Moto trained through the night, refusing to let the events of the day catch up with him. His muscles screamed in agony, his breath coming in ragged gasps, but he wanted to go to the edge of exhaustion. As dawn broke, he finally succumbed to fatigue, collapsing into a restless sleep.
Morning came with a knock on the door that jolted Moto awake. A wave of panic coursed through his body-he was three hours late for school. He rubbed the sleep off his face, threw something on, and stumbled to the door, hoping to hide the chaos inside.
It was Sheu, looking confused.
Sheu: "Of course, you didn't know."
Moto, confused: "Didn't know what?
Sheu: "The King ordered a day off."
Moto: "So there's no school?"
Sheu nodded, and Moto felt a wave of relief.
Moto: "Great, more time to train then."
He hastened inside to change but froze at his dumbbell as the image of Sheu's lonely face flashed into his mind.
Moto (to himself): "What am I doing? She's probably anxious too, especially about her dad."
Determined, Moto went to his wardrobe, fetched all the money from his amber wallet, and came back to the door where Sheu still waited.
Moto: "Since we are free, wanna hang out?"
Sheu smiled, and it was a yes for sure. Then, they went into the busy city, trying to get their minds off things in each other's company.
Meanwhile, across the kingdom, Najo was summoned by his grandfather with urgency. The tautness of his face was a promise that niceties were not in order.
Najo: "You called me, Gramps?"
Ginimbi: "How do you plan on spending your time off?"
Najo: "Oh, I was gonna go hang out with my friends. Don't know when I'll get another chance with the way you've been on my case."
Ginimbi: "Today will be the last."
Najo: "What?" in a tone of utter disbelief.
An argument sprang up in which the air got tense. Ginimbi blamed Moto, telling him he had been a bad omen; he even mentioned the assassin case. Najo rose to his friend's defense and told Ginimbi how many times Moto had saved them.
At the rise of their voices, Ginimbi nodded to the guard. The heavy door creaked open to reveal Dope and Gango's mother. She walked in slowly, her eyes hidden under a black veil, but that sinister smile was unmistakable upon her lips. She knelt before Ginimbi.
Najo, baffled: "What is she doing here?"
Ginimbi let her speak.
Hether: "Lightning Lord, my husband was your son's devoted servant; he died on duty. His sons want to follow in his footsteps-a fact that he himself had wanted, raising them into competent assistants for furthering the bloodline of Lightening. For already having initiated their own moves of training him themselves, let me request the formal handing of such responsibilities to the children-a feat I ensure that they will bring forth accelerated development in the growth of your grandson."
Najo: "But I already train with them. What is this for?
Hether: "They taught themselves Storm techniques. They do it with their lightning, it's a weakened version; the movements are exact. They managed to master half of the technique each, and I felt that teaching him too would be considered disrespecting the both of you. Training of an heir fits best for youthful and energetic tutors, and this way Najo gets to be taught by two.
Najo: "So what, you're not gonna train me yourself!? I thought I was worth more to you than that."
Ginimbi: "Don't be naïve. I could die at any minute now; I am far past my prime. The only way you can become strong enough to carry on the legacy is with them. I will fill in any gaps they leave."
Najo: "Alright, but I still fail to see how that relates to Moto."
Ginimbi: "He is slowing you down. You have to reach the level I need you to while I'm alive. Or else my soul won't rest with the thought that what the lightning has built will be taken from my weak descendant. You have potential, but no time to unlock it."
Najo: "Sounds like you've already made up your mind."
Ginimbi remained silent, and Najo, frustrated, stormed out to find Moto and Sheu.
Moto and Sheu spent their day in the city, playing games and going to different places. At one point, Moto made a suggestion to visit a cosmetics store. While on their way to the store, he asked Sheu how she felt about the King personally looking into her father's disappearance. Sheu said that she had a bad feeling but would rather not think about it.
At the store, while Sheu was browsing, Moto bought black contact lenses and black hair dye. He entered a nearby bathroom to change, leaving Sheu waiting outside.
As Sheu waited, Najo found her. They saluted each other and caught up with each other. Najo asked where Moto was, then started yelling for him to come out immediately.
Sheu thought to herself, "What's wrong with Najo? He was calm a second ago."
Najo: "I have something I want to tell you guys later."
Sheu: "Now he's calm again?"
Najo resumed banging on the door, just as smooth music played, and the door slowly opened. Moto emerged with shiny black hair and black eyes.
Najo: "What did you do!? "
Sheu: "And did you have to do it in a public bathroom?"
Moto: "Behold, friends, my emo phase."
They laughed at him.
Najo: "Are you serious?"
Moto: "Yup, and I'll use the soot from my smoke to keep it like this."
Sheu: "Yeah no, we're not doing this. Something's wrong with him."
Sukai called out to them from the crowd.
Moto: "Hey, it's the prince. How ya'll doing?"
Sukai greeted them, while Mukai looked away, stoic.
Sheu greeted Sukai as well.
Sukai: "Um, what's up with the new look, Moto?"
Moto: "Emo phase," he said plainly.
Sukai leaned towards him to ask Sheu. Najo, all the same, was staring down Mukai for a rematch. The people were watching them.
Sukai: "C'mon guys, not in public."
Mukai: "I'm not about to waste my energy on you. The Succession trials are coming up soon."
Najo: "Your dad said I could fight you so you can't back out. And what are the Succession trials?"
Moto: "Looks like he's replaced me as your rival," Moto said, whining at Sheu.
Mukai: "Of course, you simpletons are uninformed. Succession Trials are a tournament that occurs every leap year to find candidates worth being trained by the King's personal guard. The top 5 students get selected to fight a guard, and if they win, they start training to replace whoever they have beaten."
Moto: "What!? But how can a student beat one of them?"
Mukai: "They use up to 10% of their power. If you can survive that, then you can survive their training. But you don't need to worry about it. No way any of you will get chosen."
Moto: "No need to be rude about it, man. I thought you'd at least changed a little."
Mukai: "I'm not trying to kill you, am I?"
Sukai: "Baby steps," he said as he pushed his brother along. "See you guys at tomorrow's assembly."
Moto: "Sure, see ya."
Moto: "Oh man, is it really too late to qualify?"
Sheu: "Well, if they are announcing the contenders tomorrow, then yeah. But don't change the subject. You still haven't told us about that hair."
Moto slowly backed away.
Najo: "I think he's trying to run," he said as lightning crackled from his hands.
Sheu: "I know how to make him talk."
Beading sweat was on Moto's face.
The three sat down together in the setting sun, with Moto eating voraciously of his favorite meal, fat cakes.
Moto: "What do you want to know? I cannot bite the hand that feeds me."
Najo: "Wow, that's all it took?
Sheu: "Why are you changing your look?"
Moto's expression becomes serious. He takes a deep breath.
Moto: "Back in the cave, that red-haired guy, Kangetsu, recognized me."
Najo: "What? How does a guy like that know you?"
Moto: "Well, actually he knows my older brother. He said he's gotten himself in trouble, and since I look like him, I'm a target too."
Najo: "You're walking bait? Couldn't be me."
Sheu: "Najo!"
Moto proceeds, "So I do this so nobody will ever suspect a thing. I can do more, but I'm proud of looking like my family. We're all we have, yet at the same time-I shouldn't be naive either, right? With this, at least I can plausibly deny it."
Sheu: "Is that all?"
Moto: "?
Sheu: "You should know by now you can tell us anything. Especially me. And they aren't all you have. You got us now too."
Moto: "Thanks, guys."
Sheu: "Najo, didn't you have something to say too?"
Najo: "Nah, it's not a big deal. Just wanted to say I'm gonna be a bit more scarce, that's all.
The sun begins to set, and the boys walk Sheu home. As they approach, they hear talking inside. She wasn't expecting any company. They draw closer.
Her cousin, Drake, steps out. He sees her.
Drake: "There you are. We, um, people were getting worried."
Sheu asks what's going on. Moto draws closer to her.
Sheu walks in and sees her uncle, his wife, and Aritri, the King's guard tasked with delivering the update on her father. The room is tense, every face filled with sorrow.
Aritri: "Take a seat, dear."
Sheu sits, and Aritri approaches.
Aritri: "I'm sorry to bring such painful news, but your father is dead."