(A month later, September 28th)
In a room filled with dark colors, two figures sat together on a couch, staring directly at a TV. One wore an outfit with a cyan grid-patterned turtleneck, tan pants, and dark brown boots. The most outstanding part of the outfit was the hat, three bold letters spelling DIO across the front.
To his right sat a cat with pure white fur. For some reason, the cat was wearing a tie. It was purple, decorated with cat skulls running straight up the middle, the skulls mouths were open as if they were screaming.
The one in the hat spoke, a taunting edge in his voice.
"Shirou, what's wrong? What, can't land a hit on me?"
Beside him, the cat smacked the controller harder, paws mashing buttons and shoving the analog sticks as he desperately tried to break out of the combo.
But it was all in vain.
From the TV came a shout. "Kamehameha!"
"Game!"
A second voice followed immediately: "You were pretty strong!"
On-screen, a figure that looked suspiciously like Son Goku struck a peace sign, staring directly into the camera with a bright smile on his face.
Gasper looked over at Shiro and said nothing, only flashing him a shit-eating grin.
Shiro stood, gave him a flat look, and walked toward the open window and without another word jumped through it and left.
A couple of minutes later, Shiro climbed back into the room through the same window, a box of chocolates in his mouth.
Gasper glanced at it and simply said, "Nice."
He had no idea where Shiro kept getting the chocolates, and honestly, he didn't care. All he knew was that they tasted amazing.
He took the box, his hard-earned trophy for winning, opened it, and popped a chocolate into his mouth. After setting it down, he wiped his hands and said, "Alright. Let's get to it."
Hearing that, Shiro immediately bolted toward the weight section of the room Gasper had set up. Gasper followed behind him, and soon they were both getting to work.
Yes, Gasper had actually made a tiny workout area just for Shiro. Whether it was truly effective or not was debatable, but the effort was there.
(1 hour later)
"HNNNNGH!"
Gasper exhaled hard through clenched teeth as the barbell descended toward his chest. Nine plates on each side. The bar bowed slightly under its own weight, steel screaming in protest.
Veins stood out along his arms and neck as he pushed.
Slowly the bar rose inch by inch until, with a final strained breath, his arms locked out.
He held it there for a second then carefully lowered it back into the rack.
CLANG.
The entire bench shuddered.
Gasper sat up, chest heaving, sweat dripping down his face and onto the floor. His muscles twitched as the tension finally left them. He rolled his shoulders, winced once, then stood up.
After a few deep breaths, his heartbeat settled.
"…Alright," he muttered, shaking out his arms.
He turned his head just in time to see Shirou sprinting on a treadmill at an absurd speed, white fur blurred, paws striking so fast they were little more than streaks. The machine whined loudly, struggling to keep up.
Gasper watched for a few seconds, then nodded.
"That's good for now," he said to the cat. "Let's get to some real training."
As he spoke, Gasper headed for the window. The moment Shirou realized Gasper was leaving, he leapt off the treadmill, landing neatly on Gasper's shoulder. With a swift motion, Gasper vaulted onto the open windowsill and slipped out into the night.
Landing outside, he immediately set off at a brisk pace, as he moved in a single direction, toward the main building of Kuoh Academy.
Looking up at the moon, Gasper thought, 'it's a beautiful night tonight.' And so he continued his very enthusiastic walk under its glow.
*****
(Kouh Academy, Main Building)
Plop!
Under the glow of the moon, atop the academy's pool, a figure stood directly on the water's surface. Ripples spread outward from beneath his feet in three distinct directions, breaking the reflection of the moonlight.
It was Gasper, calmly performing his warm-ups.
Shirou, meanwhile, swam lazy circles around him. Then, without a word, Gasper suddenly sank like a stone.
SPLASH!
Beneath the surface, Gasper sat cross-legged, completely still.
Deep within the recesses of his mind, he shaped something unseen around himself, and the water obeyed.
A deep crimson glow ignited around his body.
The aura bled outward, seeping into the surrounding water until the pool itself seemed alive. Within it, shapes began to form, coiling water dragons, sleek water sharks, even the silhouette of a miniature Cthulhu, its tendrils drifting slowly in the depths.
As he focused, only one thought consumed him, 'Don't lose control. Don't let anything be wasted!'
After a full nine minutes, he could no longer hold his breath. Gasper broke the surface, gasping for air, the crimson aura fading as he drew in deep, steadying breaths.
"Not bad… that was at least a minute longer than before," he said to himself, still catching his breath. "It's getting easier… to shape and control my demonic power as well."
Without pause, he dove back in, repeating the process.
(30 minutes later)
SPLASH! WHOOSH! SPLASH!
Gasper moved through the pool with practiced strokes, golden light faintly shimmering around him as he swam. His breathing was steady and rhythmic, echoing softly across the water's surface.
Shirou sat perched on the edge of the pool, tail flicking lazily as he watched. Occasionally, he dipped a paw into the water, causing tiny ripples, but otherwise he stayed put, observing Gasper's movements with mild interest
Then Shirou's ears perked up, and he let out a sharp meow.
Gasper immediately froze, and then, without hesitation he leapt out of the pool.
Water dripped from his hair as he landed on the floor, lifting his head to lock an intense gaze on Shirou. In one swift motion, he jumped forward and caught Shirou in his arms, and vaulted over the gate surrounding the pool, and made a quick escape.
Tip-Tap
CRECK!
The door connecting the pool area to the main building opened, revealing a girl with long black hair and golden eyes, glasses perched on her nose.
She looked around, tilting her head. "I could have sworn I heard someone up here."
Stepping closer to the edge of the pool, she bent down, inspecting the sides. Tiny droplets clung to the tiles. 'That's the third time this week…' she thought, brushing her fingers across a wet patch.
Her eyes scanned the surrounding area. 'Could someone really be using the pool this late at night?' She frowned. 'No one should have Access, especially at this time of night.'
Pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose, she squinted at the pool. 'I should probably mention it to Sona… just in case.'
After a thorough inspection, looking under benches and around the gate, she shook her head, finding nothing. With a sigh, she turned and went back inside, unaware of the fading magical aura lingering in the water.
←–TO BE CONTINUED—