CHAPTER 4: EPIFANNO'S HELL TRAINING
As Rexy settled down his bag, Epifanno looked at Reimu and asked,
"You wanna teach him the old-fashioned way, or fitting ways?"
Reimu pondered for a moment before replying thoughtfully,
"Maybe giving him a fitting training routine is better. He isn't a bulk of muscle, unlike you, so..."
Epifanno frowned at Reimu, then looked at Rexy.
"Can you warm up your joints while I think of a routine for you?"
Rexy nodded eagerly before laying down and starting push-ups. While Epifanno was in deep thought, Reimu suddenly had an idea. He tapped Epifanno's shoulder and whispered,
"What if we awaken his potential like I did to you?"
Epifanno's eyes widened. His head slowly turned toward Reimu before he replied with excitement,
"You're a GENIUS, old geezer!"
Reimu scowled at being called "old geezer," but let it go and called Rexy.
"Hey, kid, come here. Gotta give you something to train better."
Rexy stopped stretching and approached him.
"What is it?"
Suddenly, the ground and background around them crumbled apart, leaving them in a cosmic-like space. Rexy gasped in awe. Reimu smirked before saying,
"This is the 'Amplification Field' Zone, one of my abilities. It can give you a jump start in physical strength to give you a chance to see your potential."
Rexy looked around in awe. Reimu approached him and pointed his hands toward him. Suddenly, a transparent hand emerged from behind him and phased through Rexy, gripping the very essence of his soul and sending energy into it. For a moment, he felt sharp pain in his chest and collapsed to his knees, coughing. Epifanno stood up in slight panic, but Reimu stopped him.
"Here he comes," Reimu said calmly.
Rexy stopped gasping in pain and stood up, confused but clearly refreshed.
"I feel so lightheaded... what have you done?" Rexy questioned.
Reimu smiled proudly before replying,
"I directly transferred energy into your soul. Now training will be a lot more effective because you already had a jumpstart."
Rexy nodded in awe. The Amplification Field collapsed, returning the three to the old wasteland. Epifanno looked at Rexy with a cheeky grin.
"Get ready!" he said with enthusiasm.
Rexy asked him in confusion,
"Ready for wha—"
Before he could finish, Epifanno put a gas mask on Rexy's face, causing him to have difficulty breathing. He kept gasping for air but only got a little. Epifanno explained,
"You have to breathe in a good rhythm, or else you won't have enough oxygen. That's how this mask works. Breathing is a vital part of fighting. It helps manage your energy and stamina while providing a good way to calm yourself mentally in devastating battles!"
Rexy nodded, then slowed his breathing in rhythm. The gas made a small, light click sound before air flowed in. He was about to gasp, but remembering Epifanno's explanation, he kept breathing slowly. Epifanno chuckled.
"You will have the whole day to get used to the mask. Our training starts at midnight, and from that point on, we will train constantly. I'll open the mask when you eat. Get it?"
Rexy nodded, still breathing slowly. Reimu looked at Rexy before chuckling,
"He is handling it well!"
Epifanno replied with the same smile,
"I can see your point. My first time with this mask was horrible; I almost died. Look at him—he's easily adapting to it."
After the whole day, Rexy was pretty used to the gas mask, breathing in perfect rhythm while running around finding food. Epifanno called him from afar,
"Come here!"
Rexy stopped and ran toward him.
"Are we training now?" Rexy asked.
Epifanno grinned and replied,
"ABSOLUTELY. ON THE GROUND AND GIVE ME TWENTY PUSH-UPS!"
Rexy groaned, got on the ground, and started doing push-ups. At first, he thought it would be easy, until his breathing shook a bit and he instantly ran out of breath. He let out a quick gasp before managing his pace while continuing with shaking hands. After a grueling one minute, he stopped and lay on the ground, still breathing rhythmically. Epifanno grinned before taking the mask off.
"Breathe as much as you want. Get a 1-minute rest, and we will continue later."
Immediately after Epifanno removed his mask, Rexy gasped desperately for breath for an entire minute before calming down. He replied tiredly,
"What's next???"
Epifanno grinned with excitement,
"You will be fighting Reimu! He will hold back and teach you the basics of fighting, alongside martial arts."
Rexy nodded before putting his mask back on and standing up, ready to fight Reimu. Reimu, already prepared, assumed a steady stance. Rexy ran toward him and attempted a left hook, but he was easily countered with an oblique kick to the knee and shin before the punch even landed, causing him to trip. Reimu sighed.
"Your attacks are too predictable, and your stance lacks defense. Here's how to do a stance correctly."
He lowered his body and put both hands in front.
"This is a good stance. No need to be flashy. Secure your vital organs first. Also, try something unpredictable. A slow approach is better; if you run at your opponent, it's easy to predict your attack."
Rexy stood up and nodded before taking the exact stance. Reimu waited as Rexy slowly approached, then let out a surprise attack—a spin hook kick. Reimu was surprised by the form mastery but didn't budge much. He sighed in disappointment.
"Yeah, the kick is good... just not strong enough."
He then threw Rexy across the sand with a single arm swipe. Rexy barely managed to block before being grabbed by the collar.
"Break my grip, or try to resist," Reimu said, encouraging him.
At first, Rexy tried prying his hands open, but it didn't work because Reimu's strength was superior. Then he suddenly realized Reimu's lower half was unguarded. He let out a kick straight to the crotch, making Reimu momentarily halt in shock—just enough time for Rexy to escape. Reimu clapped, groaning in pain.
"Well done. You escaped my grip exactly as I expected. Rest well. Tomorrow is a harsh day."
Rexy chuckled. stretching his entire back while rubbing his knee over the horrible oblique kick
"You already saw that coming. Don't lie."
Reimu grinned. acting oblivious as usual
"Oho, he knows. Epifanno, he knows."
Epifanno, watching the whole time, chuckled.
"Oh boy, you're a fast learner. Shouldn't take too long to make you a strong and mighty fighter. Take a rest, Rexy—you deserve it."
Rexy asked timidly,
"Can I take the mask off in my sleep?"
Epifanno chuckled.
"Yes. Try to breathe in rhythm without the mask. The mask could kill you in your sleep."
Rexy nodded, a little fearful, then took out a small futon. Epifanno looked confused but shrugged it off and set up a tent. Rexy looked in awe and asked,
"Is there enough space for two?"
Epifanno looked back at the tent and at Reimu with a hinting look. Reimu sighed.
"Yeah, but that's for us. I'll sleep outside. This Damned Forest is a lot more dangerous than you think."
Reimu picked up a boulder with one hand and set it on a special fire, then took out his futon and laid it on the burnt dusty floor. Rexy sighed in little regret, climbed into the tent, and slept beside Epifanno.
Later that morning, Rexy found himself alone in the tent. He stretched a bit, walked outside, and called,
"Epifanno? Reimu? Where are you guys?"
He looked down and saw footprints. Curious, he followed them, leading to a lake where Epifanno was swimming, catching fish barehanded, with Reimu sitting beside the shore. Confused, Rexy asked,
"You don't bring rods?"
Epifanno nodded and continued catching fish. Meanwhile, Reimu stood and looked up at the sky before asking Rexy a question.
"Do you have any memories of your parents?"
Rexy looked down with a little sadness before replying,
"Yes, I do... My mom is a kind and quirky woman, but I can't remember what my parents even looked like."
Reimu frowned slightly before sighing.
"You must have been really lonely since your childhood, huh?"
Rexy nodded, then quickly changed his expression to determination.
"Despite that, I will do whatever it takes to make them proud!" he said loudly.
That comment cracked a small smile on Reimu's face before he replied,
"I will help you with—"
Before he could finish, a huge splash sounded. They both turned instinctively and saw Epifanno holding a huge fish. He dropped it and grinned proudly.
"This lake is full of fish! It's easy to catch here."
Rexy smiled awkwardly. Epifanno patted his back.
"How about you try? This is a demonstration. From now on, you will catch fish barehanded. No fish? No meal."
Rexy gasped in surprise, quickly took off his jacket, and jumped into the water. He looked around deep under the lake. Indeed, the fish were abundant but incredibly fast and mostly small. Rexy searched for something bigger until he found something lurking in the dark within the seagrass.
Just as he approached, a catfish swam out frantically, trying to escape. Rexy chased it but couldn't match its swimming speed. Out of breath, he surfaced for air, then dove again. This time he decided to use tricks, not speed. He put his hand into the seagrass and stopped moving. The catfish, thinking all was safe, slowly approached. Just when it thought it was safe, Rexy's hand grasped it, and he immediately swam to the shore, shouting,
"EPIFANNO, I CAUGHT ONE! THIS ONE IS BIG!"
Epifanno flinched and looked behind him, seeing Rexy holding a catfish roughly 5 kg in weight. He smirked and laughed heartily.
"We are having a feast today! Settle in!"
He walked up to Rexy and handed him the gas mask.
"From now on, we will train with MY style."
He led Rexy onto a silent hill and told him to sit down.
"Now you will meditate here. Just breathe rhythmically and try your best to stay for at least two hours."
Rexy nodded and began meditating—but the gas mask was heavy. After 1 minute, his neck was already sore. By 10 minutes, the back of his neck was red, but he kept breathing calmly. Suddenly, a jaguar appeared from the bush. Rexy quickly tried to put on his shockwave glove, but it pounced. Left with no choice, he punched the jaguar's abdomen, grabbed it by the neck, and tried to strangle it. The jaguar overpowered him and pinned him. Just as he thought it was the end, it was struck by something moving at lightning speed. The jaguar rolled over in pain, finding Epifanno behind it. He grabbed it by the leg and slammed it into the ground, paralyzing it.
"Are you okay?" he asked worriedly.
Rexy, still dazed, nodded.
"Yeah, it only pounced on me a few times." He stood up.
Epifanno removed Rexy's heavy mask and gave him the previous one.
"Seems like two hours is too much. From now on, meditate for only 20 minutes. Understand?"
Rexy nodded, rubbing his neck.
"Yeah, the weight makes meditating really hard."
Epifanno laughed and patted him on the back.
"Toughen up. This isn't how a strong person should act."
He led Rexy to the campfire. The fish cooked on the fire, and he gave Rexy a portion, removing his mask. Rexy hesitated before taking a bite. The taste was oddly appealing, and he sighed in satisfaction.
Reimu suddenly received a call on his phone. He spoke in a hushed tone,
"Hello, this is Reimu Ryoushiru from Soul Army Company. What do you want, and who are you?"
The other end crackled with static before a raspy voice replied,
"Reimu, it's me, Samuel."
Reimu relaxed and laughed slightly.
"Quit toughening your voice—it sounds so weird."
The voice softened, laughed, then went silent. Suddenly, it continued,
"Bob has bad news for you, Reimu."
Reimu's demeanor changed abruptly. Epifanno stopped laughing and approached the phone.
"What's the bad news?" he said.
The voice sighed stressfully,
"He sensed a breakthrough attempt at the borderline of the world."
Both gasped in shock, whispering,
"I am currently training a newbie that just entered the army, and he is entitled by Kuyo."
The other voice chuckled,
"I know... Sorry, but he cannot avoid this situation. Train him well. This will be a global threat. Get ready—we might only have a few months left."
The call ended. Epifanno sighed in frustration and looked at Rexy seriously.
"You will receive your first mission in approximately one month. Training won't be merciful now, since we might all die. Are you ready?"
Rexy nodded seriously, putting his stick down and standing up.
"Yes, I am," he said, preparing himself.
Epifanno cracked his knuckles and grinned menacingly.
"Then get ready to rumble," he said, looking very excited to train Rexy.