A careless Dad.

After taking a bath and ignoring the predicament that happened in the morning, Seth fed Thally her grasshoppers and then made his breakfast.

After that, he walked to school and arrived in the class. "Hey Seth, good morning" Emily who usually doesn't socialize at school seems to be quite energetic today.

"Good morning Emily, what got you in a good mood today?" Seth asked, Emily took a chair and sat next to him. "Nothing much just happy"

Their classmates looked at both of them strangely, they don't usually see both of them together. Jake who seemed to have arrived early today came towards them. "Tsk…Why are you two suddenly getting along" he asked.

Emily looked at Jake with a small smile. "We are childhood friends and I have always been in contact with him"

"Why do you suddenly care?" Seth asked curiously, he didn't know why Jake was lenient in speaking to him.

Jake's eyes twitched. "I was just curious"

Emily chuckled. "No, you are just jealous"

Jake's face flushed with irritation. "Jealous? Of what?"

Emily smirked. "That Seth has friends who care about him."

Jake scowled but didn't respond. Instead, he turned and walked away, clearly frustrated. Seth watched him go, then turned back to Emily with a sigh.

"Thanks for that, but I think you just made him even angrier."

Emily shrugged. "Let him be angry. He needs to learn to mind his own business."

Seth smiled, appreciating her support. "Yeah, you're right. Let's just focus on having a good day."

After they chatted for a bit, the class finally started, surprisingly it was the principal that came today. "Hello students as you have known for a month you all are going to the academy, so I am here to give out an announcement that throughout this month, you will be working on combat and leadership training, so you have the entire day to yourselves"

The class buzzed with excitement at the principal's announcement. Students began discussing their plans for the free day, and the air was filled with anticipation.

Emily turned to Seth, her eyes gleaming with excitement. "Combat and leadership training, huh? Sounds like it could be fun. What do you think?"

Seth nodded, his mind already racing with possibilities. "Yeah, it's a great opportunity to practice our abilities and get better prepared for the academy."

Thally, peeking out of Seth's pocket, looked intrigued. "Combat training could be useful for you, Seth. And leadership training sounds interesting too."

Emily grinned. "Let's make the most of today then. How about we head to the training grounds and see what we can do?"

Seth agreed, and they gathered their things to head out. The school had designated areas for combat practice, and students were already making their way there. Seth, Emily, and Thally found a relatively quiet spot where they could train without too many interruptions.

"Okay," Emily said, stretching her arms. "Let's start with some basic combat drills. We can work on your root abilities and see how they can be used in a fight."

"Was that supposed to be a pun?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

Emily smiled her blue eyes twinkling with mischief and her blonde hair moved in the air. "Maybe I am maybe am not"

"Also are you going to fight with a skirt?"

Emily laughed a playful glint in her eyes. "Don't underestimate me just because of my outfit. I can handle myself just fine."

Seth chuckled, shaking his head. "Alright, let's see what you've got then."

They began with some basic warm-up exercises, stretching, and getting their blood flowing. Seth closed his eyes as he tried splitting his hand into smaller vines. "If you are struggling I could help" Thally said looking at him.

"Ok" As he said that, Thally went back into his body, suddenly he felt a tingling sensation on his hand, soon he felt his hand becoming split into four and now he could see four greenish thick vines moving about.

"Hmm~, this takes up more energy if we keep it at it for long" Thally said appearing on his shoulder.

"Oh okay, let's start with an accuracy challenge, dodge or disperse the ball of water I throw at you" Emily flicked her arm and made three water balls float on her arm.

Emily flicked her arm, and three water balls floated in the air, hovering above her palm. "Ready?"

Seth nodded, focusing on the water balls. "Let's do this."

Emily launched the first water ball toward Seth. Seth reacted quickly, using his vines to deflect the ball, sending it splashing harmlessly to the side. The second ball came faster, and Seth managed to dodge it by shifting his vines to intercept it. The third ball, however, was aimed at his feet, forcing him to leap sideways to avoid it.

Thally cheered from Seth's shoulder. "Nice job! You're getting the hang of it!"

Emily raised an eyebrow, impressed. "Not bad, Seth. You're handling those vines well. Let's see how you do with a bit more speed."

She increased the pace, sending the water balls at him in rapid succession. Seth focused on his vines, trying to anticipate and react to the incoming balls. It was challenging, but he managed to keep up, deflecting or dodging each one with increasing confidence.

After a few more rounds, Emily called for a break. "Okay, that's enough for now. You've done great. How are you feeling?"

Seth wiped the sweat from his brow, smiling. "I'm feeling good. It's a lot of work, but it's helping me get a feel for these abilities."

Emily nodded, her eyes bright with enthusiasm. "Glad to hear that. Now let's switch it up and work on some leadership skills. We can start with basic team exercises to build coordination."

They spent the next hour working on various team-building exercises. Emily led them through activities that required clear communication, strategic thinking, and cooperation. Seth and Thally worked together seamlessly, and Emily's guidance helped them refine their teamwork.

By the end of the day, the trio was exhausted but satisfied with their progress. Seth, Emily, and Thally gathered their things and prepared to head home.

"That was a productive day," Emily said, stretching her arms. "I think we've made some real progress."

"Definitely," Seth agreed, feeling a sense of accomplishment. "Thanks for all your help today."

Thally gave a little wave from Seth's shoulder. "And thanks for letting me be part of the training. It was a lot of fun"

As they walked out of the training grounds, Thally once again hid, after reaching the gate, the two said their goodbyes and went home.

After coming back home, Seth opened the door to only get attacked by a hug from his mother. "Uhh, hey Mom I know you haven't seen me for some time but can you please be more gentle with the hug"

"Hmph~, you thinking I'll just let you go like that, you don't know how much I missed you, are you okay my little bean sprout" 

Seth laughed, gently extricating himself from his mother's enthusiastic embrace. "I'm fine, Mom. I was just at school, not off on an adventure or anything."

His mother looked at him with a mix of concern and affection. "I know, but I worry about you. You know how it is."

Seth smiled, appreciating her concern. "I know, and I'm grateful for it. Everything's going well."

"Good to hear," she said, finally letting go. "Did you have a productive day?"

"Yeah, actually," Seth replied. "We had some combat and leadership training today. It was a lot of work, but it was really helpful."

His mother nodded approvingly. "That sounds promising. I'm glad you're making progress. But it must be hard without having abilities"

Suddenly an arrogant but gentle voice was heard in the house. "Tsk the world is jealous of me that my son had to be cursed…so I went against it instead, i have a gift that would guarantee to unlock your abilities"

Seth suddenly gulped, it's not that he doesn't trust his dad…it's just he is a bit out of the world sometimes. Seth's mother pulled him inside and locked the door.

"Mom, Dad I don't think this is a good idea" He awkwardly said as he was put down on the couch.

His father patted his head and said. "Don't worry son, Dad will give you the greatest gift ever, now open your mouth."

Seth's eyes widened in uncertainty as his father approached with a small vial in hand. "Dad, what is this?" he asked, glancing at the vial, which was filled with a swirling, glowing liquid.

"Just a little something I've been working on," his father said with a reassuring smile. "It's a special elixir I've developed. It's supposed to unlock latent abilities."

Seth looked at his father, then at his mother, who seemed to be watching with a mixture of hope and concern. "But what if this doesn't work, or worse, what if it has side effects?"

His father's face softened. "I understand your concerns, Seth. But I've tested this extensively. I believe it can help you. You've been working hard, and you deserve a chance to unlock your full potential."

Seth sighed, seeing the determination in his father's eyes. "Alright, I'll trust you. But if anything goes wrong, you both need to promise me that you'll stop and help me."

His father nodded solemnly. "Of course, son. We're here for you no matter what."

With that, Seth hesitantly opened his mouth as his father gently poured the contents of the vial inside. The liquid was surprisingly sweet and warm as it slid down his throat. For a moment, he felt nothing, but then a strange tingling sensation began spreading through his body.

'Mmm~, my head feels fuzzy' Thally suddenly said in his mind, Seth rubbed his head as he suddenly got a strange headache. His body started to heat up and he felt tired he closed his eyes and slept on the couch, and his breathing became calm and stable.

"Oh looks like we will have to see the results tomorrow" He nodded his head in satisfaction, and suddenly he felt a chill crawl up to him as he sensed a dangerous aura behind him.

"uhm Honey…Calm down" Seth's mother was angry, her hands glowed green making small ropes wrap around his father. Her light green eyes had a hint of untamed anger in them.

"You could have at least given him it when he is going to bed, you idiot?!!" Seth's father, taken aback by his wife's anger, held up his hands defensively. "Alright, alright! I didn't think it would be such a big deal. I just wanted to give him the best chance."

Seth's mother's eyes, still glowing with a fierce green light, remained locked on her husband. "You should have been more considerate! This isn't something to be taken lightly. He could be in trouble, and now we have to wait and see what happens."

Seth's father, now restrained by the glowing ropes, looked both embarrassed and apologetic. "I understand. I just got carried away. I'll make it up to him, I promise."

Seth, still unconscious on the couch, shifted slightly as the conversation continued around him. His mother's face softened as she looked at her son's peaceful expression. The glowing ropes around Seth's father dissipated as her anger faded.

"There is no school tomorrow, so as a way to pay him back, we are all going on a little family outing" His mother dragged the father's ear, she was not angry but still pissed off.