ONE HUNDRED: Gym Class, II

  They barely had time to say thanks and bye to Instructor Fragment. As soon as their feet hit the ground, students from the next group were jogging up, and their group was supposed to be jogging off to their own second session. Everly was staggering ahead of Alden and Kon. She was clutching her shoes in her hand, and her hair buns had mostly unraveled. <<I saved her all by myself,>> she said in Korean when she spotted Konstantin. <<I told you I could.>> “You were magnificent! Like an ice spider!” She frowned. “A spider?” “A beautiful spider,” he said. “But why was your bag a girl?” “I was imagining it was my mom. So that I wouldn’t drop it.” When Alden had heard they would have class time dedicated to practicing maneuvering and positioning, he had imagined a lot of talking would happen, and then maybe a quick exercise. But he was starting to suspect that the philosophy of their gym instructors was going to be a learn-while-doing one. Instead of giving a long lecture, Instructor Marion was periodically talking in their ears through System comms and telling them what to think about and what mistakes they’d just made. Half the gym had been given over to this class, and obstructions had been created out of the magic shields that could be used to segment the gym into dueling blocks. They’d been made opaque, and they stood in tall columns and walls, creating a maze filled with tons of blind spots. Alden stood with Astrid, trying not to gasp for air. He was afraid that breathing too hard would give away their position. Both of them were wearing green vests over their gym suits, and they had their backs pressed to a column. The other green vests were their teammates for this exercise—the hunted. The red vests were their enemies—the hunters. The hunted gained a point for every twenty seconds they went without being spotted. The hunters stole one of those point every time they spotted someone. “It’s simple,” Instructor Marion had said in that pleasant voice of his. “It’s so simple that most of you will have little use for your magic. A spell effect will usually give away your position. You cannot scale the obstacles. There is no combat. Apologies, Alden, but this time there’s no ground element. We’ll play with that later. Here most of you have nothing but your wits…and of course your stats. You’re supposed to be using your talents heavily in the other sections. Think of this game as a fun breather!” Fun breather my ass. It had been twenty minutes of flat-out sprints to reposition himself behind a safe obstruction, where he would stand for just a few seconds before Max would— [Alden and Astrid, go down the corridor to your right at the signal.] A high-pitched yelp came from the Light Shaper’s direction a moment later. Presumably he was both signaling and providing a distraction to pull away the hunter who’d been running toward Alden and Astrid. They left the column behind and fled down the corridor. Everly, wearing a red vest, was standing right there as they emerged. She pointed at them excitedly, then spun around to press her face to the column behind her, like the person who was “it” in a game of hide-and-seek. Hunters who’d just gotten a point had to close their eyes and count down to let the hunted get away again. “Shit,” Astrid whispered as two points disappeared from their team’s score. They were barely keeping it above zero thanks to Konstantin’s efforts on behalf of the other team. His legs were definitely not tired enough from climbing up and down the scaffolding. When they first got started, he’d been excited and he’d said he was going to try to use his object reading skill to detect where people had recently been standing on the gym floor. But either that had been too slow, his skill was too low level to do a wide enough area, or the magic floor wasn’t particularly readable. Because he’d shifted tactics and was instead pelting through the gym like an S-rank lunatic, whipping his neck back and forth rapidly to catch glimpses of green. Alden wasn’t sure he was even blinking. [Everly saw us,] Alden reported to Max. [She’s at the end of the corridor you sent us down.] [Sorry,] Max texted back. [Nobody has sighted her in a while, so I didn’t know what area she was in.] He was doing really well at remembering the layout of all the visibility obstructors and, usually, the positioning of most members on both teams. Kon’s squirrel-like habit of spontaneously changing directions had made Max curse in three different languages at one point, though. [Astrid and I are splitting up. I’m heading—] Before he could finish texting, Astrid darted off back the way they’d come. [I’m heading toward the bathrooms,] he finished. [East,] said Max. [Bathrooms is simpler, dude.] Astrid suddenly texted, [Scar folder! Master red! I do run!] The others were using finger texting, but the shapeshifter had claimed she wouldn’t be outdone by Max and Alden and would be sticking with mental. Thus, some interpretation was required. Alden stared at the words. [I think she means she just spotted the red team’s Meister in the direction of the scaffolding.] The Meister must not have spotted her, though, since they hadn’t lost another point. Alden crept along a wall, then sprinted through an intersection where he could potentially be spotted from too many directions. He stopped beside another obstacle. A moment later, he heard rapid footsteps approaching. [Is that you behind the obelisk, Alden?] Max asked. [It’s me.] The other B-rank stepped around to join him. He was breathing hard, too. Max held up both hands with his fingers spread to indicate a ten second rest, then he went back to directing their teammates and collecting enemy locations through the chat. [Raccoons!] Astrid said, just as they were about to sprint again. Raccoons? Max mouthed. [Do you mean bathrooms? Is Kon toward the bathrooms from where you are?] [Type oh. Sad face. I do run!] “I think she was just thinking about raccoons and she accidentally typed that,” Alden whispered. Max sighed and dashed away.   ******   They had a three-minute water and bathroom break at the end of Instructor Marion’s session. Alden felt like someone had sucked the oxygen from the room and the energy from his muscles. The bodily awareness wordchain was still in effect. It would fade at the beginning of his last session—self defense. For now, though, he was feeling every spot on his body that had gotten a workout today. And it’s all of them. All of the move-Alden-around spots are tired. At this rate, only his face was going to have strength left in it. He’d have to try talking people into not hitting him for self-defense. His skill was great for defense of course, but by his rough estimation, Level 3 Bearer of All Burdens should be approaching depletion by now. The long, extended cord preservation had been unexpectedly taxing. He was guesstimating that he could have done most of what he’d done in the rescue session in some fashion, and probably he’d make it through the majority of offense. But that should be about it. If he followed his own plan and handicapped himself right now, the high cost of double-running Bearer would exhaust his authority in the expected timeframe. It’s not like it’s a real waste to do it. Learning to take care of myself when my skill’s gone, or when I’m using it to preserve something tiny or precious that’s useless as a shield is good. And learning to double run it is important, too. He collapsed onto a bleacher. Everyone was taking their break now. He saw Haoyu jogging across the gym toward him, looking fresh as a daisy. “I want your stamina stats,” Alden said as soon as he drew close. “Give them to me.” “They only make it take longer for my body to get tired right now. My brain is still fuzzy from not getting any sleep last night. And I already blew out my boxing gloves skill.” He sat down beside Alden and beamed when Everly passed him one of the iced towels she’d made. Alden was watching Maricel. Instructor Fragment had pulled her aside and was talking animatedly while manipulating the potting soil Maricel had chosen to use for class today. It looks kind of like they’re talking about how she can make floating stairs? Maricel looked focused and intrigued. “Everyone’s so cool, aren’t they?” Haoyu said. “I saw your thing! With the sandbag rescue. Like a balloon! Big Snake stared at it, too. For about three seconds. Then he went back to hitting everyone.” “Did you see Everly’s ice rope?” Alden asked. “No!” Haoyu whipped around to look at her. “What did you do with an ice rope?” Kon leaped at the opportunity to praise her. During the break, they all got a surprise. It was one most of the class felt was negative, judging by the sounds of distress Alden heard echoing around him. “Gym class has written homework?” the boy Alden had seen running around the party wearing a caution tape belt asked. “Of course there’s homework,” Vandy replied. She was using her powers to fan herself, and the tail of her braid was blowing around. “Why wouldn’t there be?” “This is a lot of homework, though.” Heloísa was upside down, practicing handstands. “It’s a ton. Are you looking at it, Windy Woman?” Reinhard asked. He was casting some kind of spell over his practice arrows. “But there’s supposed to be a lot of homework,” Vandy said. “She’s right,” Haoyu agreed, looking around at everyone. “All of the gym courses will have homework. It would be a waste of the facility for the instructors to focus too much on lecturing and theory while we’re in here. This is the practical half of the course, where we’re supposed to be pushing our powers and our physical abilities as much as we can. So the other half of the course happens outside the gym.” He and Vandy both had parents who’d attended either the high school or university hero programs, so they would know. Alden was studying the assignments. For the rescue section, they were supposed to listen to a recorded lecture and review the drone footage of their own rescues. Then they had to come to class on Wednesday with new things to try. For maneuvering, there was a self-evaluation of today’s performance due on Wednesday, and there was a book that had to be read by the end of next week. For self-defense and offense, they’d be given individual assignments based on their strengths and weaknesses. It was a lot, but what Haoyu had said made sense. The gym wasn’t really a place where it was reasonable for them all to sit around pondering and talking, so that had to be done separately. And this was a three-day-a-week class. Six hours a week of pure practical work, he thought. This looks like about the same amount of homework to go with it, assuming defense and offense aren’t ridiculous. Torsten Klein’s voice suddenly rang across the gym. “Two minutes! Finish up whatever you’re doing, and head to your next instructor!” You’re my next instructor. Alden was nervous about it for multiple reasons. “Hey, Haoyu? You did offense already with the all-Brute group. Any advice on weapon selection?” He grinned. “Massive fireballs.” “A nuclear detonation!” cried Heloísa, righting herself. “That’s what it’ll take to knock out Instructor Klein. Trust me. Your umbrella is not fast enough.” “Nothing I can do is fast enough to catch up to a professional AgiBrute. I was just wondering about strategy in general.” There was a thud behind him as Mehdi leaped down from a higher bleacher. “A professional AgiBrute? Do you think a B-rank Rabbit could even beat me?” “I haven’t bothered to consider it,” Alden said absently, still staring across the gym at Klein. “I just have to pick a weapon for the rest of term by Friday, and I don’t want to waste today trying out something completely wrong.” “Oh, they’re making you choose just one thing?” Haoyu looked disappointed. “That’s not as much fun.” “Pick the umbrella! We’re doing duels starting week after next. I want to fight the umbrella again.” “Stop going on about that stupid umbrella, Heloísa,” Mehdi snapped. “If I were you, I’d be embarrassed I couldn’t crumple a B-rank’s comedy shield like paper.” He stalked away. “Ops. I pissed him off somehow,” Heloísa said. Then she shrugged. “He’s probably still mad that I would definitely have beaten him at the drinking contest if Astrid had made enough Bonding Potion for us to fight to the death.” She adjusted her ponytail then trotted after him. Haoyu leaned toward Alden. [I’m pretty sure it was you who made him mad.] [What did I do?] [He was trying to say, ‘Rawrr, I’m better than you!’ And you said, ‘I don’t even know who you are.’] Alden laughed. “I did not!” Haoyu nodded. “You did.” Alden looked at Mehdi’s retreating back. “He still shouldn’t have insulted my umbrella. It wasn’t for comedy. I thought about it. It was lightweight, not so oversized that I would trip over it, extendable, I could rapidly make two different easily useable shapes out of it, and it had a wrist strap. So that I wouldn’t drop it.” “You could shield a real shield, couldn’t you? If you wanted?” “Sure. But it would be so much harder to move around with. And if my skill gives out, then there’s no point in me hauling a big hunk of metal or wood around the gym. It’ll offer protection against a few things, but the more likely outcome is that it slows me down, someone snatches it, thanks me for the gift, and then beats me to death with it.” He stood up. “If I lose my shield, it’s not the worst thing for it to turn back into something useless for everyone else around me. Would you come over to my duffel with me? I want to change my paracord weapon.” And pick up my handicap. It was going to be a small breath mint. He’d bought a pack of them to try to un-torture his garlicky, oversensitive tongue. It hadn’t worked, but if he preserved one and ate it… Well, there was no way of dropping that kind of preserved object. He’d lay it beside the cord when he asked Haoyu to entrust it. “Range,” Haoyu said. “What?” “I was answering your question more seriously. You need some way to attack from range. Instructor Klein is only running away, not fighting back. So don’t worry about protecting yourself at all and go for range.” “Thanks for the tip.” “Are you really going to make a zip line?” “What?” “I heard someone say you were going to make one next time. Can I ride it?” “Sure…if you can get the faculty to let you and if gym death doesn’t upset you.”   ******   “Superheroes have to go on the attack frequently,” Instructor Klein said. “Instructor Waker will be teaching you what it’s like to face someone who is willing to engage you in combat. I will be teaching you what it’s like to deal with someone who isn’t.” Everly raised her hand with a nervous look. “Are you going to ask why we would fight someone who wasn’t fighting back?” She blushed and nodded. He smiled at her. “A question that shows good character. However, I’m not talking about attacking someone who has yielded. I’m talking about dealing with dangerous people who have harmed others, who will likely do so again, and who have no desire to stick around and fight back when another powerful Avowed arrives to bring them to justice.” “Runners,” said Astrid. Klein nodded. “Runners, hiders, hostage takers. Sometimes allowing a criminal Avowed to flee is the correct choice. Perhaps your powers are a terrible match. Or you deem it likely that a pursuit will endanger more lives than the criminal themselves will if they’re allowed to leave. But in most cases, it’s better to swiftly and efficiently deal with the enemy while they are in front of you. Allowing an escape is just making future victims and future problems for yourself or another hero to handle.” He speared them with his eyes. “Remember, an active duty superhero is almost always the most powerful solution that will be thrown at a problem Avowed. Above you, there is only well-orchestrated military action, a hyperbole, or one of our battlegroups. And a lot of innocent people have to die before the cogs turn and the authorities bring those options to bear for the sake of a single villain. “The enemy is the question. You must strive to be the answer.” He likes giving speeches I think. Admittedly, it was a good speech. Alden was trying to stand still and attentive without looking like he was standing at actual military attention. He kept worrying that Klein was about to call him out—as a time waster, a weak link, someone who did not really belong. If it happened he’d already decided he was just going to grin and bear it, but …he was still dreading it. “Konstantin!” the instructor barked. “Ah! What?” Kon said, looking around frantically. Everyone else had jumped at the sudden increase in volume, too. “How do you attack?” Instructor Klein asked in a more normal tone. “Um…I hope that in the future—” “Let the faculty worry about your future. In this space, it’s your job to work with what you already possess, so that you can learn and grow quickly. We develop the talents you have fully, and because of that you’ll naturally gain new ones. So if an enemy appears before you at this very moment, how do you attack?” Kon grimaced. “With my fists.” “Good. Instructor Wu, take Konstantin aside and show him how to throw a decent punch.” They all turned in surprise to see that Wu and Foxbolt were behind them. “Søren!” The Light Shaper flinched. “How do you attack?” “I…can make places hot. If I have long enough.” Instructor Klein coughed. “You sound distressed about that.” “I know it’s not…” “Your powers and Konstantin’s are not presently useful for attacking. However, the benefit of that is that you can both practice them to their fullest and at your leisure without worrying about seriously harming yourselves or destroying anything. Many of your classmates would relish the opportunity. We expect you to take advantage of it. Extensively. You have other strengths as a superhuman. For now, go join Instructor Wu and learn to throw a punch.” Instructor Klein continued down the line, asking everyone how they attacked. It soon became apparent that the scary voice he used to shout their names was his version of a joke, since it was almost always followed up with advice delivered more affably. He only fumbled momentarily when Astrid asked if she could try to deal with a villain by “looking like their mom to catch them off-guard then punching them.” “Well, I’ll be playing the villain today. Can you shift into an approximation of my mother?” he asked finally. “Does she look a lot like me?” “Not remotely.” “Aww. Then not yet.” He saved Alden for last. The others were all off having quick practice...