Author's Note:
This is the first of the Study chapters, where you'll finally get to learn more and more about the world!
These chapters will serve as compilations of information or full-on training sessions where revelations occur. Why? Because Sirius is studying, so you should too!
That's it, enjoy the chapter!
---
Dead Zone | 15 Days After Chronus'Gaze | Sirius Training!
Sirius, nearing the end of a day packed with training, was doing a final warm-up to stay in shape after a short break.
He was carrying the same 1,350 kg vehicle on his back, though this time it felt like nothing more than a backpack.
He jumped and stretched, a focused expression etched on his face.
Stepping into a combat stance, he took a deep breath, pulled his left fist back, and punched a 35-meter-tall Ipe tree—a tree known for its thick and resilient trunk.
With a sound like a muffled roar, as if nature itself winced at the sheer force of the blow, the once-sturdy tree now bore a human fist-sized hole punched clean through it.
"TATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATA!"
He kept punching the tree with relentless, precise, yet amateurish strikes. Sirius had no formal martial arts training, but his sheer physical power made up for it.
Using the force of his punches, he climbed up the tree, striking it from top to bottom until the mighty titan of nature was reduced to nothing more than splinters.
And he had done all of this while carrying a family car on his back.
"Phew," he whistled softly, letting out a sigh of relief after climbing down.
His life had changed for the better recently.
He'd spent quality time with his father after many days apart, even if it had only felt like minutes to the blind man.
Still, Sirius could tell how happy his father was. It was clear that his presence was something the man deeply missed, and this made Sirius reflect on how he had been handling his personal life in recent years.
Merkana watched him from a distance, her mind swirling with thoughts about her beloved's growing abilities.
(At first, Hirofumi thought it was just raw physical potential, but no, it's more than that.)
Her thoughts deepened.
(He evolves faster than a pure human could, probably an advantage of his hybrid nature.) She huffed. (As if humans didn't already have absurd potential, he just had to have an extra edge…) She scratched her arms in frustration. (Lucky bastards, huh?)
But yes, these were all things humans could achieve. How? You're about to find out.
---
Fun Fact #2 About Species!
Each race in Tokusatsu Academy has unique biological advantages. Humanity, for example, has a much greater growth potential than other species (to the point where it's almost unfair).
Mercurians are immune to mind control, excel at temporal techniques, and have a strong resistance to abilities that alter fate, thanks to their connection to the Journeys.
Every species has unique traits that make them distinct, both physically and biologically.
For instance, as Merkana mentioned, Sirius's species has the ability to evolve at an accelerated rate.
They don't have more potential—they just grow faster.
---
(Guess I'll need to switch to heavier weights soon…) Sirius thought to himself. (Ugh, I was hoping to feel more pain.)
Before he could spiral further into his complaints, he heard a voice behind him.
"Bravo!" Merkana clapped as she approached. "Humans are truly impressive—especially hybrids like you."
He smiled at the compliment, though he didn't fully understand what she meant.
Merkana looked at him and blushed, a reaction that had become routine ever since Sirius had started smiling more.
(So handsome…) she thought, smitten.
(I really think she should see a doctor. She's all purple—could be dengue.) Damn it, Sirius.
Merkana shook her head to snap out of it, forcing the blush away with visible effort before letting out a deep sigh.
"Alright, Renovas, it's time for the next phase of your training," she announced. "So far, you've focused on physical conditioning, and you're doing great. But now, we're moving on to the next stage."
Sirius took the car off his back and tossed it aside like it was an old school bag. Now, he was fully focused on her words.
Merkana smiled at his attentiveness, then asked, "Tell me—what do you know about Pacts?"
"Well, not long ago, I didn't even know they existed. But from what I've heard, they're some kind of contract anyone can make… I just don't get their importance yet."
"It's not just that," she corrected him, diving into an explanation. "Think about our society and tell me—how do you think things like Elementalized Foods, DermaData, light-based objects, and so many other innovations are made?"
"Wait… Are you saying—"
"Yes, all of those involve at least one Pact, sometimes more. Even your Hawk Soda. And there's more! Our entire society—laws, technology, water systems, and even forested areas—are imbued with Pacts."
"But… how did I not know this? You said anyone can make them!"
"It's simple: you weren't paying attention. Besides, it's so normalized that even though it's public knowledge, no one really talks about it. Most tech, decorations, plumbing systems, and even furniture already come with Pacts, so there's not much need to study them."
"But I work with technology! And still, it doesn't make sense that no one talks about it!"
"…" Merkana paused, finding his words oddly logical. "Fair point. But that just proves you're a bit slow, huh?"
"WHAT?!" Sirius sputtered. "That makes no sense!"
Merkana quickly approached, placing a finger on his lips to silence him. Leaning close, she whispered, "Stick to the script, Sirius~."
"…" Sirius stayed quiet. (Why did that offend me so much?)
Merkana stepped back as swiftly as she'd approached, returning to her spot.
"Today's lesson will be mostly theoretical, and—"
"YES! FINALLY! HAHAHA!" Sirius interrupted her, jumping for joy. "Freedom at last!"
Just because he'd embraced some masochistic tendencies didn't mean he wanted to suffer all the time.
"…" Merkana wasn't sure how to respond to that.
Sirius rushed over and hugged her tightly.
"I love you, girl!"
(W-What?!) Merkana froze. *(He loves me…? LOVES ME?!)
Her face turned an even deeper shade of purple as a goofy smile spread across her lips. She covered her face awkwardly with her hands.
(OH, MY JOURNEYS! OH, GREAT GALDREDES ABOVE! HE SAID HE LOVES ME! I'M THE HAPPIEST WOMAN IN THE WORLD!)
"You're such a great teacher."
"…" She was instantly brought crashing back down to reality. Falling from the clouds, she hit the ground hard. "Oh… thanks… so happy."
Sirius flashed her a friendly smile. Now, all Merkana wanted was to wipe it off his face.
(Why does she look sad?) Sirius thought. (Alright… I got this.)
"What are you going to teach me?" he asked, trying to change the mood. It worked well enough to snap her out of her brief funk.
Merkana cleared her throat and regained her composure.
"Well, you already know a bit about Projections and Pacts. So, tell me—can you think of anything they have in common?"
"Uh… let me think… If a Projection is basically light from the soul manifesting in the real world, then 'soul' must be what gives it power."
He continued, "And if you're asking me to connect that with Pacts, then it means the soul is probably related to those, too. Maybe an internal energy? It probably has a name already, but I'll call it 'soulergy,' and I guess it lets us project and make… labor contracts with objects and beings?"
Merkana clapped. "Congrats. You got about 30% right." She smirked. "But seriously? 'Soulergy'? Labor contracts?"
"..." Sirius KNOWS how to answer this. "In my defense, it's a great name for a trash-trap album. And I wasn't that off about work contracts—by the name alone, you can tell it's about asking for something and offering something in return, because that pretty much defines the word pact."
"Well, you're right. A Pact is basically a kind of contract you make with anything—an object, a concept, a person, a demon, a god, and so on."
"Wait, hold up. A god? Gods exist?!"
Damn it, Sirius, what have you even been doing with your life?!
"That's ob—haaah, yes, gods exist, but that's not the point right now."
"B-but—"
He's cut off.
"Moving on!"
"Okay…"
Merkana takes a deep breath and resumes her explanation.
"To understand a pact, you need to know two things: First, pacts require a gain and a condition. For example, you make a pact with a water bottle and say, 'This bottle will always contain any liquid I want as long as the liquid poured into it is water.' And there you go—you've got a bottle that turns water into soda."
The power-scaling fandom picks up their stones and readies their guns at this explanation.
"Wait, wait, wait. That massively violates the law of conservation of mass and energy. How does—" Sirius asks, speaking for the power-scaling fans now preparing to fire.
"It's just an example, Sirius. It wouldn't actually work…" Merkana clarifies, and instantly the power-scaling fans lower their stones, guns, and bazookas.
"Continuing. Unlike what many legends and stories like manga suggest, a pact isn't necessarily about giving something in exchange. It's about adding conditions to achieve something. It's about gain and condition, not gain and consequence."
"In short, you just have to make things complicated?"
"Bingo! Point for you—1 to 0."
"Shouldn't it be 2 to 0? You already gave me a point earlier, and—"
"DO NOT ARGUE WITH THE SCORE!!"
"Okay, okay!" He sighs and slumps back. "Whatever…"
She rolls her eyes, slaps his face lightly, and, before he can complain, says:
"Moving on!"
"Ah! Right."
Sirius takes the opportunity to create a sofa to sit on, getting more comfortable and adjusting his position.
"About the gain and condition, that's the essential part of a pact, but there's more to it. Real consequences can sometimes give you a bigger gain than a pact with the same gain but a normal condition. Now let's move on to something I'm almost sure you'll love—something not widely known."
"Yes! Gossip." Sirius may be lazy, but he's still Brazilian.
"Y-you like it too? Why didn't you tell me?! I've got so much I could've shared!"
"You never asked."
And there's your life lesson, lazybones: Take initiative!
"A-hem." Merkana fakes a cough, covering her mouth with one hand and her cheeks turning a shade of purple from embarrassment.
"Renovas, let me ask you something—what do you think we're made of?"
"Well, since projections are basically soul, then… soul and body?"
"Close. We're made of soul, Eiji, mind, Ishi, and body, Yama," the Mercurian explains. "Or, if you want it shorter, EIY."
"What's the difference between soul and mind?"
"The soul is the whole being—emotions and personality can be summed up as soul. The mind, on the other hand, is the rational, thinking part. To make it easier to understand, animals have soul and body but no mind, while rational beings like us do."
"Got it… But how do we use these… parts to make a pact?"
"Well, first you need to understand that the mind is the bridge between soul and body, and this 'bridge' is what makes pacts possible." She continues, "We create the terms of gains and conditions for pacts with the mind, Ishi, and use this bridge to bring them to the body, Yama, making the pact something that affects the real, physical world."
"Wait, and the soul? It's not used too?"
"No," she replies simply, with an innocent smile.
Her straightforward answer slightly shocks Sirius, who was expecting a more elaborate explanation.
"Anyway, did you get all that?"
"Surprisingly… yes."
"Oh, so I wasn't a good teacher, huh?~" she teases playfully.
"Yes," he replies plainly, with an innocent smile of his own.
His straightforward answer slightly shocks Merkana, who was expecting a more respectful response.
"Hey!"
"You said it, not me."
"Humph!" She crosses her arms and puffs out her cheeks.
Sirius chuckled a bit but then blushed for some reason.
Turning his head to the side, he started to speak.
"Hey, Kana, I… I have a few questions outside of pacts."
"Hm?" She became intrigued, especially noticing Sirius looking embarrassed.
"First, uh… how does the heroism ranking system work?"
And he finally drops the bomb.
"... Are you serious?"
"Uh… yeah?" He grins nervously.
"Sirius, you could literally just search that on your DermaData!"
"Well, it's just that I…" He blushes again. "I like hearing your voice explaining things."
Merkana froze for a moment, her face glowing with a purple shade of embarrassment.
"Oh… O-okay, well, I guess I can… explain a bit and give you some homework."
She then started thinking about something.
(He doesn't know a lot of things he should know… Maybe I should give him some elementary and high school history books.)
That day ended with Merkana handing Sirius various books on history, sociology, and heroic sciences.
To be continued…