Tongen stood still, watching the boy carefully.
This guy is stronger than I thought, he admitted to himself.
Not strong enough to win.
But strong enough to be noticed.
He turned toward him.
"Get back to the academy," Tongen said calmly, facing Jelo. "Tomorrow… be prepared. I have something planned for you guys."
There was something deliberate in his tone. This wasn't random.
This was preparation.
⸻
Later that evening…
The dorm room was quiet.
Jelo lay on his bed, staring up at the ceiling, replaying the fight in his mind — every exchange, every moment where he reached and came up short. The impact of Tongen's strikes. The speed he couldn't track. The distance between where he stood and where he needed to be.
He exhaled slowly.
"I have to improve my fire powers…"
A small flame flickered above his palm — weak, unstable, barely holding its shape against the still air of the room.
"I've barely been using them in fights lately."
