Chapter 6

As Nick made his way to his adviser, he was keenly aware of the three other figures that had appeared as well, each in a full colored jumpsuit.

"And here comes the fresh meat." Nick's eyes locked on the red clad adviser who had spoken, a Mystic. "What's your name?"

"Nicholas Stryder" He was really done with answering that question now.

"A Phys eh?" The Int advisor this time.

"How did you..." Nick stopped himself from finishing his question once he remembered his blue armbad.

"Ah, almost got him to ask a dumb question." The Int was smiling.

"Well, he says he is a Phys, but that's really for me to decide." The voice was feminine, and Nick was taken back by the Physical advisor's stature. While Keith had been well muscled, and taller than Nick, the advisor was a small, lithe female, toned yet almost delicate in appearance. He couldn't help as his eyes were drawn towards her body, her curves accented by her tight fitting jumpsuit.

"Had a good look?" Her voice was venom.

"I...." He didn't know how to respond, he'd never been in a situation like this before. It was now painfully obvious how little interaction he had on the colony.

She stopped him with a raise hand, and looked around at the other advisors, a devilish smile on her face. "How long do you think he'll last?"

"How long do guys normally last with you Naomi?" The Mystic's comment drew a glare from the Phys, Naomi, but the others started laughing.

"I'll make sure you get a first-hand experience later." Naomi's comment made the Mystic take a step back, and Nick wasn't sure what to make of the interaction.

Naomi turned back to Nick, arms crossed and hazel eyes smiling. "I'm assuming you know how to fight?"

"A little." Nick had spent seven years training in martial arts, he was pretty confident in his fighting ability.

"Well then, you should have no problem proving to me you belong." Naomi uncrossed her arms and motioned at Nick. "Come at me with all you got."

Nick stared down at her, disbelief on his face. Was she serious? "Are you s-" A blow to his stomach knocked the air out of him and sent him crumbling to the ground..

"What the...." Nick got to his feet slowly, uncertain how Naomi had closed the distance between the two, and landed such a hit on him.

"I'm serious Nicky, come at me." She smiled and took up a fighting stance, and Nick could tell she knew exactly what she was doing.

Cautiously Nick raised his arms, taking up a stance of his own, eyeing her warily. He took a step forward, launching a quick strike, deciding to test Naomi's reflexes. At the last second, her body seemed to shift just enough to allow his punch to pass harmlessly. Nick launched a few more quick strikes, but as before, she easily evaded them at the last moment.

"Aww, is that all you got?" Naomi goaded him, bouncing around lightly on her feet. She was toying with him.

Nick tried to change up his strikes, shifting his punches, his angles, his speed, but nothing seemed to work. The figures around them disappeared as he focused on Naomi, frustrated that he could not land a single blow.

"You're letting me down Nicky" Lightning fast Naomi's hand struck out, slapping him across the face. The weight behind the blow caused his head to swing to the side, and he saw stars. Another slap on the other side set his head straight, but increased the stars. Through the ringing in his ears, he could hear laughter from the advisors.

"You're....better than I expected." Was all Nick could say as he fought the pain in his skull. He pushed past the pain, concentrating on Naomi, preparing for the next strike. Her weight shifted back on her right foot, starting to twist, and he knew what was coming.

Even as her fist flew towards his chest, Nick twisted his chest and swung a blow at her stomach as he did, letting her punch graze him as he made contact with her stomach. It felt like he was hitting a wall.

"Ah, that tickled." Naomi stepped back and looked at Nick, the slightest hint of a smile on her face, as she took up another stance. "Now, can you hit me like a man, or just a girl?"

Her goading was picking away at Nick's years of training, and he could feel his anger rising. Never before had he wanted to defeat someone as badly as he did now. Nick tried to calm himself, but his rage kept growing, and within he could feel something else growing as well.

Like a fire, he felt it swirling within, racing through his veins, igniting it seemed, his very senses.

"Oh-"Naomi seemed surprised as Nick suddenly launched an attack at her, and it seemed his strikes came faster and stronger than any he had lashed out before. Suddenly, her smile was replaced with one of concentration, as she actively blocked each of his blows.

Nick pressed the assault, using the fire within to fuel his strikes, marveling at how fast they were lashing out. As Naomi went to block one of his strikes, and idea came to his mind, and he opened his fist at the last second, clasping it tightly around her small forearm.

"Got you." He yanked her towards himself, setting her off balance, and with as much force as he could muster, drove his knee towards her stomach. It was a blow that would incapacitate her, and would give him the win he so desired. It never landed.

What happened next, Nick wasn't too sure. Suddenly, Naomi's body twisted, her legs wrapped around his neck, and he was lifted off the ground, and thrown a good ten feet. His head smashed into the ground, the fire within him faded, and he laid there, fighting to stay conscious.

"Did you break him?" The voice was muffled by the ringing in Nick's ears, but he was sure it was the Mystic.

"Believe it or not, he's a Phys, so he'll be fine." Naomi stood smiling over him, a hand extended as a peace offer. "Not bad Nicky."

"Thanks." He replied softly, accepting her hand to get shakily back on his feet.

"I'm sorry I threw you so far, you got me a little excited back there." Nick still wasn't sure how such a small woman had managed to throw him, but he nodded at her apology.

"It's standard practice for me to test the physical ability of each new Phys, so nothing personal, alright?" She looked at the other advisors, who had started to spread themselves out. Other children were on their way towards the advisors from the ship.

The Mystic raised his hand, and suddenly banners appeared over each advisor, highlighting the color of their school.

"Hmm, seems it is time for some more fun." Naomi started to turn away towards the approaching students.

"I've never seen someone move like that." Nick blurted out, wondering how exactly she had beaten him like she did.

"You'll learn a lot here Nicky, trust me. Perhaps I'll even give you a few lessons later on." Her smile left Nick uncertain of how to respond. "But for now, sit back and watch me beat up your peers." She laughed as she continued towards the next approaching student.