R12

Unknown Girl's Pov

I spent a lot of time thinking about what happened yesterday. After I had gotten over losing my concentration and falling in the lake I couldn't train any longer. I tried searching for the strange boy from yesterday but he left no trace after disappearing the way he did.

I tried talking with my connection who happened to be Susanoo the Japanese god of storms and sea to find out if he had any clue of the one behind the boy's powers but all he gave was a vague reply. I honestly disliked speaking to him at times. He always had a temper and he was always talking about focusing on training. I work my butt to please the sea god but he never seems satisfied.

Walking through the hallways in school, I was still drowned in a plethora of thoughts until I bumped into someone. Looking in front of me I saw that the person I had bumped into was the smiling redhead. He was creepy but smart in a very scary way. He smiled and said

'Hello Ame.'

I cautiously sidestepped him and him before replying

"You don't have to act like we're close or anything. We're just working together for the time being."

I flipped my hair as I walked past him. Without losing his smile and moving soundlessly like he always did, he appeared in front of me before replying

'You don't have to be so cold Ame. I have to care for a fellow teammate. After all, that's what we are now.'

His smile got wider after saying that.

'We'll be meeting up with one of the members today. I spoke to him last week so we'll meet him after he's done with his after-school training today.'

After giving me the location to meet up, he casually walked away. Sighing while wondering what I had gotten myself into, I walked off in the direction of my class eager for this day to be over with.

Tora's Pov

I had gotten considerably better when sparring with the professor and it was obvious now that he had to actively put in an effort to stay away and prevent me from touching him. Another major difference in training was that I was now allowed to launch counter-attacks of my own.

While I had gotten stronger with the help of Byakko, I still lacked experience when it came to facing another incarnate. Though it was quite similar to facing opponents while learning swordsmanship, the major difference was that their attacks weren't restricted to weapons since some had powers and speeds normal humans do not possess.

My movements had improved to the extent that the professor had to actively keep a fairly visible dome created by a heat wave around him at all times to make me think twice about approaching him recklessly.

Constantly on the move, I launched several lightning attacks at him while reading his movements to try and figure out his next move. However, my focus on the professor didn't allow me to see the trap he had set along my path. I stepped right beside an ember the size of a birthday candle's flame that was on the floor and immediately felt the hairs on my entire body stand. Dodging at the final second allowed me to escape the initial fire pillar that had emerged from where I had been standing.

However, I was not prepared for the heat wave that resulted from a concussive blast that had gone off after the fire pillar erupted. My left hand was singed as it had not been properly coated with my powers before the explosion met me. The force pushed me back a couple meters before I caught myself again. Utilizing the power of Byakko in a way that had only been theoretical till now, I used electrical signals to dull the pain receptors in my left hand till I couldn't feel the damage any longer.

Running power through my hand I slammed it on the floor sending a massive wave of electricity through the ground straight at the professor. His response was slamming his feet on the ground causing an eruption in a circle around himself while at the same time causing the area around him to erupt like molten magma. Without missing a beat, I punched the air in front of me causing the debris in front of me to fly straight at the professor. The dust and stone particles worked both ways in the sense that they obscured both our visions. However, I had learned a cheat while tinkering with the power and knowledge that Byakko had given to me.

Channeling power to my eyes, I switched my vision so I could see the thin lines of the nervous system all connected to the brain receiving signals allowing me to pinpoint where the professor was. Since Byakko's powers were mostly current related I had begun thinking of unconventional ways to make use of them should the need arise. Training my eyes to see the static currents in the air and in living organisms had been one of the results of tireless practice. Even Byakko was surprised when I came up with this technique. Now I could even see in the dark or find someone who had canceled out their presence without much work.

Coming at the professor from above in the midst of the dust cloud, at the last moment I was about to touch him I noticed his system started changing before something hit me and sent me flying backward. After righting myself in the air and finally landing, I looked towards his direction as the dust dispersed only to find that professor Pius had grown ... a tail?

"Very good boy. The display of power you have shown me today is satisfactory for now. Your movements are getting better but your attacks are still limited when you do not have your swords with you."

Noticing that I didn't reply and was instead staring at his tail he raised a brow and asked me "Never seen a dragon tail before?" I shook my head as I stepped a bit closer to get a better look at the appendage that had hit me with the force of a moving truck.