The Supernatural Private Detective

A few mornings after Rob's meridians were open, Ichiro woke Rob up early in the morning to begin his training.

"What's the deal, Mr. Ichiro? The sun isn't even out yet," Rob complained as his hand wiped his eyes.

"Your training begins now," Ichiro replied.

"Huh?"

"The chest at the corner—there's a gi that should fit you. Go get it." Ichiro pointed to the large chest.

"What's a gi?" Rob asked, raising an eyebrow.

"It's the traditional outfit worn to practice martial arts." Ichiro responded.

"Why do you have one my size, old man?"

"It was for my son," Ichiro responded, avoiding eye contact.

"Oh, uh, ok." Rob responded as he pulled out the yellowish outfit from the chest. It had the head of a flaming otter inscribed on the back.

"Why an otter though? I was expecting something like a dragon or a phoenix." Rob questioned with his eyebrow raised.

"The answer to that is not important right now. Put it on and let's begin your training," Ichiro instructed.

Rob put on the gi, and they walked out of the hut. "Come to the training ground." Ichiro said as he pointed at the clearing just outside the hut.

"Do as I do," Ichiro said as both he and Rob stood at the training ground. Ichiro aligned his feet with his shoulders and straightened his hands, moving them slightly forward.

Rob mimicked Ichiro's stance.

"Make sure your feet align with your shoulders," Ichiro corrected, leading Rob to adjust his feet.

"Yes, Sir!"

"Call me Master."

"Yes, Master Ichiro!"

"This is how to stand at ease in Ember Flux Mastery; whenever I say at ease, you do this." Ichiro declared as he paced back and forward with his arms behind his back.

"Yes, Master Ichiro!" 

"Now, there's a river south, about 3000 meters from here, at the bottom of the mountain. Fetch two buckets of water, one for each of us."

"You want me to walk to the bottom of this mountain and back with two buckets of water?!" Rob exclaimed.

"No, you're going to run. I'll follow to ensure you don't stop. We'll take that path." Ichiro pointed south.

Ichiro stretched his arms out, and two large empty buckets of water appeared out of thin air.

"Those buckets have always been there, haven't they?" Rob said blandly.

"Yes, thought I'd at least get a wow from you though." Ichiro frowned. "Alright, let's begin!" He commanded.

Rob stared at the path, contemplative.

"What, are you chickening out already?"

"No, I'm ready." Rob hopped on the spot, hyping himself up before picking up the buckets.

"Ready?"

Rob nodded.

"Go!" Ichiro's voice echoed through the mountain air as Rob dashed down the path, with Ichiro closely behind. The thin mountain air made every breath a struggle for Rob, and each step felt heavier due to the lack of oxygen.

Whenever Rob slowed, Ichiro would blast him with a burst of scorching hot air.

"Ahhhhh!" Rob yelled, hopping off the ground as the hot air hit his behind. He landed and immediately continued running.

"Don't you dare slow down!" Ichiro's voice commanded, echoing through the mountainside.

"You can shoot hot air too?" Gasped.

"What part of flames, light, and heat did you not understand?" Ichiro responded.

Rob had only covered 120 meters before he started to feel lightheaded. Sweat poured down his face as he fought to maintain his pace, his limbs growing heavier with each passing meter. He began to slow down, but his buttocks were met with a gush of hot air, causing him to accelerate. As Rob neared exhaustion, his vision began to blur at the edges. Despite the strain, he persevered, his determination outweighing the physical toll. But soon after, the only thing he could see was darkness. He had collapsed.

Later, Rob awoke, his body sore and covered up, while lying on his mat inside the hut.

"You're awake."

His attention pivoted to Ichiro, who had already made breakfast and was treating himself to a meal. The aroma of chevon soup and coffee filled the air. 

"Come have breakfast. When you're done eating, you can try again; your training won't continue if you can't pass this stage."

Ichiro's words sparked determination in Rob. He refused to be deterred, pushing through intense practice day after day, breaking through his limits as he ran down the path, never losing sight of his goal of avenging his father's death. Days turned into weeks, with Rob exhausting himself, fainting occasionally, making Ichiro carry him back up every time. But after a month and a half, he finally completed the water-fetching task.

Rob stood, panting exhaustedly in front of Ichiro with two full buckets of water next to him.

"Nice work; now you're ready for the next step," Ichiro complemented with a grin on his face.

"Your previous training improved lung capacity, stamina, and endurance. Now, you must learn concentration." Ichiro led Rob to the lava pit in the cave. "Every day, after breakfast, we'll meditate here." He gestured to a rickety, wooden platform suspended high above the pit by frayed ropes. The platform creaked ominously in the heat, swaying precariously over the molten lava.

"Ehh? What if I fall?"

"Try not to fall." Ichiro responded. "Take a deep breath." He instructed.

Rob did as Ichiro said.

"Now hold it for about 5 seconds before exhaling another five. Make sure to exhale everything."

Rob did as he was told.

"Now hold for five seconds before you breathe in again. Do this repeatedly; this is called balanced breathing. It's a technique used to enhance concentration. Do this breathing technique nonstop while meditating."

Ichiro sat down on the shaky platform in a meditative pose and tapped the spot next to him. "Come on, Rob, let's begin meditating." He gestured.

Rob hesitated, but Ichiro's calm demeanor reassured him. He climbed onto the platform, his heart racing as it swayed beneath his feet. Ichiro sat beside him, his eyes closed, and began to speak in a low, soothing tone.

"Alright, let's begin; remember to maintain balanced breathing." Ichiro instructed. Every day they meditated on a hanging platform, the scorching heat beating Rob's skin, causing him to squint constantly. 

 Ichiro began to speak. "Numen, the universe's essence surrounds us. With your open meridians, your body will naturally absorb numen; now, you must look within yourself and direct this numen through the nerve-like paths in your body that lead to your muscles. This will strengthen your body to be able to withstand Ember flux mastery and increase your physical ability in combat."

As Ichiro spoke, the platform creaked and groaned, the ropes straining under their weight. Rob's eyes snapped open, his heart racing with fear. But Ichiro's calm presence steadied him, and he refocused on his breath, letting the numen flow through him.

After a few days of constant meditation, Rob got used to the heat. But it wasn't until weeks passed that Rob began to feel this new-found pool of energy within himself. It was like a storage device that slowly filled up with the numen his body absorbed from its surroundings. Even though he could feel this pool of energy, he struggled to direct it. It wasn't until a month of constant meditation that Rob had finally learned to direct his numen.

Ichiro and Rob now stand on the training ground. "How do you feel?"

"I—I–I feel… Kinda the same actually."

"See that tree over there?" Ichiro pointed to a nearby oak tree.

"Yeah."

"Punch it."

"What good would that do?" Rob questioned.

"Just do it."

"Okay." Rob balled his hand into a fist and threw a straight punch at the tree.

To his surprise, the force of his punch had slightly uprooted the tree and greatly damaged its trunk.

"Ehhhhhh!"

"This is the result of the numen flowing through your muscles. It strengthens your body, making you stronger. Of course there's a limit to it; how strong you are with numen ultimately depends on how strong you are without numen. So physical training is also important to improving your strength." Ichiro explained.

"So, in other words, a regular dude using numen would be physically weaker than an athlete using numen because the athlete trains his body more."

"Exactly." Ichiro looked pleased at Rob's response. "Now you are ready for the basic blocks and stances."

"Finally, we're getting to the good stuff." Rob's uttered excitedly.

Ichiro began to demonstrate different stances, blocks, and strikes, and Rob mimicked him. "Remember to maintain balanced breathing at all times," Ichiro reminded as Rob practiced. Weeks turned into months and Rob continued to practice these stances, blocks, and strikes relentlessly. Soon, every breath synchronized with his moves. Balanced breathing became natural with his movements; he had mastered the stances. But his ultimate test awaited—throwing flames from his fists.

"There's an energy present in the world around us," Ichiro explained. "This energy, called numen, is the universe's essence. Infused acupuncture opened your meridians, allowing you to absorb Numen. Now, you must expel this energy through those meridians and fabricate it as fire."

Rob stood strong in the center of the training ground; like a soldier on a mission, his determination knew no bounds. Rain or shine, he performed various punches and kicks with the intension of shooting flames from his strikes. With unshakable focus, he maintained balanced breathing as he performed every strike. Ichiro, seated on a stool near the hut, watched. 'His determination is impressive.' Despite moments of frustration and fatigue, Rob's drive to avenge his father's death kept him going.

On a cold evening, Ichiro was still watching Rob struggle to shoot flames. Despite Rob's mastery of the movements, the ability to shoot flames remained beyond his grasp. Frustration boiled within him as his body failed him, and he collapsed. "Why can't I do it?" he whispered, his voice then escalating into a frustrated cry. "Why can't I do it? Is this a joke, old man!? There must be more to this!" Rob snapped, approaching Ichiro, who remained undaunted by his outburst.

"I wanted to learn how to do magic like you, but all I've been able to do so far is give myself a fever." He walked towards the mountain wall, and with his anger, he struck the wall with his fist. And to his astonishment, a bit of flame flickered from his fists upon impact.

"Huh?" Rob looked at his hand with amazement. His grimace slowly lightened up. Ichiro couldn't help but smile at Rob's breakthrough; he took a sip of his ginger tea and thought, 'He finally did it.' Returning to the training ground, Rob performed his strikes again, this time with controlled bursts of flame.

"I did it!" His joyful declaration echoed over the mountain. "It took me a year, but I finally did it."

Ichiro approached Rob, standing up from his seat.

"Now the real training begins."