Chapter 8: Demonstrating Abilities Part 1

The next day.

The sun had barely begun to break through when Jojiro was already there.

Sitting at the exact center of the platform, legs crossed and eyes closed, as if the world around him didn't exist yet. The platform was wide and elevated, accessible by wooden steps that rose from the ground. Built with a resistant material that didn't give way to anything, reinforced with equally solid wood. A place that Zurame and Zianya had not created by chance.

They had built it with a very clear purpose.

Zianya stood near the edge, arms crossed, gaze fixed on the horizon. Zurame, beside her, kept that calm of hers that needed no words to make itself felt.

Neither of them spoke.

They simply waited.

Renir was the first to arrive.

He climbed the steps without rushing and stopped on the platform, observing it from one end to the other in silence, taking in every detail without hurry.

The perfect place to hold nothing back.

A certainty settled in him without anyone asking for it. He was going to show everyone how strong he was. Every single one of them.

Then, one by one, the others climbed up.

When the last one stepped onto the platform, Jojiro opened his eyes.

He stood without rushing, with a calm that needed no announcement, and turned toward the group. He observed them for a moment before speaking, as if measuring something only he could see.

-This will be the training ground -he said-. The platform was created by Zurame and Zianya, specifically for this purpose.

The silence that followed wasn't one of indifference. It was the silence of someone processing what they had in front of them.

Yuzo swallowed.

-Jojiro is taking this very seriously.

-Exactly -said Joshido, with a faint smile-. Perfect. We'll be able to use our full capacity.

Mozir looked around, somewhat nervous.

-This is going to be... interesting.

Naiden frowned slightly.

-This seems a bit extreme.

Heliya looked at all of them, a little tense.

-I'm not ready for this.

Eldren crossed his arms.

-The training is going to be very hard.

Jojiro observed them in silence.

His eyes moved slowly from one to another, without hurry, as if reading something no one else could see. The young ones held his gaze without a word.

Several seconds passed.

Then Jojiro spoke.

-Eldren, you're first.

Eldren blinked, surprised to be chosen first.

-Why me?

Jojiro looked at him steadily.

-I want to see what my brother's son is made of.

Eldren's face changed.

The surprise disappeared. What remained in its place was something different, firmer, more decided. The kind of expression that doesn't need to prepare itself because it was already there.

-I'll show you everything I have.

Jojiro turned toward the others.

-Get off the platform.

The young ones obeyed without arguing. Zurame and Zianya moved toward a corner of the platform, in silence, ready to intervene if the moment required it.

Suddenly, something changed in the air.

A dark blue, transparent magnetic field extended from Jojiro, covering the entire platform with a precision that left no margin for error.

Eldren saw it.

And his body tensed immediately.

Jojiro noticed.

-Don't worry -he said calmly-. I created it so those outside don't get hurt.

Eldren processed the words. He nodded slowly, releasing the tension he had accumulated without realizing it.

Jojiro placed his hands behind his back.

His eyes never left Eldren for even an instant.

-Show me. Give me your best shot.

From below, the young ones observed the scene in silence.

No one needed to say it out loud.

Everyone understood the same thing at the same time.

This was not an ordinary training session.

It was a real fight.

Eldren didn't move immediately.

He stood observing Jojiro in silence, analyzing, searching for the right angle. But the longer he looked at him, the harder it became to decide. Just by standing there with that calm and his hands behind his back, Jojiro was intimidating without doing anything at all.

Eldren made a decision.

Something simple first. See how he reacts.

Wind began to cover his hands slowly, responding to his will naturally. He concentrated, closed his fingers and executed the movement, a fast, clean diagonal cut.

-Cutting Gusts!

The gust shot straight toward Jojiro. Without losing an instant, Eldren repeated the movement with his left hand, launching the second attack immediately after the first.

The double impact lifted debris into the air, clouding the visibility between them.

From below, none of the young ones spoke.

Their eyes were fixed on the cloud of debris, waiting to see what remained of the attack.

Eldren squinted, trying to see through the haze.

Jojiro's shadow was still there, still, among the debris.

When the air began to clear, Eldren saw something he hadn't expected.

Jojiro was in exactly the same spot.

Without a scratch. Without having moved. As if the two attacks had never existed.

Did he stay still on purpose to take the hit?

There was no time to process that. Eldren dismissed it and attacked again, this time using the wind to move him, to push him out of position. A solid, direct force that should have moved anyone.

Jojiro didn't move a single centimeter.

Eldren tried again. And again. With more force, more determination.

Nothing.

He stopped.

He breathed slowly.

-It's irritating -he said, unable to hide the frustration in his voice- to see that everything I do has no effect on him... and he just stands there.

Eldren gritted his teeth.

I have no choice. I have to give everything. No matter how strong he is... he won't be able to handle my combined attack.

He took a running start and charged straight at Jojiro.

When he was close enough, he leaped, passing over him in the air. In that instant, he executed the movement.

-Compressed Wind Pressure!

The attack fell over Jojiro with the goal of immobilizing him, even if just for an instant. Eldren landed behind him, moved away quickly and without losing rhythm launched the cutting gusts.

A smile appeared on his face.

-That's not all. Don't be upset if you come out injured.

He turned for an instant toward Joshido.

-This is the attack I was going to use on you at Eternity.

Joshido let out a faint smile.

-Show me.

Eldren extended his arms to both sides. The wind responded immediately, accumulating in both arms with a density that could be felt in the atmosphere. When the accumulation reached its limit, he directed his arms toward where Jojiro stood, closed his fists and let everything go.

-Heavy Impact Wind!

The accumulated wind shot forward with a force that pushed Eldren himself backward. The impact covered the entire platform at once, lifting a haze so dense that no one could see what was happening inside.

From below, Joshido exhaled slowly.

-Eldren is out of his mind. He was going to use that against me? What's wrong with him?

Renir observed the haze in silence.

Something had moved inside him that he hadn't expected. He had never thought a being of lower level than him would be capable of an attack like that.

The haze began to dissipate slowly.

Eldren's hands were trembling.

Not from effort.

But from seeing that his best attack had done absolutely nothing.

Jojiro looked at him with a certainty that needed no raised voice.

-It was a good attack -he said-. But it wasn't enough to make me move.

Eldren stared at Jojiro without moving.

How is that possible? My best attack... and it was nothing. He must have done something without me noticing.

Jojiro didn't change his expression.

-You still have a long way to go -he said with a tranquility that made the words heavier-. Your attack was very weak. The way you use your element is mediocre.

A brief pause.

-Your father didn't teach you well.

Something ignited in Eldren.

-Don't talk about my father like that -he said, with an irritation he didn't try to hide-. And if he were here, he would have already given you a beating.

Jojiro didn't react.

-I am stronger than your father -he replied with the same calm-. Of all the brothers, I am the strongest. I am the only one who managed to fully master my element.

Eldren stared at him.

-Impossible. That you're the strongest.

Jojiro didn't respond.

Not with words.

He raised one hand slowly and pointed a single finger at Eldren.

A small spark. Almost insignificant.

It shot forward in silence.

And when it hit, Eldren fell to the ground.

From below, no one spoke.

They just stared at Eldren, stunned, unable to believe he had fallen with such a simple attack.

Eldren was on the ground.

His entire body was trembling. The residue of Jojiro's attack coursed through every part of him like small currents that couldn't find an outlet.

He stared up at the sky.

And could only think of his father.

Someday I'll be just as strong as you.

And of his mother, whom he had never known but who had been described to him so many times that sometimes it felt like he had.

Jojiro approached slowly. He crouched beside him and placed his hand on his chest without a word. The residue of the spark that had been coursing through Eldren's body began to move, concentrating, until it was fully absorbed into Jojiro's hand.

Eldren felt the relief immediately.

He stood slowly. He looked at Jojiro for a moment before speaking.

-You're strong -he said.

-Forgive me for being hard on you -Jojiro replied-. But it's necessary.

Eldren didn't fully understand what Jojiro was getting at. But he accepted it. He nodded slowly and stepped off the platform.

Mozir was the first to approach.

-Are you alright? That was no simple attack.

Eldren nodded slowly.

-I'm fine -he said-. But I can't explain what I felt when I took it. It was like everything in my body was being hit at the same time.

A brief pause.

-I wouldn't want to experience that feeling again.

Yuzo listened while keeping his eyes fixed on the platform, on Jojiro.

When it's my turn...

He didn't finish the thought. He didn't know how.

Joshido and Naiden were quiet, serious, processing every word Eldren had said.

A little further back, Renir watched them all from a distance.

That was nothing -he thought, with a calm that had nothing of arrogance, but of someone who genuinely knew-. Compared to what I've gone through training with him... he was just being gentle.

Jojiro turned toward the group.

-Heliya.

Heliya climbed the steps with calm. Upon arriving at the top, instead of approaching, she kept her distance, positioning herself at a point where she could better observe Jojiro's movements.

Jojiro noticed immediately.

-You're very cautious -he said-. But being that way won't always help you.

A pause.

-I have information that you are one of the beings with special abilities.

Heliya looked at him calmly.

-You're correct, although they're called stellar abilities.

Jojiro nodded without ceremony.

-Alright, whatever. Show me your stellar ability.

Renir frowned slightly.

Stellar abilities?

He didn't know exactly what that meant. But he wasn't going to ask. He kept his eyes fixed on Heliya, alert, waiting to see with his own eyes.

Heliya didn't hesitate.

Her stellar ability was telepathy.

And without saying a single word, she entered Jojiro's mind with the intention of taking control over him.

Jojiro felt the change immediately.

Something was happening in his body. His movements no longer responded as they should. He was beginning to move on his own, as if the orders were coming from somewhere that wasn't his.

But Heliya didn't realize something.

While she was controlling his mind, fragments began to filter through to her without her looking for them. A younger Jojiro. The Intellectual village in the background. An intense argument with his father Yemon, voices raised, faces tense. A memory that didn't belong to her, but that reached her like an echo.

Jojiro felt it.

He realized where those memories were coming from.

And he reacted.

He surged his presence all at once. Heliya's telepathy weakened in an instant, unable to sustain control. Jojiro moved with a speed no one in the group could follow and positioned himself in front of her.

The palm of his hand struck the center of Heliya's chest.

The impulse sent her several meters backward.

When she hit the ground, her ability deactivated completely.

Jojiro approached slowly.

He stopped beside her, without aggression, and looked down at her with that calm of his that now seemed more understanding than firm.

-Your stellar ability is quite interesting -he said-. It's the first time I've met a living being with stellar abilities. I didn't expect you to try to control my mind.

A brief pause.

-If you manage to master your ability to perfection... you'll be a threat to anyone.

Heliya looked at him from the ground, still catching her breath.

-Thanks for the compliment -she said with a tired smile-. But that hit hurt quite a bit.

Jojiro lowered his head slightly.

-Forgive me. But if I'm not tough with you, you'll never grow stronger.

He extended his hand.

Heliya took it and stood up slowly.

Before she began to step off the platform, Jojiro stopped her with one last word.

-I expect a lot from you.

Renir didn't take his eyes off Heliya.

Telepathy?

The word kept turning over in his head. A living being capable of entering another's mind, of taking control from the inside. He had never heard of anything like that, and part of him couldn't understand how it was possible.

When Heliya stepped off the platform, Mozir went straight to her.

-Are you alright?

-Yes -she replied, still recovering-. I tried to catch him off guard with my ability. But Jojiro is alert to everything.

Mozir frowned slightly.

-While I was watching you try to control his mind... I noticed something. Or at least I think I did. It has to do with his presence. It surged all at once, and the next instant he was already in front of you.

A brief pause.

-I need to see one more before it's my turn.

Jojiro exhaled slowly.

His eyes scanned the group, searching for the next one. When he found his choice, he didn't hesitate.

-Mozir.

Mozir tensed immediately.

Me now? Can't it be someone else?

The first words of protest came out before he had even climbed the steps.

-I don't want to go up to the platform right now. Pick someone else.

Jojiro shook his head.

-This training is like a real fight -he said calmly-. And in a real battle, the enemy won't give you any chances. Unless you want to run from the conflict.

The words landed with weight.

Mozir went still for a moment.

He's right...

The thought cut through him before he could stop it. He had to face it. He couldn't run from a battle.

Father and mother never would.

Mozir observed Jojiro steadily.

His mind wasn't quiet. He was going over every moment of Eldren's fight. Heliya's. Every attack, every mistake, every detail he had been able to catch from below. Something had to connect.

He couldn't make the same mistakes they had.

Jojiro looked at him calmly.

-Do you also have a stellar ability? Did you inherit your mother's brute force?

Mozir shook his head.

-I don't have that ability. I haven't seen any signs of having it so far. But I do know I've taken more after my father.

Jojiro nodded slightly. With the same calm as always, he placed his hands behind his back.

-Don't hold back.

Those words kept resonating in Mozir's mind a moment longer than expected.

Don't hold back.

He breathed deep.

What was Eldren's mistake? What was Heliya's?

The answer came quickly.

Both attacked from a distance.

Without hesitating further, Mozir launched forward. His speed surprised the air. He crossed the space between himself and Jojiro in an instant and planted himself in front of him, face to face.

He threw a fist straight at his stomach.

Jojiro barely moved his body. A slight shift to the side, just enough to dodge the blow.

But Mozir noticed.

That's it! I made him move, even if just a little. I have to keep attacking.

And he kept going.

Blow after blow. Fast, precise punches, giving him no space to breathe. Jojiro dodged them one by one, moving his body from side to side with a fluidity that seemed to cost him nothing.

But he was moving.

From below, Yuzo clenched his fists, excited.

-Keep it up, Mozir!

The rest of the group was also watching with enthusiasm. For the first time since the training began, someone was managing to make Jojiro react.

Joshido looked at them all without changing his expression.

-It doesn't matter that he's making him move if he can't land a single hit -he said calmly-. I think Jojiro is waiting for Mozir to tire himself out.

The others turned toward him without saying anything.

The silence was enough. They were agreeing without needing words.

Then, one by one, they turned back toward the platform.

Toward Mozir.

Who kept trying.

Mozir decided to change strategy.

If punches weren't enough, he'd add kicks. Combined attacks, from every angle. From the front. From the side. Below. Behind. His strikes came from directions that anyone else would have struggled to anticipate.

But Jojiro dodged them all with the same ease.

Mozir stopped.

He stepped back, breathing hard. Sweat ran down his forehead and his hands trembled slightly from the accumulated effort.

It's frustrating... not being able to land a single hit. But I've been the only one who's moved him.

Jojiro observed him calmly.

-You made me move my body a little -he said-. But I think you haven't noticed something.

A brief pause.

-I'm still standing in the same spot. You're good... but not good enough.

Mozir blinked.

And when it registered, reality hit him.

It was true.

Jojiro hadn't taken a single step. He had only moved his body. Nothing more.

His instinct told him not to react.

Calm down. He's trying to provoke you. Don't fall into his trap.

He breathed deep.

I need to focus.

He straightened up slowly.

I'm going to give everything I have. I'm going to use the advantages I have.

His presence began to rise.

Not all at once. Gradually. Like someone who finally decides to stop holding back. His eyes fixed on Jojiro with a determination that hadn't been there before.

Jojiro noticed immediately.

A faint smile crossed his face.

Let's see what you're made of.

From below, Heliya narrowed her eyes.

She hadn't heard those words out loud. She didn't need to. Her telepathy caught the thought without her having to search for it.

-Jojiro is enjoying this -she said, without taking her eyes off the platform.

Everyone turned toward her.

-How are you sure of that? -Naiden asked.

Heliya didn't look away from the fight.

-Did you forget I can read thoughts?

No one responded.

One by one, they all turned back toward the training.

A little further away, Renir had also heard. He observed his father with more attention than he'd had until that moment, fixing on every detail of his face.

The faint smile was still there.

Is that living being really strong enough... to excite you?

A memory crossed Mozir's mind suddenly.

The Higanju creatures. That moment when he had almost been devoured. The fear. The exact instant when he thought everything was over.

Don't doubt.

He launched toward Jojiro with a different speed.

His strikes were no longer the same. Combined punches and kicks, more fluid, more calculated. Jojiro kept dodging with ease, but something had changed. He recognized it immediately.

His hits are more accurate.

Mozir didn't stop.

He kept launching attacks without pause, each one closer to landing than the last. The speed increased with every movement. Jojiro was dodging, yes, but each dodge was forcing him to be more precise.

He's faster than a moment ago.

Then Mozir made a move.

A kick gesture.

Jojiro prepared to dodge it, but Mozir had shifted in the air. The kick was a distraction. He repositioned in an instant to throw a direct punch to the chest.

Jojiro dodged it.

Mozir expected that.

With his body's momentum already in motion, he spun and launched a kick straight at his face.

Jojiro didn't expect that.

For the first time, he leaped backward, moving away from Mozir with a speed he hadn't needed until that moment.

He landed several meters away.

The longer this fight goes on... the more dangerous he becomes.

A brief pause in his mind.

I'm going to have to take him a little more seriously.

Mozir straightened up slowly. A faint smile appeared on his face.

-I made you move from where you were standing.

Jojiro blinked.

He realized in that instant it was true. For the first time, he had taken a step.

-Well -he said, with a calm that for the first time had a different tone-. I congratulate you.

A pause.

-But is that all you can do?

And then, something changed.

Jojiro set aside his relaxed posture. The hands that had stayed behind his back throughout the entire fight finally moved forward. His body took a real combat stance.

From below, Renir's eyes opened slightly.

His father. In a fighting stance.

The surprise lasted barely a second. Then something else came.

Irritation.

Impossible that that living being is giving my father difficulty.

In the corner of the platform, Zianya couldn't take her eyes off the fight.

-I've never seen a living being so young move like that -she said to Zurame in a low voice.

Zurame observed the scene with that calm of hers that needed no effort.

-All of them have a potential that not even they know yet.

On the platform, Mozir processed what he had just seen.

Jojiro changed his stance. He's taking me seriously.

A spark ignited in his chest.

This is my chance to see what my limit is.

He launched forward immediately.

The punches came fast, from different angles. Jojiro was dodging, but this time differently. It wasn't just his body moving anymore. His hands were also involved, deflecting, blocking, responding to each strike with a precision that made the fight feel much more real.

Then Jojiro found his moment.

The same hit he had given Heliya. The palm of the hand, straight to the chest.

Mozir didn't see it coming.

The impact sent him several steps backward. But before he could recover, Jojiro was already closing in to continue.

Mozir knew before he saw it.

His sense of smell, developed far beyond normal, caught the movement with a clarity his eyes would not have reached in time.

When Jojiro arrived, Mozir was no longer there.

He leaped.

He landed right behind him.

Jojiro went still for an instant.

How did he know in advance where I was going?

Mozir smiled.

-I've got you.

He channeled all his force into the punch and launched it.

But Jojiro reacted.

A small electric discharge came from his hands and hit Mozir directly. The paralysis spread through his body in an instant, stopping him cold.

Jojiro turned toward him.

Mozir was still there, motionless, but his body was trembling with the effort to resist.

-Stop -Jojiro said calmly-. You've reached your limit.

But Mozir didn't stop.

His body pushed against the paralysis with a persistence that made no logical sense.

Millimeter by millimeter, something gave.

Mozir's body moved.

And the punch kept going.

From below, no one spoke.

Everyone was watching with their eyes fixed on the platform, not daring to breathe.

Jojiro saw it coming.

I underestimated him.

A cold, fast thought.

That won't happen again.

With his left hand he caught Mozir's punch. And in the same instant, with the palm of his right hand, he delivered a solid strike directly to Mozir's face.

Mozir's face slammed into the platform.

From below, the silence lasted exactly one second.

Eldren swallowed.

-What a relief... knowing it wasn't me.

Joshido was staring at the platform with his eyes still wide open.

-That hit was strong. There's no way he gets up from that.

-I hope he's alright -said Yuzo, the worry visible on his face.

Heliya didn't take her eyes off Jojiro.

-He's out of his mind.

Naiden took a small step back without realizing it.

-I don't want to train with him.

Renir made no gesture. Said nothing. But inside, something had shifted. His father's reaction had surprised him more than he was willing to admit.

In the corner of the platform, Zianya covered her face with one hand.

-When he gets excited... he doesn't know how to control himself.

Zurame looked at her with her usual calm.

-Jojiro never learns. He always lets his emotions get the better of him.

On the platform, Jojiro was watching Mozir on the ground.

-Someone come get him -he said calmly-. He's unconscious.

Zianya took a few steps toward the platform.

And then something happened that no one expected.

Mozir began to move.

Slowly. With a visible difficulty in every centimeter. But he was moving.

No one spoke.

No one dared to.

They watched in silence, unable to believe what they were seeing, as Mozir gradually pulled himself to his feet, with a slowness that made the moment more impressive than any attack.

Zianya turned toward Zurame.

-Mother... did you know he was capable of getting up?

Zurame looked at her.

And smiled.

That smile said everything.

Jojiro watched Mozir without moving.

How is it possible that he's on his feet?

Mozir finished standing. His legs were trembling, but his gaze was fixed on Jojiro with a determination he hadn't lost.

-I'm not done yet.

And then he fell.

Without warning. Without drama. His body simply gave out and returned to the ground, this time completely unconscious.

Jojiro exhaled slowly.

A relief he hadn't expected to feel.

He looked at Mozir on the ground and stayed that way a moment longer than usual.

He has no shortage of strength. But what I just saw...

That can't be trained.

Zurame stepped down from the corner of the platform without rushing. She approached Mozir, took him in her arms with a gentleness that contrasted with everything that had just occurred, and carried him away to rest.

Jojiro called for Zianya.

When she arrived at his side, he spoke to her quietly.

-Take care of the ones who are left.

Zianya looked at him for a moment.

-Are you alright?

-Yes -he replied-. I just want to rest.

She didn't insist.

Jojiro began walking toward the corner of the platform.

But along the way, he lowered his gaze to his hand.

The one that had caught Mozir's punch.

It wouldn't stop trembling.

He observed it slowly, without stopping. Parts of the palm had lost skin. The fingers were crooked, rigid.

He tried to close his fingers.

He couldn't.

That was a good punch.

He thought it without drama. With the same calm with which he had evaluated every fight.

I can't close my hand. If I hadn't surged my presence at that moment... I might have lost my hand.

A brief pause.

He threw that with everything he had.

A smile appeared on his face without him looking for it.

-These young ones are incredible.

Zianya turned toward the group.

-Jojiro is going to rest -she announced calmly-. I'll continue with the ones who are left.

She paused and let her eyes move across the group.

-Yuzo. You're next.

Yuzo felt something tighten in his chest.

-I hope she's gentler than Jojiro.