CHAPTER 14 : INTENSE TRAINING

The first time my Mutant power activated... I accidentally trapped myself and Chyou in our merged Mind Dimension.It felt like we were in the Mind Dimension for months, slowly battling the monsters that existed within our minds. I managed to control my power while Chyou's Mutant power activated due to the severe pressure we were under.It wasn't an easy process; I could feel my physical body burning, I was hot... Maybe it was because I had to use a high amount of brain energy, and my human body couldn't withstand the prolonged use of power.When we finally got out of the Mind Dimension after being trapped for two days, I immediately fell into a severe fever. Luckily, Chyou was there to look after me...My power allowed me to use Telepathy, and with my special eyes, I could see humans with high Mutant Cells; they had an aura surrounding them.But my power also attracted Strays. They were drawn to Mutants and other Strays; it seemed they could detect and smell others within a fairly wide area. As a result, I encountered a Stray for the first time after emerging from the Mind Dimension.It transformed into a human but had merged with various types of birds. When I entered its mind, its human side had been completely consumed by the Mutant Cell. It was no longer human; the best way to save it was to kill it and let its soul be free...As the body of the Stray I had killed lay on the ground with blood flowing from its eyes and ears, I was determined to help more people. I knew a man with a strong sense of justice, just like mine.I knew I couldn't lead a group, but he could. To save Strays from themselves and from other Mutants before they lost their minds, that was my only desire...I didn't want to see that sad Mind Dimension again...Humans without heads.Nasuha released a Star Beam towards Kyoko, but she was faster than the beam of light energy, easily dodging it. Several light orbs were released by Nasuha as she moved in the air, but Kyoko dodged all of them again and appeared above Nasuha."She's incredibly fast!" Nasuha monologued before being struck by Kyoko's lightning, causing her to fall to the ground.At the same time, Khairul was sitting weakly in front of Khalid, his face looking frustrated. Khalid placed his sword on his shoulder and chuckled softly."Want to try again, Khairul?" Khalid asked."This time, I'll definitely get past your armor!" Khairul drew his blades from his arms, and Khalid lifted his sword again, getting into an attacking position."Go ahead," he challenged. Khairul jumped towards Khalid to tackle him."Even if you can control your Mutant power, skills still need to be honed. That's what we learned; training to master using powers to fight other Mutants and Strays," Mei said as she and Rose observed the battle in Khairul and Nasuha's merged Mind Dimension."If there are other Mutants who misuse their powers, how can the authorities fight them?" Rose sighed."That's why we formed this group. To protect other humans who aren't Mutants, who can't defend themselves.""You don't understand. You can't be everywhere at all times; eventually, the government will find out about the existence of Mutants, and they will look for ways to weaponize them. Your powers are too strong to be left uncontrolled. I know how ruthless the government can be when they are desperate, they can become cruel for the sake of security," Rose protested."That's why we need you, Sister Rose. You are the key to keeping our identities hidden. I'm aware of the dangers of our powers. Out there, there are surely many more Mutants; we want to reach as many other Mutants as possible," Mei replied. Rose exhaled deeply and turned back to observe the Mind Dimension.Training Battles with Mutants.Khairul and I repeatedly failed to fight against Khalid and Kyoko. It was evident that they were much more skilled at using their Mutant powers; my attacks couldn't touch Kyoko, and Khalid's shield was too strong for my Star Beam to penetrate.Training Battles with Strays.Khairul and I couldn't work together; he got hit by my Star Beam when I tried to attack a Stray approaching me. We wanted to protect each other but couldn't synchronize our attacks and defenses, resulting in us getting killed multiple times.Every time we died, Khairul and I woke up again.And repeated it again and again... and again...Even though there was improvement... we were still far from reaching the level of Khalid and Kyoko."I think you're aware of what makes you fail repeatedly. Lack of cooperation, superficial understanding of your Mutant powers, and failure to control your emotions during battles," Khalid advised as Khairul leaned against the wall of a building and Nasuha lay in a crater."Khairul, I understand that when you fight, your anger makes you strong, but someone stronger than you can use that anger against you. Nasuha, when you're desperate, you make attacks that are easy to read..." Khalid explained as Kyoko landed behind him."I'm a dumbass. Even if you explain it multiple times, I won't understand," Khairul shot Khalid a sharp glance."You both need to cover each other's weaknesses. Think about it; Nasuha can't lose focus, and Khairul gets angry easily. One has long-range attacks, while the other has close-range attacks... Find a way to solve the problems together." Khalid tapped his helmet with his thumb a few times, and suddenly they were in a new Mind Dimension, a forest."Good luck with your training against the Strays," Khalid said before he and Kyoko disappeared from sight. The injuries that were on Khairul and Nasuha's bodies healed, and they stood back to back."I'm never going to get used to this," Nasuha sighed, and Khairul drew his blades, exhaling deeply."It's easy for Khalid to say. His power is greater than mine. He has many weapons and various shields. I only have these two blades," Khairul said, looking at his weapons and recalling all the different shields and weapons Khalid had."I'm too slow to unleash my powers; Kyoko is too fast, and I get flustered," Nasuha clenched her fists tightly with a disappointed expression."Don't underestimate yourself like that..." Mei's voice chided, and Khairul and Nasuha looked around, hearing the sound of leaves crunching and footsteps approaching."Remember what Khalid said, we practiced repeatedly in the Mind Dimension and also failed many times. You guys are actually learning faster than we did. Khairul, you might not realize it, but your physical strength and speed are more powerful than all of us; that might be one of your Mutant abilities, but your movements are easy to predict," Mei explained as they were both attacked by Strays—humans with four arms and characteristics blended with cutting tools like saws and machetes."Anger is a double-edged sword; if you don't control it properly, you'll be blinded."The Stray's saw pushed Khairul back, leaving a scratch on his blade. He glared at the Stray and then took a deep breath, trying to calm down."Nasuha, there's still part of you that's not confident, but look at yourself—you can fly and shoot powerful attacks. You're not weak anymore; you just need confidence."The Stray managed to get past Khairul and headed towards Nasuha, but a small beam of light from her right palm caused the Stray to fall to the ground again. Khairul quickly lunged at the creature, stabbing its shoulder, causing it to panic and try to throw Khairul off."That's it! Do you guys really understand now?"Khairul and Nasuha found themselves in a hall facing a tall, box-shaped Stray with parts and human faces on its sides. One face shot sound waves, another shot laser beams, and another spat acid.The face with the laser eyes unleashed its attack on Nasuha, who flew to evade it while Khairul attempted to get closer to the multi-faced Stray, but the sound wave attack and acid spit disrupted his movements.Nasuha concentrated her energy in one palm and formed a shield, causing the laser to bounce back towards the face that shot it."Aaaarrrghhh!" the face screamed in pain, and the other two faces stopped their attacks. Khairul jumped and cleaved one of the remaining faces.After following Khalid and Mei's instructions, they managed to defeat the Strays. Finally, they reached the final stage of this training...Now Khairul and Nasuha were in a new Mind Dimension, a collapsed city area."Transform! Wild Card, Beast Tiger! Weapon, Claw Sword!" Khalid transformed into a Beast Tiger before them. Khairul and Nasuha activated their powers and assumed fighting stances."You guys are showing rapid improvement. Let's see if you can win this time!" Khalid challenged."I'll make you kiss the floor this time," Khairul said with a smile. Suddenly, Kyoko appeared behind Khalid and struck Khairul with a lightning attack, sending him crashing into a building from the force of the blow."Khai!" Nasuha gasped in surprise, and Khalid quickly approached her with a swing of his sword. Nasuha turned to face him and created a shield, deflecting Khalid's sword, but she was still pushed back.Kyoko then appeared behind Nasuha, her hands charged with lightning energy. Suddenly, a large rock fragment hurtled toward Kyoko, forcing her to dodge. Khairul was standing in one of the rooms in the building where he had been thrown."I'm starting to understand my powers more. Mantis has tough skin, my muscles feel stronger, my Mutant powers are more than just these two swords!" Khairul exclaimed with a smile, speaking loudly.He jumped towards Khalid, lunging at him and pushing him away from Nasuha.Nasuha quickly took to the air as Khairul and Khalid's sword and blades clashed repeatedly. Kyoko aimed her lightning arrow at Nasuha and released it. Nasuha created a large shield around herself, preventing the arrow from hitting her."Hiyarrgh!" Khairul managed to break the right shoulder shield of the Beast Tiger, but Khalid quickly kicked him away. However, Khairul didn't stop attacking; he scratched Khalid's stomach armor."Are you really trying to kill me this time, huh?" Khalid asked."You don't actually die for real in this dimension, do you?" Khairul retorted."Hahaha! Okay, I'm serious this time." Khalid pulled out a card with the symbol of two pistols, taking out a sword card and inserting the pistol card."Weapon Change! Wrath Blasters!" Two pistols with tiger faces on their triggers materialized from his earlier sword, along with a type of blade beneath the pistols.In the air, Kyoko was chasing Nasuha, attempting to strike her multiple times with lightning, but Nasuha managed to evade all those attacks. She gathered her energy all over her body and launched herself at Kyoko."You-!" Nasuha pushed Kyoko, and although Kyoko's body generated lightning, it couldn't penetrate the light energy that Nasuha had accumulated. She carried Kyoko and crashed her into a building."Thank you for helping me earlier, Kyoko. I appreciate it, but I'm sorry; I can't lose anymore." Nasuha said, directing her hand forward, the light energy accumulating in her palm, illuminating the dark building where she and Kyoko were.The bright light caused Kyoko to close her eyes."Star Beam!" The beam shot toward Kyoko."Okay... This time you got me-" The attack hit Kyoko, demolishing the back part of the building they were in."Kyoko is defeated. You've really improved since before, Khai. But you still have many weaknesses," Khalid said, turning to see Khairul sitting weakly, with gunshot wounds and scratches all over his body.Khairul slowly stood up, raising both his hands, still smiling."I know I can't defeat you. Our plan was to take down Kyoko first. She's fast and troublesome, but we learned something new after losing so many times to you. Without Kyoko, you're exposed; it's hard for you to evade our attacks!" Khairul replied.Nasuha shot Khalid with a Star Beam from behind; the light beam couldn't penetrate Khalid's armor, but it immobilized him. Khairul approached Khalid with both of his blades aimed forward."Not... so easy!" Khalid forced himself to move and raised his right hand, firing a shot. Khairul managed to tilt his head just in time, but the bullet still grazed his cheek."You taught us many things, Khalid."Khalid moved again, the blade on his right pistol approaching Khairul's neck, but he was stabbed first by both of Khairul's blades, which pierced through Khalid's armor.The blade got stuck on the left side of Khairul's neck, blood flowing slowly as their faces met each other."You guys... prove you're ready... but Kyoko and I, we're still giving you both a chance," Khalid said."Huh?" Khairul was puzzled, suddenly realizing that Khalid had aimed his right pistol at Khairul's head and his left at Nasuha, firing two shots simultaneously."Ah!""Argh!"They all jolted awake and returned to the real world. Khairul and Nasuha looked at each other before scanning their surroundings. Mei opened her eyes, her face flushed and drenched in sweat."Is it over?" Nasuha asked."Yes... You both successfully completed the training," Khalid replied with a smile."Did you really have to shoot us at the end?" Khairul sighed with a dissatisfied expression."He can be petty like that sometimes," Kyoko interjected. Rose stood up first, adjusting her clothes and rubbing her shoulders."My body hurts from sitting like that for so long. You guys are young, no issues like old folks like me," Rose remarked."Congratulations, Khairul and Nasuha, you both did your best... I'm proud—" Suddenly, Mei fainted, and Khalid quickly caught her head. Mei's entire body felt hot, and Khalid looked at her with a bittersweet smile."You too, Mei. Thank you," Khalid said softly.Mei lay on her bed, covered with a blanket, while Chyou sat beside her, watching her condition. Khalid was escorting Khairul, Nasuha, and Rose as they walked out of Mei and Chyou's house."Your training lasted only 12 hours, but Mei brought a lot of people into the Mind Dimension; she overused her powers. Using her abilities for such a long time drained her mental and physical energy," Khalid explained."For now, go home and rest. Starting tomorrow, we'll begin our patrols to look for other Mutants and help anyone if there are Strays that appear," Khalid continued, crossing his arms."Tomorrow I won't be around; the special police unit is back in action... I just received a message about two Stray attacks, luckily they were dealt with quickly," Rose replied."Thank you for helping us, Khalid," Nasuha said, slightly bowing her head."No problem. Tell Mei as well; she's the one who really put in the most effort," Khalid responded with a smile."I'm still not satisfied," Khairul remarked."Haha... suit yourself, Khai," Khalid teased him. Khairul shot him a sideways glance but quickly turned away.Our intense training was over, preparing us to face the unexpected enemies outside.