Rangers Endgame

Chapter 96: A Step In The Right Direction

From what Yakeru could tell from the past two days of experimenting on himself, the hamstrings were responsible for bending the leg back while the quadriceps did the opposite, straightening the knee. The glutes were an essential muscle group as he painfully discovered when he tried walking but immediately collapsed after they'd been infused for almost two minutes straight. He also found that the calf muscles were among the most heavily used as they allowed a person to push off from the ground.

He wasn't sure what it was called, but there also seemed to be a thin strip of muscle that ran through the lower leg, allowing the ankle to flex. Without it, his feet would drag along the floor with each step.

The more he learned, the stronger his fascination grew. Each discovery pulled his focus inward—how the muscles moved, how they worked in concert. He marveled at how even small miscalculations could disrupt the system's harmony.

"Yakeru, you're—"

His legs gave out and he crumpled to the ground. Aoi acted quickly, conjuring soft green radiance to heal his injuries. The pain subsided as his muscles fused back together. He was so lost in thought that he hadn't realized his power was still active.

"You have to be more careful," Aoi urged. "The human body is fragile and you're pushing it too far, too quickly."

The soft green enveloping him evaporated, ridding his legs of their aches and rejuvenating him.

"Right," he stretched his legs then stood to his feet. "Let's try again."

He could tell she wanted to say more but held her tongue. The next day, although it wasn't his main focus, Yakeru was able to hold self-infusion for around three minutes before releasing it. This allowed him to further study how the muscles operated without stopping.

"I think I have a decent understanding now." He said, standing to his feet and putting a safe distance between her and himself.

"So what will you do now?" Aoi asked with nervous curiosity.

"Test." He replied simply as he closed his eyes. "Be ready just in case. I don't know how my body will react."

Using the entirety of his focus, Yakeru spread radiance through every crevice of his legs. Taking a deep breath, he started by carefully prodding at the muscles he'd been studying up until then. When there was barely any feedback, he lightly jabbed at them.

Though he didn't put too much force into it, a sharp pain shot down his lower legs in response, lurching him forward to the ground again. Aoi once again healed him of his injuries, her lips tightening doubtfully.

The following day, Yakeru drizzled radiance down into his calves. Little by little, he was able to identify the threshold to artificially tug on the muscles without damaging them.

What came next was the tricky part.

Each group needed a different amounts of energy to function properly. Too much in the wrong area, and the more sensitive muscles would tear themselves apart. Too little, and the larger muscles would remain unresponsive.

For the past few hours, he practiced keeping a steady stream of power to the smaller muscle groups. Feeling confident, he dismissed his radiance and moved on to the next portion of this stage of training.

Closing his eyes, he fed his thigh muscles the same steady dribble of radiance, gradually turning the valve until he felt his legs twitch.

'Yes.' He couldn't help the small smile of accomplishment at his progress. If he could build up a firm muscle memory of how much power he fed the different components of his body, he figured he'd be fine.

Feeling ambitious, he continued amping up the power, his brows furrowing. His concentration waned and his grip on his radiance slipped, allowing a surge of energy to flood his calves. His eyes snapped open in painful regret as his legs shot forward in the air but the inertia gripping his upper body kept it stationary.

A shriek clawed at his throat as his muscles sheared and his back slammed into the grass with a dull thud.

Aoi's usual lightning-fast reflexes faltered under her shock as her hand shot to her mouth, covering a sharp gasp. "Yakeru!" She sprinted to her writhing friend, waving her wand with urgency as green orbs hurried to repair the damage. "Are you okay?! Hold on, I got you."

His tendons and network of muscles wriggled as they knitted themselves back together for the umpteenth time. Within a few seconds, the searing pain receded and his breathing smoothed. As the green aura around him dissipated, he turned to see Aoi struggling to contain her intense exasperation.

"I don't appreciate you trying to scare me like that." She said sternly, frustration and concern shaking her voice.

His face softened. "Sorry. That wasn't my intention."

"Then what was your intention?" She snapped. "I warned you this 'technique' of yours isn't worth it. The body can't withstand it."

"Yet." He put his elbows under him.

"Why must you be so stubborn?" Her voice took on a more pleading note. "Why are you so bent on training a skill you'll never master?"

He blinked in surprise, and her eyes fell to the ground shamefully for allowing her frustration to sharpen her words.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean..."

Yakeru carefully sat himself upright.

"Aoi," he started softly. "I had trained for five years before becoming a ranger. But that wasn't sufficient, and because of that, Akari dreads when I leave the house." Yakeru's fist tightened around a patch of grass.

"I hate having to see the pained look in her eyes whenever she’s told her only family was nearly eaten alive. Or whenever he withstands an explosion point blank. Or when a titanic monstrosity nearly pulverizes him into nothing." There was a self-loathing edge to his voice. He met her gaze, a calm yet fierce determination igniting in his core. "I'm tired of my inadequacy putting her through needless suffering."

She studied him for a moment, her eyes shifting between admiration and irritation. Her mouth parted to speak but no sound followed as she visibly struggled to put her conflicting feelings into words. She sighed through her nose and tried again. "Very well. But may I give a suggestion?"

Yakeru tilted his head curiously.

She lifted a finger in proposal. "Instead of healing you each time you injure yourself, perhaps it would be more efficient to keep a steady stream of healing at all times. That way, your muscles will mend the instant they're damaged."

"Are you sure that's what you want to do? That'll definitely speed up my progress, but you'll exhaust yourself faster."

"A fair exchange if it means preventing you from deliberately hurting yourself." She said with an accusing look on her soft features.

"It's not deliberate," he made sure to point out as he stood to his feet and dusted himself off. "And I suppose you're right, so I'll take you up on your suggestion."

She gave a satisfied nod and stepped back. Imbuing her wand, she provided Yakeru with continuous healing as he tried again. Radiance clung to his muscles once again and he began raising the power to find the threshold.

The next day consisted of the same monotonous practice until he'd become confident enough to infuse multiple muscle groups at once without triggering a mortifying muscle spasm that hurled him in the air. Even when he did overdo it, it hardly mattered since Aoi was healing him at all times.

Another problem began to rear its head, becoming more apparent the more he trained. Muscles needed to be activated in a specific order. Otherwise, you couldn't execute the desired movement properly. Trying to trigger the correct sequence artificially, however, was like trying to breathe by manually shoving air in his lungs and pushing hard on his chest to expel the carbon dioxide; tiring and, perhaps, redundant. Fortunately, he already had an idea of the correct sequence during the first couple days of studying.

Eventually, he decided it was time for the real test. Tightening his features in concentration, he kept a firm grip on his radiance that hugged each muscle, never allowing even a drop to leak onto another. After familiarizing himself with this delicate balance, he took a deep breath and gave each muscle a light tug.

The world around him stretched to an impossible length as he flickered forward from his standing-up position.

"Woah!" His arms shot out in front to catch himself, but he lost his footing and tumbled into a heap of leaves they'd fashioned into a bed.

Aoi flinched away and clenched her teeth. "Are you alright?" She resumed funneling radiance into her wand again after her initial fright subsided.

Yakeru spat out a mouthful of leaves. "Just fine, thanks." He made his way back across the field, his limp gradually smoothing out into a casual walk thanks to his healer.

The more he practiced, the more he craved to master this Blitz Step variant. Using Itsuki's teachings as the backbone and his findings on the human anatomy, his movements would become as instantaneous as it was deadly. In theory, it would appear as if he'd actually teleported.

'I wonder what I should call it?' He wondered with calm excitement as he tried again, but his distracted mind spilled excess radiance to neighboring muscles. He blinked across the field, flailing helplessly before his face burrowed into the leaves again. Lifting his head free, he smacked his cheeks. 'Gah, focus!'

Fixing the bed, he went back to his starting position. To make his life easier, he imagined the muscles lighting up in his head and felt their forms flex in response. Sending a light pulse through them, the field beneath him elongated as the wall of air clawed at his face, pain gnawing at his lower half despite Aoi’s continuous healing.

"Crap!" He yelped as he smashed into the leaves like a battering ram, the bed exploding into a fluttering colony of autumn colors.

Even if he was starting to get the hang of the initial burst of speed, it was much more difficult to slow down.

"Might I suggest a break?" Aoi said, her weakened body trembling after depleting herself.

Yakeru plucked the leaves that were buried in his wild hair. "Sure."

Lying in the grass, he wiped the sweat and grime from his face. Even as his body rested, his mind was still working to optimize his training. It was only when Akari came over to drop off a snack and drinks that he snapped out of it.

Thanking her before she left, they ate quietly as they watched children play in another section of the field. One waved a stick like a wand while the other awkwardly burst from side to side. Aoi couldn't help but giggle at their clear attempt at imitating them.

"I hope that's not what I actually look like." Yakeru joked.

"Well, he doesn't quite capture the ridiculous face you make when the wind pulls on your features, so in a way, no." She chuckled, taking a bite of her sandwich. "But I'll admit, although I might still have some reservations, I can't deny you've made progress."

"Thanks." He sipped his water. "I've also noticed you've been lasting a lot longer with your healing. Seems you have more radiance to spare nowadays."

"I have your unorthodox, perhaps crude, training to thank for that."

They continued eating and watching. The kid firing imaginary blasts with the stick seemed to have misunderstood Aoi's role and specialty as well. As Yakeru absently spectated the boy mimicking him, something caught his attention. He leaned in, observing the boy's movements more closely.

As he watched the child rush forward again and again, dodging imaginary projectiles, Yakeru's eyes widened in realization. He knew what he was missing.

"Are you okay?" Aoi asked, witnessing the rather unflattering expression he knew was plastered on his face.

"I got it."