What It Means to be Super

Talon gasped as he woke in the grassy plateau, his chest heaving. The phantom pain of his injuries lingered, his body trembling from the memory.

Kieran appeared moments later, pale and shaken.

Loren stood over them, his expression unreadable, his arms crossed.

"Pain is a teacher," Loren said, his voice emotionless. "And you both have much to learn."

Talon sat up slowly, his mind racing. Every moment of the fight replayed in his head, a brutal reminder of how far he still had to go.

Every move Loren made had been slow. Yet, no matter how much faster or stronger Talon was, he couldn't land a single hit.

"Now," Loren said, his gaze piercing, "what went wrong?"

Talon didn't answer immediately. He already knew.

Everything.

Loren crossed his arms, his gaze stern as he stared at Talon and Kieran. "You lost because you fought like amateurs."

Talon bristled, the sting of the words cutting deep. Kieran, still pale and sweating, simply nodded.

Neither could deny it.

"You outclassed me in every way," Loren continued, his voice calm but firm. "Your strength, your speed, everything about you screamed superiority. Yet, I beat you because I fought smarter, not harder."

Talon's fists tightened. He hated how right Loren was.

"Here's the truth," Loren said, stepping closer. "You both fought as though I was your equal. You adjusted to me, let me dictate the pace of the fight. Talon, when you attacked, you telegraphed every move, fighting linearly as though you were sparring someone at the same level."

"I-" Talon started to argue but stopped. Loren's words cut through the fog of his frustration, forcing him to listen.

"You're not just strong or fast anymore," Loren said, his voice rising slightly. "You're super. You can move in ways humans could only dream of. But you limited yourself, fought conventionally, as though your strength and speed were just slight advantages, not game-changers like they are now, your whole power revolves around being twice as strong as others of your level."

Loren shifted his gaze to Kieran. "And you. Every shot you fired was a waste. You relied on the belief that distance would protect you, but you didn't think strategically. You aimed where I was, not where I would be. Your fear of close combat made you predictable."

Kieran looked down, guilt and frustration painted across his face. "I thought I could keep you at bay," he muttered.

Loren's expression hardened. "And that's why you lost. You assumed safety rather than ensuring it. You assumed survival rather than claiming it."

He paused, letting the words sink in before delivering the final blow. "And most of all, you both didn't fight with the intention to kill."

Both cadets froze.

"This should be your second day here," Loren said, his voice cold. "By now, you should've already fought matches where you've died or killed. That switch, the one in your mind that separates hesitation from execution, you haven't made it yet."

Talon's breath came shallow. He'd fought lethal matches, sure. But Loren wasn't talking about just going through the motions.

He was talking about intent.

Loren continued. "You're learning, and that's expected. But if you don't push past the fear, if you don't learn to make every movement deliberate, you'll never reach the top. Strength isn't enough. Power isn't enough. You need purpose. You need intent."

The silence that followed was deafening. Talon and Kieran exchanged glances. The lesson wasn't just about fighting, it was about survival.

"Let me name an example," Loren continued, his eyes locking onto Talon. "The first exchange. It decided the entire fight. You attacked linearly, telegraphed your move, testing the waters with me like you do in a spar, and let me capitalize on it. You're almost three times faster than me. You dictate the flow of battle, every move you do should be ending the fight. Yet you didn't. Instead, you fought as though we were equals. You should've overwhelmed me, forced me into mistakes, but you didn't. Why?"

Talon couldn't answer. He didn't have to. Loren's critique rang true.

"You're both holding back," Loren said, stepping back. "Whether it's fear, hesitation, or simply bad habits, you're limiting yourselves to fight as human."

His gaze swept over them. "But we're not done. Get up Supers."

Talon winced as he pushed himself to his feet. Kieran followed suit, visibly trembling but determined.

"We go again," Loren said. "This time, don't fight like humans. Fight like a Super."

The words sent a jolt through both cadets. Loren stepped back into position, his stance casual but radiating confidence.

"Begin."

The simulation reset. Talon inhaled sharply as the jungle re-formed around them, the dense foliage stretching high above. His muscles screamed in protest, but he forced himself to focus.

This time, things would be different.

"Let's stick closer this time," Talon said, his voice low but determined. "I'll take the lead. Just stay close enough to back me up, don't give him room to isolate us."

Kieran nodded, gripping his sniper rifle tightly. "Got it."

The jungle reset, and the dense foliage once again surrounded them. This time, they wouldn't play Loren's game.

They would make him play theirs.

A faint rustle above.

Talon's sharp hearing picked it up immediately. He didn't hesitate. "There!" he called, launching himself toward the source, but not directly.

Instead, he sprang to a nearby tree, keeping Loren in sight but avoiding the obvious line of direct attack.

Kieran didn't waste a second. He had already lined up his shot.

BANG

Loren moved, twisting mid-air as the bullet grazed the branch he had been perched on. The dodge forced him to leave his footing, and Talon pounced.

Talon was on him in an instant, his speed overwhelming. This time, his approach wasn't reckless. Instead of leading with an obvious strike, he feinted, testing Loren's reactions. A kick pulled Loren to the left, he had been ready for it, luckily Talon did not follow through.

Instead, he threw a punch which closed off his escape route, which left loren directly in sight of...

BANG

Another bullet whizzed past, forcing Loren to leap upward. His teeth clenched but a proud look on his face.

This was not a position he wanted to be in.

Talon grinned. "Got you now."

With Loren mid-air, there was nowhere to go. Talon's fist rocketed toward him, faster than Loren could react. The sheer power behind it was undeniable, even though Loren blocked and did everything he could do in that situation, it was helpless.

Overwhelming power, was unstoppable in a direct clash.

CRUNCH

Talon's fist tore through Loren's arm and head, the simulation painting the air with a sickening splatter of brain as everything went black.

Talon gasped as he woke on the grassy plateau, the vivid memory of his final strike still fresh. Kieran appeared beside him, looking equally drained but satisfied.

Across from them, Loren stood. His arms were crossed, his expression unreadable. Then, slowly, he smirked.

"Much better," Loren said, his voice filled with approval. "See? That is the difference when you fight as a Super, not as a mortal. You played to your strengths, used your abilities to dominate the battlefield. That's how you win."

Talon and Kieran exchanged glances, a mix of pride and exhaustion settling in.

"But don't get cocky," Loren added, his tone sharp. "This was a single fight in a controlled environment against an opponent many times weaker than yourselves. The real world won't always give you perfect conditions, and your enemies will adapt. You've learned something today, but this is only the beginning."

His gaze bore into them. "Remember, intent matters. You fought with purpose this time, but you still hesitated. You'll need to bury that hesitation if you want to survive out there. One slip, and the advantage you have over lesser fighters won't mean anything."

Talon nodded, his chest still heaving. He hadn't just learned how to fight better, he'd learned what it meant to fight.

and he wouldn't forget it.

The rest of the hour was spent fighting Loren again, though this time, he matched their stage as an early soldier.

The difference was staggering.

Loren used his power this time, a base stat multiplier that enhanced his speed and reflexes compared to others of his rank. Talon and Kieran were surprised to learn he was a common-ranked Super, yet his mastery of his abilities far outstripped theirs.

Every fight was a lesson. With each exchange, they improved, honing their coordination and learning to adapt to Loren's relentless precision.

By the end of the hour, their movements were sharper, their teamwork more cohesive, and their understanding of combat on an entirely new level.

When they returned to fight the other cadets later that day, the results spoke for themselves.

They performed leagues better than they had the day before, leaving no doubt that Loren's brutal training had paid off.