Master Zik (WI05)

## Master Zik

**Master Zik** is a member of the Deadly Seven and overarching antagonist of *What If Espio Was Trained By Master Zik?*. He is the titular mentor to all members of the group bar himself - which includes his latest and most powerful pupil Espio the Chameleon.

## Personality

Master Zik is a composed, malicious elder who seeks to plant further malicious intent in those he trains as students. By fuelling the ambitions of his pupils, he sets them on paths of violence and seeks to strip them of things such as justice and morality for the sake of attaining more power. His methods, though overtly cruel, bring about incredible gains that earn him a dire respect, even from individuals otherwise steadfast in their moral codes such as Espio.

## History

### Past

Master Zik, prior to the events of *WI05*, trained five Zeti into monstrous warriors including Zavok, his then-most powerful pupil and frontrunner to succeed Zik as the leader of the Zeti. With the conclusion of Zavok's training, Zik entered a 'semi-retirement', content with his work and not seeking out any further students.

### Deadly Seven Arc

Zik first appeared in Part 1, where he caught Espio unintentionally trespassing in his garden. After making himself known, Zik attacked the intruder and was intrigued by the promise shown in his ability to defend against the unnatural powers he employed, but noted that his attitude proved a lack of discipline. After showcasing the depth of his martial arts abilities by thrashing Espio at high speed, Zik posited that he must have come to the Lost Hex in search of power, and that becoming his pupil would grant him those desires. With only a slight push further, Espio was brought to Zik's dojo.

Upon arriving, Zik introduced Espio to his previous pupils, who voiced their contempt - particularly Zavok. Zik used their displeasure and the overwhelming gulf of strength between Espio and the Zeti to his advantage, arranging a brief sparring match between Zavok and his prospective final pupil that ended in less than 10 seconds. Espio begged to train under Zik following his beatdown exactly according to the elder's prediction, to which he outlined the hellish reality of how - in order to compensate for the disparity between their species' lifespans - Espio would suffer through 100 years worth of training in 1/20th of the time. Once again, he was successful, convincing Espio to pledge himself to the regime.

Over the following four years, Zik oversaw Espio's constant training, having him perform gruelling physical tasks and deep meditation. A short ways into the regime, Zik left Espio to fend for himself against a pack of Sand Worms that he had no chance of besting, only to save him from certain death at the last moment. This was to outline the value of learning from defeat, and the next leg of Espio's training consisted of facing the desert's monsters again and again with nothing but intensive meditation in-between.

After the timeskip, Zik congratulated Espio on his progress before ushering in his penultimate trial: Trial by Combat. He oversaw the duel between Espio and Zavok with the other four Zeti and announced that the winner would take his place as leader of their group, decided by whoever admitted defeat or perished first. Espio was able to defeat Zavok, but Zik urged him from the stands to 'finish the job' and kill his opponent, highlighting that neither of them had yet admitted surrender. To his frustration, Espio ultimately conceded the match despite clearly being the victor, pledging his resolve to continue training under Zik instead of inherit his title as leader.

#### Hex Espio ~ Envy

Master Zik did not make a physical appearance in the comic, but his order to retrieve the venom of a Xynk was the impetus for Espio and Zeena's mission together.

#### The Champion's Road

In Part 2, Zik arranged - per Espio's request - the Champion's Road, a *musha shugyō* spanning some of the Lost Hex's most dangerous locales. He was still visibly bothered by Espio's intact moral code and questioned where he could've pushed even further for the sake of his agenda, but ultimately left his pupil be to begin the trial, leaving him a scroll containing a map several rules to follow. During Espio's trek across the Desert Ruins, Zik was seen watching him from the shadow of a tower, and at some point he handed off monitoring duties to Zeena so that he could attend to matters elsewhere.

Upon Espio's return, Master Zik had no knowledge of his transgressions under Zeena's watch, asking her to report on his performance during the trial. He believed her lies, but the arrival of the Baby Jade Wisp forced Espio to continue the elaborate ruse in order to stop Zik from crushing the 'invader' with his telekinesis. Espio claimed to have enslaved the creature and made forcible use of its powers, wishing to spare its life for the sake of continued training. Elated that Espio had seemingly taken his first steps onto a dark path, Zik allowed the creature to live, but made it clear that he would execute it if it proved to be a distraction.

## Powers and abilities

Master Zik's physical prowess is the result of martial arts mastery, granting him a conditioned body unfettered by his advanced age. He is shown to be capable of flipping through the air and outmanoeuvring Espio during the early stages of his training.

Zik commands mystical abilities such as telekinesis, which he displayed during his first duel with Espio and while restraining the Baby Jade Wisp. As well as physically restraining targets, it can be used in conjunction with nearby objects such as fruit or his cane to attack from a distance. Additionally, he was capable of commanding the plant life of his garden to strike and bind Espio, but it is unknown if this was a facet of telekinesis or a separate ability.

### Equipment

Zik often carries a wooden cane larger than his own body, which he uses in combat. It does not appear that he needs it for walking.

## Weaknesses

Master Zik is shown to become somewhat tunnel-visioned on his plans, becoming visibly troubled when one doesn't go as he wanted due to almost always getting his way. He was also capable of being tricked by Espio feigning compliance with his evil, noted to be impressive due to Zik otherwise being incredibly perceptive.

### Cacophonic Conch

Zik, as a Zeti, is susceptible to the frequencies of Cacophonic Conch shells. The sound emitted by one would cause him great pain and inhibit his powers.

## Relationships

### Espio the Chameleon

Master Zik is fascinated by Espio's potential and holds a strong desire to draw it out, but considers his sense of justice and morality to be a weakness impeding this goal. To this end, he constantly tries to urge Espio towards cruel acts and snuff out his kindness, but has so far been unsuccessful - a fact that has driven Zik to rare feelings of frustration.