Training, Part 6

"Worthless…being called worthless by the world's greatest Pro Slayer…" Grover softly whimpers. I lower my eyebrows in distress.

"Why can't we adapt the second you attack?" I ask.

"It'll take near-perfect instincts and speed to be able to do so," Nick answers. "Even I can barely pull that off on a good day."

"So how do we even sense your Cursed Power?! It's not like we can see it?!" I ask.

"You can't see it, but you should be able to feel it," Nick replies, giving us yet another cryptic answer which causes me to sigh yet again.

"I should be able to feel it…" I softly say to myself as I close my eyes and begin concentrating again. Cursed Power is something that resides within the human body. Sure, potent Cursed Power can be visibly seen, but the true essence of Cursed Power is within our soul. The power of imagination, the power of one's self. The problem is that since Nick spoke about our eyes, ears, and nose, Grover and I were both trying to physically sense Nick's Cursed Power when we should be trying to feel it again.

I have an idea

I open my eyes again, not bothering to worry about using Cursed Power to enhance my senses. Doing so cloudy my mission, I was too busy focusing on the physical and my own Cursed Power to stare inwards, into Nick. I focus on Nick even further, his precedes, his essence. And slowly, I begin to feel it. Like a soothing river within Nick's body. I then focus on Grover, and I can feel it too.

The flow of Cursed Power.

"I can feel it…" I announce. "I can feel it!"

"Oh yeah? Let's test that!" Nick says as lightning begins crackling around his body. Nick then zips off, but using Cursed Power Sensing, I'm able to track his movements.

"A high Cursed Power kick to my side!" I say as I bring my arms up and reinforce them accordingly. "Followed by a low Cursed Power punch to my chest!" I then announce as I shift my arms over to block again, and lower my Cursed Power usage so as to not waste any, while still blocking Nick's attack. Nick smirks as I perfectly block his attack.

"Not bad, Luis!" He says. "It seems my high hopes haven't gone to waste!" Nock then turns to face Grover. "Any luck, Grover?" He asks.

"No…" Grover sighs in defeat. "I feel pathetic!"

"Don't be. You're far better than Luis at using Barrier, he just beats you at Sensing, is all. Both are useful. Being better or worse at one doesn't make you any worse or better than Luis," Nick replies, causing Grover to smile an embarrassed smile, his spirits being lifted a little.

Ridiculing me makes Grover feel better?!

"Hmm…" Nick says, placing a hand to his chin. "Maybe you need a better teacher."

"What?!" Grover cries. "It has nothing to do with you, oh wise sensei, no one can be a better teacher than the strongest Pro Slayer! I'm just…worthy of your teachings."

"No, that's not true. When it comes to combat, I'm the strongest. But when it comes to the tactical use of Cursed Power, such as sensing, I know a man even better than me," Nick explains. "I'll go get him." Nick then zips off, leaving Grover and I alone.

A little while later, Nick returns, with a familiar looking old man in tow.

"Slayer Mezame?!" I cry.

"Do I know you?" Mezame asks as he turns to me, sounding as senile as ever.

"Mezame is the number one master when it comes to Sensing, if he can't teach you Grover, no one can," Nick announces.

"Aw man!" Grover wines. "I want to train with the strongest Pro Slayer, not some crusty old man! No offense."

"Oh, did I forget to mention that Mezame is the previous Chairman of the Slayer Organization? Before the current Owen Solomon?" Nick asks with a smirk, causing Grover to shut right up (in a good way) as his eyes widen.

"Let's get this training started, old man!" Grover excitedly booms as he turns to face Mezame.

"EH?! Who are you again?!" Mezame loudly asks.

"Good luck Grover," I sigh, before turning back to face Nick. "So what's next? Am I up to the final Cursed Power Technique now?" I ask.

"Emission? No, not yet," Nick answers. "Well, sort of…but at the same time not really."

"Make up your mind," I growl.

"For the next step of your training, Luis, you and I need to go somewhere else," Nick explains.

"What about Grover?" I ask as I jam my thumb over my shoulder.

Nick peers over my shoulder at Grover, who's excitedly being taught Cursed Power Sensing by Mezame. "I told Mezame to make sure Grover masters Sensing, then go over the other four Cursed Power Techniques when they finish, so he's in good hands," Nick explains as he turns back to face me. "Now come on, let's go."

***

"Where the Hell are we?!" I cry as I frantically look around. Nick has brought me up to a mountainous region high above the forest that Slayer Mezame is still training Grover in. The air is thin here, and I feel light headed already. Currently, Nick and I are standing on a large, flat, circular break in the mountain, a brief portion of steady ground in this rocky domain.

"I control lightning and you control wind, so if the two of us want to be intune with our elements, then we need to come high up in the sky!" Nick booms as he spreads his arms out wildly.

"I thought you were gonna teach me Cursed Power Emission, what's my wind got to do with any of this?" I ask.

"You and I both have elemental based Cursed Abilities, but what's the primary difference between our Cursed Abilities, other than my lightning and your wind?" Nick asks, completely ignoring my question.

"Um…your speed?" I answer.

"No."

"You're more experienced with Cursed Power than I am?"

"No."

"Man, I don't know!" I snap.

"You use Cursed Power to manipulate the wind, while I turn my Cursed Power into lightning," Nick answers. "Hence why when I use Cursed Power Barrier, you see electricity crackling around my body. My Cursed Power has an electrified property to it."

What's the difference?" I ask as I raise an eyebrow at Nick.

"If you can turn your Cursed Power into wind, rather than simply using your Cursed Power to manipulate wind, you'll be far stronger," Nick answers.

"How so?"

"Think about it. Cursed Power is stronger than wind. My lighting is stronger than if you were to run head first into an electric fence, or shove a fork into a power socket. Your Cursed Power wind would be stronger than the wind you manipulate," Nick explains. "This will be your first step towards Rule Breaker status. Literally changing how your Cursed Ability works to make it stronger. It's not Rule Breaker status exactly, but it'll help you understand the gist of what you need to become strong. Creativity and imagination when weidling your Cursed Ability."

"I see…" I mutter in response. "But what's this got to do with Cursed Power Emission?"

"I'm going to teach you how to do this," Nick answers as he raises his arm up to me, extending his pointer and middle fingers and thumb out words, while curling his ring and pinky fingers in, forming a gun with his right hand. Electricity begins crackling around Nick's right hand, before firing off a bolt of lightning my way.

"Woah!" I cry as I duck to the ground and cover my head with my hands, just as Nick's lightning bolt crashes into the stoney wall beside me, engulfing the area in flames, which quickly subsides.

"What the Hell, man, that attack was fast, what if I didn't doge in time?!" I snap as I jump back up to my feet.

"But you did," Nick smirks. "Subconsciously, you used Cursed Power Sensing to reach my moments and dodge my attack. And besides, if I didn't want you to dodge that, you'd be dead by now."

I sigh. "What are you teaching me now?" I ask.

"I will be teaching you how to turn your Cursed Power itself into wind, then emit your Cursed in order to fire off ranged wind attacks, just as before. That way, you can keep up your same exact fighting style, while making your Cursed Ability naturally stronger," Nick answers. "Also, if you use Cursed Power Barrier in your katana then change your Cursed Power into wind, then you can still use your Wind Blade while strengthening it, too."

"Alright, how do we begin?" I ask.

"First off, I do this," Nick says as he turns and looks up to the sky. Nick then raises his hand, holding it up in the air and shoots a bolt of lightning, which sores into the sky before dissipating. I watch in amazement as storm clouds begin rolling in, followed by wind and rain.