"What is this place?"
Tip looked toward Miya as she scanned the blank room, solid white engulfing her senses as she walked further inside.
"Check this out."
Tip reached for the wall, his hands meeting with the wall before his fingers revealed a small screen near the entrance of the room. After he had input a code that Miya didn't understand the screen went away, the room eventually changing.
The walls changed colors and tiles on the floor began rising and shifting, becoming a vast room with bleachers and a boxing ring at its center.
"This is called a combat room. It can morph into any battle location you can think of, and since we are just starting off, I chose a boxing ring. Myself and your new friends are going to be collectively teaching you hand-to-hand combat and how to incorporate your powers into your very own fighting style."
Bo sat Nifla onto a bleacher seat facing the boxing ring, but as soon as she'd sat down, the door flew open, Kem, Chance, and Sarah entering the room.
Kem began jumping around enthusiastically.
"Yay! My favorite class of the day!"
Sarah's eyes gleamed.
"The only one you even attend!"
Chance walked toward the ring, investigating the design. As he looked, he grew annoyed at Kem and Sarah's constant arguing, projecting his voice with halting intensity.
"Could you guys stop so we can get to the lesson?!"
They spoke in unison.
"Fine!"
Everyone walked toward the changing rooms, but Tip and Nifla remained sitting in the bleachers, talking to each other. Miya entered the changing room, and Sarah followed, Miya's eyes widening as she stepped further.
Numerous weapons lined the wall, but none of them interested her except for the katana. It felt oddly familiar to her, feeling as if beckoning her toward it.
"I should've guessed you'd choose that one."
Sarah began disrobing, revealing a sports bra, and compression pants.
"Why would you guess that?"
"The clan you originate from is an eastern clan. They used those swords almost exclusively, but not without reason. Those kinds of swords are insanely refined."
"I see. What kind of sword would you use?"
Sarah's hand reached toward her chin before extending toward the wall, grabbing a small shield that only covered a bit more than her hand before placing it back onto the wall.
"I don't use weapons often, but if I were to choose one, I'd go for your standard short sword. I'm not too good with two-handed swords like the katana."
Miya picked up the katana, inspecting it's shape and weight.
"Is this real?"
"Very much so."
A drop of sweat inched down Miya's face.
"Are we going to be fighting each other with these?"
"Pretty much."
Miya raised her head from the blade, a concerned look painting it.
"How does that work?"
"Whoever wins either shows you mercy or you're dead, Miya."
"Huh?!"
"I'm messing with you. Tip'll call the match if anything goes wrong. Also, we're not using weapons today."
Miya giggled anxiously as Sarah rose, seemingly done dressing herself.
'I don't know anything about hand-to-hand combat either.'
From beyond the door, the boys could be heard exiting their changing room and heading toward the ring, so Miya began walking toward the door.
"You might want to change into something lighter than that. If not, why'd you come into the changing room?"
She giggled a bit.
"... But, in all seriousness, you need to change. Changing into something lighter will help Tip get a better look at your current fighting experience. With what you have on right now, your moves wouldn't be as coordinated, either. Big sweatshirts tend to do that."
"But I don't have anything to change into."
"No need to worry about that. I've got you covered."
Sarah reached into her bag, pulling out a one-piece compression suit that Miya hadn't seen before. Once Miya put it on, the suit changed in color and began adjusting to her body type.
Thrilled, Miya looked around her own body, admiring the suit's unique properties.
"Woooaaah!!! Does it do anything else?!"
"Cooling, heating, weight, tension, etc. It becomes very useful for working out. I'll lend you that for a while. For now, I have no need for it."
"Thank you."
They began heading out toward the ring, and as they approached the combat room, the volume continued to rise.
"Ladies and Gentlemen!"
Tip's voice filled the entire room.
"This bout will be mixed by both weight class and sex. Now, approaching the ring, is our very own reigning champion. Standing at a height of 6 feet and 4 inches tall and weighing in at 195 pounds. The best blow-for-blow athlete you'll meet in your entire life, 'Berserk' Booooo!"
The non-existent crowd was roaring, and Nifla sat in the bleachers, cheerfully clapping her hands as Bo climbed into the ring.
Miya stood, dumbfounded as she witnessed the show before her.
'What the fuck is going on?'
Tip continued to announce, his voice nearly tearing Miya's ears apart.
"And our next contender, coming into her first ever championship bout. Weighing in at 135 pounds with a height of 5 feet and 11 inches. 'The Invincible' Miya!"
'I'm very much NOT invincible.'
Kem and Chance sat together, their eyes trained on the stage. Kem hadn't changed his clothes while Chance wore a white t-shirt and shorts. They both motioned for Miya to enter the ring with Bo, but she quickly refused.
Bo made no expression, but he looked at her, wearing the same kind of suit Miya wore but with 4 arm sleeves. His muscles were almost emphasized by the suit, toned and visibly powerful, forcing Miya even further away from the ring.
"I really don't want to go in the ring with him, Sarah."
"Just go!"
She pushed Miya toward the ring, and after a while, she reluctantly entered the ring and stood in front of Bo, reality instantly setting in.
'I'm really about to get my ass kicked.'
Bo's physique shone like the sun through his combat suit. His muscles tensed throughout his body as his eyes pierced through her. His lean physique also supported the theory that he was not only strong, but he was fast as well.
'2-0 In favor of Bo.'
As she continued to look at him, her life seemed to flash in front of her eyes. All the things she could even remember displayed itself to her, and she suddenly realized that she hadn't fulfilled anything thus far.
'I have an entire 7 years of memories that I don't know a thing about.... If only I-'
Bo interrupted her dying thoughts.
"It is a training session. They're trying to make it fun. Do you think it's fun?"
Bo hadn't assumed a stance yet, and his voice was somewhat muffled by Tip's obnoxious screams into his microphone, but Miya could make out what he was saying.
"It was just... unexpected."
"Please wait a second... Tip, that's enough."
The effects disappeared, and Tip instantly stepped down from the microphone.
"Before we fight, I'm going to need to teach you how to do so. I'm also going to take into account the fact that you are from the Sleep Clan. That makes teaching you a lot easier."
"I don't remember how to use my abilities in a fight. I normally just touch people with my eyes open and they fall asleep."
Bo assumed his fighting stance, his arms locked in front of his face. His extra arms extended behind his head, finally rising from their resting position and facing toward her, open and ready to grab at her.
"Well, I know a bit about their fighting style, so I could remind you. There's a lot more to your ability than simply touching someone."
He slowly inched toward Miya, his stance still tight.
Everyone outside of the ring remained silent, and Miya began to feel uneasy.
"What are you about to-"
His hand reached out toward her, engulfing her entire line of sight.
"Goodnight."