The Saturday after the storm, Apollo heads to meet with the family friend he has been secretly training with.
"Mr. Goodwin, it's me, Apollo!" Apollo says as he knocks on the door, "Do you mind if I come in?"
"Of course, come on in Apollo."
Apollo enters the dimly lit old cabin in the middle of a small forest. 45-year-old Mr. Goodwin, full name Eugene Goodwin, stands in his kitchen brewing coffee. Eugene is a Young family friend who trained with Apollo's dad when he was still a Warrior. Even at his age, Eugene still has a full head of long black hair and a healthy beard. He is also the creator of the Trait "Bullseye".
"What brings you here today? Our next training day is Monday, if I'm not mistaken."
"Yeah, uh, I was wondering if we could get some extra training in today. If that's okay with you." Apollo says, sitting on the couch, "I'd appreciate it."
"Hmm, more training, you say…" Eugene pours a cup of coffee and takes a seat next to Apollo. "I suppose I have some spare time today. But I've taught you all that I can. These bones aren't as young and spry as they used to be."
"I know, but-"
"Apollo, why exactly are you in such a rush to become stronger?"
"I don't know. I just want to, I guess."
"That's not true." Eugene sets his cup of coffee down. "What's wrong, Apollo?"
"There's nothing wrong-"
"Then why? Why is it that you came here to seek my training without telling your father? Why is it that you come here without your brothers? Why are you in such a rush to leave your childhood behind?"
"Well, I- I just…"
"What is your goal?"
"My… goal?"
"Yes, your goal. I don't mind teaching you, but your father is a good friend of mine. Without knowing your goal, it seems like you're going behind his back. What are your intentions, Apollo?"
"I would never go behind my father's back! I'm doing this so that…" Apollo doesn't finish his sentence and instead lowers his head.
"So that what?" Eugene asks.
"So that I can make my family proud." Apollo replies.
"Make them proud? I'm sure your family is plenty proud of you. You are a smart and honest young man. You were accepted into a prestigious school, practiced mastering your Trait, and get along with your brothers. If you ask me, you've been nothing but a great son to be proud of."
"I'm not too sure about the getting along with my brothers part…"
"Did something happen between the three of you?"
"Well, they found out about our training when they saw me leave the house, and they're upset that I kept it a secret from them."
"Ah, I'm sorry to hear that lad. But can you blame them? How'd you feel if Austin or Alvin randomly came home one day with a new Trait from training you were unaware of?"
"Not so well… but I was going to tell them eventually! I wanted it to be a surprise, and then I could teach them what you taught me."
"I understand." Eugene takes a sip from his coffee and walks towards a locked chest. He opens it up and pulls out a bow.
"Is that your old bow?" asks Apollo.
"No, this is your new bow." replies Eugene, "It's never been used."
"My new bow…"
"I've saved this bow for years. It was a gift from an old friend to me. I always wanted to give it to someone I could mentor." Eugene hands Apollo the bow. "I want you to take this, a gift from me to you."
"Are you sure, Mr. Goodwin?"
"Mhm, from today on, I'll take you under my wing as a full-time apprentice. I promise to try my hardest to make you a man you think your family will be proud of. However, I will not go easy on you, so if you think you won't be able to handle it, hand me the bow back now."
"I can handle it!"
"Great, let's get to work then."
"Wait, you mean right now?"
"I said I wouldn't go easy on you, didn't I?"
"Y- yes, sir."
"Then let's go. I'll set a few targets up in the backyard. There are arrows in the chest; grab them and meet me outside."
While outside in the backyard, Eugene sets up two targets behind a tree.
"Um, Mr. Goodwin. I can't exactly see the targets…"
"Since you want to get stronger as fast as possible, this will help you. Up to now, you've only used the Bullseye Trait at a visible target; to get better, you must shoot at a target that isn't hittable without the Trait."
"Is that even possible? I can't exactly curve an arrow."
"Sure it is. Here, give me the bow."
Apollo hands over the bow, and Eugene stands ready in the aiming position and takes a deep breath. "Bullseye…" The arrow soars from the bow's strings and curves perfectly around the tree, hitting a perfect bullseye.
"No way!" shouts Apollo, running around to see where the shot landed, "It was a perfect shot!"
"See, now you know it's possible." Eugene returns the bow to Apollo. "I'm going inside, practice this for a while. I'll return to check up on you soon."
"You aren't going to give me any tips?"
"Of course not. You'll be stronger if you learn it yourself. I'll give you one tip, though. Make sure you control your breathing. Good luck."
"Gee, thanks, Mr. Goodwin."
"That's Master Goodwin to you!"
Apollo laughs. "Alright, Master Goodwin."
After about an hour of Apollo trying and failing, Eugene returns to the backyard with some sort of cube in his hand.
"How's training?" Eugene asks, "Have you hit the target yet?"
"I haven't gotten anywhere close." says Apollo, "It's too hard."
"Listen, Apollo, learning this will take time. You aren't going to master it in one day. Besides, this is technically my custom Trait. If you follow all of the steps I took, there's no doubt in my mind that you will get it eventually."
"If you say so…"
"Let's take a break from that Trait for now. Take a look at this." Eugene tosses Apollo the cube he was holding.
"A cube?" asks Apollo, "What's this for."
"Not just any cube. A Spiritual Energy conjured cube."
"You made this with your Spiritual Energy?"
"That's correct. It's used for the other Trait I'm teaching you, Weapon Shapeshifting. You'll need to create one yourself if you want to use it."
Apollo tosses the cube back. "And how do I do that?"
"It's simple, you get any weapon and then condense it into a cube just like this. Then, you add more and more weapons to it to increase your arsenal. I'll show you. Pick any well-known weapon."
"A bow."
Eugene begins infusing his Spiritual Energy into the cube. "Shift, Bow!" The cube starts to glow, transforming into an old bow. "This is the bow I've used my entire career. I condensed it into the cube as a young boy."
"That's amazing, Master Goodwin!"
"Return, Bow." The bow glows and then reverts into cube form. I have about fifteen different weapons in this cube. One for any occasion. Now, try and condense your bow. Send a steady flow of Spiritual Energy into it equally from all sides, and mold it into any shape you choose."
"Wait, so it doesn't have to be a cube?"
"No, it doesn't; any shape will work fine. Although, the smaller the weapon is condensed, the more strength you'll need to seal it. If not sealed properly, the bow will return to its normal form."
"Alright, here goes nothing, I guess." Apollo readies himself and begins infusing Spiritual Energy into the bow. He struggles for a bit, trying to send in equal amounts of energy from all sides, but eventually, he successfully condenses the bow into an orb the size of a golf ball. The orb glows and then begins to shake rapidly. "What do I do now?!"
"Relax, and come here." Eugene places his hands over the orb and infuses some of his Spiritual Energy into it. "Whenever you're ready, send in all the Spiritual Energy you can. When you do this, shout out 'Seal' followed by the name you wish to use to call out the bow. This will seal and lock the orb into place."
"A- alright!" Apollo shoots out as much of his energy as he can. "Seal… Stinger!" The orb begins to shake and grow even more and then comes to a complete stop and loses its glow.
"Stinger, huh? What made you choose that name?" Eugene asks.
"Honestly, I've always liked the word stinger." Apollo responds, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment.
"Ah, I see. Stinger is a fine name for it; it just wasn't what I expected."
"It's a little silly… anyways, uh, did it work?"
"Give it a shot and see. Send in your Spiritual Energy, and say 'Shift, Stinger'."
Apollo starts infusing energy into the orb. "Okay! Shift, Stinger!" The orb glows and shifts back into Apollo's bow. "It worked! It's exactly how it was!"
"That's correct. Here, let me have it for a second." Apollo hands over the bow. "Return, Stinger." The bow reverts to orb form. "Since I helped you seal it, I can also access and command the bow. If I had not helped, that command would not work for me. However, if you ever wish to give someone access to this orb, both of you must infuse Spiritual Energy into it simultaneously. That is the only way. Of course, you do not have to give someone access, but I'd prefer if you didn't."
Eugene tosses back the orb. "That orb is your responsibility now. If you lose it, you lose everything inside of it, too. Keep it safe at all times."
"I will, Master Goodwin!"
"Great, then that's enough practice for today. Come back tomorrow for some more training on the other Trait."
"Okay, see you later! Thanks again!"
Apollo runs off into the dry evening and heads home. Halfway there, Apollo stops when he stumbles upon a young girl bawling her eyes out and her slightly older brother trying to comfort her.
"Hey, uh, is something wrong?" asks Apollo.
"Mister! Mister!" the little girl shouts, "My kitty! My kitty is gone!"
"Your kitty? Where did it go?"
"Mia, it's going to be okay. Please calm down." The young boy wipes tears from his sister's face and turns towards Apollo. "Sorry to ask, but do you have time to help us? My name is Noah."
Apollo checks the time on his watch and debates whether he can make it home by dinner. "Sure, Noah. What can I do to help?"
"Well, we were out playing with our cat when a man in black clothes picked him up and ran off with him." Noah explains.
"Which way did he go?"
Noah turns around and points down an alley. "He ran that way."
"Please save my kitty!" Mia cries out, "Please save Sona!"
Apollo kneels beside Mia. "I'll get your cat back, I promise. Noah, take your sister inside. Are your parents home?"
"My mom is home, but my dad is at work."
"Alright, let her know what happened and which way I went. I'll be back with your cat soon."
"I will, thank you, uh…"
"My name's Apollo."
"Thanks, Apollo! Come on, Mia, let's go."
"Please hurry!" cries Mia, "Bring back, Sona!"
Noah takes Mia inside, and Apollo heads down the dim alleyway.
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