Stigma arc

The Training arc II is the - story arc of the Fire Force manga series. It is the second arc that revolves around the training of the 8th's newcomers, with Shinra and Arthur learning about Superfire, and Tamaki overcoming her past self.

Summary
As they arrive in Asakusa, Konro greets Shinra, Arthur and Tamaki at the Guardhouse, telling them Benimaru’s whereabouts so they can start training. Once they arrive, Benimaru notices there is one more person than in their previous training session, to which Tamaki exclaims how she wants to improve after falling short in previous times. Benimaru then introduced the twins, Hinata and Hikage, as they start teasing her, much to Tamaki’s dismay. Back at the Guardhouse where Konro is sweeping the floor, a strange head peers though the curtained entrance, leaving only a nose, mouth and a glimpse of flower-shaped eyes to behold. Freaked out, Konro gestures what Hibana is doing, and she says she wants to hear the story with the Demon two years ago again. But this time, she has brought along Captain of Company 6, Kayoko Huang, to do palpitation tests on Konro. Back with Benimaru’s training, he easily puts both boys down with no effort, telling them they need to go beyond their limits, even using their Captain, Obi, as a role model. Eager to learn Superfire as quickly as possible, Shinra demands Benimaru to teach him. Suddenly, Shinra and Arthur find themselves confused as they are tied upside-down to a stake. Benimaru explains this is necessary for them to learn Superfire. In the girls’ training, Hina and Hika alarmingly tell Tamaki to run away from them for one whole minute. Tamaki doesn’t take them seriously, jogging away from them, and soon after finds out just how serious they are, as the twins menacingly slap her on the butt for slacking off. As she takes off again, Tamaki gets whipped with the twins ‘ kimono sleeves, which then entangle around her throat; the twins declaring their seriousness. Tamaki realises what she’s really in for.

An elderly woman and man sit beside each other, expressing how peaceful Asakusa has been, shortly after witnessing Shinra and Arthur humorously burning on a stake in keeping with Benimaru's training. Meanwhile, Tamaki struggles with her training to keep her distance from the Hina-Hika twins for 60 seconds. Running and dodging across the landscape like foxes chasing a cat, houses are damaged in the process of the training regime. Hinata slaps Tamaki on the butt after she successfully dodged and burned Hikage's sleeve and failed to perceive the other twin's attack, leaving her only at 5 seconds. Not taking her seriously, the twins ridicule Tamaki, only for her to ask for another chance whilst rubbing her butt in agony. The twins decide to shorten the time to 30 seconds to alleviate the exercise. Whilst running, Tamaki thinks back to having dinner with her parents, and how they were encouraging her to become a Sister. Soon after, she meets up with a friend who recently became a Sister herself. Tamaki congratulates her and thinks about her own situation, the friend telling her she'll be fine as she's smart, but Tamaki is unsure. In the blink of an eye she slips, her skirt falling down in the process, a male student walking by complimenting her. Suddenly, two flame-like-tails sprout from her butt; making Tamaki realise she had awakened as a Third Generation. Back at school everybody talks about how amazing it is and what she could do now that she's a Third Gen, becoming a Fire Soldier or a Sister. One girl mentions joining Company 1, the elite Special Fire Force. Back in the present, Tamaki's butt gets slapped again by both the twins, this time leaving her at 12 seconds, and the twins complimenting her on the improved score. Tamaki exclaims she wants to try again. As she thinks back, she and two other female classmates look around the Holy Sol Obelisk, spotting and instantly gazed by the sight of Lieutenant Rekka; who excitedly tells them to stop peeking and to come over and join Company 1. Tamaki was instantly drawn in by Rekka's enthusiasm, and after some thinking, decides on becoming a Sister at Company 1. In the present once again, Tamaki thinks about the fact she wasn't sure why she became a Fire Soldier, and reminisces on the events of Rekka's betrayal to the 1st, Hajiki's death, and Juggernaut's bravery in protecting her against Orochi. The twins quickly close in on her, foreshadowing her downfall and claiming 12 seconds once more, but Tamaki reacts and swiftly jolts past them. Understanding her downfalls and finally wanting to change, she decides that just like everyone else, she will start doing her best, and awakens a new cat-like cloaked form, with flames covering the right side of her face and hands. The twins turn on their own Ignition Abilities, claiming Tamaki has 30 seconds left, and that they're not going to go easy on her.

With 30 seconds left to spare, Tamaki jumps from a rooftop, the twins following shortly after. Rummaging through the city, the townsfolk of Asakusa cheer on the girls as they speedily jump from building to building, creating a mess in the process. In a flashback, Tamaki mimics a cat she spots on the street, and falls over onto a male student in the same position as the cat, even making a cat sound effect. While Tamaki sighs it off, the boy's girlfriend becomes frustrated at the sight, and later confronts Tamaki in school; calling her numerous names, mocking her pig-tails, and outing her on doing falling over onto the boy on purpose rather than due to her Lucky Lecher Lure condition. Throwing Tamaki's utensils onto the floor, the girl continues to bully her and demands Tamaki sits in the corner of the room by herself. Tamaki apologises, explaining that she didn't mean to fall onto the boy. She goes to sit in the corner as demanded, thinking to herself about how she likes the pig-tails because they remind her of cat-ears, and how she wishes she could just be a cat. In the present, Tamaki continues her pursuit to keep distance. Running in at 40 seconds, the twins flip the switch and gain trail on Tamaki. Tamaki manages to flexibly dodge the two as they try to attack her, earning the respect of some civilians watching. Clocking in at 45 seconds and seemingly having her fire cloaked around her entire face, Tamaki thinks back to a time at Cathedral 8, when Shinra sees her siting in a corner eating and tells her to sit in the middle with everyone else. Kindly declining his gesture by stating she'll just cause trouble with her Lucky Lecher, Shinra moves to the corner exclaiming he'll sit there so she can sit at the table, and the two end up scuffling, somehow ending up with Tamaki awkwardly leaning over Shinra. Shinra tells her that even if she does cause trouble, it's not necessary for her to isolate herself, stating she should be more confident. In the present, Tamaki comes to halt, preparing herself to run through the twins. With a clap of the hands, Hinata and Hikage fuse whilst in their cloaked forms, becoming one giant flaming fox; and stand firm to put a stop to Tamaki. As she rips off a part of her sleeve and encases it with flames, Tamaki creates a fireball and runs towards the giant fox, steamrolling through them and cancelling out their fusion as she breaks through. The twins, annoyed, go back for more, but Benimaru places his hand on their hands and confirms Tamaki completed the task, saying how he feels she has been suppressing her power all along. She responds in kind and loses her bra. Shortly after, Shinra and Arthur are seen on a crucifix, exclaiming the whereabouts of the Captain of the 7th.