"Our next class is training," Yui explained. "Where should I leave my books?" Chihiro asked. During lunch, the two found the books she needed for class. Now, a stack of books were piled onto Chihiro's desk. "Don't worry about it, we need them here for next class," she assured. Following after the rest of the group, she glanced at the newspaper Noboru was holding. On the second page was a picture of the valley.

"Hey, what's that about?" she asked, but already knew of it. Noboru glanced at the girl, then turned back to the paper, silently reading. Suzume looked over his shoulder, realizing what it was. "You've never heard of it? It happened last year- there was a big battle between the villages. I heard there was one who went out of control and destroyed the whole valley."

So it's even here, the spirit thought. "Haku sensei was there too! He must have been so brave!" Suzume walked ahead, daydreaming. Sighing, Yui noticed Chihiro's katana. "Hey, I noticed you always carry that around." Trying to avoid the conversation, she briefly explained. "It's just for training."

"Can I try it out?" Suzume butted in, staring at her katana. "Give it a rest, will you?" Ichiro sighed. "You've been too talkative since this morning." The girl glared at him. "Anyways, it would be cool if you'd let me try it out during training," she smiled.

She skipped away, trying to find anything interesting. They finally reached outside, enjoying the warm weather. Some other students were outside, playing and talking. "Hey, Usagi," Yui called to the girl sitting on a bench nearby. "We're heading for training." Usagi nodded, quietly tagging along. "You remember Sen, right? She's the new student."

The shy spirit gave Chihiro a nod. "You know a lot of the academy, right? Would you do the honor of explaining about the years?" Yui asked. Usagi nodded again. She looked around, wondering where to start. She finally pointed to the group who wore much diverse clothing. "Those are fourth years," she quietly said. "They have their special clothing because they've already chosen who they are to become."

Another group standing by the fountain had a more school uniform- black suits and skirts with blue designs. "They're third years. This year they will be choosing their class." A couple gave a friendly wave to the first years. Yui, as she always was friendly, gave a warm wave back to them. "And those are the second years," Usagi concluded.

The teenagers that stood around the courtyard wore lose black cloaks, similar to the first years'. They turned to their direction, giving them a curious glance. "There is another first year class, but they're on a trip to the human world," Yui explained. Muttering softly to herself, Chihiro heard, "Lucky spirits…"

"In training, the teacher will be giving us basic training on defense, attack, and will recognize our true powers." Sounds interesting, Chihiro thought. Finding themselves at a very large arena-like building, they pushed the doors to enter. Hearing sharp clangs and grunts, they found two spirits in the middle of a fight. "They're so fast," Ichiro gasped. Suzume suddenly squealed. "It's Haku sensei!" Recognizing the flash of sea green hair, Chihiro watched as he fought against another spirit.

They finally stopped with the tips of their swords aimed at each other. "You've gotten better," the spirit smiled. Haku sighed, sheathing his sword. "Come on in," he welcomed the first years. Suzume was the first to run towards the teacher. "You were so cool!" she sighed. "Can you give me some private lessons?"

Ignoring her blushing face, he patted her head before leaving. "When you're a third year, I'll think about it," he chuckled. "See you later, Kal." As he passed Chihiro, he briefly touched her hand. "Have fun," he whispered, leaving the arena. After the door was shut, the spirit stretched.

"Welcome, first years!" he said with a cheerful tone. "I'll be your trainer, Kal Merey! You can call me Merey sensei." The girl raised her hand. "You have a strange name. Are you from out of the country?" Kal nodded. "You could say I'm some kind of Visitor. Now, shall we begin? First, tell me your names."

"Ichiro."

"Noboru."

"Suzume!"

"Usagi."

"Yui."

"Sen," Chihiro spoke. Kal blinked, taking a close look at Chihiro. Stepping forward, he asked, "May I see your katana, Sen?" Trying not to hesitate, she calmly handed him her katana. Can he see the seal? she wondered. Suzume and the others had not recognized it when staring at it. Kal only moved past it, examining the work on the covering.

"It's very nice," he commented. "Not a kind of steel that I recognize. Where did you get it from?" Chihiro had to lie. If she were to say it was from the human world, he would have been too suspicious of her. "It was a gift," she replied.

Kal unexpectedly nodded, walking back to the center. "Now that everything else is settled, shall we begin?" Snapping his fingers, other weapons appeared for the rest. Kal handed Chihiro a wooden sword in exchange for hers. "When the time comes, we will use real weapons," he explained.

He snapped again, allowing the ground to rumble. Walls appeared, surrounding them. "This maze will determine your skills and sense to find the exit. Go!" Chihiro was one of the first to leave, dashing through the maze. "Sen! Let's work as a team!" Yui called out. Turning around, she found Yui and Usagi trying to catch up with her. Slowing down, the three raced through the large maze.

"Look out!" Yui warned. Turning back, a large spirit had magically formed from the ground. "It's a garden spirit," Usagi identified. Chihiro went ahead, sliding below the spirit. Standing up to face its back, she tried to cut it down. However, since it was a wooden katana, all she could do was bend the spirits shoulder.

Hearing it growl, she jumped up, kicking it backwards. "Hurry!" she insisted. Yui and Usagi quickly ran past the fallen spirit, following Chihiro. "If we can't defend ourselves with these, how can we manage through this?" Yui thought.

Two spirits came around the corner, charging at the three girls. Usagi stepped forward, trying to calm them down. "Don't be frightened," she spoke. She slowly dropped her wooden sword. "We mean no harm." Giving the other two a hint, Chihiro and Yui dropped theirs. "Oh, that's right," Yui realized. "Usagi is a tamer."

Chihiro watched as the spirits began to calm down as Usagi gently spoke to them. Usagi motioned them to go. "What about our weapons?" Yui whispered. Usagi shook her head. "Leave them, unless you want to be attacked by those spirits." As they ran through the maze, they heard several blasts and shouts.

Different spirits were coming towards their path. "What are we going to do now?" Yui gritted her teeth. Chihiro had found Ichiro casting spells on an attacking spirit midair as they went through the maze. Will I be able to use my powers? Chihiro thought. Determined, she charged at the approaching garden spirit. Snapping her fingers, only a flicker of black fire emerged. Great. What next? she thought with a frustrated look.

The spirit roared, raising its large hand to hit Chihiro. Ready to protect herself, she had her arms covering her face. Before she could feel anything, the garden spirit already fell to the ground. Looking up, Noboru was jumping through the maze. "You're welcome," he smirked before leaving. Frowning, Chihiro continued to run through the maze. I promised I'd do my best!

Finding another spirit, her fist raised to punch the spirit. This time, flames covered her hand as she made an impact.