White Claw Academy (99)

It was finished.

After a year's worth of construction, Arbok's first ever training academy was finally done.

The official name was White Claw Academy.

Komo was the first one inside.

It was built similar to a wooden dojo at the front, but in the back was a high-tech training room. He was so excited.

Komo waited by pacing around the room.

The next to walk in was Sura. He sat down in one of the chairs and waited patiently.

Soon more and more kids filled into the front room, and it became fairly noisy.

The last to arrive were the twins Yuri and Yari.

"You guys are finally here!" Komo said excitedly.

Yari put a hand on his hip and smiled out of relief. "I honestly thought that we wouldn't make it. Yuri took forever to get dressed."

Yuri huffed. "I had to make sure my hair was perfect for this occasion."

A woman walked into the academy front entrance. She wore the uniform of a secretary. "All students of the White Claw Academy may proceed to the door you see behind you. Your instructor awaits you there."

All of the kids, about eighteen, proceeded to walk through the black glass doors.

They entered into a huge room.

The walls, ceiling, and floor was a dark blue color, and the ceiling was so high up that you'd have to fly just to reach it.

The students saw a man in all black with his arms folded awaiting them.

Komo grinned. It was him. In the flesh.

Akasan.

Akasan smiled at the sight of the new students.

When they all got organized into roughly three rows of six, Akasan cleared his throat. "Um. Hi everyone. My name is Akasan and starting today I'll be your new instructor. My job is to basically train you all into warriors strong enough to take on whatever position that you want in the First Order."

Sura walked forward. "I'm already strong enough. I just need to know how to gain more power. I wanna be dominant, not buddy-buddy with the rest of these losers."

Komo frowned.

Akasan sighed. "What are you getting at?"

Sura stepped forward in front of the other students. "Fight me. Prove to me that you are as strong as the stories say."

Akasan scratched his head. "Stories? I didn't know there were stories. No fair, no one told me."

Some of the students laughed.

Akasan chuckled along with them. He watched Sura walk closer until they were just a few feet apart.

Akasan put his hand down. "You might want some teammates for this."

Sura got into a stance. "No need. I fight alone."

Akasan sighed again. He looked at the other kids. "Well. I'll use this time as the first lesson. Saisho no Tatakai. This is a term used when sparring between two people. It means 'the first battle'. When fighting under this term, the winner is decided when your opponent's knees touch the floor. As a handicap, I will not use any spiritual essence or magic of any kind."

Sura scowled. "You underestimate me."

Akasan shrugged. "I could say the same to you."

Red aura enveloped Sura. He soon became engulfed in red fire. It was bright red, the same color as a laser.

He charged at Akasan.

Many punches were thrown, but none connected.

Akasan was dodging them with the utmost of ease.

Yuri chuckled.

Komo looked at her. "Why are you laughing?"

She looked at him. "Huh? Oh I'm sorry, it's just that this handicap is kind of dumb. Akasan has no protection against those flames. He'll just get burned."

Komo quickly looked back at the fight. "Wait, you're right! What if Sura actually hits him?!"

Sura continually tried to hit Akasan over and over again, but he still wasn't connecting.

That's when Sura accelerated. His punches got quicker. And after ten tries, he had his flaming fist right at Akasan's jaw.

Everyone was shocked. "He got him!" they all thought.

Then Akasan was suddenly ducked down and the punch missed.

Sura couldn't believe it. *"What? I'm sure I hit him! There's no way that he can move that fast! Even if he was going at light speed I would've still clipped him at least!"*

Akasan clenched his fist and punched Sura in the stomach with blinding speed.

Sura's fire immediately stopped as he held his stomach out of pain and fell to the ground, coughing up blood.

All of the kids in the small audience were speechless.

Akasan looked at them. "As you can see, Sura has knelt on the floor. So I win." he said, pointing. He looked at Sura. "Sorry for being rough with you."

Akasan looked at the other kids. He could tell that they were clearly unsatisfied. Some were giving him the stink eye, others had their arms crossed, unimpressed. They weren't going to listen to him at this rate. They saw him as a peer, not a teacher.

He sighed and put on a smile. "Hey, if anyone else wants to fight me, you're welcome to at any time. If you can make me kneel, I'll buy you anything you want. You're welcome to come at me all at once, but I won't be going easy, I'm warning you!"

Komo and the others quickly got excited. They all yelled out, rushing him at the same time.

Some minutes later, Narumi walked into the room. "Hey, I just wanted to see how things were goin-...what?!!"

She blew her top. "Akasan!!! Explain what is going on here right now!!!"

Narumi had walked in to the sight of the nation's future sprawled out on the floor, most of which were clearly in pain.

Akasan stood in the middle of it all, laughing. "I actually didn't need to use my energy after all. This was their first lesson for the day." He walked towards her, stepping over the bodies of children.

Narumi's mouth hung open at the view. She pulled his ear. "HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND?!!!" she yelled, letting him go.

Akasan rubbed his ear. "You didn't have to pull on me you know..."

Narumi took a deep breath. "Akasan... why." she said flatly.

"The kids apparently weren't satisfied with me being their teacher, so I let them all fight me at once. I can't teach them until they all realize the gap between them and myself."

Akasan started walking out the door.

The students groaned as they got up. They watched as Akasan wave behind him. "Good stuff today everyone. We're gonna do this everyday until all of you are ready to start the next lesson."

Sura scowled. "I'm gonna kill him."

Komo, Yari, and Yuri had a blank look on their faces. *"Oh crap. Sura's pissed."* they all thought together.

--

The next day, fewer students showed up.

This time there were fourteen.

Akasan paid it no mind. "So? Still wanna fight?" he asked them.

Sura, Komo, Yuri, Yari, and five others walked up.

Akasan smiled. "Awesome."

Minutes later, the nine of them were on the ground in pain once again.

Akasan looked at the five kids who were on standby. "You five. Push-ups. Until I say stop."

The five students dropped to the floor and started doing them.

Akasan nodded. He looked at Komo and the rest. "Learn something yet?" he asked.

Sura struggled to get up. "I'm... not, done... yet."

Komo stood up as well. "If he's not done... then neither am I."

Akasan smiled. "Well. Let's continue."

An hour later, no one could continue doing push-ups, and Komo and Sura couldn't fight any longer.

Akasan headed for the door. "Great effort today. Same time tomorrow."

Sura grit his teeth and banged his fist on the floor. "Why?! Why can't I reach him?!"

Yari turned over on his back. "It's true. None of us have been able to touch him once."

Komo sat up with a smile on his face. "He's actually amazing. He's on a whole different level."

Yuri stood. "Level might actually be an understatement. He's on a different planet, not to mention he's still holding back even though he hasn't used any energy."

Sura was still mad at himself.

Komo looked at him. "Sura... it's not that serious..."

Sura glared at him. "Yes it is that serious!!! That guy is *EIGHTEEN*. He's five years older than us at the most. How was he able to get so strong?!!"

Komo shrugged. "I don't know. But we might learn something by fighting him everyday."

Yuri yawned. "You boys can do that, but I'm not fighting him again."

"Me neither." Yari said. "It'd serve us better to just do as he says."

Komo clapped his fist into his hand. "I'm not satisfied yet. My whole body is aching right now, but I'm not done. If Sura fights, I'm fighting too."

Sura stood up and headed out of the room. "Shut up. I don't need your pity."

Komo looked after him. "I'm not pitying you!"

"I said, SHUT UP!!" Sura boomed, pausing to speak. He let those words hang in the air a while before continuing to head out of the academy.

The very next day, once again, the students were in the training room, ready for instructions.

Only eleven this time.

"Those who wish to fight, step up. If you're ready to start the next lesson, start on your push-ups." Akasan said.

Everyone got on their hands to start their exercise except for Komo and Sura. They stepped up with determination written all over their faces.

Sura became engulfed in flames, and Komo clapped his hands together. "Magic Art: Enhancement Gloves." His hands became covered in black leather gloves with a magic circle on the back of them both.

Akasan stood there, waiting. "Whenever you're ready."

Sura and Komo both rushed him in unison, alternating between attacks.

"Komo!! I told you, I don't need your pity!!" Sura yelled while attacking.

"And I told *you*, I'm not pitying you!! I'm fighting with you because I want to!! We won't make it anywhere by ourselves! We need each other, even if you don't think so!!" Komo yelled back.

Sura's feet dragged against the ground as he slid back.

Komo stopped attacking. They were eyeing each other.

Red and black flames encircled Sura's right hand. "Komo... why can't you just leave me alone? I don't need you!! Any of you!! I just want to be stronger!!"

Komo's right glove glowed green. "And how are you gonna do that? For whose sake are you fighting for?!"

Sura ran at him. "My own!!"

Komo ran at him as well. "It doesn't work like that!!"

*boom!!*

Komo and Sura both punched each other in the face. The impact knocked them both to the floor.

Komo was more hurt than Sura because he couldn't use energy, but Sura was shaken up as well.

Komo's enhancement gloves boosted his overall strength.

Sura struggled to get up. Tears were in his eyes. "My parents were sacrificed in return for me gaining the power of the Red Skull. It's a sin I'll never forget. I accidentally took their lives, and I can't even use the power I received!! I'll do anything to get stronger!! Anything!! But I can't do that with you all dragging behind me!!"

Akasan walked up to him and bent down. "If you really mean what you say, then the first step is to trust in your friends. If you have each other's backs, you'll all grow together. You're more powerful with them than without."

Sura sniffed and wiped his face.

Komo finally was able to sit up. He caught his breath.

Sura stood up. He walked over to Yuri and the others and quietly started doing his push-ups.

Komo struggled to get to his feet. He dragged himself over there as well and dropped to the ground to do push-ups too.

Akasan smiled. "Alright, that's enough!"

Everyone stopped and let themselves fall to the floor, gasping for air.

"I think all of you have learned the same lesson right?"

They all nodded.

Akasan smiled. "Great!! Then we can finally begin the next lesson!!"

Narumi watched from the corner of the entrance.

She smiled. *"Ah, well. Seems like I was worried for nothing."*

 She heard Akasan's voice as she left. "But first!! All of you are gonna run around this room until you can run no more!!"

Narumi stormed back into the room. "AKASAN!!!"