TWD Family Line

Training (0x08)

3rd POV

Once they'd finished their tea, Lilly took care of she clean-up before they moved on to training. The tunnels were ideal for this because they provided a safe, hidden spot where she could hone her skills without any fear of being found out or inadvertently causing damage.

"Alright, the first order of business is finding your center," James began. "If you don't have a solid stance to back up your blast, you're going to end up on your ass" he added with a smirk. "I've had fighting lessons since I was a kid, so I know how to keep my balance and plant my feet firmly," Lilly said confidently. "That's great," James acknowledged.

He took a quick step forward and tried to sweep her legs, but she was too fast and hopped back out of the way. "Your powers are tied to your emotions, so you've got to be able to keep your cool when things get intense. If it all gets too much, just say the safe word: 'red', okay?" he stated.

Without wasting any time, James threw a right hook, expecting to catch her off guard. But Lilly was prepared, and blocked it with her left hand. He followed up with a left hook, and then aimed a kick at her side. She managed to block the second punch, and then swiftly brought her hand down to protect herself from the kick, pushing her fist forward and connecting with his chest.

He grimaced and took a step back. "You're not holding back, are you?" Lilly teased with a smirk. Before he could respond, she raised her leg and delivered a kick to his side. "Guess I don't have to go easy on you," James said, rubbing his side. "This world isn't all rainbows and sunshine, so no sugarcoating it," Lilly retorted.

"Alright as you wish," James replied. He put up a barrier around the area they were in. "Your powers should come naturally. Elementals don't rely on spells they rely on instinct. Control isn't always taught it's learned through experience," James informed. He teleports behind her but she ducks before he could grab her.

She swiftly rolled to the side, and tried to kick him out from under but he jumped back before she could do that. "Nice try kid," James stated. Lilly felt a rush of power, and her hands began to glow a soft, ethereal blue. She focused, and a light dagger materialized. "Impressive," James murmured, his voice a mix of surprise and approval.

She tossed it, and he narrowly dodged it. They both went straight back into training. Their sparring grew intense, each move became even more calculated and swift. The longer they went on the more of a rhythm they had found. James's fist connected with her ribs, and she retaliated with a sharp knee to his shin. He grunted, but she didn't relent. With a graceful arch of her back, she brought her foot up to his stomach, then used his momentum to flip him over on his back.

James went to the ground with a thud, and she watched him groan as he rolled away, trying to regain his composure. He spoke through gritted teeth, "In a real fight, you can't stop when they're down. You must either kill or incapacitate. It's survival of the fittest, Lilly, and it's your life or theirs." He said sternly."But what if they pin me down?" She asked. "Create space," he started, his eyes narrowing at her posture. He threw a punch, and she caught it twisting his arms turning him around, and kicking him from behind sending him flying forward. "Bite, scratch, use whatever means necessary to escape. It's not about being dainty; it's about surviving," James continued.

James took advantage of her momentary distraction and pinned her to the ground, his larger frame pressing down on her. Lilly, undeterred, felt the weakness in his stance and acted swiftly. She planted her right leg firmly kicking it out to cause him to fall forward slightly. She then brought her knee up, striking him where it would do the most damage.

With a cry of pain, James released her, and she pushed him away. He writhed in pain. "Not exactly what I had in mind," He groaned. "Hey there is no fair play when fighting for life," Lilly defended. "Now you're starting to catch on," He grumbled. He slowly recovered, and stood up.

"Let's move onto your powers," James spoke. Grace moved out of her fighting stance. "Just channel your light and shoot blasts like you did to me earlier," he instructed. "That was kind of an accident, to be honest," Lilly admitted quietly. "I didn't really know what I was doing." she told him. "Well, we've got to get you comfortable with that. It's like when you first learned to ride a bike, you had to find your balance before you could go full speed ahead," he reassured her.

"Just focus and let the power freely flow through you, and direct it" he encouraged. "But James, I'm not even sure how I did it that one time," she protested. "You have to learn. Now go ahead, and try," James told her.

She let the power flare before throwing her hand forward, and releasing the energy. It however went nowhere near the target. She did it again, and again, and again, and again but she failed each time. She started to get frustrated. "Come on Lilly you're too focused just let it happen," James told her. "Shut up James it's not that easy," Lilly snapped before throwing her hand out again, and blasted the head off a target.

"See not that hard. Let it happen naturally rather than hyper focusing," James told her. Lilly threw her left out out, and the blast of light destroyed the target. "Alright I think that's enough training for the day. But you can learn some offensive spells if you want," James told Lilly. "I thought I didn't need to rely on spells," Lilly questioned.

"You don't but it wouldn't hurt to know some," He replied. He waved his hand, and the targets disappeared. Lilly grabbed a snack, and decided to head off to bed.