The next morning, Seijuro walks back into the training grounds, the breeze was calm and fresh and the sun's rays felt warm on his skin,
I wonder if Lily is feeling any better from yesterday. Though… I highly doubt it.
The cherry blossom tree shaded the area from the heat of the sun. He begins observing other students as they train, the kuroi they fight glow brighter than the ones Seijuro had fought. Their haori's were a light purple, indicating they were of higher status to himself. Seijuro wore a white top with a torn green haori, conveying his position as a dreamcatcher.
He glances to his right to see Lisa, discussing something with a tall young man, who looks to be in his early twenties. His hair was black and tied up in a small ponytail. His eyes were dark blue and he had two daggers placed on his sides and a small pouch around his waist. The man wore a chain around his neck, with a sleeveless top and he was wearing a dark purple haori. Seijuro's eyes widen slightly as he realises who that is,
A lieutenant… I remember Captain Lisa saying that every Captain has one… he must be hers.
As they finish up talking, the man walks away, back towards the main building of the Fear Foundation. Lisa turns her head and looks in the direction of Seijuro. She waves happily and walks over to him,
"Seijuro-san! Did you have a good rest?"
"Yeah, I'm feeling great. What about yourself?"
"Great too thank you very much! You should join Lily-san. She's been at the tracks since dawn. It seems she's still quite mad about yesterday." Lisa giggles a bit, but taps Seijuros head,
"You should join her, little brother!"
"Sure thing."
He begins advancing towards the tracks and sees Lily, her hair is untied and her light brown skin glowing a bright red. She is carrying the same log as yesterday, trudging forward, while dripping in sweat and gritting her teeth,
I wonder what's motivating her… she definitely isn't telling me something…
Seijuro takes off his haori. He glances at it, glimpsing at all the holes and sighs,
I should ask mom to fix this… but she'll probably get worried as to how I got them…
He places his haori and sword on the bench, before walking over to Lily. Seijuro gives her a slight nod, however she continues to trudge along. Not wanting to disturb her focus, he looks down at his own log and picks it up, lifting it onto his back,
This feels lighter than yesterday…
He begins walking. Seijuro cannot help but notice how much faster he is moving compared to his prior training. Lily gives him a glare as he passes her, however he ignores her and continues forward.
Upon completing his three laps, he places the log down and stretches, he smiles and hops up and down, while moving his head to the side,
My body… I don't feel that tired at all… and I feel… lighter…
"Well well! Both of you seem quite energetic. Well… one of you do at least." Lily gives Lisa a cold glare, feeling insulted, as she giggles at her own comment,
"What's next, Captain Lisa?"
"Speed. Not only can dark matter amplify your strength or techniques, but also simple movements. For example…" Lisa suddenly vanishes, startling the pair of them.
A sudden tap from Lisa on Lily's shoulder causes her to gasp and jump a little. She lets out a giggle, which causes Lily to flush red with anger,
"So you can turn invisible?" Seijuro questions, but she shakes her head,
"Not invisible. Just amplifies my speed. With even better control, you can combine it with your techniques, however… you're not expected to do that as dreamcatchers." This revelation drives Seijuro to feeling shocked,
Amazing… her speed practically makes her invisible…
"Focus your dark matter in your leg muscles, the same way you focus it in your weapons. Let it spread, first into your hamstrings and quadriceps… then your calves… and finally your feet. Similar to how water flows."
Seijuro and Lily stand next to each other on the track, he closes his eyes to enable himself to focus. He takes a deep breath, and moves forward…
The air suddenly felt cooler… and the smell was… delicious…?
He opens his eyes, glancing around in utter confusion.
He is standing in the canteen.
How in the world… this is on the other side of the campus…
Every student is staring at him in utter shock, some were refraining from laughing,
"What?" He blinks a few times and then turns around to see a massive hole in the wall.
Putting the pieces together, Seijuro lets out a long sigh and walks back through the hole towards Lisa and Lily,
"I guess I went a bit too fast, didn't I? Lisa, who is snickering uncontrollably, gives a nod.
He looks at Lily with a defeated look, who hasn't even noticed him. Her eyes were glued shut, her teeth gritted and her face demonstrates pure focus. Her eyes snap open and she glares at Lisa,
"Why ain't it working?!" Lisa suddenly stops laughing, but remains smiling,
"You have to be completely focused, little sister." Lily scowls at her,
"Do not, call me that… please…" Seijuro has never heard Lily sound so emotional, Lisa nods and replies sounding softer,
"Of course, Lily-san. There are easier ways to improve in speed." Lily let's out a sigh and her demeanour softens,
"Like?"
"A spar with someone on a similar level to you. Someone like… Seijuro-san!" She suddenly grabs Seijuro,
"What?! Me?!"
"You scared to face me or something?" Lily smiles smugly, which causes him to snap out of his shocked state and return her overconfidence,
"No.. it's just your too busy sulking.."
"Grab your sword, Yoshiki. Now." He smiles and walks over to the bench to grab his sword,
"Now both of you! Follow me!" Lisa leads them to away from the tracks.
Eventually, they reach a small area. It consisted of a small circle of concrete built in the floor, another cherry blossom tree on the right side and a small building on the left side. Ivan was sitting in there, drinking apple juice out of a small carton,
Strange…
Seijuro thinks to himself,
"Now Seijuro-san you stand here, and Lily-san, stand opposite to him." They both nod and move into their positions, getting into their stances.
They draw their weapons, Seijuro unsheathing his blade and Lily grabs her staff, extending it to its full length. Lisa moves into the middle with her arm out,
"Ready?" They give each other a small smirk, before nodding.
With a wave of her arm, she yells,
"Fight!"
In an instant, both Seijuro and Lily charge at each other, clashing their weapons together and pushing forward,
"You seem a little tense, Yoshiki. Not nervous are you?"
"Don't even." Seijuro chuckles a bit, pushing her away.
Lily performs a backflip, creating some distance,
"Apollo's Whip." She begins striking her staff diagonally,
"That's not gonna…" A sudden force on Seijuros sword causes him to be knocked backwards, however he maintains his balance,
Her strikes… wait… that's right! She uses sound as her element. She's using her dark matter to create sound shockwaves…
Upon acknowledging her technique, he begins to block each strike she throws at him. Seijuro then charges in,
"Ryu's Breath!" Lily jumps over his blade, evading his attack completely.
He quickly changes his direction and faces her,
"Wrath Of Tatsu!" Seijuro thrusts forward, hoping to catch her off guard,
"Inu." His attack comes to an abrupt stop,
Damn it… I can't move… I got caught in her barrier…
Seijuro is sent flying back and slams into the cherry blossom tree. He looks up to see Lily, staring back at him with a smug look,
"Well? Are you done?" He grits his teeth and stands up,
"I can do this all day." He stands up, gripping his sword tightly, as Lily tosses her staff in the air above him,
"Might Of Zeus." Seijuro's eyes widen as he remembers this technique. As a result, Seijuro slams his sword into the ground,
"Azure!" A barrier forms around him, protecting him from Lily's shockwaves.
Her staff flies back into her hands and she charges in,
"Spartan Assault." She slams the edge of her staff into the barrier causing it to shatter and Seijuro to be knocked off his feet,
She's combining her techniques…
He regains his stance and clashes with her,
"Come on, Yoshiki, I expected more." She attempts to swipe his feet, however reacts by jumping and strikes downward.
Lily moves her staff behind her back, blocking his blow. She then moves her staff, targeting his legs again. Seijuro moves his blade downward, blocking his attack. He throws his knee towards her abdomen connecting, causing her to let out a gasp of air and fall backwards. Lily gives him a slight glare, before standing back up, Seijuro's eyes widen,
Wait… I got an idea…
He immediately presses his back foot into the floor and his left foot forward and strikes downward, causing her attack to be diverted into the ground, however a sudden kick to Seijuro's abdomen makes him fall to the ground. He rolls backward, getting onto his feet, before charging at her. Unexpectedly, he leaps into the air,
What is he doing…
"Wani's Hurricane!" A flurry of the same attack form and charge in the direction of Lily, who's eyes widen in disbelief.
She tries her best to block his attack, but is knocked off her feet. Seijuro lands firmly on the ground, and stands with his left leg lunging forward and his right leg positioned behind him, almost as if he is about to take off running. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath,
Calm myself… and let's try to move slightly this time…
Once he opens them, he sees Lily standing in front of him, staring at him dumbfounded. Seijuro sees his blade, placed against her neck,
I… did it…
He could hear the sound of clapping from Lisa,
"Well done, little brother! That was perfect!" She taps his back and then looks at Lily, who is clearly unhappy about losing,
"You.. fought well, Yoshiki.." She shrinks her staff and places it back on her waist, before walking away,
Lily… she's already annoyed with yesterdays training session and not being able to do the speed thing Captain Lisa taught us… I hope she ain't mad about this too…
"Hey.. kid.." Seijuro looks to his right to see Kenji walking over towards him holding a broom,
"I see you left a hole in the canteen wall."
He tosses him the broom and crosses his arms, looking more stoic than usual,
"Go help the others clean your mess up."
With a groan and annoyed sigh, Seijuro grabs his ripped haori and begins walking back to the canteen,
"I see you're teaching them stuff that isn't meant for them yet, Lisa." Kenji states, his arms still folded, as he stands next to her,
"Yep! I think they're ready for it."
"Whatever you say…" Kenji closes his eyes only to feel Lisa poking his arm, he immediately turns his head away frowning,
"And no.."
"Oh come on, Kenji-san! Just smile once!" He walks away and Lisa follows him.