs towards Tokoyashi, his fists blur with exceptional velocity, creating the impression of numerous fists. "Mandruk Barrage!" Tokoyashi stands still as Juyon closes the distance between him, causing a look of unease on his face. "What? Why is he standing still?" Tokoyashi studies Juyon's attack style, biding his time until he spots a gap in his defense, leading him to grab his hand. Juyon's eyes widen in surprise. What?!" Tokoyashi throws Juyon against a tree, and when Juyon rises, he gasps for breath, his body exhausted from the brutal fight. "Seems I have no choice but to use my full strength," Juyon squats down, one arm extended in a fist while the other rests upside down near his waist. Juyon's fists circle him, and suddenly, it looks as though he has a hundred fists. He sends the fists at Tokoyashi, the punches coming in a rapid and unrelenting barrage. "Secret Kuman Fist Technique 100 Fist Martial Art: 100 Fist Impact!"
"Oh, the Kuman fist. What a good martial art…" Water JōKai engulfs Tokoyashi's Trident, and he charges forward, heading straight for Juyon. "Water Trident:…" As he approaches, the sound of rushing water fills the air as five streams rage on the five prongs of his trident. "Five Prong Tiger Shark Bite!" Tokoyashi's trident strikes Juyon's chest, and the impact sends him tumbling to the ground. Juyon winces and clutches his chest before looking at Navar and Miri and nodding.
Navar's grin grows, and he steals a glance at Miri. "Juyon gave us an opening! Let's get him now, Miri!" Navar and Miri charge at Tokoyashi with a significant surge of power, kicking up dirt and grass in their wake.
Navar's blade gleams in the light as he prepares for a powerful slash attack, surrounded by a significant amount of Light JōKai. "Shining Sword: Dynamic Salvation!"
Miri's body moves at lightning speed, transforming into a purple twister whirling at Mach speeds. "Four Dark Daggers: Four Fang Feral Death Strike!"
"Hmm, you guys sure have gotten strong…" Tokoyashi's grin widens as he plants his Trident on the ground. The ground shakes as Water JōKai constructs burst forth, taking the shape of Killer Whales. Navar and Miri are struck by the constructs and sent flying several meters away from him. "Water Trident: Killer Whale Chaos!" He sits on the ground, crosses his legs, and takes a gulp of water. "I win, guys!"
Juyon's fists clench in anger, and he hits the ground in frustration. "Dammit, How did we lose a handicap match with prep time?" Thought Juyon.
Navar returns to the scene, his armor caked with dirt and twigs from the bushes and grass. "Damn, we got it handed to us."
"It's ok, you guys still have much to learn about JōKai. Now come on, sit around me. I'll teach you something, but first here, drink this," Tokoyashi tosses each of them a bottle of green liquid.
Juyon examines the bottle of green fluid, noting its thick consistency. "What is this?"
"This is Dad's special healing medicine. Anytime we'd get sick, he'd make us this, and it'd help us feel better. And it tastes so good."
After drinking the healing remedy, they sit around Tokoyashi in a circle. "So tell me, what do you know about JōKai?" asks Tokoyashi.
"There are 14 types of JōKai, Flame, Water, Ice, Hard Terrain, Soft Terrain, Lava, Wind, Spark, Sound, Light, Dark, Magic, Cosmic, and Telepathy," says Miri.
"Good job Miri. You have good knowledge of JōKai so far, but there are still far more JōKai variants out there. What else do you guys know?"
"And there's also JōKai Amplification, a clear aura surrounding your body that can amplify your attacks," says Astran.
"You're right, Astran, but what if I told you JōKai Amplification has another level to it?"
Astran arches an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
"It's called JōKai Exertion. It's the process of taking your JōKai Amplification to the next step. You make the invisible force around your body extend past it and even affect the environment. With this force field, you can strengthen the power of your JōKai powers even more than you can with JōKai Amplification. Not only that, but this force can also misdirect enemy attacks headed toward you."
Astran recollects her "Stardust Burst" attack, missing Tokoyashi earlier in the battle. "So that's what he did to make my attack miss."
Juyon raises his hand. "When we kept attacking you on our blind side, how did you keep dodging? Even for a Supernatural, it's hard to evade attacks on our blindside."
Tokoyashi tosses a small pebble to Juyon. "Throw this at me and throw it hard. I'm going to close my eyes and show you," Juyon pelts the rock at Tokoyashi, and he feels the gust of wind accompany it as it approaches. Tokoyashi shifts his head to the left and dodges the rock, surprising everyone. "Juyon, what did you see?"
"I saw the clear aura you see when someone uses JōKai Amplification."
"Great examination, and that's what you call JōKai Awareness. It enhances the five senses using the JōKai Amplification technique to enhance your ability to evade, read, and dodge enemy attacks."
"Ok, you showed us your Awareness. Can you please show us your Exertion?" asks Navar.
Tokoyashi stands up, his face breaking into a confident grin. "Sure, everyone, clear out," Tokoyashi extends his arms, and serene power sets in, causing the pieces of grass to move away. "Watch this," Tokoyashi's grin widens as he clenches his fists, and a force explodes from his body, obliterating everything in its path and causing the house to tremble.
Navar stands in awe, his mouth hanging open as he witnesses his father's incredible power. "I can't believe Dad is so strong."
As Tokoyashi shows his power, Chikuma halts him with a forceful strike to his head. "Ow! Hun, that hurts!"
"I'm glad it does, dumbshit! You were on the verge of destroyin' the goddamn house!"
"You still don't have to hit me that hard! I was only showing the kids my power!"
While Tokoyashi and Chikuma bicker, Navar feels a sense of pride and admiration for his father's strength, causing a smile to form on his face. "So that's where Miri, Jax, and I get our strength from… One day Dad, I'll become as strong as you, maybe even stronger."