SailorStar9: After getting Chapter 21 out, this is Chapter 22 of this fic. (Sighs) Guys and girls, is it too hard for you to leave a review, instead of just putting this fic up on your favorited list and story alerts?

Pairings: Tao Ren/Fem!OC, Yoh/Anna

Disclaimers: I own absolutely nothing, except this plot and pairing.

Chapter 22: Special Training!? Everyone Gathers

"So that was Hao's first match?" Ren noted, the group were now in a nearby restaurant getting lunch.

"He's been hiding in the shadows so far, but he's finally come out." Chocolove added.

"All the Shamans he's faced are dead." Silva supplied.

"Can you stop understating the situation?" Ren requested. "Hao murdered his opponents. That's just how it is."

"But his first match hasn't been until now." Horo Horo scuffed down his rice. "It's like he's been seeded."

"I don't like it." Ren swallowed his noodles. "What are the Great Spirits thinking?"

"But with his strength, it's perfectly understandable if he's seeded." Chocolove pointed out.

"I like that even less." Ren drank down the soup. "If there are seeds, why haven't we, Team the Ren, been treated like one?"

"If that's the case, the same goes for us." Ryu agreed.

"A mediocre team like yous being seeded?" Ren snorted. "Don't make me laugh."

"Isn't even it more impossible for the Laughing Trio to get seeded?" Ryu taunted.

"We don't even know if there are such things like seeds, so what are they arguing about?" Manta sighed.

"They can't stop thinking about Hao's match." Anna reasoned. "That's why they're so worked up."

"I wonder what we should do." Yoh mused. "Silva, what would happen if I interfered with a Shaman Fight?"

"The Ten Priests will prevent any interference to the best of our ability." Silva replied. "That's the rule."

"I don't think I could stop Hao even if I did interfere." Yoh admitted.

"Listen you, you bastards." Ren growled. "If we ever had to fight in each other in a Shaman Fight, I'll make you recognize my power."

"I'll put a heavy rock on you." Chocolove punned.

"That's fine with me." Ryu accepted the challenge. "Until then, you guys better keep winning."

"You're just being overly arrogant." Tokageroh mocked.

"Great..." Hui Ling bemoaned. "Now even Tokageroh caught Chocolove's 'Joker Disease'."

"You'll see everything clearly, then!" Ren snapped. "Prepare for death and wait for us."

"That's my line!" Ryu fired back.

"If that's the case, could you clarify everything right now?" Mikihisa cut in. "Hi, everyone." he dropped in from the ceiling.

"What do you want, old man?" Ren demanded.

"I've been wondering for a while." Mikihisa noted. "Which team is stronger, the Funbari Onsen Team or Team the Ren?"

"It's us, of course!" both Ren and Ryu insisted.

"If that's true, can you show me?" Mikihisa requested. "Are we allowed a practice match?" he turned to Silva.

In a crayon...

"Even though you're able to use bigger Oversouls because you memorized the Chou Senji Ryakketsu, in terms of size, Hao's Spirit of Fire is immensely bigger." Mikihisa stated. "So, how about it? During the course of this practice match, imagine yourself fighting that thing."

"You mean how we would fight against Spirit of Fire?" Yoh surmised.

"That's correct." Mikihisa nodded.

"Master, I have a plan." Ryu said, when an idea came to his head.

"Horo Horo, Chocolove." Ren suddenly spoke up. "You two are going to do exactly as I say."

"Now then, Shaman Fight Practice Match." Mikihisa voiced. "Team the Ren vs. Funbari Onsen Team, begin!"

"Phase One: Yamata no Orochi!" Ryu summoned his Oversoul.

"Phase Two: Mephisto E!" Faust continued.

"Phase Three: Spirit of Sword!" Yoh took the stage.

"Phase One: Speed Hoiinugu!" Chocolove summoned his Oversoul.

"Phase Two: Biran Birantte Kamui!" Horo Horo followed suit.

"Phase Three: Bushin!" Ren stepped up.

"The combination of three Oversouls!" Ryu declared.

"Oh boy..." Hui Ling muttered as the combined Oversouls manifested. "I just know it'll end up being something like this."

"Those things aren't a combination or an assembly of three." Anna stated. "Oji-sama." she turned to Mikihisa.

"This is troublesome." Mikihisa admitted and summoned Imari and Shigaraki to have them disrupt the two combined Oversouls. "That's no good." he told the six male Shamans. "If you're just comparing your Furyoku, Hao's much stronger than you guys. Mastery of Furyoku doesn't depend on size or power. You guys should know this after memorizing Chou Senji Ryakketsu, right? Therefore, do you want to train on how to use Furyoku?"

"Rice." Yoh peered at the grain in between his fingers. "Brush." he looked at the writing brush in his other hand.

"First, write something on the rice with the brush." Mikihisa instructed. "Let's see... the name of something important to you should do. Well then." he gathered the six rice grains that were written on. "The training starts now." he walked over to the crayon and tossed the rice grains over the cliff, letting the wind carry them off. "Now go find the grain of rice you wrote on."

"We can't do that!" the boys exclaimed.

"And why's that?" Hui Ling posted the question.

"It's obvious." Horo Horo protested. "There's no way you can find a tiny grain of rice in a huge place like this."

"Well, I found a grain of sand along Dalian's Golden Pebble Beach in under eight hours when I was six." Hui Ling fired back.

"And that's why Hui Ling's Furyoku control is higher." Mikihisa added.

"If you're men, stop whining and get going!" Anna literally kicked all the boys down the cliff.

"Do you think they'd prefer getting a hint or two?" Hui Ling wondered, peering over the cliff.

"Mikihisa, can they really find the grains of rice by using their Furyoku properly?" Manta asked.

"They might." Hui Ling answered. "As I told Ren before, like fingerprints, everyone's Furyoku signature is different from one another. And I'm pretty sure they'll recognize their own Furyoku signatures after using Furyoku for as long as they have."

"Is that a match notification?" Horo Horo asked when someone's Oracle Bell went off.

"No, it's not us." Ren confirmed.

"It's us." Yoh answered. "Tomorrow, and the opponent will be Ocean Three. That's what it says."

"You guys." Mikihisa voiced. "Try fighting that match differently than usual. This is also part of Furyoku training."

The next morning...

Hui Ling just sighed in resignation at the passed out Team the Ren in the sand. Looking at the thermos pot she had in hand, she sighed again. "Men, they're all idiots."

"Training, my ass!" Ren suddenly roared. "How the hell is this going to make me stronger?"

"And you wonder why my Spiritual control is better than yours." Hui Ling tsked, pretty much cutting off Ren's pending rant. "I brought breakfast." she showed the three boys the thermos pot in her hand.

"Hui Ling, our savior!" Chocolove wailed.

"Cut it out!" Hui Ling stifled a grin. "It's only chicken congee. You know, I don't think Mikihisa would blame me too much if I drop a hint or two." she spoke from behind her Qilan tea.

"Hint?" all three boys turned to her expectedly.

"Ren," Hui Ling started. "Remember I said that like fingerprints, everyone's Furyoku signature is different from one another? And I trust all three will know how your own Furyoku signature feels like by now. Although, you boys could've made this easier on yourselves if you've thought of coating your rice grain with a layer of your Furyoku." she smirked behind her tea cup.

"Why didn't we think of that?" Horo Horo fumed.

SailorStar9: Any OOC-ness is regretted. *Sighs* Don't you just hate plot bunnies sometimes? Read and review.