Chapter 7 - Training Memories
To build something you need a base. And with Sunset, it felt as though I am starting from the beginning. I’m Lumen Draco, sensei to the Pack and right now, I think I have a lot of work to have my latest student be up to fighting progress with the rest of them. Though, no one said that I won’t enjoy it though.
“Well, to be fair, it was Sensei’s idea to see what he will be working with.” Squalo said in defense.
“I think it’s more of the fact you went in hard mate.” Falco said with a raised brow.
Squalo just grumbled as they shifted to a picture of Squalo and Sunset getting ready to spar.
“Well, I never had been in a proper fight before. Only ones were me being attacked by those assholes who thought I was spreading their secrets.’ Sunset said, repressing bad memories. ‘Though it was interesting after you guys helped me moved my stuff in.”
<Flashback>
“Yep, that’s all of it.” Sunset said as she and the rest helped her place her clothes in the wardrobe.
Shade was confused though.
“Though, I thought that you would have a lot more stuff. Not some clothes and a guitar.” He commented.
Sunset’s face fell and she clenched her fist.
“I lost most of it.” She muttered.
“What?” Falco asked in a confused tone.
“I LOST MOST OF IT! THOSE ASSHOLES FROM MY SCHOOL WRECKED MY APARTMENT!!!” She yelled as tears built up in her eyes, falling to her knees
The five were silent.
“Yer kidding.” Sandy said.
Sunset didn’t say anything. Instead, she handed her the letter as the five read it. When they were finished, Sandy scrunched it in her hands.
“Question. Who’s Princess Twilight?” Falco had to ask.
“A...friend not from here. She came here when I was going through my bitch days. She was essentially royalty.” Sunset confessed.
“And a journal is how you talk with her?” Flora asked.
“It makes me feel closer to her.” She said but she had one thought in the back of her mind.
‘Plus it is how I can communicate with Twilight back in Equestria but they shouldn’t know that.”
She didn’t know how to tell them that truth. Otherwise, they would think she was a nutter.
Soon Lumen came in.
“Everyone. Come to the training grounds. We need to see how well Sunset can do in a fight.” he demanded as they all followed the elderly man.
Shade hung back and placed a hand on her shoulder.
“Don’t worry. We see those punks and they will be getting a knuckle sandwich, special delivery.” He reassured her as Sunset let a small smile show.
It was a bit brutal and she didn’t want them to cause trouble...but she was touched.
<Pause Flashback>
“And we still maintain that promise. Those five punks try to come close; they are going to face my fist.’
“And my foot’ Falco added.
‘Right to their backstabbing, snake-like faces.” he said before turning to Sandy. ‘No offense.”
“None taken.” She reassured, arms crossed.
“Look, you really didn’t have to say that. But I’m not gonna stop you when you do it.” she said.
Was it wrong? Yes.
Was it like her older days as Queen HBIC? Yes.
Did she care? No.
She had new friends and a successful life now.
She won’t get her hands dirty but they weren’t her.
These guys were seriously overprotective of her.
She then shook her head as she remembered the first day of her training.
<Resume flashback>
Sunset was in her tank top and a fresh pair of sweatpants, stretching her body as she warmed up, ready to begin her test. With each stretch, her breasts swayed.
Meanwhile, the five were watching her.
“OK, I’ll just say it. No way those things are real.” Falco commented as he saw Sunset’s breasts sway with each stretch.
“Ah know. They should exist only in anime or summin.” Sandy said, feeling slightly envious.
“Forget that, hermano. Those hips are fricking wide! How?!” Flora exclaimed as she showed her hands at the sight
“She MUST have some good genes or summin.” Squalo spoke.
“Guys. Can we not talk about how Sunset is strangely got a body of a model despite being around our age?” Shade said to snap them out of it.
Sunset finshed her warm up and faced them.
“Hey. Can we get started?” She asked but saw them looking puzzled and...envious?
“Uhhhh...what’s wrong?”
“Nothing! Nothing!” Falco said with a wide grin.
Sunset raised a brow but shook her head.
“So...Who will I be facing?” She asked.
Squalo smirked as he cracked his neck.
“You and me, Sunshine! Let’s see what you got!” he said as he got into a stance. Lumen had arrived to see the fight.
Sunset also got into a basic stance, sweat dripping from her head.
“Ready?” Lumen asked.
Both nodded.
“HAJIME!”
Sunset let out a battle cry as she rushed forward with a fist that she let loose, which Squalo leaned back and slammed a fist into her face with an uppercut, sending her back.
“Dat’s it? Next!” He taunted as she got up, spitting out some blood.
“Why you!” She growled as she rushed him again, throwing punches as she could but Squalo just dodged them with ease, looking bored.
“C’mon! Youse were a queen bee and ya never had ta rag doll a fool?!” He said as he caught a fist and drove a knee into her gut, making her eyes bulge out before he fly kicked her back.
Sunset stood again, albeit shakily as she raised her fists.
“OK, tenacity is alright. But this is embarrassing. You give up yet or?” Squalo asked.
“No way!” She said as she rushed forward.
“Insanity. Thine living definition.” Falco remarked with a snicker.
Squalo shook his head before grabbing her fists then tackling her into an arm lock, giving a tight twist.
“C’MON! I DON’T WANNA BREAK YA ARM!” He said as he applied pressure, making her scream.
“OK! OK! I GIVE!” She yelled. Squalo got off as he helped her up, placing an arm around his shoulder.
“Ya got spunk, I can give you that.” He said, to which Sunset let a dry chuckle loose.
“Well, didn’t help me getting the shit kicked out of me.” she replied as she was carried back inside.
“So Sensei. What do you think?” Shade asked. Lumen had his eyes closed as he let a hum loose.
“I’m afraid there is a lot of work to do with the young one.” he said.
<Pause Flashback>
“Understatement of the century.” Squalo said.
“Yeah. I mean, I never had to fight back before...It was kinda a ‘no duh’ moment for me to get my clock cleaned.” She said.
“Though after you healed, he got started on the first lesson.” Flora said.
<Resume Flashback>
Sunset now had bandages covering her face, touching one as she winced in pain from the bruises.
“That was humiliating.” She muttered.
“Well it ain’t much of a shock.” Sandy said as she followed her to the training area.
“How come?” Sunset asked the cowgirl.
“Squalo is a pro in MMA, a former gang leader AND has a temper. A skinny girl like you stood no chance.” She said, making Sunset gasp in offence.
“SKINNY?!” She shouted.
“Sunset, when was the last time you had to fight someone?” Sandy asked her.
Sunset opened her mouth to reply, but she couldn’t speak as the more she thought about it...She realised the last time she had a bare-knuckle brawl was never.
She had relied on tricks and threats to get what she needed back in her Queen Bee days and never had to punch anyone out.
Seeing her face, Sandy nodded with a smirk.
“Didn’t think so. But that is why you are here. To learn how to fight.”
Soon they arrived at their destination. A large stone slab buried deep in the dirt. Lumen was there.
“See that slab?” He said.
“Yeah?”
“Use your fists to break it.” he said, making her eyes widen.
“WHAT?!”
“You want to learn how to fight, then you will learn the first lesson by punching the stone.”
“OK?” She said as she approached the stone. With a look of determination, she threw a punch.
And let out a scream of pain as she did, holding her hand.
“You want to stop?”
Sunset caught her breath and shook her hand, shaking her head in refusal.
She then continued to punch the stone, gritting her teeth as she shook off the pain.
The five just looked on with impressed looks.
“Aye Caramba, she’s going for it.” Flora remarked.
“How long until she realises the lesson?” Shade said.
“I give until sundown.” Falco said.
“Make that the next three hours.” Shade countered.
Soon it was the late afternoon and Sunset was still at the slab, knuckles bloody and her arms slowing as she was exhausted.
She then let her arms drop, blood dripping onto the grass.
“I’ve been punching...for the last seven hours! What the hell is the lesson?! I will never break this thing!” She yelled.
“You weren’t supposed to.”
She looked behind her to see Shade and Lumen with medical supplies.
“Hands.” Shade said as he took out some bandages and began to wrap them around her bloody knuckles.
“LEt me guess. You gave up?” Lumen asked with a serious look.
“Yeah...My arms are on fire and my knuckles are cracked. How am I supposed to break that?” She asked.
“You weren’t. That is the first lesson.” Lumen said.
Sunset looked confused.
“The lesson is know when to walk away from a fight. You can’t expect to win everything, especially near impossible tasks. The stone slab is meant to teach you it’s ok to walk away from something difficult. It’s like facing a top opponent while you are a beginner. There is no shame in admitting you are out of your league but continuing out of stubbornness is not a good thing, otherwise, you’ll get broken knuckles.”
Sunset listed carefully and realised he had a point. Much like the fight against Squalo, she was wrecked by him but still got badly injured because she refused to forfeit. She ended up getting a beatdown for her trouble. And here she got broken knuckles because of her refusing to stop punching the slab.
“So, why is learning to walk away the first lesson?” She asked.
“Pride comes before the fall. Too many people go down because they refuse to bite back their pride and admit they are out of their league. It ends up with them getting damaged and not in a good way.’ Shade said before smirking. ‘I figured you would learn that, Ms. Former HBIC.”
Sunset blushed in embarrassment.
“Yeah....totally forgot that.”
After finishing bandaging her hands, they went back to the home.
“Come on. Squalo is getting dinner ready. We will resume once your hands are healed.” Lumen said, shocking Sunset slightly.
“What? You expect me to continue training with broken hands? The body needs to be in proper order before we begin.” Lumen said as the two followed him.
“Wow. Never expect the lesson to be right there.” Sunset said.
“Hey, the best lessons are the ones you have to learn yourself. Still want to train with us?” Shade asked.
Sunset smirked.
“I already agreed to it. Would be stupid to back out now.” She said as they made their way back to the house.
<End Flashback>
“Come a month and a half, I was catching up to you in fighting prowess.” Sunset smiled.
“YEah. Then came THAT day.” Falco muttered.
The others also frowned as they remembered that day,
The day their lives changed forever.
The day they became living elementals
And the day they learnt the secret of the shrine.
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Ok, now I’m starting to wonder how much she told them. I don’t know if I’m being biased or something, but this just doesn’t feel right.
No!
Isn’t that one of the first things your taught? Without a stone?
HBIC?
As Count Dooku once said, "Twice the Pride, Double the fall"
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HBIC - head b!@#$ in charge
11450477
Yep. That was what I was going for
Careful now, you're slipping again. By trying to squeeze all the backstory in up front, you're sending the message that the present plot doesn't matter. These flashbacks aren't even close to being naturally integrated because they're not for the characters' benefit, but for the readers' because the characters presumably already know this stuff. If the plot in the present is not the most exciting thing happening in Sunset's life, why are you bothering to show it? There are other ways to convey this information besides flashbacks; just alternate between past and present per chapter. That way you can have the backstory without grinding the present plot to a halt for a flashback.
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any tips?