Gyalzen POV
As soon as we'd returned to Air Supplena Island, the training began. Of course, I knew now why it was urgent to do so. Caesar had told me of these so-called 'Pillar Men', the creators of the stone mask, beings that possessed immense power.
I'd instantly connected the strange figure I saw in Mexico to these entities. Apparently Joseph had defeated that one as well but now there were three more, two of which had placed these wedding rings in Joseph's body that would kill him in a month's time, hence the deadline.
I gladly offered my aid which was accepted, guess they figured the more of us there were, the better. I'd already been partaking in the training anyway, so it made sense. Firstly though, I just sat aside and watched as Caesar and Joseph had to climb the pillar just as I had days earlier.
There was no point me re-doing the same exercise I'd just completed so for now, I had another task, not a strenuous one. I simply spent time atop the pillar, meditating constantly. As I did so, I was expected to maintain the same rate of breathing the whole time.
Was it hours? Or days? Again, waiting for them to finish the climb caused time to blend together. Especially as I sat with my eyes closed in a constant state of meditation. I had no idea how long I'd been sat there before at last, the sound of someone reaching the top was heard.
Opening my eyes, I wasn't surprised to see Caesar emerging over the edge. I commented "So, you made it." Looking at the timer I'd been given, I counted roughly sixty ONE hours. Caesar had climbed the pillar two hours FASTER than me.
I walked over to him offering him a hand up as I said "You did better than I did, well done." Caesar caught his breath, saying "Thank you, but JoJo-." He trailed off as Lisa Lisa approached. He turned to her and exclaimed "C-Coach! JoJo can't take any more! Stop the oil, please!"
I peered over the edge to see Joseph caught behind one of the traps. A spray of oil circled the entire pillar, this was the same trap I'd had to pry my way through and got a cut on my hand for doing so. Caesar continued "Knowing JoJo, he'll attempt some try or die stunt any second now! If he tried to break through, the oil will split him right in half!"
Not surprisingly, Joseph did try a stunt, using Hamon, he was able to SLIDE along the surface of the oil spray! And using the oil's speed, he was able to jump around the spray and land on top of it! Even Lisa Lisa pointed out "No one has ever climbed the pillar that way before. Turning his weakness into strength, quite clever."
This had put him in the final stretch, however the energy he'd used during that last effort left him exhausted. Just when it seemed he would lose his rhythm and fall, me and Caesar intervened, each grabbing one of his hands.
Through our intervention, Joseph was able to reach the top as well. Though much like with me, Lisa Lisa revealed to Joseph that the pillar was merely the first of many exercises we'd have to undergo, much to Joseph's dismay. He went from wanting revenge to being awestruck at how much he'd improved. I leaned towards Caesar and muttered "What a strange man." Caesar smirked and replied "You have no idea.
Messina and Loggins made their presence known, Lisa Lisa introduced them to Caesar and Joseph. Loggins dipped his finger in a glass of water before turning it upside down and taking the glass away.
I was left shocked, I'd never done that before. Loggins asked if we wanted to learn and told us to step closer only to splash us in the face with it. Once that little joke was over with, both him and Messina declared.
"From this day forward, we're going to forge you into REAL men!"
Timeskip...
Hours turned into days, days turned into weeks. The training was tough, I can promise you that. Loggins and Messina were harsh instructors, the same orders were yelled again and again throughout the various tasks. As if they were being drilled into my very mind.
"Breathe! If your breath is strong, your muscles will be too!" "You have to breathe ten times a second!" "Inhale for ten minutes, then exhale for ten minutes!" On and on, day after day, task after task.
Balancing, swimming laps and even sparring! All sorts of different tasks. This time I was partaking in them alongside Joseph and Caesar. As time passed, I did grow to respect the pair a lot more. Sparring with Caesar was especially interesting.
Much like me, he'd developed his own unique spin on Hamon, only instead of steam, he utilised bubbles. I'd learned how they worked and how to use my steam to counter them, vice versa for him. We figured out our strengths and weaknesses.
From Joseph I just learned to expect the unexpected, he struck me as a bumbling idiot
Timeskip...
Before we even knew it, the end of the three weeks was coming to a close and the final stage of our training was upon us. The final task was the most simple of them all, we simply had to face Loggins and Messina once more.
Since there were three of us and two instructors, I had to pick which one I'd be facing. Lisa Lisa didn't want to get involved in this. Naturally, I decided on Loggins considering our last fight ended without conclusion. I wanted to see how things would play out.
Because of this though, I was now with Joseph, walking towards the 'fight island' a small island located just near the main one, connected only by a narrow walkway. We'd woken up early, the sun still had yet to rise.
I was going over something Joseph had told me. "A red stone?" Joseph nodded "Yeah, she called it something, 'Aja' something like that." I hummed in understanding. Earlier, Joseph had told me about a strange item Lisa Lisa had shown him, a red stone with a cross marking on it. The description of which matched an item I'd seen in Straizo's possession some time ago. Though that was all I knew.
The thought of the stone remained on my mind before Joseph abruptly asked something. "So, what's your story?" The question made me tense up for a minute, I took a moment before saying "I'd rather not."
Joseph didn't back down though. "Come on! We've known each other for nearly a month now! Here, I'll start, I live in America with my Granny Erina, she used to tell me about her husband and his battle against these vampire brothers fifty years ago. I learned a bit about Hamon from a young age and now have these two wedding rings stuck in my throat by these Aztec gods. Crazy right? Now, your turn."
I stopped in my tracks, staring at Joseph I asked "You really aren't going to let this go are you?" He smirked at me, giving all the answers I needed. I sighed and asked in an annoyed tone "Where do I start?" Joseph's smirk only grew, as he answered.
"How did you meet someone like Straizo?"
Flashback...
The snow was fierce and harsh, it took what strength I had to keep on my feet and power onwards. I couldn't give up, not now. My parent's condition worsened by the day and the doctor in our village couldn't find a cure. I may have been stupid to believe the rumours but I had to try.
Word spoke of an order a monks secluded in the mountains some distance from the village. There was talk that these monks possessed abilities that no one could fully comprehend. Could this power help my family? I was willing to take the risk.
I knew the temple's approximate location, so I'd ventured out to find it and hopefully get a definitive answer to my questions. I hadn't taken into account the turbulent snow and soon found myself being overwhelmed.
My mental strength and determination kept me going for a time. However the weather was too much. I collapsed to my knees and fell into the snow. The last thing I saw was the silhouette of a male figure approaching from up ahead. After that, I was consumed by darkness.
When I'd awoken, I was initially surprised at the warm feeling I was met with. I'd collapsed in the snow, yet now I found myself lying on a mattress on the floor, a blanket over me. I looked around however the room I was in was dark with the exception of a single candle placed right next to me.
It was at this point a voice caught my attention, it was a cold one, speaking in a serious tone as it spoke "I was wondering how long you'd take to wake up." Turning to the voice's source, I was met with the face of a stern looking older man. He emerged from the darker part of the room, eyeing me in a strict manner.
He looked down at me before saying "I admire your bravery and determination child, to brave weather such as this. But I must ask, what are you doing here?" At this, I thought my answer through carefully. I didn't know this man, nor trust him. However his voice gave off vibes that indicated I shouldn't lie to him.
I began explaining. "S-sir, my parents are sick, my father's feeling the worst of it however my mother also suffers. The doctor in my town has proven unable to do anything for them, however I heard stories monks living in the mountains. I wished to seek their aid."
For a moment, the man was silent, he just stared at me, showing no emotion. "You should not believe rumours child. However in this case you are right. The monks you seek are in fact real, I am their leader, Straizo."
My eyes widened, I was about to smile, thinking my hopes had been worth it. However they soon fell apart as Straizo spoke his next words. "I'm sorry to tell you though, I cannot help you." It took a moment to properly take in what he'd said, I stuttered "W-what?"
Straizo explained "The art of Hamon would be unable to help you in your venture, I'm sorry. I suggest you rest, I will return you to your village tomorrow." He turned and began to walk back towards the door.
Once he reached it he stopped and turned to give me a sideways glance before saying. "Your actions haven't gone unnoticed. You showed determination, resilience and courage. When you are older, I wish for you to return..."
Back to present day...
As I finished the story, Joseph just stared at me, taking in what I'd said before making his comment "Wow, that's a mouthful. So you went back and trained with him later on? How long ago was this?"
We entered the island's walls as I answered "About six or seven years ago. I was only young when it happened." Joseph began speaking, commenting on my tale however as soon as he started, I noticed something that made my mouth drop open and my eyes widen.
Joseph didn't notice my reaction at first, continuing to ramble before asking "Hey, what's wrong?" I couldn't find the words, instead Joseph followed my gaze and upon seeing what I'd noticed his reaction was the same as mine, he exclaimed "H-how horrid!"
Loggins hung dead, blood dripping from his face and stomach as his body was balanced on the foot of an unknown intruder.
The figure's head turned to us and a devilish smirk spread across his face...
Author's Note: And that's it for this chapter. Now I'll admit, I'm kind of looking forward to the fight in the next chapter. I really hope you liked this chapter and as always, thank you for reading.