Chapter 17: One Chance

From the moment they arrived at Jojiro's village, three years had passed training, falling and getting back up. And in all that time, not a single word from Yemon, Zurame or Nokio.

Nothing.

They were no longer the same ones who had walked through those doors for the first time.

Joshido, Heliya, Yuzo, Eldren, Mozir and Naiden had asked to go out and look for them more times than they could count.

And the answer was always the same.

-You're not ready yet.

Jojiro never gave more explanation than that. But he had also made them a promise, one he repeated every time someone pushed.

-The day I'm convinced you have enough strength... I'll let you go.

Three years had passed since that promise.

And the condition was still standing.

They had to beat him.

In combat. At full capacity.

No exceptions.

That day came.

The only chance they were going to get.

Every inhabitant of the territory came to watch. They kept their distance from the platform, far enough to stay out of danger but close enough not to miss a thing. Three years had been enough for those young ones who arrived as strangers to become part of all of them. And that showed. In the faces, in the way they watched.

The platform wasn't the same as before either. Bigger, sturdier, with plenty of room for what was coming.

Jojiro was in the center.

Standing, hands behind his back, same as always.

-Today is a special day -he said. He didn't need to raise his voice for it to reach everyone-. Today it'll be decided whether these young ones are ready to leave here and look for their parents.

A pause.

-One chance. If I manage to defeat even one of you... I win. And you won't try again. You won't leave the territory under any circumstances.

No one said anything.

But the air said everything.

It was the agreement they had reached.

And everyone knew it.

Jojiro looked at them in silence.

One by one.

Three years showed on every one of them. They had grown, gotten taller, their bodies stronger and their postures more solid. Yuzo had slimmed down, and that change alone said a lot about the time that had passed.

Jojiro didn't say anything for a moment.

He just looked at them.

How much they've changed.

Then he spoke.

-The fight will be all of you against me. If I manage to defeat even one of you... I win.

A brief pause.

-Renir will be watching from close by. He'll step in if necessary.

From one side, Renir nodded without saying a word.

Renir stepped onto the platform first.

His black tunic and light blue outfit moved with him, and his presence, even without releasing it, was felt anyway. That was something three years hadn't changed in him. He was still Renir.

Jojiro turned toward the others.

-Get up here.

Before anyone moved, Joshido looked at them.

His straight black hair had more gray streaks than before, and something in his expression had matured without losing what had always defined him.

-This is the moment we've been waiting for -he said, with a calm that didn't need volume to land-. It was a hard road to get here. But we made it.

A short pause.

-Right now losing isn't an option for any of us. This is our moment to show what we're made of.

And then something shifted.

All of their presences changed at the same time. Not gradually. All at once. A confidence that hung in the air, thick and real, nothing like what it had been three years ago. They had grown, yes. But what they were putting out now was something else entirely.

Jojiro felt it.

And for just an instant, something rare showed up in him.

This is going to be very interesting.

One by one, they nodded.

Without another word, they stepped onto the platform.

From one end of the platform, something emerged.

A transparent dome that slowly expanded until it covered the entire space.

The young ones watched it without saying anything.

-Same as the first time -said Jojiro-. To avoid damage outside. But this one is much sturdier.

A pause.

-The other reason is so you can't run. In case any of you gets that idea.

Eldren, with his blond hair tied back and an outfit that looked a lot like his father's, smiled.

-Run? We ran once because we had no choice. That's not happening again.

Mozir, with his hair fuller than before and his white tunic open at the front, nodded.

-This time we move forward no matter what it costs.

Jojiro looked at all of them.

And smiled.

He spread his arms out to the sides.

-So then... what are you waiting for?

What came next didn't need more words.

His presence expanded all at once. Dark blue, dense, heavy. The kind of presence that doesn't warn you, it just shows up and takes over everything.

The young ones felt it before they could process it.

Something in their bodies tensed on its own.

Three years training alongside him and still, feeling him like this, no limits, was something else entirely.

That much was clear to all of them at the same time.

This wasn't going to be easy.

Jojiro didn't wait.

He moved toward them so fast that no one saw it happen. One moment he was in front of them and the next he was behind them.

From the edge of the platform, Renir processed it without being able to help it.

This is the first time I've seen my father fight for real.

I never imagined he could move like that.

The young ones turned at the same time.

Jojiro was already heading straight for Naiden.

Heliya reacted before anyone else could. She activated her telepathy and for just an instant, one single instant, managed to stop Jojiro's body.

That was enough.

Everyone used that second to get distance.

Heliya, with her short hair and that color that always caught attention, looked at them with a firmness that left no room for panic.

-You need to react. If you don't, we're going to lose in an instant.

Naiden, in his dark violet tunic, let out the breath he had been holding.

-I barely saw the blow coming toward me.

-We have to fight at full capacity from the start -said Yuzo.

-We don't have a choice -Mozir added.

Joshido looked at all of them with a calm that had confidence behind it.

-Let's give him what he wants.

And then they let it all go.

The presence of all six expanded at the same time, dense and loaded, so intense that the inhabitants watching from outside the dome felt the weight without even being inside. Some had to fight to keep from losing consciousness.

Without wasting another second, all six launched toward Jojiro.