Baramon

Episode 5 - Clay

Celebrations had gone through the night. After having their injuries patched up, the members of Baramon had gone out to town to celebrate their victory. Where once they were relatively unknown, now they were skyrocketed into stardom. They were a team that had just defeated Cornelius Grounds one of the thirteen Sensei. Not everyone could claim that. Brodie had told them over and over again that in his long history of being a Sensei, only a hundred teams had defeated Grounds. Considering how he had been a Sensei for over a century, that was less than a single team winning per year.

Weed stood on the balcony of his home once more. Night had fallen and he was once again smoking quietly. Taser's thunderous snores were barely contained by the glass windows as he lay slumbering in the lounge room atop Howl. Buck had fallen asleep in front of the television, masturbating to images of his victory oddly enough. Galahad was the only one that had taken a shower and went to bed normally.

The professor glanced over to the lights of the city.

Their faces had been all over the news and there had been reporters scrambling to get interviews from them. Weed kept in full control of the situation. As the team's Sponsor, he was effectively also their agent. Everyone but Howl had some degree of media training but Howl wisely let Hiro take control while they were paraded in front of everyone and bombarded with questions. A few reporters brought up their unconventional means of winning the challenge and one extremely controversial paper outright called them cheaters.

Naturally there was little peace and quiet when they went out to eat and already the restaurant they went to was asking for endorsements. Taser hated the publicity but Buck lapped it all up and basked in the fame and glory that came with emerging victorious over a Gym. Him and Howl had a rather charming public presence. Galahad and Gabriel were far more controlled thanks to Gabe's ability to charm those around him.

Grounds had gone on to defeat three other teams that challenged him over the course of the day proving that Baramon's victory was well-earned. Of course, there were those that also argued that the Sensei threw the fight given how he had helped them during their Challenge. Weed had told the team to avoid engaging the media in this sense. Any denials would only be turned back against them.

He quietly mused how all this could not have been possible had Howl not joined their team.

"For a newly emerged Psyche, he's doing very well."

Pot grunted softly and leaned his back against the balcony railings. "That's very true. Does he know any magic?"

Weed shook his head. "Broderick has been teaching him but he has yet to put it into practice. Though can you imagine someone with his ability using magic?" He shuddered. "I would rather not think of it."

"I suppose that's fair. His Manifesto's ability is likewise frightening. I watched as he deconstructed that Trainer and manipulated his emotions. The two of them make for a devastating combination."

"If they can start working with the rest of the team, that would be even better," chuckled Weed softly. "But they still have a long way to go. I'm not sure if either of them will be ready for the shock of inheriting a Gym's power."

Pot let out a soft grunt and crossed his arms. "My boys have just gone through it. They were quite shaken about it." A soft laugh left the serpent's lips. "Ebony was even starting to consider having kids."

Weed's features darkened as he blew out a soft cloud of smoke. "That's the thing, isn't it? The Gyms imprint some the core beliefs into you when you inherit some of their powers." He pulled the cigarette from his lips and flicked the ashes off the balcony edge. "On some level, the first Sensei are still living through the Gyms quite literally. I bet Grounds doesn't even know it himself."

Look at the psychological profile. Cornelius Grounds has a very 'daddy' appearance and persona. He embodies the 'huggable teddy bear' and even Clay is the direct opposite, embodying the domineering aspect of that entire persona.

"Except remember that Grounds doesn't want kids."

That was true. The original Bear Clan Leader was obsessed with procreating and would constantly fuck any woman he could get his paws on and get them to produce his children. Naturally, when those kids were all grown up, he would fuck them too regardless of gender. He would end up with countless sons and daughters who were cousin-brothers or sister-cousins all at once to one another. It was one of the reasons that the Battle Circle stepped in and installed the Sensei Trials. Having the Clan dominated by a single ancestry was ultimately damaging to their genetics not to mention it created an elitist attitude. The Clan Leader's family still existed and now ran a school for those aiming to become Trainers in the Earth Gym but they hadn't had a Sensei amongst their ranks for centuries.

But every subsequent Sensei after the first had been instilled with this drive to reproduce and to fuck their kids. It was the same with the other Gyms. Some part of that original Sensei carried through the line of succession through the Inheritance process. A diluted version of it fed into those that defeated the Sensei and obtained the Gym's powers. But that was what worried Weed.

Is some of that loyalty to the Battle Circle embedded in that inherited power? It is some sort of mind control?

"That's what we're here to try and find out," Primal encouraged calmly.

"I'm sure Howl and Hiro will be able to keep their heads on their shoulders," Pot said encouragingly. "From what I hear, he's become the 'pup' to Taser and I don't think your tiger is going to take it very well if he suddenly knocked up some chick."

Weed gave the serpent a lopsided smile. "News travels fast."

"As subtle as he wanted to be, how Howl and Taser behaved in the public eye got some people thinking. The fact that they fucked roughly in that restaurant bathroom also got a few people talking."

"Oh Lord..." Weed laughed softly. "No wonder that restaurant suddenly had a lot of business..."

Pot shrugged and pushed off the railings. "Having Gym winners have sex in your building is kind of like getting a celebrity endorsement. There are even some nutjobs out there that scrambled to lick up some of the cum that they left over in a desperate attempt to 'get some of their power'. Your boys are already getting their own fan clubs. By far the most popular is Team Galahad."

"He is a handsome horse."

"It's the British accent," Pot snickered. "Anyway, congratulations again. When is Grounds going to start the Inheritance?"

"Tomorrow afternoon," answered Weed. "He's just got a match against a team tomorrow morning and then he'll see us. After that, he's got another two fights ahead of him."

The snake shook his head with a chuckle. "Sometimes I wonder how he can have that much stamina. To go through an Inheritance and then fight other teams in intense, sexually-charged battles not to mention his media outings, administration stuff... God."

"Sensei aren't like you and me, remember?" Weed put out his cigarette against the balcony. "They're much more powerful. Far more powerful than they ever put on in public."

"Good thing we're not at war with them."

Weed's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Yet."

******

When morning came, Galahad was back in the kitchen cooking once more. For someone with such a big frame as him, he could navigate and multi-task across several dishes with relative ease. A skill he had learned from experience, although most might have at least been a little distracted by the snoring coming from the 300-pound tiger laying on the couch. Thankfully though, his mind was elsewhere. After three years of striving for a Gym win, he and Baramon were finally on their way to obtaining a Gym's power. But that didn't make the lead-up to the moment any more nerve wracking. For one thing, he knew that he needed a big breakfast. The Inheritance ceremony was apparently _very_gruelling. He couldn't fathom how any Sensei could squeeze four personal training sessions into one day but somehow Grounds managed it.

For the first time in a long time, his hands were visibly shaking with excitement.

You are really looking forward to this, ja? Gabe asked cheerfully.

"You bet yer sweet ass I am. Fuck Gabe. We're finally gonna get a Gym power!" His expression darkened as he flipped the pancake expertly. "It means we'll be one step closer to McGregor."

For a long moment, his Manifesto was silent save for a reminder to look after the crepes. He switched over to the crepe maker which he quickly salvaged before it burned.

If the bastard is truly a Psyche, we must be stronger.

"Yeah. I know mate. 'S why we're gonna get Grounds' power an' the others an' then cave his fuckin' face in."

The loud snoring behind him was abruptly interrupted and he glance dover his shoulder. Howl was pulling himself away from Taser's iron grip. The golden wolf stretched and rolled his shoulders. A quick sniff of the air and Howl was pulled towards the kitchen island once more even before his eyes were fully open.

"Smells good," mumbled the wolf, ruffling his cum-caked hair. "Pancakes?"

Judging by the short, choppy sentences, it had to be Hiro in control. When the wolf's eyes opened and they shone blue, Galahad knew that he was right.

"Pancakes, crepes..." He pointed at the oven. "Scones in th' oven an' there are sum muffins already there for ya if yer hungry now."

Hiro glanced over to the large mountain of muffins, ears swivelling around at them. "Huh... Is that a capsicum, chive, cheese and mayonnaise muffin?" He leaned down. "Chocolate and butterscotch with hints of chilli. Coconut, raspberry and mint." His eyes flicked towards Galahad. "These aren't traditional muffins, are they?"

"Depends on what ya call 'traditional," he laughed. "Try them though. They're good."

The wolf plucked one of the capsicum muffins and bit into it. His eyes light up immediately. "That is good. Creamy, zesty but also quite a mellow savoury taste. Where'd you come up with these?"

Flattered by the compliment, Galahad turned back to his crepes upon Gabe's reminder. "Jus' somethin' I picked up. Still a student back at Liberty, ya know. So dun get much chance ta experiment. Still, I read cookbooks and when we got to the Gyms, I get lots of practice. Nearly three years worth of experimenting."

"Have you considered becoming a professional chef?"

Galahad threw his head back and laughed. "I dunno how people would feel 'bout havin' a nine-foot tall Clydesdale cookin' in their kitchen."

"You know what I meant."

He shook his head in response and set the pancake he was cooking down onto the rapidly building stack. "Dun think we can really focus onna career yet. We both like makin' stuff. Me, I like to cook. Gabe's an artist. Likes to draw. Girls fall over him. Sumthin' 'bout the whole German artist thing that gets their lady parts all hot n' moist."

Hiro set down the muffin with a sour look on his face. "If it's all the same with you, I'd rather not discuss hot and moist vaginas while eating a similarly, hot and moist but admittedly delicious muffin."

Galahad snickered. "Ever been with a woman before, Hiro?"

"If you remember. I was a virgin before all this happened. So no. You?"

"Plenty. Was basically a runaway remember? Sometimes whored myself out just to make it by." Hiro's expression grew dark but Galahad waved away his concern. "Dun worry 'bout it. We all got our stories, mate. It's in the past. Not like you'll be getting' a call from my pimp or sumthin'."

"Right... Well, how was it? With a woman, that is?"

He shrugged. "Gentler. More squishy bits. They tend to smell a little nicer. Still prefer men though. They know what'll get you going."

"I see." Hiro picked up his muffin and bit into it again. Each of the baked goods was a little extra large since, as Psyches, they were all much bigger and had proportionally larger mouths. "Changing the subject, we're going to be getting our Gym powers today, right?"

"Sure are." Galahad finished the last of the pancakes and set them down on the table. There had to be at least a hundred of them for the team. He turned his attention to the crepes. "Worried?"

"Just a little bit." Hiro began serving himself some pancakes. "Syrup?"

"Top shelf," Galahad said. "What's got ya worried?"

Hiro moved around the kitchen island to grab the maple syrup from where it was resting. "I got a brief overview of the three stages for inheriting the power but it wasn't exactly clear to me what's involved. Any ideas?"

"I'll let Gabe field this one," he said. "He's more into that stuff." He quietly retreated into the background while still controlling the majority of their body. Gabe spoke through their muzzle, his thick German accent coming through.

"You know about the three stages, ja?" Gabe asked.

Hiro counted them all with his fingers. "There's the Connection stage, then Union and the last is Inheritance."

"Ja. Each Gym has their own rituals about it but generally, you drink a special concoction known as Aether. It helps stimulate ze malleability of your body as a Psyche and Manifesto. Makes the transition and transformation easier."

"Is it... safe?"

The truth was, Gabe wasn't sure himself and neither was Galahad. Never having gone through the ritual himself, he was unsure what to expect. The rituals were also jealously guarded and even those that inherited the power never spoke of their experience. Perhaps it was out of some honour system or respect for the Sensei that had given them the power. From what he heard, each person that went through it, even if they inherited their power from the same Sensei, experienced something unique to them.

"No one has ever died," he offered lamely. "Though it is not uncommon that those who emerge from the experience return changed."

"Changed? How?"

Galahad took over as he quickly moved to keep one of the crepes from burning. "Lots o' Trainers end up comin' from teams who have retired from th' Gym Season an' join one of the Gyms they won at. Some even change their forms ta suit th' Gym."

"Well, I'm not sure if I'd want to be a bear," Hiro chuckled. "I'm still getting used to being a wolf." His ears folded back. "Though it would be nice not to have people looking at me like I'm evil incarnate."

He had seen that the previous night during their celebrations. More than one reporter had commented on Howl's Clan and golden fur. Some conspiracy nuts were likely already spinning tales of Howl being some sort of Wolf Clan spy, trying to regain power to once again try and topple the Battle Circle.

"People are like that, mate. If it ain't 'bout yer race, it's 'bout sumthin' equally stupid. Dun let it get to ya. Jus' keep yer head in th' game."

Some would argue we do not do that. Our 'head' is always at McGregor.

"But that's the game, Gabe. A Gabe we're gonna win."

He smeared some of his homemade whipped cream into the crepes, added a few slices of strawberry and some chocolate chips and then folded it all into a cone. Following that, he drizzled a bit of honey on top and then set the crepe aside. A few more of those and he had a floral pattern set up around a single plate which he then placed on the table. Hiro grabbed one almost immediately and by the sounds of appreciation, he clearly liked it.

"I remember having heard once that you're the only one of the team that's managed to activate his other forms," Hiro said.

Galahad froze.

Oh... I suppose he would be curious about that, ja?

"After he faced off against Grounds' Empathy form, I'm surprised it took 'im so long ta ask."

"I am," he answered.

"How'd you manage that?"

Galahad began packing up the dishes as he spoke. "It's different for everyone."

"Of course it is," sighed the wolf.

"I'm serious, mate. Fer some people, it's 'bout tryin' ta trust yer partner to have full control o' yer body. As Psyche an' Manifestos, our forms are totally fluid. I mean if Howl wanted, he could change his form from a wolf ta sumthin' else but it'd take some time. He's the subconscious you, remember, an' he's jus' reflectin' who ya really are inside. Or for some people, their Psyche is who they've been repressin' fer years. It's kinda hard ta give full control one way or the other."

He shrugged absently. "But fer me an' Gabe, it was kinda easy. We had too many similarities ta jus' be separate. So we trusted each other fer that. Even then, transformin' an' changin' yer body..." He pursed his lips and shook his head. "Not that easy."

"Is it always as... explosive as how Grounds turned?"

Galahad thought back to how Grounds had encased himself in an unbreakable stone shell and then erupted out of it. He had seen the transformation so many times before and similar ones from other Sensei that he hadn't even thought about it and just gave orders to start hitting it. He laughed softly as he compared how naturally the situation seemed to him compared Howl or Hiro where this was all new to him.

"That's jus' how the Sensei like ta transform." He shrugged his broad shoulders and grinned at Hiro. "In the middle o' battle, they need ta erect defensive measures ta make sure they dun get interrupted while they change. You saw it took about a minute or two before Grounds emerged. A lot can happen befer then."

"So you don't have to cocoon yourself in a dome that explodes like a balloon filled with cum?"

"Naw. 'course not." He snickered as he recalled his first transformation. "Honestly, it's unique ta ev'ry person. The Sensei are jus' so practiced with it that they can control how they change. All of 'em use the same sorta technique where they defend themselves an' then burst out in a shower o' cum."

"Why?"

"More impressive that way. Crowds love it." The big equine shrugged absently and nodded towards Taser. "Mind waking your 'master' up? His voice can get the others down here."

Hiro held up a finger. "Just one more question. What does it take to be able to get that sort of power?"

Galahad's features slipped into an unreadable mask. "It ain't easy, mate. Ya gotta get to the level where ya trust yer Psyche with your entire body an' ya dun have to worry 'bout 'im hijackin' yer life."

"Well Howl does interrupt now and then but..."

He shook his head. "Not what I mean, mate." Leaning against the counter, he said in a very serious tone, "When you switch ta one o' yer other modes, yer giving th' other guy complete control o' yer body. That's to the point where if ya piss 'im off, ya ain't comin' back 'less he wants ya to."

Hiro's eyes widened in surprise. "Wait... you mean - ?"

Galahad nodded gravely and he felt Gabriel doing the same. "Yeah. Ya dun have control o'ver yer body. Ya can't force yer way back. If ya go Emergence Mode, Howl gets full control an' all ya can do is watch. If ya switch ta Empathy mode, Howl fades back ta bein' a spectator. Ya think yer in that stage o' yer relationship that ya trust him like that or he trusts you?"

Hiro averted his gaze and said nothing.

"One o' the hardest questions any Manifesto or Psyches gotta answer."

It isn't an easy one. Wasn't easy for us either. But I trust you, Galahad. I trust you with my entire life.

"I trust ya too, Gabe. Fuck, I love ya."

There was some loud sniffing from behind Hiro and he turned to find Taser just rousing. The big tiger smacked his lips and then gave the wolf a playful growl.

"You didn't wake me, pup," he snarled. "You don't get to eat until your master is done."

Hiro rolled his eyes. "Taser, it's me. Hiro. Howl's still asleep. You fucked him non-stop last night. He's exhausted."

Taser looked surprised. "Oh... Uh... Sorry." He grimaced slightly. "How is this going to work, exactly? I'm in love with Howl but not you?"

"You tell me," Hiro answered turning back to his meal. "I know you're asking yourself if you're only in love with Howl because of his ability or not. Comparing the twin facets of the relationship between me and Howl. One is the guy you're head over heels for and the other represents the doubt that anything you feel is even real."

The tiger grimaced at him and shook his head. "Don't fucking do that. Not so early in the morning. Hey Galahad, can I get some coffee here?"

Galahad pushed a pre-prepared mug across the kitchen island. "Already ready for ya, tiger." He pushed off the counter and headed for the stairs. "I'll go wake the professor an' Buck. We got a big day ahead of us." He pumped a fist into the air.

"Gym power, here we come!"

******

Just a little before noon, Baramon headed out to the what the inhabitants of Grounds' home called 'Ground Zero'. A large temple of sorts embedded into the far north-eastern face of the crater, the immense structure was where they were summoned to inherit the power of the Gym. Howl was in awe at the sheer size of the place.

Right off the bat, the first thing he noticed was the huge statue of a bear standing at the very entrance. The space between his gargantuan legs made of the entrance with his huge, erect dong rising above it all to offer some degree of shade. The bear was not someone that Howl recognised and when he asked Brodie about it, the stag told him that it was the first ever Earth Sensei, the Bear Clan Leader at the time of the Battle Circle's founding. The bear was holding up two items, one each paw. In his right was what looked like a rock but given it's gargantuan size, it might as well have been a mountain. In the other, there was a cup.

"So what's with the rock and cup?" Howl asked as they parker their buggies.

"The rock represents the element that the Gym specialises in," Brodie responded. "And the Chalice is a universal symbol across the Battle Circle. They call it the 'Challenger's Chalice'. Tradition states that any who manage to get to the Battle Circle and challenge them, before they get into the actual fight, the members of the Circle all cum into a cup and then the Challenger drinks it to symbolise that even if they lose, they will take away some experience from just getting there." He nodded towards the enormous stone monument which had to be at least as tall as a skyscraper. "During the ceremony, you'll be asked to drink the Aether from a similar chalice."

"And this place..."

"It's basically the home base of all the Trainers."

There were countless buggies already parked in the lot and there were some Trainers milling about the entrance. As they approached, Weed gave the Trainer at the front door their identification and the bear greeted them warmly, ushering them inside.

"We've been expecting you," said the bear. "Sensei Grounds is very much looking forward to imparting his power to you all."

"I must amid that I'm rather nervous myself!" Weed laughed.

Howl inclined his head to the side in confusion. "Wait... Weed is getting the power too?"

Seems so. Seems only fair. If he's going to help us train in between Gyms, he'll need to be on par with our strength too.

The interior the temple was similarly as impressive. The ever-present bear statues holding up lamps were everywhere. Great murals of the Sensei of the past were plastered all over the walls and the ceiling was covered by a domed fresco of six figures cloaked and hidden - the current members of the Battle Circle. Their shrouded features peered down upon the passing members as if they were watching them.

All over the temple, Trainers were practicing their art. A pair of bears were hurling a huge boulder about the size of man towards one another rhythmically back and forth as if it were just another ball. A group were playing a sort of perilous hopscotch where they stood about thirty feet into the air and had to get from one side of the room to the other. The only way they could do that was summoning a pillar of rock as wide as their foot to come shooting out of the ground and help them on their way. Then there were those who were lifting boulders like they were barbells and hauling rocks the size of a man's torso up and down a pyramid; when the dropped the rock at the top of the pyramid, the rock would go through some tunnel and end up back at the bottom where they'd pick it up again and repeat the process.

Looks to me like a lot of repetitive, mind-numbing bodybuilding.

"And you love the idea of getting so big that you can rip out of your old clothes."

Hiro didn't protest. They both knew it was true.

Across the room Grounds was overseeing a group of Trainers in an area that almost looked like a firing range. Several trainers were lined up, and on Grounds command, they would fire a salvo of small stone pellets towards a line of targets standing roughly one hundred feet away.

"Sensei, Baramon is here," announced the Trainer.

Grounds beamed at them. "Excellent! I was looking forward to this. Had to rein myself in not to end my last match too quickly." He waved them over before turning to his students, instructing them to keep practicing before he turned and approached Baramon. As he approached he placed his paws on Taser and Galahad's shoulders like he was welcoming his sons home. Taser had to keep himself from squealing while Galahad nickered and smiled. "Congratulations again on your win yesterday. It was one hell of a fight. Brains, brawn and a good game."

"Didn't win it as quickly as Nightshade did," rumbled Hiro.

He felt the eyes of those around him on him but he didn't regret his words.

"There's a difference between how Nightshade won and you did, Hiro," said Grounds sagely. "Nightshade won using their powers and abilities. They overpowered us. Fair and square. But you, you played the game. You manipulated the points system. You sent me out of bounds. I think that is a far more respectable battle than how Nightshade fought."

"If you say so."

Grounds clapped his mighty paws. "Okay. So who's first?"

No one spoke up. None of them had gone through the ritual so they were all a little shy to be the first. Though Howl could see the eagerness in Buck even without Hiro's help. He quietly and subtly reached out and pinched the stag's bare ass causing him to yelp and leap forward.

"Ah, Buck and Broderick Raven!" Grounds said with a grin. "Come with my, son. It's time to induct you into the usage of earth."

_ _Brodie shot Howl a sour look but responded with a shaky, "Oh... Alright."

Howl waggled his eyebrows at the stag and watched his friend follow Grounds deeper into the temple past a large set of slate grey doors about as tall as the ceiling was high. The Big Bear pushed the doors open with ease despite being at least a foot thick. Brodie gave one last look over his shoulder before disappearing into the room beyond. The doors shut with an ominous _boom_shortly afterwards.

"So what are the rest of us supposed to do?" Taser asked.

"Feel free to explore the rest of the temple," said their guide. He pointed at the vast murals on the walls. "The history of our Gym is outlined beneath each of those murals. Feel free to browse around. We ask though that you please don't interrupt any of our Trainers during their sessions. However, if they are not in the middle of an exercise you can ask them any questions that you may have otherwise. We have refreshments our mess hall found through that door." He pointed to two large double doors to the western side of the temple. "It shouldn't be more than an hour for your friend to return."

The bear bowed towards them before heading off on.

"The history sounds fascinating to me," Weed confessed. "I shall tour them."

"I'll go check out th' Trainers," Galahad said. "Might be useful ta learn more 'bout how they use their powers."

"And I'll go grab something to eat since there's nothing else to do here," rumbled Taser. The tiger turned towards the mess hall without further announcement and Howl wondered if his master expected him to follow.

He decided to stay put and explore the temple a little more knowing full well he was likely to cop hell from it later from Taser.

"I'll come with you, Professor," he said, following Weed towards one of the enormous murals, the one closest to the entrance.

The mural depicted what appeared to be a single bear standing at the centre of a barren plane with a tremendous hammer in his paws. Countless other bears stood around him. There were women and children too but they were humans. Above the bear was a stormy sky that was cleared out in a circle to reveal the night sky. Four shining stars cut through the darkness and hovered over the bear like a celestial crown.

"This the first Sensei?" Howl asked.

Weed nodded and leaned towards the large plaque that sat at the base of the mural. "This commemorates the rise of Earth Gym under the rule of the first Sensei, Maximus Stone and his Psyche, Meteor."

"Huh... and this place is shaped like a crater. Go figure."

Hmmm... Why are there only four stars?

"Huh?"

The stars above him. I assume they represent the Battle Circle but there are only four of them. I thought there were six members.

He turned to Weed. "He Prof. How many members of the Battle Circle are there."

"Why, six of course," answered Weed with a smile.

"Were there always six?"

"Ah no. Originally there were four but then as the millennia went by after the Season was established, two others joined their ranks."

"Answer your question?"

Yes. I guess it is possible to beat the Battle Circle challenge. Though I guess it gets harder and harder with each victor.

"Hrm... Point taken."

They moved to the next mural which showed the large crater already formed and the city being built around it. The text mentioned that Stone's Clan was millions strong at the formation of the Gym already and only grew bigger over the years. The one after that showed how Stone imparted his own style of combat into how they manifested earth into the shape of weapons that they then used. It showed how armies of bears held spears crafted from the very earth itself and held together by their will alone. The next mural depicted Stone passing on the mantle of Sensei to his successor, Leonard Vale. Apparently, the trials he had to undertake required days to complete since it was the first time the old, grey Bear had introduced them.

It was the mural after that which sent Howl's blood running cold.

Looks like the notoriety of the Wolf Clan runs deep.

At the centre of the mural was the Sensei with a huge spear in his hands made of stone, the blade of which was nearly as big as he was. A mountain of dead wolves lay in front of him and he stood with his weapon sticking out of a golden-furred wolf. Light sprayed out from behind him like he had stepped out from the gates of heaven. All around him were bears and wolves clashing in battle with the bears dressed in heroic armour and the wolves depicted like savage beasts from hell with red eyes, ragged, wild, fire-like fur and bloody claws.

"Was the Wolf Clan Uprising really that bad?" he asked softly.

"The one thing that the Wolf Clan emphasised over all else apart from hating the Battle Circle's rule was reproduction," answered Weed. "It was not uncommon for Wolf Clan families to have over ten children at once. Even those just aiming for one child were often blessed with twins or even triplets. Their sheer numbers were immense and it says a lot that a single Clan was able to face off against the entire Battle Circle and the other Gyms."

Hiro had a question and Howl relinquished control. "But surely there are other Clans apart from those in the Gyms, right? What happened to them all?"

"Those that didn't participate in the war were crushed by war machine that was the Wolf Clan," answered his Sponsor sadly. "Only the thirteen species of the Gyms dominate the Psyche population now. There are still others of other Clans but certainly not as strong as they once were."

Great. So add near-genocide to the list of crimes we'll be blamed for.

He switched back with Howl and the big wolf sighed. "Damn... Looks like I've got a lot to prove."

Weed gripped his arm, unable to reach his shoulder. "Don't let others judge you purely on your species, Howl. Though you can change your shape at any time you want provided training, don't let them define you. This is how you came out. This is your identity. Don't change your identity just because people what you look like."

He gave Weed a wry smile. "Thanks, Prof. Appreciate it."

A loud grinding noise filled the air and he turned to find the huge, grey doors springing open.

"Whoa... That quick already?"

Or maybe Buck failed to get Grounds' power somehow.

"Can... Can we fail_?"_

I dunno...

Grounds stepped out of the room, covered in sweat and cum. It made his fur cling to every muscle and Howl could smell him from where he stood. Galahad trotted over and both Weed and Howl hurried after him. The Sensei beamed proudly and stepped aside to reveal Buck. The stag was panting heavily and just like Grounds, his body was covered in sweat and cum, his eyes drooping in exhaustion. He staggered forward. His left foot collapsed beneath him and Galahad immediately rushed forward and caught him.

"Whoa there, mate. You alright?"

Buck could only nod in exhaustion. Taser came rushing towards them with a bottle of water in his paws which he offered to Buck. The exhausted stag took it with thanks and drained the entire bottle in one long drink.

"So?" Taser asked, trying to hide his eagerness. "Did you get it?"

"Oh he got it," chuckled Grounds. He nodded towards Weed. "You've got a fast learner on your hands here, Weed. I'm sure he's going to be an asset to your team."

Taser clapped his big paws loudly. "Well, come on then! Show us what you got!"

"Easy bro," Buck muttered with a shaky smile. "Give me a second to catch my breath!" Buck straightened and rolled his shoulders. "Okay... Okay... I got this."

Everyone immediately gave a wide berth and some of the Trainers even approached to see the spectacle. Grounds just nodded once and a large block of stone emerged from the ground several feet away from Buck with a bullseye engraved into it. The stag took a deep breath. He lifted his hands into the air. Specks of rock jumped up from the ground around him, circling him and forming intricate patterns. Howl recognised them as the magical runes that Brodie had once tried to teach him.

He held out a hand towards the bullseye. The runes rearranged themselves and formed a tight circle around his palm. A soft, greenish-yellow glow came from the glyphs. A loud chiming noise emerged from the spell and a compressed ball of dirt sprang from his fingertips. The slammed hard right into the centre of the target.

The crowd applauded.

"Huh... I don't get it," Howl confessed. "What's so special about that? I mean can't he just do that with his normal spells anyway?"

It has to do with adaptability, I think, Hiro explained. The runes are now pre-prepared. He just needs to rearrange them and he can cast the spell immediately. No need to manually make symbols in the air or utter an incantation. Plus it's Brodie that knows the spells, not Buck remember? This way, Brodie can pre-prepare the spells and Buck can cast them while also using his legs to attack and escape.

"If you say so..."

"That's amazin', mate!" exclaimed Galahad, pumping a fist into the air. "Any other spells up yer sleeve?"

"Bro, give me a sec to practice, would ya?" laughed Buck. "Only got the basics down!"

Grounds laughed heartily and clapped Buck's shoulder with a massive paw. "Given time, you will be able to add more and more spells to your repertoire." He nodded towards the rest of Baraman. "So who's next?"

Taser stepped forward, chest puffed out proudly. "Me." Then he glanced towards Howl. "Get some water and food for me, pup. When I get out, I'm gonna eat a fuckin' horse." He grinned toothily at Galahad who merely rolled his eyes.

Howl smirked and gave Taser a mocking salute. "Yes, sir."

Grounds gave him a raised eyebrow but didn't argue as he took Taser into the back room. Buck mentioned that he wanted to rest and found a seat while Galahad and Weed interrogated him on what had happened. Howl headed for the mess hall to retrieve the food that Taser wanted.

'Mess hall' was really too crude a word to describe the beautiful dining experience that was beyond those double doors. The floors were covered in black and white marble with golden edges. Lush plants hung from the walls and ceiling while curling around the many stalactites that dominated the roof. Dozens of tables dressed in velvety red tablecloths were everywhere and Trainers dined on succulent meals that made Howl's muzzle water. He felt a little underdressed given he was only wearing Hiro's jacket and little else. However, the Trainers sometimes wore even less.

A waiter asked him if he wanted a table and he just mentioned he wanted to grab something for Taser. Then, considering how exhausted Buck looked, he asked for two orders. The waiter nodded and twenty minutes later, he was carrying two bags back into the temple proper.

Buck has switched out with Brodie who was now alone with Weed. Galahad was speaking with the Trainers again.

"Brought something for you," Howl announced, handing Buck the meal. "Thought you might be starving."

Brodie gave him a wry smile. "Grounds actually fed me in there but after all that, I'm starved." He opened the back and began munching on the burgers within.

"You were gone for less than an hour," Howl observed. "Was it that tough?"

"Actually..." Brodie paused so he could swallow his meal. "Actually Grounds generates a mini-Battleground in there. Within, time is dilated heavily. I was in there for about five days."

Howl recoiled in shock and Hiro backpedalled in the waters of the dark ocean. "Wait... Really?" he exclaimed.

"Yeah. Needed a day days for each of the steps of Inheritance and then a couple more to get used to my powers. Honestly, it was really difficult. I mean, I never realised that in order to muster up their elemental powers, these guys actually sacrifice some of their physical strength."

"Huh?"

Brodie explained that because the elemental power wasn't exactly _their_innate ability as a Psyche or Manifesto, it was an enormous drain to manifest them. Abilities could be used without consequence and even spells could be used as long as one had the time and the correct incantation. But the elemental powers inherited from a Gym was something passed down from one Sensei to another and then down to his Trainers. The body of the inheritor had to exert a lot of strength to be able to do something it was not originally designed to do.

"I guess it's not something that's talked about a lot by winners of the Gym," Brodie said. "But I guess it's because they don't want to spoil it or they don't want to seem weak compared to other winners. I mean, if you complain about the steep cost of using Earth as a power then other teams who boast that they can use it easily will put you down."

"I guess..."

It also puts a new perspective on the winners of the Battle Circle and the Trainers...

"Yeah. The Battle Circle mastered all the elements and can use them to beat down entire Clans. Trainers inherit the power from the Sensei and train every day to master it because of its high cost..."

Sounds like this power isn't so much a gift as it is an extra weight we carry around during battles.

Brodie finished one of the burgers and went for another. Whatever he had experienced behind those doors clearly drained him. "We had to actually think of ways to use the power to best suit our combat style. Grounds helped us with it. I mean, I'm sort of the glass-cannon support here. Even Buck's strong legs need a bit of a windup time and have a bit of a recoil as well. It took some time but we decided to manifest our power as runes because it'll help Buck fight."

"You don't want to do your own fighting?"

Brodie shook his head. "Too much of a chicken." He gave Howl a shaky grin. "I mean, If I can't even come out to my parents, how am I suppose to fight someone that can carve the earth in two?"

The great grey doors let out a groaning noise again and Howl was instantly on his feet, the second bag of burgers in his paws. He rushed over along with the rest of the team and a large crowd of bears. Taser stepped out, naturally covered in sweat and cum but striding with his chest puffed out, a cocky grin on his feline face and a swagger in his step. Grounds stopped at the door and leaned against the frame, arms folded while he let Taser flex and growl in front of the crowd.

Like before, a target was created in front of him. Without ceremony, Taser unleashed his new Earth-based powers. A spire of rock erupted to his left and he punched right through it, shattering it into a million pieces. As the shards of earth hit the ground, they revealed that Taser now held a large, stone spear similar to the one on the murals - the kind with a ridiculously large spearhead.

With a roar, Taser charged forward and swung the spear at the target. The crowd visibly stepped back to avoid getting sliced in two. The spear smashed right through the target with ease.

Huh... So Taser can forge the earth into super hard weapons. Nice.

"I wonder what else he can forge from the earth," Howl thought with a lewd chuckle.

Oh Jesus Howl! Really?

"Would you rather I have said, 'I wonder what else he could make super hard?'"

Hell no!

"Too late. I just did."

Urgh...

Taser suddenly bounded over to him. Again without ceremony, he grabbed the back of Howl's head with his free paw and pulled him into a rough, savage kiss. Howl quivered in the big tiger's grip and reached out to seize the feline's bubble ass. He was met with something wet and a soft squish. Curious, he pulled his lips away.

"Did Grounds...?"

"Yes," growled Taser. "And you're not gonna fucking mention it again, got that?"

"Yes, sir."

He couldn't stop imagining what it would look like to have Taser being fucked wildly by the Big bear while he watched.

"I guess I'll go next," said Galahad and stepped towards the Sensei.

Taser nodded to his teammate. When Grounds and Galahad had disappeared past the door, he grabbed Howl's shoulder and pulled him to where Brodie and Weed were sitting. He parked himself on the seat and took the meal that Howl had bought, eagerly chomping down on it.

"How was it?" Brodie asked.

"Shut up. I'm eating," mumbled Taser.

Brodie shrank back and continued with his own meal. Realising that interrupting an eating tiger would be a very grievous mistake, Howl got up.

"Where the fuck do you think you're going?" Taser growled.

"I'm going to go see if I can learn anything from the Trainers," he said, hiking a thumb at the Trainer that Galahad had been speaking to previously. "I figure the more I know, the better. I am technically a week old, you know."

"You don't need to fucking know anything else. Besides, I can tell you everything you need to fucking know."

"Yeah but you're eating."

With that quip, Howl turned around, swished his tail knowing full well he'd pay of it later before heading to where the Trainers were practicing. As he approached, the scent he got off the Trainer was oddly familiar. Only when he saw the bright red hair did he realise that Galahad had been speaking with Matthew Polanzi, the Trainer that Howl had sucked off and subsequently defeated in their match.

He was just about to make a U-turn when Polanzi noticed him.

"Howl, right?" greeted the bear.

"Yeah." Howl smiled charmingly and held out his paw. "Pleased to meet you again. Sorry about... you know. Yesterday."

Polanzi gave him a pleasant smile and shook his paw. "It's okay. Part of the game. Congrats on the win."

"Thanks."

"And here I thought we made an enemy for life."

I guess people here take loses and defeats differently.

Polanzi looked over his shoulder at where Taser and Brodie were still eating. "Your team is really taking on the element well. The horse was a little worried about how he'll manifest the power given that he's more of a leadership and support role."

"You get to choose how you manifest it?"

The bear shrugged at him before letting go of his paw. "Well, when you practice a lot here in the Gyms, you tend to get better at how you use your power in a variety of ways. Like me. I can make myself a defensive piece or armour from the earth." To emphasise his point, shards of rock sprang up from the ground like flakes of ash and it closed around his now freed paw, giving him a thin layer of armour. "At the same time, I can use it move rocks around and stuff. But for those who don't have the time or don't want to be too specialised in one element or another, they find a single way to use their power and focus on training that aspect."

"Why? Seems to me a whole 'jack of all trades but master of none' sort of deal."

Polanzi gave him a lopsided smile. "You really are new, huh?" He placed his paws on his hips. "It's got to do with history and previous challengers to the Battle Circle. Those who get up to fight the Circle can't afford to be specialised in one element. Like many videogames and with nature, some elements are vulnerable to one another. You focus on Earth, you might just get turned into mud because you're drowned in Water, unable to move because Metal was used to hold you down or maybe Body was used to crush you. The Battle Circle, in their centuries of existing, have become masters of all Elements. They're like all the Sensei rolled into one so you can't afford to specialise in one against them."

It made sense. A Psyche who challenged the Circle and focused on a single Element couldn't expect the Circle to just use that one Element against them. They would switch it up and defeat them with something that could cripple the Element.

"Anyone ever become a Trainer in one gym, but then move on to other Gyms?"

"Plenty." He nodded towards a polar bear who was sparring with another Trainer. "See Griz, there? He used to be from the Ice Gym but came over here. He's pretty good with both Ice and Earth. But when he's fighting in the Arena, he's only allowed to use Earth. Makes things fair."

"Huh... I guess there's a lot of rules I'm still not aware of."

Polanzi smiled at him. "Why? Thinking of joining a Gym as a Trainer?"

He laughed bitterly. "I don't think anyone would look kindly to a gold Wolf Clan joining a Gym."

The bear frowned at him. "Don't let people mess with you. Out there on the field, it's not about what species you are."

"That's the hundredth time today I've heard that," Howl said with a roll of his eyes. "It's not your power, it's how you use it. Yeah. I get it."

"Not sure you do." Polanzi waved a large paw at the various Trainers about the room. "No two Trainers are the same, you know. I mean some of them come from different Clans and everyone has their own unique abilities from both their Psyche and Manifesto. There is no clear shot to winning against everyone so you have to think on your feet when facing them. You can't rely on your powers alone. You have to be well rounded in all aspects and this is the kind of ideology that the Gyms promote both in the Season and outside."

Huh... So basically you never know what life will throw at you so you have to roll with the punches.

"Sounds like something you can benefit from, Hiro."

Shut up, Howl.

He let out a soft grunt and glanced towards the big grey doors, wondering when Galahad was going to be done.

"Thanks for the advice," he rumbled. "But honestly, I just emerged about a week ago and -"

Polanzi backpedalled in surprise. "Wait, you're serious!? You're just a week old and you already beat me!?"

"Aww shit... Maybe not the smartest thing to say..."

When was the last smart thing you said?

"Fuck you, Hiro."

Polazni looked utterly crestfallen. "Shit... Well there goes my self-esteem. Most guys who manage to beat ta Gym at least have been out for a year or two. But a week? Fuck me..." He slammed a paw against his forehead. "Geez..."

Realising his power was likely pushing Polanzi's feelings of failure, Hiro quickly said, "Hey, don't worry about it. Shit happens, right? Just had a bad day."

"Maybe. But your ability really showed me that I have to be stronger. I need to be able to stand up against powers like yours." Polanzi balled his paws into fists and let out a soft huff as if preparing himself for a fight. "Yeah. I've got it! My new resolution is that I'll also train my mind to bring it up to par with my body!"

"Hell of a body too..."

Howl indulged in a bit of voyeurism and admired how the bear's red hair perfectly outlined the lines of his body even with the thick, brown fur.

"Maybe next year we can have a rematch," Polanzi said with a broad grin.

"A chance to fuck your sexy ass away from a cheering crowd of thousands of people? Hell yeah!"

Dear lord...

"Sure. Let me give you my number. Got a pen?"

Polanzi shrugged his massive shoulders and gave him a helpless gesture. "Where the hell would I keep it?" he replied, referencing his naked body.

Howl laughed and just told him his number instead. "I look forward to seeing how you improve."

The bear gave him a broad grin and a short laugh. "I can't wait to tell Sensei that I beat his golden boy's ass! And yes, that was a pun."

Hiro poked Howl, asking for control. Howl didn't see any reason not to and switched out.

"Pardon my observation," said Hiro, his features sliding from the friendly, introverted and easy-going smile of Howl to an impassive mask. "I'm Hiro. Howl's Manifesto. Just a quick question. Why do you want to appease Grounds so much?"

"Hi," Polanzi said briefly. "And who doesn't? I mean, he's my Sensei! Of course I'd want to do what I can to make him proud."

"Uh-huh. But you're the one that's preaching about not letting others define us and yet here you are, trying to do what you think will make Grounds happy. That seems a little hypocritical to me."

Howl panicked and tried to wrench Hiro back but his Manifesto was stubbornly holding on.

"Hiro! For fucks sake, we just made a friend! Why are you trying to fuck this up!?"

Because what I'm hearing sounds wrong to me! Now shut up and let him answer!

Polanzi regarded him with a frown and a puzzled look on his face. "You're... very different from Howl. Very forward."

"I get that. Answer the question. Have you even asked what would make Grounds proud? Or are you just basing this off an assumption?"

"Dude!" Howl cried. He gave Hiro one last, powerful yank and pulled his Manifesto back into the dark ocean. He took control again and gave Polanzi an apologetic smile.

"Sorry! Hiro is kind of an ass. Don't let what he said get to you."

The bear glanced away with a frown. "Maybe. But I guess he has a point. Something to think about, I guess."

The familiar steady roaring of the grey doors opening pulled his gaze towards where the Trainers were already gathering. He made to pat Polanzi's shoulder when he froze. Just the slightest tap could send the bear spiralling into depression so he just gave the red-haired Trainer a cheery wave and jogged over to where the others were gathering.

Galahad emerged beside Grounds but staggered just on the threshold of the door. The Big Bear had to catch him and pull him up to prevent him from toppling over.

"Shit..." rumbled Taser form where he stood beside Howl. "Must've been tough for him."

"What do you mean?"

Taser gave him a wry smile. "Every experience is different for everyone. Really can't tell you about how it was for me. That's between me and Grounds. But it is intense."

Sounds like the ritual is rather intimate.

"Scared?"

No. Are you?

"Of course not. I look forward to being properly fucked by the Big Bear again."

Urgh...

Grounds and Galahad spoke briefly. Howl perked his ears to listen in. Galahad mentioned that he was okay to show off a little. Grounds summoned the target once more and the Clydesdale stepped forward.

"Remember," advised the Big Bear calmly. "Focus. Even breathing."

Galahad nodded and calmed his breathing. He held out a hand in front of him, palm facing down. The earth in front of him shuddered and suddenly heaved, undulating like liquid. Howl could smell the distinct wet earth smell of fresh mud. The puddle rose, shifting and twisting as a single pillar. Hard lines and shapes began forming from the dark goo. A pair of muscled arms came rising out from the sides of the pillar and the base began splitting into two, massively thick legs. An equine head soon shaped itself atop a pair of broad, muscled shoulders.

Applause rang up from the crowd.

"So he can create mud-based duplicates," Weed said, his breath smelling of menthol. "That's a very difficult technique to master and maintain."

"You fucking with me?" Taser grunted. "So he can create a duplicate of himself. That's not impressive."

"But it is," chimed in Brodie from Howl's other side. "Think about it, Taser. For you and me we can leave our elemental manifestations alone once we summon them. They're basically autonomous for us. But for Galahad and Gabe, he has to direct it constantly. It's like he's controlling a second body but just with his one head. That's really difficult."

As a sign of his control, Galahad stood beside his clone and the two began throwing a few punches into the air. They were at first quite in synch with one another then they began moving individually. Galahad then slipped behind the mud duplicate and cupped his hands together. The clone jumped onto his hands and Galahad used the leverage to launch it into the air. The golem's form wavered for a brief moment as it was flung upwards, but it quickly reformed and came flying down, its hoof crashing onto the stone target, shattering it.

"I suppose that is impressive..." grumbled Taser. "Would be like having a fifth guy in our team, I guess."

"Good work, Galahad," said Grounds, beaming with pride. "Take a break." He nodded towards Howl. "Who's next?"

"Like he even has to ask."

Howl stepped forward, head held high.

"My turn."

*******

He knew that it was highly unprofessional to be looking forward to passing on his power to Howl and Hiro more than the others but he could not help how he felt. Howl's powers had left its mark on him and he grew quite fond of the wolf's friendly nature and even Hiro's bluntness. Though he remained focused on task when it came to the other members of Baramon, he had to admit that it felt more like a tease or a build up to the main event which would be the time he got to spend with the golden wolf. He was glad he didn't have to meet with Weed before Howl or that would have killed his mood.

The moment the giant, grey doors closed, he grabbed Howl by the shoulders, hoisted him up and pressed their muzzles together in a passionate kiss. His eyelids fluttered at the mere touch of the wolf. The euphoric sensations he felt, the mix of arousal and control fought each other within him, bringing his cock to full mast within moments. Constantly battling the urge to pin Howl to the ground and breed him brought a sense of elation that he just could not describe. The feelings embodied the old saying that it was not the destination but the journey. In this case, his destination was the ultimate sense of relief as he came but the journey was getting there.

His rational side won over, however, even though his primal instincts - and Clay - argued otherwise. Pulling away from Howl, he gasped and set down the wolf with a laugh.

"Is that how you begin each of these sessions?" Howl joked.

"Just yours," answered Grounds with a wink. "Just being around you brings up memories of the night we spent together and that makes me want to relive that night over and over again."

"Sounds like fun. But I expect to be able to manipulate the earth by the end of it."

The Big Bear smiled and took a step away from Howl to lessen the impact of the wolf's power upon him. "Fair enough." He inclined his head down the chamber. "Follow me."

The hallway was dark and only illuminated by a few naked bear statues holding up their lanterns. Their footsteps echoed in the vast hall and a sense of quiet fell upon them. All the noises of the temple faded away behind them and suddenly, it just became the two of them in this one lonely hallway.

"So how much do you know about the Ritual of Inheritance?" he asked.

"Not much to be honest. Just what you told me about the three stages and then what I gathered from the others of the team. It's meant to be unique to us, right?"

"Exactly. But there's more of a purpose to each of the three stages than being a marathon fuck session a way of you and I to bond."

The hallway ended in a large, circular chamber about as large as a football field. Most of it was dark save for the roof which had six large points of light that cast a dull, bluish-grey glow upon the rest of the chamber. A few yards from where they emerged was a circle of cushions and a low table, one of those Japanese-types where you had to squat in front of it to get its full use.

"Aether," Grounds said guiding Howl towards the table. "There are thirteen Elements that the Clans use but Aether is the power of the Battle Circle. The supposed 'non-element'. The presence and absence of all Elements. It's the power that the Battle Circle used to placate the Clan Leaders all those years ago and make them into the Gyms." He nudged Howl slightly with an elbow. "If you believe that bullshit."

"You don't?"

The Sensei shrugged absently. "Honestly, no. Don't really know what it is but it helps you Inherit the powers of the Gym. Without it, you can try and try but all you'll end up doing is just fucking someone raw."

He took up his position on one side of the table and gestured for Howl to do the same. The wolf squatted in front of him.

"Now understand first and foremost that while you can tell others about what you experience here, I wouldn't recommend it. This is a very personal, intimate ritual. It is not only between you and me but all the Sensei that have gone by."

Howl inclined his head to the side. "Huh?"

Grounds pressed a paw against his chest. "The mantle of being Sensei is passed down from one bear to the other, you know that. But it's also more than that. When I became Sensei, the old leader of this Gym and I performed a ritual similar to this one but a far more intense version. In our version, I am simply opening the door to you to take in a certain amount of power from me. But when I became a Sensei, the my old master filled me with everything."

"Everything?"

"Yes. The knowledge of previous Sensei past. Their memories. Their thoughts. Everything. It was very overwhelming. But at the same time, incredible." He could not help but smile at the memory. "It was like being fucked through the ages. Nothing compares." Howl was giving him a curious look. "Yes, it's strange. I know. But that's how it is when you become Sensei. Though to the rest of the world, I spent about a week with my Sensei Inheriting his power, to me I lived alongside each and every Sensei before them. I fell in love with each of them, mated with them. I was there with Maximus Stone when he pledged loyalty to the Battle Circle. I stood beside William Slate as he curbed the racial rebellions between different kinds of bears. I lived with David Flint as he brought this Gym into the modern age. Each of them, Howl, Hiro. I lived centuries alongside them."

He reached forward and just kept his fingers an inch away from brushing against Howl's masculine muzzle. "How I wish I could have you experience the same..." Grounds lowered his paw. "But that is not why we are here."

The Sensei closed his eyes briefly and when he opened them again, he activated his Eyes of Ruin. There was a loud, booming noise and a burst of energy erupted from the space between them. Howl flinched as the burst washed over him and spread all over the chamber. The darkness was suddenly replaced by an entirely different scene.

Marble floors glistened in the afternoon sunlight. Massive, white columns that seemed to reach infinitely into the clouds rose around them in a wide circle. Grapevines grew around each one. Beyond them were lush valleys and rolling hills in a land that Howl did not recognise. They were atop some mountain overlooking a beautiful, green landscape.

"So let's begin," Grounds said. In front of him was a single, golden chalice. Within was a thick, white liquid. "The Ritual of Connection," he intoned. "It is the process in which you and I become more closely connected. I learn from you what is the best way to help you learn and you, in turn, learn more about me so that you trust my tuition more."

"Alright," Howl said calmly. "So... what? Do we ask each other questions, or something? I remember you saying we just chat or something."

He smiled and shook his head. "I suppose that's one way of putting it." Gesturing at the chalice, he said, "First we both revert to our human forms. Then we drink some of the Aether. Afterwards, we get into the sixty-nine position and let the Aether do the rest." Then he noticed that Howl was giving him a rather uncomfortable look. "What's the problem?"

Howl fidgeted in front of him a little. "I'll be honest. Since I've been here I haven't actually switched back to being human. All the times I _have_switched back and Hiro's taken over, it's been outside a Battleground and it's because we came so hard that we just had to." He grinned at Grounds sheepishly. "So... You know..."

The Sensei fully understood. Here in the Gym, it was very hard for Psyches to relinquish control and turn back into their human forms. It was a common occurrence and a problem in the Gyms. A duo could be far too comfortable in their Psyche form and eventually, the Psyche could fully take over inadvertently. That was why the Gyms encouraged resolution of conflicts through fights. Both Psyche and Manifesto had to work together to grow stronger. Plus there were 'transformation tutors' that helped pairs change back and forth.

But seeing as he had Howl and Hiro in front of him, he thought he ought to give the boys some advice. When he was younger, the temptation of popping a boner and letting Clay out was always a threat and sometimes even after a good jerk off session or two, it wasn't enough to squeeze his shape back into his human form. He got better as the years went on, but he had to chuckle at himself over the temptations he dealt with on a regular basis during his tenure at his 'human job'. Being a seismologist in California guaranteed him plenty to do, but the fact that his office was located right across from Muscle Beach meant that the temptation of sexy bodybuilders was all around him. Plus, being so close to Hollywood meant he had gotten to know some of the Psyches who were actors and movie stars. The actor who played Wolverine was type-casted.

"I see. Well the Ritual of Connection needs you to be in your human shape and Hiro to be in control so let me tell you how I change back." He closed his eyes. Though his cock ached and Clay was clawing at the edges of his consciousness, begging to be let out, he calmed his breathing and soothed his racing heart. "First, I remember that both Clay and I are very different people. We're best friends, lovers and partners but we are still very unique. There is a divide between us. I envision that divide."

Clay protested at first but he knew that this ritual was very important and they couldn't spend their entire time fucking one another like wild rabbits. They had to be professional. So he allowed himself to take a step back and for Grounds to erect a mental barrier between himself and his Psyche. In his mind, it was a gargantuan stone wall that seemed to stretch infinitely upwards.

"Can you see that divide?"

"I believe I do."

The voice that spoke was far more controlled, a little less emotional. It was Hiro. That was good.

"Now empower that wall. Make it stronger. Wider. Separate yourself more and more from one another. Not just you, Hiro. Howl, you two. You _both_need to make this distinction. If it helps, focus on your differences."

After over a century of living within the same body, he and Clay had become very similar to one another It was just a natural development. Time together had a funny way of smoothening creases and encouraging the two to work together. But there were still hot button topics between them that could still divide them.

I regularly like to bathe in bath salts and with scented soaps.

"I'm not into that girly shit and love some manly musk."

Though Grounds was social and the one mostly in control in public situations, Clay was more of a loner who just liked to lounge about in his underwear if only so that the fabric could collect his sweat and stink. He loved to dragging one of his Trainers in every now and again so he could get the guy to sniff his underwear while he fucked the guy into next week. Grounds, on the other hand, preferred to be clean and made use of their bathtub quite often, enjoying floating there in the aromatic, warm waters.

As he thought of these differences, he could feel his skin prickling. A sure sign that he was regaining control of their form and subconsciously pulling it back into his human shape.

"As you take more and more control," he said, "your body will naturally react. Your brain will know which shape to take. So keep focusing on what makes you unique from Howl."

"I fucking hate coffee."

I can't live without it.

He needed at least three very large cups of coffee a day. It didn't matter when he took it. He just needed it. Regardless of whether he guzzled all three cups in the morning or spread it out throughout the day, he could not survive without them.

A sensation like there was a big black hole in his chest overwhelmed his body. Every limb felt like it was being sucked inwards, deep into his personal world and into the other side of the barrier towards Clay. He remembered the first time he had tried the procedure had been a little painful. There was a duality in the transformations. Releasing Clay was euphoric but pulling him back had been agonizing. A psychologist could say something about it subverting his primal tendencies which rightfully deserved to be out. But Clay soothed him through it, willingly taking it all in to ease the transition.

"Urf..." Hiro grunted.

"I know it's uncomfortable," he said calmly, keeping his eyes closed. "But Howl, you need to help as well. Do you feel like there's a force trying to suck your entire body in from inside your chest?"

"Yeah. Like heartburn but worse."

"Howl, I need you to focus on that. Imagine a hole in the wall you've created between yourself, that divide. A bridge where you can take everything that is being sucked in that Hiro is feeling and bring it over to your side. That's your shape, after all. Bring it back to your side."

He could feel his muzzle shrinking, the teeth reshaping and reconfiguring to become more human in shape. The immense bulk that was Clay's body shrank back. A chill ran up his body when the thick, pelt of fur gave way to his, muscled human flesh.

Now he needed the last push. Perhaps the biggest divide between them.

I don't want kids.

"I want to have cubs."

Clay represented his most primal desires and amongst them was the desire to reproduce. It was just human nature to reproduce. It came with their biology. But Grounds could just never envision his dick inside a woman and the thought of raising a kid from infancy to adulthood made him cringe. Not to mention the time he'd have to take away from being Sensei of the Gym. Naturally, Clay always argued that he only had to be a full-time Sensei for one month out of the year and he enjoyed playing with kids so long as they weren't his own. It was a way to continue their line. He wasn't the first Grounds to be a Manifesto and his brother and sister had already had their own kids. Why couldn't he?

And with that, the last vestiges of Clay's form was sucked through the wall where it stayed.

Grounds opened his eyes, back to being human. Just in time too. The last bits of Howl vanished through Hiro's lightly tanned skin and the young, muscled man let out a soft, relieved sigh. Grounds inclined his head to the side, examining the young man before him. Hiro certainly looked like one of those underwear models. Perfect blonde hair, chiselled chest and just a single vein running through his arms, enough to mention that he worked out but not so overly vascular to make him a muscle freak.

Hiro opened his blue eyes and lifted them towards Grounds.

"Wow... I'm... I'm back."

"Yes you are," Grounds said. He clapped his hands onto his knees. "Now the challenge is keeping that way despite being in a Battleground. Howl, don't be coy. You need to stay back for this. You'll get your turn eventually."

Hiro gave him a sly smile. "He's not too pleased about not being first up but he'll follow the rules. So what do we do?"

He picked up the golden chalice filled with a deep ruby liquid, almost black really. Only when the fluid sloshed about could it be seen that the substance was actually red. "Here. Drink all of this."

Hiro took the cup and sniffed it. Having done this so many times, Grounds knew that the Aether smelled a little like salty cinnamon like the crust of a freshly baked apple pie with a dash of savoury in it. But the blonde-haired man before him was a little suspicious.

"This doesn't have your cum in it, does it?"

"No." It was funny just how many times he had been asked that. "That is Aether. The substance that the Battle Circle gave us for this Ritual. Heavily diluted, of course. But still Aether."

Hiro glanced at the cup's contents and then back at Grounds. "Your... blood?"

"Jesus... Just get the kid to drink it already!"

"Just drink," Grounds side, tipping the bottom of the cup towards Hiro so that the youth would drink. Hiro guzzled the contents, hesitantly at first, but the pleasant mixture of fruity and salty taste would go down easily enough. Once he was done, Grounds took the cup, filled it from the jug of Aether he had and drained it himself.

He could feel its effects take hold almost instantaneously.

"I feel... A little strange," Hiro admitted.

"Like you're a little out of your body?" Grounds offered. "Kind of like there's cotton at the end of every nerve or that there's this extra layer between yourself and your skin?"

"Yeah..." Hiro blinked a couple of times. "Feels like everything I do is a little... slower."

"Aether enhances your sense of awareness." He got to his feet and offered a hand to Hiro. His charge took a minute to notice what he was doing and took his hand. "It encourages a sense of hypersensitivity. Your mind is working way faster than your body now. But in a little while, your brain is going to work out how to adapt to this and you'll gain an increased level of control over your body."

"What do you mean?"

Grounds winked at him and guided him over to the bed of cushions a short distance away. "Give it a second. It'll start to kick in shortly."

Suddenly, Hiro let go of his hand and doubled over, a soft grunt leaving his lips. "Oh God... what... what is this? I feel... I feel..."

With one eyebrow raised, he watched with keen interest as his student clutched those perfectly sculpted abdominals. A loud rumbling noise emerged from the boy's gut and sweat dripped down his features. The same gurgling noise rose from Hiro's balls. The orbs thrashed madly in his sac as if they were possessed and trying to wrestle with one another. Hiro pulled his hands away from his stomach and his blue eyes went wide in shock. The gurgling grew louder, almost like an underwater roar. The highly defined ridges began to fade beneath a layer of fat. The shrunken organs inflated as his belly bloated, pushing outwards and jostling just as wildly as his balls.

"What's happening to me!?" he cried.

"Never ceases to amaze me how first timers always get shocked by this."

Grounds mentally chuckled and watched Hiro's frame bloat outwards and swell. Hiro held his hands out in front of him, gawking as his fingers fattened and his hands grew. As his flesh thickened, trickles of blonde hair thickened all over his body. He turned his hands over, watching as the hairs there grew longer and darker. The backs of his hand were completely covered within moments and an entire forest of brown-blonde hairs swept up his forearms. The same happened to his belly. His darker coloured pubic hairs burst upwards, following the curve of his growing belly until they formed a nice little treasure trail that still outlined the edges of his abdominals even as they faded into the rounded belly. The line of hair touched the base of his pectorals, inflaming them to grow.

The first, square pecs ballooned outwards, growing bigger and stronger. There was a nice little layer of fat on them that kept them from being too muscular to the point of being grotesque but they still maintained an immense strength. Hiro shut his eyes, the groan that rose from his throat growing deeper and deeper as his chest expanded. The strength in his shoulders doubled along with the thickness of his neck. Large veins popped along his shoulders and fed straight into his biceps and meeting the thick forest of his forearms. He let out a roar and fell onto his back as his arms exploded into huge bowling balls covered in thick veins.

Looks like he's the kind of bear that likes to focus on his upper body.

"Yummy."

Hiro thrashed madly on the floor, having landed on the pile of pillows that Grounds had strategically placed there. With every kick, his legs thickened, losing their lean, sculpted appearance and becoming broader to support his increased weight. The thin layer of blonde hair grew thicker, becoming more brownish in colour and spread all over his legs like a thin layer of fur. His toes curled and uncurled over and over again and he couldn't help but smile a little, biting his lower lip as the transformation filled him with an overwhelmingly pleasurable sensation.

The young man's lips pulled open in a quiet gasp. His angular jaw broadened, thickening with a little layer of fat that was quickly covered by a dense layer of brown facial hair that had the faintest tinges of blonde around the edges. It gave him an overall dark, brooding look that was haloed by gold.

Grounds couldn't help but snicker to himself as Hiro's long dick thickened, becoming girthier. Though he had to lift an eyebrow when the foreskin curled over the boy's member, giving him a large, fat, uncut dick.

Hiro's new body arched upwards. His cry of orgasm was completely silent as his cock went off like a wild firehose. The jet of seed went shooting up high into the air, nearly reaching the top of the columns before the continuous flood came crashing back down just a few feet behind Hiro's head. There was no pause in the blasts, it was just a single stream like a perfect, white rainbow. Even Hiro's bucking hips did nothing to interrupt the flow.

The Sensei regarded the pool with a smile. The viscous layer of fluid stirred and bubbled even as more of it came pouring down. It began gathering together, coalescing into a familiar shape. Large, elliptical sausages formed within the goo like a someone's basic sketch of a human being. Then, small details began being added. Fingers popped out of the tips of the arms. A muzzle emerged from the head as well as toes. Details of a strong, muscular frame came into being. Rounded ears, a small, nub of a tail, thick fur and a large, broad feet. As with any drawing, colour was added last as the flow of the cum came to an end and the last bits of the white fluid poured into the being. Bright, gold was added to the fur but the thick chinstrap beard was left a dark brown as was the broad crest on his chest that led a treasure trail down to his pubes. A little mane of the same dark brown hair was added just down his back.

Howl had emerged but not as a wolf.

As a gold and brown bear.

Both young men slumped to the ground, completely exhausted.

Grounds smiled at the two.

Hiro had become one sexy cub. A very strong, fit specimen with a bit of a gut. Howl, on the other hand, had the build of a bodybuilder with a roidgut or perhaps a powerlifter.

"They're fucking sexy."

I know. Good thing we didn't have to knock them out or wipe their memories.

"Alright," Grounds said softly. "Let's begin."

******

He was falling. The odd sensation of someone or something pulling him downwards left a sense of vertigo and weightlessness in his gut. Hiro opened his eyes slowly and found himself staring into an endless darkness only partially broken by the fragmented rays of sunlight from the surface of the dark ocean.

For the first time, he was falling into the abyss itself. Head first no less. He had actually wondered what was down there every time he was plunge in here when Howl took control. Now, he was going to find out. There was some strange comfort in that his Focus ability could not see anything in the darkness. The abyss nullified the overload of confusing, often contradictory information that he was assaulted with. It was just darkness. Peace. Nothingness.

Through droopy eyes, he looked towards the dark depths, trying to see something... anything. Some inexplicable force pulled at his feet, turning him around so that he was suddenly drifting downwards feet first. Gravity seemed to slow its influence as well and he floated slower and slower down into the darkness.

His bare feet abruptly came up against something solid. Suddenly, he was standing on a surface shrouded in nothing buy shadow. Confused, he took a step forward. The gloom beneath him immediately shattered. Cracks of light splintered across the surface and peeled away as if flakes of dried paint caught up in a tornado. The black shards somersaulted in the air, transfiguring into glimmering white feathers that reflected the eerie green light that emerged from the surface that they revealed.

Hiro grimaced and shielded his eyes as the storm of feathers swam around him and peeled. His eyes adjusted and he saw... what appeared to be glass beneath his feet. Or rather, stained glass of some sort. Shades of green were cobbled together, divided by black outlines in a distinctive, Renaissance-like pattern. The flow of feathers ended several yards away revealing a perfect circular surface made entirely of stained glass that emitted a soft light from somewhere beneath. Hiro spun around, looking at the platform only to come to a stop at where the pattern of green glass was broken by a tanned figure. To his utter shock it was an image of himself, eyes shut and in a deep sleep as he rested against the rim of the circle. His hand was outstretched towards the centre of the platform.

"Where am I...?"

His voice sounded distant like it was coming from all around him but from across the horizon instead of his own throat.

"Hiro?"

The voice, still distant, came from behind him at least and when he turned, he found a big, lumbering, gold-furred bear bounding over to him. Despite the change in size and species, he could not mistake Howl.

"Howl? Why are you a bear?"

His Psyche regarded him with a puzzled look and pointed at his stomach. "I'd ask you the same thing."

Hiro glanced down at his pronounced belly. "Argh!" he cried, gripping the fat there. "What happened to me!" As he looked down, his beard scratched against his double chin and he immediately rubbed his hands over the thick, but well-kempt fixture. "What happened to us!?"

"I don't know..." Howl flexed his arms. "But I like it."

"Oh sure. You get to be the definition of the burly bear and I get this!" Hiro jiggled his belly. "That's hardly fair."

Howl chuckled as Hiro squeezed his pudgy frame cautiously.

"So where are we? And why is there a big picture of you on the ground?" Howl asked as he pointed at the mural past Hiro.

"I dunno...but I could say the same about you." Hiro responded as he pointed to the area behind Howl.

Howl turned to see that the mural was in the form of his new ursine shape, eyes similarly shut and arm outstretched just like Hiros on the opposite side. It was like they were mirror images of one another, both reaching towards whatever rested in the centre.

"Looks like we are about to sixty nine" Howl responded bluntly.

"Shut up Howl..." Hiro groaned.

Grounds' voice suddenly cut through their conversation, coming in clearer and crisper than either of theirs.

"This is part of the ritual of inheriting our power, boys."

Hiro glanced upwards, waving his arms. "I thought we were meant to suck each other off or something?"

"You were actually looking forward to that?" Howl asked. "Wow. When you go gay, you really go gay."

"Shut up, Howl."

A deep chuckle answered. It was Clay.

"Everyone experiences the ritual differently because we delve into your inner world. This place. The trials here will be unique to you so we're not sure how much we can help. But I can say that you need to find us. Just not entirely sure how_..."_

Hiro's shoulders sagged. "What do you mean you don't know how?"

"This is as much a journey of self-discovery as it is about obtaining our powers," answered Grounds. "This entire world is a manifestation of your subconscious and a representation of the universe that you both share. Your home within yourself. But Clay and I are visitors here. Your world will naturally try and protect you and reject us. You need to find us and build your world so that it can accommodate us."

"So... we're basically doing a whole self-inception thing here?"

"Huh?"

"Inception," Hiro said. "You know. That movie where the guys go into another person's dream and plant an idea there but that person has to come to that conclusion themselves or he'll reject it?"

"Oh yeah. I remember seeing that. Do you think the top would've stopped in the end?"

"The top wasn't his totem. It's his ring."

"Huh?"

"Think about it. The totem is meant to be something no one else is meant to know about and yet for some reason, everyone else knows how the top works. Besides, the top was his _wife's_totem and -"

Howl gripped his shoulder tightly. "Okay, let's stop talking about movies and can we get to the part where we start throwing earth around. How do we find you?"

Clay responded warily. "That's going to be the hard part. We actually have no idea where we are. We're on some platform made out of stained glass and..." There was a pause. "Okay, it's like a tower of some sort. I can see all the way down and there are windows and designs all along the sides."

"We're on a similar platform," Hiro said. He headed towards the edge of the disc and looked down. The platform wasn't just floating there in the darkness. It seemed to be the top of an immensely tall tower. All along the sides of the tower were stained glass designs with the eerie light spilling out from behind it.

"Not the same, I guess."

Hiro straightened. "What colour is your platform?"

Howl growled at him. "This isn't the time to be thinking about what colour things are, Hiro..."

"No. Seriously. What colour is your platform, Clay?"

"Ours is a sort of deep green. Emerald, I guess."

Hiro regarded their own platform. "Ours is a grass green. We've got an image of Grounds here. As a human. Supposedly sleeping."

"Hang on." Again another pause. "From our end, it's the two of us. Kind of in a sixty-nine position but not sucking each other's dicks. We're asleep, I think. You look cute when you're asleep like that, Con."

"Aww, shaddap..."

Hiro rolled his eyes while Howl chuckled behind him and ended the twist by looking straight at Howl. "So we're definitely not on the same platforms. But the problem is how to we get there. I don't see any other platforms." Then he looked past Howl and inclined his head in confusion. "Uh... Guys..."

Howl followed his gaze and his hackles rose. A growl rose from his throat but it was deeper than before. At the edges of the platform, strange lupine creatures began emerging from the darkness. They clawed their way up from the ledges. Their fur was completely black and they exuded a bluish-black gas. Their eyes were completely yellow-gold, no sclera or pupils.

"Weird shadowy things are just starting to pop up over our platform!" Howl shouted. "What the fuck are they!?"

"They're your natural defences coming in to expel you."

"What? Why us? We're us!"

"Are you sure about that?"

Hiro locked gazes with the bear-shaped Howl and then at his own hands. "Oh hell..."

"Yeah. We're getting those things too. Sorry boys, but you're going to have to fight them while trying to find a way to get to us."

Panic struck through Hiro. "Fight them!? With what?" He waved a pudgy hand in Howl's direction. "He's basically a walking mood enhancer on steroids!" Howl pouted at him and let out a soft 'hey'. "And all I can do is look really hard at people!"

Howl seized his shoulder, claws digging slightly into his flesh, and pulled him away from the ledge. Behind them, more of the shadowy wolves were crawling up from the abyss.

"Can't you identify their weaknesses!?" Howl barked.

Hiro wrenched himself away from his Psyche, grimacing as those claws caught some skin and caused him to bleed slightly. "It's not that simple!" He pointed at the approaching creatures. "They don't have any weaknesses. They're just..." His eyes flicked to the approaching beasts. "They're just us. All I see is reflections of us trying to keep _this_us from being here any longer than we should!" He gestured at his pudgy body.

His Psyche growled at him. "Fine. You try to find a way to Grounds and Clay. I'm going to hold them off!"

"With what!?"

Howl glanced around himself before giving him a grim grin. "I'll do what I can."

Hiro rolled his eyes. "Good luck with that."

A loud ringing noise echoed out in the darkness. It seemed out of place compared to the quiet menace of the shadowy wolves and their slow, threatening approach. He heard it again and this time, he could hear Clay letting out an echoing bellow.

"Clay! Was that you?"

"Huh? Oh yeah, kiddo. Why?"

His mind began racing. "I can hear you. Even in the darkness, I can hear you." He began spinning around. "Make some noise. Lots of it!"

"Alright. If you're sure."

The crashing grew louder and more frequent. Hiro spin in place, looking for the source. The myriad of colours and the threatening golden eyes of the shadow wolves became distracting. He shut his eyes and focused entirely on his hearing. A boom echoed outwards from his right. Then another and a little more to his right. A third and his eyes snapped open.

"There!" he cried, pointing in the direction. "That's where they are!"

Howl growled and swiped at one of the shadow wolves. His claws passed right through it. The creature seized his arm and tried to pull him deeper into the pack. However, as large as it was, it was relatively weak and Howl yanked his arm free.

"Are you sure? It's not like there's a path up there."

That was true. It was just absolute darkness in that direction. His eyes drifted down towards his feet, towards the stained glass.

This is our world... So that means...

He grunted and charged towards the edge.

"Hiro!"

Shoulder down, he charged right through the shadows. Their mostly incorporeal forms, exploded into burst of black gas as he ploughed through them only for those very same forms to reform moments later. He heard Howl's heavy footsteps right behind him. Praying that he was right, he charged right to the edge of the platform, holding his breath until his right foot took the leap away from the safety of the platform -

And landed on solid block of stained glass.

Out of the blue, a square platform of the same material as the circular dais appeared right in front of him.

"Yes! It worked!"

Howl seized his shoulder and pulled him up the platform. "That's great! Now make more of that shit and let's go!"

Hiro turned and charged towards the edge of the square. Every step he took, a new platform burst into existence in a flurry of feathers, slightly higher than the first and leading further into the darkness. Howl raced after beside him. The sounds of Grounds and Clay fighting grew louder and louder with each platform that spawned. He dared a glance over his shoulder and could see the shadow wolves were slowly stalking their way up the makeshift flight of stairs. They were not chasing after them. They seemed content to be a menacing presence that slowly advanced towards them.

Turning back ahead, he could make out a faint outline of another platform. It had a deep emerald light emanating from it and he could see pillars and spears of rock jutting out from the surface. The sounds of rumbling rock grew even louder as they approached and he could see one of the earthen spears rise up from the stained glass.

"That's where they are!" Howl cried.

"Yeah," Hiro sighed with relief. He quickened the pace and came to the edge of the platform within moments.

As Clay had described, the platform was still made of stained glass but it was a deeper green in colour. The image on it, though broken by the battle, was that of Grounds and Clay, lying on their back as if floating through the air in a sixty-nine-like position. Their eyes were shut.

"Hey! We're over here!" Howl shouted as he leapt off the last stair and onto the platform. Grounds and Clay were waiting comfortably at the centre of the platform. The shadow wolves tried to navigate the walls of rock and when one barely got through, another spire of earth would rise up to intercept them. For the most part, they were unharmed.

The earthen garden crumbled immediately around them. The spears and spires turned into a brownish dust that faded off into the distance leaving their view of the platform and the Sensei clear.

Hiro hurried to Grounds, panting.

"Okay, we're here. What now?" he asked.

The Sensei smiled proudly down on him and clapped his shoulder. "Now, we take the next step in the ritual. You've brought us both into your world. Now it is time that we connect ourselves with one another."

Frustrated with the lack of clarity, Hiro knocked Grounds' hand away. "Look, enough with the bullshit. Can't you be clear with us? Can't you just tell us what the hell is going to happen next!?"

Showing infinite patience, the human Sensei just shook his head. "I know. I hate being ambiguous like this but we can only do what we were taught. This is a very personal affair and it's never the same for every person. The challenges are always different and the means to manifesting your power are always different for each and every person especially since we enter your own unique world. So please..." He rested both hand son Hiro's shoulders. "Please be patient with us."

"Guys," Howl muttered, backing away from the edge of the platform. "Company."

More shadow wolves were riding from the edges. Clay swept his massive paws around them in a circle. Earthen spires erupted from the stained glass around them, piercing the fragile crystal and surrounding them in a low, ragged wall.

"That'll hold them for a second," growled the bear. He pointed at Howl. "Pup, get on the ground. Suck my dick. I'll suck yours."

"What!?" Hiro exclaimed.

"Oh boy!" Howl exclaimed. "If I didn't have such a short nubby tail, it'd be wagging right now."

Clay gave him an accusing stare. "What's wrong with a nubby tail?"

Grounds squeezed on Hiro's shoulders to bring the boy's attention back to the Sensei. "We have to do this, Hiro. The physical contact between the two of us, the equal exchange of life essences is essential in forming the bridge between you and I. That bridge will allow us to better connect and make the subsequent activities much easier."

Hiro ran a hand down his face. "Jesus... it almost sounds like you're making this purposefully sexual." He threw his hands into the air. "Alright. Fine. Let's do this before we're piled on by shadow wolves."

"Great. Lie down on your side."

Hiro stiffly did as he was told. As he lay down, Grounds did the same only in the opposite direction. They found themselves in the perfect sixty-nine position. The Sensei took in Hiro's scent, relishing the complex undertones and the heat that was radiating from it, the need.

Even without any urging, he felt Grounds' lips around his dick. He got an electric jolt of sensations from the faintest of touches alone. He could feel every little wrinkle along Grounds' lips, the tickle of the hairs on the bigger man's beard. The slightest movement of his tongue was a thousand times stronger. Blood immediately began rushing towards his cock.

Hiro zeroed in on Grounds' own member and gave it the faintest lick. The Sensei's hips bucked like the world itself had heaved with his arousal and the throbbing pole was instantly shoved down his throat. He gagged at the sudden gesture. The shot of warm precum that shot down his throat eased its passage and he instinctively wrapped his lips around the pulsating member.

The flow was staggered at first. Just a few squirts; enough to keep him from drowning but still enough to feel a little alien. That flow quickly escalated and within a few more vigorous thrusts, a river was pouring right down his throat and straight into his very system. He had to adapt quickly and found a rhythm to take a breath between each thrust. In turn, he gave the same to Grounds and his Sensei was more than eager to swallow every drip.

The temptation was there to shoot his load entirely into Grounds but there was still this nagging feeling that it was wrong. From the corner of his eye, he could see Clay and Howl in very much the same position but neither of them showed any hesitation with their act. Both furry men were moaning and groaning with every thrust. His body yearned for more but his mind rebelled against the idea. Every inch of his flesh was itching to launch itself at Grounds but his brain kept telling him that he barely knew the man. His dick pleaded to release its load but some little part of him told him that it was wrong to be sucked off by a man. His mouth hungered for more of that dick but... but...

... but there was this little child, this weak, miniscule version of himself standing off in the darkness telling him that this was all wrong. He was raised better than this.

"Dad wouldn't want this of us..."

That sparked something in him. A fire, an inferno, that threw that part of him aside.

I am not weak. I do not need that asshole's approval!

I'm going to like what I like no matter what he would've wanted! And I like the idea of bursting out of my clothes, growing bigger, growing stronger and ripping every shred of clothing off my body until I'm a fucking beast!

In response, his balls gurgled and churned, jostling mightily like his very sperm was battering at the walls of his scrotum in eagerness to burst forth and hurry down Grounds' throat. He could feel the Sensei's own excitement in the activity. His thrusts were getting more and more ferocious and his balls were bouncing against the Hiro's nose, pushing that aromatic scent into his nostrils.

As they continued in their union, he found his mind expanding. Thoughts began trickling through from each spurt of precum. Pride. Caution. Desire. Was... was that Grounds? He suckled on the member in his mouth, encouraging the flow and the exchange of information, curious to find out more. In turn, he could feel his own thoughts feeding into the man he was pumping his precum into. As the first trickles of his thoughts entered Grounds, he reached around, squeezed the bearish man's ass and pushed him back down towards him. More precum came firing from both.

"Hiro?"

The single thought jarred his concentration for a moment and his eyes snapped open. He hadn't even realised he had closed them. His balls were aching for release. At the same time, he tasted Grounds' precum was starting to thicken. He could taste the Sensei was ready to explode.

"Grounds...?" he came the replied

A wave of relief washed through him and he continued suckling.

"I know you're scared." That was all that could fit into a single squirt before Grounds had to pause for another. "But trust me. This is normal."

"This is so strange..."

"I know. Trust me. In a few moments..." He trailed off as his current spurt of precum gave way to another. "... we're going to cum. And we're not going to stop."

"W - What...?"

"It'll feel amazing. But you and me. We'll form that bridge between us. Don't worry. It'll be fine."

His cock ached and throbbed. The constant flow and radiating pleasure from his member was quickly overwhelming his senses and bombarding the rest of his consciousness with orders to just let go and open the floodgates. It was like a third voice in his head that was growing stronger and stronger, tempting him to unleash himself entirely, to become one with Grounds. Every part of his body yearned for it.

He didn't need his father's approval.

He had a new daddy.

"Oh god... I'm not... Oh shit... I feel it coming!" Hiro pleaded.

Hiro shut his eyes, ready for the onslaught. His balls were on fire and ready to blast his molten seed right into the Sensei. Even though neither of them were really moving that much, his cock was twitching like a coiled snake ready to strike. The flow from his member was becoming constant, an open faucet of precum. His mind was slowly slipping away. The only thing that mattered was the pleasure in his member and his unrivalled need to be with Hiro.

"Me too, son. Here I come!"

A burst of ecstasy erupted from his cock and rocked his entire body. His jaw went slack just as a flood of hot seed came rushing down his throat. Every muscle in his body save his mouth tightened and his grip around Grounds pulled the bear of a man towards himself. Grounds likewise clamped his thick legs arounds Grounds' head, holding him in place. Their seed came shooting out of their dicks in an endless flow just like their precum.

The salty goo that flooded him rushed down his throat, seemingly sweeping through his veins without discrimination. As it pushed through him, he in turn was pushed downwards towards his dick where it felt like he was being sucked through a whirlpool of pleasure and arousal which only led straight into Grounds' form. He could feel an ecstatic Grounds flooding into his body, their consciousness shifting from one body to the other. For a brief instant, he could feel Ground's huge, hairy, muscled body clenching and shaking with hedonistic delight as his cock pumped more and more cum out, his balls working overtime to keep the flow going. It was the odd twins of pleasure and pain where his dick constantly offered sensual relief to the aching, needy pain of his balls that were constantly ready to burst with seed.

It was a strangely satisfying experience to taste his own, original cock in the body of another and he salivated as he swallowed more of his own dick. He took what he could about the sensations and feelings he got from Grounds' body. The bigger man having such a rounded form like what he had become against him was comforting, offering protecting and security.

Maybe that body isn't so bad...

But the feeling was fleeting. Just as quickly as he was pushed into Grounds' body, that same whirlpool of desire sucked him downwards towards his dick just as more cum came pouring down his throat and he was ejected out of the body of the Earth Sensei and back into his own. Hiro found himself flooding back into his own body, feeling the lingering emotions that Grounds had left behind; the pounding heart of fear and confusion, the rush of power over being in such a powerful body, a sense of loneliness of being alone and then the hardened determination not to let it crush him and to understand what was happening.

Again, no more than a few seconds of being back in his body was he flushed back into Grounds through their connection of flesh.

And the cycle repeated.

******

Hiro started awake for the second time in what felt like just an hour. He knew it was longer but he could barely tell the time. Once more, he was on a platform made of stained glass. The colouration was a little more bluish-green this time and it showed an image of himself once again. As he looked around the area for Howl he came across another image, except this one wasn't Howl, but of the image of Cornelius Grounds. It occurred to him that though Grounds' characterisation was slumbering, he had one paw held upwards in front of him resting about the centre of the disc like he was meant to be holding something up. He recalled that the image on the other platforms had the same position but he couldn't remember what they were gripping.

Not too far from him was a golden furred mound resting atop the glass.

"Howl!" he cried and rushed over to his Psyche.

The big bear rumbled softly and rolled onto his back. "Oooh... what happened? And why does my jaw feel sore?"

Typical Howl, he thought with a relieved smile.

"Probably because you were sucking off a dick that was _way_bigger than you could handle." He helped Howl to his feet. "Con? Clay? Where are you?"

"Con?" Howl repeated.

He gave his Psyche a shrug. "After going through that entire thing with him, I feel kind of weird calling him 'Grounds'." He cupped his hands around his mouth. "Con? Clay? Where are you?"

A soft murmuring came from their left.

"They must be that way. Come on."

Once again, they raced towards the edge of the platform. Those shadow wolves were just coming out from the edges as they were just leaving. Hiro felt that those things were going to become more of a problem later on but he decided not to think of it just yet. He had to find his Sensei.

"Con!?" he roared.

"Paw-Paw!?" Howl cried.

He stopped. "Paw-Paw?"

His Psyche gave him a sheepish grin. "Well, you know how calling Grounds 'Daddy' really turns him on."

Did he ever. During the maddening exchange of bodies and cum, he had felt just how much that term got Con going. Fantasies of having cubs worshiping him, suckling on his biceps and licking his feet, calling him Daddy were implanted into his brain. It wasn't nearly as arousing as what it made Con feel but he decided he liked it if the situation called for it.

"Yeah. What's Paw-Paw?"

Howl shrugged. "Well, it's kind of a bastardisation of 'Papa' but said with a really thick southern accent. That's what gets Clay going."

"How... oddly specific."

And yet not at all that surprising.

"Hiro! Howl!" The shout came from further ahead but still a little more to their left. As they raced up the stained glass stairs, Hiro continued to conjure more steps but twisting them more in the direction of the voices. The sounds of fighting added to the background noise of Con's cries.

"Hey guys? You might want to hurry up getting here!" Clay shouted. "Your inner selves have got some new tricks!"

New tricks?

A loud crashing filled the darkness and as they raced across the bridge, they could see the faint outline of the next pedestal. Like the others, it was circular and covered in stained glass. The glow coming from it was a more bluish colour than green but there were still tinges of green there, almost a jade-like colour. Again, Hiro aimed them a little higher than the platform itself, curious to see what the image was on the glass. This time, the image was of Howl and Clay. Howl's image was the same as before, however Clay's arm was outstretched just like Grounds. Almost as if he was cupping something that was meant to be at the centre of the platform. Like the others, he was asleep.

There's something about these images. Something... important.

He stopped for a moment though when he noticed that the spears coming from the platform were a little different than before. Each of the spear-like spires were emitting a dark, sickly gas only visible through the glow of the platform. He noticed that the shadowy creatures weren't so lupine anymore either. They were human; silhouettes of himself. They moved much faster than the Howl-shadows. When they moved their hands, those dark, earthen spires rose from the platform and threatened to skewer Con or Clay.

"Holy shit!" Howl cried. "Your shadows can use Grounds' power! Why can't _we_do that!?"

Without waiting for a reply, he leapt off the platform and barrelled his way through the dark army, momentarily disrupting their ranks. Hiro quickly followed, rushing forward to avoid being closed in by the darkness. He came up beside Con who was covered in sweat and panting heavily.

"It looks like at least some part of you has starting the process into accepting us," said the Sensei. "The Ritual of Connection allowed us to share information with one another, get our bodies and minds accustomed to one another. These dark spires are likely your subconscious referring to the experiences we have together."

"Great! So what's next?" Howl demanded. He yelped as one of the spires shot up from his left, making him leap and crash into Clay.

"The Ritual of Union," growled the big, furry bear. Clay hauled Howl easily to his feet by the scruff. Then, he swept his paws up and a wall of earth erupted around them, surrounding them completely and giving them a moment of respite. "Through it, Con and I merge with you to symbolise your acceptance of our abilities and for us to force a place where you can always refer to our power when you need it."

THUD!

The earthen wall shuddered and a small crack appeared against it. The shadows were trying to break through but they clearly weren't very smart. Hiro could imagine them just creating an angled spear that arced over the wall and the creatures crawling up its length.

God I hope that didn't give them ideas.

"Okay, then let's start!" Howl demanded.

"It's not that simple," Con answered. He gestured at the wall. "It's not only us that you have to accept into yourselves. It's expected that at this stage your mental self-defences have adopted some part of us. You need to absorb them too."

Howl whirled around to face the Sensei with an incredulous look on his face. "What!?"

"I'm sorry. That's just how things are done." Con lowered his arm and looked forlornly past the wall. "Connection, Union, Inheritance."

Inspiration struck Hiro. "I get it." He felt all eyes turn to him even as Con gave him a curious look. "It's like building an embassy in a foreign land. In Connection you negotiate the terms. In Union, you build the embassy. Finally, with Inheritance, you fill the embassy with people. But..."

A thin smile appeared on Con's face. "Yes. Go on."

Another thud echoed across the darkness. The shadows were focusing entirely on one section and to the exclusion of all else. Cracks began appearing across the wall.

"But each part has its consequences," Hiro said. "During Connection, people will be against the process. There will always be those who are against having a nation speak to another. That's why we had those shadow guys after us." He closed his eyes, blocking out all the distractions around him to focus on what he was going to say. "When you're starting to build the embassy, there are dissidents from both sides who are against it. People who could come from every walk of life that could even be from mixed cultures from both sides but are still against its construction."

His eyes snapped open. "But it's still a symbol of both nations becoming one. We need to accept them all." Hands tightening into fists, he turned to Con. "How do we get them in us?"

"Please tell me we don't go over there and give them big hugs," Howl whined.

Con, beaming with pride, nodded towards Clay. "Sit down. Both of you."

Howl gingerly sat down, legs wide while Hiro sat cross-legged. Their Sensei-counterparts sat opposite to them just as the wall buckled with another blow. Tenderly and gently, both men from the Earth Gym reached out and gently grasped the cocks of their students. It took little effort for the two young men to get hard. Hiro's cheeks were afire with a blush while Howl was panting heavily.

"Oooh... that feels nice," Howl moaned.

Hiro snarled at him. "Shut up, Howl."

As the boys' cocks reached their full height, both pieces of meat began to shake like a wild snake. Con immediately seized Hiro's member and began massaging it. Thick ropes of precum were pouring out of the tip like a geyser. Con could still feel the thick member growing bigger and bigger. Within mere moments, it was about as wide as one of Hiro's calves and dressed with thick vine-like veins. Across from him, Howl's tongue was rolling off the side of his muzzle and his head was angled back, eyes rolled into his skull in pleasure. Clay was doing the same with the golden bear's pointed, red dick. With every stroke of his huge paws, the member grew bigger, wider.

"Ooooh... What's going on...?" moaned Hiro. The weight of his cock was forcing him to angle himself backwards, having to support himself on his arms. His balls inflated, gurgling loudly. The cross-legged position could do little for him with those huge melon-sized orgs starting to press up against his thighs.

"You need to accept yourselves and us into you," Clay said sagely. "Let your cocks be the gateway into your souls."

With every passing second, the member before Con grew bigger and bigger. He could feel every one of Hiro's heartbeats pushing the pulsating flesh further and further outwards. It quickly became too heavy and Hiro was forced to lie back while his legs straddled its enormous girth.

Another thunderous boom came from the wall and Con dared a glance over his shoulder. One of the black, rocky spears had shot through the stone barrier. It quickly retreated and a yellow eye poked through. They had to hurry.

Knowing what was next, Clay guided his paws towards Howl's relatively small balls. Just the slightest touch stimulated the growth needed there. Howl tipped his head back and let out a cry true to his name. His sac churned wildly, the balls within trashing back and forth. Both testes rapidly ballooned outwards in a desperate attempt to catch up to the ever growing member that was already as big and as thick as Howl's torso. The golden wolf was tipped backwards entirely as his balls became so big that it was all he could do to rest his legs against their enormous size. It was like he had a pair of enormous exercise balls sitting beneath him.

Clay had to stand up so that he could come to level with the growing member. A reason why the Sensei maintained at least an eleven-foot tall height was for this very Ritual. The tip of the cock and balls would be too tall for an average six-foot man to reach. Eleven feet was just enough. Spurts of precum were bursting out of the pointed, red tip constantly, showering him and turning his brown fur slick and wet. Good. The natural lubricant would help his entrance.

"Alright you two," Clay announced. "Here they come. Get ready."

"W - w - wait," whimpered Hiro, completely immobilised by his enormous genitals. "What's g - g - going to happen!?"

Con and Clay got to their feet, leaving their students prone at the centre of the platform with their enormous cocks dripping precum all over themselves. To Hiro's credit, he tried to roll onto his side to get a look of what was happening but he found it difficult to move his enormous cock and balls. His genitals were twice as big as he was with his legs barely making it halfway around his mammoth sac.

Both halves of the Sensei perched themselves some distance away from either side of the crumbling wall. They exchanged glances and nodded to one another.

This was it.

BOOM!

The wall shattered to reveal a wide opening. The sinister Hiros came pouring out, hollow yellow eyes flashing and eager to expel the alien forces out of this hauntingly serene world.

Con immediately seized one of them, his practiced hands oddly capable of holding the ethereal beings. After decades of facing such similar creatures, he had mastered the means to hold onto these strings of subconscious without letting them slip by. The creature silently stared at him as he immediately hauled it straight to Hiro.

"Wait!" Hiro cried. "Stop!"

"No time!" Con shouted and an earthen platform immediately erupted from beneath him, elevating to him to be just level with Hiro's erect cock.

Unable to move, Hiro could only watch in utter horror as Con shoved the shadowy beast straight into his dick head first. A burst of pain erupted from his member and he let out a pained roar, a cry matched by Howl as Clay did the same to him. Every inch of him immediately wanted to expel the unfamiliar object from his dick and his cock seemed all too eager to comply. The entire, engorged organ began pulsating and heaving like an enormous worm. Huge bursts of cum came pouring out of the tip trying to expel the shadow being. However, that only served to lubricate the monster and allow Con to shove it deeper into him.

Hiro's eyes rolled into the back of his head, his entire focus being on his cock. The creature squirming within his member pushed up against the inner walls of his dick. The odd sensation of the beast stretching him out from the inside filled him with the same sensation of growing aroused and erect. It was like getting a boner all over again but instead of the heat rising from the base of his cock to the tip, it was a burning need to cum blossoming from the tip and working its way down to his balls. The pain faded as the creatures form became all too familiar to him. His kicked out madly, his legs thrashing against the walls of his balls, toes curling in pleasure as the shadowy version of him slipped deeper and deeper down into his cock, inch by inch.

He could barely find the strength to wrench his eyes open but when he did, he saw Con forming a flight of stairs made of earth leading up to him. The dumb, single-minded shadow Hiros just rushed up the steps. Grounds grabbed each of them by their arm and shoved them down into Hiro's dick just as the first one was fading down the tip, feet first.

"Oh fuck!" Hiro howled. His hips bucked. The sensation of growing hard again was overwhelming. It was like he was constantly edging and with each new shadow that Con shoved down his dick, the need to orgasm grew bigger and bigger.

His eyes widened when the first of the shadows slipped past his cock and fell into the cavity of his balls. The beast thrashed within his huge sac, stimulating the organs in there. He saw the creature push its face up against the walls of his hairy balls and he lashed out at it, kicking its face back into the flesh. Somehow, he could feel it form splash and flail in the rising level of cum. Its form grew sluggish, gooey. As it thrashed, more and more of his cum clung to it, dragging it deeper and deeper into the goo until it could not surface anymore and sunk beneath the sloshing liquid. There, its form became one with the semen, became one with him.

Hiro felt a rush of power shoot through him. Power and understanding.

Knowledge from countless Sensei before. All their techniques on how to manipulate the earth. Their abilities and the countless years they put into perfecting their skills to defend their title before passing it on.

"Aaaaaah!" he cried. One hand went up to his temple as the information shoved itself into his head like a hot poker while at the same time, his other went towards his crotch as the burning need to cum grew more and more intense. His brain was going to explode if kept the information there and he realised the best way to get it out of him was to cum, to cum hard.

"Hold it there, Hiro!" Con shouted. "You've got to hold it down!"

"I can't!" he screamed. "It's too much!"

"Fuuuuuuck!" Howl wailed. Both his paws were to his temples. "Earth manipulation... maintaining mental control over earth... must be connected to the ground at all times... hard packed dirt is as strong as any rock..."

Hiro realised what Howl was doing. He was trying to absorb the information by verbally expressing it. He had to do the same somehow. How did he study? How did he cram all that info into his head for all those times he studied?

I focus!

So he buckled down, squeezed his eyes shut and focused entirely on the information pouring into him.

Con and Clay continued to mercilessly shove more and more of the shadow creatures down the two's dicks. Sweat dripped down their bodies. The shadows stopped trying to skewer them with shadowy rocks as the boys absorbed more and more of their power, accepting them and becoming one with them. The hostilities quickly ended and Con found that he no longer had to force the creatures down Hiro's dick within a few moments. They were willingly diving in.

He could only surmise that it was due to Hiro's Focus ability. The youth could focus on the one thing to the exclusion of all else. There was even an almost serene look on Hiro's face as the creatures piled down over and over again down his member, their forms quickly dissolving into the cum that bloated the boy's balls. So much seed was produced that it overflowed through his cock and came dripping out of his dick as a constant flow of white, goo.

"We're almost done," Clay announced. The bear glanced down the line of shadows and could see the end. He sighed in relief. The hardest part was over. Now came the fun part.

"I'm going in," he announced as the last of the shadows slipped inside. "This is going to be intense."

Bracing himself, Clay rubbed his paws gently upwards towards the tip of Howl's dick. The hole at the very end was already big enough to fit his fist and it constantly spurted with precum and let out a loud squishing noise with every heave and twitch; it was a hungry beast eager to be fed.

Unable to contain his own excitement, Clay was at full mast and already dripping his own precum onto the slick floor. He guided a finger to the edge of the orifice, gently tracing a circle around the hole. Howl moaned loudly and Clay was rewarded for his teasing by a face-full of precum so hot and thick that it could've been mistaken for an average man's seed. Smiling, Clay slipped his paw easily into the waiting, fleshy hole.

"Aaaah!" Howl groaned. The small plug in his channel of relief forced him to buck his hips but with his genitals so bloated, the movement barely did anything. A gush of precum rushed up his enormous seven-foot-long shaft and blasted against Clay's fist. Some precum still made it pat Clay's paw and dribbled out of the sides.

"Going in," the bear warned and he shoved his entire forearm deep into the shaft. Howl cried in ecstasy and Clay shut his eyes, trying to keep himself focused. The feeling of the hot, living flesh around his forearm was an all too familiar experience that never lost its arousing effect on him. The slick sensation, the closeness of it all and the constant flow of precum was something no other experience could compare to.

His eagerness coupled with Howl's Hysteria ability urged him to push his entire arm in up to his shoulder. Howl let out another pleasured cry. The blast of precum that came afterwards was stronger than before and rushed right into Clay's face, going straight into his nostrils. The brown bear eagerly lapped it up and even leaned down to the very tip of Howl's stretched dick to kiss the flesh a little. The entire pillar of pink flesh vibrated eagerly, begging him for more.

"This is gonna be a stretch," he warned. "You read for this?"

"Fuck yes!" Howl cried. "Get inside of me! Come on! I can take it! Get inside me, Paw-Paw!"

That made Clay shiver in pleasure. He pushed his other paw into the hole, stretching the flesh wide open.

"Fuuuuuck!" roared the golden wolf.

The entire shaft heaved like a throat that was swallowing. It pulled Clay's fist deeper into itself while simultaneously blasting out precum. Clay laughed heartily as he was pulled in to the pillar of flesh up to his armpits.

He barely had enough room to look above the pulsating member. "You ready, cub? Once I go in, there's no coming back."

Howl could only let out a series of pleading whimpers.

Shrugging, Clay dove right in, nose first into the shaft. The massive member stretched to accommodate his enormous shoulders. He felt it heave again and suck him in further and further. The incredible strength in the mass hefted him off the ground. Gravity quickly did the rest. His entire upper body was quickly consumed by the gargantuan member. He squirmed, almost worming himself down further and further into the shaft.

A river of precum constantly blasted at his face, easing his passage. All around him, the flesh was molten hot and he was starting to get dizzy from the constant heady aroma. But he somehow managed to hold onto consciousness and continued to wiggle down further and further. The moment his cock slipped into the titanic shaft, he almost lost it entirely. But he doggedly held on even as his thighs and then knees slipped down further and further. His fingers touched the opening into Howl's balls and he quickly pulled himself into the enormous cavity just as his feet sank completely into the member.

With a gasp he emerged into the cum-filled sac, diving completely into what was like a dark ocean. For the moment, Howl's sac was completely filled with cum and as he dove inside, he could feel the huge, balls churning around him, soaking in the sack while constantly filling it. He was almost completely submerged in the thick man-juices.

Curling up into a foetal position, Clay gripped his own dick and let out a gurgling roar. He opened the floodgates and his cum came shooting out to join with Howl's. The Aether in his body and within his world quickly went to work. His cock and balls rapidly consumed every muscle, every bone, every cell in his body to turn it straight into more cum. His body shrank, pulled towards his balls which converted it entirely into his seed and sent it rocketing out of his own mammoth cock and into the mass around him.

He shut his eyes and let himself drift off into the wave after wave of pleasure that overwhelmed him.

Outside, both boys finished 'digesting' their Sensei and all the information that came flooding with it. Both of them let out an earth-splitting roar. The pressure in their cocks could no longer be contained. Their balls slammed up against their bodies and a geyser of precum came blasting out of their enlarged cocks with so much force that the glass tower they rested upon _shattered_beneath them.

Both Howl and Hiro squirmed in ecstasy as they plunged deeper into the abyss, their cocks constantly spewing their seed as they fell.

******

For the third time, Hiro awoke with a start. He immediately reached for his genitals and was glad to find that he could actually press his legs together again with some gargantuan, swollen piece of flesh obscuring his vision and outstripping the rest of his body in size. Despite that, he was still a little dizzy from the rush of constantly orgasming. Something told him that no experience would ever quite match up to the violent build up that was having a horde of people shoved into his dick and then all of them erupting as a single unstoppable flood of seed.

Once again, he was on a circular platform with a stained glass design around him. Only this time, there were three others slumbering alongside him. Howl, Clay and Con were all asleep, about the same distance from one another. Quietly, he rose to his feet and looked around. Something told him that he wouldn't be assaulted by any of those shadowy forms anymore. They had accepted the invading essences that had been the Earth Sensei now. All that remained was obtaining some of the power within themselves so that they could manifest it in the real world.

First, he was curious to see the pattern of the platform and he took a few steps back. On his will, a glass platform appeared at his feet and slowly lifted him up into the air. The pattern below him made him gawk. There was Con and Clay at the edges of the circle, once again in that position where their heads were pointed at one another's feet and one arm stretched out. It made it seem like they were holding something between their hands, one holding the top of the object and the other the bottom. However, directly in front of the two, positioned in a similar way, was Howl and Hiro both in their bearish forms. Howl had his back pressed up against Clay's chest and Hiro had the same against Con. The way they were positioned it was like they had one hand resting against their Sensei's leg while the other was held outwards, resting just slightly askew from the Sensei's hands to form a perfect circle as if they were protecting something. At the very centre of their protective barrier was where Con, Clay and Howl lay.

"Wow..." he breathed softly.

The glass platform lowered him once more. Just as his feet touched the ground, the others began to stir.

"Oooh..." Howl moaned. "My dick feels raw. My balls feel completely empty." He looked down and poked at his sac. "I still have balls, right? I didn't cum them out?"

"You still have balls," chuckled Clay. The big bear stretched his arms and yawned loudly. His row of jagged teeth flashed and Hiro wondered how Howl could've maintained an erection with those daggers wrapped around his dick. "Now we get to the fun part."

Howl whined. "It's not over?"

Hiro strode over calmly. "Connection. Union. Inheritance. We've still got one more step to go." He placed a hand on his hip. "The part where we become your dick."

His Psyche gawked. "And... you're oddly okay with this?"

He shrugged, a smile on his face. "I realised it's more than a convenient way to have sex under the pretence of tradition or granting power. It genuinely is a spiritual journey. A path of self-discovery and growth."

"Really?"

"Really," he confirmed. "We've formed a bond with the Sensei through Connection, allowing them into us and understanding us as we understand them. We've forged a place for them here through Union. Now all that's left is to spark that little fire, to start the flame that would allow us to become stronger."

Con let out a soft laugh and sat up. "You really have grown, Hiro. Well done. At least one of you will always understand the true meaning of the Rituals."

"Right..." Howl murmured. "Sorry but a lot of that stuff just went over my head. I mean I got a lot of what Clay was feeling when we sixty-nined and I guess I got a hell of a lot as well about the history of the earth powers when we cock vored some part of ourselves and you guys but honestly, a lot of it kind of went flying out of me the moment I came."

Clay laughed and slapped the blonde bear happily on the back. "That's alright. When Con and I inherited the Earth Gym and became a Sensei, a lot of that shit went over my head too. Con's the one that maintains the spiritual side, I guess. I'm just the muscle and the dick. And speaking of dicks...!" He pushed Howl towards Con. "Time for you two to fuck."

Hiro went rigid and spun towards Clay. "W - Wait... I'm going to be _your_dick!?"

"Yep!" exclaimed the bear proudly. "That's how it works. First the Psyches sucked each other off to open the door. Then we swap partners to close it again."

"I... I suppose that makes sense."

Howl's hackles rose. "No it doesn't! It just sounds like a lot of contrived bullshit!"

Hiro rolled his eyes at his Psyche. Even without his Focus ability, Howl was so very easy to read. "You just want to be fucked by the bear."

The blonde bear's cheeks burned red. "You can't even take him!"

Glancing over at Clay who was already starting to work himself up to erection, he said, "I don't think I'll even really need to." He strode over to the Sensei's Psyche. "I'm ready."

Clay nodded sagely and sat down, legs outstretched. A spire of earth rose up behind him, allowing him to prop himself up against it. "Good. Are you ready to receive our power?"

There was a flash of doubt. But Hiro had come this far. Part of their world was now built around the Earth Gym. There was no turning back. "Yeah. I'm ready."

He turned around and pulled his ass cheeks apart. Clay's powerful paws gripped his waist and gently guided him towards his cock. He braced himself, instinctively clenching. Clay's soothing words washed over him. They told him to relax and just let himself go. He eased himself down onto the waiting shaft. The moment the hot tip pressed up his ass, he gasped and instantly tensed again. A spurt of precum coated his hole and made him shiver.

"Easy now," Clay cooed. "Almost there."

Hiro stole a glance over to his partner.

Howl's former annoyance at not being fucked by Clay's enormous ursine body eased away as Con's own big dick pierced him easily. Howl stuck out his tongue, a blissful look on his features. Con ran his hands up and down Howl's torso, soothing the wolf and keeping him aroused even though he didn't thrust his hips. Howl was already a full mast.

If he can do it, so can I.

Hiro pushed aside his doubts and let himself get speared on Clay's cock, the first inch pushing into his virgin pucker. A gasp left his lips and he squirmed. It felt odd, alien and every ounce of him wanted to push it out of him, to retreat. But just like when those shadow beings were being shoved down his dick, he focused on the task at hand and let gravity pull him a little lower. As soon as the second inch pushed into him, he could feel Clay's twitching and vibrating dick pulsating through him. His heartbeat matched that of Clay's. Each thump, each whump, perfectly in synch and pulsating throughout his entire body until all other noise was drowned out and all he could hear was the throbbing of his own heart in his ears.

There was no pain as he sank even further. Just unabated pleasure that had him squirting more and more precum out of his erect, abused member. Hiro began to shake all over. The desire and lust he felt from Clay was bleeding into him. He could only seize his own dick and began tugging at the fleshy meat in a desperate attempt to relieve some of the building pressure inside of him. Drops of Clay's precum was pouring into him, seeping into his body, into his veins and bringing him closer and closer to the bear.

He moaned, his vision blurring as the heat all over his body began causing him to perspire madly. Some form of relief was required and rubbing his cock was no longer good enough to expel some of that heat. The further he sank down onto Clay's cock, the more the heat rose. Even biting his lower lip, unable to keep the lewd smile off his face, was not enough to ease the inferno burning inside of him.

Then Clay's paws gently unwound his legs. Hiro never noticed that he had them crossed. As his bare thighs pressed up against Clay's, the cool touch of his fur eased him. He let out a soft moan, completely unaware that he was starting to salivate. As his flesh touched with Clay's, the dark brown fur of the bear began reaching out towards his skin like tiny, thin hands.

Hiro's eyes rolled completely into the back of his head, leaving them completely white and enthralled in the waves of pleasure that overwhelmed him. His jaw fell open slack. The moans that emerged from his throat began loud, gurgling noises. Every pulse from Clay's dick shook his entire body and a hot, clear liquid erupted from between his lips and dribbled down his chin.

Across from them, Howl and Con were experiencing something similar. Howl's entire body was vibrating and the blonde bear was instinctively thrusting his hips to his own pleasure, madly jacking his massive meat and then spearing himself down on Grounds' dick with every fall. With every thrust, however, he pulled less and less away from the human dick piercing him. His loud grunts began to devolve into the same gurgling noises that Hiro was making and his thrusts became less as violent jerks and more as wild twitches across his body.

The wolf-turned-bear's balls pressed up against Grounds. At that moment, the fleshy sack beneath him worked to engulf the two orbs for their own. Howl could only smile blindly as the human scrotum grew bigger and bigger, encroaching upon his own. Flesh melded with fur as his balls joined with those of the man who was fucking him. That one union triggered a full eruption of arousal in him and Howl's entire body shook with spasms. The sac covered in scant, dark brown hairs ballooned out beneath him, growing to monumental sizes to the point that Howl's legs were forced to curl around it. Like some blob come to devour his body, as the sac grew, his legs sank into them. His blonde fur vanished into the rising ball, bones, muscles and all his nerves vanishing into the metre-long balls.

For Hiro, a different transformation was being undertaken. The heat in his body was soothed by Clay's proximity. The furs of the bear's legs pulled and tugged at his legs, pulling them into those gargantuan thighs. He let out a soft, gurgling sigh as he lost all sensation in his legs and the heat that had burned his body faded to half its intensity. His lightly tanned flesh faded into Clay's, dark fur consuming them like hungry mouths eager to swallow their meal.

Hiro's entire body turned stiff and he was forced to point his head perpetually upwards. His spine crackled and snapped, pulling him back towards Clay's chest and obtaining a rather odd curve the likes of which a human spine could never achieve. Like Howl's own transformation, the moment his balls touched Clay's much bigger testes, they were absorbed and sucked into the bigger orbs. But again, a different change overwhelmed him. His body shuddered as a flap of skin formed around where his torso was now bound to Clay's crotch. That flap began sliding up his body. The inside of the flesh ring was moist, hot and exuded a musky scent that made him feel all heady.

Like a huge, ring-shaped maw, the flap wormed its way up his rotund belly. It slipped over his belly button, pulling more and more of itself towards himself while thick, brown hairs grew all over itself. Just as it wrapped over the tips of his nipples, their hot touch sending electric bolts of pleasure through his body, Hiro's realised that this flap was Clay's sheath coming to consume him. But that was one of the last few thoughts he could manage as the flap came up towards his armpits.

His entire body limp, he could not move so Clay had to reach up and stuff his arms into the sheath. All the while, he quivered and gagged, spewing more and more precum out of his lips. The sheath proceeded on his journey the moment his arms wormed down into its confines, wrapping around his neck, his chin and finally sealing over his head until he was completely consumed by it.

Finally fully cooled, Hiro let himself fade into the member. He became an instrument of lust and desire and all he wanted to do was to cum. The sheath around him peeled away from his form. The new, huge, ursine dick was revealed, perfect, glistening with precum and throbbing with eagerness.

For Howl, the change was faster. The bear gagged, choking loudly. A lump formed against his throat and as he, clawing at it with his paws, it pushed further and further out of from his throat, stretching his jaw until his bones dislocated and it emerged from his muzzle; a huge, pink, human dick with its mushroom-shaped glands protruding from between his lips. Con's hot precum came shooting out of their combined balls, running up his torso, shooting up his throat and all the way out of the newly emerged dick.

Howl could barely managed a moan of arousal as the cock emerged further out of him. As it grew bigger, he shrank further. More of his mass was being pulled into the emerging dick. Hard bones, rippling muscles, all melted into the rising dick. Thick veins rolled up his abdomen, sucking out all the muscular definition and giving his torso a more rounded look. His arms flopped wildly by his sides are Con began thrusting, urging more and more of his dick to come out of Howl or rather to turn more and more of Howl into his dick.

Howl's fangs faded into his gums as he shrank back to about halfway down the monstrous length of the pink, fleshy member. His eyes sank into his skull, leaving little more than a bare outline of his features. Hot precum continued to pour out of the member, pouring down its length and soaking his proud, golden fur. It was as if the precum had a hair-removal effect because where it touched, his fur sank into his flesh, leaving it pink and bare. The huge bear's muscular arms sank into the growing member just like the rest of his body, claws fading into flappy skin as the last of Howl's physical body faded into the throbbing member.

With the transformation complete, Con looked over to Clay who was rubbing his new massive dick with a dopey grin on his face.

"These boys are eager, aren't they?" laughed the Sensei.

"They sure are," Clay grunted. He looked to his partner with a grin. "So you want to be on the inside?"

Con looked towards his dick. "I'm always on the inside. Your dick is always thicker." He gave the bear a grin. Clay was already getting to his feet. "Plus you know how I am. I can never get up after this."

"Yeah," grunted the big bear. "I know." He waddled over, dragging his huge balls across the ground. "Fuck. I'm gonna burst, Con."

"Yeah. Me too. The young ones are always so virile."

Clay positioned himself in front of him. Both men did their best to angle their dicks towards one another. Con shuddered as the tips of their members pressed against one another.

"Ready?" Con asked.

"Aw just dick-fuck me already."

Grinning, Con shoved his member right into his partner's massive dick. Clay moaned loudly as Con's cock sank deep into his own. A burst of thick cum came shooting out and Clay barely had enough strength to hold himself back. Still, he did everything he could to push as well, his member sliding over Con's with each thrust. Both men pushed and pulled, thick rivers of cum pouring down their dicks' undersides.

Con squeezed his eyes shut, holding himself back until he felt the tip of Clay's cock touch the base of his own. Then, he let out a bellowing cry and let the floodgates open. He roared. His massive balls churned and blasted all the cum, all the EXP he had generated in this miniature Battlefield, straight into Clay's cock and balls. His Psyche bit his lower lip, trying to keep himself from exploding as well. Con poured more than just what he had gained into Clay. He sent some of himself as well, that spark needed to ignite the power within Hiro and Howl.

With every gallon of cum he poured out, his obscenely swollen cock and balls shrank back down. This was a reason why Clay had to make sure he fully 'docked' with Con. Not a single drop could be missed the moment he came. Clay had to take it all.

He let out another cry. Clay's dick was sucking out the cum from him in a practiced manner just like another mouth. It felt both relieving and exhausting as his swollen balls came back to normal size and his inflated dick shrank back to normal and slipped out of Clay with a wet shlurp.

He fell onto his back, gasping for breath.

Clay, finally free to unleash his own blast and he let out his own thunderous roar as a flood of cum came blasting out of his own cock. The big bear was thrown back onto his rear, his eyes squeezed shut as his monumental cock erupted like a volcano, blasting hot seed everywhere. He could barely hold it still as it thrashed from side to side.

Con just closed his eyes, letting the rain of cum fall upon him.

Their job was done.

Howl and Hiro had truly grown up.

*******

Grounds was the first to wake up and when he did, he was first worried to find that he was once again in absolute darkness. Fearing that they hadn't finished their training, he immediately got up and saw the golden-furred form of Howl resting a few feet away. He scrambled over to his student and was relieved to find the boy back in lupine form. Regarding his own hands, he realised they were back into being paws. A short distance away rested the chalice where Howl had drunk the Aether.

They were back in the blank training room at the rear of the temple.

Sighing with relief, he sat up and took his bearing. Howl was covered in sweat and cum. He had reformed very well. Grounds did a quick check of the wolf, making sure no limbs were missing. There was always that risk that when a Psyche and Manifesto was reunited during the Ritual of Inheritance that some part may have been missing. That was the reason why not a single drop could be missed when Con came into Clay's dick.

Sighing softly, he made sure to check that Clay was still with him.

You awake?

"Yeah. Still here. Glad that was over. Howl's ability really made it hard not to blow.

"I can sympathise."

Grounds reached over and gently shook Howl awake.

"Hey. Howl. Time to get up."

The wolf's eyes snapped open. They were blue. Hiro. The boy sprang up, alert and immediately panting. "What happened!?"

"We're done," Grounds said gently with a smile. He got to his feet and dusted himself off. "You've got a bit of our power now."

Hiro regarded his paws and his eyes slowly faded back to red as Howl took control again.

"We do?" asked the wolf.

"Yes. Can you feel it?"

For a moment, Howl was just staring at his paws. Then, he closed them into fists. "Yeah. Yeah! I feel it! Shit! This is awesome!"

Grounds grinned. "Shall we show the others?"

"Wait." Hiro was once again in control. "That's it? No training? No practice? We're not going to spar a little?"

Going back into sagely advice mode, Grounds said, "We gave you the power. Another ability to call your own. But it is up to you how you decide to use that power. We can't be the ones to tell you."

"Right... Right. Got it."

Smiling, Grounds gestured towards the door and together, side by side, they strode towards the rest of the temple. Just a little over an hour had passed by the time they emerged and just like the many times before, the crowd had gathered to watch the student demonstrate their newly acquired power.

As with many times before, Grounds summoned a stone wall with a bullseye on it and Howl took up position in front of it. He felt a swell of pride in his chest as his student instinctively took up a position few in the history of the Earth Sensei had ever taken; feet apart and with both paws by his sides, fingers outstretched like he was about to do the robot dance. Then, Howl thrust one paw forward. There was a sound like whistling and the target shuddered.

Everyone gawked as the shards of crystal embedded itself right through the foot-thick stone wall and emerged from the other side.

"Crystal manifestation. Few who win at the Gym ever manifest that."

The crowd cheered and Howl proudly wandered over to his team who was congratulating him with slaps to the back and even the tiger gave him a wet kiss on the lips.

There's a reason for that though.

"Yeah. It's flashy and pretty but requires a lot of training."

Most crystals are extremely brittle and without proper training, isn't really useful unless he eventually manifests diamonds.

"Or learns how to perfectly forge the right crystal to be able to refract or focus light."

He shook his head though he was smiling.

Yep. Crystal manifestation. I couldn't think of anything better to fit such an unusual pair.

Lifting his gaze, he said in a booming voice, "Alright! I believe we have one last member of Baramon to step forward. Come on down."

Pythagoras Weed put out his cigarette and smiled at his team before following Grounds into the rear training room.

Grounds kept his welcoming smile up until the doors shut behind them.

"Let's cut to the bullshit," he growled suddenly. "Don't think the Battle Circle or the Sensei are as dumb as you think us to be."

Weed froze where he stood. "Pardon."

The Sensei stared down at him with a scowl. "Your friend, Pots, hid his intentions very well. Any other time, I would never have suspected anything from him but the mere fact that he hid it from me was enough to confirm my suspicions and the suspicions of the rest of the Battle Circle."

Weed's expression remained shocked. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Grounds seized Weed by the collar of his jacket and slammed him against the nearby wall. "Don't play innocent with me, Weed. I know who you are and I know why you never let Primal out!"

The Sponsor's eyes widened.

"There's a reason why you go under an alias these days," Grounds growled. "I know it's way before my time but I'm not blind." He tapped the side of his head. "Remember, every Sensei possesses the knowledge of every other Sensei that passed before them and we know why you purposefully left the Battle Circle and instigated the Wolf Clan Uprising!" He slammed the man again the wall again. "You're a monster!"

Weed's eyes suddenly became laser-like in focus. "You think I'm a monster? Look at yourselves! You trick kids_into thinking that you're diving into their own personal world when all you really do is create a miniature Battleground around them, dilate time and then mess with their heads to grant them your power. You _brainwash them by faking the split between them and hiding the fact that Aether has the power to split a Psyche and Manifesto into two individuals! What Apocalypse and Armageddon did and what all Psyches and Manifestos should do, you're instead hiding to selfishly keep yourselves in power!"

"You think this is about power and elitism?" Grounds scowled.

"No. I think this is about hiding the greatest lie of them all." Weed's eyes dropped slightly. "A lie that even West tells himself to keep going."

"Wait a sec, Con. I think there's more to this than what you think. Let him go."

I think you're right.

Slowly, Grounds lowered Weed. "What are you talking about?"

The bespectacled Sponsor shook his head grimly. "Hiro's father. I'm sure you're aware that there's forces out there that want to bring the truth to light. Not just the truth about Aether but about the Battle Circle as well. About how the Circle has become like Gaia."

Grounds took a step back and pondered these words for a moment.

"You're... You're not fully on board with the uprising, are you?"

Weed shook his head. "The Uprising was wrong. It was a rash move made due to desperation." He held out his two hands. "When Genesis and Grace split apart then brought back together..." He pressed his hands again together in a prayer-like position. "They became a single entity that was stronger than the sum of its parts. Aether helps this process. The Circle wants to maintain its control over Aether and to maintain its hold on the population. But West and the Uprising wanted us to follow more Apocalypse and Armageddon's path and just let ourselves keep splitting, growing stronger that way."

He lowered his hands and shook his head. "Both philosophies are wrong. Very wrong. I see that now."

Grounds pursed his lips.

This became a lot more complicated than I first thought.

"Yes. Yes it did."

The bear rested a paw on Weed's shoulder. "Tell you what. Why don't you tell me while we such each other's dicks, I dive into your cock and then you become my dick?"

Weed stared up at him in surprise. "You mean even after all that you're still going to go ahead with the Ritual?"

"Yes. On the condition that you hold nothing back from me. Got that?"

A look of relief crossed Weed's expression. "Yes. Thank you. You won't regret it."

"I better not."

******

There was a van waiting for them back at the entrance of the Gym. Baramon was greeted with news crews and fans wanting their autographs but they had a plane to catch. Howl took one last look at the crater as it faded behind into the tunnel behind them. It was a pity that he could not spend one more night with Grounds but the Sensei was busy and had other challenges, fights and rituals to oversee. Of course, there was nothing to say what would happen once the Gym Season was over. Maybe they would see one another again. Then again, they might be rushing off to another Gym soon as well.

From what he heard, it was the Water Gym next.

"Man, I can't wait to get back home and test out my new skills!" Buck exclaimed, stretching his arms and momentarily letting go of the wheel of the buggy. Howl gave a cry and seized the steering wheel to keep them from careening into a wall. "God! I can't believe we actually won a Gym!"

"Yeah, that's all well and good assuming we remain alive!" Howl snapped. "Both hands on the wheel!"

Buck gave him a grin as they parked at the entrance and headed back into the huge hall with all the statues of past winners. "Take it easy, bud! We're celebrities now!"

And true to form, at the entrance, there was a statue of them showing off their muscles. They were victors of this Gym now. A swell of pride filled him as he headed towards the entrance and where the van was waiting.

"Damn. I sort of wish I didn't have to leave. Would've liked to soak up the celebrity life a little longer."

Yeah but it's time to return to the other world, Howl. Still got to catch up on all the classes we missed. There's an assignment due in two weeks. Not to mention we've got to earn our keep as Weed's assistant and -

Howl decided to ignore Hiro's mantra for the moment just as he stepped into the van. They buckled up and moments later, they were leaving the Gym. He practiced the same technique that Grounds had taught him and quickly shifted back to his human shape, letting Hiro take point. It was a bit of a struggle to shove some well-fitting clothes back on in the back of the van with Tim and Brodie doing the same but they had an hour or so before reaching the airport to be decent.

Howl, though, stole one last glance at the asylum, abandoned, quiet and hiding a wonderful world beyond those rusted iron gates.

"I can't wait to see what adventures await us next."