From Atop the plateau where he stood, Eiji could see the Search & Rescue exams beginning to unfold. "I wonder how Hikari's doing…" Eiji thought to himself as he enjoyed a small break from his training with Sumiko. Unlike the day before, he had managed to keep himself somewhat intact as the two of them faced off over and over again. "It feels good… to really fight again," Eiji said with a small smile as he once again found himself looking down at hands that now wielded his new strength. In the last few years of his training, it had been difficult for him to train and spar against those with a Mesukiro and keep up, and not only that, but Eiji hadn't realized until now how much his fear and anxiety used to slow him down. It was like he had been given a new body, or rather like his own body had finally been given permission to flourish. "I forgot what this felt like… the split second decisions… analyzing your opponent… Learning with every move…" Eiji took a deep breath and let it out, closing his eyes for a second as he let himself relish in the moment.
"It's a bit scary how fast he's getting the hang of things…" Said Hiro to Gado as the two of them stood off to the side and talked. They were the only members of the family who had shown up to watch Eiji's training for the day. Taiyo had made mention of training of his own and Hikari was of course busy with her exams. Eiji had been surprised Hiro had shown up in the first place, thinking he would be just as busy with the exams and everything that came with them as headmaster, but regardless Hiro had come to observe. "Based on his Ki reserves, how much Ki he can use at once and his ability to control it… I wouldn't believe it if you told me he's only had his eyes open for less than two weeks," Hiro added.
Gado looked across the plateau to where Eiji sat looking over the edge. Between himself and his son, Okun and Sumiko stood talking about Eiji's training and how to progress. Gado was filled with mixed feelings, on one hand he was immensely proud of his son and his awakening. On the other hand, he was deeply concerned about how everything had unfolded since. "Do you think there's any chance it's just his own natural talent? Or do you think this whole situation is pushing him to grow too fast?" Gado asked his brother. Hiro paused for a moment, looking at Gado with a raised eyebrow. "Oh I thought we were on the same page… I'm almost certain it's his own talents… and that's the problem…" Hiro replied. "Not only is Eiji immensely talented on his own… He's been even further pushed by his strange awakening… Okun did say that those Ki pry's were built for war…" he added as the two of them looked at the young man who only a short time ago had been contemplating giving up on becoming a sentoki such as themselves. "Gado… It's not just Eiji… How well do you remember your old world history?"
"Ready to get back to it?" Sumiko said to Eiji as Okun stood behind her. Eiji stood up and brushed himself off. After taking a moment to remember how much he enjoyed his training when it meant truly moving forward, he was more than ready to continue. "Let's do it," Eiji said confidently as he took up his guard and summoned his Ki to prepare for the next round. "We're going to try something different this time," Sumiko said as she stepped to the side and let Okun take over. "Eiji… I want you to attack me," Okun said with a straight face and showing no sign of putting up any defenses. "For the next three days I want you to use as much of your strength as possible and attack me in whatever way you can think of, this will be the last part of your evaluation." Okun said, still not moving an inch or preparing himself to fight. "Three days?? I thought you were going to be training me?" Eiji said in response. "The point of this isn't really to train you Eiji… You'll have a lifetime to train your skills. My task is to simply evaluate and restrict your Ki down to its natural state." Okun said to him. "Right… to avoid any sideeffects…" Eiji said with some annoyance in his voice as he glanced over at Sumiko. "Yes…" Okun replied with the same kind of agitation.
A few miles away, under the cover of a nearby dense forest just a few miles to the west of Do'Kobu city, Taiyo and Aime had both gathered and were making their way through the brush. "Where are we going? I thought we were gonna be training today?," Aimee said with an exasperated tone as she followed behind Taiyo's lumbering form. "We are, just trust me" Taiyo said over his shoulder as he placed his hand on one of the massive tree trunks that surrounded them. "And you dragged me into the woods, why?" Aimee continued on with her complaining, "Jeez, just have some patience, alright?" Taiyo replied with a bit of disdain,"Hmph," Aimee grunted with just as much unwanted agreement. Continuing on deeper into the forest they trekked until eventually, Aimee took notice of something up ahead of them. "What is that?" She thought to herself as she peered deeper into the woods, she could see swatches of grey, tan, white, and black darting between the trees off in the distance. "Taiyo, stop." She whispered from behind him, "something is out there." Taiyo ignored her and continued on as she kept peering through the trees, suddenly she gasped as she was met with a pair of glimmering yellow eyes off in the shadows of the treeline.
Aimee rushed to catch up to Taiyo as she stepped lightly, "Stop Taiyo! There's something-" She stumbled into his back and bumped into him as he stopped in front of her abruptly. She peered around him only to see he had stopped in front of a small bush that surrounded one of the gargantuan trees, and at the base of the bush, tucked just underneath, Aimee could make out the burrow of an animal. Taiyo knelt down and looking into the hole in front of him he reached into his pocket and pulled out a few pieces of dried meat. He tossed them towards the entrance and almost as soon as they hit the ground, a number of bright yellow eyes appeared in the darkness. Aimee looked on in confusion, distracted from what she had seen moments before off in the distance. "Look," said Taiyo as three ambiguous balls of fur tripped out of the burrow slowly.
"Aw look at them!" Aimee exclaimed as she realized what Taiyo had stumbled across, "They're wolf pups!" she said in a high-pitched cutesy voice that was entirely unlike her. "They're about four weeks old," Taiyo said while he placed his hand on the ground in front of the pups with his palm facing upward. The pups sniffed his fingers and wagged their tails in excitement, they were still so small the three of them were all able to fit into his palm at the same time. "Oh- Taiyo you shouldn't pick them up like that," said Aimee in apprehension. "The parents could be arou-" Aimee's eyes went wide as she heard a twig snap behind her. Before she could fully turn around she could hear the deep rumble of the growling beasts from over her shoulder. "Taiyo!" she whispered while she turned to see almost a dozen massive wolves closing in, "put down the pup!," she said as softly as she could as she slowly stepped backward. Once again feeling the weight of Taiyo's physique as she bumped into him. Taiyo reached up and placed his hand atop her head and ruffled her hair like he was petting a dog. "Relax guys she's a friend," He said calmly as if he were talking to the pack that surrounded them. Aimee looked up to see him towering over her, still holding the pups in his hand as they wrestled over the piece of jerky. As soon as his hand let go of her head, the palpable tension among the trees melted away. Each of the wolves, fourteen altogether, released their threatening posture and began approaching with wagging tails and bouncing ears. Aimee was in shock as the massive canines came closer and gathered around them, cooing and yelping with excitement as they sniffed and inspected their guests, Aimee and Taiyo.
"It's not like you to bring guests out here," said a voice coming from behind the trees, it was a raspy yet deep voice, sounding almost theatrical in its nature. "In fact, you've never brought anyone out here before Taiyo," said the voice as the form of a towering figure stepped out from behind the trees. The figure's broad shoulders and massive height made even Taiyo look small in comparison. Once again Aimee's eyes widened in astonishment, "A Lycadd…" she whispered as she pulled her hands away from the wolf she had been happily petting and fixed her hair. Before them stood a being covered in dark grey fur from head to toe, his snout extended out in front of his giant piercing yellow eyes. It was a Lycadd, one of the Yokai who inhabited the world of Gaia, although their population in Kamikochi was small and they often lived in the countryside. The Lycadd man before them shared a number of qualities with the surrounding wolf pack, including feet that were more akin to paws, claw-like nails on the end of his fur covered hands, and a tail that could be seen swinging side to side behind him and poking out from the thick green robe that covered him. "Am I to assume this is your mate?" Said the towering Wolf-man to the two of them as he approached. Taiyo choked a bit and cleared his chest as Aimee looked up at him with her eyebrows raised and a look of deep anger and concern across her face.
"He's just joking around!" Taiyo stammered nervously as he tried to avoid Aimee's piercing glare. "Ervin this is Aimee…" Taiyo said to the giant wolf man with apprehension. "Ah! Aimee! You mean the girl from your school years who you could never best?" Ervin boasted with a hearty chuckle that echoed off the trees around them. "Yes… that Aimee," Taiyo replied begrudgingly as he rubbed the back of his head and looked away. Aimee smirked a bit as she stood up from petting one of the wolves and held her hand out to introduce herself. "I didn't know Taiyo talked about me," She said to Ervin with a smile before glancing at him mockingly, making taiyo roll his eyes and regret bringing her in the first place.
"Oh he used to talk about you a bunch! Although it was never very nice things he was saying," Ervin added with another bout of hearty laughter. "That's not surprising…" Aimee replied, her face still dripping with satisfaction knowing she had gotten so far under his skin when they were kids. "So how do you two know each other?" Aimee asked, curious as to how Taiyo came to be friends with the Lycadd man. "Taiyo here saved one of my pups when he was a kid! The boy spent three whole days tracking us down through the woods. If it weren't for him we would have lost this one here," Ervin said as one of the wolves leaned into his leg and looked up at him. "That's right… I remember learning about Lycadd culture in school, you guys consider dogs and wolves to be sacred right? And you help raise packs like it's your own family…" Aimee said as she watched the wolf that had come up to Ervin with affection move over to Taiyo and do the same. "Seems like you know a bit about my people… And you're right, for a Lycadd raising and guiding a pack is no different than raising and guiding our children," Ervin replied with a smile. "And when Taiyo here saved one of my pack members, he ended up becoming one as well. He's come out here once or twice a week for years now to visit us and help out when he can," He added.
Aimee turned around to look at Taiyo who was still petting the now full grown wolf that he had saved when he was a child. "I didn't know you knew how to do something right," She teased. With another roll of his eyes Taiyo stood up and joined their conversation. "Didnt you want to get to training?" Taiyo said to her as he seemed to walk past them both and deeper into the forest, the wolves and pups trailing playfully behind him. "Oh so is that why he brought you out here? This should be fun!" Ervin said as he proceeded to follow along, leaving Aimee wondering just what kind of training Taiyo had brought her out here for.
Back at the testing site Hikari, Syra and Arielle had completed over half of the Search & Rescue exam, successfully managing to evade Kyuen and rescuing a total of eleven volunteers between the three of them. "Four more and we can all pass with a perfect score!" Arielle whispered to the two of them as they all hid behind a large rock just outside of the fake town that had been set up. "There should still be plenty of people to rescue inside of the buildings… I think we should split up for the last grab, I'll grab two people, Arielle and Syra, you each grab one more and we'll be in the clear!" Hikari said as she poked her head over the boulder and scanned the area for any sight of Kyuen or the other instructors. "If we can get it and out without her finding us, we can rub it in her face forever! Remember, stay low, avoid fights and get back to the drop off site as fast as possible," Syra added before the three of them took off in each direction.
Hikari lept over the top of the boulder while Syra split up around the left and the right, each one of them making a dash for the cover of the buildings in order to remain out of sight. The three of them could each hear the clashes that were already going on between instructors and other students, doing their best to avoid them and any confrontation as they did. Hikari was the first to find her targets and with luck she was able to find two volunteers who had been hiding in the same building. Part of the difficulty of the Search & Rescue challenge was that a number of those who needed to be rescued had either their hands or feet bound with irons that none of the students had a key for. It was rumored that the instructors carried keys, but no student ever dared to try and find out if said rumor was true.
Both of the people Hikari had found had been bound at the feet, making it impossible for them to follow her on foot. "Hang tight you two!" Hikari said as she used her wind to create a cloud of flowing air just strong enough to hover the volunteers a few inches off of the ground as she snuck them out of the village as quickly as possible. "Wow! It's Hikari!" One of the volunteers exclaimed as she hid behind the corner of a shoddy building. "You're one of the best students this year!" chimed the other, the two of them were both younger citizens in their early twenties and more than excited to meet one of the rising Sentoki prospects. Hikari blushed a bit as she kept a look out for Arielle and Syra, "Thanks you two but if you don't mind I'm trying to be kinda stealthy here," She said to them both quietly as she held her finger across her lips.
Out of the corner of her eye Hikari caught sight of both Arielle and Syra who had also been successful in managing to find another volunteer to rescue. "Yes! That's four more!" Hikari thought to herself as she let a small flare of white flame burst into the air where she knew the girls would be able to see it, signaling for them to get back to the drop site as quickly as possible. "Hold on!" Hikari said to her rescuees as they took off, using her wind to carry all three of them across the ground as fast as she could. It was a half a mile across an open field and another half a mile through a lightly wooded area that had been set ablaze for the exams, until the three of them would cement their win, and luckily for girls Kyuen was nowhere in sight.
They had made it across the open field with ease. Hikari whisked her volunteers on a cloud of air meanwhile Arielle and Syra's rescuers had to be carried on the girls backs, an easy feat for a Nikugan user. "We just have to get through forest fire!" Hikari yelled to the others as the three of them ran head first into the flames. "Get behind me! I'll keep the flames away!" Hikari added as Syra and Arielle fell in line behind her as she skillfully cleared a charred path for all of them to travel safely.
"This is gonna work!" arielle cried out as the three of them began to see the edge of the forest ahead of them and the finish line shortly beyond it. All of a sudden from behind the three of them a massive booming sound rang out, and as Hikari looked over her shoulder she could see a wave of greenish tinted wind rolling towards them and extinguishing every flaming tree as though they were candles being blown out. In the next instant Hikari could see something small rising above the treeline and hurling towards them. "She found us!" Hikari screamed as their faces filled with terror and the girls tried to outrun the rush of wind that was coming up behind them.
As the flurry of air crept up, Hikari spun around and unleashed a gust of her own that was just strong enough to push back the immediate wind that threatened them before picking up her pace and running as fast as she could. Each of them was slowed a bit by the fact they had to not only carry their rescuees but keep them safe as well. Nonetheless Hikari, Arielle and Syra planted their feet with all of their might in each step to try and outrun their impending doom. "That's not fast enough girls!" Kyuen's voice came screaming from behind them as another booming sound rang out and she was thrusted forward even faster through the air.
"Dont stop!" Syra shouted as the three of them broke through the tree line to see the crowd as well as the drop zone that was now at most only a thousand feet away. Sweat blurred their eyes as they ran, the volunteers all cheering with excitement as they enjoyed the ride. As soon as they had come into view the crowd began cheering for the three of them and another moment later they had noticed Kyuen as well, soaring over the tops of the trees and closing in on the girls. Their legs burned with each step that was bursting with power. Both Arielle and Syra took enormous strides boosted with their Nikugan while Hikari sailed just inches above the ground on a bed of air with her volunteers in tow. Once she had finally cleared the treeline as well, Kyuen began hurling balls of fire down at the girls as they ran in an attempt to slow them down, but each one of them kept their focus steadfast as they dodged and weaved across the small clearing.
Arielle and Syra had managed to get slightly ahead of Hikari as Kyuen seemed to be focusing most of her attack towards her niece. Now only a short fifty feet away, Hikari watched as Arielle and Syra crossed into the zone that marked them as safe while at the same time she could see the shadow of something closing in from above. With the last bit of her energy Hikari concentrated as much of her Ki as she could into her feet and in a desperate attempt to push herself over the finish line. She could see Kyuen's shadow get overtaken by the green glow of her Ki as she got even closer and reached out for Hikari's collar.
With a burst of power that neither of them had expected, Hikari's body seemed to jump forward just far enough to span the final stride she needed to secure her win and as she did could feel the graze of Kyuen's fingertips just barely tug at the back of her shirt. The crowd went wild as Hikari managed to tumble into the safety of the drop site, her rescuee's coming to a skidding stop as they followed in behind her still seated on a cloud of air. "We did it!" Arielle cheered as she wrapped her arms around Hikari in celebration, the crowd cheering fanatically around them as their names on the crystal displays lit and showed that they had each passed with perfect scores.
Through the crowd that had begun to close in around them, Hikari could see Kyuen's face as she stood in the spot where she had just narrowly escaped from her grasp. Kyuen's face was twisted into a mix of both frustration and pride as two of them locked eyes through the cheering citizens. Hikari smiled a bit and laughed to herself as she began to celebrate. Although it wasn't a duel, she could finally say without a doubt that she had beaten Kyuen at something. A few more students seemed to break past the treeline behind them, their luck running out as Kyuen took off and released her frustrations on them all. "Nice plan Arielle," Syra said with a smile. "Yeah, it worked perfectly!" Hikari added as the three of them took in the moment of their victory with pride." Only three exams left and then onto the match exams!" Arielle cheered as she raised her fist into the air, the rest of the crowd joining in with her as they all rejoiced.
Just a mile away where Eiji continued to train with Okun, Hiro had taken his leave to get back to his duties with the exams, leaving only Gado and Sumiko to observe as Eiji stood across from Okun panting with exhaustion. "At least pretend to fight back! Eiji exclaimed as Ki around him swirled in response to his own frustration. "That would be distracting as I try to assess your natural Ki levels, now come at me again," Okun ordered. Eiji rushed in as he gritted his teeth. His Ki flared up around him as it began to form the same kind of armblade style of weapon that Sumiko had used before.
Eiji leapt into the air and brought both blades down across each of Okun's shoulder blades. Only to be abruptly stopped by the same kind of iridescent barrier that he had used at the start of their training. The sound was like metal scraping against glass as Eiji's blades of Ki sparked against it. Before his feet could hit the ground, he seemed to be pushed back with the same force he had attacked with, sending him back to the spot he had leapt from. "Tch! What's that barrier made of anyway??" Eiji asked. He had quickly grown frustrated with Okun's new exercise, especially just after feeling like he was enjoying the thrill that came with a real fight.
"Well, technically it's made of my Ki… but it's been incredibly condensed to the point where it mimics solid matter," Okun said casually. "Condensed? Into solid matter? Ki can do that??" Eiji asked curiously, his frustration melting away once presented with something new he could discover. "My Ki can… Much like Yokai, the way a Kami's Ki can function is much different than that of a human," Okun replied. "There are many things that a Kami is capable of that would seem impossible to even the most skilled of Mesukiro users or Yokai, and furthermore skills and abilities of the Kami vary greatly between each of us," He added.
Eiji paused for a moment, he had been so overwhelmed with everything else that had been going on that he had only now just realized just how many questions he had for Okun. "You seem to like discussing the Kami… Back in my uncle's office you were rather eager to talk about the book and who had written it…" Eiji said to him as he let down his guard a bit. Okun now paused, his eyes scanning over his young student who seemed to now be challenging him in a different manner. "And what if I do?" Okun replied. "Well… maybe I have some questions…" Eiji said as he reassumed his fighting stance and equipped his weapons with Ki.
Eiji rushed back in once again trying to strike at his instructor, leaping through the air in the same fashion as before. "Why did you leave Kamikochi when the sentoki arrived??" Eiji cried out as he struck, only to be forced back once more. "Simple, I settled here to learn more about the Iro'Kai people who lived here, I found them interesting," Okun replied. Eiji charged back in and stuck again. "So then why'd you leave??" he asked as his blow landed against the shield. "I found something that was more interesting," Okun said to Eiji as he was repelled. "Care to tell me what that was?" Eiji asked as he struck again. "That would be irrelevant…" Okun said, his face growing displeased as Eiji continued to ask.
The frustration returned to Eiji's face as he listened to Okun's answer, just like when he had first appeared in Hiro's office, that word 'irrelevant' appeared again. "That's not an answer!" Eiji cried as he swung and struck again, this time his ki sprawling out wildly as he did. "It's not an answer you need," Okun said with a bit of a grimace as Eiji was pushed back. Eiji stood across from him panting, his aggravation had come back and trying to pull answers out of Okun felt like pulling water from a stone. "Okun… Tell me… What would happen if I were to change my mind… If I were to say you can't restrict my Ki… would you be honest with me about the side effects then?" Eiji asked from under a furrowed brow. Okun listened to Eiji's words, letting them sink in for a moment before answering. "...No. I would not," Okun said. Eiji's frustrated face cracked a small smile in response as she prepared to charge in once more, "I think I'm starting to get it now… I'm asking the wrong person…" Eiji said to himself before continuing on with his attacks.
A number of miles away and off in the woods, three individuals dashed and darted through the trees at inhuman speeds, shaking the ground below them as if a herd of elephants were making their way through the forest. At the front of the parade sat Ervin Ols, a monstrous Lycadd hermit bounding his way through the forest as a trail of Green Ki tailed behind him. In Second place came Aimee as her orange aura swelled and bubbled around her, tree branches shattering under her feet as she propelled herself across the treetops trying to gain ground ahead of the enormous wolfman in front of her. Below her feet, the glow of Taiyo's red aura came in and out of sight as he tried to keep pace with her while dodging the falling splitters of wood that reigned down.
"Seems like you'll be coming in last like usual!" Aimee shouted from up above as she launched herself forward ahead of Taiyo. Up ahead Ervin smiled with excitement as he sped up his pace. As he ducked in and out of trees Ervin raised his fist, smashing it into one of the tree trunks as he ran by. The base of the tree trunk shattered into a thousand shards, toppling over in front of Taiyo and landing in his path. Taiyo hurdled over the tree while at the same time Aimee dropped out of the air above. Ervin had slowed the both of them down by taking away her footing and blocking Taiyo's way. "Is that the best you two can do?" Ervin yelled out over his shoulder, while Aimee and Taiyo trailed behind him, neck and neck with each other for second place. As they ran onward they were rapidly approaching a clearing up ahead; the designated finish line for their impromptu race. "Better luck next time!" Evrin gloated as his green Ki swelled around his feet. Like a wound-up spring, Ervin launched across the ground at a speed so fast it seemed like he had entirely disappeared for a moment. In a flash, Ervin was now standing at the edge of the treeline to the clearing, goading them on to claim second place.
Aimee and Taiyo both gritted their teeth and ran as fast as they could push themselves. Wisps of Ki fluttered behind them as they soared across the ground with each stride. The two of them glanced at each other and back at the finish line, sweat pouring from their brows as they both strived to outpace the other. The ground shook with each step they took, inching closer and closer to victory. Only seconds away from winning, the both of them poured every ounce of power into their last few steps. Sunlight showered them as they both broke through the treeline, still mid-stride the two of them couldn't have been more evenly matched. With their front legs extended the both of them touched down at the exact same time, rolling and tumbling into the clearing from the last push of force they had launched themselves with. Aimee was the first to stand back up, "Hah! I beat you!" She exclaimed as Taiyo brushed himself off while still sitting on the ground.
Before he could stand, a flood of fur and paws came rushing out of the woods. The wolf pack had been trailing behind them having a race of their own. A number of the younger pups tackled Taiyo as they dashed into the field, pushing him over as they licked at his face and arms. "Did you hear me? I said I beat you!" Aimee exclaimed again as Taiyo wrestled his way to his feet amongst the flurry of fur. "Yeah maybe… I wasn't really keeping track," Taiyo said with a soft laugh as he scooped up one of the pups that had been trailing behind the pack. Once again Aimee was taken aback by his response, it was completely unlike Taiyo to be so aloof about competition, especially with her. "I'm just glad you came out here with me today… It was fun," Taiyo said to her with a bright and innocent smile. Taiyo walked past her as the pups nipped at his heels, petting and playfully pushing them away as he headed back toward the forest.
"We don't really keep track of who wins," Said Ervin as he walked up behind Aimee. The towering Lycadd stood behind her as she watched the man who had long been her rival walk away, tenderly caring for creatures so small they could fit in the palm of his hand. "He's always been an idiot, but I didn't know he could be a gentle idiot sometimes," Aimee said to Ervin, making him laugh as he began to walk toward the treeline as well. "He's… A lot of things, but I guess you'll find that out now that you two are working together." Ervin replied. Aimee rolled her eyes as she jogged ahead, passing by Ervin as she caught up with Taiyo. They walked by each other silently, the pups tumbling in and out of the bushes around them as they made their way back towards Kaika Temple & Do'Kobu city.
"So… I umm… I've been learning how to cook some new recipes lately… they're good," Aimee said quietly as they walked along. "Hmm? oh that's… Nice I guess," Taiyo replied, confused by her softer-than-usual tone. Aimee looked up at him and raised her eyebrows in disbelief, "Tch. That's nice?" She said offendedly, "You really are dense," Aimee said with a subtle laugh. "What are you gonna cook for me or somethin'?" Taiyo asked sarcastically, chuckling to himself at the idea. "Yes, dumbass… we did your thing to get used to being a team, now it's my turn," Aimee said to him, as she cradled the now sound-asleep wolf pup in her arms. Taiyo stopped in his tracks, not sure how to respond to Aimee's casual invitation. "But how does eating help us get used to being a team?" he said as he started walking again. Aimee sighed as she turned around to face him, still walking backward down the path. "Not every part of a mission is gonna be getting things done, we're gonna be spending a lot of time together just traveling, resting, and having meals when we get back to the investigation… So we should get used to that part too…. Oh and by the way, if you ever pat my head again like you did back there, I'll kill you." She finished saying with a scowl as she turned back around.
"Hey, where did Ervin go?" She asked, Aimee had realized when she was facing Taiyo that he was no longer walking behind them. "He took off. He's not really one for socializing all too much," Taiyo said with a soft smile. "But you're right… So whats for dinner?" He added jokingly as the two of them made their way through the woods, the wolfpack slowly breaking away as they approached the school and city. Before they had made it all the way back, Aimee carefully handed off the sleeping pup in her arms to one of the wolves to gently take in their mouth before running off. "They're amazing animals," Aimee said to Taiyo as they watched the last wolves of the pack retreat off into the woods. "They're some of my best friends," Taiyo replied as he turned back to their destination. "Hah, normally I'd make fun of that… but I kinda get it" Aimee replied.
Off in the distance still back in the woods, the wolf gently placed the pup into the giant hand of Ervin Ols, who stood just barely out of sight watching Taiyo and Aimee as they traveled back. Ervin patted the wolf on the head as he looked into its eyes, the baby pup stirring in his hand. "She's not too bad, huh? Looks like he's really starting to grow up…" Ervin said to the wolf, who let out a howl in agreement. Ervin cocked his head back and let out a bellowing howl in unison with the wolf while around him from the depths of the woods the rest of the pack joined in as well, filling the air with the howl of their voices. Back on the trail, Aimee and Taiyo could hear the cries of the pack as they floated through the evening air. Aimee just smiled as they walked, while Taiyo looked out at the sun that was just beginning to hide behind the horizon.
With both Eiji training and Hikari's exams well under way, the Umitasora family carried on in the same fashion. Each day Eiji continued to train with Okun, doing nothing more than attacking the Kami fruitlessly and asking questions that were often met with vague, concise answers if they were even answered at all. Hikari successfully managed to pass the Target Elimination, Decision Making Skills & Body Guard Duty duty exams with flying colors. During the Target Elimination exams, the students were faced with a number of 'dummy' enemies that were all placed throughout the arena grounds and tasked with destroying as many of them as possible. Both Hikari and Harrow managed to pass with 78 targets eliminated. During the Body Guard Exams, the students were given a target to protect as a group while teachers and other Sentoki attempted to capture the target, and once again Both Harrow and Hikari's teams were successful. It struck Hikari as odd that Hiro had only seemingly pitted her against her rival during the first exam, that was until she had come to the final day of the tactical Exams, the Decision making Skills test.
During the final event of the second leg of the exams, the students were often placed in a unique game of strategy. Instead of a more physical exam the Decision making skills test was more of a test of the mind. Students were given a variety of common board or card games they could pick from and compete against each other to earn their scores. Each student was assigned a similar scoring student to battle, and so even if Hiro hadn't pulled any strings as Headmaster, Hikari was sure she would have faced off against Harrow regardless.
The both of them had agreed on a popular board game that consisted of using strategy to move from one side of the board to the other without having your pieces 'taken' by your opponent. Whoever finished the game with more pieces left would be crowned the winner, and although the game was simple it still involved an immense amount of critical thinking. Normally matches were only allotted an hours time each but due to the fact that Harrow and Hikari were both the top scoring students so far in the exams, their match had become a bit of a highlight for those watching and ended up lasting a total of five hours before finally concluding in Hikari's win. Leaving the two of them evenly matched for the number of Exams they had each passed and moving them on to the portion of the exams the both of them as well as the rest of city and cheering fans had long awaited, The tournament.
The tournament is the most celebrated portion of the placement exams by far. Each year the number of people attending always doubles if not more by the time the final leg of the testing has begun. Each student competed in a one on one single elimination clash to determine the overall strongest. There were fifty matches going on at any given time inside of the area that had been cleared out of all tree's boulders and other things overnight, while the center ring remained empty until the final match. With the number of students participating, there were a total of eleven rounds before the winner could be established, Meaning any student would have to win all ten of their first rounds in order to compete in the final match.
In reality, it was almost always clear to both the students as well as the fans which two individuals would end up in the final battle long before it had actually come about. It was quite rare to see an upset that would cause things to go differently, and for this year's exams, it was apparent to anybody who had been watching that Hikari and Harrow would end up as the finalists. Through the exams the both of them had become favorites of the fans as their feats were displayed daily on the crystal displays around the arena and city.
The whole family had gathered to watch Hikari during her final stretch. Eiji and Okun took a break from their training for the three days that it would take until the final match, meanwhile Taiyo had taken a break from his training with Aimee to show his support. Each of them knew Hikari would have little to no trouble clearing her first ten rounds; there hadn't been a single student that attended Kaika Temple in her last few years of schooling that could even come close to matching her level of skill.
One by one both Hikari and Harrow defeated their opponents effortlessly, the difference in their abilities compared to the other students was almost unfair as each of them ascended to the top. By this time in the competition, factions had formed amongst the fans as to who they would support and cheer for, and as students were eliminated one at a time, their fans would have to join a new group in order to root for who they thought might win. Slowly over the course of the three days the area had turned to a massive display of screaming falls all shouting for different students but by the end, almost everybody in attendance had made their choice between fire or ice, white or black, Hikari or Harrow.
To no surprise of the family or anybody in attendance, Hikari and Harrow were both slated to compete against each other in the final match that would take place on the fourth and final day of the exams. Although they had breezed through the competition, there were still a number of notable other battles that occurred. Including a brilliant fight between none other than Syra and Arielle, in which Srya took the victory after a long and almost evenly matched fight.