Chapter Nine: Element Drive

The next day came, breakfast was eaten, and then Daichi approached me. "So you're going to be my trainer today?" I asked.

"That's right, follow me." He smiled and turned his back to me, walking down the hall. I followed him and he led me into a room that looked like some kind of dojo.

"Did you make this?" I looked around in awe.

"I made the arena, but this was already here when I arrived. Today we'll be working on your hand to hand combat while you're learning the next thing you can do with your element. I'll tell you your goal after explaining what exactly we'll be doing." I nodded, giving him my full attention. I remembered Jinny saying Daichi was a martial arts master before turning. I couldn't help but feel bad at the thought of what he must have felt after his unnatural disaster. "Today I'll essentially be teaching you how to incorporate your element into your body."

"Huh? But I've alrea-"

"Don't interrupt!"

I jumped and sat on my knees. "Yes sir!"

He chuckled. "Anyways. I know you've already learned how to use your element around your body, but incorporating it into your body is something different. Think of how Jinny's body turned into water before." I remembered and finally understood what he meant, nodding in confirmation. "When we do that, we can do things and possess traits that normal people can't. Kazane can fly, my body becomes as hard as a rock, Jinny becomes almost impossible to hit unless you have the right element, and so on. I can already guess what'll happen to you, but I've been wrong before." He chuckled. I raised my hand, as if I was in a class. "Yes?" He cocked his eyebrow.

"How exactly would I go about incorporating it into my body?"

"Well that's what I'm about to teach you!"

"R-Right..!"

"Stand up." I quickly did so. Daichi took a stance and before my eyes his body actually seemed to become as hard as a rock. "Unfortunately when I'm like this I can't move too fast. Now for this, just imagine your body being filled with your element. Imagine it running through your body, as if it were your own blood, and then make it so." I nodded, closing my eyes and focusing. I imagined the electrons in my body suddenly growing wider and wider, the inside of my body starting to spark. I took a deep breath and opened my eyes, my hair spiking up even more as my body sparked, inside and outside. I opened my eyes and I knew it worked because I was highly aware of everything around me and it seemed like everything was moving in slow motion.

"This feels weird...but awesome at the same time." I chuckled. Imagine that feeling when parts of your body start to fall asleep. Imagine your entire body, every single inch, even your hair, feeling just like that. That's what I was feeling at that moment, and yet I felt more alive than I ever had in my life.

"Your goal today is to make me move. Now go." He stomped on the ground and the floor underneath his feet broke apart.

"Yes sir!" I charged at him, but I might as well have flown because I was in front of him in less than a second. I threw a kick at him and he blocked with his arms, not budging an inch, not to mention my entire body shook from striking something so hard. "Ugh! Ow!" I held my foot.

Daichi chuckled. "If you can't handle hitting me, imagine what hitting a crystal would feel like." I remembered that girl with purple hair and color changing eyes, shivering at the thought of taking her on. "Keep trying, you've got all day."

I nodded and dashed at him again, sparks flying behind me. I started raining down punches and kicks on him, trying to get him to budge even a bit, but he didn't. "I may as well be trying to move a boulder!" I grumbled internally.

"Come on, if Hanako could do it I know you can." He chuckled.

My eyes widened at the thought, but I realized that that was a hint, and began thinking to myself. "My task is to move him... but he didn't say how it had to be done..." A small smirk formed on my face. Daichi smiled knowingly and he stood his ground as I figured out exactly how Hanako managed to move Daichi in this state. I dashed at Daichi once again, going around him and putting him in a full nelson. "Sorry Daichi, looks like I'm about to win..!" I fired a couple bolts of lightning from my feet. Daichi wasn't moving at all yet, but I could feel the force I was putting on him.

I charged more lightning into the soles of my feet and they started sparking heavily. "Rah!" Two large bolts of lightning shot out from the bottom of my feet, breaking up the floor underneath me, and I raised Daichi off the ground just a bit. Afterward, I let go of him and spun around, lightning still shooting from my feet. I pressed my foot against his chest and fired another lightning bolt from it, sending him crashing into the ground with a heavy thud, most of the force from his rocky body. I then landed on the ground and panted heavily.

"Not bad kiddo!" Daichi was standing as if nothing had happened at all, except he looked normal instead of rock hard.

I sighed with relief and exhaustion. I had completed my task and he wasn't hurt at all. "Hanako lifted you by using a bunch of vines, didn't she?"

"Who knew plants could be so sturdy?" He chuckled. I was right, Hanako seemed like the type to hate fighting unless she absolutely had to, so it'd make sense for her to move Daichi without hitting him. "Now we can spend the rest of the day testing how long you can hold that form and working on your technique. Are you ready to begin?"

"Yep!" I grinned excitedly. Daichi then began teaching me how to perfect my stance, telling me about how he also taught Akari how to fight as well as Hanako. The others had all came to him for advice. We talked about several things while we trained: all of his students, when he became a mentor, why he wanted to become one, and more, all while holding onto that form of mine.

My form ended up burning out before lunch. "I guess using that ability runs on all the energy I have stored in my body, so I should use it sparingly." I thought to myself, feeling more exhausted than I had in my entire life. After we ate lunch, me eating more than usual, Daichi and I continued to train until the sun started to set.

"You did a good job today Sanda. The Plasma Elementia's got nothing on you." He chuckled.

"We'll see in two days." I replied with a half-hearted laugh and headed to my room to take a shower and such, and we had already had dinner by then. I laid on my bed and stared at the ceiling. "This is boring..." I said almost immediately and hopped up, walking out of my room. I walked around the now familiar halls of the small mansion, though was still quite bored. I sighed and headed out the back door, going to the edge of the plateau and sitting, staring at the sea. I looked up at the stars and the moon, mesmerized by the amazing view. "Now this is relaxing..."

"I know right?" I heard a voice to the right of me and jumped, prepared to fight, but it was just Jinny. She snickered. "You should see the look on your face."

"S-Shut up! That's not cool." I grumbled and looked out at the sea again.

She giggled. "Aww, did I scare you?~ Did you miss me and our training?" She sat beside me and ruffled my hair.

"Why does everyone love messing up my hair." I lightly pushed her hand off. "Also, you wish to both of those questions." I rolled my eyes.

"Well, did you miss me in general? You know ya love me." She snickered.

"Once again, you wish..." I rolled my eyes again.

"Hey that's mean~ Roll those back any further and you might lose em." She snickered again.

"And whose fault would that be?" I looked at her, cocking an eyebrow.

"Oh well I just have no idea." She averted her eyes in a playful manner. This time I ruffled her hair. "H-Hey!"

"Payback!" Her hair was as smooth and actually felt like water.

As I got distracted by that fact, she ruffled my hair too, with both of her hands. "Let's see if we can get this mess any messier!"

"H-Hey! Back off!" I lightly grabbed her shoulder with my other hand as I continued messing up her hair with the other. This continued for about a minute, the two of us laughing, but I slowly stopped, speaking my thoughts aloud. "Your hair feels really nice actually..." I simply brushed my fingers through her smooth, water like hair, staring at the beautiful blue locks.

"Yours does too..." She muttered, and I could see a hint of red in her cheeks in the corner of my eyes. I looked at her face after she said that, and I slowly started to realize what we were both doing. I had one hand on her shoulder and was running my fingers through the hair on the back of her head with the other while her hands were tangled through my hair, gripping my head as well. I couldn't help but look at her lips that were only a few inches from mine at that point. Her eyes locked onto mine and she seemed to realize too. We stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity, but it was only a few seconds in reality. Once we came to our senses, we both blushed and pulled away from each other.

"S-Sorry." I muttered.

"I-It's fine, I started it after all..." She chuckled awkwardly. We sat quietly after that, watching the stars and the waves of the ocean. After a few moments of silence, I suddenly felt a weight pressed against my shoulder. When I turned to see what it was, Jinny's body was leaned against mine, head on my shoulder, and she was fast asleep. I could feel the redness in my cheeks as I looked at her beautiful, sleeping face. I felt like a bit of a creep, but I smiled and gently ran my fingers through her hair again. Seeing her like that made it feel like she didn't have a care in the world, and was at peace. It made me happy, so I stayed with her like that for a while, not saying a word or moving an inch.