4 years ago on Zen Island.

 

Volterra rested outside his cave, watching Ken do bodyweight workouts to warm himself up. "Okay, now I'm ready to start training!" 

"Last time you were able to withstand one million volts of electricity with no sweat. This time let's jump to three million volts" Said Volterra.

". ..Three million?... that's so much more than one million.” 

"Are you scared, little human?" 

"...N-no, of course not. Let's do this!" 

"Alright, here comes three million volts." Volterra pointed one of his paws at the youthful boy. The tip of his black talon sparked with lightning. "Are you ready little human"

Ken tensed up his body, taking up a sturdy stance, ready for Volterra to strike him. "I'm ready!" 

A stream of lightning fired from the tip of Volterra’s talon, striking Ken with three million volts of electricity. Ken tightened his fist as much as he could and greeted his teeth, trying his very best to resist the huge amount of lightning rushing through his body.

"I… w-won't… lose to this!!" 

"Just a few more seconds then we can take a break," said Volterra.

Ken's breathing became heavy, his body started to shake, and the weight of Volterra’s power became too much causing him to drop to the ground in defeat.

"H-How… was…th-that…?" 

"You failed human, you still had ten seconds left."

"No way! …l-let me catch my breath" Ken panted as he slowly sat up "We can go all night until I get this!" 

"You're a persistent little human," Volterra chuckled. 

************

 

The crowd continued to roar in excitement at the sight of Josh’s intense destructive spell which radiated the entire arena with its electrifying power. 

“At last… not even a powerful spell such as that, is enough. You truly are strong Ken” Tai grinned to himself. 

The flaring beam of raging lightning began to let out. Josh was exhausted from casting two big spells back to back. Thundraga, Voltic Surge faded away, leaving behind a smoke screen within the deep crater made by the spell. 

“I can see why you had so much confidence in your money, you truly are strong Josh Retin…” 

From the smoke screen, Ken walked out into the open, letting everyone see the aftermath of Josh’s ultimate spell. Everyone was startled to see Ken still standing.

"....But if I'd lost to lightning on that level, Volterra would make fun of me." 

“Do my eyes deceive me!? Or is Ken Granfold still standing? And unscratched on top of that! This man means business!!!” Reno marveled, his words rallying up the crowd into a huge roar of excitement.

“You're so damn awesome, Ken Granfold!!” Stark exclaimed. 

“Truly amazing, Ken! You are a worthy warrior!!” Lydia called out.

Rufus, Drew, and Koko chanted, “Let's goooo, Kennnn!!!” 

“By no means is Josh weak… Ken is just on another level.” Katherine thought to herself. 

“Incredible…” said Hanako

Josh looked at Ken speechless. He didn't know how to process what just happened. His best spell proved to be useless. “...H-How? What is going on? How is that commoner still standing? None of my spells phased him, w-why? That was four hundred million xen’s worth of training… how come I'm drained of mana while he hasn't even broken a sweat!?” 

Josh’s mind was in shambles trying to piece together the outcomes of this fight. He couldn't accept the truth, in a blind fit of anger, Josh charged towards Ken at full speed, his hands balled up tightly, ready to get physical.

“This was one-sided from the very start," Tai observed. 

“Hmmm…” Ken let out a disappointed sigh. “At the rate you’re at now, I won't get to show any of my spells.” 

Coming into range, Josh launched a heavy punch, backed up with all his remaining strength– a desperate attempt at victory. With no effort, Ken sidestepped his opponent, before delivering a clean hook to Josh’s jaw, knocking him out cold.

"Well, that was anticlimactic," Ken spoke as he looked down at Josh's unconscious body.

With Ken’s victory, Dorm 44 members cheered at the top of their lungs. Following their cheer was the rest of the crowd. Looking up at the Dorm 44 members, a wide, cheek-to-cheek grin filled Ken's face, 

"Ladies and Gentleman, Ken Granold has done it!! He beat Josh Retin with just one hit like he said he would!! It's all over. Ken Granfold of Dorm 44 is the winner!!!" Reno concluded. 

**********

9 years ago.

 

Two horses carried a noble carriage through the bustling streets of a certain town. Looking outside the carriage window, Josh couldn't help but smile at the sight of kids his age running around and playing in the streets. 

“They all look to be having so much fun…” said Josh.

“Don’t be silly my boy. Those children are only experiencing fleeting feelings of ‘Fun’. True fun and enjoyment come from one's wealth… those kids can only have so much fun before the weight of being poor comes crashing down on them.” Josh’s Father lectured. 

“....” 

“Listen, Josh. Money is everything, it's what separates us nobles from the lower class. Only with money can one gain true power.” 

“Hmmm… Money?” 

“Yes, and it will be because of money, that you will become a powerful mage who stands above his peers, like a gold coin in a pile of bronze!” 

“Money will never fail you, my son!” 

 

*********

 

A few hours after the duel.

In the Academy Recovery Bay, Josh sat on a bed looking out the window. Recovering from all the mana he used up during his battle with Ken. 

“I really lost…”  While Josh was lost in his thoughts, a surprise visit by Ken snapped him back to reality. What could Ken want? Was he here to rub salt in the wound? 

“Have you come to brag?”

“No, I'm not the type to kick someone who is already down,” Ken replied.

“So, what’s your reason for coming?” 

“Despite all the money you claimed to have used to make yourself a powerful mage, you still lost to me, a mere ‘Commoner’ by your standards—” 

“For someone who isn't here to brag, you’re not doing a very good job.” 

“My point is, you’re stronger than I thought. However, your power wasn't gained through your wealth… well I suppose it did help. But it should be obvious, the real reason you became as strong as you are now is because of your hard work and dedication to the art of magic.” 

Ken’s words took Josh by surprise. He wasn't expecting to hear such a thing from someone he looked down upon. 

“If I had to guess, somewhere along the line you become stronger than your peers, and so you became lazy and stopped training as hard. You stopped having faith in your magic and instead placed it in your wealth.” 

“Hmmm…” Josh didn't say anything, but Ken’s guess was on the mark. 

“I beat you because the results of my hard work allowed me to have faith in my magic and nothing else. As you are now, you never stood a chance.” 

“.....” Josh hated Ken, but deep down, he knew Ken’s words were true. 

“Regain faith in your magic, and meet me at Graduation.” 

With those words, Ken left Josh to rest up. Alone once again, Josh muttered; 

“Looks like you were wrong again Father… money has failed me.” 

 

………….

 

“The time has finally come!” Ken stood alone in his room, holding a scroll in his hand. “Okay, let's set it up.” 

Ken placed the scroll beside his work desk and took a step back. “According to Izack, it should burst in—” 

*Poof* 

The scroll burst into a small cloud of white smoke. Once it cleared out, a brand new, shiny Arcane Enchantment Workstation Table, stood beside Ken’s Research Table. 

Ken’s eyes glistened at the sight of his new purchase. “It's so pretty!”