Minho looked as his hands as ice energy flowed thru them.
"Looks like you're gonna have to work double time." Joel said with a grin. "Don't worry though, you'll be fine."
First, Joel starts Minho off with his shields. What better way to test this than with the physically strongest one of the group, Hwang Hyunjin.
"Ok Hyunjin, give him everything you've got." says Joel. "Minho, concentrate, you've got this."
Both Hyunjin and Minho nod, as the latter brings up his shield. Hyunjin then proceeds to punching at the shield with all his might. He throws several punches, one after another. Hyunjin seemingly putting more force behind them. But Minho holds his ground, protecting himself from Hyunjin's onslaught of punches. Hyunjin then put all his might into one final punch that actually managed to push Minho back a few inches, but Minho's resolve, and his shield were strong, and thus was unharmed.
"Are you ok Minho?" Hyunjin asked, genuinely concerned.
"I'm good." said Minho as he put his shield down. "Is it me, or did you get stronger there?"
Hyunjin looked as his hands, as he punches the palm of his other hand. "It feels that way." he says. "It was exhilarating, like a rush of adrenaline. But also, a little scary."
"It just like exercising." Joel says. "The more use you use your powers, the stronger they can become. Even your desire to protect the ones you love can increase your strength, or even gain you more powers."
"That's how I got these ice powers?" Minho asks.
"Exactly." says Joel. "Your desire to help and protect Jisung unlocked anew power within you."
"But what about me?" Changbin asked. "My new power manifested because I was trying to protect myself."
"I'm not saying it's always the case." says Joel. "But the majority of the time. Also there's the fact that yours and Minho's powers aren't offensive, but defensive, at least Minho's anyways. Yours can be used in many ways."
"What do you mean?" Changbin asked.
"Reading minds isn't the only thing you can do with your power." says Joel. "You can also dive deep into a person's subconscious mind and make them relive the most painful and traumatic parts of their lives. You can use all the evil deeds they've against them by rubbing it in their face. And, the most extreme cases, you can even shut down their mind completely."
"You mean, make them like a vegetable?" Changbin asked, wide eyed.
"Precisely." says Joel. "But we won't worry about that now. That calls for a personal training session."
"O-ok." Changbin says, a bit shook from hearing what he's capable of.
Chan holds his boyfriend's hand. "It's ok Bin." he says. "I'll be right here with you."
"Ok then," says Joel. "Let's continue. This time, I want you to focus on shielding your entire body Minho. There are times when you or the others may be attacked from all angles. You have to be ready for anything."
Joel instructs Minho to position himself in the middle of the room, while Hyunjin, Chan and Changbin surround him. Minho spreads his arms apart, almost in a T pose, as he activates his shield.
"This'll be a great practice for the both of you as well." Joel says, while pointing at Chan and Changbin. "Begin."
Hyunjin is the first who starts punching at Minho's shield. Then Chan from his corner, begins punching it as well, his shockwaves making Minho's shield rattle, but Minho maintains his composure.
Changbin gets warmed up to start his attack but something happens. His hands suddenly turn to rock, as the slowly make their way all the way to his arms.
Something like this.
"What is this?" Changbin asks in confusion. "Another power?"
"No." says Joel. "It's the same one. You're just using it differently, that's all. You can not only control the earth and rocks, but also manifest it. Even around your body to make yourself stronger and tougher."
Hyunjin and Chan both stopped what they were doing to look in amazement at Changbin's ability.
"Go on." says Joel. "Give it a try."
"Alright." says Changbin, as Hyunjin and Chan resume the training. Changbin punches the shield, feeling the earth tremble with each strike, as if were an earthquake.
Now, being attacked from all angles, tested Minho's strength and resolve like never before. Even though they're all friends, they put everything they had in their strikes. Because ultimately, they realized, the world can be a cruel place, and if they encounter those who would do them harm, they would have to defend themselves at all costs. And based on their experience with Mr. Lee and Mr. Bang, they didn't want to let anyone suffer like they once did.
After a while of attacking the shield with physical attacks, Joel then switched to a different approach. He had Jeongin use his fire powers on Minho. After a bit of hesitation, Seungmin told him that he would be right by his side in case he lost control. With that, Jeongin launched a stream of red hot flames from his hands. The nearly engulfed Minho's shield, but the older held his ground and kept his shield up. As the flames continued to crash, Jeongin's body began to fill will adrenaline. He felt a rush through his body that he'd never felt before. Suddenly, the red flames began burning more intensely, becoming more white in color. The heat was starting to be felt all over the room. It was about to become overwhelming, until Seungmin wrapped his arms around Jeongin, causing the flames to dissipate.
"It's ok my little fox." Seungmin said, his arms still wrapped around his boyfriend's waist from behind. "I have you. It's ok."
"What was that?" Jeongin asked at no one in particular.
"Your flames were burning with such intensity." said Joel. When flames burn white hot, it's enough to melt boulders! Your strength is amazing."
"It was scary." says Jeongin. "But I almost enjoyed it."
"You're getting comfortable using your powers." Joel said. "But be careful, it can be quite intoxicating if you're not careful. That's why you need you need your soulmate with you." Joel looks at all the couples. "All of you. It could be the difference between life and death. All it takes is for you to let your power lose control, and it will change your lives forever."