William Fenix walked towards Josec and Buern. Josec and Buern reverted to their normal states. Harry, Estelle and Jason also approached.
"That was pretty amazing Josec, Buern!" Estelle cheered.
"You two really cornered Master William!" Jason cheered as well.
"I still can't believe you two are able to utilize Terrain Alteration Techniques. Terrain Alteration Techniques can usually only be utilized by the most experienced of Jo-lan Warriors. It takes even greater effort to utilize them in Team Formations but you two pulled it off almost effortlessly" William Fenix said.
"Terrain Alteration Techniques? What are you talking about Master William?" Josec asked.
Ken and William Fenix stared at them in shock.
"You don't know what Terrain Alteration Techniques are? Don't tell me you have almost no theoretical knowledge of the types of techniques you've been utilizing in combat?" William Fenix asked.
"Most of the techniques we utilized in combat against you were taught to us by the Seven Masters Of Jo-lan through actual combat and also through personal training sessions. We were only given basics and had to develop the techniques on our own. There were times though that the Masters taught us the theory behind certain techniques" Josec admitted.
"You should rest for today. Ken, tomorrow, take them through the theory behind Terrain Alteration Techniques" William Fenix said and walked away.
"Impressive kids. With a bit more training, you might actually be prepared to confront Souryu" William Fenix said and walked away.
"I can't believe they pushed me so hard, I had to utilize the Eyes Of The Phoenix. Well, the purpose of the test wasn't necessarily to test their raw combat ability. They complement one another very well" William Fenix said.
That night, the Students and Master Andrea lay in one of the rooms within the Temple. Buern finally seemed cheerful.
"You look happy" Josec said with a laugh.
"Yeah, we've made vital progress. Now we know for sure that there's a way to save my dad" Buern said.
"I'm happy for you Buern" Josec thought silently as he shut his eyes to sleep.
The next day, the five Students headed to class. In class were other Jo-lan Students. A while after they had settled down, Ken arrived in class.
"Good morning class. Are you all ready to learn about Terrain Alteration Techniques?" Ken greeted cheerfully.
"Of course! Dual and Delta Type Techniques are totally amazing!" cries of excitement rang all over the class.
"I see they're all psyched up after witnessing the battle yesterday" Ken thought with a smile.
"Okay class. Let's begin. Terrain Alteration Techniques belong to a category of combat techniques called Support Class Techniques. Support Class Techniques more often than not can only be utilized in Team Formations. The purpose of Terrain Alteration Techniques is to make battles easier for allies or more difficult for foes" Ken explained.
There was absolute silence in the class. Everyone listened attentively.
"Terrain Alteration Techniques are named as such due to the unique way by which they achieve this goal" Ken explained.
"What way?" Jason asked.
"They alter the terrain" Ken stated plainly.
"We can tell from the name. What we want to know is how" a Student complained.
"Hmm, I suppose a practical example would help you gain an appreciation of the technique. Answer this question, how would you stop a fast runner?" Ken asked.
"I see" Josec realized what Ken was getting at.
"I'd drop a banana peel in his path!" a Student joked and there was laughter.
"Exactly" Ken said with a serious expression on his face.
"Huh? You lost me" a Student called.
"With a technique such as an ice sheet technique, one could make the ground slippery and hinder the movements of one's opponents but by doing that, one would be altering the terrain. With a technique like a mud pit technique, one can slow down or stop the ability of the runner. This is also achieved by altering the terrain. Techniques like these that damage an opponent's ability through the alteration of the terrain are known as Debilitating Terrain Alteration Delta Type Techniques" Ken explained.
"I see. The Labyrinth Of The Defender altered the paths Master William could take and complicated his movements. His speed would be suppressed if I constricted the spaces in the Labyrinth. The Invisible Labyrinth also created Invisible Zones within the Labyrinth further hindering his movements. It is a Debilitating Terrain Alteration Technique" Josec thought.
"Josec's Zone Of Absolute Defense can alter surrounding air through ionization to stun opponents. It is a Debilitating Terrain Alteration Technique" Jason realized.
The Students began to express their excitement and then they appeared to pay close attention.
"Apollo could also kill fertility through heatwaves and cause large scale desertification. Aesakal could cause wide range snowstorms to the same effect. Gargolem could cause earthquakes. I see, so the Generals Of Souryu excel in Debilitating Terrain Alteration Techniques…but wait a minute, to counter them, we also…" Buern realized.
She raised her hand.
"Yes Buern, you have a question?" Ken asked.
"Are Debilitating Terrain Alteration Techniques the only category of Terrain Alteration Techniques in existence?" Buern asked.
"You were paying attention Buern. I said earlier on that the purpose of Terrain Alteration Techniques is to make battles easier for allies or more difficult for foes. Debilitating Terrain Alteration Techniques exist to make battles more difficult for foes but when misused, they can cause massive damage to both sides" Ken said seriously. "Fortunately, there is another kind of Terrain Alteration Technique that exists to make battles easier for allies. They are known as Enhancing Terrain Alteration Delta Type Abilities. For instance, by altering the surrounding terrain to a windy one, one can amplify the abilities of allies who possess flame abilities so your knowledge of Amplification, Catalyst and Transformation Delta Type Techniques are very necessary here" Ken explained.
"The forests we restored to cool the climate and diminish Apollo's ability to kill fertility, the Earth Suturing Seeds we sowed to capture Gargolem; these are all examples of Enhancing Terrain Alteration Abilities. By diminishing Apollo's ability and taking him down, we crippled his ability to amplify Gargolem's ability to cause earthquakes as well as Apollo's ability to serve as a catalyst to the abilities of the Four Great Malevolent Storms. The Winter and Summer Domes we implemented in the Continent Of Storms and Deserts are also examples of large scale Terrain Alteration Techniques. By severing Aesakal and Aeros' abilities, we may have crippled Raichuu's. I see, so this is what the Masters meant by great preparation is necessary to confront Souryu's Generals. Souryu's Generals excel at large scale Debilitating Terrain Alteration Abilities. To counter them, we've been employing Enhancing Terrain Alteration Abilities of equal magnitude" Buern realized.
"When Terrain Alteration Abilities are used to their maximum potential, they can define everything that occurs on the battlefield" Ken explained. "There are also highly advanced Terrain Alteration Techniques that can achieve both the purposes of Debilitation and Enhancement simultaneously. An example is Josec's Zone Of Absolute Defense. Ordinarily, it is a Debilitating Terrain Alteration Technique, however, the moment Buern channeled her joki through it at exactly the same wavelength as Josec's to attack Master William, it served to boost Buern's abilities and thus also became an Enhancing Terrain Alteration Technique" Ken explained.
"I see, so the Zone Of Absolute Defense is both a Debilitating and Enhancing Terrain Alteration Technique" Josec realized.