The Apex Paladins

"I see you have returned, Dragon," an old man in a robe said to Ryu. He looked like the leader or teacher of the Paladins. Ryu bowed to the old man and said, "Yes Master. And this young man," he said, gesturing towards Makoto, "holds the Dragon's Blessing." "What?" the old man looked at Ryu and then at Makoto, and he saw the pendant with the dragon on it. "The, the Chosen One!!" the old man said in shock. "I thought he'd never come!" "Neither did we, Master," said Chihiro. "We were fighting Abyss Warriors, and we found him on the mountains." The old man looked at Makoto for a second, and then said, "Come here, Chosen, so I can see you better."
"Um, OK..." Makoto said, slightly unsure of what to say. He walked over to the old man, and the old man looked at him for a while. Then, he said, "Hm, it's true, you are the Chosen One. However," he said, looking at Makoto, "You don't look very strong. We will have to see if you have what it takes to be an Apex Paladin." Ryu and Chihiro looked at the old man in shock, and Ryu said "Master, who is he going to fight?" as if he was worried for Makoto. "He will battle," he said...
"With Shiro, the Son of Warriors."

"Um, is it OK if I know who that is?" Makoto said uncertainly. Ryu turned to him and said "Shiro is the most powerful Paladin that Master has ever seen." "Yes," Chihiro said. "He wields duel blades he calls 'Stormcaller's Fury'. Even Ryu can't defeat him." Chihiro said, looking at the ground. 'This guy doesn't sound friendly...' Makoto thought worriedly. What if this Shiro was SO strong, he wouldn't even have a chance to say his own name?? What if all he had to do was breathe, and he'd win??? Makoto kept worrying until Ryu said "Are you OK?" "Uh," Makoto said, "yeah, I think I'm fine..." he said with a worried look on his face. "Warrior!!" the old man shouted, breaking the silence. Then, a young man with shoulder-length white hair and eyes as gold as the sun walked into the room. He looked at the old man, the old man nodded to him, and he turned to Makoto. He looked at Makoto for a long, hard thirty seconds, and then...
"So, you must be the Chosen One I've heard of!" he said in a friendly voice, nothing like what Makoto was expecting. "My name is Kamiyama Shiro, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance!" "And you're the uh... the Son of Warriors?" Makoto asked Shiro. "That's my title, yes!"

'I thought he'd be more... stoic.' Makoto thought to himself as Shiro spoke to him. "Um, so, I think your master told me to fight you?" Makoto said uncertainly. "Oh, Master said that we shall cross blades?" Shiro said, seemingly unfazed by this. "I see! Well, Chosen, I will warn you that none have beaten me!" Shiro said with a wink. "O-OK..." Makoto tried to smile back, but was still kind of scared by the fact that Shiro was basically all-powerful in the Tower. "Well, one must be on one's way, then! Vale!" and as he snapped his fingers, he teleported away. Ryu seemed a bit relieved when Shiro left, and Chihiro looked like he was face-palming in his head. 'Am I right when I think that Ryu and Chihiro don't like Shiro?' Makoto thought to himself. "Ahem, well," the old man said, "Dragon, Seeker, and Chosen One. You are excused." "Yes, Master." Ryu and Chihiro said, and they started walking to the stairs to go to their room, it seemed. "Uh, wait for me!" Makoto said as he ran to catch up with them.

"Finally!" Chihiro said as he flopped onto his bed. "Chihiro, you said you'd make supper for us tonight." Ryu said after he flopped on his own bed. "I just lay down, though, Ry!" Chihiro complained. "Well, I don't want to get up, either, Chi!" Ryu complained back at Chihiro. "Uh, I don't know if you're OK with this, but I can cook." Makoto said. They both sat up and said "Wait, you can? And will?" "I mean," Makoto said, "I've cooked for myself before... also I cooked in my school a lot, so I think I can figure out how to cook here." Chihiro and Ryu looked at each other for a second, and then Ryu said "I suppose so... how should I address you?" Makoto chuckled a bit and said "Oh, just Makoto's OK with me." "Your first name?" Chihiro asked, looking a bit confused. "You don't have any sort of title that others call you to be respectable?" "Chihiro!" Ryu whispered loudly at Chihiro. "Well, I guess if you call people calling me 'nerd', 'geek', and 'teacher's pet' a title, then I guess so, but..." Makoto said with a dry laugh. Chihiro and Ryu looked at him in shock for a few seconds. Then, Chihiro asked, "Are the things you just said... is that the way people in your village perhaps, say 'you lack precision'?" Then Ryu added "Or, 'you lack the focus for this task. You are excused'?" Makoto looked down and said "I guess so. People from where I come from are way more straight forward, but I guess it's a bit better the way you have it, I mean..." he paused for second, and then said "I mean, no one seems to talk like that to you guys." Chihiro looked at Ryu and then said "You know, people here have said those kinds of things to us, as well." The three of them were quiet for a while, and then Makoto said quietly "I'll get the food, I guess."