The lightning flashed violently as Kam and Tidus stood near the windows inside the travel agency on the thunder plains. They watched as Stree stood still out in the pouring rain, waiting for another fiend to show up.

"Has he taken a break yet?" asked Wakka, walking up behind the two.

"Are you kidding?" replied Tidus. "He hasn't slept in three days!"

Just after he had woken up, Stree had demanded that the group start off for the thunder plains, and from there, to Zanarkand. Since then, he had made them all walk back to Guadosalam, while he took a day to go off on his own then, and again now, at the travel agency.

"He's doing it again," said Kam quietly.

Tidus nodded. "I know."

"Uhh, excuse me. Doin' what, exactly?" asked Wakka.

"He's trying to hit a Breakthrough," replied Kam, not taking her eyes off her brother.

"What's a Breakthrough?"

"A big wave of power that he'd use to fight a fiend."

"What, you mean like an overdrive?" asked Wakka.

"More like an over-overdrive," replied Tidus. Outside, there was a flash of lightning, then a red burst of flame, and another Fiend's corpse lay on the ground near Stree. Tidus turned away to face Wakka, who was staring out the window himself. "Stree always thought that there was a way of harnessing the overdrive skill, and using it for as long as he wanted. Originally, it was to be the best Blitzer. Now it's to be the best fighter."

"Unfortunately, the last time he tried this, he ended up in hospital for a very long time," said Kam.

Stree stood silently, his arms crossed over his chest, his sword on his back, daring the fiends to attack him. A dual horn obliged, and fell quickly. As it ran towards Stree, he allowed the flames to come forth and shot a burning pillar of fire at the beast. Suddenly, something from behind thumped him in the back. Not moving an inch, Stree cast the flames in the great circle around himself, then expanded it, frying three bite bugs who tried sneaking up to him. He was just about to give up, when something tapped him on the shoulder. He was about to turn around, but something grabbed his armour and threw him into the wall of the travel agency. He landed with a resounding thud, and looked up, only to find Auron standing there.

"Your training starts now."

"What the hell is he doing?" asked Kam as she watched Auron throw Stree. Tidus laughed.

"It's Auron. Nobody knows," he replied.

"I've been waiting for this for a long time," said Auron with a smile as Stree silently took the Hasamune from his back. The two stared each other down for a second, and the rain built up to a howl. Then Stree jumped forward, bringing his sword down in a slash. Auron dodged it easily, his own weapon still sheathed, and stepped down on the sword. Stree pushed the old samurai back, and hefted his weapon again. He ran forward, then dropped to his knees, swinging the sword in a full circle in an effort to hit Auron's legs. Auron jumped and stayed out of harm's way. Stree felt the rage building up inside him, and started using it to focus his attacks. His moves were starting to get closer, and Auron realized what Stree was doing.

"Stop that," he commanded. "Anger will not help you against him. He is far too strong."

His words registered vaguely to Stree, but he was far too frustrated to think on them. He attacked again, but Auron spun around and and muttered something. Stree tried to move, and found himself rooted to the spot.

"Threaten," said Tidus.

"I remember that," said Kam. "This won't be pretty."

Stree stood, getting more and more frustrated, as Auron slowly walked up to him, a cold smile on his face. He was less than a meter from Stree, when he stopped and unsheathed his Masamune. "I told you anger wouldn't help. Anger leads to fear. Fear lets you get frightened. That's how Threaten works." He waved his hand and Stree could move once again. "You don't need anger. Anger will only hinder you."

"Voice of experience, Old man?"

Auron laughed softly. "How do you think Yunalesca beat me?" He walked a few meters back. "Again. But this time, be calm, rid yourself of anger. Use other emotions."

"What emotion is more powerful than rage?" asked Stree skeptically.

"Love. Compassion for others can make one do amazing things."

"Use love to hurt others, huh?" Stree asked skeptically.

"Use that compassion to defend others." Auron lifted his Masamune over his shoulder, then pointed over to Kam, looking through the window. "Think of it this way. If something was going to hurt your sister," he said, lingering on the final qword, "would you stand by and watch, or would you use the compassion you have for her drive you to defend her?"

"Point. So what do we do now?"

"You focus. Imagine the scenario I just described. Close your eyes and picture it."

"I don't think I trust you around with my eye closed."

"Trust me. Once you learn how to control your emotions, even closed eyes will not hinder you."

Stree closed his eyes and retreated into his mind. He focused on the vision he had seen when talking to Yojimbo. He saw his companions cut down one after the other by his other self, and found himself wishing he could do something to stop it. All too soon, Kam was the only one left. Suddenly, he saw Paine at her side, and realized something that should have been obvious to him from the start. That his place was with them.

Suddenly, he found himself directly in front of his other self, not carrying the Hasamune, nor the white sword he had seen in his vision, but another. It was glowing gold, shaped in a similar style to Auron Katana, but longer, with gems embedded inside the blade. Suddenly his other self attacked, and Kam and Paine disappeared, so it was just the two of them. The imposter attacked again and again in a dazzling display of attacks that should have caused any man to be cut down. But for Stree, the other's movements were too slow, too easy to read. Every strike that was thrown down Stree dodged, blocked and redirected, though never actually attacking on his own. This imposter was not worth inflicting pain on. This was just another fiend that needed to be sent. He got himself ready to deliver the finishing blow, and put the beast out of it's torment, when he heard Auron speak.

"Good."

Stree opened his eyes and realized that it had not been his other self in the fight, it was the unsent Samurai that was his opponent.

"Did I just do what I think I did?" asked Stree.

"You just returned every single attack that I delivered against you."

A loud thump echoed across the plains and Kam and Tidus came running out. "How the hell did you do that?" yelled Tidus over the thunder.

"Do what?" asked Stree in confusion.

"You blocked all of Auron's attacks without even trying!" exclaimed Kam.

"See what happens when you use compassion instead of rage."

"Look out!" yelled Stree suddenly, and he threw his knife up into the air at full force, catching a fiend who was about to dive bomb Auron. The fiend exploded, and knife fell, landing neatly in Stree's hand. "Thanks Auron. I'm sorry I doubted you."

Suddenly Yuna came racing up. "Stree! We need help. Fiends have overrun Luca. All the townspeople are trapped! They're all going to die!"

"So? What can I do about it?" he asked, a hollow feeling rising in his stomach at the thought of so many dead. It struck him as odd that before now he wouldn't have cared.

"Stree. We have to help them," said Tidus. "We're the only ones who can."