The Morning Mishap
The day started the way all great hero training days do—with chaos. Ryo was enjoying a quiet breakfast of burnt toast and lukewarm instant coffee when Sakura burst into his apartment like she owned the place.
"Good morning, future dumpster king!" she announced, tossing a bag of frozen peas straight at his head.
"WHAT THE—?!" Ryo barely had time to duck before the peas hit him, bouncing off his head and landing in his coffee mug.
"Reflex training," Sakura said, smirking as she leaned against the doorway.
Ryo fished the peas out of his mug, his eye twitching. "Are you trying to kill me, or is this some weird bonding ritual?"
"Neither. You just need to be ready for anything," Sakura replied, snatching a piece of toast from his plate. "Heroes can't afford to be lazy."
"Heroes also can't afford breakfast thieves," Ryo muttered.
She waved the toast in the air like a trophy. "Lesson one: Adapt. Lesson two: Stop whining. Now get dressed—we've got work to do."
---
The Not-So-Secret Training Grounds
Their "training grounds" were exactly as glamorous as Ryo remembered: a grimy alley next to a 24-hour donut shop. The air was thick with the smell of sugar and grease, and a group of donut shop patrons had already gathered to watch the "weird kids with sticks."
"Why do we always train here?" Ryo groaned. "People are staring."
"They're appreciating," Sakura corrected, spinning her staff like a seasoned pro. "Now stop whining and show me your form."
Ryo held his staff awkwardly, trying to recall the moves Sakura had shown him yesterday. He swung it in a wide arc, aiming for what he thought was an intimidating strike.
Unfortunately, his shoelace had other plans.
He tripped mid-swing, the staff slipping out of his hands and flying straight into the donut shop's window.
The crowd gasped as the staff bounced harmlessly off the glass and landed with a dull thud.
"Nice throw!" a kid in the crowd yelled.
Ryo retrieved the staff, his face burning. "This is humiliating."
"Welcome to hero training," Sakura said, smirking.
---
Magical Mayhem, Part Two
"Let's try something easier," Sakura said, handing Ryo a pouch of focus dust. "Maybe magic won't embarrass you as much as basic combat does."
Ryo took the pouch hesitantly. "Last time I used this, I accidentally made a dumpster invincible."
"Exactly. And that was hilarious," Sakura said. "But this time, try to focus on something useful."
Ryo closed his eyes, sprinkling the dust into the air. He imagined a shield—not for a dumpster, but for himself. The dust began to glow, swirling around him in a soft golden light.
"Whoa," he whispered. "I think I'm actually—"
Before he could finish, the dust coalesced into a glowing barrier. Unfortunately, it wasn't a shield—it was a glowing wall that completely blocked the alley, trapping them inside.
Sakura stared at the wall, unimpressed. "Congratulations. You've invented magical construction."
"How do I turn it off?!" Ryo panicked, waving his arms at the barrier.
"You can't," Sakura said dryly. "We're stuck here until it fades."
Ryo groaned, sitting down on a pile of cardboard boxes. "Maybe I'm not cut out for this."
Sakura sighed, patting his shoulder. "Don't worry. Everyone starts somewhere. Some people just start... worse than others."
---
The Donut Fiasco
While waiting for the barrier to fade, Ryo decided to sneak into the donut shop for a snack.
"I need sugar to focus," he told Sakura.
"You need sugar to function," she muttered, watching him go.
Inside the shop, Ryo ordered a donut and tried to act inconspicuous. But fate had other plans.
As he reached for his wallet, he accidentally bumped into a waiter carrying a tray of coffee cups. The coffee spilled everywhere, narrowly missing an elderly woman who was reading a romance novel.
"YOU AGAIN?!" the waiter yelled, recognizing Ryo from a previous incident involving spilled soup.
"I can explain!" Ryo stammered.
"You'd better explain why you're banned from this shop!"
"Banned?!"
Before things could escalate further, Sakura appeared in the doorway, sighing loudly. "I leave you alone for five minutes, and you start an international incident?"
She paid for the coffee and dragged Ryo out by the collar.
---
Dumpster Diplomacy
Back in the alley, they were ambushed by none other than Kazuki, the Vice Commander of the Obsidian Order.
Kazuki smirked as he stepped out of the shadows, looking every bit the smug villain he aspired to be. "Ah, the Chosen One. I've been looking forward to this."
Ryo blinked. "Who are you?"
Kazuki's smirk faltered. "I'm Kazuki. Vice Commander of the Obsidian Order."
"That sounds like a band," Ryo said.
"It's NOT a band!" Kazuki snapped. "We're the most feared organization in the magical world!"
Sakura rolled her eyes. "Great. Another melodramatic monologue."
Kazuki ignored her, raising a dark orb of energy in his hand. "Prepare yourself, Chosen One!"
Ryo, panicking, grabbed his staff. "Uh, Sakura? What do I do?"
"Try not to die," she replied, stepping aside to watch the show.
Kazuki hurled the orb at Ryo, who dodged awkwardly, tripping over his shoelace again.
"Why do my shoes hate me?!" Ryo yelled, scrambling to his feet.
As Kazuki prepared another attack, Ryo's eyes landed on the dumpster he had magically fortified the day before.
"Time for some garbage-fu," he muttered.
He shoved the glowing dumpster toward Kazuki, who was too busy gloating to notice.
The dumpster hit Kazuki square in the chest, sending him flying into a pile of trash bags.
Sakura burst out laughing. "You actually weaponized a dumpster. I can't believe it."
Kazuki groaned, pulling himself out of the garbage. "You'll regret this, Chosen One! The Obsidian Order will not forget!"
With a dramatic swirl of his cape, he vanished into the shadows.
---