Dan sat alone in the quiet of the forest just outside town, cross-legged, his eyes closed as he meditated. The wind brushed gently through the trees, rustling leaves as if in tune with his breathing.
Clear my mind… he thought, steadying his breath. I can feel it—my chi gate and mind are growing clearer. I feel good.
"DanDanDan! How's your meditation going?" a familiar voice suddenly called out.
"Ahhhhhhh!" Dan yelled, flinching out of his state.
Ash stood nearby, grinning. "What?" he said innocently.
Dan sighed. "You ruined it."
"Sorry, but come on, you've been meditating for the past few days. I can feel it—you're definitely stronger now. Your tiny little aura's grown a bit too."
Dan smirked, brushing off the interruption. "That's good to hear… Looks like I should be ready for the upcoming rank battle. They said the fixture list comes out today."
Ash nodded eagerly. "Yes, yes."
Dan stood, stretching. "I just hope we don't have to fight each other."
Ash chuckled. "Why not?"
"Because I'd lose. Easily," Dan said with a playful grin.
"Don't sell yourself short," Ash replied. "Come on, let's head back to the city."
"Yeah… Wait, what time is it?"
Ash checked his watch. "It's 1 PM."
Dan's eyes widened. "Oh crap! I promised to meet someone at a bookshop by 1:30!"
"Well, you better hurry," Ash said with a laugh.
"I'm gone! See you later!"
Dan arrived at the bookstore—late.
"Heyyyyy, Samuel!" he called out, panting.
Samuel crossed his arms. "Tch. Where were you?"
"Sorry. Training," Dan said, still catching his breath.
"Yeah, I should be doing more of that," Samuel muttered. "Whatever. At least you still came."
"So, what books do you wanna get?" Dan asked.
"Maybe the James Brown Detective Series."
"Not a fan," Dan replied.
Samuel frowned. "So, what are you going for?"
Dan pulled a book from the shelf. "This Sickel murder mystery series."
"Dark," Samuel muttered.
"Shut up," Dan said, grinning.
A voice beside them chimed in. "Yes, this series is really dark and intriguing. The whodunit twists are amazing."
Dan turned and smiled. "Right? I love the way the killer's mind is slowly unraveled."
Samuel scoffed. "I hate murder stories."
"You don't understand quality," Dan retorted.
"Murder stories help you understand how the mind of a killer works," the boy said.
"Exactly," Dan nodded. "Hey, what's your name?"
The boy smiled. "R."
"'R'? Cool name. Is that your pen name?"
"Yeah, something like that."
Samuel rolled his eyes. "Alright, Dan, let's make our purchases and go check the fixtures for the rank battle tomorrow."
"Yeah, let's not waste time."
Samuel smirked. "Says the guy who showed up late."
As Dan and Samuel left the bookstore, a girl came running up to the boy.
"Rickson! What are you doing here?" she asked, clearly annoyed. "We're supposed to be meeting with the knights organizing the competition."
Rickson smiled. "I just wanted to check out this bookstore."
Cherry, his aide and a fire chi user from the Fire Nation's 3rd Branch, smacked him on the head. "Shut up and let's go."
The two walked off.
Rickson Agers, Fire Nation royalty, youngest ever to attain the rank of Imperial Knight at the age of sixteen, had just met Dan in passing.
Later, Dan and dozens of other competitors stood in a large hall inside the hotel, waiting for the fixture list to be revealed.
Dan took a deep breath. It's time.
"I hope we get favorable matchups," Samuel said beside him.
"Yes… and no," Dan replied.
"What do you mean?"
"I hope I don't face someone way stronger than me and get crushed—but also, to be the best, you've got to beat the best."
Just then, Catherine walked into the room.
"Hello, all you fresh knights," she announced. "This is the moment that will determine where your future rank will lie."
A large board was rolled out, covered by a veil. Catherine walked over and pulled it off.
"These are the matches," she said. "Each of you has been placed into a group and then split into two pots. The winner of each pot will face off in the final round for the highest available rank: Lieutenant."
Dan stared at the chart. So, Group A's pot 1 winner faces pot 2's winner… and so on. So many groups.
Catherine continued, "Two groups will compete each day. If you lose in the first round, you will remain at the rank of Private. If you win, you become a Vice-Commander. From there, you can climb the ranks. The ranking system is: Private > Vice-lieutenant > Lieutenant > Vice-captain > Captain> Vice-commander > commander."
Dan leaned forward, excited. "Let me check my group."
"I'm in Group D!" Samuel said. "Pot 2."
"Same here," Dan replied.
A familiar voice chimed in. "Well, isn't this great? We're in the same group." It was Alexis. "But I'm in Pot 1. I doubt I'll ever fight you, weakling."
He walked off with a smirk.
"Buzz off, asshole," Dan muttered.
The next day, the Arena roared with excitement. The Rank Battle had officially begun—the path to becoming a Vice-Commander started now.
The match card showed: Group A Pot 1 – Steven vs. Eger
Dan arrived with Samuel, heading toward the competitor's seating area.
"Dan, over here!" Ash waved them over.
"Yo," Dan called back.
Samuel nodded at Ash. "Hey, I'm Samuel."
"Ash," he replied.
Dan turned. "Hey, I forgot to ask—what group are you in?"
"Group J. The final one," Ash said with a sigh.
"Whoa."
"I hate it already."Ash said with vigor
The announcer's voice rang out across the Arena. "Welcome, everyone! Today marks the beginning of many thrilling matches in this tournament!"
The crowd erupted.
"Our first battle features Steven from the Fire Nation's 6th Branch, versus Eger, a wooden claw chi user!"
The cheers rose again as the two fighters entered the arena.
"Begin!"
Steven narrowed his eyes as Eger approached with a smile.
"Hello there, fire boy," Eger taunted.
Dan leaned forward. "Ash, how strong is Steven?"
"In this tournament?" Ash replied. "He's probably the third strongest overall—even stronger than me now. But I can still take him."
Dan watched intently. So he's on that level?
Eger lunged at Steven, his wooden claws slashing fast and hard—but Steven dodged each strike effortlessly.
His technique is solid, Steven thought. But still not enough.
As Eger came in again, Steven charged fire in his fist and swung. Eger narrowly avoided the blast, though the edge of the attack scorched his shoulder.
"Jeez," Eger muttered. "What the heck was that?"
Before he could react, Steven vanished—and reappeared behind him.
What the—how did he move so fast? Eger thought, wide-eyed.
Steven's voice was cold. "I don't have time for weaklings."
Dan stood up in shock. "What the hell was that speed?!"
"Steven's trained hard to reach that level," Ash said calmly. "He's a beast."
Dan clenched his fists. He's in a whole different league than me.
"Fire Punch Blast!" Steven shouted, slamming a burning fist into Eger's back. The force launched him across the arena, crashing into the far wall.
Steven turned away, unimpressed. "Is that all?"
Dan couldn't take his eyes off him.
Who is this guy?