The Birth of Shine Meteor
"Next training!"
Following Rain's instructions, I moved to the next course. I wondered what this next training would entail. Walking briskly behind her, we soon arrived in front of an area where several large targets stood tall.
"What's this?"
"It's to improve your ranged accuracy!"
"Did we do this last time too...?" I asked, just in case.
Rain nodded and raised her hand. "Yeah. But you didn't do as well as you did earlier."
Listening to Rain, I walked over and stood behind the painted red line. The distant targets filled my field of vision. Shine was watching from afar, nodding as if to say she believed in me. Amy stood right next to her, holding a clipboard and writing something down.
"Do your best, Jeff!"
Perhaps sensing my gaze, Amy looked up from her paperwork, waved, and offered a warm smile. The gentle affection in her expression made my heart melt. Feeling a bit self-conscious, I toyed with the hem of my tracksuit and wiggled my fingers.
"How do I do this?"
"Just press the button in front of you, and it'll start right away."
"Do I have to hit the targets using only my ability?"
"Any method is fine, as long as you use your ability."
With that, Rain stepped up to the red line herself. It looked like she was going to give me a demonstration. I took a step back to watch her.
With a confident look on her face, Rain reached out and pressed the red button. With a sharp beep!, the machinery whirred to life. The distant targets began to move at a subtle pace.
"They aren't stationary?"
"Stationary targets are too easy."
Saying so, Rain pulled a tiny toy water gun from her pocket. It was one of those cheap, dolphin-shaped water guns you get at a corner store packaged with candy.
"Hyah!"
The moment Rain's finger pulled the trigger, a stream of water shot out from the dolphin's mouth with a sharp pew! Contrary to its cute appearance, the water jet flew like a flash of light and struck the target dead center.
Pew! Pew! Pew!
The dolphin water gun fired in rapid succession from Rain's hand. A tiny rainbow shimmered in the air, tracing the path of the water. Every single stream she fired hit its mark without a single miss.
"It's basically like this."
Her explanation finished, Rain spun the dolphin water gun around her finger before slipping it back into her pocket. It was a gesture straight out of a Western movie gunslinger.
"Thanks for the explanation, Rain."
I walked over and wrapped her in a tight hug. Rain flailed her arms in surprise, but I didn't let go. I knew deep down she actually loved hugs. After a brief, feeble struggle, she quickly quieted down. I patted her back once or twice before releasing her. With the tips of her ears flushed red, Rain spoke shyly.
"U-Uh-huh... You have to do well."
I nodded at Rain's words and stepped up to the red line. Watching me, Rain quickly scurried backward. I didn't need to make it overly powerful. The goal was simply to hit the targets. Taking a deep breath, I placed my hand over the button. I can do this. I've done this kind of training with Victor before, so there's no reason I can't do it now. Thinking this, I firmly pressed the button.
The mechanical whirring began, and the targets started to move. Watching them, I raised my hand. With a sharp crackle!, a blue spark flared, and a flash of lightning shot from my fingertips. It traveled in a straight line, but just before hitting the target, the current suddenly dispersed into the air. Startled, I fired another bolt, but the result was the same.
Zap! Crackle!
I fired several electric shocks in a row, but once they traveled past a certain distance, their trajectories warped wildly. Panicking, I channeled even more of my power. Blue electricity enveloped my entire arm, crackling fiercely. I drew out so much energy that the surrounding area lit up brilliantly.
Boom!
The blue flash unleashed from my arm swallowed everything in its path. White smoke billowed into the air, revealing a scorched, blackened target. I had certainly hit the target, but it was far more power than necessary.
When I turned around with a tearful face, Shine gave me a small wave. "Jeff. You can do it."
Her encouragement helped me bite my lip and hold back my tears. You can do it. That single phrase pushed me forward. Target practice was a training session I used to do with Victor. Victor, an electric ability user far superior to me, had given me plenty of advice. If so, there had to be some piece of advice that could help me resolve this situation. I desperately searched my memories.
"Ah...!"
At that moment, I remembered how Victor used to infuse his ability into iron rods and throw them. Enveloped in blue electricity, those iron rods flew at a speed so incredible it was hard to believe they were launched with just a casual flick of his wrist. I looked around, but I couldn't find any iron rods. As my face began to fall again, I felt something clinking in my pocket, asserting its presence.
"A coin...!"
What I pulled out of my pocket was a commemorative coin with Lucy's face on it. The blue electricity gathering at my fingertips wrapped around the coin. Hovering slightly in the air, the coin began to spin rapidly. Round and round it spun, glittering like starlight. My eyes shone. Lucy, help me. Blue electricity concentrated at the tip of my finger. The moment that massive power condensed into a single point, I flicked my finger.
Crack!
A strange, jarring sensation registered at the tip of my finger. The impact transferred to the spinning coin, dispersing outward. Starlight shattered. Countless fragments of light split apart and flew forward. My jaw dropped at the sight of them blanketing the entire sky.
Crack-crack-crackle!
Like a swarm of shooting stars, the fragments swept past the targets and blanketed the entire area. Blue light flashed along the trails left in the air.
"Whoa!"
A cheer erupted from behind me. The moment all the targets collapsed, Rain rushed over and grabbed me. "That was so cool, Jeff! How did you do that?"
"Rain..." I slowly turned my head, my face crumpled in distress. Seeing my expression, Rain's excitement instantly vanished. "Why? What's wrong? Are you hurt somewhere?"
Without a word, I pulled her into a tight embrace. The sense of loss from losing a cherished collectible was too deep for words. When Victor did it, the iron rods were perfectly fine. But when I tried it with a coin, it shattered. The coin fragments had been engulfed in such massive electricity that they were charred black, leaving nothing salvageable. If I had known this would happen, I would have used a normal coin instead of Lucy's commemorative coin. But regret always comes too late. Swallowing my sorrow, I hugged Rain even tighter.
"Jeff, I can't breathe."
As I kept Rain pinned in my arms while she flailed, Shine and Amy walked over. "Well done, Jeff! That's an even better record than usual."
Releasing Rain, I replied to Amy, "Thank you, Amy."
Amy smiled warmly and patted my head. My hair, which had been wild with static electricity, instantly calmed down under her touch.
"Jeff! What was that just now?"
Shine, seemingly thrilled by the coin-shattering trick I had just pulled off, clung to my arm with sparkling eyes. I wasn't in the best of moods, but I couldn't take my frustration out on Shine. Letting out a small sigh, I let go of my lingering anger. I silently looked back. The targets were completely devastated—broken, scorched, and even the solid ground was deeply gouged. Yet, everyone else in the training hall continued their own exercises without sparing us a single glance, as if they were completely used to it. With so many ability users around, such destruction seemed to be a daily occurrence.
"Lucy Meteor?" I muttered the name of the technique under my breath. Watching the blue lights rain down from above had reminded me of a meteor shower. And since it was created using Lucy's commemorative coin, "Lucy Meteor" felt like a fitting name. I glanced around at the others, suddenly self-conscious that the name might sound weird.
"Lucy?" Shine asked.
"Yeah..."
"Why Lucy?"
"Well... because the coin was a Lucy commemorative coin."
"Jeff."
"Y-Yes?"
"Why not me?"
"Huh?"
"Let's call it Shine Meteor instead of Lucy Meteor."
I fell silent at Shine's bold demand. Honestly, I didn't care what the technique was called. It was just that the intense jealousy burning in Shine's eyes was so overwhelming that I couldn't find my voice.
"Shine. Me. Te. Or!" She cupped my cheeks and pronounced each syllable with deliberate emphasis. As if trying to engrave it directly into my brain, she repeated it once more. "Repeat after me, Jeff. Shine. Me. Te. Or!"
"Shine Meteor..."
"Good girl."
Satisfied with my response, Shine gently stroked my hair. Her soft, comforting touch made the tension drain from my face, and a small smile tugged at my lips.
"Jeff, can you show me that technique again?" Amy asked, looking up from her paperwork while Shine was still stroking my hair. Since it wasn't a difficult request, I nodded.
"But I need a coin," I said, thinking of Lucy's commemorative coin that had disintegrated into thin air. Amy nodded and pulled a few small coins from her pocket, handing them to me.
"Actually, I think an iron rod would work too, not just coins."
Amy looked around at my suggestion. However, seeing nothing of the sort, she shook her head with an apologetic smile. "Sorry, Jeff. All I can give you right now are these coins."
"It's fine."
"Alright then. Could you show me one more time?" Amy pointed toward the devastated targets.
"But they're all broken."
"Don't worry about the targets. It's just that that's the only direction safe enough to fire a technique like that."
I nodded at Amy's words. Fulfilling her request was no trouble at all. In fact, any request from Amy was of the utmost importance to me. Even if it were far more difficult, even if it were something nearly impossible for me to achieve, I knew I would have done everything in my power to make it happen. That was how precious Amy was to me.
"I'll begin."
Taking a deep breath, I raised my hand. I channeled my ability just as before. Blue electricity began to wrap around my hand, bursting with a brilliant light that illuminated our surroundings. With a sharp crackle!, the small coin in my hand floated up and began to spin. Round and round it went, glowing brighter and brighter with every rotation. Watching it closely, I lightly flicked my finger.
Zap!
The same sensation as before registered at my fingertip. The moment my finger struck the body of the coin, the electricity stored within erupted in all directions.
Bang!
The starlight bursting from my hand shattered into countless tiny fragments, scattering everywhere. The lights that had adorned the air eventually rained down upon the earth.
Rumble!
Blue starlight crashed into the ground all around. The walls warped, and deep gouges were carved into the floor, proving that the power contained within was anything but ordinary. This was Lucy... no, Shine Meteor.
I shook my hand, dispersing the residual electricity. "How was it?"
"You're constantly getting stronger, Jeff!"
I smiled softly at Amy's praise. If I grew stronger, I could be of help to her. That thought filled me with an unbearable joy.