CHAPTER 7: TEAMWORK
It was early morning. The sun had not yet fully risen, and dew droplets glistened on the stones in the yard. Woli stood waiting under the shade of a tree, his arms crossed, his usual stern expression on his face.
The clock had struck three minutes past six.
Three figures slowly appeared from behind the gate. First came Kaito, his hair still messy from sleep, his brown eyes looking around drowsily. Behind him was Aiko, her pink hair tied to one side, her green eyes wide open — but the effects of sleep were still upon her. Ren came last, his blue hair neatly combed as always, his blue eyes showing thoughtfulness rather than fatigue.
Woli's voice was cold.
"Hey, you brats. It's three minutes past six. You are exactly three minutes late."
Kaito immediately stepped forward. "Master, we're very sorry. We're not used to waking up this early."
Aiko also lowered her head. Her pink hair fell over her shoulders. "Yes, Master. Please forgive us."
Ren bowed his head slightly. There was a hint of regret in his blue eyes. "I think I've been slacking off a bit. Sorry."
Woli took a deep breath. His eyes scanned the three of them.
"I'll let it slide this time. But tomorrow, you will be here at exactly five o'clock."
The three shouted in unison. Their voices echoed across the yard.
"Understood, Master!"
Woli nodded. He clasped his hands behind his back.
"Now. It's time for defense training. It's not difficult. One of you will attack, the other will defend. If you succeed in this, you will have mastered the basics of combat."
He paused for a moment. His eyes narrowed.
"After that comes… the final training session. The most important one."
Kaito asked curiously. "And after that, the Djinn Ritual, Master?"
"Yes. If you defeat the Djinn that comes to you… you will gain its powers. And you will become at least three times stronger than you are now."
Aiko's green eyes sparkled. "Wow…"
Woli raised his hand. "But this isn't the time to explain those things. If that day comes, I'll explain it then."
Aiko stepped forward. Her pink hair swayed slightly in the wind.
"Um, Master… I have a question."
"Ask."
"What if the Djinn defeats us? What if we lose?"
Woli's expression didn't change. But a cold light flickered in his eyes.
"Good question. Then let me tell you. If you lose to the Djinn… you die."
The throats of all three went dry. Kaito's brown eyes widened. Aiko's green eyes flashed with fear. Ren's blue eyes, however… were thoughtful. As if he had already calculated this possibility.
Woli continued.
"I see that you're afraid. That's normal. If you don't want to lose, you must master the basics of combat well."
He crossed his arms.
"Now… Ren, Kaito – step forward. You two will go first again."
The two stepped forward. Woli pointed his finger at Ren.
"Kaito will attack first. Ren, you will only defend. Do not strike."
Ren nodded. His blue hair fell slightly forward.
"Understood, Master."
Kaito took a deep breath. His black hair was plastered to his forehead with sweat. Fire burned in his brown eyes.
He charged at full speed. First, he spun and threw a high right kick – Ren easily slipped away. Kaito didn't stop; he threw a left punch. Ren pressed his palms together and deflected the punch easily.
Woli nodded in approval. "Good. Keep it up!"
The two assumed their fighting stances again. Kaito attacked once more. This time, he was faster.
Woli's voice came from behind. "Ren, remember – only defend. Don't attack. You're already good at attacking. Now learn to defend."
Ren nodded. "Got it, Master."
Kaito approached. He executed a two-punch combo – first a straight right, then a straight left. Ren dodged the first by moving left, but the straight left punch landed right on his face.
BAM!
Ren staggered back. But he didn't fall.
Woli's voice was firm. "You're not fast enough, Ren. Come on, try harder. Continue."
Spurred on by this, Kaito attacked again. He suddenly jumped and threw a right punch with all his might. Ren stepped back to defend.
Woli shook his head. "Kid, you don't have to just run away. You can counter while defending."
Ren's eyes lit up. As if a lightning bolt had struck his mind.
"That's right… I can counter while defending."
Just then, Kaito threw a right punch. Ren raised his arm to block it – the attack missed. Kaito threw a left kick. Ren took a step back, then countered with his right kick.
Their shins collided in midair.
THUD!
Both took a step back.
Woli clapped his hands. "Enough. You're both fighting very well. Your potential is high."
He turned to Kaito.
"Now, Ren, sit down and rest. Aiko, it's your turn."
Aiko jumped up excitedly. Her pink hair bounced on her shoulders.
"My turn has finally come! Kaito, watch your step!"
Kaito smiled. His face still bore marks from yesterday's fight, but his eyes were shining.
"Bring it on, Aiko. But don't forget – I'm not tired at all yet."
The two stepped to the center. Woli raised his finger.
"Ready… FIGHT!"
Aiko attacked immediately. She suddenly jumped and tried to get behind Kaito.
But Kaito was prepared.
"Hah, I was expecting that, Aiko!"
He quickly stepped back a few paces. When Aiko landed, Kaito was still right in front of her.
Aiko's green eyes narrowed. "Hmph… so you guessed. But I'm not limited to just that."
She suddenly ran at high speed and threw a left punch. Kaito immediately blocked it with his right arm, then countered with a left punch. Aiko leaned backward, slipped under the punch, and sent a blow straight to Kaito's stomach.
She thought she had landed it.
But Kaito's right palm had blocked the punch at the very last moment.
THUD!
Aiko jumped back. Surprise was in her eyes.
"Wow… you're fast."
"So are you."
As Woli watched them, he drifted into deep thought. His eyebrows were furrowed, his hand on his beard.
"Hmm… surprising. Both of them reacted very quickly. Could there be a hidden talent in these kids? They only started fighting yesterday."
His eyes moved to Ren.
"I knew Ren was strong. But Kaito seemed very timid. Yet he's improved a lot."
Then he looked at Aiko.
"Aiko, though, really surprised me. I didn't expect this much strength, speed, and agility from her."
He took a deep breath.
"Maybe it's already time to move to the final stage. We're wasting unnecessary time."
He raised his finger and shouted.
"THAT'S ENOUGH!"
All three turned to him in surprise.
Kaito's mouth fell open. "But Master, we just started!"
Ren's blue eyes showed question marks. "Why did we stop? Did we do something wrong?"
Aiko's green eyes sparkled. It was unclear whether she was hopeful or worried. "Maybe we're just too good?"
A faint smile appeared on Woli's lips.
"You guessed it, brat. Yes, you were doing very well. So there's no need to waste time."
His voice hardened.
"Get ready. If you survive this attack, today's training will end, and we'll move on to the final session."
The three shouted in unison. Their voices echoed across the yard.
"WE'RE READY!"
Woli assumed a horizontal stance. He raised his sword. His eyes were cold.
"Dimensional Severance… Third Dimension!"
Kaito's eyes widened. "Huh? I know this one! The third dimension – the human dimension. That means he's actually going to cut us! Get ready!"
Ren's blue eyes showed a hint of excitement. "So he's serious, huh?"
Aiko stepped back. Her green eyes were wide open. "Um… I'm a little worried, guys."
Woli charged at full speed. It was as if he had teleported right next to the three of them in an instant.
He struck.
Kaito suddenly jumped into the air. He managed to dodge the attack.
But the same couldn't be said for Ren and Aiko.
Both of them took the hit.
BAM! BAM!
Both were sent flying backward. They crashed hard onto the ground.
Panic was on Kaito's face. "Master? Did you really cut them? Are they… dead?"
In the same second, Ren and Aiko got up. They dusted themselves off. There were scratches on their faces, but no fear in their eyes.
Kaito's mouth hung open. "How? You should have died after that attack!"
Woli lowered his sword. His voice was calm.
"You'll find out why they didn't die in the next lesson, Kaito."
He placed his sword on his shoulder.
"Now… attack me."
The three shouted in unison.
"Yes, Master!"
And all three attacked at once.
Kaito attacked normally – straight punches, simple kicks. Aiko immediately jumped and tried to get behind Woli. Ren advanced with a series of rapid, consecutive movements.
Woli shook his head.
"Hmph… your movements are too easy to read."
Suddenly, he appeared in front of Kaito. He struck Kaito square in the face with the hilt of his sword.
BAM!
Kaito cried out in pain and hit the ground.
"Ahhhhh! That hurt!"
Aiko, meanwhile, had fallen into empty space. She stood there where she had landed, unsure of what to do.
"Ah… I jumped too far forward. Now I'm completely exposed."
Woli immediately moved toward Aiko. Just as he was about to strike her with the sword hilt as well…
Ren threw a punch from behind.
Woli's eyes widened slightly. "Huh? So you're attacking from behind?"
Ren's blue eyes were cold. "When you were completely focused on Aiko… how did that feel?"
Just as he was about to land the punch, Woli ducked.
Ren's fist struck Aiko's face instead.
BAAMM!
Aiko staggered back. Her green eyes blazed with anger.
"Ahh, Ren! You idiot! Why are you hitting me?!"
Woli shook his head. "I see I was mistaken. You still have a long way to go."
Just then, Kaito jumped up and launched a new attack. Ren joined him, attacking alongside. Aiko, caught up in the moment, rose to her feet and began supporting from the front.
Woli was now under attack from the right, the left, and the front. They were coming from three directions.
A smile appeared on his face.
"Teamwork… That's what I wanted to see."
He plunged his sword into the ground.
Kaito's, Ren's, and Aiko's fists were just about to touch Woli when… they suddenly stopped in midair. They had frozen just one centimeter away.
Kaito's eyes widened in shock. "Huh? Why can't we hit him?"
Ren's blue eyes narrowed. "It's like there's an invisible wall in front of us."
Aiko reached out her hand, trying to touch the air. "What is this? That's not fair, Master!"
Woli pulled his sword from the ground. His voice was calm but firm.
"That's enough, brats. You've shown me a lot. Training is over for now. Go and rest."
The three looked at each other. Kaito took a step forward.
"What about the answer to our question, Master? Why didn't we die? Why couldn't we hit you?"
Woli had already turned his back. He paused for a moment. Then he turned his head slightly.
"You'll get the answer to your question… tomorrow."
And he began to walk away. The questions of the three young ones watching his back hung in the air.
To be continued...