It's Sunday afternoon in the forest. Calm reigns while the four youths trade blows on some slack ropes stretched over a large pool of mud.
Jayden: "Pathetic (Pejorative). Keep stronger defense. While defense requires stopping your opponent's weapon, it doesn't have to be polite."
Francesca, blocking Alexa's attacks: "Yes, Master!"
The difference becomes obvious immediately: with a single block the blonde forces the dark-haired girl to jump back onto another rope. The warrior keeps watching their practice and says, "Liar — if the sword is sharp you don't need to use force. Focus on speed." The young woman only nods, then launches an attack that surpasses the blue-eyed girl's defense and sends her into the mud.
Francesca, coming out of the mud: "Now how do I get all this off?"
Jayden, watching the two girls: "Liar twelve and Pathetic eleven — you have today's winner." (thinking) "The blonde is closing the gap with the Wind girl in very little time."
Alexa lands artistically: "I beat you, blondie."
Jayden: "Fool — this is an exchange. Don't dodge Miedosa's attacks."
The two brown-haired kids are still on the ropes. After hearing his master, the boy protests, "But dodging is a form of defense." He sees his partner deliver a center cut with the wooden weapon, so he jumps and uses the chance to kick at the chest — the girl blocks immediately.
Jayden: "Yes, but you can't always dodge, so block."
Tyron, demoralized: "Fine…"
Emily: "Anything for me, Master?"
Jayden: "No. Keep going."
The pair continue practicing for several minutes until the warrior signals a change of roles: now the boy attacks and the girl blocks. The practice becomes faster and more dynamic — each blocked impact produces a little gust of air. Jayden ends the training; the teens climb down, gather their things, and some clean the mud off after their defeats. Once ready, the four head through the forest. The warrior looks around, sighs softly, goes into his cabin, and closes the door with a faint smile.
The kids have noticeably improved their relationships; on the way to the bus stop they talk with surprising ease.
Tyron, walking with his hands behind his head: "Let me understand this: I train to face the Director, Emily to get stronger, Alexa to help people…"
The blonde shoots a stern look at the dark-haired girl, who avoids eye contact.
Tyron: "And Francesca because she wants to do some moves she thought were pretty."
Alexa, walking: "Yes, that's right," smiling.
Emily, walking: "So to speak."
Francesca, walking: "How many times does this need to be clarified?"
Tyron: "Well, it's weird to me that each of us is here for different reasons and yet he trains us all the same."
Emily: "Now he's giving us the same physical training — not technique — but we'd all share the same style."
Francesca: "I'm still trying to find the reason why you, idiot…" (points at Tyron) "…want to hit a Director."
Tyron: "The Director is the leader of the guys who attacked that mall last time." He jumps from branch to branch. "Besides, with my current condition I'm sure I could take the Director down with a couple of good rights, just like with the thieves on Friday."
Alexa, thinking: How can he believe I've reached the level to face someone of Master rank? She smiles. "You were great."
Emily, trembling: "That was dangerous… they had guns."
Francesca, serious: "It doesn't matter much — we stopped them before they could aim."
At last the kids reach the stop and take the first bus back to the city, ending the day. A new day in Guarly: the bell rings at the end of the school day and all Forte students head to the entrance with their backpacks. Tyron walks with Antonio; they stop when they see a circle of students around the stairs. The pair approach out of curiosity. The dark-skinned boy recognizes among the crowd his two classmates standing with two other girls he doesn't know.
Tyron: "Hello."
Alexa and Emily: "Hi."
Tyron: "What's happening?"
Alexa: "A new kid is fighting three people: a big guy, a skinny one, and someone with freckles."
Tyron, accompanied by the redhead and the girls, pushes through the crowd until they have a clear view: the three are on the ground while two of them struggle to stand. A slightly taller boy than Tyron — black hair, well built, wearing shorts and a sleeveless shirt with a red headband and a matching arm bracelet — is kicking Soner, who hasn't gotten up. Monguer rushes forward and throws a right hook, but the bronze-skinned boy with the headband stops it with his left hand and uses his right elbow to strike Monguer's chest with such force it seems to sink in. In an almost imperceptible instant the headband boy moves in front of Monguer, strikes his chin with his left leg, lifting him a meter off the ground, and then watches, bored, as the mastodon lies unconscious and bleeding on the floor. Tyron drops his backpack and is about to leap in to defend his former friends, but Antonio holds him back. "Let it go. Those idiots deserved it," Antonio says.
The thin, brown-haired boy is getting up slowly. The headband boy walks toward him, then stops and evades a left straight thrown by the freckled dark boy. The headband guy lands an elbow to the freckled boy's stomach, another elbow to his mouth, and finishes him with the back of his hand, dropping him. Kiev refuses to give up and, even before getting up, throws a punch — the headband boy closes in and ends it with a powerful elbow to the face, splattering blood. Tyron, desperate, tries to break free but a hand grips his shoulder: Alexa leans close to his ear. "Remember the master's sixth rule: don't intervene until you know why this is happening."
The headband boy wipes the blood from his elbow after knocking out the freckled one. He gives Soner an intimidating look. Seeing his two friends on the ground and the assailant unharmed, the thin boy decides to confront him. He throws a punch but is quickly answered with multiple blows that force him to the wall. The headband boy pummels him until blood splatters the wall. Tyron trembles — not with fear but with rage — and slowly distances himself from his friends. "Maybe they deserve it… maybe I'm breaking a rule… but nobody should use so much violence!" he mutters, stepping out of the crowd. The headband boy is about to finish Soner when Tyron rushes in like lightning, grabs the assailant's fist and, thinking "I hope this works," performs the joint lock he learned from Emily during practice. He surprises the attacker, places his other hand on the man's abdomen, pivots with his hips, and throws him away.
The headband boy stops Tyron's push with a footwork maneuver, smiles, and says, "Finally, something interesting." He cracks his neck, raises his elbows to shoulder height, and Tyron steadies Soner. "Friend, I recommend you don't provoke me — it could cost you dearly," Tyron replies, spreading his arms. The headband boy throws a torso strike. Tyron, smiling confidently, dodges and counters with elbow strikes to the opponent's abdomen, jumps and lands a knee to the bronze boy's face, forcing him back. Before Tyron lands, the headband boy returns a straight that knocks him back; then a kick pushes Tyron against a wall. Nick (the headband boy) delivers punches and knees; Tyron sees stars. He's bewildered by the opponent's speed and power: "What Strength!" Nick spins Tyron and hits with a chest kick; Tyron reacts, grabs the leg, throws the opponent, but the attacker uses his hands on the ground to support himself and connects a chest kick that sends Tyron backward.
Tyron, clutching his chest: "What the hell?! Is he Emily's cousin or what?!"
Nick, smiling: "That was a good move. I'm Nick. You seem like a good fighter."
Tyron takes a fighting stance: "Nice to meet you, Nick. I hope you enjoy what you started — now I'll get serious."
Both take positions. Tyron moves at top speed, dodges a straight from the bronze kid, lands a few punches to Nick's side, then a strong knee to the face that forces Nick a few steps back. Nick doesn't give Tyron time to recover; he throws a new straight that slams into Tyron's face, making him dizzy. Before Tyron can react, Nick seizes the back of his head to smash it into his knee. Tyron quickly places his hands on Nick's knee to avoid the blow and starts to pummel Nick's abdomen.
Nick feels pain and loosens his hold on Tyron's head. Tyron frees himself, jumps to the side, and elbows Nick in the head, forcing him back. Tyron thinks he has the advantage, but then a devastating stomach blow knocks the air out of him. Nick rains elbows on Tyron's head, opening small wounds. Tyron's vision blurs; he's about to be knocked out. Nick sends a straight to the nose; Tyron focuses on Nick's ribs and lands a spinning roundhouse that exposes Nick. Tyron slams two heavy punches to Nick's face and tries a third, but Nick grabs his wrist, stops the attack, and with the momentum drives his elbow into Tyron's neck. Tyron can't breathe. A punch hits his chin, lifting him, and another blows his face.
Tyron struggles up, his chest burning: Nick returned the earlier roundhouse with interest. Tyron tries to block but hasn't recovered enough strength, so his defense only slows the blows slightly. Nick steps back to finish with a heavy strike. Tyron braces, watching Nick's foot approach in slow motion. He mentally accepts the loss and lowers his arms with a smile — which shocks everyone, Tyron included. Nick sees the smile and withdraws, taking his guard again.
Emily: "What did Tyron do? I didn't see."
Francesca: "That smile."
Emily: "Huh?"
Alexa: "It's simple, Emi. When Nick saw Tyron smile he thought it was a trap and didn't take the risk."
The battered boy looks at his rival with one wide eye and, as he recovers, sprints at Nick and tries a guillotine kick — Nick dodges, punches; Tyron, smiling, grabs the punch with both hands, draws the bronze boy in, and lands a foot to the face that drops Nick to his knees. Tyron throws a powerful right that topples his opponent — he used almost all his strength and staggers, backing into a wall to stay upright.
Emily claps: "Good, Tyron — you won."
Francesca, serious: "No. He's already lost. His rival won't think he's falling for a trap anymore."
Nick leaps up and rushes Tyron. Tyron had believed that his smile would make Nick hesitate — but it doesn't. The bronze boy kicks Tyron's head against the wall, cracking it, then proceeds to pummel Tyron's face, cracking more of the wall. He charges up a final blow that connects with a dry thud. Silence falls as Tyron's motionless body collapses to the ground. The red-band boy raises his leg for a guillotine to finish him. As it comes down, a blonde steps in, reproducing the moves she saw Emily practice: she blocks the kick, subtly redirects it aside, and uses a spinning side kick to push Nick away from her companion.
Francesca: "That's it — now there's a winner. Everyone go."
The crowd largely disperses.
Nick rubs the spot where he was kicked and approaches Tyron: "Hey…"
Francesca, angry: "Get any closer and I'll kill you."
Nick backs off: "Fine, I'm leaving."
Emily: "We should take him to a doctor."
Francesca: "If we do, we'll get into a lot of trouble."
Emily: "Then where?"
Alexa: "I know a place where we can take him and not get in trouble."
Tyron feels a warm sensation and slowly opens his eyes to adjust to the light. He sees Emily and Francesca's faces above him, and they seem to be arguing with someone he doesn't yet recognize.
Jayden: "That was something more advanced than what I taught — you'll learn it once you improve a lot."
Emily and Francesca: "Yes, Master."
Tyron: "What happened?"
Francesca, serious: "You lost. That Nick beat you so badly we brought you to the Master to heal."
Tyron: "How did he do it?"
Jayden: "Let them explain on the walk home. Now go."
The youths obey and help Tyron to his feet. Once Jayden notices they've left, he takes a sheet of paper from his cabin and disappears in a gust of wind.
Several kilometers away on a road, a bored Nick walks. With no cars nearby a powerful gust appears; the warrior stands beside him. Nick bows reflexively, but receives an intimidating look and a paper. Jayden says, "Take this. Your master told me you wanted it…" He hands over the paper. "I suppose my students still need practice with the Fiu. Thanks for helping me." A gust of wind leaves the teen alone. A frightened Nick exhales in relief until a bald, muscular man with a bare chest appears.
Nersu: "Hello, Nick. How'd it go helping your idol?"
Nick: "Master — the Power Barrier is chilling."
Nersu: "It's not that; you hit one of his students."
Nick: "But he told me to — I only did what you told me."
Nersu: "I know. But in this case, it's because of your stupid zero rule."
The young man nods and disappears with the older man.