Kubo and Mania were happy to see Gotan. The rest of the Academy was stunned.

“You’re not even an academy student! Go back to your kitchen,” Mikko said, annoyed.

“Oh yeah! Things just keep getting better!” Kubo exclaimed excitedly. “Very well, kid. Pick one of them to fight. If you win, you take their spot.”

“Thanks, sensei! Mikko, sorry… but you’re the one I’ll fight.”

“No need to apologize. I’ll be glad to take you down,” Mikko replied, drawing his sword.

Gotan calmly approached and stood right in front of Mikko.

“He knows that for us ninjas and samurai to activate our power, a weapon has to come into contact with our elemental blood, right?” Kubo asked Mania, clearly confused.

“He knows. Don’t worry.”

“Then lend him one of your weapons.”

“No need, sensei,” Gotan said, touching the tip of the small shuriken pendant he wore around his neck.

Gotan pricked his finger with it until it bled slightly and assumed a stance with his arms lowered and spread. Suddenly, black tattoos appeared on both hands, extending to his forearms, and his fingernails got a bit sharper.

Everyone in the Academy was stunned. Kubo was excited, eager to see what would happen.

Mikko attacked with his sword, Gotan simply caught it with his left hand. The entire crowd gasped.

“My sword is intangible, how did you do that!?” Mikko asked, confused.

Still holding the sword, Gotan delivered a kick — which passed right through Mikko.

“Useless! I’m intangi…”

POW!

Before Mikko could finish his sentence, Gotan’s right hand punched him square in the face, hard.

Mikko was sent flying, disarmed, his sword still in Gotan’s hand. He was knocked out. The entire academy couldn’t believe what they had just seen.

“Everything falls before the power of my ‘Black Hands’,” Gotan declared, with a proud pose and commanding presence.

“Black Hands?” Kubo asked, intrigued.

“That’s the name he gave his power. The power of Gotan’s hands is from a higher plane, they ignore all powers, logic, and the rules of our reality. Neither attack nor defense has any effect against Gotan’s hands” Mania explained proudly.

“So with his hands, he can nullify any attack or defense, no matter how powerful the opponent. You two are incredible… this is my lucky day!” Kubo exclaimed, beaming.

“Unfortunately, we still don’t know why this power only manifests in his hands. The rest of his body is normal. But to compensate, Gotan became a close-combat specialist. Actually, both of us are, since our powers demand short-range fighting,” added Mania.

“Well, Gotan won! He’ll go with Mania to the Arena,” Kubo announced to the Academy.

“That’s not fair. He’s not even an academy student,” protested the sensei.

“Nothing is fairer than a duel,” Kubo declared.

Mikko got up, hurting, and approached.

“Good luck to both of you in the Arena,” he said respectfully.

“Mikko, unfortunately I can’t take three candidates. But ages 15 and 16 are eligible to enter not only the army but also the Special Unit, so you can still try again next year,” Kubo explained.

“Don’t worry, Captain. I’ll train harder and won’t waste my second chance next year.”

“Good! Those who fail to qualify for the Arena can still enlist directly into the First Division if they have elemental blood, or into the Second Division if they don’t. But your power fits the Special Unit, and we’ll need it.”

“Thank you, Captain!”

“Alright. Thank you, Sensei. Thank you, everyone,” said Kubo, then he turned to Mania and Gotan. “You two, get ready. Tomorrow, we head to the Capital!”

Gotan and Mania celebrated. They looked at each other, deeply moved, and embraced tightly.

 

***         

 

The Next Day!

Morning broke.

Mania was in bed, sleeping. Then, she opened her eyes and smiled from ear to ear.

She looked to the side and saw her backpack, already packed and resting on the bed. Everything was ready for the big departure.

 

***          

 

At Rino’s restaurant, everything was silent and empty. Sitting in one of the chairs was Gotan. His backpack was ready, resting on the table.

He held a framed photo, his eyes fixed on it, unable to hide his emotions. It was a photo of his family — him younger, together with his smiling parents.

He let out a sad sigh, then placed the framed photo inside his backpack, picked it up, and quietly left.

Without looking back, he opened the door, stepped outside, and closed it — leaving the restaurant empty, silent, and abandoned.

 

***          

 

On a slightly busy street, Kubo, Gotan, and Mania were walking. The two younger ones had their backpacks on, their faces brimming with excitement.

“I want to make one thing clear: even if you lose in the Arena, you can still join the First Division, but … I won’t want to talk to you anymore,” said Kubo, in casual tone.

“Too late, Captain. You already like us, there’s no way you’ll stop talking to us. But lucky for you, that’s never gonna happen. We’re way too strong” Mania said, full of confidence.

“Relax, Sensei. I’d never choose to fight only to lose right away in the Arena.”

“So, kid… why did you decide to fight?”

“Because this is my path. My father chose his path, and I have the right to choose mine.”

“And what if his path was right and yours is wrong?”

“We all know his was the right one.”

“True! That is the right path. But unfortunately, in the ‘Janken World’, we think that protecting what we love gives us the right to do wrong. That’s the harsh truth of this world.”

“Path this, path that… Can you two stop with this boring talk!?” groaned Mania, clearly annoyed.

“Sensei, Mania only thinks about fighting and defeating opponents. You’ll have to get used to that.”

“We’re soldiers, and we fight. What’s so complicated about that? The only path that matters now is the one that leads to the boarding station.”

“Speaking of the boarding station… here we are,” said Kubo, pointing at the front gate.

They walked over to the service counter.

“Travel for three!” said Kubo, placing some bills on the counter.

“Destination?”

“Scroll Village!”

“Oh, so you're heading to the Capital!? Alright, go on through.”

They passed through into an open area and kept walking forward.

“You’ve flown on a ‘Paper Eagle’ before, right?”

“Yes, Sensei. Mania and I flew on one when we moved here.”

“Ah, so Mania’s from the Capital too. Did you fly on the same eagle?”

“Yeah, Sensei. It was me, my dad, Mania, and her parents. If I remember correctly, the passenger limit per eagle is five… no, wait… it’s six, right, Sensei?”

“Yes, six is the limit. More than that and the eagle risks falling apart mid-flight due to the load. But at least it’s more comfortable than the other nations’ transport systems.”

“So, have you ridden the ‘Clay Toad’ from the Rock Nation and the ‘Metal Snake’ from the Scissor Nation before, Captain?” Mania asked, curious.

“I have, during some diplomatic missions. But flying is always more comfortable.”

“How did you manage that? Don’t the transports require contact with elemental blood from their own nation to come to life and move?”

“There’s always someone from the proper nation assigned to that role, for passengers who are either from a different nation or from the same nation but without elemental blood.”

“Is the Metal Snake scary, Sensei?”

“It is. But it’s efficient, it allows up to twelve passengers. The Clay Toad from the Rock Nation holds six passengers, same as our Eagle. But they’ve got the advantage: the Snake’s metal is durable, and the Toad’s clay is regenerative. Our Paper Eagle can’t even fly in the rain.”

“Captain, we’re here!”

Before them stood a line of giant white Paper Eagles. They approached one of them. Kubo pulled out a kunai, pricked his finger, and pressed his bleeding finger to the eagle’s chest.

The eagle’s eyes lit up. They blinked and moved.

“Scroll Village!” Kubo said, still holding his finger to the eagle’s chest.

Then the eagle’s chest began to open, folding downward like a ramp.

“Let’s go in, everyone.”

They walked up the ramp and entered, and the ramp lifted back into place, sealing the eagle.

Inside, there were two wooden benches, side by side, with room for three people on each. They sat down and got comfortable.

“Did you know that transport animals only come to life to make one trip at a time, that’s why once it ends, they return to their original state,” Kubo explained casually.

“I just hope it doesn’t start raining out of nowhere,” Mania said, a little uneasy.

“Don’t worry. The paper used to build the eagles is reinforced and extremely durable, it can hold out long enough to make an emergency landing before it falls apart... Get ready. We’re about to take off.”

Everyone got into position.

From the outside, the eagle began to flap its wings, took off, and flew smoothly through the skies.