It was early dawn when Diego barged into the sleeping Shiro's room, and yanked off the sheets. The slumbering Shiro was then met with a bucket of cold water to the face.
"Morning sunshine."
"What the…." Shiro whispered in a meek voice, wiping off the ice-cold water on his face.
"Get changed. We will be training outside."
Shiro shuffled himself to retrieve another shirt in the closet of his room, before rushing outside, his feet barely controlled by his legs, his arms flailing around in desperation to move faster, not wanting to keep Diego waiting.
Shiro had a vague sense of the strictness of Diego, and mentally prepared for the tough training ahead. When he finally made it to the courtyard, Diego was standing there shirtless, with countless tattoos boasting his feats, and celebrating every victory.
"Done staring?"
"Wh..yea.."
"Alright, watch this." Diego stretched out his hand, his rings gleaming in the early dawn. Swinging his arms around, Shiro watched as Diego's soul energy took on a different color, first it was the normal white, then transmuted into a brighter orange then flashed into a gleaming red like fire. Diego then performed a set of kicks, with the end of each accompanied by a burst of flame. Shiro watched in awe as Diego translated one move into another before ending the set with a stance.
"That's the first form of the Way of Fire." Diego said before glaring at Shiro again. "The motions are simple enough. This martial art get it's name from it's explosive movement. The emphasis is on the impact. Once you understand it's concept, you can create your own forms and applications."
They spent most the morning going through the motions, with Diego drilling the motions into Shiro again and again, with Shiro practicing punch after punch, kick after kick, until each one was perfect in Diego's eyes. Even then, Shiro did the same punch more times than he could count, his arms screaming in pain as the midday sun rose.
"We're gonna take a break now."
Diego leads Shiro back to the city. The two go into a car driven by one of the more bald men that Shiro was 99% sure that Diego creates and uses as bouncers.
They ended up at a small restaurant and ate quickly. Diego paid for Shiro's food. As Shiro muttered a thank you, Diego only responded with a grunt and motioned him back to the car. Just as Diego was about to enter the car, a spear flew through the sky, and impaled the car, narrowly grazing Shiro's leg.
Diego turned, to be met with a punch to the face, slamming his body onto the car door. Shiro yelped and raced outwards, determined to aid Diego, who slams the door shut, and kicks off the attacker.
"Shenyun."
"Diego." The attacker, unmasking himself to reveal a tall lanky man with a spear behind him. His flowing locks of white hair were tied neatly into a ponytail.
"Can't run forever." Shenyun said. Diego responded with a snarl, and threw a punch at him. Shenyun gracefully dodges the fist and the blast of fire that came after it.
Shiro watched from within the car, as the two men traded blows, with Diego parrying each spear throw, stab and slash that came. Shenyun spun his spear, and threw it at Diego.
Diego deflects the throw with a giant swing of his arm, parrying the weapon with his barefist, as Shenyun closes in, his hand outstretched back calling for his spear. Diego found this attack strange, because in the nature of combat, Shenyun, who has a weapon, should keep his distance, in which, in close combat, Diego was sure that he had the advantage.
So, before Shenyun could call to his spear, Diego threw a left uppercut at him, his punch closing onto Shenyun's chin, the soul energy around the fist glowing orange. Shenyun calls to his spear, sending it flying into his hand, and uses it to redirect his momentum away from the fist. Shenyun narrowly dodges Diego's uppercut, as he feels the hand graze pass his chin. Diego then summoned a delayed blast of fire that activated after the uppercut's path, blasting Shenyun with a face of fire.
Diego backs off a little, his fists raised the same a boxer would, shielding his face. Shenyun was a little dazed but was unfazed from the fire, as he readied his spear. Shenyun spins the spear again, before dashing towards Diego with the spearhead pointed at him.
Diego then stretched his arm outwards again, then prepared a massive punch as the soul energy between the two clashed, with neither two touching each other. Diego was worried, knowing his own limits and a student of the Way of Fire, make encounters such as this extremely disadvantageous to him.
Diego then broke the clash with a sudden flash of explosion, his soul energy transmuting into fire, then exploding, knocking Shenyun away. Diego uses this time to stretch his hand out again.
"I see. You have a gesture pact." Shenyun states. "Now let's see what it does."
Diego simply smiles, and stretches his hands outwards again, his fingers all interlocking. Shenyun spins his spear behind him, and activates his technique, Windfall. Gusts of wind shot towards Diego, who dashed away.
Shenyun then threw his spear, pinning Diego's shoulder to a way. Diego screams in pain, as Shiro breaks out of the car, and charges Shenyun.
Shenyun notices the charging Shiro, and turns his attention towards him, recalling his spear and swinging it in an arc. Shiro raises his arms in defense, as Diego slumps to the ground. Diego glares at Shiro, being forced to rethink his strategy.
Shiro was no match for Shenyun's fast spear moves, and was placed on the defensive, taking blow after blow, until Shenyun kicked him in the chest and sent him flying off. Shenyun readied his arm to throw the spear, only to be met with a punch in the back.
Shenyun looked in fear at Diego behind him as Diego unleashes a large amount of soul energy from his fist, the soul energy glowing red, before exploding with massive energy. Shenyun could feel the air of his body being knocked out as he felt the explosion of atoms being blown apart as his body soared higher and higher. Shenyun felt the heat crawling up his skin, and realized he was being burnt alive. Desperately protecting himself, the airborne Shenyun flails around, trying to call to the air to blow out the flames.
Shiro and Diego watched as Shenyun's silhouette became a dot in the distant sky.
"What was that?"
"Stay in the car next time." That was the only response Diego gave.