31 Skill Training
Aura, together with his classmates, lined up along the field. The teacher walked in front of them and started speaking.
"I'll start by talking about what we will be doing for the rest of the day. What do you think a person has to do to make their contracted monster stronger??"
A student raised her hand, "They have to level up their monster as much as possible."
"Yes, level is a large factor in a monster's strength. There is another though, new method that has recently been discovered. Take a look at this video."
Ms. Robinson starting playing the video. In it, it showed two identical looking monsters standing side by side in a white room. The voice of a man could be heard. "Use Firebolt!" The two monsters used the skill, red fire building in their mouths, but one released it first. Two spheres of fire shot through the air, one ahead of the other. The slower one, however, curved through the air, changing its trajectory before impacting the wall.
Voices questioning how that was possible could be heard from the students.
"As many of you have noticed, the two monsters used the exact same skill. They acted differently though."
The students nodded.
"That is what we will be doing today. How a monster uses a skill can be developed by a monster trainer. Through repeated usage and directed instructions, many aspects can be improved, such as how quickly they can be used and the monster's control over the skill."
The teacher then instructed the students who had monsters to summon them. A menagerie of strange creatures appeared, most sitting on the ground, but a few floating or flying around. Aura had Puppet summon out a Puppet Sprout, which fit right in with the group.
"Your goal is going to be to identify in which direction you want to improve one of your monster's skill and to try and do so."
Aura met up with Alex and Ryan to discuss their assignment. Alex was standing with his Iron Fisted Monkey, and Ryan with his Stormcloud Cat circling around his feet. Aura inspected their monsters, finding their levels to be decent compared to their peers.
[Iron Fisted Monkey - Alex]
Type: Metal
Level: 6
Health: 42/42 (Healthy)
Constitution: 13
Strength: 15
Agility: 10
Defense: 8
Mana: 16/16
[Skills]
Impact Punch - Iron Fisted Monkey charges up, then punches the target with immense force, dealing heavy damage and knocking it back
Swift Footwork - Iron Fisted Monkey has increased agility when dodging attacks
[Stormcloud Cat - Ryan]
Type: Lightning
Level: 6
Health: 31/31 (Healthy)
Constitution: 10
Strength: 8
Agility: 15
Defense: 6
Mana: 35/35
[Skills]
Thunderbolt - Stormcloud Cat launches a thunderbolt at the target, dealing strong elemental damage
Static Cloud - Stormcloud Cat releases a zone of charged particles that paralyze and slow enemies
"I'll try and shorten the charge up for Impact Punch," said Alex. "What the teacher said gave me a good idea. I'll arrange my monster to learn from a boxing coach."
"I want to do the same for Thunderbolt. Increasing control for me doesn't matter since the attack is so fast already," said Ryan.
"Those are good ideas. My monster's Leafy Costume skill hasn't been used much, so I'll do my best to limit its negative effect on mobility." Puppet's usage of Puppet Strings was already close to perfect, and Puppet Sprout couldn't be casually revealed at school.
With their goals in mind, the three friends began to work. All over the field, attacks and projectiles flew threw the air, causing damage and ripping through the grass. The reasoning behind creating a venue for the monster training class could be seen clearly. By the time school was over, many students had seen their monsters make progress and were feeling better about their monster training. Puppet hadn't improved much, the reason being Leafy Costume was a relatively complete skill, with not much to change. However by the end, Aura could see how parts of the armor were different. Slight alterations had been made regarding the density of the foliage and coverage around the limbs, all making the skill less detrimental to use.
As the students packed up and moved off the war torn battlefield, Aura approached Alex and Ryan, who were resting beside their recovering monsters.
"You know there will be a team competition as well as the main individual one, right?" asked Aura. Both indicated that they did. "Let's form a team then."
"The rules say we need five members though. Who will the other two be?" asked Ryan.
"My sister and her friend Ariel. The five of us can form a relatively well rounded team, with strong melee fighters and long ranged damage and support."
The two thought about it for a moment then agreed.
"Alright! Let's work hard training then!"
