1 Rick Gordon
Loren Forest
The forest near Parlon City, bordering Lamia City on its northernmost end. It is home to various kinds of magical beasts. Young mages and aspiring warriors frequently hunt magical beasts for training.
At this time, somewhere within the forest, a black haired kid who appeared to be 9 years old stood with fists raised forward, slightly bent his knees as if bracing for an impact. Following the gaze of the kid is a silhouette of a small bird flying on low ground as it rushed towards the kid's figure.
It was a small, plump-bodied avian magical beast. It was primarily red with a cream colored face and underside.
'This bird can't do anything to me. This is the perfect sparring partner to train my reflexes' the kid thought to himself as he looked at the bird's figure.
When the bird neared the kid, he then let out a punching motion but just when he was about to hit the bird, an earth wall suddenly emerged from the ground.
"Earth Barrier"
The kid hurriedly stopped his punch but the bird wasn't able to stop and was slammed into the earth wall. It then fell on the ground as it let out a sharp cry of pain.
"What are you doing here, kiddo?"
The kid then turned his gaze behind and saw a figure of a bald burly man.
'Oh shit! My ass is in trouble' the kid inwardly shouted as he panicked.
He then scratched his head and said "I was just.. strolling.. yes, strolling.. Then I got lost in the woods and as you can see, this guy attacked me right here, leaving me no choice but to defend myself".
"You think I'd believe that?" the burly man said as veins popped on his forehead, trying to contain his anger.
"Alright. I was just training" the kid replied as he lowered his head with a guilty expression on his face.
"Sigh. You're still too young for that, kiddo. You gotta enjoy your childhood more. Otherwise, when responsibilities hit you as an adult, you'll regret not enjoying your childhood when you had the chance" the burly man replied as he gently patted the kid's head.
"Uncle, don't rat me out, will you?" the kid said with a pleading expression on his face.
"Why shouldn't I?" the burly man replied with a shrug.
"Let's head back to the village, your parents were looking for you" the burly man said as he turned around and walked away. The kid just followed him from behind silently as he looked back and turned his gaze towards the fallen bird.
...
Milan village
This village is also known as the sealed village of the south, situated in the middle of the Loren Forest. It is home to the Gordon clan, a small but prominent clan of sealers.
The village used to be a resting place for mages two hundred years ago but when the Gordon clan took over, they sealed the village, forbidding outsiders from entering the village without permission.
"Rick! What were you doing in the woods, eh?" a black haired woman shouted as she glared at the kid who appeared to be named Rick.
"But Mom, I wanted to train myself so that I can be strong!" Rick replied with a mischievous tone.
His mom stared at him for a while before she asked "And why do you want to be stronger?" as her eyes narrowed.
Rick was sweating bullets when he heard Mom's words but suddenly, the corners of his eyes narrowed down.
"I want to get stronger so I can protect everyone!" Rick said with a firm tone. His mom was taken aback by his words and smiled as she replied "Who needs your protection, boy? There's a protection seal covering the entire village and you don't know anyone from outside of village"
'That didn't work but she's clearly moved' Rick thought to himself. He then looked down on the ground, trying to make himself look pitiful.
"Alright. Tomorrow, head to the village chief's hall to test your mana capacity and elemental affinity. But you better behave yourself, you hear me?" His mom said.
The corners of Rick's eyes widened in surprise as he looked at his Mom. He then hugged his mom and enthusiastically said "You're the best, Mom!"
"I said, did you hear me?" His mom firmly said as she glared at her son. Rick was intimidated by his mom's gaze and nodded as he said with a smile "Alright, I'll behave myself".
"That better be the case. The moment I hear you're up to no good, you can forget about training, not to mention leaving the village" His mom warned.
'It worked better than I thought' Rick thought to himself as he looked at his Mom with a nod.
...
The next day
Early in the morning, Rick arrived at the village chief's hall and entered the building. Rick looked at the surroundings and saw two kids of his age and one bald old man with a long beard and an old wooden walking stick.
Rick just stood alongside the four kids with a relaxed expression on his face. But underneath that relaxed expression is a sharp gaze that seemed to burn with passion.
The kid beside him is a boy with black spiky hair. He stood nervously as he lowered his head.
The other kid is a pink-haired girl with short bangs. She gracefully smiled at the old man but didn't say anything.
The old man sized up Rick and the kids and nodded with an approving gaze.
"The three of you are the future of this village. Without commitment, you'll never start, but more importantly, without consistency, you'll never finish. I hope for you three to be firm and never lose yourselves" the village chief gently said.
The two kids carefully listened to his words but Rick secretly shrugged it off while showing an eager expression on his face.
"Today, we will be testing your mana capacity and elemental affinity. Do you have any questions before we proceed?" the old man asked.
"Chief... will there be some sort of combat tests?" the boy asked with a nervous tone.
"Of course not, Leon. We're still too young for that stuff, you idiot" the girl replied.
"I was just asking..." the boy muttered with a low voice as he lowered his head. The old man just laughed at their words and replied "There will be no combat tests but if you want, I'll arrange for a quick combat test for you three".
The corners of Rick's eyes lit up at those words and was about to request one but the other two firmly rejected.
"We're fine. Thank you"
"I'd.. rather not.."
