“Calista Medley, 17-year-old Earthian American, Level… one,” Professor Estalen rambled off in a bored drawl as he read her tag. A thick accent bled through— his I’s were all pronounced as ‘ee’ and his r’s sounded like ‘th’.
Calista already felt discourage at his tone, only managing to nod. She used to be a Level 16 in fighting, but her XP had diminished after she stopped practicing.
“How long have you been interested in fighting?” President Chrisman asked, sporting a British accent. Calista now realized where she’d seen her: she had sent the request message.
“Um… since I was a little girl,” she answered. “I’ve always wanted to be a Versus fighter. I actually applied for the Junior Versus when I was younger.”
“But you weren’t accepted for the Junior Versus, were you? You were rejected twice.”
Her confidence instantly dimmed. “Yeah… that’s true.” She’d secretly sent an application in when she was twelve, and again when she was fourteen. Both times had brought her disappointment and close calls with her family.
Chrisman glanced at Vice President Kalley, who shrugged. She then sighed and raised her brows, wrinkling her large forehead further. “Alright, then. Let’s get on with it. Turn on the CDSim.”
“The CD-what?”
Before her question was answered, the mat she stood on glowed brightly. She stepped back as a holographic, man-shaped simulation appeared before her. Now she remembered what the acronym meant— Combat Defense Simulator. “Start with defense. Use all the blocking maneuvers you have practiced up to now. Do not attack,” President Chrisman commanded. “Remember, your HP is doubled in a match. Do not panic if the bar reaches 50 points.”
The holo-man circled around the girl, getting into a combat position. Her nerves frayed, Calista quickly did the same.
Task Acquired: Defend against CD-Sim— 2 XP
“Begin.”
The simulation started the fight by lashing out with its fist, aiming for Calista’s jaw. The girl’s instincts clicked and she blocked it by swiping her arm to the side. It tried a kick to the stomach, which she also deflected.
Okay, maybe this isn’t so bad, she thought.
The hologram suddenly sped up, the cadence of the fight increasing as it unleashed a relentless barrage of attacks. Calista’s defenses were quickly broken and she grunted as its fists and feet landed in her face, chest, stomach, and sides.
-1 HP
-1 HP
-2 HP
I stand corrected!
She was tempted to hit back. Instead, she held her arms up in a boxing block, shielding her face, but she failed to protect the rest of her body.
-2 HP
-3 EP
-3 EP
-2 HP
Her stomach dropped as she was lifted into the air and slammed harshly onto the mat.
-8 HP
She groaned in pain and inhaled deeply, her stomach aching as her weak muscles contracted. Her shoulders and thighs especially hurt, still recovering from the beating she got at the raid and the aftereffects of damaged mods. It made sense that her Health bar was actually doubled, because that was definitely not only 8 HP worth of damage.
“Stop.”
Task Complete— +1 XP
The simulation ceased its attacks at the president’s command, letting the girl recover. It took her a few moments to get over the harsh blow, but she eventually rose to her feet. Pain was not something she handled well, despite having endured it for so long. Her Energy bar sat at 85 points.
The entire panel, even the kind-looking ones, stared at her emotionlessly, their eyes unreadable. She could feel her face heating up.
-3 Rep-P
That wasn’t helping.
“Next stage is offense,” President Chrisman said, ignoring her humiliation. “Find openings, land as many strikes as you can, and knock your opponent off-balance in the shortest amount of time possible.” The hologram shifted into a more defensive position this time. Maybe Calista would have more of a chance if she went on offense.“Begin.”
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Task Acquired: Attack CD-Sim— 2 XP
Calista lashed out with her fist and aimed for the holo-man’s throat. It blocked her attack with her forearm and stepped back. The girl winced at the impact, but kept throwing punches at its face and stomach. It continued avoiding them easily, smoothly dodging every blow.
They paused, circling as she evaluated its movements. Glancing at its feet, an idea sparked.
She shot her fist towards the projection’s face. As it leaned backwards, she suddenly dropped down and swept its legs out from underneath, making it collapse.
+6 Damage
-3 EP
Unfortunately, she collapsed as well.
-2 HP
The hologram was upright in no time at all. She quickly scrambled to her feet. Well, she landed a hit, at least.
The exchange continued, Calista’s movements growing faster and more reckless as her frustration grew. She couldn’t land a good hit anywhere. She punched it in the face and stomach a few times, but she couldn’t seem to defeat it, dealing barely one HP worth of damage at a time.
-3 EP
-3 EP
Suddenly, her feet clumsily stumbled as she went for another attack. It stepped aside as she fell forward.
-1 HP
She knocked herself over.
“Stop.”
Task Complete— +1 XP
She tried not to show any shame, but she was just about ready to burst into tears. The embarrassment was unbearable.
“The last stage is a combination of both offense and defense. Basically, a regular fight. Use what you’ve done in the last two stages. Begin.”
Task Acquired: Attack and Defend against CD-Sim— 3 XP
The holo-man began the fight, swooping down instantly and kicking Calista’s legs out from under her. She let out a small cry as she landed on her back.
-2 HP
She quickly rolled over and got to her feet. She dodged and blocked its fists, keeping her feet firmly planted to not lose her balance again. Her heart clenched with desperation as she tried her best to hold herself up.
-2 EP
-2 EP
The simulation’s fist connected with her chin and she staggered back.
-2 HP
Before she could recover, it grabbed her arm and pulled her forward, twisting her arm behind her back. She winced and let out a strained cry of pain.
-1 HP
-1 HP
Adrenaline injected itself into her veins as her face firmed. She gritted her teeth and threw her elbow back into the hologram’s face, following it up with a kick to the shin.
+2 Damage
+2 Damage
-6 EP
Her elbow weakened with pain. Ow, ow, ow, ow… She pulled her arm out of its grip and brought her other fist around to punch it.
+3 Damage
Her speed grew and her balance improved slightly as she launched all her strength against the simulation.
+2 Damage
+2 Damage
+4 Damage
+6 Damage
-10 EP
With finality, she kicked the holo-man’s knee, forcing it to the floor, and drove her own knee up to its chin. Its head jerked back and it fell.
+8 Damage
-5 EP
“Stop.”
Task Complete— +3 XP
She panted heavily and lightly rubbed her knee, looking up at the panel with exhaustion. None of their expressions hinted at what they thought. She only hoped they couldn’t see the tears pricking at her eyes.
“Your practical evaluation is over. Thank you for participating. We will contact you within the week if you are selected for the third stage,” President Chrisman said coldly.
Her limbs shook, the adrenaline fading. Just as the pain from her injuries settled in, a small, saucer-shaped drone hovered above her head, then descended slowly to shine a red laser over her body.
+25 HP
+40 EP
Health fully restored
Energy fully restored
Instantly, every bruise and blow she took was healed. That was a relief; she was worrying about the unflattering black-and-blue spreading all over her. The less she had to lie about, the better.
Nervously, she thanked the judges before stepping out of the AU boundary and reactivating her Mask. In a flash, she was teleported outside the building, followed by Katelyn.
The younger sister looked around, disoriented, before gathering her bearings and noticing Calista. Her Masked face filled with hope at first, but her smile fell and her eyes dimmed when she saw ‘Holly’s’ downturned eyes and slanted lips. “How’d it go?” she asked tentatively.
Calista only looked at her, sighed, and went to the travel tubes. She’d predicted it. She knew this would happen. It wasn’t worth it. NYWS was where she was meant to be, not Fistborn.
“Ca- Holly… come on. It couldn’t have been that bad.”
“I thought I couldn’t look any more uber-stupid…” she muttered. “You know what? I don’t want to talk about it.”
“What exactly happened in there?” Katelyn asked.
“I said, I don’t want to talk about it. Let’s just go home.” She went into the travel tube without another word.