The morning sun painted golden streaks across the dojo's weathered wooden floors. Mono rubbed his palms together, still feeling the ghost of yesterday's strange energy tingling in his fingertips. The others moved through their warm-up routines with unusual quietness, each lost in their own thoughts about what had happened.
"Think we'll get to try that energy thing again today?" Mono asked, bouncing on the balls of his feet.
Sensei stood near the old oak tree at the courtyard's edge, arms crossed. His white hair glowed in the sunlight. "First discipline," he said in that calm way of his. "Then power."
Before anyone could respond, the creak of the front gate interrupted them. Three figures in matching blue robes stood at the entrance, their crisp uniforms bearing the triangular insignia of the Universal Dojo Committee. The leader was a sharp-faced man with calculating eyes that immediately began scanning every inch of the training grounds.
"By order of the UDC," the man announced without preamble, "we're conducting mandatory pre-tournament inspections of all participating dojos."
Hito stopped mid-stretch, his usual smirk fading. "What kind of inspections?"
The woman beside him unrolled a scroll with a crisp snap. "Standard evaluations," she said in a voice that left no room for argument. "Forms, sparring, basic techniques. Today."
Mono felt his stomach drop. Today? They'd barely begun understanding this energy stuff. His fingers twitched at his sides as he glanced at Sensei.
Their teacher stood perfectly still, but Mono noticed the slightest tension in his shoulders. "My students require more preparation time," Sensei said. "We request a one-week delay."
The lead inspector's lips thinned. "The schedule is non-negotiable."
For the first time since Mono had known him, Sensei's voice took on an unfamiliar tone - something almost like pleading. "Seven days. That's all we ask."
The officials exchanged glances. The woman studied Sensei for a long moment before sighing. "Very well. One week." She rerolled her scroll with deliberate slowness. "But we expect complete demonstrations then."
As they turned to leave, the lead official paused at the gate. "Don't make us regret this courtesy."
When their footsteps had faded down the path, the dojo felt different somehow - heavier, like the air before a storm. Raiba was the first to break the silence.
"Well that was... intense."
Josei's fingers tightened around her practice sword. "They weren't just inspecting. They were sizing us up."
Hito cracked his knuckles, but his usual confidence seemed forced. "So we'll show them what we've got."
Tokira, quiet as always, shook his head. "We don't have anything to show yet."
The truth of his words settled over them like a physical weight. Sensei turned to face them fully, his expression more serious than Mono had ever seen it.
"You now have seven days," he said, his voice low. "In that time, you must learn to control samurai energy." His gaze moved from face to face. "Without it, you cannot hope to compete."
The training session that followed was unlike any they'd experienced before. Sensei pushed them harder than ever, his instructions sharper, his corrections more immediate. When Mono's stance wavered during sword drills, Sensei was there instantly, adjusting his shoulders with firm hands.
"Again," Sensei commanded when Mono's strikes lacked power. Then again. And again.
By midday, sweat poured down Mono's back and his arms burned with exhaustion. Around him, the others fared no better - Raiba's breaths came in ragged gasps, Josei's normally perfect form showed cracks, and even Hito had stopped his usual boasting.
During a water break, Mono collapsed onto the grass beside Raiba. "This is impossible," he groaned, rubbing his aching shoulders. "How are we supposed to learn this energy stuff in a week?"
Raiba just shook his head, too tired to respond.
It was Tokira who surprised them all by speaking up. "We don't have a choice." His quiet voice carried more weight than any shout.
The afternoon brought no respite. Sensei led them through meditation exercises, trying to help them connect with their inner energy. Mono sat cross-legged, eyes squeezed shut, trying desperately to feel something - anything - like that pulse from yesterday.
"Focus on your breathing," Sensei instructed, moving between them. "Not just air in your lungs, but energy moving through you."
Mono tried. He really did. But all he felt was the hard ground beneath him and the persistent ache in his muscles. The occasional fly landing on his nose didn't help either.
Across from him, Josei seemed to be having better luck. Her breathing had slowed to a steady rhythm, her face calm. Sensei paused behind her, giving a small nod of approval before moving on.
As the sun began dipping toward the horizon, painting the dojo in shades of orange and gold, Sensei finally called a halt. The disciples slumped where they sat, too exhausted to even complain.
"Tomorrow," Sensei said, looking at each of them in turn, "we continue. But tonight, rest. Your bodies need recovery as much as they need training."
That night, as Mono lay on his futon staring at the ceiling, his entire body throbbed with fatigue. The others were already asleep - Raiba snoring softly, Tokira still as a statue, Hito muttering something about "showing them all" even in his dreams. Only Josei seemed awake still, sitting by the window and staring out at the moonlit courtyard.
Mono rolled onto his side. "You really felt something today, didn't you? During the meditation."
Josei didn't turn around, but after a moment she nodded. "Just a flicker. Like... like trying to catch a minnow with your bare hands." She finally looked at him, her face shadowed. "We're running out of time, Mono."
He knew she wasn't just talking about the tournament inspection. That strange energy pulse yesterday, the way the officials had looked at them - something bigger was happening, and they were caught in the middle of it.
As sleep finally claimed him, Mono's last thought was of Sensei's uncharacteristic plea to the inspectors. That moment of vulnerability from their normally unshakable teacher scared him more than any training session ever could.
The week ahead would change everything. They either learned to harness this energy... or they'd be crushed by what was coming.