Sousuke stood atop the jagged cliff as the storm raged above. Rain lashed against his body, thunder shaking the earth beneath him. Every gust of wind and crack of lightning felt like a test, a trial from the heavens themselves. Before him, Master Zaki observed silently, his presence radiating calm authority amid the chaos.
"To wield power stronger than fire," Zaki said, "you must become the storm. Every strike, every step, every breath must flow with the thunder itself. Only then will you awaken the Ultimate Thunder Power."
Sousuke clenched his fists, feeling the electricity in the air sing through his veins. "I am ready, Master."
The first trial began. Lightning crashed around him, threatening to strike with deadly precision. Sousuke drew in a deep breath, letting the energy flow through him rather than resisting it. He unleashed the First Technique: Storm Pulse, sending out a controlled wave of electricity that repelled the bolts and electrified the ground around him. The crackling power of the storm surged in rhythm with his heartbeat, teaching him control amid chaos.
Next, Zaki raised his hand toward the stormy sky. Sousuke focused and summoned the Second Technique: Sky Shatter, lightning descending from above with pin-point accuracy. Each strike shattered stone and carved the air like molten knives. Pain lanced through his body as he absorbed the energy, but he endured, refining precision and timing.
The storm intensified. Zaki shouted, "Move beyond speed — command the battlefield!" Sousuke activated Third Technique: Thunder Rift, creating zones of electrified air that disrupted the storm around him. Bolts danced unpredictably, but he flowed with them, using the rift to amplify his own movement. He leaped and struck, each motion synchronized with the crackle of raw electricity.
To test agility and reflex, Zaki sent multiple illusions of lightning clones. Sousuke unleashed Fourth Technique: Lightning Phantom, moving faster than the eye could track. Afterimages of pure lightning streaked across the cliff, confusing even his own senses. Each strike landed with precision, and for the first time, he felt the storm moving through him, not against him.
The fifth trial demanded absolute destructive power. Sousuke focused his will and channeled energy from the clouds into Fifth Technique: Heaven Breaker, a strike so forceful it split the cliff's edge. The raw power threatened to tear him apart, yet he held firm, controlling the immense energy with his body and Sun-honed discipline. Pain became fuel, and fuel became mastery.
Zaki nodded approvingly, raising the stakes further. "Your body is fast, your strike powerful, but can you endure while becoming the storm itself?"
Sousuke's aura flared as he summoned Sixth Technique: Celestial Surge. A massive pillar of lightning erupted around him, shielding him from falling debris while electrifying anything that dared approach. The roar of the storm became a song, harmonizing with his heartbeat. He felt every bolt, every gust, every crackle flow through him as one living force.
Now came the ultimate test of control: Sousuke spun, condensing air and electricity into Seventh Technique: Thunder Vortex, a tornado of crackling energy. The vortex pulled and battered him as well as his surroundings, forcing him to maintain balance, composure, and mental focus. Sweat and rain mingled with sparks of static, yet he stood unwavering, the storm bending to his will.
Zaki's voice boomed across the peaks. "You are ready to release the storm itself." Sousuke closed his eyes and called forth Eighth Technique: Endless Thunderclap, a rapid succession of lightning strikes that shattered the air and ground. Every bolt struck like judgment, but Sousuke controlled them with unparalleled precision. He could feel the raw force of every storm on the planet flowing through him and obeying his command.
The final challenge came as Zaki summoned a god-tier storm overhead, winds and lightning tearing across the cliff. Sousuke inhaled deeply, aligning every nerve with the thunder. He unleashed Ninth Technique: Storm's Judgment, combining every technique he had mastered into one massive assault. The storm itself bowed to him as he moved, bolts weaving through the sky in patterns of lethal elegance.
Exhausted, drenched, yet unbroken, Sousuke finally awakened the Tenth Technique / Final Form: Divine Lightning Form. His body radiated lightning, every movement faster than sight, every strike imbued with the power of a thunder deity. The clouds obeyed him, the rain sang to him, and the very mountains trembled at his command.
Master Zaki approached, his eyes gleaming with pride. "You have transcended mere thunder. You are now the embodiment of the Ultimate Thunder Power. The storm itself recognizes you as its master."
Sousuke's hair floated from the static, his eyes glowing with pure lightning. His fists clenched, crackling energy dancing across his skin. He flexed, testing the limits of his control — faster, stronger, deadlier than any fire-based attack he had ever faced. Every strike was precise, every movement fluid. He had become one with the storm, unstoppable and divine.
At that moment, Sousuke looked to the horizon, the mountains separating him from Yuto, now a master of Sun Power. A surge of anticipation ran through him — soon, their paths would converge. Sun and Thunder, fire and lightning, both at the pinnacle of their powers, destined to shape the battlefield and test the limits of their ultimate techniques.
Sousuke clenched his fists again, the storm raging around him. "I am ready," he whispered. "Ultimate Thunder Power… mastered."
The sky itself seemed to acknowledge him, lightning striking and echoing as if the heavens themselves had declared him worthy. The storm was no longer an enemy — it was a part of him, a living, breathing extension of his soul.