Rafa Steps it Up

Rafa lay on his sleeping mat, gazing up at the room's ceiling while his fingers effortlessly juggled a ping-pong ball. His thoughts flowed freely.

"It's been almost 3 years since I left the guys behind," he murmured to himself, his eyes shifting to the empty bed beside him. "At least I'm sure they're better off than I am. It's not like I'm complaining or anything; life in the earth city of Ganban is amazing. Everything here is well solid."

A faint laugh escaped his lips as he recalled his experiences. "The Bojutsu training has been great, and I've met a lot of new people at the academy. There's even a guy here who kinda reminds me of Michio."

With newfound determination, Rafa got up from his mat, rolled it up, and slid it under the bed. His attention turned to a nearby bookshelf, where a picture of himself, Michio, and Nana stood. He smiled warmly as he picked it up.

"It doesn't mean I don't miss them," he mused, his nostalgia palpable. "And in just a few months, we're all gonna meet up again."

Putting the picture back in its place, he picked up a broom and began tidying up his apartment. After a refreshing shower, he felt invigorated.

"Ah," he sighed contentedly, "feeling refreshed."

But his tranquility was disrupted by the doorbell. Rafa hurried to answer it.

"Uh-Coming," he called out as he opened the door to find a school representative handing him an envelope.

"Master Rafa, for you," the representative said before departing.

Rafa closed the door, placing the envelope on his study table. "I'll read that after I'm dressed."

Fifteen minutes later, dressed and ready, Rafa left his apartment to meet his classmates in front of the colossal Sports Emporium, Bojo's Dome. Two familiar figures awaited him-a tall, muscular boy around his age and a girl in a green cloak holding a flute.

"Waving his hand toward them," Rafa greeted, "Yo!"

The tall boy, Bojin, playfully whacked Rafa on the back, causing him to stumble. "Idiot," Bojin laughed, "what took you so long? Do you know how long Alcea( Himari) and I have been waiting for you? How dare you do that to her?!"

Rafa got up, dusting himself off, and walked over to Alcea. He gently lifted the hair covering her face. "Hey, Himari," he said, causing her to gasp and blush. "I'm sorry, okay? No hard feelings, right?" Alcea shook her head to indicate a "No."

(Rafa calls her by her first name)

Bojin chuckled. "Alright then! Since the whole team is here, let's go inside. The rest of the school is already in."

Rafa marveled at the enormity of the place. "The whole school? Just how big is your dad's place?"

Bojin scratched his head. "Well, I guess we went kind of overboard in building this place."

"Kinda?" Rafa exclaimed. "This place could match up to the Stone Lord's Palace. Let's just go inside."

As they entered, Rafa was in awe of the size of the Sports Emporium. His voice echoed, drawing the attention of other students.

Their class teacher addressed them, and Rafa received a piece of paper with a team number on it. Team Number 10 was last to go through the obstacle course.

"Alright," Rafa said to his teammates, "it looks like we're Team 10. For now, let's analyze how teams 1 to 9 operate, revise, and perfect it, and then show what we've got."

Bojin teased him, "There he goes again, acting all brainy and stuff. You're scaring Alcea."

Rafa ran his hand through his hair and chuckled. "Hehe. Okay, guys, let's watch."

The obstacle course commenced, and Team 10 observed the other teams, but disaster struck. Almost every team was sent flying back by massive earth releases during their attempts.

Their teacher announced that the two students with the highest scores would have a duel to determine the strongest student. As Team 10 watched, they knew they needed to excel.

"Alright," Rafa opened his paper, "it looks like we're Team 10."

With the obstacle course underway, Rafa, Bojin, and Alcea sprinted towards the wall. Rafa looked at Alcea and nodded. 

"Alright, let's head out!" Rafa declared as they sprinted toward the towering wall. They jumped and gracefully landed on its top, where they paused to assess the situation.

"Himari, what's it looking like down there?" Rafa asked, his eyes filled with unwavering determination.

Alcea activated her earth release technique, Nature Control: Dead-Eyed Eagle, and observed the ground below. " Motion sensors. Deep in the ground." She wasn't the most fluent person but her teammates understood her well.

Bojin nodded in understanding. "I see, so the moment you land-"

Rafa interrupted, his strategic mind already at work. "They're able to strike with Earth Release. Nice work, Himari! I guess we won't walk on their grounds."

With a swift motion, Rafa produced his staff and activated his Earth Release technique, Terrace Expansion. 

The top of the mud wall expanded, forming a bridge to the other side. They began their journey, confident that they had outsmarted the obstacle.

However, their progress was halted halfway across when Bojin playfully kicked a stone. The ground rumbled, and the earth sprouted out, crumbling the bridge beneath them. Rafa and Bojin exchanged glances of disbelief as they watched Alcea falling behind.

"Himariiiii!" Rafa exclaimed, stretching out his staff just in time for her to grab hold. With a powerful pull, he hoisted her back to safety, but the entire bridge collapsed behind them.

Rafa's quick thinking prevailed once more as he utilized Earth Release: Staff Expansion to anchor himself and Bojin on the remaining pieces of the bridge, preventing them from falling.

But just as they regained their footing, a deafening explosion erupted, causing the Sports Emporium to break open. Panic and screams filled the air, and their teacher urgently ordered them to evacuate.

As they sprinted toward safety, enormous boulders began to fall, trapping them within the chaos. In a flash, three ominous figures in black cloaks descended from above, landing gracefully amidst the turmoil.

A tall well built man with just a cloak and trousers on stepped forward, addressing the others. "Oi, Oi, Gmakame, this looks like them."

He seized Rafa by his collar, pulling his face close . Then, with a dismissive toss, he cast Rafa aside like a piece of trash.

Bojin had finally had enough. With unwavering determination, he lunged towards Jotar, aiming to land a powerful punch on his nose. 

But Jotar, seemingly unconcerned, easily grabbed Bojin's fist and flung him away as if he were weightless.

Meanwhile, the woman named Aziza approached Alcea, intending to harm her. 

But an unexpected twist of fate occurred when a rumbling echoed through the area. An earth spike shot out, piercing Jotar's arm and sending him crashing to the ground.

All eyes turned in shock to see Rafa, his fury barely contained. With his head bent down and his staff in hand, he exuded an aura of anger.

A sly smirk crossed Rafa's lips as he spoke defiantly. "Oi, Oi. Beat me all you want, but NO ONE and absolutely NO ONE touches Himari."

In the midst of the battle, Bojin and Rafa exchanged words.

"Ha-ha, now you get serious? I guess I can't let you have all the fun. Now I'm getting fired up too," Bojin chuckled.

Rafa replied firmly, "Let's just end this already. Himari, we may need your eyes here," he said as he nodded in agreement.

Rafa moved towards Alcea, offering his palm to lift her up. Rafa gave the signal, and Alcea hurled dust bombs towards their foes.

"Earth Release: Nature Control: Dead-Eyed Eagle!" Alcea exclaimed. "The woman's coming from the left, and the man is coming from the right, but their leader is still at the same exact spot."

Rafa ordered, "Bojin, take the woman. I'm dealing with Jotar."

Bojin nodded, and they sprinted towards their respective opponents. However, Jotar and the woman switched positions abruptly. Jotar punched Bojin in the gut, sending him flying into a wall. Meanwhile, Rafa defended against the woman, using his staff with stone-covered tips.

"Not bad, punk," the woman, Aziza, remarked as she regained her footing.

Rafa glanced over at Bojin, who was clashing fiercely with Jotar. 

"Oi, kid, your fight is with me!" Aziza called out as she sprinted towards Rafa, delivering a powerful kick to his gut.

She continued to dodge his Earth spikes with incredible agility.

Meanwhile, Bojin realized he needed to step up his game. Two bronze-colored gauntlets materialized on his hands.

"I guess I should get serious now," Bojin muttered.

Jotar acknowledged, "Just gonna say the same. I like you, kid; you're not bad."

Their battle intensified as Bojin and Jotar exchanged blows. Bojin attempted a leg sweep, but Jotar seized his legs, dragged him along the ground, and sent him flying with a powerful mallet strike.

Bojin grinned and retaliated with smaller earth spikes, but Jotar effortlessly crushed them. Bojin unleashed a powerful technique, "Signature Earth Release: Partial Earth Flow: Fists of Stone," turning his arm to stone. He shattered a massive boulder sent his way, creating a shockwave that propelled fragments back at Ragtendo.

Ragtendo managed to dodge most of the fragments, but Bojin closed the gap swiftly, striking Ragtendo with his stone-covered arm and sending him deep underground.

Meanwhile, Rafa had his hands full dealing with Aziza.

"You know what, kid, I like guys like you," Aziza taunted, moving behind him and touching his cheek. "From the way you treat that girl, you really know how to pamper a woman. How about you try me?"

Rafa had had enough. He swiftly swept her legs out from under her and smacked her with his staff, sending her flying through the air.

Rafa then summoned a massive golem that hugged Aziza before throwing her toward him. With precise Earth Control, he raised a huge boulder and shattered it, creating a barrage of sharp rubble that cut across her skin, causing her to crash to the ground.

" Earth Release: Golem Embrace."

" Earth Release: Rubble Rain."

As the battle continued, Gmakame attempted to strike Rafa with a dagger, but Alcea intervened with her Earth Release technique, "Sinking Sand," immobilizing him.

Bojin and Alcea then coordinated their attacks. Bojin used his "Fist of Stone" to strike Gmakame with a deadly uppercut, while Alcea summoned snakes with her Nature Control to pin him down.

Rafa, now focused and determined, summoned a massive rock spear-like figure, the "Signature Earth Release: 1st Spear of Kompi."

The spear pierced through Gmakame's gut, causing him to cough up blood.

Rafa, as short as he was, was now standing tall. He approached Gmakame and delivered a resolute message. 

"I promised someone I'd be stronger. I can't afford to lose here. Alright, team, let's roll out!"