Discovering Potential (1)

"Again." Elena spoke sternly as she gestured at Tain to continue.

"Y-yes!" Tain responded as he hurriedly charged towards Elena once more—only to be knocked down again and again.

Multiple days have passed ever since they decided to settle down at the abandoned hut. Many changes had occurred ever since—both good and bad. While the deteriorating relationship between Andre and Elena has not improved in any manner—they have compromised to ensure the hostility between them would not worsen any further.

Presently, Tain has finally succeeded in overcoming a part of his trauma and is now in a suitable condition to train again. As harsh and strict Elena is when it comes to combat—his desire to become self-sufficient never falters as he rose up countless times whenever he fell down.

Even when he was bruised, he stood up. Even when his face became swollen, he still stood up again. In order to no longer be a burden for those he cherished—wavering in front of uncertain danger was something he knew he needed to surpass—to no longer be afraid of death in order to protect others.

Tain rose up once more as he threw his third punch of the day—before finding his face plummeting into the ground as Elena mercilessly threw him down.

"Do not act recklessly, Tain. Think before you fight. Plan a strategy if you wish to topple me. Until then, the outcome will remain the same. This will be the end of our lesson for the day. So, rest well and scheme for my defeat later tonight." Elena uttered as she left.

"Damnit…!" Tain murmured frustratingly. He himself knew that it would take a lot of effort to become strong but not to this extent.

'...If this keeps up…Can I really repay her…?' He wondered as he stood up.

'Can I become strong enough to actually protect her…if I can't even damage her at all? Am I…not talented at all? Then…how can I…'

The longer he contemplated it—the more anxious and afraid he became. What if by the time he was strong enough—it was already too late? What if he gave up before he could do something? What if he only possessed a certain worth because he was the son of a superhuman?

He definitely did not want to be in debt after the sacrifices everyone had made just for his sake. Yet, what was the point of training if he is unable to clear his regrets? What was the point of living anymore, if all he did was bring unnecessary weight onto their shoulders?

'...No, don't think of those. Elena believed in me. So…I can't let her expectations fall down. I'll meet them one way or another.' He reflected.

Standing up on his two feet—he ambled towards a large, old tree and admired it for a moment as he laid down on it.

'Planning…How exactly do I plan? How can I beat an unsurpassable barrier? It's…impossible…But still, I have to impress and prove to her that I'm growing…What do I do…?'

…

"Hey, Miss Elena. Can I join your training sessions with Tain?" Alice asked.

"... While I do not mind, I am unsure whether your father will allow for such a thing to happen."

"So, if I get my dad's permission, can I train too?" She inquired—her eyes glittering with hope like little stars.

"Well…I suppose you can. However, even if you have your father's permission, until you are truly certain you can handle the intensity of my teachings, I will gladly accept you."

"Alright! I'll go and ask him now!" Alice shouted gleefully as she hurriedly rushed over to Andre.

"What an optimistic child." Elena mumbled beneath her breath as a vision from the future crossed her mind—one featuring Tain and Alice working together flawlessly.

'...She is a great partner for Tain.'

…

"Harder. Sharper. Put your entire body weight into each punch." Elena uttered as she threw a barrage of quick yet heavy jabs in Tain's way.

"Y-yes!" Tain screamed as he launched a counterattack. Although that proved to be useless as Elena's punch sent him soaring into the sky.

His descent back onto the ground caused him to feel immeasurable pain as he found himself in a desperate situation.

"...That shall be enough for tonight."

"N-No! Not yet! I can still… continue…!" Tain remarked as he aroused from the ground—clenching his fists as he dashed towards Elena.

He was tired, beaten and barely had any energy left. Yet, he still forced himself to stand back up—using sheer willpower to move his battered body.

His hands and legs were trembling and his vision was blurry. Yet it did not matter. He did not care how many times he had to fall in order to rise up again. He did not care how many punches he had to take before becoming strong. All he needed was to touch Elena, and that was enough.

After a fury of onslaughts thrown at him—Tain looked like a man who was on death's doorstep. He could no longer run, nor clench his fists, yet he still walked—albeit slowly and unsteadily.

"Just…one punch…" Tain said to himself as he raised his right hand.

The punch he threw was so slow, even a snail could dodge it. Yet Elena could not. She was amazed by Tain's indomitable spirit. The next thing she knew, his soft hand as on her thigh and he had a smile plastered on his face as he fell down from exhaustion.

"...You have exceeded my expectations, Tain. I am proud of you."

…

Currently, it is midnight. Elena, Alice and Andre have all gone to sleep except for Tain. He showed not a single sign of sleepiness or drowsiness. Rather, he felt rejuvenated. As he stared at the shining crescent moon—he had the urge to retrace all of the movements he made today.

As he did so, a powerful gust of wind suddenly washed over him as a blue-colored holographic screen immediately appeared in front of him—floating menacingly.

[Synchronization: 0%]

Instinctively, he backed away—thinking it was a dangerous foe. But it was not. It showed zero reaction to him. Carefully, Tain stretched his arms to touch the thing but it simply phased through. It was intangible, and something that was beyond this world's comprehension.

'...It looks like something from a game…but which one?...I'll ask teacher tomorrow if she knows what this is…'

…