Chapter 5/transcript

***At the abandoned nuclear plant, an orderly line of henchmen stand outside of Baghead’s office. Two of the henchmen express their boredom.***

 “man this is so lame, it's a huge waste of time”

 “yeah, its so gay, the boss is treating this as if its a talent show…”

 Inside the office, Baghead is chugging a bottle of red wine. He leans back in his chair, groaning.

 Carson is sitting next to him, holding a clipboard.

 Across from the two men, a henchman is standing in the middle of the room pitching an idea.

 “maybe we offer complimentary gift baskets to all who will join our cause”

 “we already FUCKING DID THAT. lame idea. its a no from me”

 Baghead slams the table, still holding his bottle of wine in his other hand.

The henchman flinches and hurries out of the room.

 “okay next”

 Another henchman enters the room, holding a sheet of paper. He stands before the two.

 “stand on the x please”

 The henchman looks around, confused.

 “the-- the x?”

 “the x in the middle of the room please stand on it”

 The henchman awkwardly shuffles over and places himself on the x.

 “alright great, pitch your idea to the boss”

 “well uhm... i wanted to tackle our problem in a unique way... maybe we’ll have an easier time recruiting if we have something people can see and connect with--- something eye catching”

 The henchman holds up his sheet of paper, which is a crayon drawing of Baghead with some text below it saying ‘join today at the abandoned nuclear plant’.

 “are you five?”

 The henchman hangs his head in shame.

 “i just thought if we placed them around... some people might finally join us--”

 “PLACE THEM AROUND? WE’RE WANTED CRIMINALS, THAT SHITTY PIECE OF WORK GIVES AWAY OUR LOCATION, DID YOU THINK OF THAT?”

 “but- but how else are people going to find us?”

 “we’ll think of something! just get that out of my fucking sight!”

 The henchman walks out of the room sadly with tears in his eyes.

 “next”

 He passes another henchman in the door as he is leaving.

 “cheer up buddy, i thought the drawing was really sweet”

 “thanks bro”

 The henchman makes his way just outside of the nuclear plant, where he is greeted with a strong wind. He makes his way across the woodland terrain that has covered the area over the years and comes to the edge of a ravine. He folds his crayon drawing into a paper aeroplane, making himself smile.

 “be free little friend, he may not have liked you, but i had a lot of fun drawing you”

 Trying to end things on a wholesome note, the henchman throws the paper aeroplane into the ravine where it is hit fiercely by the strong winds and sent flying up into the sky and out of his sight.

 “shit”

 ***A disgusted voice is heard spitting a nasty monologue.***

 “the neighbourhood… a sad little community of fools living in blissful ignorance…”

 Joe (Mama) is standing in a dark room, glaring out of a window onto the street from behind the curtains.

 “such a beautiful place upon first glance…”

 A town resident is seen riding by the window on her bike. The sky is blue as a new day begins in the beautiful region of Biggie Falls.

 “and yet if you peel away the layers of misleading bullshit it is all a facade...  a pathetic facade just waiting to be taken… waiting to be pillaged and claimed…”

 The door opens to the room Joe is standing in, and he hisses as the bright hallway light shines onto him.

 “ay yo my g, your office a damn cave you oughta invest into some lights or some shit you like a vampire g”

 Joe frowns.

 “what do you want?”

 “ay i’m just here to tell you we got a meeting in the mayor’s office”

 Monkey strolls out of the room.

 “i am surrounded by... inferior beings... hopeless people with no real idea as to who really runs this town... but i know the mayor is nothing more than a puppet…”

 Joe turns back to the window and looks out onto the street.

 “he isn’t the one running this town…”

 Joe looks out onto the street, noticing two discreet henchmen approaching the flower shop.

 Slick Tommy steps in first.

 Louie Bignose follows him, looking rather nervous.

 “those careless crooks run this town... mama would be ashamed… but i’ll make you proud... and re-establish the dynasty you were building…”

 ***“RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA”***

 Pugnator lands on his feet at the bottom of the stairs in his home with a thud.

 His sister Velma is startled by his landing.

 “pugnator GODDAMMIT you should be more careful! stop being a little freak!”

 He slides over a table to evade her while he slings his schoolbag over his shoulder. He steps into the kitchen and grabs an apple out of the fruit bowl while his parents argue.

 “YES! I’m taking a fucking sick day... you left our window open all FUCKING NIGHT during a STORM”

 “pathetic! learn to endure and live with the cold woman, this is one of the many tests my family are expected to best”

 Pugnator turns to leave the room until he is called upon.

 “and why are you in such a hurry this morning pugnator?”

 “because i have school”

 “you are never out of the door this early, school doesn’t start for another hour”

 “must be a big day, you finally gonna stop being a wimp and fight somebody?”

 “pugnator you better not get into a fight or you’ll be grounded for a MONTH, if i hear about anything from the school while i’m off there’ll be HELL TO PAY young man”

 “oh lay off, the boy needs to become a real man”

 “oh and he should be taking after you as a role model should he!?

 Faultina turns back to where Pugnator was standing.

 “do not listen to your father--”

 Only to find he is already gone. The sound of the front door slamming shut is heard throughout the house.

 ***In his apartment, Brock is swinging at his punching bag, exhausted.***

 “1529... 1530…”

 He collapses, breathless.

 “no... i must train right up until the last moment for this fight, i cannot give up!”

 Despite his various attempts, he is unable to get back on his feet without collapsing.

 A memory from one of his training sessions with Gay Sensei comes to his mind.

 In a flashback, Brock is knocked to the floor by Gay Sensei while sparring with him.

 Gay Sensei remains in combat stance, looking down at Brock.

 “come on brock, is that all you’ve got? do not disappoint me like this my protege”

 Brock struggles to get back up, continuing to fall to the floor, too exhausted to continue.

 “i can’t… i can’t gay sensei... you’ve defeated me... i just... cant get up... everything hurts”

 “that’s the WRONG answer brock”

 “i’m trying to get up! I just physically can't! it's impossible!”

 “it doesn’t matter how strong your opponent is brock, NEVER give them the satisfaction of knocking you down once and for all, even if you have to get back up on just sheer will alone”

 In pain, Brock listens to the words of his sensei.

 “are you going to let people knock you down and crush your dreams of becoming a vigilante? are you going to give it all up that easy?”

 “no!”

 “seems to me like you are, because you can’t get back up, and that’s what i need from you brock, that’s what’s special about you, you never give up! and if you keep approaching life from that angle, you’ll be able to accomplish anything”

 “i believe in myself gay sensei... i will not give up no matter the cost! no pain, no gain!”

 Brock slowly struggles to his feet and gets back into his fighting stance.

 “that’s the spirit!”

 In the present, Brock forces himself back up so that he is standing once again.

 “i will not disappoint you gay sensei! and i will win my fight today!”

 ***At the town hall, Joe exits the mayor’s office after the city council meeting.***

 Rogelio catches up to him.

 “joe”

 “yes mr mayor?”

 “i just wanted to thank you for your support during my term as mayor, things have been quite crazy recently, and i do not know where i’d be without my chief of staff”

 “i am indeed a devout loyalist to you through and through, mr mayor, what you have done for our town is just truly inspiring, anyone would find these times of crisis difficult to deal with... i am so impressed by what you... continue to do”

 “hopefully baghead really is gone for good, and he will not invade our town again”

 “hopefully…”

 Rogelio gives Joe a friendly pat on the shoulder before walking off.

 Disgusted, Joe takes out a clean wipe after he is gone and brushes himself off.

 “dare touch me... spineless fool…”

 Upon exiting town hall, Joe makes his way onto the street, where the wind is howling. As he is about to walk off, he is hit in the face by something being led by the wind. It drops at his feet.

 “GAH---”

 Joe flinches, stumbling back. He then looks down, laying eyes on a paper aeroplane.

 ***At the estate of the Shunjinko Clan, Jenerikku is in his training room, which is a private dojo and gym. He is wielding his ancestral greatsword, Hagane, trying to learn how to properly wield it and unlock the power it possesses. Despite his many attempts to channel this power, nothing is working.***

 Frustrated, Jenerikku lowers the blade.

 Mr. Honda is observing from the side, enjoying an instant noodle cup.

 “what am i supposed to do? i can’t even get this damn thing to work”

 “you must have patience jenerikku... it will take time to learn how to wield the legendary sword of the shunjinko clan... when you started this training you should have anticipated it would be no easy task”

 “i am the last surviving member of the shujinko clan... for generations my family wielded this very blade, i saw my father activate the transformation himself many times, it was amazing-- why should i be the only failure who can't live up to the rest of my family?”

 “do you think your father unlocked the key to wielding this blade overnight? or his father before him? due to the circumstances of your family’s demise, you have inherited this sword at an incredibly young age, i should remind you of that, do not beat yourself up if you cannot learn to master it in a day”

 “i’m sorry mr honda, i don’t mean to sound like a brat, i just don’t want to let them down... is there any advice you can give me?”

 “i am afraid there is little i can do. while mastering the way that blade works can be difficult for a member of the shujinko clan, it is simply impossible for any outsider to wield the weapon, let alone activate its power, the blade ages back centuries to when it was forged and bound with magic powerful enough so that only true heirs of the shujinko clan may use it... you must experiment jenerikku, with your chakra and with your mind... you cannot hope to have a chance at unlocking its power and winning the sword’s loyalty unless you muster up great focus and devotion”

 “thank you mr honda”

 “whether it takes days or weeks, you must not give up jenerikku, continue to develop your own skills as a warrior of the shujinko clan, it is important to continue your mastery of the basics before taking on such a task as this”

 Jenerikku nods, determined.

 “i shall check in with you tomorrow, for now i must go back to the store, now more than ever with that rival store in town, every customer counts…”

***At Neighbourhood High School, the boys are standing in the courtyard. Pugnator and Brock stand facing opposite each other in a standoff.***

 Brock bows.

 “i hope you have trained well for this fight pugnator! may we both benefit from this excellent training chance and determine who is the greater warrior once and for all!”

 Pugnator bows.

 Julian watches with interest as the two begin to pace back from each other, giving themselves some space for the fight.

 “and remember guys, no hard feelings whatever the result is! we’re all friends here”

 “of course!”

 “on your count julian”

 “its doomslay-”

 “three”

 “hey!”

 Pugnator cracks his knuckles, getting into his fighting stance, fists at the ready.

 “two”

 Brock braces himself for combat, straightening his back.

 “one”

 Julian looks between the two fighters nervously.

 “FIGHT”

 Pugnator immediately leaps up with a yell and jumps toward Brock, preparing to super punch him backwards.

 Brock quickly side steps to avoid this at a ridiculously fast speed.

 Pugnator immediately turns to keep up with him, and throws another punch directed at his face.

 Brock once again dodges it by side stepping back to where he was originally.

 Frustrated, Pugnator locks onto Brock once again and lunges toward him aggressively with a punch.

 Brock front flips over Pugnator and lands behind him, getting back into his defensive stance.

 Pugnator turns back, this time angirly.

 “dammit brock, are you gonna fight or not!”

 “very well pugnator!”

 Brock leaps forward with a roll, and quickly leg sweeps Pugnator on his way past.

 Pugnator is tripped, though he recovers from the fall quickly and gets up.

 He is immediately greeted with a kick to the side of the head from Brock.

 Pugnator stumbles back, the kick taking him off balance.

 Brock stays on the offensive, rapidly jabbing at Pugnator with quick hits to the face and stomach.

 Pugnator notices blood trickling down his face due to a bleeding nose. He wipes it and grits his teeth.

 Brock goes to finish his combo of jabs on Pugnator with a powerful swing of his arm directed at his opponents face.

 Though Pugnator catches his punch, taking hold of Brock’s fist. He knees Brock in the stomach before hoisting him up and throwing him up over his back.

 Brock hits the ground with a thud.

 Pugnator goes in for another strong punch directed at Brock, though he quickly rolls to the side, resulting in Pugnator’s fist impacting the concrete instead.

 Brock jumps back up to his feet and gets back into a defensive stance.

 “you’re in for a fisting now!”

 “GAY”

 Brock begins to sprint toward Pugnator.

 Pugnator braces himself.

 While running, he leaps up into the air and prepares to hit Pugnator with a flying kick.

 “OH-”

 “woah…”

 Pugnator grabs Brock’s leg and swings him around once before letting go and launching him across the courtyard.

 “OHHHHHHH”

 He slowly approaches Brock, who is recovering on the ground, checking his cuts and bruises.

 “are we done?”

 Brock leaps up to his feet.

 “not even close!”

 He charges forward fiercely, as if to strike Pugnator.

 Pugnator braces himself, raising his fists to block the attack.

 Just as Brock is about to attack, he quickly front flips over Pugnator, taking him by surprise.

 Before Pugnator can even anticipate what is happening, he is knocked to the ground by an attack from behind him.

 The moment Pugnator stands back up, Brock circles him like a shark at an immensely fast speed, throwing a series of quick punches.

 Pugnator manages to block a few of the punches, though Brock is simply too quick for him to keep up with.

 Brock yells a battle cry and then finishes off with one final punch directed at Pugnator’s stomach, sending him flying across the courtyard into a bench.

 Alsimi’s eyes widen.

 “WOAH… HE’S PROBABLY DEAD BRO”

 Pugnator clambers to his feet, breathing heavily.

 Brock eases off, now a fair distance away from his opponent.

 “i do not want to hurt you pugnator, if you feel you have met your match, i encourage you to stand down before you get any serious injuries!”

 Pugnator smirks.

 “HMPH”

 He approaches the bench he was thrown into, and musters the strength to lift it up and over his head.

 Julian watches in amazement.

 Brock is taken aback, impressed.

 “RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA”

 He proceeds to launch the bench in Brock’s direction across the courtyard.

 Brock quickly dives to the side with a roll to avoid the bench which speeds past him. It is heard landing with a crash in the background.

 As Brock begins to speed toward him again, Pugnator picks up a trash can and throws it.

 Brock slides to the side while running, dodging the trash can as its contents spill out onto the courtyard, before continuing to speed toward Pugnator.

 Before Pugnator can find another object to lift up, Brock reaches him and begins to rapidly throw more punches.

 Brock goes for a leg sweep again, but Pugnator leaps over the incoming swipe and lands, falling onto Brock and flooring the both of them.

 As Brock stands back up to get the upper hand, Pugnator launches him back with a powerful kick of his own.

 Brock is sent flying into the nearby bike rack with a crash, resulting in it looking more like a scrap pile.

 Pugnator charges toward the bike rack like a bull to hit Brock once more.

 Brock quickly brushes himself off and then back flips up onto a window ledge.

 Pugnator leaps up toward Brock with a yell.

 Brock interrupts his attack, grabbing his right arm and jabbing his stomach multiple times.

 In response to this, Pugnator throws a punch with his left arm, though Brock moves his head to the side, leading to Pugnator smacking the window behind him. He angrily headbutts Brock.

 Brock’s head smacks off of the window, cracking it. Dazed from the impact and needing to avoid any further attacks, he throws himself forward onto Pugnator, causing the two of them to hit the concrete once again, with Brock landing on top.

 Pugnator struggles beneath him, though gathers the strength to throw Brock off of him.

 Brock manages to land smoothly, and proceeds to leap up into the air to drop down onto Pugnator from above.

 Pugnator glances up, but Brock is coming down too quickly and with much momentum. He stubbornly attempts to counter the kick, but it does not work, and he is sent flying.

 Principal Sy Cotic is sitting in his office reading through a letter.

 Pugnator zooms past his window mid-air.

 He looks up, startled.

 Pugnator lands on a grassy patch, now on the football field. He tumbles for a while before finally coming to a halt. He lies there for a moment, recovering.

 “holy shit this is AWESOME”

 Julian rushes out toward the pitch to keep up with the action.

 Alsimi follows behind.

 Brock approaches where Pugnator landed and looks down on him. He opens his mouth to speak.

 “not… even… close…”

 Pugnator stands back up.

 Brock looks on at his opponent with both admiration, followed by concern.

 Instantly, Pugnator begins an aggressive string of powerful attacks, one after the other, each one managing to penetrate through Brock’s block.

 Brock can only take the hits as he is stunned over and over again. He attempts to dive to the side.

 However Pugnator catches him, and punches him once again, battering him into the football field fence.

 Brock continues to absorb the punches, unable to do much in response.

 Pugnator finishes with a charged uppercut, sending Brock high up into the air.

 While in the air, a bewildered Brock thinks fast in the moment, and while falling back down, cries out with the last of his energy.

 “AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA”

 He lands with great momentum, slamming into Pugnator with a powerful punch, causing the ground to shake as the two of them hit the grass patch.

 “HOLYYY SHITTTTT-”

 Julian looks over at the crater that has now formed on the football field. Brock and Pugnator are both lying there, beaten and breathless.

 Alsimi approaches the crater slowly, looking down onto Pugnator and Brock.

 “so um... who won?”

 “i’m… not… done yet!”

 “neither… am i…”

 Principal Sy Cotic crookedly approaches, the animatronic rabbit suit is heard creaking as he gets closer. As he approaches, his jaw opens loosely as he speaks, hanging forward, revealing a set of sharp teeth. His cold, dead eyes lock onto the boys.

 “oh good heavens”

 ***In his dojo, Jenerikku continues to train with Hagane. He sits meditating while clutching the handle of the sword, trying to form an aura of chakra around his hand. While he is meditating, he focuses deeply on the sword, his clan, and his memories.***

 In a flashback, a young Jenerikku, aged seven, is gazing upon the sword on display in the estate. He remembers being amazed by the beautiful gemstone on the handle.

 His older brother and heir to the clan at the time, Itansha approached him.

 “it’s cool, isn’t it?”

 “super cool! what’s that there?”

 Jenerikku points to the gemstone.

 “its the gemstone that gives the sword the power it has, it was made hundreds and hundreds of years ago”

 “even before father was born?”

 “even before grandfather was born, and his grandfather”

 “woah... that’s super old…”

 “yes it is... hagane has been passed down to the different heirs of the shujinko clan for centuries… soon enough i will have to learn to wield it as father did”

 “isn’t it just like any other sword? mother and father always tell me stories that it’s--”

 “magical? it is... the sword possesses a very special ability, which i’m sure you’ll see soon enough”

 “that sounds awesome, why do we have it?”

 “because it is used to protect the good people in our region and our clan”

 Their father, Ukaguf, is standing in the doorway.

 “that is what our clan does, and has done for centuries, and we will do it for centuries more.”

 Jenerikku smiles.

 “soon i’ll be doing it too, right?”

 “of course, i haven’t forgotten what i promised you, i’ll give you your first ever lesson tomorrow at the dojo”

 Jenerikku dawns a big grin. He proudly looks up.

 “and i’ll get my own sword!”

 Ukaguf chuckles, placing a hand on the boy's head and ruffling his hair.

 “a wooden one, yes, you have to know how to walk before you can run, now, your mother has prepared dinner, do we want to keep her waiting?”

 “no sir”

 As they are exiting the room, Jenerikku takes one look back to the sword on display, staring at it in awe.

 In the present, Jenerikku opens his eyes, concentrating. He picks up the sword and swings it once in the middle of the room. He looks into the gemstone, frowning.

 “where the hell do i even start…”

***In the aftermath of their fight, Pugnator and Brock find themselves recovering in the principal’s office.***

 Principal Sy Cotic is sitting across from them at his desk.

 “you boys have been responsible for quite the ruckus this morning. are you aware of the damages you have caused to school property?”

 Pugnator shrugs.

 “no sir”

 “one of the first year’s, suzie mcconnell, was crushed by the bench you decided to throw. she was in critical condition and has multiple broken bones… fortunately, the nurse gave her an ice pack, a plaster, and an oat biscuit before sending her on her way"

 “i am so sorry for how inconsiderate we have been, we did not mean for our duel to disrupt the school’s way of life!"

 Sy Cotic stands up and paces over to the window, looking out onto the courtyard.

 “suzie mcconnell’s mother is head of the PTA… there is going to be outrage for this, boys, they are going to expect that you are punished... and i can only imagine based on how terribly toxic they are, the only outcome that will appease them is having both of your heads served to them on a platter…”

 “what?!”

 “i do not mean literally, of course, but these stay at home mothers will hunt you down boys... and pugnator, your mother’s blood will surely boil hotter than a steaming kettle when she hears about what has happened today, i think you are lucky she is off sick and has not yet discovered what happened”

 “are we going to get expelled?”

 “well suspension is certainly likely... but i like you boys... and if anything, your fight did accomplish one thing, and it has without a doubt proven you are both formidable warriors… perhaps these dreams you are chasing of becoming vigilantes are not so far fetched”

 “well it is my dream to become a vigilante of the citadel, but it is not pugnator’s”

 “nevertheless... i can see it”

 “thank you sir!”

 “there is a way i can help you boys avoid the wrath of faultina and the PTA... assuming you are willing to lend the skills you both demonstrated in your fight out there”

 “should our school principal be enlisting us as soldiers?”

 “now now pugnator, i’m not enlisting you as soldiers... merely asking a favour of two warriors i trust will be discreet and i now know are effective… and if you want to be let off with the damages you have caused and the rules you have broken, i believe it serves both our best interests”

 “so what do you want then?”

 “is it illegal?”

 “not at all... figuratively speaking... I consider myself a good citizen, one who upholds the law and cares for the pupils in his school... i would never ask of anything that would get my students into major trouble... but what i ask of you boys is of significant importance to me personally…”

 Sy Cotic turns to the boys, his crooked figure staring at them.

 “most people look at me and see a monster, not a man trapped in a costume... and many people ask me how i ended up like this in the first place…”

 “i have always wanted to know, but i felt it was too rude to ask”

 “well you have nothing to fear, i am rather open about the story... it was only just nine years ago... my daughter’s 5th birthday party... i wanted it to be special... i dressed up in... this very suit, not knowing that i would be trapped in it for the rest of my life…”

 “but what happened?”

 “my little girl loved rabbits, so i rented out this spring locked suit, they were all the rage back then, until my accident, they stopped manufacturing them after my one malfunctioned and crushed me from within… it was… a truly horrifying sight, for it occurred while i was presenting my daughter and everyone at the party with the cake…”

 Principal Sy Cotic sits back down in front of the boys.

 “the doctors told me it was a miracle i survived, but there was no way to get me out of the suit without killing me, and so as you can imagine, my options were laid out for me... and i chose life, to live for my little girl and hope she would not view me as a monster like most people started to…”

 “and did she?”

 “thankfully not, for she has a heart of gold... she is my reason for living, and i would do anything to be able to see her again”

 “you don’t even get to see her?”

 “after the accident, my wife divorced me and wanted to separate me from my daughter, and due to my condition, she won the case for custody, the court rendering me unfit to care for and raise a child... since then, things have worsened, for i am no longer allowed to visit my daughter either”

 “so let me guess, we’re helping you accomplish something related to this”

 “correct... you see... my darling daughter, the kind soul that she is, still makes the effort to write to me... she has to do it the traditional way because if her mother finds out she has my phone number or my social media, she will most certainly be harshly punished for it... my ex-wife can be cruel... she will love my daughter unconditionally until she begins to sympathise with me, any mention of me makes her snap”

 “so what do you want us to do?”

 “even though they live in a different town, elena, my ex wife, will do whatever it takes to ensure that my daughter’s mail does not reach me... every time she catches wind of a letter being sent, she will arrive at the local post office and stop it from getting to me... she is jealous and spiteful”

 “why cant you just stop her from doing that?”

 “unfortunately... I cannot confront her myself... such a move might well lose me my job, and could end with me behind bars… for that wicked woman has a restraining order against me... and look at me, most people perceive me as a monster on first glance, that is what they will judge me as no matter what”

 “this is an injustice that cannot go on any longer! allow me to do my best to go and fetch your mail on your behalf!”

 “i appreciate this very much, even though you are repaying me for the damages done to the school today, i will still forever be in your debt”

 “pugnator, what say you?”

 “if it is going to keep me from getting suspended then i’ll do what i have to do”

 “very well... tomorrow afternoon is when my letter will most likely arrive at the post office, i have no doubt that elena will be there... you must be weary of her and what she is capable of”

 “what does that mean?”

 “she studies witchcraft and dark magic, it has helped her become the master manipulator that she is today... and remember, she will do whatever it takes”

 “do not worry principal sy cotic! myself and pugnator are on the case!”

 ***Jenerikku is still training in his dojo, having tried all sorts of ways to focus and channel an aura of chakra around his hand. He sits with the sword on his lap, staring intently at the blade.***

 “focus... focus… breathe…”

 He grips the handle with one hand, struggling to lift it up. He stands, holding the sword up to the ceiling, though he quickly realises his mistake, it being far too heavy to hold like that. He collapses under the weight of the sword and falls to the ground. The sword clatters to the floor next to him.

 “god... what are you doing jenerikku… you idiot... the way you hold it isn’t gonna change anything just cause it looks cool…”

 He hopelessly looks up to the ceiling. He sits there for a moment, before stubbornly rolling over, getting up, and trying again.

 “focus…”

 Jenerikku tries at it for an hour to no avail, having tried all sorts of procedures and combinations to channel his inner focus.

 Exhausted, he picks up the sword again, with both hands to handle the heavy weight of it. He stands there for a moment, and closes his eyes.

 “focus... focus... think of nothing but the sword... just the sword…”

 He stands there, loosening his formerly tight grip on the handle, relaxing himself, and finally, focusing. As he stands there, a subtle blue wave of energy begins to lightly form around his hand. Resisting the urge to open his eyes to see, he continues to focus, until the weight of the sword in both of his hands is gone.

 Jenerikku opens his eyes, taking one hand off of the handle and holding it up in the air, the sword now feeling as light as a feather. A blue aura of chakra circulates his hand, and then quickly goes out due to him being unable to sustain it, resulting in him collapsing to the ground, the weight of the sword being a factor once again.

 He lies there on the ground, absolutely drained, and smiles.

 ***Seated in his office, Baghead is looking down at a map. He glares at the different regions, and then to his ultimate goal, the bedrock border.***

 Carson steps into the room with another henchman.

 “sir”

 “what is it?”

 “we have a visitor sir”

 “what? you mean someone FOUND us?”

 “indeed sir, someone who says they want to talk to you”

 Carson turns to the henchman next to him.

 “bring joe in”

 “who’s joe?”

 Joe steps into the room dramatically, a wicked smile on his face.

 “joe mama…”