- Conversation

We all have been waiting here. We've been told that we will get the results of the tests. They will also announce The Trials and our teams. Everyone is pretty quiet. The last time we gathered, they were plotting a rebellion. But I guess things have settled. At least for now.

I'm looking forward to The Trials. I don't know much about them, but I heard Savvy and Rouge talking about them. It sounded like it was a pretty big deal and that not a lot of rookies get to do them. Looking around me, it seems I'm not the only one who's looking forward to it. Spike can barely stay in place.

"I am soo ready for this! You guys have nooo idea! I've trained so hard with Slash Sensei and Stiff, I'm going to ace these Trials!"

She seems very confident too.

"Right, right. Though it is true that you're being personally trained by a Commander, which is crazy, you still shouldn't be too cocky."

Rouge's monotone response quickly brought Spike's mood back in place. She responded with a grimace, her tongue out.

"She's right though, seeing how big of a deal they are making out of them, they can't be easy."

I agree with Savvy. Spike is often too easygoing. She needs to learn how to take things more seriously.

"I don't care about any of this. We don't know anything about these dumb Trials, so there's no point thinking about them. All I know is that I need this opportunity to prove to that trash that he should be more afraid of me."

With him, everything turns around Doc. I guess Jab really can't stand him. It doesn't really matter to me what they think, I truly don't believe any of us has anything to be confident about. Me included. The only person that might have a chance is Mute. It's impossible to tell if he's collected or nervous under all these bandages. He's barely even moving too. I wonder what he's thinking about.

"SOLDIERS!"

I've gotten used to these calls and these positions now. We're all in place looking at James and a bunch of other people walking toward us.

"Alright, kids. We were able to give you ranks and classes. I will meet you all individually after I'm done here to tell you your results. But know that you guys still need to undergo The Commanders' Trials before being set into squads and being sent on your first mission. We've gathered you all so that you can be informed of your partner and your examiner for The Trials. I don't want to waste any more time with this so let's just do it. Bang and Jab will do Blue's test. Butcher and Morph will do Rowdy's test. Nuke and Bass will do Ace's test. Richter and Blister will do Gale's test. Rouge and Undead will do Wig's test. Drool and Gum will do Whiff's test. Flow and Sprout will do Swift's test. Chuck and Mute will do Slash's test. Akuma and Spike will do Mohs' test. Lunchbox and Kage will do Mob's test. Cortex and Savvy will do Bowie's test. The details of each test will be relayed to you on the spot. They are only known by The Commanders, even I don't know. That's it for The Trials. Now come see me, I'll give you your ranks.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Why did you want to see me, Doc? I have places to be, I'm a busy woman."

"That's exactly why I couldn't get a hold of you until now, Swift."

The Contortionist was sitting loosely in the chair facing the scientist's desk, playing with her hair.

"You're the only Commander I haven't met with today. Is your Trial prepared?"

"Yeah. All good."

"Great. I believe Bowie also wanted to see yo-"

"I have a report si-"

Blue froze in the door frame as soon as her vision set on the other woman's silhouette. Swift grinned just from the sound of her voice. She wished she could have seen Blue's expression when she noticed her. The Normie turned around immediately.

"I'll come back later for my report."

"No need. We were done here anyway, just give me your report now."

Blue's face was torn by a sense of despise, her grip tightening on the door frame. She knew she had to in order to leave Swift's presence as soon as possible.

"The mission was a success. We lost Blade, but we were able to plant the equipment and eliminate the Hollows."

"I see. Unfortunate. Though I am glad you and the others made it bac-

"Success?"

Blue grinded her teeth at the sound of Swift's voice. The Contortionist stood gracefully out of her chair. She turned around to look at The Normie in her eyes. She could see her loathing expression. She liked it.

"You call your mission a success even if a soldier died under your command? Does his death don't matter to you?"

"That's not what I said."

"Oh. I know. But you're saying that death or not, the result is the same. You succeeded. I guess you can let them all die as long as you drop the package and you come back to give your report."

Rage flowed through Blue's body; her clenched fists shaking, her jaw quivering. She was trying to hide it. She did not need Swift to judge her. She's harder on herself than anyone can be. This rage was pointed at herself.

"I did not let him die."

"What were you doing then? Could you not have protected him?"

"I- I didn't have time. The Hollow, i- it was clever. And fast. Something I haven't seen before."

"So you're just admitting you're too weak then? Let me guess. It took you off guard, you didn't react fast enough, and he died because of that. If only you were faster and stronger, you could've prevented it, couldn't you? Tell me, how am I doing so far?"

Her molars sunk into one another. She couldn't answer that. She didn't want to. If she answered at this instant, it would have proven that she was indeed too weak. She can't accept that statement. The thought of being weak frightens her.

"But it doesn't matter, does it? His life was disposable for you. You let him die, if it meant you would survive and continue forth with your missio-"

"Ladies. Not in my office. You can dispose. Thank you for your report."

Before, all she wanted to do was leave this room as soon as possible. But now, Blue can't move a muscle. The weight of reality is binding her in place, once again. Swift slowly walked past her, whispering right in her ear as she did.

"It hurts to realize you're not the strong woman you thought you were."

If only her confidence wasn't shattered, she would have punched her. But all she could do was stare at her feet, witnessing her own helplessness yet again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I wonder if we will even get the chance to gather here after we start going on missions. I didn't give it much thought but, I guess it is pretty nice. I mean, all and all, it's still a filthy bar. It stinks too. But it is nice to just hang out here with them. It is also nice to start feeling things on my own. It's like I'm starting to grow emotions again. Emotions long gone. But.. It's also... Eerie. All these people. I now fear they will die on the battlefield. Something I wasn't fearful of before. It's weird. It's not the fear of losing them. I don't know them. It's the fear of losing what I have. These moments.

"And I'm telling you, there ain't no fucking way I'm a low rank and you're a mid-rank! Him, sure. The blind bastard is a freak. But you? Hell no!"

"Don't be petty now, Drunky! I'm just built different!"

"Oh come on now! What kind of bullshit is that?"

"Settle down you guys, this isn't a competition. We're on the same team here."

Savvy always has the words to rally the troops.

"Oh?? Blu-."

Spike jumped off her seat and froze. She seemed to have seen Blue entering the bar. But Blue... She's... Different. She seems just so… sad.

"Blue are you ok? What's wrong?"

Blue came to sit next to her. Spike is not smiling. That's extremely rare. I even thought that was impossible.

"Not now. I'm here to get drunk."

She really doesn't look at her best.

"That's not like you. You were always telling me to be careful around drinks. You hated how your dad alway-"

"Don't finish that."

Blue is mad but Spike really sounds concerned. She took away the drink the bartender poured.

"No. You know better than anybody that you can't push me away."

None of us is talking. We're all looking at each other. We all feel like we shouldn't be here.

"Not now. Just. Let me get drunk. I need it. "

"No. I won't let you say that. "

Now Spike is mad.

"What you need is to talk about it."

"Talk about what? There's nothing to talk about. Not with you and not right now."

"We both know that's not true."

Blue is fidgeting on her stool with Spike towering over her, not letting her off the hook.

"Please. Just. Leave me alone."

"No."

Blue's head ticks every time her friend answers promptly. She's hitting her fingers harder and faster on the counter.

"I'm not going anywhere until you talk to me."

The mood got heavier when we heard tears drip on the counter.

"There's nothing to talk about. It's too late. He's dead. I let him die. Those girls, I bet they're crying in their room as we speak. All because of me."

"Who died? I don't know what happened, but I know it's not your fault."

"What do you know? You weren't there."

"I don't need to see what happened. I know you. You wouldn't let anyone die. You're always protecting everyone."

"I was too weak to save him. What difference does that make."

"..."

I never witnessed Spike being speechless until now.

"I've always been so stubborn not to take the shot. I used to be able to keep up, but now the Hollows are just getting insanely stronger. But I still refuse to take the shot. My pride got in the way, and now somebody died because of it."

"..."

"Now, why can't you all just fucking leave me be."

Nobody said anything or even moved, but Jab. He slammed down his drink and hit his glass on the table. Savvy and Rouge decided to leave, so Mute and I decided to follow their lead. Spike took extra time before leaving.

"I'm sorry about your loss. And I'm sorry you blame yourself. Not even those girls blame you, Blue. It's not your fault. I hope you'll soon be able to realize that."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Rare of you to want to see us all together, Bowie."

The Father joked.

"It is necessary. I want to make sure everything is in order. I can't afford the Commanders' honor to fall short in the recruits' eyes. Or in Doc's."

"You say that, but the most troublesome are absent right now."

Ace said, both annoyed and relieved.

"I don't see any problem with that. Blue and Swift can't stand each other. Fuck 'em."

Spoke Rowdy, hands behind his head, tilted back on his chair.

"I will talk with them later. For now, let's hear it. We will go in order."

The General ordered. Rowdy sat up properly, setting down his chair back on its four legs.

"Right, right. I don't have much to say. I got Butcher and Morph. They are supposed to be good fighters, so it works for me. I'm just going to have a normal fistfight with them. That's all."

"You know they have to fail the Trial, right?"

Mob spat.

"Yep."

There was not one hint of doubt in the Junkie's voice.

"As I see it, they have a chance of beating you and passing the test. That goes completely against the whole point. The goal is that they don't even have a chance of winning the Trial."

"Mob, we heard you."

Bowie quickly interrupted the second Commander in line before things got out of hand again.

"I fully trust Rowdy. Out of all of us here, his Trial worries me the least. He's not as lethal and destructive as any of us, but he never loses."

Rowdy smirked at Bowie's words.

"Now, what about you, Ace? I can't imagine you being as ruthless as Rowdy."

"Exactly why I plan to finish it quickly. I made it so Nuke and Bass won't even be able to move. No worries here, they'll lose before understanding what's going to happen."

"Good. Gale? I'm curious about how you'll handle this without them figuring out your power."

"Haha, don't worry Bowie. I've got a couple of tricks up my sleeve even you have never seen. I've got Richter and Blister. They'll both keep their distance and use their range attacks. They will think they're safe. I'll bring a couple of supplies with me. It might take a while but, I'll knock 'em out without touching them."

"Despite your carelessness, you've always been clever. I trust your judgment. Don't mess up."

"Oke Doke."

"Wig? I hope you understood you had to think about this thoroughly. You could easily be defeated by a handful of these recruits."

"I know. That's why I needed to come up with something of a bigger scale than any of you. But I'm still uncertain about it. I mean, Undead and Rouge, I will defeat them. That's for sure. I'm just… I'm scared I will completely incapacitate them. Forever."

"If they can't withstand your power, they will never survive the truth of the battlefield. I believe you will do what's needed. You might even give them an edge over their peers in the future. Be confident."

"T- Thank you."

Wig shily responded under her breath.

"Now, Whiff. Did you figure out a way to do this without divulging your abilities?"

"About that. I can't really hide them, they are pretty visible. But I think I'll be able to be sneaky enough so that Gum and Drool won't see what hit them. On top of that, I already took precautions."

"I assumed as much since you were assigned to study their powers back when they were training. Now that Swift isn't here, it's your turn Slash."

"Ha Ha Ha! Finally! It is time to get real. My Trial is by far the best! Of course, I requested to have my antagonist, Mute, for a rematch! He will be fighting alongside another weapon master, Chuck! It will be the most epic battle! A clash of sharp irons! Ha Ha Ha!"

"I expected nothing less. However simple, you are sure to win. I have no complaints. I'm assuming yours will resemble his, Mohs?"

"Well, well, well. Nothing short of extraordinary, I'll say that much. My very own rival's pupil, Spike, and Doc's protege, Akuma, will have to confront my muscles. Nobody can beat my body and its brute strength, not even these fans' favorites. You have nothing to worry about, buddy."

"I see a few of you didn't think too hard about your Trials. Even then, it is true that I cannot see them defeating you, despite all the talks about them. As for Lunchbox and Kage, you're the one in charge of their Trial, aren't you Mob?"

"That is correct."

"Why them?"

"I didn't choose. I simply waited for all of you to select your targets and I picked up the leftovers. It matters not to me who will undergo my Trial. Any of them would have met the same faith facing my test. I will not elaborate on that subject. I believe out of place to reveal my plans to you."

"I wouldn't be able to change your mind on that even if I wanted to. So, to conclude. We are left with Blue, who will test Bang and Jab. Flow and Sprout will undergo Swift's Trial and Cortex and Savvy mine. That covers everybody. Venom will not be participating, she will act as a medical support. I appreciate your cooperation. I take it it is pointless of me to remind any of you to not grow overconfident. You must take these Trials extremely seriously. It is of the utmost importance. You cannot afford them to win. You may leave. I will finish discussing this with Swift and Blue later.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After the group of young soldiers dismantled and left the bar, only Jab remained next to The Normie. The severed soldier is shamelessly ordering one drink after the other. All Blue can do is sit still. Even if she did want a drink, she couldn't lift her arm. Not at the moment. She hit the bottom.

Only now has she suffered the consequences of her philosophies. Carrying Blade's headless corpse became tangible proof of her egocentric honor. Taking the shot has never been, even just once, on her mind. Until now. It was common sense for her. But now, things have changed. She's terrified to realize that she would let herself even consider it.

How can I even think of becoming like her? Why did it end up like this? For me to even think about it. I-

"Don't you even dare."

"..."

Jab's voice snapped her out of it.

"I wouldn't forgive you. And you wouldn't forgive yourself either."

"What are you talking about?"

"All I'm saying is, I won't let you take the shot."

"Excuse me but, what the fuck? Why do you care?"

"You said you didn't remember me from our time outside, didn't you? But that doesn't matter. I won't let you do something you'll regret all your life."

"I- You know what, sure. I'm over all of you. Fuck off. You do you. Hey! I'm thirsty."

Anger gave her some energy.

"What can I get you?"

"I'll take the strongest shit you got."

Jab whistled sharply at Blue's response while the bartender was grabbing a dusty bottle from under the counter.

"Woah, there. Stopping you from doing stuff that isn't like you, that applies to drinking your problems away too. Me and Spike are on the same page for this."

The Normie scoffed in disbelief.

"I- Are you fucking kidding me? Who do you think you are? I don't know you. We aren't friends. I can't wait to be able to beat your ass again during my Trial. Plus, all you do is get drunk. All day, every day. You think you can give me advice? "

"I have my reasons to drink. Sort of."

"Oh yeah, right. To forget your past or whatever, wasn't it what you told me?"

"And the pain."

"..."

Jab rubbed his severed shoulder gently, before slowly moving his finger to his eye bandages.

"I can still feel my arm. It's as if I can still move my fingers. And my eye. It's not like it's just gone. Or it was removed. It didn't simply disappear, you know. It was destroyed. Eaten away. Slowly. I still feel it burn through my nerves. It's slithering all the way to my brain."

Blue settled down her tone and her posture.

"Why are you rambling to me about this now? It doesn't matter. You have your reasons to drink, I get it. And I have mine. So I'm getting a drink. Why would you even think I would listen to you?"

"Oh. I'm aware you won't listen to me. But he will."

As soon as the lid of the bottle hit the edge of her glass, the air thickened. The bartender felt a squeeze in his heart. His breath staggered. A cold sweat made his skin crawl. He looked over at his most profitable customer, just to see his body covered in an overflowing cloth of green aura. His only eye was split in half by a sharp pupil, staring right into his soul. Jab said nothing to him, but he understood the assignment. Death would come to him if he poured her that drink. Blue was baffled.

"What the fuck is wrong with you? Why are you being so manipulative and insensitive? What is wrong with all of you? Why is everybody interfering? Why won't anybody just cut me some slack for fuck sake."

"Yeah, yeah. Bark all you want. Later you'll be grateful you have people to take care of you when it matters the most. I won't let you get the shot. Or drink. Not this time. That's the last thing you need right now. Just leave all the alcohol to me for tonight."

"Oh, 'cause you got jokes too. What do you even know about anything, you're just a drunk asshole."

"Bingo. I am. But maybe I wouldn't have turned into an asshole if I had people around me when I needed it the most. Ever thought about that?"

"..."

"You think too much about yourself. You say you're too weak. You say you don't need anybody. You say he died because of you. You. You. You. It's always about you. It's never your opponent that is too strong. It's never the organization that didn't manage the mission correctly. No no. You're too stuck up and full of shit to put the blame elsewhere. Or to put trust in people around you. You're too prideful to let people help you. Granted. I can't stand being weak either and I hate to admit that people are stronger than me. It's a punch right in your ego. But at the end of the day, that's why we band together. We're a crew. We Outsiders need to, to survive. People might look up to you 'cause you're a Commander, but I don't care about any of that shit. So you better not expect me to talk to you like you're some sort of goddess. You're human like the rest of us. You're an Outsider like the rest of us. So step down, will you? You took a punch right in the gut. Too bad. Now suck it up, and hit the gym. And don't think you're sooo strong and sooo better than anybody that you need to train by yourself. You know damn well you're not the strongest. You're just too afraid to admit it. Why don't you try to spar with other people for a change of pace, hun? Maybe that way, you'll actually make progress and you won't be stuck in the same spot because you're too scared to lose to other people. You won't get stronger by staying in your safe cozy spot you created for yourself."

"..."

"Hurgh. That doesn't suit me. I ran my mouth dry. Hey, hit me up."

"R-Right on sir."

The blue-haired lieutenant took a long pause before letting out a scoff.

"You are right. You are an asshole."

"Damn right."

Jab shot his drink down his throat before the bartender even stopped pouring. Blue was looking at him with her blurry vision, eyes full of water.

"Answer me for real this time. Who the fuck are you?"

The soldier grinned gently. He took the time to fix the bandages on his eye before answering.

"You already figured that out. I'm a piece of shit."

"Yeah, but a piece of shit that happens to know about me and my past. Where do you know me from?"

"You really don't remember me, do you? That kinda hurts. Let's just say I met a lot of people as a kid for reasons that have nothing to do with you. And your father happens to be part of these people."

"My dad, hun? Of course it's him. Him and his fucking business. Makes sense I don't remember you. My dad's shop was the perfect place for shitty people to gather. I've seen loads of them."

"Damn, sure didn't hold back. I'll take it as a compliment."

"Still. Why do you specifically remember me?"

"Depends. How long you got?"

"Usually, listening to a drunk dumbass, I never have time for that. But I guess I could make an exception for tonight."

"Drinks on you?"

"Fuck you're annoying. Why would I need to pay for you- Hurgh, fuck it. If I do, will you cut to the chase?"

"Always do when I'm well hydrated."

"Sure. What can I get you then?"