Solar Dojo, Luminata City - June 4, 2035
🎵: Saffari - Pacific
The dawn rises on the Solar Dojo and both Sol and Rain rise with it ready to begin. Sake... oops! Master Solar is astonished to see both up so early as normally, it takes Luna having to get them both out of bed in the morning. The three have a fitting breakfast before going to a private classroom where the only students are them two. Sol finds this curious for a Monday morning in the summer.
"The other students aren't training with us?", Sol asked.
"They will continue as normal, but you two are being prepped for Light training, so I will be personally overseeing your work", Solar answered.
"Light training or 'Light' training?", Rain joked.
Both Sol and Solar chuckle. "Very funny, now I want to observe both of your combat skills. You two will face each other."
"Right now?", they both asked in shock.
"Yes, right now. Get up."
Sol and Rain looked at each other before getting up and standing across from one another. They both bow as they've always done before a spar session.
"BEGIN", Solar called.
Sol and Rain spar as they've done before, but why does this feel like a competition of sorts? They both trade shots at each other, shifting offensive and defensive roles. Punches, kicks, chops... all being thrown and blocked perfectly. They both make glances at Solar to see if they're doing either good or bad. His blank expressions don't help at all in this regard. Sol decides to step it up a bit by throwing two kicks, which Rain blocks, before cleanly sweeping him off his feet. After Rain falls to the mat, he reaches out his hand to help him back.
"Okay, that's enough... Sol, I want to know why you fight this way.", Solar asked.
Sol is very nervous, "Oh, I... uh... just wasn't sure what you were evaluating or well, what this had to do with learning Light Power."
"I know you were unsure. I could tell by the glances from both of you, but that's not what I'm referring to." He reaches for Sol's hand, balls it into a fist, and lifts his arm up towards him. "Hit me."
"What?"
"Do it. Throw a punch. Don't be afraid."
Sol (and probably, Rain) are wondering if Solar is either toying with them or has gone mad. Sol is worried about throwing a punch at his guardian like this, even if he did ask for it. What if he does so and is immediately turned into a pretzel... or worse. After Sake motions him to do so again, he swallows the fear and throws a punch at him. Solar promptly catches his fist and holds it up.
"You hold back when you punch. Why?"
"Oh, I just don't want to hit you hard. That's all."
"No, that's not true. You also held back against Rain. Sure, you don't want to hurt him too, but why is that? Be honest."
"I'm... strong like... really strong. You remember the incident about two years ago? I threw a punch at full force and-"
"Broke Eddy's arm... Yes, of course I remember. Now, what was it that you learned from that?", Solar asked with a curious look.
Sol looks internally, "Cool it at the gym... No, but really, I had to better know my own strength and develop my muscle memory to punch with a certain amount of power."
"You learned to control your strength with every strike.", Solar summarized for him.
He goes to grab a training dummy and places it back in front of Sol. These training dummies were quite fun to knock around. In many classes, the students would line up and throw whatever move they wanted at the training dummy. Once, they were doing just that and when Sol was up, he roundhouse kicked it a little too hard, causing it to tilt backward. Poor Eddy wasn't ready for it to recoil towards him and he was knocked clean out. It's safe to say Eddy doesn't like Sol very much.
Solar slapped the dummy on the back of the head, telling Sol, "I want you to hit it as hard as you can." He immediately moves away from it.
Sol looks at him and nods before turning his attention towards the dummy. He takes a deep breath to prop himself up. He throws another punch, this time, at full force. The rubber dummy's head flies straight off the body and bounces off the wall behind it. Rain is floored by this showcase of power. It was known around the dojo that Sol was strong, but not this strong.
"Holy shit, Sol! The highest recorded force of a human punch is a little over 120,000 units. Yours is... I estimate about double, maybe even triple that.", Rain pointed out in shock. "How you didn't turn Eddy's arm into mush is beyond me."
"That's because he's even stronger now.", Solar answered.
"Stronger?", Sol asked in shock.
"At 15 years old, your base-level superhuman strength came in and you didn't realize it. Now with your powers unlocked, your strength has increased."
"I see! So, this strength is also because I'm superhuman. It didn't require my powers to come in, so it's just innate?"
"Exactly, but what I'm glad to see is you already have a sense of control when in regards to your strength. And that's the first step to Light training, boys... Control." Solar creates a light in his hand. "Taking the energy from your body and turning it into Light Power, coming from say... your hands, requires a "superhuman" level of control."
Sol and Rain are like starstruck little children. Solar had a cryptic way of teaching lessons, but he was so damn good at it. This is exactly how the two turned out with each lesson. The rest of the day, the two proceeded in combat lessons with the other masters. This didn't really have to do with Light training, but Master Solar believes they should master more than just Karate as a combat style. Once the two were free, Sol took Rain around the dojo for some free running training, even though both had been training all day. It wasn't required, but Sol feels it to be a valuable skill.
By day's end, both boys are absolutely exhausted. They have no regrets after a hard day's work, however. The ultimate goal is too valuable for either to shy away from. They walk back together towards their dormitory. Rain notices Sol staring at the door to Luna's bedroom.
"You alright?", Rain asked.
"Just missing her... and wishing I could've been able to protect her." Sol looks back at him. "When I'm ready, I will save her. That's a promise"
"I know, I promise too."
Both enter their rooms to get ready for bed soon and end the night. The next day couldn't come fast enough.
Solar Dojo, Luminata City - July 9, 2035
🎵: OMC - How Bizarre (for the upcoming montage)
In over a month's time, Sol has nearly mastered all of the combat disciplines taught at the dojo. He spent much time with Master Lang, the Jiu-Jitsu master, and Master Suzuki, the Judo master, studying both disciplines. He maintained control of his strength masterfully in each discipline that the masters were comfortable enough allowing him to spar with other students. Most were afraid to even step up to him, but the ones brave enough to... well, they still got their asses kicked, but thankfully, with no broken bones this time.
He studied Bojutsu and Kenjutsu on the side with the weapons master, Master Forge. Nobody was better with staffs and swords than him. Forge always seemed like a fitting name for someone very into weapons. Sol wondered if that was even his real name, but thought it was kind of rude to ask. He was only free to face Master Forge in sparring matches. While he had plenty of skill of his own, Sol needed much more time to finally beat Forge at his game.
Sol proved his absolute strongest skill was in Aikido. That could be because it was Master Solar himself training him... or, it was just that his strength gave him an edge. Whatever the case, it became his combat specialty and he showed this in general sparring. Today, Sol spars Rain in another showcase of skill. While the former had a knack for Aikido, the latter developed one for Judo.
"BEGIN", Solar called.
Sol and Rain go at each other with much more intensity after what they've learned. Although he's the stronger of the two, Sol finds himself flipped more times than he did the flipping. Rain tried to finish him off with a flying armbar, but Sol stood his ground and held him up by just his arm.
"You can let go, now.", Sol quipped with a fierce smile.
Rain chuckles nervously, "I yield."
Rain drops down, giving Sol a pat on the shoulder for that one. Solar gets up from his seating position and approaches the two.
"Great work, you two. Just one glaring issue.", Solar pointed out. He catches Sol unready and flips him over with a shoulder throw. "You're very distracted. You have to work on that." He walks off.
Rain can't help, but laugh at Sol's expense.
"Don't laugh. You're not off the hook!", Solar said from across the room.
Forest Training Ground near Solar Dojo - July 10, 2035
"You've done so well so far. You can do this.", Solar told Sol.
Sol is in the forest next to the dojo with Master Solar. The two had been meditating and working on Sol's light abilities as he further mastered control of his strength. Sol holds one arm up with the other, trying to force something out.
"You've been distracted a lot as of late. Yesterday, your fighting technique was sloppy and today, you're trying to force light out of your body. What's going on?", Solar asked.
"I just hate stagnating like this. It's been over a month since she was taken and I'm not close to ready.", Sol admitted.
"Hmmm, you're feeling impatient. That's natural. I also want to go after her sooner than later, but we have to be thorough with our training. In that, we must eliminate that which distracts us... limits us. That is also why we meditate." He pushes Sol's left arm down and straightens his raised hand. "Take a deep breath, calm, and try again."
Sol keeps his right hand trained on the target. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. He doesn't shoot any light out of his hand, but a powerful blue glow emerges.
"A step in the right direction... Well done!", Solar said with a smile. "To soothe your worries, I have people in Luminata City, actively searching for Luna or anything that will lead us to her. There hasn't been any luck yet, but understand that there is effort on that front."
"Thank you.", Sol said graciously.
"You're welcome. Now, let's continue. You will be shooting light bolts out of your hands in no time."
Forest Training Ground near Solar Dojo - July 26, 2035
Sol continued training his Light Power day by day in the forest. At this point, he was shooting light bolts out of his hands like an expert. He does it with style as he occasionally makes finger guns. Now, he's fully confident again... Maybe a little too confident.
"I'm glad you're vastly improving but try to remember not to get carried away with your powers. Again, they're tied to your stamina, so you'll wind up tiring yourself out", Sake reminded him.
"You got it, Pop"
"Master!"
"Shit, right! Yes, Master Solar."
Solar sighs, "Anyway, time to head back. There's someone I'd like you to meet."
Back at the dojo, a ring was set up in the courtyard. Many of the students and masters crowded around it, waiting for the show. Sol walks out from the nearest classroom with Rain, embarrassed at what he's doing.
"Do I really have to wear this diaper?", Sol asked.
"It's called a "Mawashi" and he's wearing one, so you are too.", Rain corrected.
"I know what it is. I've watched Sumo before. It's still a diaper!"
As he steps into the ring, the whole audience cheers at his new look. He hears mocking whistles and ooohs.
"NICE ASS, SOL!!", someone yelled from the audience as the rest laughed.
The mockery quiets down as his opponent emerges. A hulking man of sheer thickness with a monstrous presence... the definition of a sumo wrestler. Master Solar had invited his old friend from Azunoshi, Yuji. He thought he'd be perfect to teach Sol to utilize his strength in Sumo. He steps into the ring, intimidating nearly everyone around.
"Ahh, Calientos Sol! I last saw you when you were this big!", Yuji said as he demonstrated how small Sol was. "Sake-san tells me you are strong, very strong. Show me."
"Wait, we met before? Why do I not remember that?", Sol asked Solar.
"You were 3 years old. Now, smile!", Solar replied.
Solar and Rain are both filming this on their phone, giving a thumbs up. Sol gives up and assumes the starting position. Both he and Yuji squat down, ready to begin.
"TE WO TSUITE!", called Solar.
Yuji allows Sol to push him as far back as before a ring out happens. Sol may be strong, but this man is still massive and could stand his ground. Yuji is very astonished by the young man's tenacity and makes a darting glance at Master Solar.
"Ho ho, you are strong! Now, it is my turn.", Yuji said with a fierce smile.
He grabs Sol and tosses him like a ragdoll back towards the center of the ring. The audience is blown away by this action. Sol lies on the ring, also blown away by what just happened.
Morningstar Memorial High, Luminata City - August 20, 2035
In just another month, Sol, Rain, and Luna's final year of high school began. News of the latter's disappearance spread like wildfire. It was long before the school ended the first day by having an assembly in her memory. Sol and Rain were invited in front of the entire school to receive everyone's sympathy. It was like they were all convinced she was dead, but Sol reminded them that she wasn't dead, or at least, confirmed to be before storming out.
This statement didn't really convince anyone. It's almost certain to most that once somebody goes missing for an extended period of time, they're most likely dead. A memorial was erected in the hallway right in front of the entrance. This wasn't anything glaring as they did the same for her at home, but it's just so unbelievable people are quick to act like she died. As Sol and Rain stand in front of the memorial, they are approached by a group of jocks. These guys hazed them relentlessly in the past. What could they want now?
"Hey, nerds." The leader speaks directly to Sol, "Sorry to hear about your girlfriend's death. She was pretty ho-"
"For the last time, she's NOT DEAD!!", Sol yelled as he lifted him a foot off the ground.
"Woah, woah! I didn't want to come here and fight you."
"I wouldn't want to fight me either."
The rest of the group is too shocked to respond. Rain shakes Sol's shoulder, trying to get him to calm down.
"Sol, stop! It's not worth it. They just don't know."
Sol puts the leader down and the group runs off. Rain pats his back, knowing the guilt and pressure to save Luna is really getting to him.
Classes moved forward as usual. Rain, being the genius he is, excels at all his classes in his pursuit to become class valedictorian. Sol is no slouch himself, but even with his intelligence, he'd fall to his usual distractions. He'd be lucky to even make Cum Laude at graduation. The Luna situation wasn't even helping things. Somebody taps his shoulder in class. It's Asia Beatrix, his long-time high school crush... well, not anymore after she played him and Rain last school year.
"Hey, Sol. I'm so sorry about what happened to Luna." She places her hand on his shoulder. "If you need anything, I'm here to talk."
Sol isn't sure what she's trying to get at, but it isn't any use trying to question it.
"Thank you", he said with a smile.
While time at school was riddled with distractions, the education they were receiving back at the dojo was a different story. Sol was way more enthusiastic about the history lessons with Master Solar and Master Hasashi. They learned much about Superhumans, including the fact that there are more than just Light Superhumans. There are Dark, Elementals, and even Psychological subgroups. The main focus was, of course, the history and biology of Light Superhumans, especially being that Sol is one. Rain, being himself, took down notes while Sol just took it all in.
That particular night, Master Hasashi brought a stone tablet from the dojo's vault. He left it with Master Solar, who knew more of its importance. As he holds it in his hands, the tablet goes from just a rock to glowing gold with text of some kind.
"Woah, what does it say?", Rain asked.
"We don't know. An old friend brought it to me, but what's written is in a dead language." Solar looks as though it pains him to talk about this, "They told me it came from a mysterious structure like a temple. One that involved a prophet apparently. We couldn't locate it again. Now, this is all that's left."
"A temple... and a prophet. I feel like I've seen this movie before.", Sol claimed.
Solar laughs, "It does feel like an Adventure movie cliche, but it's very real and the proof is in my hands."
He hands the tablet over to Sol. The color of the glow changes from gold to blue, but interestingly enough, it would change from blue to pink and vice versa continuously. Sol's light power matches the color of his eyes. He started realizing this as he developed more light-based abilities. He got it down to a science. The offensive powers were colored blue, while the defensive powers were colored pink.
Master Solar explained it in one of his lessons. A Light Superhuman's light powers can be any color on the spectrum. This has no effect on the strength of the ability, just cosmetic. Each superhuman's light color is determined by their eye color, which is from birth. Sol is a special case as he has heterochromia, the rare condition where a person has two different eye colors. Therefore, he has two different light colors.
"Okay, then. Let's call it a night. You two have school tomorrow, so off to bed.", Solar ordered. "Oh, and Sol, would you do me a favor? Please deliver the tablet back to Master Hasashi."
Sol was still inspecting the tablet before he realized he was talking to him, "Oh, uh yes, sir."
He walks it over to the dojo vault, still taken by its design. On the way, he pulls out his phone and takes a live photo, perfect to display on his desk. The vault is definitely the most secretive place at the Solar Dojo. Strangely enough, it doesn't have its own structure, it's located in the lighthouse tower, but where exactly? Sol's curiosity about the vault had never been piqued as much as now that he had his hands on the stone tablet. He's lately wondered what other incredible artifacts lie within the place.
Master Hasashi doesn't seem to be around, so maybe he can sneak in and have a look. The entrance to the vault was locked to those without power. A puzzle was put in place for opening the door. Sol had caught wind of this and followed Hasashi after a lesson to see how it worked. Tonight would be the night he tried it. In front of the courtyard are three statues, but one of them isn't like the others. That one has three separate pressure points that must be hit with a specific amount of force. Next, there is a reflective surface well hidden on the adjacent building. Hitting that in the right spot with a light bolt would reflect it to a mechanism at the center of the tower.
"Hope I didn't miss anything. Let's do this.", Sol muttered to himself.
Sol goes about the sequence as he saw previously. He'd been very precise with his aim so far, so missing now would be utterly idiotic. He throws a blue bolt at the reflective surface, striking it perfectly. As soon as the light reaches the mechanism, he hears a sound within the lighthouse. He opens the doors to find a stairway leading underground. He looks up to only find the staircase leading to the top.
"Of course! The vault had to be underground. There's no space in this damn lighthouse."
He looks back to check if anyone's watching before shutting the doors. The walk down is quite long, but it makes sense once he reaches the actual vault. This place is huge like it was shaped by the land under the dojo. How and when did they build this? The room was rather dark, but atmospheric with the light coming from the ground, not to mention the light from the tablet. He could still see the artifacts all clearly, some he'd seen before, but so many others he hadn't. A vacant display tells him exactly where the stone tablet belongs and he places it there before his attention is stolen.
Two particular things in this vault are not like the rest. The first is a small glowing cube that adds to the illumination of the dark vault. The other is a shrine all by its lonesome at the far end of the room. Sol inspects the cube first, only to find that it's not simply that, but a Tesseract as it is four-dimensional... a cube within a cube.
"What is it that you hold within?", Sol whispers to himself.
"It's all very fascinating, isn't it?", Solar said leaning on a pillar.
Sol realizes he's in deep trouble now, "AHHH, Master Solar, I- uh, brought the tablet. It's just Master Hasashi wasn't around, so I figured I'd take it in myself."
"Riiiight... I told Hasashi to take a break. I know you, I know that you were growing curious about the vault and... understandably so..." Solar smiles, "I'm not upset. I was planning on bringing you in here one day, but I figured you'd sneak in... or, try to sneak in 'cause it was obvious to everyone, so here we are."
"I can see why you have this place locked up, it's incredible"
"It is... but, let me show you truly why we had to lock it up in the first place."
The two walk over to the shrine, which has an air of eeriness to it. The shrine is a statue of what looks like a raven perched on a Yin Yang symbol. The statue sits under a miniaturized Torii gate, only about a foot taller than the two men in its presence. It looked like it could be ancient, but there wasn't any sort of age or erosion to confirm that.
"This is the most dangerous thing in this vault.", Solar claimed.
"THIS?", Sol asked in shock. "How so?
"This is called a Zone Shrine. It has the ability to open a portal to another world. A dark world."
Sol looks him in the eye after hearing that and says, "Dark World?... like A Link to the Past dark world?"
Solar sees the comparison, "Yeah, I guess you could say that. But trust me, it is incredibly dangerous. We don't know who or what is waiting on the other side, so it's best to leave it alone."
"Understood. I can see why I've never seen this place." Sol looks back at the shrine, "Will we ever have to cross over?"
Solar stays silent, seemingly not wanting to respond to that question. Instead, he leads Sol back to the dojo.
"So... how did you like the game?"
"Like it? I love it! You had the best stuff growing up."
Solar laughs, "You're just like me. The 90's and 2000's were peak gaming."
Solar Dojo, Luminata City - September 4, 2035
🎵: Saffari - Pacific
Three months to the day of training later, Sol is far above the rest of the students. His combat prowess is matched only by Rain, but still, the latter lacks the former's strength and powers. With no students able to properly take him on, Master Lang agrees to face him in a test of skill. All of the students gather to watch a fellow student face a master for the very first time. This includes the other masters and of course, the grandmaster, Master Solar.
Sol and Lang stand across from each other in a classroom and bow. The two ready in their stances as everyone looks on in awe.
"BEGIN!", Solar called.
Sol makes the first move as he charges Lang with a few punches and kicks. Lang is able to block them and looks to counter, but Sol was hoping for this. He successfully judo flips the Jiu-Jitsu master, which gets a remarkable reaction from Master Suzuki.
"YES! EXCELLENT!!", he screamed out.
Sol grabs Lang by the arm to get him to his feet, but in turn, he gets pulled for an arm bar. Lang caught Sol off guard, but he must've forgotten that he taught the kid how to escape from this hold. Sol allows him to lock him in, but his strength keeps the hold from being too tight. He rolls over and taps the pressure point by his shoulder, forcing him to release the hold. Both get to their feet, where they started.
"Well done, Sol, but don't let YOUR GUARD DOWN!!, Lang yelled as he threw some punches of his own.
Sol's strength is notable, but even more so is his speed. He no longer blocks with his arms, he dodges altogether with incredible reflexes. He had previously been working on incorporating his Light Power into his agility as well. Naturally, he isn't allowed to use his powers in sparring as the non-powered can't defend themselves from that. Regardless, he didn't need it here. With one last punch, Sol catches Lang and shoulder-throws him into an armbar. Unable to break Sol's hold, Master Lang taps out.
"Sol wins.", Master Solar stated.
The rest of the students couldn't believe it. Sol, a student, just defeated Lang, a master, who had been doing this since before the former was even born. All they could do is cheer. Sol helps Lang up and they both bow to each other.
"I'm proud of you, son.", Lang said before he raised his arm in victory.
"Your judo moves are utter perfection, Sol!", Suzuki said with a pat on the shoulder.
"You're definitely better off without a weapon.", joked Forge.
"You already impressed me enough with getting into the vault. Well done!", Hasashi said with a bow.
The rest of the masters gave Sol his due and he just couldn't help, but eat all the praise up. He looked towards Master Solar, who still sat in his place with a smile. After everyone was dismissed, it was simply them two having a one-on-one chakai back at Solar's quarters.
"What a rush. I think I'm ready to take the next step.", Sol said.
"And that would be?", Solar inquired as he sipped his tea.
"I think I should test my abilities against some actual opposition... fight some crime."
"Crime? What is this? One of your comic books?"
"Oh, come on. I've shown amazing combat prowess, I developed many great uses of my powers, and I just defeated a master in front of EVERYONE, sooooo..."
"Yes, you did all of that. You've shown a remarkable sense of growth... but the answer is no."
"WHAT? Why?"
"Sol, great strength and skill doesn't mean you are ready to go out in the world. You still have a ways to go."
"No, I'm ready. I know it!"
"You aren't. That's the end of the discussion. You are not to leave this place for any reason other than school.", Solar firmly stated.
"I can't believe this. All this time, I've been busting my ass every day to become good enough. I showed how good I am and it's still not good enough!", Sol argued.
"All this time and you're still impatient... still reckless."
"Damn, right! You told me that you had people searching for Luna... That was almost two months ago... and nothing. If you're not in any rush to find her, fine... but I am and I will find her WITH OR WITHOUT YOU!", Sol exclaimed.
"HOW DARE YOU! Don't you sit here and accuse me of neglecting this situation. There's not one second I don't think about her and what she could be going through, but I WILL NOT let you go and risk your life when you're not ready to take on what's out there!" Solar relaxes his tone, "Until you get that, you are not going anywhere. Go back to your room and you better stay there for the rest of the night because if not, I will find you and... you know what's going to happen. Get out."
Sol storms out and heads back to his room at the dormitory. Rain catches him before he enters.
"You seem mad, you alright?", Rain asked, but was promptly ignored.
Sol sits down on his bed, angry. What else does he need to prove? It didn't make any sense to him. He had to do something to show that he was capable. The only way is the hard way because, to him, he's done everything he could at the dojo. Like he said, time to test his abilities against some real opposition... like criminals. Luckily, he knows the city well and there's one place with the highest crime rate, the Quartz district.