As Hikaru and Reito prepared to fight Ghost…
One question lingered in the background–
Where was Teshii in the middle of all this?
Back in the Meditation Hall…
The air was still, incense smoke curling in delicate spirals. Teshii and Master Takeshi remained seated near the open balcony, the biting mountain wind brushing softly against the ancient stone walls.
Master Takeshi stood with his arms folded behind his back, staring out into the cold, endless blue of the sky. His eyes were wide with disbelief, trying to absorb the magnitude of what Teshii had just told him.
The truth about the Elemenst.
The truth about Master Jiro's brother.
The silence between them stretched – thick with meaning.
Then–
Master Takeshi took a deep breath, grounding himself.
"I see…" he murmured. "Master Jiro's brother is…"
"Yeah," Teshii interrupted gently, voice calm but firm. "That's why we need Reito. Not just because of his Element… but because this is his destiny."
Master Takeshi's eyes lingered on the sky for a moment longer, reflecting on a memory long buried.
"Sixteen years ago…" he began softly, "…I found Reito in front of the temple gates. Just a baby… alone. I couldn't just leave him there. So I raised him – as my own."
His hand clenched slightly.
"If I let him go now… he'll be alone again."
Teshii looked at him, silent for a moment, then offered a rare, genuine smile.
"I don't think you need to worry, Master Takeshi."
Master Takeshi turned to him, eyes curious.
"Huh?"
Teshii's crimson glasses glinted. "I'm sure there's someone out there – someone we both know – who will take care of Reito."
His voice was steady. Confident.
Master Takeshi stared into Teshii's face… trying to read what lay behind those glasses. But as always, Teshii's true thoughts remained hidden.
Then–
BOOM!
A distant explosion shook the stillness, the sound rumbling through the stone like thunder from the heavens.
Both men snapped their heads toward the source.
"Huh?" Master Takeshi exclaimed.
"What… was that?" he added, concern rising in his voice.
Teshii's expression hardened, eyes narrowing behind his glasses.
"That must be Hikaru."
"Hikaru?" Master Takeshi asked, puzzled.
"Yeah…" Teshii turned on his heel, already moving toward the exit. "I need to go help him."
But before he could step out–
"Wait!"
Teshii paused and turned.
Master Takeshi was already stepping forward.
"I'll go with you."
Teshii smiled slightly, the corner of the mouth tugging upward.
"Then let's go."
Together, the master monk and the crimson-shaded warrior left the meditation hall–
Their footsteps light, yet purposeful–
Racing toward the battle that had already begun.
Elements vs Ghost
Back in the courtyard, tension surged through the air like a live current.
Hikaru and Reito now stood face-to-face with Ghost.
Behind them–
Ikazuchi was still half-sunken in the stone floor, fuming.
Moriya remained doubled over, clutching his stomach in pain.
Haruto stood between Hikaru and Reito, panting, the only one left standing from the earlier assault.
Hikaru's body began to glow – light pulsing around him like a radiant aura.
Reito's arms frosted over, glowing with a pale blue hue as ice crystallized along his skin.
And Ghost?
He just stood a few metres away, arms crossed, completely unfazed – calm as ever.
Then, with a cocky grin, he spoke:
"So… are you just going to stand there? Or are you finally going to fight?"
That was the last straw.
Hikaru snapped forward and raised his hand.
"RADIANCE BLAST!"
A searing beam of concentrated light burst from his palm, surging toward Ghost like a star set loose.
But Ghost didn't move.
He didn't need to.
His form fade, torso flickering out of phase–
The blast sailed through him harmlessly.
BOOM!
The explosion behind him scorched the ground, but he remained untouched.
Smiling, he shook his head, eyes still closed.
"C'mon, c'mon. Is that the best you can do?"
Hikaru gritted his teeth.
Then–
Ghost vanished, sinking into the ground once more.
"Get ready!" Hikaru warned.
But it was already too late.
Ghost rose from the ground behind Hikaru, hand outstretched – ready to snatch him.
However–
A shimmering blade of water arced toward Ghost from the side.
He noticed just in time.
"Damn it!" Haruto hissed, watching his strike miss its target.
Ghost phased downward again, vanishing beneath the courtyard.
He emerged a short distance away, eyes locked on Haruto, frustration flashing in his white irises.
"That damn Element of Water… he just keeps getting in my way," Ghost muttered.
Then – he grinned.
And phased again.
This time, behind Haruto.
Reito's eyes caught the movement. He reacted instantly, charging in.
He lunged – frost-covered hand outstretched to freeze Ghost where he stood.
But–
Ghost's body shimmered. His torso phased, and Reito's hand assed straight through–
–into Haruto.
"Wha–?" Haruto gasped, the breath freezing in his lungs.
CRACK!
He was fozen solid in an instant.
Reito's eyes widened. "Damn it! He tricked me… he pretended to Haruto."
Ghost reappeared several metres away, fully intact and grinning.
"Three down! Two to go."
Hikaru and Reito turned sharply toward the sound of his voice.
Ghost spread his arms, mocking triumphant.
"So… Element of Light. Element of Ice. What are you going to do now?"
He tilted his head, smile widening.
Hikaru gritted his teeth and turned to Reito.
"It looks like it's just me and you now, Reito."
Reito gave a firm nod.
A voice burst from behind them–
"IF YOU GUYS WOULD JUST GET ME OUT OF HERE, WE COULD BEAT THAT MUTANT EASILY!"
It was Ikazuchi, still stuck waist-deep in the ground, yelling with all the frustration in the world.
Hikaru glanced back. "Huh–?"
But–
Ghost appeared right in front of him.
"HIKARU! WATCH OUT!" Ikazuchi shouted, eyes wide.
"TOO LATE!" Ghost roared, hand stretching toward Hikaru for a strike–
Then–
Grrrrrkkkk – CRRRAAK!
An enormous glacier of jagged ice shot upward between them, forming a solid barrier. Ghost phased right through it–
–but his strike missed. The moment was lost.
It was Reito.
"Ice Wall," he muttered coldly, lowering his frost-gloved hand.
Hikaru and Ikazuchi both blinked, stunned by the sudden wall of shimmering blue.
Hikaru turned to Reito. "Thanks, Reito."
Reito gave a small nod. "Don't mention it."
They both turned to face Ghost, who now looked visibly irritated – his calm grin flickering with frustration.
"What should we do now, Hikaru?" Reito asked.
"Not sure," Hikaru muttered, scanning the courtyard for options. "We'll… just have to stall him until Teshii gets here."
Reito raised an eyebrow. "Teshii?"
Hikaru nodded. "Yeah. Teshii usually figures out how to beat mutants. He'll know what to do."
Reito narrowed his eyes and exhaled. "Fine then. We'll stall him."
Before another word could be said–
Ghost charged toward them.
"Reito!" Hikaru shouted.
"I got him!" Reito responded instantly.
Hikaru raised his hand toward Ghost.
"ILLUMINATE BLITZ!"
A blazing beam of concentrated light erupted forward – razor-thin, near-invisible until impact. It split through the courtyard like lightning incarnate, cracking the air with a deafening snap, its speed leaving streaks of white heat behind.
"FROZEN ORB!"
At the same time, Reito conjured a glowing orb of swirling frost in his palm. It hovered, pale and deadly, mist curling around it like a living fog. He released it with precision, and the orb drifted forward like a silent comet.
Ghost's eyes widened.
Hikaru's Illuminate Blitz came in fast. He phased – his torso flickered out just in time.
BOOM!
The light exploded behind him, igniting a pulse of brilliance across the courtyard.
Then–
Reito's Frozen Orb came gliding toward him.
Ghost reacted instantly–
He dodged it, causing the ground behind him, to freeze.
Reito's eyes widened in surprise.
"He dodged it…" he murmured under his breath.
Then – his expression shifted.
"Wait… Why did he dodge it?"
"He could've just phased through it… but he didn't."
Ghost still stood in front of them, smiling.
Then–
A voice echoed through the courtyard.
"Guys!"
Hikaru, Reito, Moriya, and Ikazuchi, who was still stuck waist-deep in the ground turned, turned toward the voice.
Haruto, still frozen solid, couldn't react.
It was Teshii, running toward them from the direction of the meditation hall.
Behind him was Master Takeshi, his robe fluttering slightly in the wind.
"Teshii! Master Takeshi!" Hikaru called out in relief.
Teshii ran straight to Moriya first, kneeling beside him.
"You okay, Woody? Looks like you got punched in the gut so hard you've been down for a while."
Moriya didn't say anything – he just glared at Teshii, clearly unamused.
Teshii stood up and scanned the battlefield. His eyes landed on Ikazuchi, still half-buried in the ground.
Teshii tried to hold back a snort. He failed.
"…Um, Zeus?" he said, covering his mouth, his eyes gleaming with suppressed laughter.
"IF YOU HAVE TIME TO LAUGH, THEN YOU HAVE TIME TO HELP ME OUT OF HERE!" Ikazuchi shouted.
Teshii turned to see Haruto still frozen solid in a block of shimmering ice. "Um… what happened to Tsunami?" he said, pointing casually.
Meanwhile, Master Takeshi moved toward Reito, checking him over with sharp, fatherly concern.
"Are you okay, Reito?"
Reito nodded silently, his expression still focused.
Then–
A voice cut through the moment.
"Who are they?"
Everyone turned – except for frozen Haruto – toward Ghost, who now stood confidently in the centre of the courtyard.
Master Takeshi turned toward Teshii.
"Teshii… who is that?"
Teshii crossed his arms. His voice was firm.
"It's a mutant."
Master Takeshi's brow furrowed.
"Mutant?"
Ghost smirked.
"That's right, baldie. I'm a mutant."
Reito's fists clenched. He had heard enough.
"ICICLE SHARD!"
A glowing silver of ice hovered above his open palm – razor-thin, needle-sharp, and deathly silent. The air around it shimmered faintly, like light itself didn't want to touch it.
Snap!
Reito flicked his fingers, and the shard launched like a bullet – no flare, no theatrics – just silent, lethal velocity.
Ghost's smirk faltered, for a split second. Then–
His torso flickered. He phased. The shard passed through him harmlessly.
Master Takeshi's eyes widened.
"How did he do that?"
Teshii's glasses gleamed, his expression intrigued.
"Whoa. A mutant with a permeation ability. That's rare."
"DON'T BE IMPRESSED BY THE ENEMY, TESHII!" Ikazuchi yelled from across the courtyard, arms flailing in frustration.
"Right, right!" Teshii said, waving dismissively. He turned to Moriya. "Woody – go help Zeus out of the floor, please."
Moriya nodded, still wincing from earlier, and made his way to Ikazuchi to help free him from the ground."
Suddenly–
Hikaru raised his hand toward Ghost.
"ILLUMINATE BLITZ!"
At the same time–
"ICICLE SHARD!" Reito shouted, releasing his own attack.
Both attacks surged toward Ghost, cutting through the cold mountain air with fierce intensity.
Ghost gritted his teeth.
As Hikaru's Illuminate Blitz neared him, his body flickered – phased, the beam of light passing harmless through him.
But Reito's Icicle Shard?
Ghost didn't phase this time. Instead – he dodged, twisting left and right to avoid each glinting shard of frost.
Then–
A realization struck Teshii like thunder.
"Wait a minute… why did he dodge Sub-Zero's attack?"
Master Takeshi glanced at him, tilting his head.
"Sub-Zero?"
"My nickname for Reito – but that's a story for another time. Back to what I was saying…" Teshii's eyes narrowed behind his crimson glasses. "Why did he dodge Reito's attack?"
Master Takeshi blinked. "Does that even matter?"
"It does," Teshii said firmly. "Because every other time, he's just phased through our attacks. But with Reito's Icicle Shard – he dodged it. He could've phased, but he didn't."
Master Takeshi's eyes widened realizing that Teshii was right.
Why would Ghost dodge Reito's attack? When he could've just phased through it.
"You're right, Teshii! But what does that mean?" Master Takeshi asked.
Teshii hesitated for a heartbeat – then his eyes lit up in realization.
"I don't kn–"
His voice cut off.
Then–
"Wait… could it be?"
A cyclone of snow and frost spiralled around Reito. Ice shards formed midair, swirling like blades in the eye of a growing storm. And then – with a sharp motion – he brought his hands down.
With a roar like an avalanche, the storm exploded outward.
A blinding white blast surged across the battlefield, whipping through everything in its path.
"BLIZZARD BLAST!" Reito shouted.
Ghost just stood there, his body flickering. It faded.
Reito's Blizzard Blast passed through him harmlessly, scattering ice and wind behind him.
And Hikaru?
"SUNRISE PUNCH!"
His fist glowed, energy surging with radiant power as he lunged straight at Ghost.
Ghost dodged – easily. He twisted left, then right, narrowly evading each blow.
Teshii narrowed his eyes behind his crimson glasses.
"There it is again… he's dodging again. But why?"
Hikaru swung again – another punch.
This time…
Ghost's body faded. Hikaru's glowing fist passed straight through him.
"Woah!" Hikaru muttered as he stumbled forward.
CRASH!
He hit the ground hard.
Teshii's eyes widened slightly behind his glasses.
"Wait a minute…"
He watched Ghost closely.
"One… two… three… four…" Teshii counted in his mind.
"FROZEN ORB!"
Reito released a glowing orb of swirling frost. It spun toward Ghost like a cold comet. But Ghost saw it–
–and dodged again.
Teshii kept counting.
"Eight… nine… and ten."
Ghost's body flickered again, fading into the ground – disappearing below the surface.
Teshii's eyes sharpened.
There it is.
There was an interval.
Ghost wasn't always intangible.
There was a delay. A cooldown.
He could phase through one attack – but then had to dodge the next. He couldn't phase again immediately.
Teshii grinned.
"Well, well, well," he muttered.
"Looks like you're not invincible after all."
He stepped forward, his confident smirk returning.
"Alright, Sunshine and Sub-Zero – listen up!"
Hikaru and Reito glanced over.
"Huh?"
"Our mutant friend here has a weakness," Teshii announced.
"Weakness?" Hikaru repeated, blinking.
Teshii nodded. "Yeah. Every time he phases through an attack, he has a ten-second interval."
Hikaru, Reito, Ikazuchi, Moriya – even Master Takeshi – all stared at Teshii, stunned.
"A ten-second interval?" Reito said, eyes narrowing.
"Then… that means!" Hikaru gasped.
Teshii smirked.
"It means – keep attacking him continuously!"
At that moment, Ghost phased up from the ground.
But this time, he wasn't smiling.
He was gritting his teeth.
"Tch… Looks like… they figured it out."
TO BE CONTINUED!!!