Goto and his party were preparing to leave. In the back, Jack was showing off his beast.
Jack's totem beast was a large hound, resembling a Doberman dog. It had sharp red eyes and jet-black fur. The most distinctive feature of this beast was the skeleton-like armor that covered its body. Femur-like bones protected its limbs like arm guards, and an external rib cage surrounded its torso as well as parts of its stomach. Bone plates covered its back, split down the middle by an external spine. The long spine extended from the neck of the hound all the way to its rear, becoming a short tail at the end. Finally, the hound's head had a skull-like helmet covering it completely, with the only gaps other than the eye and nose holes being openings for the beast's pointed ears to poke through.
The skeletal armor was white as one would expect. However, after the hound used the Jade Bone catalyst, its armor took on an even purer white color - gaining the translucent sheen of pristine white jade, which stood out even more starkly against the hound's jet-black fur.
Jack proudly stood by his beast while his lackeys showered him with cheap praise.
Goto ordered them to cut it out and get ready to leave. As they were doing so, one of them asked Goto, "Senior, whose turn is it to carry the dead meat this time?"
Goto replied angrily, "I don't give a damn, work it out amongst yourselves and get moving!"
Immediately they all shrank back. The person they were talking about was the only member in this party that didn't have a mount of his own. This guy's name was Wally Rain - a slightly short young man with brown hair and yellow eyes. Unlike the other members of the party, he didn't wear any armor or gear, just a simple leather suit for protection.
Wally stood some distance away from the rest of the group, lowering his gaze and staying quiet. This party seemingly had it out for poor old Wally, always belittling him whenever they could and making life hard for him. Because of personal circumstances, Wally wasn't given the same privileges as the rest of the new recruits in the Black Hyde Gang, which caused him to be bullied and ostracized by the other members. Another reason for their bad treatment of Wally was Jack, who just seemed to have it out for Wally for some reason. Jack was at the front of every trouble they caused for him and every mistreatment they inflicted upon him. They even began calling him "dead meat" instead of his real name to keep harassing him at every moment.
The members bickered with one another:
"Dude, just carry him with you!"
"What? No way! I brought him here with me - someone else take him back!"
"Why don't you do it?"
"I did it the time before, don't try to stick the dead meat with me!"
As they continued arguing with each other, Jack stepped up and said, "Hey dead meat, look at the trouble you caused," while looking toward Wally with disdain, causing Wally to lower his gaze even further. Jack scoffed, then turned to his companions and remarked, "Pfft, why not let him just run behind us instead? I heard running is good sport. Besides, even if he gets eaten by beasts, what would be lost anyway?"
The group laughed out loud at this cruel joke, causing Wally to shrivel even more. But eventually they agreed on who would carry him. Just as Wally was about to climb onto the mount, Jack swooped in from behind and kicked him off, sending him tumbling onto the harsh rocks. Jack flashed a cruel smile as he watched Wally wince in pain.
After that, the party dove back into the woods.
Back to Courage - Several Days Later
Courage stood once again in a holo-room, training with his beast. Before Kabuto loomed a massive holographic beast, yet neither moved from their positions. Courage took a deep breath. "Alright buddy, try it again - just like we practiced."
Kabuto obeyed. First, he aimed his horn toward the target, then lowered himself flat against the ground, gripping tightly with all limbs. A visible surge of power enveloped him, building up steadily until - BOOM - a compressed shockwave blasted from his horns like a cannon, striking the target dead-center and sending it flying.
"Success!" Courage shouted triumphantly.
Now, unlike what you might think, what Kabuto had just displayed wasn't a new ability, but in fact a combination of several of his old ones - in other words, a special move.
That's right. Last time when Courage had a stroke of inspiration, he came up with the idea for this special move. It first started when Courage was contemplating Kabuto's inability to use [Burst Charge] and [All Out] together. But then one thought led to another, and he had the idea to use the two abilities together but in a different way. To create this special move, he used these two abilities as well as [Flux].
First, the base was [All Out], which allowed Kabuto to bring 100% of its physical strength and maximize the effect of its other abilities. Then using [Burst Charge], he would condense the force before launching it. But before he releases it, Kabuto would use [Flux] to redirect the launch direction of the condensed force, making it shoot from its front instead of its rear. At the same time, Kabuto would hold on as hard as he could to the ground, preventing himself from being launched by the released force, shooting it out of him instead. The energy would compress the air around it, shooting powerful jets of air with the strength of a artillery shells. And that was the recipe for their new special move, which Courage called [Burst shell].
Courage was very happy with their achievement. Ever since the hunt in the Shifting Meadows, both of them had sought to acquire a special move of their own, and now their goal was fulfilled.
However, it wasn't easy, of course. Like all special moves, even if they sound simple in theory, execution proved much harder.
[Burst Shell], though comprised of only three relatively simple abilities, became complicated when needing to use them together . Flawless coordination between these abilities was needed to execute the special move properly.
Kabuto had to spend 4 days first conceptualizing the move then 3 more days until he could perform it roughly and finally 5 additional days to master it enough for practical combat use
That's how difficult performing even a simple special move could be.
Yet despite the difficulties, Kabuto and Courage pulled through. Kabuto now had a powerful new trick in its arsenal, significantly boosting its combat capabilities. But what truly made [Burst Shell] special was that the fact that it gave Kabuto ranged attack options something particularly valuable for Vigor types.
That might not seem that extraordinary, until you learn that Vigor types' main weakness is their lack of long-range abilities. As physical confrontation specialists, they're typically close-quarter combatants, which can become a vulnerability in certain situations.
Courage knew this from experience. He'd fought opponents with ranged attacks before and understood how difficult it could be to close the distance to retaliate. But now, with [Burst Shell], Kabuto finally had the means to overcome this weakness.
A special move was a testament to the dedication and skill of a beast catalyser toward developing their beasts. Developing a special move for your beast was like a badge of accomplishment for a Catalyser - it meant you were rising from a rookie to an expert. This fact caused Courage to puff up with pride the more he thought about it.
"Just you wait! Once we break through to Level 2, we'll shed the title of rookies completely!" Courage declared, determination burning in his eyes.
After finishing with their training, the two left the arena and went to Mister Jafar's shop. After picking up a couple of items, they returned home.
Resting for a few hours, Courage began a cultivation session. He prepared the usual materials—the Tension Gem, the Empowering Ensence, and the Polish Oil—but before using them, he retrieved two additional items from his storage boon. These were today's purchases, which he intended to use first.
The first item was a jar filled with grey-colored clay, and the second was a square-shaped black stone with a rough texture but a metallic sheen.
Courage grabbed a handful of the clay and approached Kabuto, lathering the end of its horn with the substance. This catalyst was called Molding Clay, a Corpus-type catalyst capable of permanently reshaping a beast's bones or chitin.
After application, the clay changed color within minutes to match Kabuto's chitin. Once this happened, Courage began sculpting and molding it into a new shape. That was how the catalyst worked—it would meld and fuse with the material it was applied to, adopting its properties over time. However, it remained soft for a while before fully hardening, allowing the user to reshape it before it permanently fused with the beast's body.
Courage meticulously sculpted Kabuto's horn, a process that took some time. By the end, Kabuto's once-forked horn had transformed—now broader and larger, with a curved design along the sides and a narrow, spear-like point at the tip. Two small parallel spurs adorned the top, giving the horn an entirely new appearance. When viewed as a whole, it resembled an axe and halberd hybrid, with curved edges on the sides and a spearhead at its peak.
Courage had decided to reshape Kabuto's horn to make it more useful in battle. Before, Kabuto could only use its horn like a club or a battering ram , Courage thought its uses were too limited. Since Kabuto primarily fought with its fists, he wanted to breathe more versatility into its inborn weapon.
Now, with the horn reshaped into an axe-like design instead of a fork, Kabuto could cleave and slash, adding cutting power to its arsenal. The spear-like tip at the end also allowed it to stab and impale enemies rather than just ramming them.
While picturing Kabuto using this horn in battle in combination with its abilities, Courage could easily imagine it cleaving an enemy in half with the usual combination of [All Out] and [Flux], or cleanly impaling them with [Burst Charge]. As for the last detail - the two spurs on top of its horn - Courage added them to create a built-in scope to help Kabuto aim [Burst Shell] better.
All in all, this simple change turned Kabuto from a simple brawler into a gladiator.
Courage was left tired by the end of the process—not because it was difficult, but because Kabuto had made every step harder along the way. It seemed the beetle was sensitive about its horn and didn't like Courage messing with it. So even though it accepted the catalyst, it kept recoiling and shaking throughout the process, causing Courage to make repeated mistakes and forcing him to start over many times. No matter how often Courage tried to get his beast to settle down, it wouldn't listen. Eventually, they got through the ordeal. Kabuto touched its horn gently with its front limbs, its attitude almost mournful, as if grieving.
"Gee, did I take away its pride or something?" Courage thought, while the beetle looked at him with the expression of someone deeply wronged.
Sadly for the beetle, they weren't done yet. The horn had been sculpted into the desired shape, but upon closer inspection, the edges that were supposed to be sharp remained dull. In its current state, the horn wouldn't be as effective—so they still had to file it down. And that was precisely what the second catalyst was for.
The square stone was called the Black Whet Stone, a common catalyst used alongside Molding Clay. When applied to freshly shaped clay that hadn't fully hardened, it could permanently imbue sharpness into the treated part. This catalyst was also frequently used to enhance the claws and fangs of other beasts.
Although using this catalyst was easier, it required more effort instead. The catalyst worked like a regular whetstone despite its unique properties, so if you wanted good sharpness, you'd better roll up your sleeves and get to work.
After filing Kabuto's horn for almost an hour, Courage was finally done. "There, finished," he sighed in relief.
He had made sure to use the catalyst thoroughly, and the results showed. Kabuto's new horn now shone with a sharp gleam, its edges so fine they looked razor-sharp. The horn had transformed into a real weapon—one that could clearly cause some serious damage.
As Courage rested, Kabuto inspected its horn again, this time without the earlier grieving attitude. It examined the horn thoroughly, testing it with a few practice swings and even a stabbing motion. The beetle let out an audible rumble, its antennae twitching lively and its eyes shining with a new light. It seemed Kabuto was starting to like its new horn—particularly how sharp it had become.
"Well, glad you like it," Courage remarked as he watched the scene unfold.
Once the cosmetic work on the horn was done, Courage could finally proceed with the cultivation session. After a couple more hours, they finished that too.
Grand Fighting Kabuto (Level 1)
- Grade: High
- Growth: 82%
- Type: Vigor
- Traits: [Jade Bone]
- Abilities: [All Out], [Flurry Strike], [Flux], [Burst Charge]
"Not that far off now," Courage muttered to himself, anticipation burning in his chest. They were nearing the peak of Level 1—the threshold before advancing to Level 2—and today's session had brought them even closer. By Courage's estimation, they'd reach Level 2 in no more than a month.
The catalysts he was using still seemed effective enough to maintain their growth rate, and he couldn't forget the lingering effects of the Carapace Polish Oil. It was only a matter of time before Kabuto hit the peak of Level 1.
Which meant it wasn't unrealistic for Courage to start planning for what he would once he reaches Level 2.
Courage sent Kabuto back to his soul domain before slumping onto his bed .
He fiddled with his thoughts until he scoffed, saying, "Heh, Level 2." He remembered the first time he learned about his low aptitude and how his fate as a beast catalyser was supposedly sealed at Level 2, if he even managed to accomplish that much. But looking at him now, his rise to Level 2 was all but guaranteed.
"Funny how fate works, doesn't it?" Courage thought. One day, mediocrity seemed like a distant goal and a final destination for him , And another day, he was already shooting toward it and planning what he would do after.
Though full of anticipation, doubt still found a gap in his heart. Even as he felt certain about reaching Level 2 and looked forward to what would come after, he was still haunted by the idea of Level 2 being his limit. Would he surpass that limit and reach even higher levels as a beast catalyser? Even if his beast's high grade made up for his bad aptitude, who's to say that would be enough? Or worse whatever the future held might not even give him the chance to try. After all, the future was uncertain, and tomorrow was never promised to anyone.
Courage wrestled with these thoughts a while longer before pushing them aside and whispering to himself: "Whatever the future holds and wherever my path takes me, one thing I can guarantee is I will always give it my all."
With that final thought, he fell into a peaceful slumber.
If only he knew what fate had in store for him...