The sky over Kuoh was a slate of soft gray, with thunderclouds swirling above like a silent omen.
In the backyard of Leon's apartment, Asia Argento stood alone. Her golden hair was tied in a messy bun, her white training shirt damp with sweat. Sparks of pure electricity danced around her arms, crackling with increasing control.
A line of broken wooden training targets lay scattered around her.
"Okay… focus."
She closed her eyes. The Rumble-Rumble Fruit had changed her. No longer just a healer—Asia could now feel the rhythm of the storm itself. But harnessing it without letting it consume her?
That was the hard part.
System Notification – Local Sync
[Training Mode Activated]Combat Assistance Simulation: Enemy Projection – Lightning Clone (Intermediate)Objective: Sustain control and land three successful strikesPenalty: Electric backlash
Her breath hitched. She'd never activated a combat simulation solo before. But she steeled herself.
Suddenly, a copy of her appeared across the yard—a perfect image of herself, smirking with a sharp glint in her eye, electric arcs wrapped around its body like a living cage.
The clone launched forward.
Asia barely ducked under a lightning bolt and fired back, sending a blue spear of electricity toward it—but the clone vanished and reappeared behind her, sending a painful shock down her back.
She screamed, but didn't fall.
"Again."
She grit her teeth. Her hands trembled, but she rose to her feet.
This time, she didn't just react—she moved with intention. Her eyes glowed with a soft blue, and her aura shimmered like a storm on the horizon.
"Raijin Pulse!"
She slammed her palm against the ground. A wave of pure lightning exploded outward, destabilizing the clone long enough for her to zip forward and strike it cleanly in the chest.
Twice more, she moved like a bolt, hitting her own reflection with surgical precision.
The clone collapsed into a mist of static, and the system dinged softly.
Training Objective CompleteReward: Skill Upgrade – Stormstep unlockedDescription: Temporarily increases speed and agility through high-voltage current across muscle fibers.
New Challenge Available: Storm Domain
Asia collapsed to her knees, breathing hard. A smile crept onto her lips despite the pain.
"I'm… getting better," she whispered, her hands still sparking.
She glanced toward the distance, where the storm clouds hovered faintly above Kyoto's direction.
Wait for me, Leon. I'll fight by your side soon.