Riku had always been the kind of friend people underestimated. Round-faced, a little slow on his feet, kind to a fault. But when he disappeared from Ridgeview without telling anyone, not even Gray, rumors exploded.
Did Eastside get him?Is he hiding because he's scared?Or… is he doing something crazy?
The truth was something only Riku and one other man knew.
The Mountain Path
Far from the city, up a winding dirt trail through forests untouched by the noise of school life, Riku panted heavily as he dragged himself uphill. His breath came out in sharp bursts, his shirt soaked through with sweat.
Every muscle in his body screamed at him to stop, but he didn't. Because he wasn't here on a whim. He was here because he wanted to change.
Because no matter how much Gray smiled, how much he acted tough, Riku could see the fear hiding beneath. His best friend was carrying too much, too soon.
So Riku decided — if Gray was going to be Ridgeview's symbol, then he would become its shield.
The Master
At the peak of the mountain, beyond a cluster of bamboo groves, a figure waited.
An older man, broad-shouldered but weathered, his beard streaked with gray, his gi worn but neat. His eyes were sharp, yet calm, like a still lake hiding dangerous depths.
"You made it," the man said, voice deep. "Most quit halfway. I expected you to."
Riku bent forward, wheezing, but managed a shaky grin. "Sorry to disappoint… Master."
The old man chuckled, but his gaze quickly hardened. "Disappointment or not, your path begins now. Do you know why I agreed to train you?"
Riku shook his head.
"Because weakness can be tempered. It's will that matters. And you… have will."
The First Lesson
Training wasn't glamorous. It wasn't flashy.
Day one, Riku carried buckets of water up and down the mountain until his arms shook. He stumbled, spilled, got yelled at, and started again.
Day two, he chopped wood until blisters formed on his palms, then wrapped them in rags and kept chopping.
Day three, he knelt in silence for hours, learning how to control his breathing, how to center his mind even as exhaustion clawed at him.
And when the old man finally sparred with him, Riku was thrown into the dirt again and again, gasping for air, coughing dust, his body screaming at him to quit.
But every time, he stood back up.
"Why do you rise?" the master asked after the twelfth fall.
Riku spat out dirt and grinned weakly. "…Because Gray would. And if I'm gonna stand by him, I can't stay down either."
The master studied him for a long moment… then, for the first time, gave a small approving nod.
The Spark Within
Nights on the mountain were cold. Riku huddled by a fire, staring at the stars above, his muscles aching so much he could barely move.
But beneath the pain was something new. A strange energy building in his chest. A feeling that, maybe, just maybe, he was changing.
He whispered to himself:
"Gray… hang in there. When the time comes, I'll be back. And I'll be strong enough to protect you."
Back in the City…
Gray sneezed again in the middle of class, nearly falling out of his chair. Kenji laughed so hard he almost choked on his lunch.
Mina just shook her head, but her thoughts were elsewhere.
Riku's gone. And if he's not hiding… what is he doing?
End of Chapter 21: The Hidden Forge