(Thank you all for 2k reads on this story...)

30 minutes later, in the abandoned area where Cato and Shirou were previously

Cato

"Guess your little scouting paid off, huh?" Shirou asks me with a raised eyebrow.

"Fortune favors the prepared." I reply.

"Cato, why this place to train?" Michiru asks.

"Empty space, perfect terrain, no one to harm." I summarize in response. "Besides, it's getting dark anyways, and its best if we don't wake up anyone, hence the slight distance. Also would need the space for a little thing I have planned."

"Makes sense..." Nina utters, not knowing exactly what I have in mind for them.

"But as of right now, procrastination is the thief of time, so everyone go to the center of that area over there." I order them, pointing to the general area where me and Shirou had our little pep talk. "Line up from...youngest to oldest."

Going along with the command, because they're trying to get this started, they take haste in going to the close destination.

As they do, I limber up as I semi-wait, stretching my arms, legs, and core.

After I follow them and take position in front of them, I witness my students aligned formally in front of me.

From left to right, it's Nina, Michiru, Nazuna, Marie, and Shirou

Not as substantial as it might be, but they'll do perfectly for now.

In the dying light of the day, my students currently waiting for me to say something, the tension/awkwardness builds ever so slightly.

Side note: I know Nina's here, and I technically didn't get permission from her dad, I'll just have to talk to him eventually. Also, she was wanting to join for a while, so I can't exactly stop her in that case.

Let's do this.

"You are all here to learn the art of war, to be able to push yourselves past your limits and achieve heights you never thought possible. You must know, that learning to fight, and knowing how to do the deadly dance is a privilege, not a right. You are here because I chose you, and because you have proven you are worthy of attaining such knowledge through traits like determination, courage, selflessness, and the willingness to change for the better." I announce, pacing back and forth as I glance to and from my students.

They nod.

"It is with this, that I may confidently teach you, to harness your inner power, and unleash your potential." I end.

A hand raises from the group.

"Yes, Nina?" I ask the teenager.

"Um, how would we harness our, inner power?" She asks.

"Good question, actually. You first must be exposed to Awakened power in order for yours to be Awakened itself."

"What's that?" She asks.

"Awakening is when the dormant power within you gets either disturbed or activated, sometimes it manifests like a small ember burning, or rarer instances can be like match in a gas tank. The latter of the two, however, requires very specific conditions, so we won't need to worry about that for the time being." I explain. "It must occur when someone already has access to their energy, or Force, so to say, that allows that power to come into contact with you, and therefore, your own pool of power."

Marie and Nina look to each other confused, but the look of understanding instantly washes over Shirou and the other girls.

"OH! So THAT'S what you were doing!" Michiru points out.

"Exactly." I say.

"I thought I felt stronger." Shirou comments.

"When it happens, subject who are Awakened will notice themselves, if they've already had previous or ongoing training of any degree, increased defense and/or attack capabilities. It is with this, that I've reason to believe gave you the advantage or boost needed to at least survive against Scarecrow." I explain.

Everyone minus me and Nina slightly shivers at his name.

Seriously, he put an even bigger dent in us than Seraph did...I can't stress that enough.

And that dent is increasingly obvious the more both Nina and I look at our 4 friends.

"It's with this, and the fact that we emerged victorious, means only that we can learn from our mistakes. There's never enough times to learn, as it literally means life and death on whether or not you're prepared. If we are to encounter him again, which I'd prefer not to, we can counter what he can throw at us."

I guarantee you Nazuna just had a PTSD flashback at being impaled by the chain and yanked towards a chokehold.

"First things first, I'm aware on where you guys are, I've seen you guys in combat." I say. "You have your strengths and weaknesses. I'll summarize them to you, so you can learn about, and learn from them."

I go up to everyone I've fought alongside.

Starting with Shirou.

I still find it weird how we look somewhat alike, more so given that we're similar in height, with him probably about a hair taller.

"Shirou Ogami, you're definitely hard as nails. You utilize brutality in your combat style to inflict as much pain as possible, whether it be using your claws, punching, throwing, anything to disrupt your opponent's senses. I also noticed that despite your size, you are quite stealthy. As invaluable of a tool that would be, in an all-out fight it would not make much of a difference. On another note, I've yet to see your Ginrou form yet beyond that laser you shot at Seraph."

He nods in agreement with my summary.

"It's my Sonic Howl, I can use it in emergency situations. Better, if I've accessed my Ginrou form, but like the Howl, I don't use it unless I need to." He says. "Until I can actually get my abilities back..."

"Could you do it on demand? Or do you have to be in a certain emotional state?" I ask.

"Demand. Though if I get emotionally overwhelmed, I did, unfortunately lose control of my power." He admits.

"Well, I appreciate you being honest about that. We'll work on that." I say.

"Thank you. Also, I can't help but notice I couldn't get a read on you with my smell, first time we met. Is it because you're not of this world?" He asks strangely.

"Pardon?" I ask.

Michiru interjects and explains.

"It's relating to the time when he tracked you, and you saw him."

"Ah. So you say you can't get a read on me, right?" I ask.

"Yes." He says.

"Well, if it's psychometry-based, then it's likely due to the mental barrier I put around my mind to protect it from ulterior forces or intrusions." I explain, tapping my head.

"How do you do that?" Michiru asks.

"Mental Training. You do so after doing Physical and Power training. It's like sharpening your abilities after you gain them."

"Fascinating." Shirou comments.

"Any other abilities you may have, or had?" I ask.

"Contrary to what happened with the last couple fights, I can normally regenerate, and heal from wounds and injuries exceptionally quick. But it takes a lot out of me and I need some time afterwards to recover. Hence why I find those Seeds of yours convenient." He says.

"If healing used up your energy, maybe save it as a trump card unless you absolutely need it." I suggest.

"Maybe." The now-human wolfman says.

I move on to Marie, the mink Beastman looks at me with her currently human emerald eyes.

"Marie Itami. You'd be what I'd call a Rogue. Nimble, ninja-like, and deadly to match. If you've been living on the street, surviving in the concrete jungle has certainly paid off. I also notice your adeptness in acrobatics, a trait that most would not think be absolutely necessary, but it is. Being able to move your limbs as best as they can with full control is something invaluable to dodging. But agility can only go so far if you can't make a dent in your opponent. I can sense your power, and though it has potential, your physical strength would not be substantial enough in fighting someone with your speed but greater strength."

"Saying I'm weak?" She asks with a raised eyebrow. "Not a good start, bud."

"That you can be stronger, and that the effects of a weakness must either be reduced to a minimum or eliminated entirely. If you have a weakness, it WILL be exploited. I guarantee it." I explain. "However, do you, by chance, have any other abilities as well?"

"Beyond my claws and standard stronger-than-humans strength?" She asks, putting her fingers on her chin and rubbing it, skimming her mind for other abilities as well.

She comes up blank.

"No...no not really." She admits.

"Perfectly fine. It only means you have more to achieve." I assure her, moving on and leaving her slightly disappointed with her lack of abilities compared to Shirou, and soon the other girls.

"Nazuna? You're older than Michiru, right?" I ask her, pointing to one and the other.

"By, like a month or so." The pink fox girl points out, her Tanuki friend only shrugs her shoulders, likely having already gone over this before.

"It's alright, just making sure. You looked so similar in age." I say.

I shake my head to dismiss the confusion.

"Well, Nazuna Hiwatashi. As far as I've seen and as far as you've told me, you have more to work with when it comes to your abilities. Your shapeshifting is a tool that grants you the versatility edge in battle. Given that you, and even extending to Michiru, can enlarge and stretch your limbs to deal physical damage and increase your defense on the fly, you can even catch someone off guard when you bulk up your limbs. In addition to that, your shapeshifting even grants you the power of flight, but as of recently you are more elegant in your moves and dodging, at least when you're calm. You'd need to focus more on the various different ways to implement your shapeshifting, and maybe even find more things to turn into."

She nods.

"You also would need more time to polish up your moves, implement more martial arts and formal combat. That'll be a focus." I say.

"Do people get any other abilities when they train?" She asks.

"THAT, is an entirely separate issue I have encountered before, but that's a whole day's worth of a discussion, so I'll have to elaborate later."

She nods in understanding as I then move on to Michiru.

"Michiru Kagemori. As I've summarized with Nazuna, being a shapeshifter is an invaluable tool. You have also had more experience in the field than her, however, so you've had more time to sharpen your abilities. You still, however, like everyone else, need to build up your strength and skill to match up in a fight. If you can increase your strength using your gorilla arms, or if they are just increasing mass to generate force, then we'll formulate ways to use it properly."

"Got it." She says understandingly.

Finally, there's...

"Nina Flip..." I say.

The little blue-haired girl nods in anticipation for my critique of her.

I've never seen her fight before, so I can't really say anything either positive or negative...

I'll just go with what I know.

"Given that you're a Beastman, and that your strength, speed, and durability is likely greater than that of a human, maybe finding what special abilities you have will be a good start. What kind of Beastman are you again? I know you're something aquatic." I ask.

"Dolphin." She says.

"Thank you. I sometimes forget things like that. Maybe find something you can do that's circled around your Dolphin physiology. If not, we can always find ways to supplant it." I explain.

She nods again, smiling.

Alrighty then...

I think I did a halfway decent job at that.

I do believe that's everyone.

"One last thing. Nina, Marie." I call to the girls.

They turn to me.

"I'll need you for a moment. I should've done this a while ago, but I'm confident in this, now."

The dark-skinned woman and blue-haired teenager walk up to me in confusion.

"Give me your hands." I tell them.

The girls look to each other, and then reach out their hands to me.

I take Marie's right hand in mine and Nina's left in my own.

I inhale deeply, and tap into my inner power, allowing it to flow from my core, through my limbs, and into their forms, shown by the signature glow from my hands. The light from in between our hands leaks out, and seeps back into their veins.

Briefly, the outside world somewhat ceases to exist as I continue.

"Oh, he's doing it for them!" Michiru whispers to Nazuna, who nods with a smile.

Though after a slight struggle from the mink and the dolphin, they relent and allow me to complete the process, finishing with me releasing their arms and them observing their limbs.

We soon return to the here and now.

"You are now Awakened." I announce to them. "Do you by chance feel a little stronger?"

They rub their hands.

"Kind of..." Nina utters.

"Maybe...?" Marie says, uncertainly.

"How come I wasn't awakened when you carried me?" Nina asks intuitively.

"I voluntarily kept the energy from saturating or coming into contact with you during so. I didn't want to do anything drastic just yet at the time." I explain.

"What about the piece you gave me?" Marie asks.

"As I said earlier, I utilized it as a means for you to find me, I don't store any energy in it if I don't allow it."

"Oh, alright then."

"Okay. Now that we've accomplished that, we'll begin with Strength training, or...at least the introductions..." I say, walking past my students, me facing the widely empty field in front of us. "Everything we discussed is in terms of your Beast forms. But until we find a solution to your guys' condition, THIS is what we'll be doing to supplant it."

They turn to face the field.

"How?" Shirou asks.

"What time is it?" I ask.

Michiru pulls out her phone and checks it.

"6:59. Why?" She asks.

As she finishes speaking, I can feel the distinct sensation of something being sent here, similar to how my sword was brought here initially.

"Five, four, three, two, one..." I count down with my fingers.

BOOM-WHOOOO!!!

Like a meteorite falling from the sky, my very special order emerges into this reality with a miniature neon sonic boom.

This, obviously, throws the girls into shock, more so than usual, especially at the spontaneousness of this. Shirou more or less looks defensive, a natural reaction coming from someone like him.

The massive object's velocity is eventually slowed by special white light propulsion systems, eventually landing like a helicopter delivering a VIP.

This at least puts everyone at ease.

SSSSHHHH!!!

The mechanical behemoth finally rests, and exterior lights activate on it, revealing the size of it being about as big as the buildings behind us.

This little concept that we brought with us across the Conceivable Plane...and managed to make manifest...is what I ordered.

A rectangular box-like structure that is mostly a silvery chrome and round corners and edges, nothing much on it beyond just the lights and the signature Eye above a door...

Leading inside...

"W...What...is that?" Nazuna asks, pointing at it.

"This...is what I was talking about earlier." I say, marching over to it.

I place my hand upon the landing mechanisms, gliding it over them before watching a small ramp emerges and sets down, staircase steps rising up from it and providing a path inside.

I walk on the metal steps, the sound of it almost being rhythmic as I approach the door, grabbing the handle, turning it, and opening it into the unknown.

I turn to my students.

"Come on. Greatness waits for no one." I tell them.

They get the memo as they go to the steps and ascend them, arriving by my side as I walk inside the metal structure with them.

MMMMM!!

The first thing that we hear and see when I lead them inside is the sight and sound of bright white fluorescent lights illuminating in response to our presence, revealing an immensely spacious area with dark blue metallic walls, red tile-like floors, and a white ceiling.

Mom, Dad...did you customize this in respect to me and my friends?

Always looking out for me even when I'm away...

I shake my head.

In the center area reminiscent of a 'core', is the one thing that protrudes from the ground, contrasts with the vast emptiness of the interior of the structure.

It looks like one of those capsules that astronauts would return to earth in, just narrower.

When I walk up to it, it's about as tall as me and Shirou combined, and on what could be described as a 'control panel' screen is...

1G

Clearly, we haven't gotten the good cell service here. (Intellectual boi kicks down door to slap dumb boi)

"What...is this place?" Michiru asks, observing everything around her.

"Out there, we'll focus on skill and power. Here, we'll do strength, and eventually all 3 at once in here." I announce, analyzing the controls of the core to make sure I know what's what.

"But how do we do strength in here?" She asks again.

"Guys, have you ever sometimes felt that you're just under so much pressure in this world? So much so you feel like you'd crumble under it?" I ask, turning to them.

"Yeah." Michiru says sheepishly.

"Definitely." Nazuna holds her arm.

"Too much." Shirou stares at me.

"Kind of..." Marie puts her hands on her hips.

"Maybe...actually yeah." Nina says.

"So, while it may seem that way if you are under that kind of pressure, many people don't realize that how you function under such is what determines how qualified you are. The fact that you can handle stress is another trait to have. But that doesn't just apply to mental stress." I say, holding my hand over a big red button pointing upwards next to the 1G. "Under enough stress, and for the right piece of coal, anyone can become a diamond."

I look back to everyone.

"You might want to brace for this." I say, lifting my hand up.

FFSSHHHH!!!

They all take bracing positions for whatever I have planned, as Nina instinctively activates her Dolphin form, also being exceedingly confused as to why the others aren't transforming.

She doesn't know...

"It's not just functioning under mental stress that it applies to..."

I bring my hand down.

SLAM!!!

VVVVVMMMMM!!!!!

Near instantly after I hit the activation switch, it all soon takes effect.

The air suddenly gets slightly thinner, a figurative and LITERAL weight gets applied to my body, with the lights getting slightly dimmer.

I lock my legs and wings to keep myself in place, even utilizing a small fraction of my power to keep myself stable against the newly formed force.

"...It applies to physical pressure, too."

This is bittersweetly familiar, in my case.

In my friends/students' case, however...

Shirou's eyes instantly go wide, as he notices it is more difficult to move his arm, even STAND for that matter. Confusing him more is when he realizes his coat and clothes are being PULLED DOWN. He spreads apart his legs slightly to stand tall against the pressure. Being the physically strongest of the group, at least in terms of humans, it's easier for him than everyone else.

Speaking of...

Michiru looks like she's being pull down via her shoulders, like invisible arms flung up from the floor to drag her underground. Her knees buckle, she grits her teeth, trying to build up the strength to stay up, but is not as fortunate as Shirou is, and falls on one knee.

Nazuna doesn't fare much better. Her longer hair doesn't do her any favors either, as it looks like it's being forced against her head alongside her ears, like Michiru's. It only takes her a few moments of withstanding the pressure for her to hunch over on all fours, still struggling even with her maximum base strength. Her breath is almost taken away at it as well.

Marie fares about how you'd expect. The dark-skinned woman's eyes are wide open, on both her knees, attempting to lift up her arms, but failing as well. She breathes in and out to try and keep herself calm, but the thinner air makes it difficult as well.

The one I feel the most sympathy for, however, is Nina.

She's literally fallen on her back right now, and staying there like a blue and white pancake. The fact that she doesn't have any legs in her dolphin form only adds to the insult of her not being able to stay upright.

Michiru eventually gathers the strength to at least stand up on two, still buckling her knees while she's at it.

Nazuna eventually joins her, but hunched over, struggling to get her back straightened while trying not to break it.

Marie and Nina still can't get themselves up, as they are unfortunately the physically weakest out of all of us.

"W...what....what....IS THIS??!!" Michiru screams, eyes wide open.

"I...can...barely...move!!!" Shirou exclaims, gritting his sharp teeth.

"Sometimes you feel like you're frozen in place. Unable to escape the confines of your own survival instincts that make you petrified in fear and stress." I say. "Being able to break free of those chains and create new heights for yourself is the first crucial step."

When they all get the strength to look at me with a 'MAKE THIS END!!!' look, I know it's time to spare them any more suffering.

This might've been a little crueler than I thought it'd be.

I turn back to the control panel, currently displaying...

2G

Wait a minute...

If it's twice, it shouldn't be this-

I turn around and tap the screen.

It flickers, suddenly revealing a little mistake in the customization options.

It wasn't 2G, but 5G.

OH SHOOT!

I hastily hit the green arrow pointing down.

CLICK!!!

VVVVVMMMMM!!!!!

The lights soon brighten back to their former glory, and the pressure on me and everyone else is alleviated.

The air even returns to normal so they can breathe properly.

The following moments consist of them finally getting a chance to stand, checking their forms to be sure nothing's bleeding or ruptured.

When they discover they're uninjured, and Shirou, Nina, and Marie all turn back into their human forms...

"What...was that...?" Marie slowly asks, shaken by what happened.

"It's not what THAT was, it's what THIS is." I ominously say, gesturing to this place.

"Yeah, we got the memo on that. What are you saying? What is this place?!" Marie exclaims.

I gaze upon the vast openness once more as they wait in anticipation.

I take a deep breath, closing my eyes before opening them to shatter my friends' worlds once more.

"It's a Gravity Chamber."

"A...w...what?!" Nazuna asks in sheer confusion.

"A Gravity Chamber. A revolutionary training mechanism utilized by the Kin that can artificially increase the gravity of the interior to entice your body and muscles to get far stronger than they ever would on Earth." I explain. "That...to be honest...was 5 times normal Earth gravity."

"First off...how? And why?" Marie exclaims.

"In the instance of how, it was because we mastered a special physics formula that allowed us to generate artificial gravity and make manifest this concept. In the why, I've already said why...but on the topic of why it was THAT strong...I didn't realize it was set to multiples of fives instead of one by one. I think this was being used before it was sent here...but either way, I will say it was my fault for not checking." I admit.

I bow my head.

"I apologize for that."

"You're...good..." Michiru forgives me.

"It's alright..." Nazuna does the same as she stands up, joining everyone else.

"But you also get the general idea of this. Training under this kind of pressure will without a doubt push you past your physical limits." I say. "We'll increase the gravity as we go along."

"How high does it go?" Shirou asks.

I look at the console, making doubly sure what I'm reading is correct.

"Minimum is 1G, maximum is 200G." I bluntly say.

The deadpanned looks they all give me at how I announced that are just priceless.

"TWO HUNDRED TIMES GRAVITY?!" Michiru bleats out.

"That'd crush us!!" Nazuna adds.

"We could barely stand 5 times." Shirou comments as a matter of fact-ly. "And we're human right now."

I hold up my hand.

"Not unless you're prepared for it. Even normal humans can be pushed past their limits. It's why we'll do it over time. I doubt you'll need to go to the maximum, but we'll see how strong you can get."

"So you're not planning on crushing us anytime soon?" Marie asks, making me slightly chuckle.

"No, not exactly wanting to make you into pancakes right now." I say. "Since the introduction is technically part of training, I'll leave it here for today, for your guys' sake. Especially after what happened earlier..."

The group near instantly sighs in relief at not having to be put through any more than they already have.

I lead everyone outside and down the metal steps, of which reenter the Gravity Chamber and it goes into lockdown to ensure no one else enters.

As I observe it, suddenly, a hand raises up from the group.

"Yes, Nina?" I ask.

"Uh, Cato, I know that I came along for this, but I was out and about earlier because I wanted to go to a party on the mainland. It's almost 8 right now and the party starts at 8:30. Is it alright if I go?" She asks, holding out her phone.

"Nina, you know it's not wise for you to go alone." Michiru comments. "Remember last time?"

"I know, but Lisa's not there this time. And I won't let anyone throw me in a water tank again." The teenager responds.

"I know, but-" Nina tries to say.

"I'll come along with you." I offer.

"Are you sure?" Nina asks.

"I can make sure nothing goes wrong. Besides. It'll also be good to scope out the places beyond just the island." I explain.

"Oh, okay."

"Though if you do know how to get back to your house without your dad knowing, it like to keep tensions minimal in that department." I say.

"I...know..." She replies.

"Anyone else wanting to go?" I ask. "Wait...now that I think about it..."

I should've been asking this from the start.

"Do you guys have anything beyond just doing this? I know I'm asking a lot from you, but you're bound to have lives outside of this. Any jobs? Occupations? Friends? Family?" I ask.

"I'm technically classified as a social worker, and I haven't had any work beyond what Mayor Rose has been giving me as of recently." Shirou says. "But I still need to continue patrolling the city."

"I don't exactly have a job, I've kind of been freelancing since I've been here." Michiru adds.

"It used to be just me doing concerts, but since the cult's been dissolved, I haven't been needed that much." Nazuna says.

Cult?

Did we talk about that at any point?

Oh, likely that Silver Wolf Order they mentioned...

I keep forgetting about it...

"I still have my merch stand to worry about, but I don't need to get back to work until tomorrow." Marie says.

"Okay, so I'd have to assume that Shirou is unavailable to go tonight?" I ask.

"Yeah." Shirou says.

"Actually..." Nazuna interjects.

"Yeah?"

"I won't be able to either. I kind of wanted to talk to you guys about this..." She says.

"What?" Michiru asks.

"Earlier, as some of you guys know, I made a call...to Mayor Rose." She says.

If she contacted her, it's big.

She takes a deep breath.

"I've been seriously considering this for a while now. I've only been living in a temporary city-sanctioned apartment for the time being anyways, so it felt like a good time to do it. The final nail in the coffin was after today, and what Scarecrow told me what he almost did to Youta...Cato...did you save him?" She interrogates me monotonously.

"Yeah. Scarecrow was far too close more than once to even touching Youta, but I gave him the time to get away." I respond, she sighs in relief.

"Good. But the fact that Scarecrow more than likely could've sent his little copies after the rest of the kids, only means that they're undefended. Given all that I've done to this city, and my vow to start making it better to remediate what I've done..." She says, taking one more deep breath.

We stare at her in anticipation

"I'm going to move into the Orphanage. I'll be undertaking a job there as an Orphan Keeper. Not only as a job, but to protect the kids that live there until they find homes and families that will care for them. Rose has already approved of it and will have me started ASAP." She announces.

We just stand in silence in what she's planning on doing.

She's really going through with her plan on helping others...taking the first step.

Her best friend is the first to congratulate her.

"Oh Nazuna! That's awesome!" She elates, sweeping up her orange-haired friend in a bear hug.

"A noble choice, kid." Shirou compliments her.

"You go, girl." Marie also compliments her.

"That's so nice of you!" Nina exclaims.

"I have confidence in you. Nazuna." I say to her. "You've already shown the willingness to, and that's the first step."

"Thanks guys, it means a lot." She humbly replies. "So long story short, I won't be able to go tonight."

"It's perfectly alright." I assure her.

"So, when do we wanna head out?" Nina asks.

"Actually, there's one last thing I want to show you guys before we all head our separate ways for the day." I say, the group turns to me.

I hold up my fingers to my head, locking onto the location I was at earlier, and holding out my other for everyone to hold.

Michiru and Nazuna suddenly sigh in 'I really don't want to do this'.

"I know you're not the biggest fans of it right now, but trust me. It won't take long." I say. "We'll be in and out, no more than 5 or 10 minutes."

Michiru and Nazuna explain to Nina and Marie what I plan on doing, with me preparing to initiate the Warp.

Within moments, my hand is enveloped entirely with that of my friends currently ready for me to take them to this new place.

"Brace yourselves, this is going to be kind of...otherworldly for some of you." I announce, gesturing to Nina and Marie, who turn their heads in confusion.

I close my eyes, making absolutely sure where I am going is the same place as previously...

Locked on.

VRREEEEE-WHOOOSH!!

In a flash of light, we are no longer in front of the Gravity Chamber, and instead soaring through spacetime travelling to the different place on planet Earth. Same deal with the effect as before, mostly with Nina and Marie, but with a lesser effect of the Warp occurring to the rest of the group.

VRREEEEE-WHOOOSH!!

In a second flash, this new place is soon occupied with our presence.

I, once again need to aid those I've introduced this technique to.

Nina and Marie, having their first Warp, need a little longer than Shirou and the girls did when we first Warped. Marie losing her balance and Nina being exceedingly dizzy, so we have help them to regain their equilibrium.

"You good?" I ask.

"Y-Yeah..." Nina utters, managing to stand up properly.

"Barely..." Marie adds, doing the same.

"It gets easier the more you do it. It'll be alright." I say.

When they recover, we can finally get a bearing of our surroundings.

It's dark out here. Very dark.

More so due to the sheer amount of clouds surrounding us.

We're on a distinctly mountainous terrain, with us being on the summit of one such stone behemoth.

It's humid, yet exceedingly comfortably cool, and the smell of the crisp Caribbean-like air saturates my nostrils, one of my favorite sensations in the world. Adding to that is a miniature sprinkle of rain that somehow completes the aesthetic, especially with the vast ocean being right in front of us leading to the unknown.

"Where...are we?" Michiru asks.

"This place is cool." Nazuna comments.

"Really cool." Nina adds, kicking a rock off the ledge, observing as it goes all the way down. She steps back for her safety.

Shirou randomly sniffs the air several times, and scans the horizon, before getting a wide-eyed look of realization.

"Hold up...we're in Venezuela." He quickly observes the terrain. "Yeah. I've been to this country before. I'd recognize the smell and sights anywhere."

"Venezuela? That South American country?" Marie asks in confusion.

"Yeah. Rose sent me on a diplomatic mission here once. It did not turn out well..." He says, remembering such time that sounds like it obviously went horribly awry. "Also even in my human form I've learned to distinguish smells of places, that's how I knew where we were."

"I believe she mentioned that you came here during our first meeting." I comment.

"She say anything else about it?" He asks.

"Nothing beyond what you mentioned." I clarify.

"Came here to investigate what was going on, just so happened to be when the economy collapsed, and the whole country went into poverty..." He explains. "Talk about Murphy's Law..."

"Damn..." I utter.

Same situation as always...

I walk towards the edge of the cliff facing the endless ocean, soon turning to face my friends.

"But Cato, why'd you want to bring us here?" Michiru asks.

As if on cue-

BOOM!

They all recoil instantly at the MASSIVE flash of light in front of them, leaving their hair standing on end.

"What the hell was that?!" Marie exclaims.

CRACK!!!

They flinch once again at the spontaneous nature of what's right in front of them.

I turn to face what I'd consider to be the Eighth Wonder of the World, a phenomenon that only exists on this part of the planet.

KA-BOOOM!!!!

A beautiful, magnificent, chaotic, even, array of blue and faintly orange crackling pillars come down from the sky, making contact with the ocean.

The whole spectacle making it look like a deadly forest of light.

I hold out my arms in embrace of this as my friends look on.

"What're you-" Michiru tries to ask...but...

I look at the heavens, with a bolt coming straight down at me.

KA-BOOOM!!!!

I allow the rays to strike me, causing me to tense up, as I haven't done this in quite some time.

After calming myself down, and adapting myself to it once more, I allow it all to light me up, letting the sparks dance across me and my skin, mimicking the method of which that allowed me...

To master the control of my power...

As my eyes glow white, and I hold out my hand, demonstrating the wondrous power in my palm...

To my awed friends, as it glows in front of them...

"Behold, The Lightning of Catatumbo."

Chapter End