The echo of footsteps reverberated through the hallway as Izanagi sprinted through the corridors of the team Z headquarters.The meeting had just ended, and he'd practically leaped out of his seat, a mischievous grin spreading across his face.
Today was the day.
His team, the "bottom of the barrel" had finally been granted access to their Shikaiyo. Everyone but him. They had all managed to tap into the portion of the "true power", even if it was just a small fraction, around 1-3%. Yet here he was, lagging behind everyone else. The second fastest in the group, sure, but what good was speed if he couldn't catch up in power or anything else?
I have to catch up.
Izanagi's feet barely touched the ground as he dashed through the huge building, navigating through all the halls with ease. He hopped from one rooftop to the next, flipping every once in a while to maybe impress someone who was watching in the distance. He zipped across rooftops, vaulted over railings, slid down cables, and jumped off walls.
They might be the lowest ranked team, but he wasn't about to be the lowest within the lowest. He needed to reach Shikaiyo, to prove that he wasn't just there, dragging the others down. His parkour skill was pretty much unrivaled, but even that wouldn't close the gap in power.
The path led him to a secluded area of the area or territory which they practically called their home. It was the perfect place for training.
There, he spotted Uta, her back turned to him as she swung a practice sword. Izanagi skidded to a stop, jogging over to her. "Uta!"
She turned around, "What's up? Still trailing behind, huh?"
He ignored the comment, his grin widening even further. "You've gotta teach me a quick method to reach Shikaiyo, Uta. I need to catch up to the rest of you!"
Uta's smirk turned into a full blown wide smile and then into a loud burst of laughter. "You think it's that simple? Do you even know what Shikaiyo is?"
Izanagi paused, taking some time to think about it. "Well... it's like a partial release of your Shinki's full power, right?"
She chuckled again. "It's more than that. Shikaiyo is the first step into getting a grasp or mastery of your Shinki really. Its uncommon to see strong people or people who can use their Shinki at all who haven't unlocked their Shikaiyo yet. It's like tapping into a portion of the full power of your Shinki, but it's kinda risky. If you try to "borrow" or use more power than you can handle you could injure yourself badly or turn into a fiend, one of those monsters of destruction.."
Izanagi frowned, running a hand through his hair. "Why all these complicated terms, though? Shikaiyo, Shinki... why not just call them partial release (Shikaiyo) or unique abilities (Shinki)? It's like everyone's trying to sound cool or something."
Uta paused, caught off guard by the question. "You know, I've never really thought about it. "
Izanagi sighed. "So... can you help me get to Shikaiyo or not?"
"Honestly, before you even think about unlocking Shikaiyo, you should focus on mastering the basics. You might have the highest physical stats in the team, but realistically, you're still outclassed in practically anything else."
Her words hit him like a brick wall. He opened his mouth to argue, but the truth was undeniable. His raw strength and speed had carried him this far, but he was woefully unprepared when it came to fighting.
He turned around, making a weird face as he thought about it. When he finally spun back around to ask more questions, he was greeted by empty air. Uta was gone.
Izanagi groaned, running a hand down his face. "Of course she disappears just when I need her."