A Demon's Tale

Two days had already passed. The training regimen created by the former ruler of the world, Devi Bloodfire, had already skyrocketed in progress from those two days alone. As such, Devi requested that Shiro Fuloreen spend the following days teaching her men how to best improve their skills. This served both as a lesson for not only the three that were under her, but Shiro herself as this would be her first time training others.

Once those three days would pass, Devi would hear out the special request Shiro had mentioned. It was an odd statement for Shiro, but ultimately she was grateful that Devi was willing to listen. However, first would be the lessons taught to her own troops. Whilst she did so, Devi would practice with Shiro’s mother, Airi Fuloreen, while the remaining two who were not being trained would spar with each other.

For her third day of training and the first as a teacher, Shiro Fuloreen focused on training the martial artist within her team. An angel dressed in a white gi with sharp hair of the same color and orange sparkling eyes, Hidari Monjo. A man who looked up to Airi Fuloreen and now served the very same woman’s daughter.

Watching as he tried to form a stance, only to fail again, Shiro tilted her head to the side and questioned him.

Shiro: [What’s wrong, Hidari? Having trouble finding your stance?]

Giving an anxious laugh in response, Hidari closed his eyes whilst continuing.

Hidari: [It’s embarrassing to say, but yes. I was taught some of the basics by Mrs.Fuloreen, but I’m not sure how to do this exactly as I was taught, Lady Shiro.]

Shiro: [How to do what exactly? The Babylon Way stance?]

With a brief nod, he looked at the carmine eyes nearby.

Hidari: [Yes. She gave an example of the stance she often took up. I’ve attempted to replicate it many times, but I was often scolded by her afterwards.]

Shiro: [I can see why. You shouldn’t be doing that in the first place.]

Confused, Hidari allowed his body to relax and stood tall.

Hidari: [I shouldn’t? But from what I understood, the Babylon Way is a style like many others. One that should start with a stance from the beginning of a battle.]

Shiro: [And you’re right. The Babylon Way is exactly like that. However, there’s a catch and I’d like to point it out to you.]

Raising two fingers, Shiro lifted each respectively as she gave her question.

Shiro: [Would it be effective to use the stance of Airi Fuloreen or would it not be better to use your very own?]

Digesting her words, Hidari gave a small sigh as she smiled back.

Hidari: [Unfortunately, Lady Shiro, I don’t exactly have a style to call my own. I’ve only known the basics of fighting since I was small.]

Shiro: [I understand that, but you’re ignoring a key detail that my mother tried to teach you.]

Raising his eyebrows, Hidari was puzzled by what he did not decipher before.

Hidari: [There was something I missed?]

Shiro: [Mother’s lesson was not one that would teach you how to use her stance, but your very own. Take what you were given and form it into something that suits you. That is the essence of the Babylon Way. For instance, give me the stance you are most comfortable with.]

Hidari: [I apologize, Lady Shiro, but once again I don–]

Shiro: [No excuses. Move into your stance.]

Thus, Hidari slowly shifted his body again, moving a fist that displayed the lower palm to him while thrusting another forward.

Hidari: [It’s rather simple, but I believe this is it.]

Shiro: [Good. Now, for the second part of the Babylon Way. Relax your hands. The style is not that of an offensive one, but one that awaits an attack. Once the attack emerges, that is when the offensive style is created.]

Doing as instructed, Hidari’s clenched fists were released and moved into the shape of open palms. One facing forward and the other facing him.

Shiro: [How does that feel?]

Hidari: [It’s odd to say, but I feel at peace right now.]

Shiro: [Good. That should be your main focus. If it’s a stance that feels comfortable and provides the battle ready focus that you need, then it’s the stance that will serve you. Now for the last part of the Babylon Way stance test.]

Moving a few feet in front of him, Shiro stepped onto a large rock and gazed down at Hidari.

Shiro: [There is only one way to check if the stance will work and that is with the Broken Bones exercise.]

Hidari: [I’m not exactly sure that I enjoy the sound of this, Lady Shiro.]

Shiro: [You shouldn’t. It will be hell.]

Thrusting a fist forward swiftly, Shiro gave a firm look as she continued to explain.

Shiro: [For at least one thousand times, you will punch forward with all of your might, all of your speed and shout “Sei!”. This will repeat until all one thousand are done, to which we will move on to your legs, then the palms of your hands, then the soles of your feet. Every single ounce of your body shall be used until you feel as though your skeleton will break. Is that understood?]

Hidari: [Y-Yes, Lady Shiro!]

Shiro: [Good! Begin!]

Calmly, Hidari thrusted his right fist forward.

Hidari: [Sei.]

Shiro: [Not nearly enough energy behind your fist nor your voice! Starting from zero again!]

Hidari: [Sei!]

Again, a fist was thrown forward, much faster than before.

Shiro: [LOUDER! MORE ENERGY!]

And for the third and final time.

Hidari: [SEI!]

Shiro: [GOOD! AGAIN!]

Hidari: [SEI!]

Swapping fists, Hidari gave a wild shout filled with resolve.

Shiro: [MORE!]

Hidari: [SEI! SEI! SEI! SEI!]

Over and over, he repeatedly struck the air in front of him with his bare fists. Shiro did not provide another word, but instead nodded back.

Shiro: [While you practice, I have a question for you to answer! Do not stop your training whatsoever or I shall reset the progress!]

Hidari: [Yes ma’am!]

Shiro: [Once the battle is over, would you be interested in training those that join me in the Babylon Way style?]

The expression on Hidari’s face grew more relaxed as he turned to look at Shiro.

Hidari: [Training those that j–]

Shiro: [DO NOT WAVER! FOCUS ON THE AIR IN FRONT OF YOU!]

Hidari: [R-Right! To answer the question, ma’am, I’m not sure that I would be a good pick for this!]

Shiro: [Why not?!]

Hidari: [Even if I were to learn more, I likely would not be at the same level as you or your mother!]

Shiro: [Idiot! You don’t need to be a master of the style to teach it! Part of learning is learning how to teach others, much like I am doing now! Now answer properly!]

Hidari: [Yes, ma’am! I would be honored!]

Shiro: [Good! Then once our battle is over, you will be the mentor for those who join, as well as teaching the others like Migi and Bachi! Continue with your sei-ing!]

Hidari: [SEI!]

Shiro: [AGAIN!]

Hidari: [SEI!]

Shiro: [AGAIN!]

Hidari: [SEI!]

By the end of the night, Hidari Monjo was carried to his room with the help of Migi Paribozijiou and Shiro Fuloreen.

Physically, he was defeated. However, within his mind, a brand new landscape of knowledge had opened up. Though he was still a novice, his progress in learning the Babylon Way style was much further than ever before.

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The fourth day had arrived. After teaching Hidari, Shiro moved on to her next student. That being the flashy bionic incubus, Migi Paribozijiou. Due to difficulties with how to train him, or rather a lack of an understanding regarding his large mechanical arm, Shiro had enlisted the help of a close friend to aid her with the process.

Enter Kōkatsu the Almighty. The nine tailed orange kitsune had joined the two by the shed of Airi Fuloreen’s house to create some samples for what Migi could attach and rework with his tools. Beside the anvil she had once used to create three powerful weapons, Kōkatsu laid out a large sheet of paper to sketch out her ideas.

Kōkatsu: [So here’s what I’m thinkin’. Ya got that big cannon that it can turn into, but maybe we rework things a little bit. Give it a separate mode where it can become a light sword. Ya’ll have three spouts for the light to come out of. One on both sides n’ then the third in the front. That way ya don’t get fucked over as soon as yer in close quarters with yer foe.]

Migi: [I see, I see! With the addition of my light element, that would also add to the lethality of it, correct?]

Snapping her fingers, Kōkatsu gave a smug grin back.

Kōkatsu: [Exactly. So I think we go with that. Now as for what’s next, Shiro had some good ideas I hear.]

With two fingers, Shiro looped and curled her hair as she tried to stare into a corner of the room. Though she wanted to help, she was worried about the ideas she had come up with.

Shiro: [I mean, it’s not necessarily anything final, but I was thinking of something drill-like… you know? Like something that turns and hits people real hard. Kinda like how I do my kicks, but for an arm like that.]

Migi: [That’s the problem we ran into, Miss Kōkatsu. Lady Shiro has some good ideas on paper, but they don’t seem to work all that well when we put them down. Unfortunately, none of Mrs.Fuloreen's weapons worked out for me in practice. We're basically stuck at a dead end when it comes to having something in between the big guns and the little ones.]

Moving his sunglasses up, Migi looked towards the kitsune who tapped her lips with a pencil. Kōkatsu glanced at him, then shifted over to Shiro and back to the paper in front of her.

Kōkatsu: [I like it.]

Migi: [Really?!]

Shiro: [Hearing that is a little hurtful, Migi…]

Migi quickly raised his hands to Shiro and bowed several times.

Migi: [I didn’t mean it like that! Sorry, Lady Shiro! What I meant was that I’m surprised by Miss Kōkatsu thinking that this idea could work well with the arm!]

Kōkatsu: [Shiro’s idea is a little bit bigger than what we’d probably try to work with. However, she’s right ‘bout the whole spinnin’ thing. Somethin’ like that could be real strong especially if we make it a lot more compact. So that’s what we’ll do. A smaller drill that can be built into the lower layers of the arm. That should be simple for ya to build, right Migi?]

Migi: [If it isn’t too big, I’d say I can get that done in no time!]

Kōkatsu: [Perfect. That means we can move on to the last layer and I heard the two of ya came up with somethin’ for that.]

Shiro: [Right. Let’s say Migi runs out of options and we need a secret final plan. What if we made a small light dagger inside of the slimmest layer to surprise the opponent?]

Migi: [It wouldn’t just be some puny blade either! We’d pack that thing with a whole bunch of power and it could be the most lethal asset in my whole arsenal! All stored in the backup plan!]

Kōkatsu: [Not bad, not bad. I think that might jus’ work, though it’d take a lot of buildin’ between the two of us to get a weapon like that from a real slim tube of metal. Still, worth a shot. Now as for the super secret weapon you two suggested. I like the idea, but that would take some time. Maybe if we have the chance, we could try buildin’ it. As for right now though, ya seem to have a whole lot on yer hands, given the whole Devi Bloodfire trainin’ regimen. That woman is all business when it comes to that, at least so I heard from Alf and Xander. Ya won’t ever catch her foolin’ around.]

???: [Haha!]

Slamming the doors open, the three were greeted with a triumphant Devi.

Devi: [Shiro! I did it! I caught another one off guard! She wasn’t paying attention, so I snuck up behind her and performed the cheek pinch and squeeze technique! All that’s left is the last child!]

Smiling back to Devi, Shiro clapped her hands together to celebrate the small victory.

Shiro: [I’m glad to hear it! I won’t spoil the last one for you, though. I think it’s better if you try to find them on your own.]

Devi: [Good! It’s better this way! I shall resume my training with your mother! But if I see them, I will not hesitate to charge!]

Closing the doors in the same manner that they were opened, Devi’s figure disappeared from the group. Kōkatsu turned to look at Shiro, both raising and lowering an eyebrow respectively.

Kōkatsu: [Ya got yer grandma-in-law chasin’ the kids now?]

Shiro: [It’s just a fun ritual she’s done with all of her own. Thinking about it, it’s not very far off from your own pinch ritual.]

Kōkatsu: [Hey! I don’t charge at mine! I jus’ attack them a bunch via pinching… that’s all! Let’s get back to our plannin’ anyways!]

Working through the day, the three created several advancements for Migi’s mechanical arm.

Seeing the fruits of their labor come into form, Shiro could not help but think of how perfect Migi would be for her team. Both for constructing buildings and vehicles, along with providing tools and weapons for them.

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The fifth day had arrived. The day that would be dedicated to teaching the wild and brash yellow-haired cat girl, Bachi. The training between her and Shiro had started, in which Shiro would stand in place and either dodge or block Bachi’s attacks as she charged.

From each attack given, Shiro was able to deduce many things. One, Bachi was incredibly fast. It was a fact she had already known, but seeing her speed in battle was a spectacle that her eyes had yet to witness. Though Shiro believed she could have been a tad bit faster herself, she found that it was hard to keep track of the girl. She had only amplified herself with her element by a smidgen, yet Bachi’s speed made her almost invisible to the naked eye.

Two, Bachi was strong. Her speed likely helped in this regard, but Bachi was no slouch with the force behind her attacks. It would certainly be one thing if she was fast without much of a punch to her hits. However, when she struck, it could be felt along the entirety of Storm even down to the hilt.

However, the third aspect she had noticed was a flaw with Bachi. She was far too aggressive. This could mostly be said about her fighting style, but there was also a second contributing factor to this. That being–

Bachi: [Fuck! Again!]

The aggression in her speech along with her mind. No matter how she attacked, it was always predictable, mainly due to that very same rough behavior. Perhaps if she were to be calm, she could provide better results. But as she was now, her tactics were imperfect.

That is why when Bachi went to attack Shiro as she did–

Shiro: [Stop!]

Bachi: [Hk!]

Kicking up dirt as she glided along the ground, Bachi came to a screeching halt in front of Shiro. Annoyed, she looked up with the same anger as before still on her face.

Bachi: [The hell?! We’re trainin’, aren’t we?! Why’d I need to stop?!]

Shiro: [It’s not your fault, Bachi. I messed up. I wasn’t sure how to pick up where Mom left off, but I now see what she wanted me to do.]

Moving away from Bachi and towards the nearby lake, Shiro looked over her shoulder and smiled whilst curling her fingers.

Shiro: [This way.]

Bachi hesitated to move for several seconds. As Shiro walked towards the lake, a deep sigh exited the girl’s mouth as she slowly followed behind her. Stopping by the edge of it, Shiro picked up two handfuls of rocks, passing one to the girl beside her. Due to Bachi’s lack of experience with the activity, the rocks were dropped to the ground from the girl’s hands. Shiro placed her now free hand over her mouth, silencing her laugh.

Shiro: [No, silly! You have to hold them in one hand and throw them with the other.]

Picking up the rocks again, Bachi placed one into the other hand and chucked it as hard as she could into the far side of the lake. She then rubbed the bottom of her nose, proud of her accomplishment.

Bachi: [Beat that.]

Shiro: [A good throw, but that’s not how it works either. Watch.]

Placing a rock in her free hand, Shiro tossed it along the lake. The two then watched as three skips had occurred before the rock plummeted down.

Bachi: [All I have to do is make it jump? I can do that. Easy.]

Throwing another rock, Bachi watched as it fell into the lake.

Bachi: [Wha–Bullshit! I totally did that right! Watch! That was jus’ a fluke! Yah!]

Again, the rock fell without a single skip.

Shiro: [You need a calm mind to make the rocks skip. That’s why this is your training lesson. Let’s just have a chat while we try to skip some.]

Bachi: [That’s it?! I came all the way over here to have a chat?!]

Shiro: [Yep. What’s your favorite dessert, Bachi?]

Bachi: [I’m not playin’ into this! I’m gonna go lie down!]

With Bachi’s exit, Shiro now stood alone by the lake. Though she was saddened by Bachi’s refusal to change, she continued to skip rocks by herself. After the first that skipped two times, then the second with five and the third with three, an additional rock was suddenly thrown beside her which did not skip a single time.

Bachi: [... The circle things we had a few days ago.]

Noticing the return of the cat girl, Shiro effortlessly continued the conversation.

Shiro: [Donuts?]

Bachi: [Yeah. Those. Those were nice.]

Shiro: [I agree. I usually buy them on occasion for my children, though I’d be lying if I said they eat more of them than I do. Perhaps I’ll need to buy an extra box for you.]

Bachi: [Hm.]

Throwing another rock, Bachi watched as it plummeted once again. A click of the tongue was all she gave in response.

Shiro: [What’s your favorite season?]

Bachi: [What’s n’yars?]

Shiro: [Spring. I like the cool weather, but nothing too hot.]

Bachi: [I would have figured that n’ya like winter the most.]

Shiro: [I might be similar to the snow, but that’s something I don’t exactly like about it. Winter is a little too cold if you ask me. That’s why I like Spring the most. There’s a lot more of nature that’s visible during the season as well.]

Bachi: [... I guess I like summer the most. Bein’ warm is fine by me. Better than bein’ cold.]

Shiro: [I couldn’t agree more.]

Two rocks were thrown. The goddess achieved two skips while the cat achieved none.

Shiro: [Wanna know a fun fact?]

Bachi: [Sure, I guess.]

Shiro: [Actually, let’s start with a question. How many children do you think Kōkatsu has in her family?]

Bachi: [How am I supposed to know that?]

Shiro: [Guess.]

Bachi: [Two… No, eight… Fourteen.]

Shiro: [You're on the right track there. Two hundred and fourteen.]

Bachi: [How the hell does she care for that many?!]

Shiro: [Right?! She’s my closest friend and yet I never get how she has so much time to do stuff with that many children. They even sleep in the same massive bed as her.]

Bachi: [HOW THE HELL DO THEY FIT?!]

Shiro: [RIGHT?!]

Though the results of their rocks had not changed, Shiro began to notice something. The rude look Bachi had often displayed was starting to fade. She was not smiling, but there was no longer a single hint of a frown left.

Shiro: [It might be an odd question to ask, but let’s say you do decide to join me, and I’m not saying you would! But if you did decide to join, what do you think you’d focus on doing?]

It was a risky question. One that Shiro knew would likely upset the girl. However, her curiosity got the best of her. What she had expected was an outlash from Bachi, followed by her swift exit.

What she received–

Bachi: [... Recruitin’ people, I guess.]

Shiro: [Really?]

Bachi: [Don’t get the wrong idea. I don’t plan on joinin’...]

She slowly moved her eyes from the snow colored goddess beside her to the vast beautiful lake in front of her.

Bachi: [... But if I did join, I’d probably want to avoid givin’ others the same shithole experience I had. Givin’ them a roof, some food and people to talk to. It sounds nice. I’m kinda thankful to the people who helped me in the past, as well as what n’ya did for me these past couple of weeks, so thanks I guess. But yeah. That’s what I’d do. I’d be huntin’ down anyone who needs a place to call their own. I don’t got the skills for anythin’ else, like that arts stuff or the weird robot stuff, so that’s my place to be better than them.]

Bachi went to throw her rock. As it hit the lake, she noticed–

Bachi: [Ah! It skipped! It finally skipped! I did it! I’m the best! I did it!]

Letting go of the remaining rocks, Shiro clapped for the celebrating Bachi beside her.

Shiro: [Congrats, Bachi! Keep that up and maybe you’ll reach five skips in no time!]

Bachi: [Idiot! I’m reachin’ ten by tonight! Hold on, I need a drink! Stay right there! We’re gonna keep talkin’ and I’m gonna get way better!]

Shiro: [Aye aye, ma’am!]

Watching as the girl dashed towards the nearby shrine, Shiro could not help but smile with her entire heart.

She did not want to compare the progress among the three that served her. However, from all three under her, she felt as though Bachi had made the most amount of progress among them in such a short period of time.

A new Bachi was beginning to form.

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