Not So Sweet Candyland

XIV: I'll Make a Man Out of U

Chase woke up and Berry was in his door, brushing her teeth and in a different set of pajamas.

"Are you wearing different pajamas?"

"I have night pajamas and morning pajamas. It's one thing that my family taught me, that having style is how you get what you want."

"I can tell."

"Anyways...." Berry threw her toothbrush out of the way and spit to the left.

"What do you think we were going to be doing this whole time while we were stuck?"

"I don't know, nothing?"

"Wrong. If you really want a fighting chance in the outside world other than the cities, then you will need to sharpen up physically and mentally. And I'm just not saying this because I want to be annoying. No, I'm going to teach you how to survive, and you know what? I'll whip you in top peak physical and mental condition and I'll make a man out of you. So, hurry up, get changed in your best physical attire, and meet me outside of the house."

Berry left the house and Chase got up.

"What did I get myself in to?"

He left the house after getting changed into a tank top with shorts, Berry looked at him with approval.

"Not too shabby."

"Not too bad yourself." Chase replied.

They walked to a stall with 7 barrels and a baseball bat was laying right near them. Berry picked the bat up and handed it to Chase.

"You know what to do."

"No, I do not."

"Ugh! You have no common sense. Let me demonstrate for you."

She snatched the bat out of his hand and proceeded to swing at the barrels, her swing was so hard that she broke one barrel and purple liquid oozed out of the barrel.

"Pretend like it's a spy or a guard, only you can't hesitate."

"It's a bat, what else can I do with it?"

"This." Berry pressed the bottom of the bat extra tightly and the bat turned into a gun. She swung it around and aimed it at Chase for a second.

"Us people in Licorice City know how to fool others, you think that you can't do anything with a bat, but enough power will get you somewhere, but nothing like this."

"What kind of gun is that?"

"The Babblebob TK, watch what it can do."

Berry fired a gun and a huge bullet came out. It blew up the rest of the barrels, but it does not make any noise.

"You want to try it?"

"What can you try it on?"

"Watch." She went to where the barrels were and put up a wooden wall.

"Try to break this wall."

"All of it?"

"You know it."

Berry went back a safe distance and gave a thumbs up for Chase to shoot.

Chase shot and the bullet flew and the wall collapsed.

"Not too shabby, we have more to do."

The next thing that Berry would teach Chase is the art of logic.

"You can aim a gun, but is your brain sharp enough to get you somewhere in life?"

"How many logical skills do I need?"

"Food is everywhere, but even the ground can be poisoned. Naturally, of course."

"How?"

"It expires, you know how candy expires and it makes you want to throw up?"

"So, don't eat anything or drink anything?"

"Are you being sarcastic?"

"Of course."

"This is why I can't teach you ANYTHING."

She found some ropes, bags full of dirt and grass, a logic book, and poison.

Chase held the poison up.

"Is this poison?"

"It is."

"Why do we need poison in the first place?"

"Sometimes, if you can't resort to mind games or physical violence, you just have to slip something in their food or drink."

"Have you ever poisoned somebody?"

"No? Actually, yes. I have, but not for a killer. There are many different types of poisons, but a little bit of lethal poison will just make them pass out. That's what I have done."

Chase gasped.

"So, you have never killed a candison? I thought that you would have."

"I wish I could, but I don't let those thoughts get to my head. Too much of a thought can poison your brain. That's why I hate idiots that are in love."

"You hate the feelings of love?"

"Love is a myth, until somebody comes walking into my life, then no, I will never. Not until they can prove something."

"What?"

"Nothing! I need to teach you how to set up a trap, and that's why we have this rope."

Berry called somebody over with a whistle and a teenage girl came around.

"This is Vicky the Victim, I help people by using her as an example. And yes, her pain tolerance is sky high."

"I lost 4 teeth and my pinky toes and I still never felt a thing."

"That's great, Vicky. Nobody cares." Berry pushed her to the sidelines and in the middle of the street.

"Now, we're going to do a rope trick, like a banana peel trick, but not scary. This can only be used in messy places, since most people could be suspicious of all that is going on. Let me show you. Vicky, talk to Chase or something, you two are stupid enough to have a conversation with each other." Berry added.

Berry laid the rope down a few feet away from Vicky and started loudly saying the instructions.

"Make sure the rope has no edges or cuts, this is very important as it could make or break this plan. Set the rope up in a full circle and add your distraction, in this case, a banana peel. I set the banana peel in the middle and we'll place a bucket of water atop her head."

She set up the trick.

"VICKY!"

"Yes?"

"There's a banana peel!"

"I love banana peels!"

She ran to the banana peel and slipped, her foot got stuck and she got lifted and then crushed by a bucket full of sardines.

"Now, you try."

"How?"

"Were you listening?"

"No?"

Berry sighed and Chase looked at her.

"We have a long way to go, you idiot."