The Sounds of Tranquility

I walked out the bathroom after freshening up and I went to find Yan Mei. I noticed she wasn't at the Dojo so I decided to go ask around to see if anyone knew where she was.

I went to the Arcade where I know Mina was. I noticed her playing a game by herself on the couch then walked to the couch and lightly pat her head.

Mina softly grunted and looked up at me then smiled. "Yoshida!~ What can Mina do for you?~"

"Have you seen Yan Mei?" I asked.

"Nope! Mina has been here the entire time ever since she left with Keishi after school!~ Hey do you want to join Mina in a quick game?~" Mina asked.

I looked at the game she was playing. "What is it?"

"It's called Harem Summoners!~" Mina smiled and looked at the TV. "Mina just unlocked a new character from the summons and she's so awesome to play as!~"

I rose an eyebrow. "Harem Summoner? I've definitely seen this game around. I guess I'll play a game or two."

"Yay!~" Mina happily said then scooted over so I could sit next to her.

I sat on the couch and grabbed the controller Mina handed me. She went to the character select screen and I noticed how many characters she had to pick from. It was like a Mugen Game but in a typical arena battle style. We picked our characters and Mina chose the stage.

"So the Y Button is for your light attack, the X Button is heavy, the B Button is to jump, and the A Button is to charge up the Burst Gauge. The right trigger is for assists, the left one is for blocking. The bumper buttons is used for Summoner Characters as it's used to change the Elements they can currently use!~" Mina explained while moving her character in a circle.

I nodded and we began to play. I couldn't lie, I sucked as Mina kept dog walking me with Infinite Combos she learned how to use. I wasn't even able to get a round in.

"Awe!~ Better luck next time!~" Mina giggled.

"One more! I think I'm getting the hang of it." I said.

"Okay, let's gooo!~" Mina giggled.

Even though I was learning her play style, she was able to quickly switch her play style and catch me off guard once again. Eventually, I was able to get a game off her and celebrated.

"Finally!" I said and stretched.

Mina smiled. "This is the first Mina has ever lost in a game!~ You learn quickly!~"

I rested my arm against the back of the couch. "I can't lie it was a struggle. You seem to always be locked in."

Mina noticed how my arm was placed on the couch and scooted a bit closer. "Well Mina is practicing for when she has to play in Ranked Matches!~ Mina hears if one is good enough they can enter official tournaments for cash prizes!~"

I noticed Mina scooting closer and smiled. "Well I can definitely tell you're tournament ready.."

Mina smiled and blushed a bit then looked at me. "Do you wanna still play with Mina?"

I looked at the clock. "Yeah I can get in a few more games in."

"Yes!~ Let's play another game then!~" Mina smiled.

------

Mina and I eventually played three different games together before I decided to call it quits. I enjoyed playing games with Mina and I could tell she enjoyed playing games with me as well.

"Mina hopes you had fun!~ Good luck in finding Yan Mei!~" Mina said.

I smiled and nodded. "We can play again tomorrow if you'd like."

"Mina likes that idea!" Mina nodded.

I smiled and waved goodbye to her and she waved back. I walked down the stairs and noticed Himeko walking down the hall with her tablet in hand, checking reports from her scouting crew. I smiled and walked toward her then stopped her. She looked at me and gave me a seductive smile.

"There's my handsome boyfriend..~" Himeko said in a seductive tone.

I smiled at her and gently stroked her chin. "I don't know how you're so hard to find..~ When I got home you weren't here..~"

"Aww..~ I guess I should've been more considerate and stayed in my room wearing lingerie for you..~" Himeko purred.

I chuckled lightly and leaned my shoulder against the wall. "Maybe you should've..~"

Himeko giggled softly and leaned toward me to kiss my lips. I kissed her back and we kissed for a couple seconds before she broke the kiss.

"Unfortunately, I've got some work to do..~ Also, Yan Mei said she wants to meet you at the Secluded Training Area..~ I wouldn't keep her waiting if I were you..~" Himeko said and tapped my nose gently.

"Okay..~" I smiled.

Himeko kissed my cheek then walked off. I watched her walk off and gave a pleased sigh. I turned around and noticed Mae and Rimuri giving me jealous stares.

"You enjoy the taste of her lips?" Rimuri asked.

I smiled at her and walked toward them. "Come on, why are you two still jealous?"

"Because you were kissing her as if you really enjoyed it." Mae said.

"Yeah what she said!" Rimuri huffed.

I smiled at both of them and gently rubbed their heads. "I don't favor one over the other. I love you all just the same..~"

"Mmm..." Rimuri puffed her cheeks.

"Hmph." Mae scoffed and crossed her arms.

I chuckled and kissed them both. "Listen, I love you two the same way that I love Himeko alright?~"

"Does that mean we are official?" Mae asked.

I nodded. "We are."

"And me?" Rimuri asked.

"Yes." I answered.

The two seemed to have calmed down from their jealousy. I smiled at them both and kissed their cheeks.

"I have to go meet Yan Mei, I don't want to keep her waiting too long." I said.

"Okay. Will we see you later?" Rimuri asked.

"Yeah, I'm just getting some training in. That's all." I said.

Mae nodded. "I will be expected your back at 17:30 sharp."

"Come on." I said.

"Fujin and Orimi are cooking today. You don't want to miss that." Mae said.

"I'll see how long the training will be, but don't worry I will come back." I smiled.

They nodded and let me go. I hurried to the backyard and noticed a path leading to the forest. I walked along the path and looked around at the scenery. It was a beautiful forest and the trees were full of life. The forest critters that dwelled in the forest watched me with curiosity.

I reached the end of the path and noticed a cottage house that was built with mostly wood. There was a beautiful lake and a waterfall with a large boulder sitting just under the waterfall. There was also a large battlefield in the area as well. As I walked forward, I noticed Yan Mei sitting under the waterfall and Melody sitting on the porch with doves flying around her. This place was the definition of tranquility.

Melody noticed me and smiled. "Yoshida!" She called out to me.

I looked at Melody and smiled. I walked over to her and watched the doves fly off to their birdhouse. "Hey, am I too late?"

"No no, you're fine. I know it was probably a bit hard to figure out we were here." Melody said and looked at Yan Mei.

I looked at Yan Mei and noticed how calm she was. The water wasn't even touching her.

"Inner Peace, Mental Indestructibility, Self Discipline, Self Restraint, Peace of Mind, Imperturbablility, The Art of Stoicism...These are all the lessons Theora is known for. Those who master these lessons are rewarded with Mysticism. Yan Mei has a special form only granted to those who master this...known as Wuxin Form." Melody said.

"Wuxin Form." I said.

"In China that's what they call this. Liao Ru is a master of this, but ever since she's been weakened she lost her Wuxin Form. Those native in Japan who masters this gets a form called Mushin Form or called Flow State." Melody said then stood up.

She gently took my hand and led me onto the battlefield. She let go of my hand once we made it and placed her hand on my back. "I can feel how uncontrolled your energy is. If you want to get better at saving Monsters, your emotions can not cloud your better judgement."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Letting your emotions run and feeling your instincts guide you are not one and the same. The serenity within you has been closed off because of your past." Melody said then walked in front of me and placed her hand on my chest.

"Orimi and I were abandoned when we were six. Not having a loving mother and father hurt us a lot, yet...Orimi has more inner peace than I could ever have." I said.

Melody smiled and closed her eyes. "Your resentment for the world is what fuels you. Negative Emotions run through your body. You have to release it. Hopefully...through this training, you'll reach true enlightenment and become one with the Mystic One. Anyone can achieve this power...even a human like Yan Mei."

I looked at Melody and locked eyes with her. She held my cheek and closed her eyes. The gentle breeze hit us and I closed my eyes as well.

"Kiss me." She said.

"Why..?" I asked.

"So you can obtain my power. Trust me, it'll make things much easier.." Melody said then opened her eyes to look at me.

I opened my eyes and looked at her as well. I looked at her lips and slightly blushed. I gently pulled her closer then she leaned up toward me. I kissed her lips and she kissed back. Her body began to faintly shine and some of her Monster Aura entered my body, giving me the ability to use Echokine Energy. She broke the kiss and stepped backwards.

I opened my eyes and began to hear sounds I couldn't hear before. The birds singing in the distance became clear, the sounds of the forest animals chattering, the sounds of the calm water of the lake...my hearing became enhanced.

"Can you hear it..?~ The sounds of tranquility..~" Melody said then looked at Yan Mei. "She's waiting for you..~ Once you get through her lessons, I will teach you how to master your Monster Aura..~"

I looked at Yan Mei as well and could tell she was listening to her surroundings as she meditated. I walked over to her and grunted when a rock pillar helped me get to the top of the boulder.

"You finally came. I hope you're ready for training." Yan Mei said.

"I am." I said and hopped on the boulder.

"Sit under the waterfall." She said.

I nodded and sat under the waterfall then grunted as the pressure of the water was a bit intense.

"In this training, you will be mastering one of three power sources. The one I can teach you is Chi, or as they call it in Japan, Kikou. You will use Chi...to manipulate the water from hitting you as I am. You can generate Chi from your surroundings and what better way to do it than in nature itself where life-force is everywhere." Yan Mei said.

"How...would I go about...nngh..!" I started then grunted as the pressure of the water began to grow heavier.

"You would need to concentrate. Chi focuses more on harnessing the inner latent energy from within. Awakening your fighting spirit and inner peace from within can allow you to master the art of generating and channelling your Chi." Yan Mei said. "The first step is to concentrate and not lose focus."

I kept my eyes closed and sat in a crisscross position then placed my hands on my knees. I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

"Chi is all about being in a calm mindful state...as Chi is the Physcial counterpart to Aura. Aura is more spiritual and allows you to act more upon your emotions which is why I don't use Aura unless I absolutely have to. Chi requires you to be in a state of mind." Yan Mei said.

The more I listened to Yan Mei, the more calm I became. Her voice was soothing. Although I was calm, I couldn't feel any Chi entering my body...but the pain I felt from the waterfall went away. The water still hit my body, but felt more refreshing than it did feel painful.

Yan Mei and I sat under the waterfall for two hours straight. She opened her eyes and looked at me, noticing I had fallen asleep. She went to touch me, but stopped when she noticed a bit of Chi flowing around my body. She smiled and noticed how calm I looked.

"Yoshida." She said.

I heard my name and started to wake up. I yawned and stretched then groaned and gargled as the water hit my mouth. Yan Mei looked a bit surprised and giggled then laughed a bit.

I shook my head and shook water everywhere. The Chi I had around my body disappeared. I looked at Yan Mei. "What...time is it..?"

"It's going on four. Come on, we've done enough training for the day..~" Yan Mei said.

I nodded and stood up. She manipulated the boulder to go down into the ground and we got off the boulder.

Melody heard us and soon woke up from her nap. She rubbed her eyes and stretched, making a soft sound. She looked at us and smiled. "Mmm...finishing up with training?~"

"Yeah, he's done good on his first day." Yan Mei said.

"Great because I'm starving~ Fujin and Orimi are cooking today so I can't wait to see what they made." Melody said.

Yan Mei nodded. "I am excited too."

The three of us made our way back home. I felt a bit lighter on my feet and felt more happy after the training session. Day one of training went as smoothly as it could possibly go and I was actually pretty excited for more training days. The Journey of meeting the Mystic One will be a long journey for me, but I was determined to do so for I do want to master my Monster Aura and find out what kind of Energy I hold within truly.