“Shall we begin?”
Ocho pointed to the board with “XT” written on it.
The group returned to the training facility, where all the equipment they had chosen earlier was located.
“We will now go to the actual workout room,” Ocho raised his hand.
The group stood inside the main entrance. Suddenly, a secret door opened behind a steel wall. Mikasa raised her eyebrows as she watched.
“Follow me.”
Ocho walked through the doors.
The room beyond was a big open space, with bck walls and a very soft floor.
“This is where we will learn XT,”
Ocho turned to the group.
“What is XT?” Tatsuya asked, looking to the side.
“Well…”
Ocho put his hands together. His skin suddenly began to glitter and shine. Stars appeared around his body, with small colored dots forming around him.
“Woah,” Mikasa said in astonishment.
Tatsuya’s mouth dropped open.
“I expect nothing less from Ocho-sensei,” Lacey said with a smile.
Akari stood silently, watching attentively.
“XT is your aura. Your strength. Your source of power.”
The stars around Ocho’s body grew rger and spread throughout the room. Ocho stuck out his hands.
A giant scoop of cookies-and-cream ice cream suddenly appeared on the ground. From the ice cream emerged a snowman-like creature. Its mouth and eyes were made out of chocote chips.
The group was shocked.
The cookies-and-cream man walked up to Tatsuya.
Tatsuya jumped back in fear.
The cookie man simply waved his hand.
“How do we gain this power?” Mikasa asked, her face full of excitement.
“You can’t learn it from a Vatican…” Ocho murmured, shaking his head.
“What?” Mikasa asked, struggling to hear him.
“Nothing,” Ocho ughed.
“This power… it comes from the thing you are most successful at.”
Ocho made a cookie appear in his palm.
“I was a baker for twenty years… before I became an exterminator.”
He took a bite of the cookie.
“A baker?” Mikasa squinted her eyes.
“Yes. I was just a baker, learning and crafting my skills. That’s where the gift comes from—the things you’re good at.”
Ocho took another bite.
“XT essentially fuels your skills, and it comes out as your power.”
He waved his hands, and the giant scoop of ice cream disappeared.
“I see…” Mikasa said, pcing her fingers on her chin and nodding.
“Some people are naturally born with a lot of XT at birth, so there is also that. As well as the natural elements that come from Earth. People can wield those as well.”
Ocho looked over at Akari.
“Akari has a lightning-type ability that he’s been able to use. He must have done some intense training.”
Ocho continued walking slowly around the room with his hands behind his back.
“However, he didn’t know how to bring out or control his XT. It mainly came out due to his rage. Because of that, his attacks are very limited. His XT comes out in small spurts—from what I’ve seen.”
Ocho stopped and looked at the group.
“You must learn to bance your XT and your gift. Make them move in synchronicity, bringing out your full potential.”
He stared intensely at them.
“That’s the only way you’ll be able to aura farm.”
Ocho raises his head to the ceiling.
“Rightttt..”
Lacey and Mikasa said simultaneously. They looked at each other and shook their fingers, as if they had just figured something out.
“Everyone stand in line. Let’s bring out your XT.”
Ocho cpped his hands.
Mikasa, Lacey, Tatsuya, and Akari stood in formation as Ocho walked over to them.
---
“Let’s start with you, Mikasa. Close your eyes,” Ocho instructed.
Mikasa closed her eyes.
“Now breathe in and out. I know your eyes are closed, but in the darkness, you should try to see a light in the distance. For some people it’s close by. For others, they have to look deep.”
Mikasa tried to focus, scrunching her face as she searched the darkness.
But she saw nothing.
Ocho walked around her, examining carefully.
“When you see the light—it will look like a small dot. You must try to make the light bigger.”
“I don’t… I don’t see anything,” Mikasa said, shaking her head while keeping her eyes closed.
“Is there anything I can do to make it appear?”
“You can try thinking about something you really, really like to do. Something you’re passionate about.”
Ocho pointed his finger into the air.
“Something I’m passionate about?” Mikasa tapped her hip.
“Ummm…”
She mumbled to herself while thinking.
“…..Maybe you should reach back to your childhood. That’s sometimes where your creative passion may have left off. A childhood dream of yours.”
Mikasa focused harder, breathing deeply.
Suddenly, her hands began to shake.
“I THINK I SEE SOMETHING!” she shouted.
Inside the darkness, Mikasa saw a small fme of light.
“Okay, great. Now try to make that light bigger. Put precise focus on it,” Ocho said.
The small light began moving closer to her.
Closer.
Closer.
Until—
BOOM.
Her dark eyes suddenly lit up with yellow light, as if she were staring directly at the sun. Mikasa suddenly fell to the ground.
“You alright?” Lacey asked, reaching out his hand.
Akari gnced over.
Mikasa yed there for a moment, dazed.
“Yeah… I’m okay. That just made my body feel weak.”
She grabbed Lacey’s hand and stood up.
“Natural response,” Ocho said as he walked over.
“It’s your first time trying to unlock XT. It may take some time to bring it out.”
He turned.
“Next is you, Lacey.”
“Okay, my turn, huh?”
Lacey stood still with his hands at his sides.
“Now Lacey, when trying to learn XT you mu—”
Suddenly, a burst of energy exploded from Lacey’s body, catching Ocho by surprise.
“Nani!?” Tatsuya shouted, bracing himself.
“Wow,” Mikasa said.
“Lacey, very impressive,” Ocho raised his eyebrows.
Akari gred at Lacey, clenching his teeth as he felt his aura.
“I’ve actually known about my XT for a little while now,” Lacey announced.
His aura pulsated. Small stars formed around him, glowing with a hint of green light.
“What power do you have?” Mikasa asked.
Lacey stuck out his right hand. Grass began growing across the wall as vines emerged, twisting and spreading outward.
“Nature.”
The vines wrapped around his arm and wrist.
“Amazing!” Ocho cpped.
Mikasa smiled and nodded.
Tatsuya and Akari simply watched.
“Alright, Tatsuya. You’re up next,” Ocho came over to him.
---
Tatsuya stepped forward. He stood stiffly, his spine shivering slightly.
“Okay… let’s see,” he murmured.
He folded his arms and closed his eyes.
Five minutes passed.
Then ten.
Then twenty.
Then forty-five minutes.
Akari leaned against the wall, half asleep. Lacey sat on the ground, resting against the wall.
Mikasa stood with her head drooping.
“Hold on one second,” Ocho ran into another room and returned with a device.
Tatsuya watched as Ocho pced it over his eye. Ocho then pressed the “ON” button..
The machine made computer-typing noises.
“I see… I see,” Ocho nodded.
“What? What is it?” Tatsuya asked nervously.
“Well… it looks like…”
The scouter dispyed the number:
0
“I fear you don’t have any aura…”
Tatsuya stared in shock.
“Alright guys, wake up,” Ocho cpped
The cookie man returned and shouted loud, waking up everyone.
“None… none at all?” Tatsuya closed his eyes in disappointment.
“Yes. Not everyone has XT, unfortunately. If they’ve never had passions or been particurly good at anything in life, they may not possess any.”
Ocho gave an awkward smile.
“Have you ever been interested in anything? A subject in school? A sport?”
“Ummmmm.”
Tatsuya scratched his forehead.
“I don’t know… maybe I haven’t.”
“It’s okay. We have ways to work around this.”
Ocho raised his finger.
“With tools and other things.”
Ocho turned to the st person.
“Akari, you’re the st one.”
Akari closed his eyes.
“Remember—focus on your strengths. Your deepest passion.”
Everything became silent. In the darkness, Akari saw a light.
The light turned into the shape of a rat.
Lightning struck the rat but more rats emerged from the distance.
They were all electrocuted…Hoewver a giant rat appeared.
Lightning struck it.
But the rat did not fall.
The lightning had no effect. The rat grinned.
Suddenly lightning filled the entire dark area. Akari opened his eyes. His face glowed profusely. Stars danced around his body as white and red dots circuted around him.
His aura exploded outward.
A massive wind filled the room.
Tatsuya was blown backward. Mikasa and Lacey braced themselves.
“Marvelous. Great job, Akari,” Ocho raised his arms and cheered.
Akari stood silently.
His face looked angry as his XT surged around him.
---
The following day.
Akari woke up coughing. His room was freezing cold. He pulled more bnkets over himself but still felt cold.
He got up and opened his blinds.
Outside the wind blew violently. People were wearing coats. Despite it being June.
Akari checked his weather app.
“35 degrees”.
“What?”
A message appeared on his phone.
“Hey, if you’re not feeling sick, come to the office ASAP.”
---
Ocho stood outside in the wind. Garbage bags and leaves blew around. Inside the office, Mikasa, Lacey, Tatsuya, and Akari sat at their desks.
“What is he doing?” Tatsuya sneezed.
Outside, Ocho measured the air with measuring tape, licked his finger, and held it into the wind.
He nodded thoughtfully. Then he walked inside soaking wet.
“So…?” Akari looked at ocho.
“From my deductions…”
Ocho turned to the group.
“Someone is maniputing the weather… an XT user.”
Mikasa looked stunned.
“A person can do that?” She asked ocho
“People have all types of techniques. And it definitely shouldn’t be this cold in June.”
Ocho shook his head.
“And for this to ruin my day off… I had a beach date pnned.”
Ocho held up swimming trunks and goggles.
“Oh…”
Mikasa said awkwardly.
“Anyways, let’s go. We have to track down whoever is doing this.”
---
The group drove in the van..
“I want you all to look out the window and tell me if you see something,” Ocho excimed .
“See what?” Mikasa asked.
“There should be something visible… a light.”
Akari suddenly pointed.
“There. A blue light near an open field.”
“You’re correct,” Ocho said.
“We’re heading to Brookville Park.”
---
When They arrived at the park. Two park rangers watched from a booth.
“What’s up with this weather? It’s freezing,” one ranger said.
“I don’t know. It’s June, mi ho. It should be hot,” the other replied.
“The world is ending soon, brother.”
He then pointed at the group.
“And look—some idiots are coming into the park.”
The ranger dropped his head backwards, annoyed.
“These people are NPCs, brother. Can’t pay them no mind.”
---
Ocho and the group walked through the park.
Across basketball courts. Then across a bridge.
“The light is this way,” Ocho led the group.
They reached a football field.
A blue light glowed from beneath the ground.
“It’s underground?” Tatsuya asked.
“Should we dig or—”
A groundhog popped out.
Everyone jumped.
“Interesting,” Ocho rubbed his chin.
“Is he causing the weather change?” Mikasa put her hand on top of her head.
“He is a groundhog… it makes sense,” Ocho shrugged.
“A NORMAL GROUNDHOG DOES NOT HAVE THE POWER TO DO THAT!” Tatsuya yelled.
Lacey dove toward the groundhog.
It disappeared underground instantly. Lacey hit the ground.
“What are you doing?” Tatsuya looked down at him
“We have to catch it!”
Lacey gets himself out the mud.
Ocho nodded.
“Yes. We must investigate.”
---
Lacey dug underground chasing the animal.
But the groundhog moved much faster. Mikasa waited above ground, to try to grab it.
The groundhog popped out again.
She missed.
Lacey colpsed from exhaustion.
“He’s fast,” Ocho rubbed his hands together.
“Enough.”
Akari stepped forward.
He knelt beside one of the holes. Electricity crackled from his hand, Akari plunges his hand into the dirt.
The lightning raced through the tunnels.
Until—
ZAP.
The groundhog was electrocuted.
“Wahoo!” Lacey cheered.
He lifted the half-conscious groundhog.
“What should we do now?” Lacey asked.
The sky began clearing. The weather returned to normal.
“Now we do some observations,” Ocho grinned.
---
Elsewhere.
A woman stood inside an office.
Roaches crawled across her arms and legs.
They covered the walls.
The ceiling.
The floor.
The woman stood there silently.
Menacingly…
Chapter 4 end
