Europe, distant future. A meteorite impacted on the area of Russia, turning the area into a dead zone. Moreover, it emits a strange radiance which increases the impact survivors and their offsprings' endurance and strength, but also causing them to...
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Even in the next day's morning, the afterglow of Ryan's surprise party still lingers in me. I'd never guess he can be this kind. I expect him to be grumpy for the entire following week, just to balance it out a little.
However, the world's reality strikes again soon. Today is my next meeting with Odin and Scarla. If I polish up the jumping spin kick which I used to destroy the boxing bag yesterday, maybe I'll be able to score the A-rank today. But my expectations aren't very high since I reached B just a few days ago.
I undress my pyjamas and take a look at neatly folded blouse and skirt on the armchair nearby. I love them so much and I'd love to spend a whole day in them, like a lady, but it's no use, I have my duties. I put on my exercise outfit and go for the morning obstacle course.
I run the gauntlet twice, then reattach the boxing bag (I use the thickest branch available) and start to do the jumping kick over and over again, remembering Scarla's tutoring. It seems easy, but actually, it's like science. How to bend the leg, execute the jump, gain momentum for maximum power, land safely.
In the evening, Ryan takes me to the community where I exhibit my new skills. Both mentors seem satisfied with my progress.
And that's how it goes for several more weeks. When I learn to walk the rope, Scarla teaches me how to jump and land safely again on it, then perform kicks and attacks. Sometimes, to spice it up a bit, she either loosens the rope or makes it shake, but I think I'm doing pretty well.
Odin teaches me more and more fighting techniques - for example, it's possible for me to block attacks even with my thin arms - and helps me refine these I already know. Somewhere near the end of July, I finally score the A rank with 256 points.
After that, Scarla has another challenge for me. We both jump on the rope and fight in a friendly skirmish. It's harder to stay on the rope when there are two people on it. It's also harder to evade the opponent's attacks when there's no option to jump aside. You have to either block them (while maintaining balance), jump up or backwards. I know Scarla goes easy on me. But it's still a great feeling when I evade her attack by jumping high above her, land behind her back on the tip of my foot, turn around like a ballerina and knock her off the rope using a well-aimed push kick into her lumbar region.
Observing fights of other Champions is also a part of my education. I see all possible proths and Aces in action, combined with their owners' fighting styles and strategies. One would never believe what can fit inside a mechanical arm or leg. Hidden blades and hydraulic engines are the most common. A female Champion called Arachné can shoot sticky liquid from her fingertips. Another one, a guy called Kraken, can extend his fingers and use them as constricting cables. Vidarr has a heavy additional weigh in his left leg, making him impossible to knock down and his kick extra destructive.
Then, one day, I finally score 300.
I score 84% in lower body and 81% in evasion. Blocking (33%) and upper body (42%) are much weaker, but the average grade multiplied by 5 for A-rank equals 303,75.
