Temple of Trials

Kaito stepped into the temple, his eyes scanning the crowded room.

"There's a lot of people who take this exam each year then..." he muttered to himself,

His gaze drifted from face to face. He paused, his attention caught by a guy with spiky red hair, his confidence and charisma radiating like a beacon.

Next, his eyes landed on a girl with silky white hair, her ethereal beauty and grace captivating.

Then, he spotted a shirtless guy on the left, his chiseled physique and intense gaze exuding strength. 'Looks promising!' Kaito thought.

As he continued to survey the room, his eyes landed on a familiar figure in the corner - Misuki. "Huh, Misuki?" he said, a hint of surprise in his voice.

She turned, her eyes locking onto Kaito, and a warm smile spread across her face. She sprinted towards him, throwing her arms around his neck in a tight hug.

"Kaito, I'm glad you're okay!" she exclaimed, her voice laced with relief.

But immediately her expression turned stern, and she knocked his head with a playful yet firm tap. "Reckless kid!" she chided, her words tinged with a mix of concern and exasperation.

Kaito rubbed his head, laughing, "Ow, what was that for?"

Misuki's expression softened, and she smiled, "I'm just glad you're here. I was worried about you."

Kaito grinned, "I'm not that reckless anymore."

Misuki raised an eyebrow, "We'll see about that." Kaito chuckled, "So, what are you doing here?"

Misuki's expression turned serious, "I want to become an X-Spec. And Akari's been training me." Kaito's eyes widened in surprise, "Akari? I noticed she always vanished time to time" He sighed, his mind racing, "Anyways, what's your Climax State?"

Misuki's lips curled into a sly grin, "It's a secret..." Kaito's eyes lingered, his curiosity piqued, before the old man's booming voice interrupted.

"Welcome, young ones, to the X-Specs official exam!" The old man's eyes twinkled with a knowing glint as he continued, "Your test begins now! Choose a pod, and your mission will be revealed. Save the citizen inside, and return here alive...then you'll have passed!"

His arms swept wide, encompassing the rows of pods, "The fate of your future begins...now! Go!"

" Well, good luck," Misuki said with a nod, before turning and disappearing into her pod. Kaito watched her go, a hint of a smile on his face, then he made his way to the front of his own pod.

He took a deep breath, steeling himself for what was to come, and stepped inside.

As the pod closed behind him, Kaito found himself hurtling through a dark tunnel, his senses disoriented.

When the tunnel finally spat him out, he stumbled forward, his eyes adjusting to the bright light.

He found himself standing in the middle of a small village, with a few houses scattered around him.

"Whoa!! Cool!!" Kaito exclaimed, his eyes wide with excitement. He approached one of the houses.

Meanwhile, in her own pod, Misuki found herself standing at the edge of a dense forest.

She gazed out at the towering trees, her expression thoughtful. "Well, it's good, I guess," she said to herself, her voice tinged with a hint of uncertainty.

She took a deep breath, her eyes scanning the underbrush, and stepped forward,

Meanwhile, Kaito's eyes scanned the village. " Doesn't seem like anyone is around here," he muttered to himself. Suddenly, a faint cry for help echoed through the air.

"Help meee!" a child's voice pleaded.

Kaito's head snapped towards the sound, his eyes locking onto a house on the left. He sprinted towards it at superhuman speed.

"What's wrong?!" he exclaimed, bursting into the house.

Inside, he saw a Spec looming over a terrified child, the Spec was an ethereal, aerial entity its body a shimmering, iridescent mist. Two gleaming silver orbs served as its eyes, shining like stars in the midst of a tempest.

It's jaws opened wide, ready to strike. Lightning-fast, Kaito dashed towards the boy, scooping him up in his arms. He whirled around the room, running in circles around the Spec disorienting it then made a break for the door.

"Are you okay now?!" he asked the child, as he burst into a nearby house at the edge of the village, slamming the door shut behind them.

The child nodded, still shaken, as Kaito set him down, his eyes scanning the surroundings,

"First, I gotta get you outta here, but to do that I have to destroy that thing " he muttered, his mind racing with a plan.

Kaito burst out of the house, he vanished into a trail of lightning that crackled and fizzled in his wake. "I'll be right back!" he called out, his voice echoing through the air. The child shivering in fear "there's one more..." He said

Kaito dashed, his body a blur as he sprinted up the wall, his feet pounding against the surface. 'Looks like it's an Air type, huh?' he thought, his eyes fixed on the Spec.

He launched himself over the Spec's head, his form arcing through the air like a human projectile. 'i have to take it out before it starts anything!' He thought

As he reached the apex of his jump, Kaito's dominant fist began to sparkle with a fierce, blue lightning.

Kaito thought, "I ain't dragging this fight!" He closed in with lightning speed, his fist crackling with lightning.

He flashed back,

"Ehn Master Fushiguro... How do you kill specs?" Kaito asked

Fushiguro sipping on his tea dropped it and sighed,

"You destroy their core" He said

"Their core?!" He asked again

"The core of a spec is their climax input, destroying that is the fastest way to kill a spec" Fushiguro answered

"Different specs have their cores in different locations of their bodies" he continued

" But ensure one thing... Once you can sense it you can destroy it"

The flash back ended

He unleashed a swift punch with his lightning sparkling in the air targeting the Spec's chest with a burst of lightning that obliterated the core immediately.

"Thunderclap Fist!" Kaito yelled, landing gracefully on the ground.

The Spec dissipated, its essence vanishing into thin air. The lightning switched off, leaving an eerie silence in its wake.

Kaito walked towards the edge of the house, a hint of a smile spreading across his lips.

"Well, this test was easy..." he muttered to himself.

Kaito sees the kid outside of the building

Kaito thought "Maybe he isn't scared anymore... he's saying something!!"

" It's not over yet!" The child yelled

Kaito's eyes widened in shock as he felt an immense depth of Climax Pressure behind him. "What's this pressure?! It's intense!" he thought, his mind racing with alarm.

He turned to face the source of the pressure, and his eyes met a Spec standing behind him.

Before he could react, the Spec slapped him with incredible force, sending Kaito flying into the wall. He crashed into the surface with a loud thud, feeling a searing pain in his chest.

Kaito coughed up blood, his vision blurring as he fell to the ground. He struggled to breathe, his body trembling from the impact.

The kid's eyes went wide with fear as he screamed and sprinted away.

Kaito clenched his fists, his mind racing with the thought, "I've got to stand up! Move up now or else...."

The Spec charged towards him with a fierce battle cry.

An explosion engulfed the area,

Kaito's body soaring through the air as he thought, "You'll die!"

"I dodged it!" Kaito exclaimed, immediately he unleashed a lightning-fast counterattack.

His body burst with blue lightning as he dashed to the Spec's side. "Volt Surge Stride!" he shouted, the air crackling with energy.

Kaito's hand glowed with a searing edge, "Now!! Plasma Edge!" He shouted as he struck the Spec's hand slicing it off

The Spec's laughter boomed through the air, its arm regenerating with eerie speed.

Kaito's eyes widened in shock, immediately he instinctively raised his hand up and he blocked a punch from the Spec.

But the force sent him crashing to the ground. He sprang back to his feet with a swift backflip, only to fall to one knee, his breathing labored.

"What was that?!" Kaito exclaimed,

"It's... Climax energy... makes it harder to breathe!" he gasped, his chest heaving with exertion.

The Spec closed in, its laughter growing louder, as Kaito's vision began to blur.

The Spec's voice was laced with surprise and amusement, "Hmm, you're still alive??! Well, not for long!" it exclaimed,

Kaito's eyes widened in shock, "It can speak???!!" he stammered.

The Spec's response was swift and merciless, "Now you've seen that, time to end you!" It declared, unleashing a powerful beam that threatened to engulf Kaito.

Kaito leaped out of the way, but his leg lingered in the beam's path, and it was crushed beneath the intense energy. "Ah!!!" he screamed, his voice echoing through the air as he clutched his mangled leg in agony.

"He dodged... nice!!" it taunted, its gaze gleaming with malevolent excitement.

The Spec suddenly appeared in front of Kaito and delivered a swift kick, sending him crashing into a nearby house. Kaito's body slumped to the ground, unconscious.

The Spec declared, "He's done!!" and charged towards Kaito's motionless form, ready to deliver the final blow.

But just as all hope seemed lost, a voice echoed in Kaito's mind, "Wake Up, wake up, WAKE UP!" it urged, shaking him back to consciousness.

Kaito's eyes flickered open, and he saw the Spec's fist hurtling towards him.

He rolled out of the way just in time, and the Spec's punch slammed into the ground, mere inches from Kaito's face.

As the Spec stumbled back, momentarily off balance, Kaito seized the opportunity to scramble to his feet and make a run for the other end of the house,

Kaito's eyes narrowed, his mind racing with questions. 'Who's voice was that?!'

'Whoever it was, it saved me! Thanks! But no celebrating yet!' he cautioned himself, his gaze fixed on the Spec.

The spec walked out of the house slowly

'This Spec is a strong one, and I don't know its Climax State yet! So I can't be risky on this!!' he thought.

His blade is materializing in his hands with a metallic ring. "I'll take it down no matter what!!!!" he declared.