Recruitment

Morning came!

Gotan opened the restaurant door, still looking sleepy, stretching his arms as he yawned. Out of nowhere, he did a quick backflip and landed on the ground full of energy.

“Aaaaah!” he shouted loudly and excitedly. “Today is Mania’s recruitment day, let’s go!”

Suddenly, he stopped. He froze in place! Something had caught his attention. Slowly, he began to lower his head, hesitating. The moment he looked down, he was startled.

One of his boots was stepping in a purple liquid, and it was obviously no ordinary liquid — it was blood. And it could only be his father’s.

“Dad!? Daaaad!” he called out as he followed the blood trail to where his father was lying, motionless, dead!

“Daaaaaaaaaad!” he screamed in shock.

***

Kubo was walking down the street, calm as always, chewing his gum. He was thinking to himself: so, it’s today! Well, the academy can wait a bit. Let me stop by the restaurant first and get something to eat…

Suddenly, Kubo stopped, confused by what he saw. There was a small, agitated crowd gathered in front of Rino Amazo’s restaurant.

He let out a worried sigh. It was clear he had realized what had happened.

“Don’t tell me…”

He immediately ran over there and pushed through the crowd at the door.

There was Gotan, leaning on Mania’s shoulder, holding his father’s body in his arms. Gotan was in tears, while Mania tried to comfort him.

There were also a few soldiers — ninjas e samurais — at the scene, investigating for clues.

Kubo approached slowly, his eyes scanning the restaurant — everything was in place. No signs of a struggle.

So there was no fight. What could have happened?

He walked up to Gotan and knelt down, looking at him with deep sympathy.

“I’m sorry, kid.”

“Who is this man?” asked Mania, clearly curious.

“What did you say to him yesterday that left him so worried he ended up taking his own life?” Gotan asked, visibly shaken.

“So it’s this guy’s fault? I’ll kill him right now!” Mania shouted furiously.

“Stop being idiots. Your father would never take his own life… he was murdered.”

“Don’t be an idiot yourself! If you knew Uncle Rino’s power, you’d know no one could do this without a serious fight. Can’t you see the place shows no signs of battle?” Mania snapped, still fuming.

“He didn’t want to fight. He was surely trying to protect you, kid. Someone is hunting the Amazo Clan because of the purple blood. He killed everyone, and your father was the last one. If he knew you existed, you’d be dead by now.”

“He talked about an enemy with power greater than the three nations. Could it be him?” Gotan wondered aloud, deep in thought.

“Maybe. If he managed to wipe out the Amazo Clan, then the power level fits.”

“My dad said only I could stop that man. But I have to let go of hate first in order to awaken the ‘Circle’. I don’t think I can do it now… because all I feel is hate. I want revenge,” Gotan confessed, full of rage.

“Of course you have to get revenge. You’ll have to awaken that ‘Circle’ through hate if you must. And if you can’t… then you’ll have to defeat that assassin anyway,” Mania said firmly.

“Mania, you can go to the academy so you don’t miss the recruitment. I’ll stay here and take care of things with this man.”

“My name is Kubo Kaisen. No need to go, girl. The captain won’t be showing up at the academy today.”

“How do you know?” Mania asked, puzzled.

“Because he’s here right now, taking care of this boy who just lost his father.”

“You’re the captain who’s going to recruit us!?” Mania asked, very surprised.

“Let’s take care of things here. Recruitment will happen another day” Kubo stated decisively.

***

The next day. Morning.

Gotan, Mania, Kubo, and some villagers were at the cemetery.

Everyone wore black kimonos, and their faces were marked by sadness. It was the funeral of the late Rino.

Gotan, who stood closer to the front, approached the grave and remained there, still and thoughtful. His gaze was heavy with sorrow.

***

Later that day, Gotan, Mania, and Kubo were sitting at the restaurant. The atmosphere was heavy with sadness and silence.

“I’ve already sent a message to Headquarters informing them about what happened… I came by that day to warn your father about the assassin, but I didn’t think he’d come after him so soon,” said Kubo.

“He didn’t even give Uncle Rino time to prepare, not even enough to return to the capital and take refuge at Headquarters,” added Mania.

“I don’t think that would’ve helped much. Given the assassin’s power level, no place would’ve been safe. I believe your father chose to die to prevent the assassin from hunting him so much that he’d eventually discover he had a son.”

“My father sacrificed himself so I could live. And I don’t know how to honor that sacrifice… whether by fighting or by pursuing peace, like he always wanted,” said Gotan.

“Seek peace through battle, Gotan! Uncle Rino gave you a mission to stop that mysterious man, who is probably also the assassin,” encouraged Mania.

“Well, kid… You need to decide what you’re going to do from now on. Whether you’ll stay in the kitchen, or whether you’ll fight. Whether you’ll follow the path of peace, or the path of war,” said Kubo with a hopeful look.

“I need to be alone to think,” said Gotan, looking distant and deeply thoughtful.

“And we also need to go do the recruitment test. Let’s go to the academy, Mania. I want to see what you’re made of,” Kubo said in a more casual tone.

“Let’s do this, Captain!” Mania replied, excited, rubbing her hands together with a smile on her face. ‘Gotan, once recruitment’s over, I’ll come by to say goodbye, okay?”

“Alright.”

“Bye, kid.”

Kubo and Mania left. Gotan stayed behind, sitting there, thoughtful and sad.

Then he lowered his head, and tears began to fall from his closed eyes. His body trembled as he tried to hold back the crying, but his sobs could still be heard.

***

At the Academy.

Kubo, always chewing gum and blowing bubbles, was standing beside an older man, the Academy’s sensei.

The two stood in front of Mania and Mikko Mugen — a 15-year-old boy, a samurai with a katana at his waist.

In the back, a bunch of ninja and samurai academy students sat watching.

“Sensei, just curious... are there many students here with elemental blood?” Kubo asked.

“No! As expected, most don’t have elemental blood. But among those who do, I guarantee these two here are the best. I’m sure you’ll approve them.”

“Let’s see… I’m a tough one to impress.”

“We’re going to exceed your expectations, Captain!” Mikko said confidently.

“Well, the test is a fight between me and both of you. If either of you manages to land a single hit on me, both of you pass. I don’t know your abilities yet, so use that to your advantage.”

“But we don’t know yours either, Captain. So I don’t think that makes much difference,” Mikko replied.

“Don’t worry. Since you’re still at the ‘line’ level, I won’t use my powers. I’ll fight using only basic physical combat skills.”

“This must be a joke! I want a real fight,” Mania snapped, outraged.

“Well, I was going to give you a 10-minute time limit, but thanks to Mania’s overconfidence, I’ll cut it to 5 minutes.”

“You see that, Mania!? Now we only have half the time to hit the Captain,” Mikko said, very annoyed.

“I don’t care. I’ll hit him before that,” Mania replied calmly.

“Then let’s begin. You may activate your powers!” Kubo ordered.

Mikko drew his katana slightly and ran his thumb along the edge, cutting his finger just a bit to draw blood. Then he unsheathed the sword completely and took his stance.

Mania pulled a kunai from her ninja tool pouch, pricked one of her fingers until a small drop of blood appeared, and put the kunai back. She also assumed a fighting stance.

“Very well!” Kubo glanced at the wall clock. “Starting now!”

Red! Mania screamed in her mind as she launched into action. Her skin turned red.

Her speed and movements became much faster, almost catching Kubo by surprise, but he dodged just in time.

“Whoa, you change colors, you weirdo!?” Kubo said, surprised and impressed.

Mania didn’t stop. She kept up a flurry of attacks— kicks and punches — forcing Kubo to dodge non-stop, barely able to catch his breath.

He kept dodging until he ended up against the wall. Mania rushed him with a punch, he narrowly dodged, and her fist smashed through the wall, leaving a large hole.

Kubo looked at the hole, alarmed, and let out a sigh of relief.

When she changes color, she gains superhuman strength, agility, and speed. Interesting!

Kubo seized the brief pause to counterattack and launched a powerful kick aimed at Mania’s head.

Blue! Mania shouted in her mind. Instantly, she turned blue.

She let the kick hit her — but nothing happened. She stopped it with her head, totally unharmed.

Kubo was stunned. Mania immediately tried to punch him, but he easily dodged and her punch hit another part of the wall, but this time didn’t leave a mark.

“So this time the wall didn’t break… That means the superhuman strength, agility, and speed only come with the red. With blue, you gain invulnerability, but the rest returns to normal,” Kubo observed, clearly impressed.

“So, Captain!? Regretting not using your powers?”

“You have some interesting powers. But don’t get too excited. You still haven’t landed a hit. And I doubt you’ll do it in blue… you’ll need your speed, agility and strength.”

Red! She screamed internally again, turning red and launching back into attack.

She fell for my bait. Now that she’s lost her invulnerability, I’ll knock her out in one blow. Thought Kubo, dodging the powerful barrage. Then, right as Mania tried to reposition herself, Kubo struck, landing a solid punch to her face.

Mania staggered, dizzy, her left eye swollen and bruised.

“Sorry, girl. With that punch, you’re out of the fight!”

Green! She screamed in her mind. Instantly, she turned green.

Her injured eye immediately healed — the swelling and bruising vanished. Her eye returned to normal.

Then, Mania returned to her normal skin tone with a smug smile, completely healed.

“What!?” Kubo asked, stunned.

“That’s right, Captain. I still had a color up my sleeve. You really thought I’d fall for your bait and be out? Hahaha! My ‘green’ grants instant regeneration and recovery. It’s so powerful that I can regenerate even from mutilations.”

This color power of hers is incredible. I’m lucky I got sent to this village. I hit the jackpot with this girl! Kubo thought, barely hiding his excitement.

“Mania, don’t attack alone, you idiot! Let’s go together if we want a chance to land a hit,” Mikko shouted, katana still raised.

“Two-on-one is for the weak. If you want to fight, go solo. He’s all yours. You’ve got one minute, if you don’t land a hit, then I’ll finish it,” Mania said, smiling at the Captain.

“Very well, kid. Show me what you’ve got,” said Kubo encouragingly.

Mikko charged, launching a flurry of sword strikes while Kubo dodged with ease.

The reach of a sword is greater than hand-to-hand attacks. Dodging alone won’t work. Better start blocking. Kubo thought, drawing a kunai from his ninja pouch.

He tried to block Mikko’s sword, but the blade passed right through the kunai.

Surprised, Kubo reacted quickly, dodging at the last second. He then tried to sweep Mikko’s legs, but his leg passed straight through.

“So your power is intangibility, interesting!” Kubo exclaimed, impressed.

“Exactly! But I can become tangible whenever I want… usually when my sword is passing through the enemy’s body.”

“I see! If you make the sword tangible while it’s inside your enemy, it’s instant death. A technique that can’t be blocked… but it can still be dodged. So, it is not effective if it can’t hit me.”

“Same goes for you, Captain. You can’t hit me. Which means I can attack freely, without fear of counterattacks.”

“But staying intangible too long without hitting anyone is pointless, your blood will boil for nothing.”

“Don’t worry about that, Captain. I’ll finish this on my next move.”

“And it looks like you can’t switch the intangibility between yourself and your sword. If you’re intangible, the sword is too. If you make the sword tangible, so are you.”

“True. I can’t switch yet, probably only after awakening the ‘Triangle’. But even so, it’s not something you can exploit.”

“Let me guess… Mania lets you hit her, and when your sword becomes tangible, so do you, and she uses the moment to knock you out, then regenerates.”

“But I doubt the Captain has regenerative powers.”

“I don’t know. I’ve never needed to use them.”

“But it doesn’t matter now. I only need one hit.”

“Then let’s see it!”

Mikko went to attack but was interrupted by Mania.

“Your minute is up. Now let me finish this while we still have time,” she said, stepping in.

“No! I want to fight! If you want, let’s fight together!” Mikko argued.

“Two-on-one? And he’s not even using powers? Sit down, weakling. I’ll finish this.”

“I’m staying! If you want to go solo, get through me first!”

“Who told you to waste your time talking instead of fighting!? Now move it!” Mania yelled, clearly irritated.

“I won’t!”

The two grabbed each other, furious.

“Enough! Your time is up!” Kubo announced.

They looked at the clock on the wall — time had really run out. They got nervous.

“So we’re eliminated?” Mania asked, desperate.

“What do you mean?” Kubo asked, confused.

“We didn’t land a hit on you, Captain!” Mikko answered, disappointed.

“Oh, that!? If you had hit me, that would’ve meant I wasn’t taking the test seriously. But you were good enough to make me fight seriously, because if you had landed a hit, I’d have been in real trouble. You both passed!”

They shouted with joy, the Academy sensei clapped happily, and the other students stood up to celebrate.

Suddenly, a voice called out:

“This isn’t the time to celebrate,” everyone looked over, Gotan was standing there, fists clenched and a serious expression. “Because I’m joining the Arena, and that means one of you is out.”

Kubo and Mania were happy to see him. The rest of the Academy was stunned.

“You’re not even an academy student! Go back to your kitchen,” Mikko said, annoyed.

“Oh yeah! Things just keep getting better!” Kubo exclaimed excitedly. “Very well, kid. Pick one of them to fight. If you win, you take their spot.”

“Thanks, sensei! Mikko, sorry… but you’re the one I’ll fight.”

“No need to apologize. I’ll be glad to take you down,” Mikko replied, drawing his sword.

Gotan calmly approached and stood right in front of Mikko.

“He knows that for us ninjas and samurai to activate our power, a weapon has to come into contact with our elemental blood, right?” Kubo asked Mania, clearly confused.

“He knows. Don’t worry.”

“Then lend him one of your weapons.”

“No need, sensei,” Gotan said, touching the tip of the small shuriken pendant he wore around his neck.

Gotan pricked his finger with it until it bled slightly and assumed a stance with his arms lowered and spread.

Suddenly, black tattoos appeared on both hands, extending to his forearms, and his fingernails got a bit sharper.

Everyone in the Academy was stunned. Kubo was excited, eager to see what would happen.

Mikko attacked with his sword, Gotan simply caught it with his left hand. The entire crowd gasped.

“My sword is intangible, how did you do that!?” Mikko asked, confused.

Still holding the sword, Gotan delivered a kick — which passed right through Mikko.

“Useless! I’m intangi…”

POW!

Before Mikko could finish his sentence, Gotan’s right hand punched him square in the face, hard.

Mikko was sent flying, disarmed, his sword still in Gotan’s hand. He was knocked out. The entire academy couldn’t believe what they had just seen.

“Everything falls before the power of my ‘Black Hands’,” Gotan declared, with a proud pose and commanding presence.

“Black Hands?” Kubo asked, intrigued.

“That’s the name he gave his power. The power of Gotan’s hands is from a higher plane, they ignore all powers, logic, and the rules of our reality. Neither attack nor defense has any effect against Gotan’s hands” Mania explained proudly.

“So with his hands, he can nullify any attack or defense, no matter how powerful the opponent. You two are incredible… this is my lucky day!” Kubo exclaimed, beaming.

“Unfortunately, we still don’t know why this power only manifests in his hands. The rest of his body is normal. But to compensate, Gotan became a close-combat specialist. Actually, both of us are, since our powers demand short-range fighting,” added Mania.

“Well, Gotan won! He’ll go with Mania to the Arena,” Kubo announced to the Academy.

“That’s not fair. He’s not even an academy student,” protested the sensei.

“Nothing is fairer than a duel,” Kubo declared.

Mikko got up, hurting, and approached.

“Good luck to both of you in the Arena,” he said respectfully.

“Mikko, unfortunately I can’t take three candidates. But ages 15 and 16 are eligible to enter not only the army but also the Special Unit, so you can still try again next year,” Kubo explained.

“Don’t worry, Captain. I’ll train harder and won’t waste my second chance next year.”

“Good! Those who fail to qualify for the Arena can still enlist directly into the First Division if they have elemental blood, or into the Second Division if they don’t. But your power fits the Special Unit, and we’ll need it.”

“Thank you, Captain!”

“Alright. Thank you, Sensei. Thank you, everyone,” said Kubo, then he turned to Mania and Gotan. “You two, get ready. Tomorrow, we head to the Capital!”

Gotan and Mania celebrated. They looked at each other, deeply moved, and embraced tightly.

***

The Next Day!

Morning broke.

Mania was in bed, sleeping. Then, she opened her eyes and smiled from ear to ear.

She looked to the side and saw her backpack, already packed and resting on the bed. Everything was ready for the big departure.

***

At Rino’s restaurant, everything was silent and empty. Sitting in one of the chairs was Gotan. His backpack was ready, resting on the table.

He held a framed photo, his eyes fixed on it, unable to hide his emotions. It was a photo of his family — him younger, together with his smiling parents.

He let out a sad sigh, then placed the framed photo inside his backpack, picked it up, and quietly left.

Without looking back, he opened the door, stepped outside, and closed it — leaving the restaurant empty, silent, and abandoned.

***

On a slightly busy street, Kubo, Gotan, and Mania were walking. The two younger ones had their backpacks on, their faces brimming with excitement.

“I want to make one thing clear: even if you lose in the Arena, you can still join the First Division, but … I won’t want to talk to you anymore,” said Kubo, in casual tone.

“Too late, Captain. You already like us, there’s no way you’ll stop talking to us. But lucky for you, that’s never gonna happen. We’re way too strong” Mania said, full of confidence.

“Relax, Sensei. I’d never choose to fight only to lose right away in the Arena.”

“So, kid… why did you decide to fight?”

“Because this is my path. My father chose his path, and I have the right to choose mine.”

“And what if his path was right and yours is wrong?”

“We all know his was the right one.”

“True! That is the right path. But unfortunately, in the ‘Janken World’, we think that protecting what we love gives us the right to do wrong. That’s the harsh truth of this world.”

“Path this, path that… Can you two stop with this boring talk!?” groaned Mania, clearly annoyed.

“Sensei, Mania only thinks about fighting and defeating opponents. You’ll have to get used to that.”

“We’re soldiers, and we fight. What’s so complicated about that? The only path that matters now is the one that leads to the boarding station.”

“Speaking of the boarding station… here we are,” said Kubo, pointing at the front gate.

They walked over to the service counter.

“Travel for three!” said Kubo, placing some bills on the counter.

“Destination?”

“Scroll Village!”

“Oh, so you're heading to the Capital!? Alright, go on through.”

They passed through into an open area and kept walking forward.

“You’ve flown on a ‘Paper Eagle’ before, right?”

“Yes, Sensei. Mania and I flew on one when we moved here.”

“Ah, so Mania’s from the Capital too. Did you fly on the same eagle?”

“Yeah, Sensei. It was me, my dad, Mania, and her parents. If I remember correctly, the passenger limit per eagle is five… no, wait… it’s six, right, Sensei?”

“Yes, six is the limit. More than that and the eagle risks falling apart mid-flight due to the load. But at least it’s more comfortable than the other nations’ transport systems.”

“So, have you ridden the ‘Clay Toad’ from the Rock Nation and the ‘Metal Snake’ from the Scissor Nation before, Captain?” Mania asked, curious.

“I have, during some diplomatic missions. But flying is always more comfortable.”

“How did you manage that? Don’t the transports require contact with elemental blood from their own nation to come to life and move?”

“There’s always someone from the proper nation assigned to that role, for passengers who are either from a different nation or from the same nation but without elemental blood.”

“Is the Metal Snake scary, Sensei?”

“It is. But it’s efficient, it allows up to twelve passengers. The Clay Toad from the Rock Nation holds six passengers, same as our Eagle. But they’ve got the advantage: the Snake’s metal is durable, and the Toad’s clay is regenerative. Our Paper Eagle can’t even fly in the rain.”

“Captain, we’re here!”

Before them stood a line of giant white Paper Eagles. They approached one of them. Kubo pulled out a kunai, pricked his finger, and pressed his bleeding finger to the eagle’s chest.

The eagle’s eyes lit up. They blinked and moved.

“Scroll Village!” Kubo said, still holding his finger to the eagle’s chest.

Then the eagle’s chest began to open, folding downward like a ramp.

“Let’s go in, everyone.”

They walked up the ramp and entered, and the ramp lifted back into place, sealing the eagle.

Inside, there were two wooden benches, side by side, with room for three people on each. They sat down and got comfortable.

“Did you know that transport animals only come to life to make one trip at a time, that’s why once it ends, they return to their original state,” Kubo explained casually.

“I just hope it doesn’t start raining out of nowhere,” Mania said, a little uneasy.

“Don’t worry. The paper used to build the eagles is reinforced and extremely durable, it can hold out long enough to make an emergency landing before it falls apart... Get ready. We’re about to take off.”

Everyone got into position.

From the outside, the eagle began to flap its wings, took off, and flew smoothly through the skies.