Yuri

Sleep had filled him with energy and confidence, Yuri wanted to show that he could stand tall against the others in the duels. Lori walked beside him as they made their way to the training field, the other groups and manifestees walked ahead of them.

“Lori, give me some pointers, you have fought them before. I want to win this time,” Yuri said.

“If you don’t want to do like me, Simon takes up any offers that are made to him,” Lori said. “But, by the looks of your face, I am pretty sure you are not up to that. Not yet, at least. You have not been broken in yet.”

“Correction. I would never do that,” Yuri said.

“Alright, but keep it in your mind if it gets too rough out there. Simon and Dust will be relentless against you, so you have to be the same. Hit first and hit hard,” Lori said.

Yuri sighed. “My hook is based on honor. I cannot do that.”

“I am not suggesting for you to change your life values. I am suggesting another strategy of battle. You will need to adapt that to your current situation. Don’t be a slave to your hook,” Lori said. “Do you think I am kind to all my enemies just because my hook is kindness? The hook is a tool, a tool to be used when you want access to your manifestation. Don’t let it control you.”

“I guess not,” Yuri said. “I will try it.”

Tom instructed them to line up, but with different opponents this time. Lori stood before Yuri and winked at him.

“Go!” Tom said.

The sweetness rushed into Yuri’s mouth and his skin flowed into marble. Pebbles streamed to the front of his extended palm and he discharged them at Lori. But Lori was already in the air and dodged the projectiles with ease. She flew at him, and his second discharge of pebbles went wide. She grabbed onto him and pulled him up, towards the training field’s ceiling.

“You are still too nice about it,” Lori said.

“You are stronger than I expected,” Yuri said, he stopped struggling.

“You are not even fighting back. I will drop you in three seconds. Don’t land too perfectly, make it look like you hurt yourselves a bit. I cannot be seen treating you too nicely. Limp a little, will you please.”

Yuri nodded.

Lori released her grip on him.

Yuri fell. He tucked in his legs and arms. The floor came fast and he impacted it. His body was stuck in the dent which he had made. He was not able to move. He struggled, but nothing happened.

“Tom, please, help the rookie,” Simon said.

An invisible force grabbed Yuri, opened up the dent and pulled him out from it, he was placed on the flooring beside. He got up on his feet, joining his groups, but purposely limped a bit with his left leg.

“Tom, let me have him,” Simon said.

Tom nodded and everyone moved into their places again. Yuri put a bit more into his limp. Simon looked excited, even more so than their last duel. He was barely able to stand still.

“Go!” Tom said.

Yuri’s skin flowed into marble and he threw himself backwards instead, putting some distance between him and the charging Simon. He extended his palms forward and discharged pebbles, aiming for the man’s legs and head. Simon shot beams of acid and which slammed into his pebbles, dispersing them to all sides. Simon crashed into him and the onslaught of punches started with even more relentless focus than their last duel.

It felt like it lasted for many minutes until Tom called off the exercise. But Simon finally stepped off and away from him. Lori flew down to Simon’s side and gave him a big kiss on the mouth. They laughed and stared at Yuri.

“You lied to me,” Yuri said.

“Of course I did. Warriors are not made by being nice to each other. They need to be hammered into shape,” Lori said. “You really thought faking a limp would turn off Simon, here? Think again, he lives to hurt people and you were weakened. He saw his kill and went for it.”

Yuri stayed down, feeling speechless and betrayed.

Tom finalized the day’s training and left, all the groups of manifestees left. Yuri just stayed down for another full hour.

And so the days passed. The sense of betrayal never left him, instead it was sharpened as a sword and pushed further into him as he continued to be punched and beaten into a pulp at every duel. But every time he lost he gained a little more information. Maybe there was a way to win.