The team gathered in the sitting room,
Mizuki entered with a tray of steaming cups, her hands steady as she distributed them.
Kuro took a sip, then dropped his cup, his eyes wide with realization. "So Akari destroyed a quarter of the forest... "
"With the same blast she hit me with."
"It's not supposed to be that strong..."
Ryujin spoke up, his voice calm and analytical. " but she controlled the output."
Kuro's eyes widened further. "But she only used 20%..."
Yukiko broke the silence, her voice thoughtful. "I think we should focus on how to use our Climax Output to its fullest potential."
Kaito cursed, his fist clenched. "That damned Akari..."
"She's supposed to be training us, not leaving us to figure it out ourselves!"
The room fell silent, until Mizuki stood up, her expression confident. "You guys are overthinking this. It's probably just that simple."
She walked towards the door, her hand extended, and the others followed. "Maybe it's just in the words... and a bit of concentration."
Kaito warned, "Mizuki, I don't think you should be doing that..."
Meanwhile Akari, walking through the forest wreckage,
"I should be there teaching them how to use their Climax Output " She looked toward the sky
"But it's best they figure it out, " her boot stepped on a tree branch and broke it in half,
"By now they must feel the weight by now,"
She smiled to herself "But there's someone who can actually get it"
Meanwhile, Mizuki continued, her voice firm. "I mean, I could just say Climatic State: 10%..."
Water began to form in her palm, shaping into a glowing orb.
The team gasped in unison. "What?!" Kaito and Kuro exclaimed.
Akari continued, "and that's her." She turned around and smiled,
Back at the base,
"What what...?!" Mizuki yelled,
"What do i do what do i do?!"
"Lift your arm up!" Yukiko yelled,
She lifted her arm upwards and shot a water ball into the air, which exploded into razor-sharp droplets before evaporating.
"Cool.." Kaito exclaimed,
Mizuki looked at her hand, "That was from me?"
She turned to them, with a smile on her face, "I got it, guys! I got it!"
The others began to yell "I wanna try I wanna try " and they rushed to try it themselves, pushing Mizuki aside in their excitement.
She fell to the floor, laughing. "Ouch... you guys!"
Mizuki stood up, brushing herself off, and walked outside.
The team was shouting, their excitement palpable. "Me first! Me first!" Kaito yelled, his eyes gleaming with determination.
He stood up straight, his arm stretched sideways, and focused all his energy.
The others watched in awe as he entered a state of total concentration. "Climatic state: 10%..." he whispered, his voice barely audible.
His hand began to glow with an ominous lightning blue light. "Plasma Edge!" he shouted, swinging his arm faster than the eye could see.
At first, a wave of wind swept through the area, rustling leaves and sending loose objects flying. Then, the team's eyes widened as they saw a tree a few meters away, sliced cleanly into two. The sound of cracking wood echoed through the air.
Kaito's eyes gleamed with a mix of shock and excitement. "I can cut from a distance?!" he exclaimed.
The others stared at him, their faces filled with awe
"Me next!" Kuro yelled out, his enthusiasm infectious.
He punched the ground with a resounding thud, his eyes blazing with excitement.
"Climatic state: 10%..." he shouted, his voice echoing through the air.
"Molted Eruption!" he bellowed, unleashing a burst of energy that shook the ground beneath their feet.
The earth trembled, then stilled, and a fountain of lava erupted from the ground, shooting high into the sky. The team watched in awe, their faces illuminated by the fiery glow.
Kuro grinned and raised his hands, and the lava curved back down to the ground, encircling him in a ring of fire.
"This is awesome!" he exclaimed, his eyes sparkling with delight.
Yukiko jumped into the air, her smile radiant. She waved her arm with a flourish, saying "Climatic state: 10%..."
"... Frostbite shard!" she finished, her voice dripping with confidence.
Shards of ice formed around her, glinting in the sunlight like a thousand tiny diamonds.
They shot down towards the lava, each one freezing the molten rock instantly upon contact. The air was filled with the sound of crackling ice and hissing steam as the two elements clashed.
Kuro looked up, his mouth agape in surprise. "What..." he trailed off.
Yukiko descended back down to the ground, a triumphant smirk on her face. "..." she said, her voice barely above a whisper, but full of satisfaction.
Ryujin took a step forward, his eyes gleaming with determination. He stretched both hands out, palms up, and declared, "Climatic state: 10%..." The air around him began to shimmer with heat.
Kaito's eyes narrowed, his brow furrowed in concern. "Hold on... "
"We all used the same percent... I thought Akari said we could aim for higher?"
"Ember Barrage!" Ryujin shouted, unleashing a swarm of glowing fireballs that orbited behind his body like a fiery halo.
The balls then shot past him, hurtling towards the ice formation with unerring accuracy.
Kuro's eyes widened in horror. "Huh?! Ryujin! Wait! Wait!" he screamed.
The fireballs struck the ice, causing it to shatter explosively. Kuro was sent flying, his body crashing into the ground behind Kaito with a thud.
Mizuki rushed towards Kaito, her expression worried. "Kind of harsh, don't you think?" she said.
Mizuki's gaze followed his, her voice soft. "What's wrong, Kaito?"
Kaito's eyes were fixed on the ground, his mind racing. "I was just thinking... why did we all use 10% of our Climax energy?"
"It's not like we could decide to use higher..."
A familiar voice echoed through the air. "It's because your body isn't used to it yet..."
"Your body hasn't been trained to handle the other outputs, and your mind isn't ready for it yet!"
The team turned to see Akari walking towards them. "Kaito, Yukiko, and Mizuki..." she said, her voice firm.
"The three of you have been summoned to the X-specs Headquarters to give your report. Suit up and depart now..."
The three nodded in unison, their voices echoing in response. "Yes, ma'am..."
Akari's expression turned playful, and she chuckled. "And don't call me ma'am. I'm not that old yet."
With that, the three team members turned and headed inside, leaving Kuro and Ryujin alone with Akari.
Her expression turned serious, her eyes gleaming with a deep intensity.
"While the two of you... I want to show you something," she said, her voice low and mysterious.
"You two will feel the wrath of your Climax energies soon."
"You're on the cusp of a breakthrough, but be warned: it won't be easy."
Kuro and Ryujin exchanged a nervous glance.