Soon Loki finished his morning routine and walked back over to the open area to see Uvogin and Nobunaga smashing rocks. After learning about the practice of enhancers from him, they had taken it very seriously. They had already decided to break a thousand stones every day.
Machi was in the corner fiddling with a thin fishing line in one hand and making numbers from one to nine out of her nen with her other hand.
Regarding Machi's new development, it would seem that she already has a clear direction that she wanted to take.
Seeing everyone immersed in their own training, Loki went toward a small area and began his own practice.
Wanting to try something new for his training, he decided to see if he could make a small practical ability he had thought of while running.
Although the amount of propulsion he could generate with his aura wasn't lethal, it could help with movement.
He'd been experimenting with transmuting his aura into a directional force, like a concentrated push. Now, he had a new thought while running this morning. What if he used that force to push off the ground as he moved?
Deciding to test his new idea he quickly controlled his breathing.
He crouched into a starting stance and closed his eyes to focus on the soles of his feet.
His aura surged faintly and wrapped around his body.
He visualized his aura sharpening to a point, imagining the force being expelled with every step. When his foot struck the ground, the aura would fire backward, just enough to give him a boost of speed.
Starting his first attempt he stepped forward only to meet the ground a second later.
The repulsion had acted before his foot hit the ground, sending him forward with a violent jerk. He rolled with his body sliding against the gravel, wincing as it bit into his shoulder.
He coughed once, sat up, and exhaled.
'It was too early. My foot has to land first before pulsing my aura to launch.' He thought to himself.
He stood again, brushing dust from his pants, and set himself.
This time, he held the repulsion back until the instant his foot made contact.
Thump.
The push came quickly and it sent him forward and nearly off balance, like a push into the air.
By the fifth step, it felt like he was bouncing more than running. Keeping the repulsion active too long had led to his posture to come more akin to skipping than the speed he was looking for.
His foot skipped off the ground awkwardly and he stumbled, falling to one knee, breathing hard.
'Too much aura output. I should release the repulsion right as my foot is about to leave the ground.'
'No need for big bursts. A short, concentrated pulse of aura with every step. Just enough to push but not enough to launch.'
Thinking of this he rose up and tried again.
This time, as his foot was about to leave the ground, he activated the repulsion sending him nearly off balance from the propulsion. Although his speed was increasing, It was like a kick straight in the back and it was hard to keep balance.
Managing to catch his balance a bit before activating his aura again he continued.
Step. Burst.
Step. Burst.
Step. Burst.
The pattern slowly settled into rhythm with each activation of aura no longer being random, but tight and uniform. As he focused his concentration on his feet the speed he ran began to increase quickly.
Feeling this sensation, he focused and tried to make it natural.
As Loki sprinted across the junkyard, the wind against his face sharper now, the scenery around him was starting to blur.
Machi, Uvogin, and Nobunaga even stopped their training as they stared at Loki's speed with wide eyes.
Feeling his condition, Loki started to slow down and come to a stop, his chest heaving but posture steady.
He turned around and looked to see the three people staring at him in shock and gave them a mock bow in return.
Loki smiled, sweat trailing down the side of his face beneath his mask.
"It works… It seems I need to give it a name. Perhaps something simple like Burst Step?"
It definitely wasn't perfect and he had yet to adapt to that speed, but it was another direction to train.
He had found a way to apply this weaker repulsion into something tangible. This wasn't only a great ability, but also a true test of his control of aura. Having to spike his aura while maintaining high speeds would be great training for the future.
Loki rolled his shoulder once and steadied his breath.
Confirming that his idea was possible, he decided to spend the rest of the day training his Emission by firing nen bullets.
By the time his aura had depleted it was already sunset. He got up and stretched a bit and looked around to see Machi walking over.
"Where are Uvogin and Nobunaga, my dear?" Loki asked, seeing that the two of them were gone.
"After the sky darkened, they found that you were still practicing, so they didn't bother you and went back home," Machi said, looking at Loki quietly.
"Well then… I suppose it's just the two of us, Miss Mchi?" asked Loki while turning towards Machi's hut.
"Mhm…" Machi responded following
On the silent walk home, Loki decided to start some conversation.
"Miss Machi…"
"Um?" Machi looked up at Loki.
"One day, would you like to leave Meteor City and go to the outside world?" Loki asked curiously.
"Um?!"
The two responses were in entirely different tones.
"Why do you seem shocked, Miss Machi? Did you want to continue living in Meteor Street forever?" Loki asked with a smile.
"At least I don't want to stay here forever… Think of all the things outside just waiting for me!" Loki said with a tone of grandeur.
"I grew up in Meteor City…." Machi responded after a moment of silence.
Hearing this, Loki thought that she was unwilling when she suddenly spoke again.
"But, I also want to leave here. I have things I want to see outside as well."
He looked at Machi with a smile only to see a strange light in her eyes.
"I also have to go to the Sky Arena…" Machi said calmly.
Although she spoke calmly, Loki suddenly felt that she was more determined than him in leaving Meteor City…
Just how much do you like money… Thinking of this, Loki was speechless.
Perhaps in the future he and Machi could travel together? Although this was all for the future…
He still wanted to meet some other people before ending his time in Meteor City.
"Chrollo Lucilfer… I believe it won't be long until we meet, right? I wonder how our first meeting will turn out…." Loki thought to himself with a smirk finding its way on his face.
****************************
After talking about leaving Meteor city in the future, Machi and Loki both went to sleep after making it home.
Every moment of the next few weeks was spent practicing Nen, except for things like sleep and eating.
Uvogin and Nobunaga also had stopped coming to train daily with them, instead only meeting once a week.
Maybe it was that the two were close to breaking a thousand stones in a day and wanted to give Loki a surprise.
Due to this, Loki spent the next few weeks wholly devoted to practicing Burst Step.
After assessing his current strength, Loki felt he shouldn't have any problem if he didn't provoke big-name people. His current Burst Step should be enough to deal with a lower level Nen user without a Hatsu much easier than before.
He still hadn't felt safe enough to go and provoke more gangs though. With his current luck, he felt that he would end up running into a stronger Nen user than last time…
While thinking to himself, Machi came up to look for him. Seeing her, Loki turned his head to see what she needed.
"It's Uvogin and Nobunaga. They told me that we need to head over to church for a few days…." Machi said calmly.
Loki stopped what he was doing and looked to Machi for more clarification.
"Uvogin and Nobunaga were talking with Chrollo the other day and found out that recently Sarasa had found a movie in the trash pits. Apparently they will be able to get the video player working soon and they invited us." Machi said with a sigh.
"Oh my? This seems to be quite interesting…" Loki thought to himself.
"I wouldn't mind coming over, but are you sure that the people there would be ok with my coming?" Loki said in a curious tone.
"It should be fine. Apparently the people at the church have wanted to meet you for a while due to Uvogin and Nobunaga. It seems that they have talked about you quite a lot." Machi said while nodding.
Hearing this made Loki's lips lean upward in amusement.
"It seems that everything is settled then, is there anything we need to bring?" Loki asked Machi.
"No. They have some food and places to sleep near the church." Machi said, shaking her head slightly.
Hearing this, Loki nodded and began to gather some stuff he wanted to bring with him. After putting his red coat and mask on, he headed towards the door.
"It seems I'll be meeting the starting members of the Phantom Troupe soon…." Loki thought with a smile.
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Hatsu Name: Imaginary Gimmick
Nen Type: Transmuter
Description:
Loki transmutes his aura to mimic the property of repulsion, allowing him to control a repulsive force around his body. This repulsion-based aura can repel and interact with physical matter, energy, and even aura-based techniques, depending on its intensity. It's a method of transmuting his aura to apply pure directional pressure, which he can shape, strengthen, or weaponize.
Core Techniques -
(Burst Step)
A mobility technique that allows Loki to amplify his movement by transmuting his aura into bursts of repulsive force. When running, he triggers small, controlled repulsion burst at the moment his foot leaves the ground, propelling himself forward with heightened speed and acceleration.
The technique requires accurate timing and control, as each burst must be precisely activated to avoid losing balance or launching too far. By adjusting the output of his aura on each step, Loki can manage his direction and velocity with increasing accuracy.
Burst Step significantly enhances Loki's agility, allowing for rapid repositioning, evasive maneuvers, and unpredictable movement during combat.
Drawbacks:
If mistimed or overcharged, the repulsion can destabilize his posture, making him vulnerable.
Extended use over long distances can strain Loki's legs and joints.