The Great Bulk: Beginner's Luck

All in the Name

Breakfast was good, although I could tell the chef had a bit of a problem with me. He kept looking at me like I was going to raid the kitchen! I'm not that inconsiderate! I don't know why that Munchlax thinks I can't control myself. I saw Asana nearby, chatting up a Chespin and a Wooper. I didn't pay much mind to what they were saying, so instead, I got up and exited the mess hall, navigating my way towards the two job boards. There was one for explorer work, and one for taking down outlaws. Being a bounty hunter, I naturally perused the second one.

I took a look at the various faces populating the board. I caught something in the corner of my eye, and looking at, I saw the wanted poster for a Gimmighoul. He had a pair of silver teashade glasses framing his face. I read out the text below the art depicting him.

His name was Nickel, and apparently, he was a small-time gang leader. I didn't think I could take on a whole gang alone, so I decided not to pursue this bounty. For some reason, though, he looked oddly familiar. I swore I saw his face before, but if I did, I couldn't remember exactly where. After a while in the business, names and faces blend together unless they've done something to stand out. I bet Asana would recognize him. I'd just have to remember to bring it up with her later.

I scrutinized more of the postings. There were thieves, muggers, scammers, and even a couple of murderers thrown into the mix. I eventually found a poster depicting not one, but two outlaws. One of them was a Clefable with a starry-looking cape, and the other was a Venonat with a bandana tied around his head that matched his partner's get-up in theming. I looked at what the poster had to say:

"Wanted: Team Stardust! Don't be fooled by their leader's cutesy looks! Cassiopeia is a fight-hungry robber known for her wrestling skills, and her sidekick Leo always follows close behind her! The two of them live in Abundant Pass, and all challengers so far have been soundly defeated!"

The names of the two Pokemon stuck out to me. Cassiopeia and Leo? There was something odd about their names, but I couldn't put my non-existant finger on what it was. I was lost in thought for a couple of minutes, trying to remember where I heard those names before, only for my brainstorming to be broken up by a voice.

"A-are you okay?" It stuttered out. I glanced towards the direction of the voice and found a Togechic looking at me.

"I'm okay, but I'm having trouble with something," I told him. "I'm gonna go after a couple of outlaws, but I have this feeling in my gut. It's telling me that there's something off about them. I swear I've heard their names before in another context, even though this is the first time I've seen their poster."

"O-odd names?" The Togetic asked.

I nodded and let him examine what I was reading. He remained quiet for a few moments, taking in every detail. "M-maybe it's the names?" He stated. "T-those are constellation names, so they're most likely aliases. I-it's fitting, considering the way they're dressed."

Constellations... Maybe that was the key to the puzzle? I didn't get to see the stars much because of the light pollution in my city, but my friends, my brother and I had gone out camping out of town once during the summer. It was a chance to get away from our problems, and for Drew and I, it was a chance to get away from our family

One of my friends was an astronomy nerd, and I remembered him pointing at stars and rattling off the names of constellations. I could remember any of them, but I tried my hardest to remember what the night sky looked like. I tried to remember if the stars in this world were different than my own, having quickly gained the hunch that this was where my answers lied.

I remembered my first night away from home. I was stuck in a vast desert I couldn't navigate, and the night sky felt alien to me. I stared at it for hours as I struggled to sleep, and when I compared that memory to my old camping trip, my theory was validated.

"I got it!" I shouted, having finally found what I was looking for. "The stars here are different! Since they named themselves after constellations from the human world, then one or both of them must be human! It's the only way they'd possess that knowledge!"

I stepped forward and shook one of the Togetic's arms, smiling at him. "Thank you, guy! I really owe you one!" I rushed out the front door, eager to confront the mysterious challengers that awaited me. I didn't even think to say goodbye to the dude that helped me, but in that moment, I was too elated to think about that.

A Rocky Trip

I arrived at the entrance to Abundant Pass, marveling at the life that was around me. The surroundings were rocky and mountainous, and yet, they were teeming with plants. It was easy to see where the area got its name from. Up on top of some rocks, something purple caught my eye.

I saw a Venonat standing there, wearing a blue bandana with white markings, reminiscent of a starry sky. That was one of the outlaws that was hiding out here! I began to run to his position, but he retreated further into the area, running behind a corner. I pursued him, and when I got to that corner, I looked and saw that he was already gone.

I looked back behind me, and the geography was completely different than I remembered it being. I've experienced this a few times. I must've entered the Mystery Dungeon proper. I advanced, noticing forks in the path and winding passageways that weren't there before.

It was then I realized that I didn't check my belongings before charging in. I was too distracted to even think of that! I looked inside and took note of what supplies I did have. With Asana not being avaliable to gripe at me, I tossed away the throwables she'd pack me and put in extra food. She always went on about how I'd need them if I ever got separated from her since I have no ranged attacks, but what did she know? I'm durable enough to close the distance anyway! I kept on moving straight ahead, aiming to see just how big this place was.

I stumbled into a room, and saw five Bellossom lurking within. They all turned to face me, their dull eyes fixating on my form. I could never get used to the look that ferals had in their gaze. It looked so dead and lifeless. It gave me the creeps!

The five of them raised their arms, and grass began to grow from the ground, quickly covering the entire floor of the room. It reminded me of a carpet, but I knew what its true purpose was. When Asana was teaching me to battle, she told me that some Pokemon have the ability to alter the terrain of an area to their advantage.

I saw numerous leaves materialize into existence, a shimmering energy surrounding them. This wasn't good. There were too many of them, and they were too spread out to quickly take out. The best I was able to do in the moment was channel my Aura into my skin and advance towards the first of the five.

The leaves homed in on me and cut me as I approached. Thanks to the extra protection, they were more like paper cuts than anything else, but the energy that surrounded them stung. It was a real pain in the ass! I finally got to one of the Bellossom and grappled it, holding it in my arms. It didn't even struggle. It was more like a puppet than a person, adding to the disturbing nature of the enemies I typically found in these places.

I snapped its neck and it began to dissolve into smoke. The four others didn't even pause. They shifted gears and began firing large blasts of verdant energy at me, each hit burning my skin! Why did they have to switch to using Energy Balls? My skin reinforcement didn't work against attacks like these, so I was in a pretty tight spot. It was then that I realized that Assy was right. I should've kept those Silver Spikes and Iron Thorns she'd give me. I'd have to get creative in order to win this, and luckily enough, this place was quite rocky. I'd have tons of ammunition, but first, I'd have to make it myself!

Empowering my arms, I began to punch the ground repeatedly, making it crack and fracture. I took pieces of rock that were big enough for my tastes and threw them at my enemies. The first didn't hit anything. Another rock collided into a Bellossom's chest and knocked it down like a bowling pin, and a third collided with the head of its neighbor, causing it to fall over and slowly dissolve.

The two standing Bellossom paused their assault, the third getting up shortly after. The three of them raised their arms, energy beginning to form above their heads. Three massives orbs were formed and fused together, looming over the room we were all in. It suddenly felt much hotter, as if the sun had descended down upon us.

I didn't know what this move was, but I had a feeling it wasn't good for me. Plants use the sun, and that giant orb was like a miniature one, so maybe they were going to be even stronger now? If that was true, I had to end this quick. I took a deep breath and aimed my next shot, throwing a stone at the head of one of my remaining enemies. It hit perfectly, a loud crack being heard as it began to fade away. I threw a second rock and took down another, but I was too slow to catch the third before something terrible happened.

The sole survivor pointed an arm forward at me, and engulfed me in a wide, green beam. If it weren't for the color, it'd remind me of the rays of the sun itself. It took everything I had to remain standing and not get blown away. I weathered the attack until it finally tapered off, my entire body being burnt to a crisp. I was in horrible pain and felt like I had been dipped in a deep fryer, but I didn't let that stop me. I hurled a final projectile at my assailant and killed it.

I smiled, relieved that I had survived. I fished out an Oran from my bag and consumed it, most of my injuries healing up. While I didn't pack anything to throw, I did pack extra food, berries included. I guess it pays to be a glutton sometimes!

I continued to wander the dungeon, navigating it and going deeper within it. Plant life became much more numerous, the rock floor soon being replaced by flora. I was lucky enough to not get caught in any more open areas, too. I punched a Sunflora's face in, threw a Roserade to the ground with extreme force, and I even saw a Cacturne I pummeled into oblivion.

It only made me think of the Cacturne I knew. His fate was the whole reason why we were on the Grass Continent to begin with. Were they treating him well in prison? Did his wife ever visit him? I wish I knew the answers, but I couldn't let myself get distracted. I could feel a change in the air. I was getting close to the end.

I entered a large area with no way out in sight. I was surrounded entirely by the walls of cliffs, but that wasn't what drew my attention. In the center of the room I was in, I saw a makeshift arena, complete with ropes bordering it. I could see that Venonat from earlier standing by it. He cautiously began to approach me, clearly nervous from my presence.

"Could you please step into the arena?" Leo asked. "Cassie wants to speak with you."

I looked at him, then looked back at the arena that was set up. "This is awfully elaborate for an ambush, but I'll bite," I replied. I got inside of it as the outlaw requested, and then, I saw something leap off of the cliffs.

Cassiopea glided in the air elegantly, her starry cape flapping behind her. She maneuvered around the area, eventually making a smooth landing right in front of me. I could see a mad glint in her eyes. Just what kind of woman was she?

"We have no need for ambushes! We're the greatest tag team in the world!" She yelled, her voice echoing throughout the area. "Now, who are you? Speak up!"

"That's a nice entrance you got there," I complimented. "Since you're being kind enough to introduce myself, I guess I'll do the same. I'm Makuhita of Team Yin-Yang. My partner's out of commission for the moment, so you'll have to deal with me."

"Aw, dang it!" Cassiopea shouted. "Why did you have to come alone? My partner can't fight with me like this!"

"We could still double team him, you know!" Leo replied. "It's what we usually do! What makes this situation different?"

"This is no ordinary person!" The Clefable exclaimed. "He looks like he actually knows a thing or two about wrestling! You don't know how much I need this. We've been getting nothing but a bunch of talentless jobbers who know nothing about style! I've been itching for a true two-on-two showdown ever since I arrived here!"

Wait, she wanted to wrestle with me? I could finally fulfill a life-long dream of mine and be in a real match! "You want me?" I questioned. "I'll gladly accept your challenge, even if it is just one on one."

Cassiopea's eyes widened in shock. "Wait, really?" She stammered out. "I, uh..." She paused, clearly startled by me actually wanting to have a match with her. Her bravado returned quickly, though.
"I'll make you regret ever coming here!" She taunted.

"I'm guessing you're the human of the bunch," I observed. "It's kinda refreshing to see someone who's more like me."

Cassie laughed bombastically. "Oh, so we're more alike than we thought, huh?" She asked. "This is gonna be one hell of a match! Are you ready, fatty?"

"Hell yeah!" I shouted at her.

"Leo, begin the countdown!" Cassiopea commanded.

The Venonat began to count down from 10, anticipation building up in the both of us. When he finished, we charged at one another, beginning our match.

The Match of the Decade

When we finally met, Cassie put me in a bear hug. I prepared to counter with a headbutt, anticipating that she couldn't move my corpulent frame, but I was mistaken. She threw me to the ground without a single bit of struggle! She was far stronger than she looked.

She jumped up in the air and swooped down on my prone body like a bird of prey, her elbow burying itself into my gut. It hurt, but I was no stranger to pain. In fact, I used the chance to grab her arm. I tossed her off of me and got back up. She looked surprised that I was able to endure her attack. She darted around the arena, clearly more agile than I was.

She got into position and ran towards me, her arms outstretched. She wanted to knock me over with a clothesline, but I wasn't going to let her do it to me. When she got close enough, I scooted over just a bit so that my body was lined up with hers, and then I tried to headbutt her straight in the chest. However, she blocked the attack with her arms, grinning madly at me.

"You're tough, but at the end of the day, I'm gonna snap you like a Slim Jim!" Cassie threatened. I tried to start up a flurry of Arm Thrusts, but she hooked my arm and flipped me over. It was like she knew what I was going to do, before I was going to do it!

"You've got nice tastes, but personally, Hulk Hogan is bett-" I tried to say, only to be cut off by another elbow drop, knocking the wind out of me. While I was struggling to breathe, she began to drive her elbow into my gut repeatedly, a scowl on her face.

"Are you kidding me?" My opponent shouted. "You're a plebian! Having Hulk Hogan as your favorite wrestler is like eating steak well-done with ketchup, or vanilla ice cream! It's bland! It's boring!" My fat absorbed some of the damage, but her moves still hurt a lot. If Asana were in my place, she'd fare even worse than I was! I grit my teeth as I got my breathing under control, taking even more punishment from my opponent. I went to grab her arm again, but anticipating this, she jumped off me, her body gliding in the air until she reached the other side of the ring.

I got up, my bruises still stinging. "You're just uneducated," I responded. "That man helped pro wrestling transform into its modern form. He's a trailblazer, and he'll be immortalized in its history long after he's gone." I eyed Cassie carefully, trying to figure out her next move.

"I won't deny that he's important," she replied. "However, have you ever considered getting tastes beyond that of a 10 year old?"

"Actually, the Hulkster is only second-best in my books," I replied. "My true favorite did something that ruined their reputation."

"Oh, you liked Chris Benoit?" Cassie asked. "My condolences. Just know that you're going to be dead and buried just like him when I'm done with you!"

She charged forward towards me, and instinctively, I used my Aura to harden my skin. In spite of that, a single punch from her left a heavy bruise on me, causing me to feel sharp, acute pain. It was as if my protection was doing nothing at all! Her strength had more force behind it than Lombre's bubble bullets, and that was an intimidating prospect.

I couldn't give up, though. I've survived terrible odds. I couldn't let a single woman knock me down! The two of us began to exchange blow after blow, but I was losing the exchange. One strike in particular knocked the wind out of me, giving her an opening. She threw me to the ground, face-down, and began to slam my head into the mat repeatedly. I could feel my head spinning as she did that, but there was no miraculous recovery for me. I was struggling to hold on, and she could see that. She turned me over so that I was facing her, and the look in her eyes was downright predatory.

"I didn't expect you to run out of gas so quickly," she said mockingly. "You really are just a walking punching bag, aren't you? You look like one, and you take blows the same way." She began to attack with elbows to my torso and gut, each hit feeling as though it was made by a sledgehammer. The worst part of it was that I couldn't even muster up my Aura to protect myself. I couldn't focus enough to do it.

If I had a weaker constitution, I'd hurl from the sheer abuse my stomach was taking. Then, it got even worse! She began to toss me around from one end of the arena to the other, taking manic glee and how easily she could throw my corpulent form around. She was toying with me at this point, but I was hurting too bad to even move.

This was worse than just about any fight I could remember. The only fight I could think of that was worse was the one I hated thinking about the most. It happened before I even wound up here, and I wasn't in the mood to recall it fully.

That was all irrelevant, though. I was battered as hell, and I was completely at Cassie's mercy. That grin of hers became wider as she observed just how badly beaten I am.

"Oh, you're still conscious?" She asked. "Jeez. I could run a truck over you and you'd still be kicking. It feels like kind of a waste to use on a jobber like you, but I'll need to use my finisher if I want to knock you out."

"Are you mad?" Leo asked Cassie, finally speaking up. "If you go through with this, the arena will be destroyed! We spent hours making it, and I really don't want to go through that again! I know it's awesome when you use your Super Moon Crash, but think of the hard work I put in!"

"Nah, that isn't cool enough," she retorted. "When I finish things, I want to leave a mark. Now, get out of the way, Leo. I don't want you caught up in this."

Cassie jumped up into the air, and somehow, she began to hover further and further up. I don't know why she did. It could've been lunar crap or fairy magic, but it didn't matter either way. She loomed over me up in the air like a guillotine, and then, she began to plummet downwards.

She was going for a diving splash, and with the velocity her body was going at, I was doomed. I was still too hurt to move, so I was a sitting duck. She descended like the moon crashing into the earth, and when she impacted me, I could feel my ribs crack.

The force of her dive was enough to destroy the entire arena, and with the condition I was in, it didn't look like I'd be able to get back up. Just like back in the northen Sand Continent, I was completely at the mercy of my opponent...

Or was I? My mind and body said I was beaten, but my heart disagreed. As Cassie and Leo discussed something I was too out of it to hear, I felt something deep within me. I was oddly invigorated, in spite of the beatdown I had received. My pain faded into the background as newfound strength flooded my being. I looked deep into myself, wondering what was going on.

I could feel my Aura replenishing itself at an astounding rate. I don't know if it was adrenaline or what, but my body was working overtime to vent out the excess so I wouldn't be overloaded. I began to channel it not into my skin, but my muscles and fat. I needed as much strength as possible to damage her, and I needed a different kind of armor to withstand her blows.

I got up and began to sneak up on Cassie while she was speaking.

"Y'know, I feel kind of bad for treating him the way I did," she said to Leo. "He's kind of a hunk, and he has the same interests I do. If we weren't on different sides of the ring, I'd have taken him under my wing."

"You've got a weird taste in men," Leo responded. "Don't you see how fat he is?"

I was right behind her. I thought hard about the perfect comeback I could use against her, and sure enough, I found it!

"Hah! The joke's on you, Cassie!" I shouted. "You might've just called me a hunk of lard, but I enjoy fat jokes!"

The two of them turned around to face me, and they were clearly shaken by what had happened. It was as if I had been resurrected from the dead.

"W-what?" Cassie stuttered out. "That wasn't what I meant! How in the world are you still standing? No one's survived that move before!" Each statement was made in rapid succession, the Clefable clearly struggling to think coherently.

"I dunno!" I replied. "Now, are you gonna take me seriously or not?"

Leo backed away, while Cassie began to sweat a bit. "Alright, I'll quit playing around," she said. "This second wind of yours is gonna be a fluke!"

She charged at me and tried to wrap her arm around my neck, attempting a lariat, but I didn't budge. In the split-second it took her to register that she couldn't bring me down, I punched her, causing her to fly back into one of the rocky walls surrounding us.

The velocity wasn't enough to embed her in the stone, but she did hit it quite hard. She fell to the ground, struggling to recover. As much as I wanted to pursue her, I knew it'd be a fool's game and a waste of stamina. She was far faster and more agile than I was, so unfortunately, I'd have to wait for her to come to me.

When she recovered, she hopped up and began to glide on the air. I began to see double as she seemed to duplicate herself. That double turned into quadruple, and then multiplied even more into a quantity I couldn't count. I grumbled to myself. Was she seriously using Double Team to try and pull a fast one on me? It's a good thing Asana told me about that counter she had for it!

I pushed my awareness outwards, trying to sense the Aura around me, and...

I could only feel things a few feet around me. I forgot I sucked at that half of the equation, but there was still hope! I might not be able to do it well, but if she got into close quarters, I'd know it was her! I didn't need to see any details in her Aura, as its mere presence would be enough to tip me off to who's the real deal!

When the numerous duplicates began to attack me from all sides, I calmly weathered the storm. They were nothing but illusions. I could see some of the duplicates keeping their distance, charging something up between their hands. Then, they all fired a storm of large projectiles at the same time. They were all white in color, and their spherical shape reminded me of the moon. I got hit by all of them at once, but only one was the real deal.

It hurt terribly, burning my skin. I didn't keep track of who fired that one, but I knew of a way to bait a response from the real Cassie.

"Are you seriously using lunar crap?" I asked. "I thought this was a wrestling match!"

I heard the real one laugh, and my eyes immediately rested on her. "You should've known better than expecting a heel to play fair!" She chided me. "I'm not gonna let you take my strap, no matter what!"

"Strap? What strap?" Leo questioned. "We don't have an actual belt, you know! You told me you were going to have it made three weeks ago!"

"Well, we still need to get the gold for it!" She replied. "I've been having you keep an eye on the Syndicate for a good reason!"

I had no idea what she was talking about. I began to run towards her as fast as my tubby body could allow. She was floating low enough that I could jump and tackle her to the ground. I can do this!

Cassie yawned upon seeing me draw closer. "You're powerful, but you're far too slow to keep up with me," she said dismissively. "What a shame. For a minute, you were actually going to win." She floated further back, and began to prepare to fire another one of those bursts of energy. Her duplicates were gone, too, which spoke to her confidence in the fact that I'd never be able to strike her.

I didn't have any rocks to throw at her like last time. I was forced to dig through the deepest depths of my mind for any knowledge that I could use. I thought back to all of the comments and lessons Asana taught me, even as the orb Cassie was charging was flying toward me. Then, as it hit me, I stumbled upon a relevant piece of information.

Assy always talked about how one of her big goals was to fire out her Aura externally. It was more advanced than merely empowering your body with it, and she had constantly stumbled in her attempts before we were cast out of the Sand Continent.

I didn't know how to do it, but as I stood there, heavily injured, I had an idea. There was already a template for me to follow. Aura is constantly generated and released in a cycle. It reminded me a bit of breathing, although it wasn't entirely the same. By observing the latter half of the process, I might be able to figure out what Asana couldn't.

I took a few moments to observe my reserves. They were being replenished at an even greater rate than before, and my body was struggling to vent out the excess. I tried to accelerate and control how it was being expelled, visualizing the whole process as being akin to exhaling one's breath.

In my hand, it began to steadily leak out and form into a small, bright red ball. I continued to channel my reserves into it, trying to make it bigger. Cassie, meanwhile, was preparing to attack me again. She saw the growing ball of Aura in my hand and laughed at it.

"Is that the best you can do?" She asked. "I dunno what that is, but it looks puny!"

She was right. I accelerated the process as fast as it would safely go, and then, the sphere began to take a familiar form. It was about the size of a baseball, and was as dense and compact as I could make it. It was hard for me to keep it stable, but this was what I had, and I was going to work with it!

When Cassie fired out another Moonblast, I knew I couldn't keep delaying any longer. I threw my orb as if I were a pitcher in a game of baseball, and the two attacks travelled toward one another.

To my surprise, my ball went through Cassie's attack, causing it to destabilize and collapse before it could even get close to me. She tried to react to it and move away from it, but it was travelling through the air too fast. She was struck square in the chest and fell to the floor, coughing and wheezing.

I walked up to her, raising my guard. When she saw that I was still standing, her eyes widened.

"This can't be happening," she muttered between coughs. "Leo, do it!"

I heard her partner run up to me. I turned around, but I couldn't react in time. He fired pink lasers from his eyes, which hit me square in the chest. They hurt like crazy! He fired again and again until I could no longer stand, and fell to the floor just like Cassie did. Judging my the color and how badly they hurt, it must've been something similar to the Psybeams my partner likes to use.

"Cassie, are you alright?" Leo questioned. He nudged her, trying to get her to stir.

After much effort, the Clefable got up. She was breathing heavily. "I'll live," she muttered. She looked back at me, wiping some sweat off of her face. "That was one of the best shows I ever had, but I can't let you win until you bring your partner here. I want a proper tag team match. Oh, and Leo?"

She looked at her companion, her voice suddenly growing stern. "We aren't robbing him. He's actually entertaining, and I want him to come back."

Leo rummaged in his bag and placed an Escape Orb by me. "Well, you heard her!" He exclaimed. "Come back when you're both feeling well! We've got some plans of our own to work on, so we'll be seeing you."

The two outlaws left the area, leaving me to recover. It took a few minutes before I was able to stand again. I ate one of the Orans I packed, healing all but the worst of my injuries. I used the orb they generously left me and made my way back home, eager to tell Asana about what happened.

Envy

"You did what?" Asana blurted out as she sat on her bed. "Do you have any idea how long I've been trying to do anything with my Aura that isn't just enhancing my body? It's constantly evaded me, and you just... You pulled it off without even training for that feat! That's absurd! I don't believe you!"

"Well, just sit there and watch, Assy," I replied. "I'm gonna prove you wrong." I performed the steps I had earlier, but instead of forming a sphere, my Aura was just expelled into a formless, red mass. It kind of reminded me of flickering flames. Was the first time just beginner's luck?

Either way, it caused my partner's eyes to widen. "This is utterly inconceivable. That isn't anything like you described, but it's still better than what I can do. How in the world did you figure it out?"

"Well, I realized something," I replied. "I observed how my body was venting out Aura, and I tried to do something similar. It's kinda like breathing out."

"I can understand the analogy, but this situation is still bizarre," Assy retorted. "You talked about empowering certain parts of your body, too. Muscles, fat, skin... For how long have you been hiding this from me? The most I can do is target broad regions of my own body."

"Well, I perfected hardening my skin right before I had to fight Lombre," I said earnestly. "I came up with that specifically to counter his bubbles."

My partner groaned in annoyance. "So you're just better than me at Expression? Is that it? Is the rest of my life just going to be me catching up to you?" She pondered.

I shrugged. "I dunno," I mumbled. "Just keep in mind you've got gifts of your own. You're a perfect watchdog, meanwhile I can't sense Aura more than a few feet in front of me. I'm as blind as a bat-" I coughed in order to distract her from my slip-up. "Err, blind as a Zubat, I mean!"

"You know I can't be satisfied with that," Asana replied. "There's no reason why you should be ahead of me. I've been immersed in Aura ever since I came out of the egg, and you're, as you said, blind to it! Do you understand how infuriating that is?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I get it, and I don't understand why it's happening," I responded. "Maybe you should go meet that bird. He might be able to help you, and he could probably gauge your strengths better than I could."

"Are you suggesting that I just quit trying to create my own style and beg for handouts?" Asana snapped back. "That goes against everything I've been working towards!"

"I'm not suggesting you beg to be a student," I tried to reassure her. "You'd be more like, uh..." I tried to think of a proper word to convey the type of relationship I was talking about.

"...You'd be colleagues, basically," I finished. "Sure, you can help each other out with homework from time to time, but you'll both still develop your styles on your own. Plus, asking for help doesn't make you feeble or idiotic. Nobody holds all of the answers."

Asana sighed, the tension in the room melting away. "I see your point," she admitted. "Your terms are acceptable. Now, I'm going to bed. The moment my leg is mended, we are going to train. I am not letting that old man catch me off-guard again." She tucked herself into bed, and I did the same for myself.

As I went to sleep, I felt both sad and grateful. I didn't like how my accomplishments frustrated my partner, but at the same time, I did propose a proper solution to her. I have a feeling she'll fly past the barriers she's facing once she's got the basics down. Assy isn't stupid. I know for a fact that she'll be able to adapt. She's too stubborn to quit, and too perfectionistic to accept failure. That part of her personality was a double-edged sword, but that's what I'm here for. Whenever she starts ramming into a wall she can't break, I'll show her the path around it.