While Lana was prepping for her business venture, the rest of the team was focusing on getting stronger and supporting her. Her daily lessons continued Raten and Kattie but Kattie was working with Sven while Lana worked with Raten. The boys were working in the game and with each other. They all decided to use her area as it was safe, secluded and they would be able to trade pointers with each other.
Kattie set up targets and asked Sven to work speed drills. His speed and precision increased. She placed things on the ground and hanging from the tree for Sven to grab and destroy with his beak or render with his claws. While he was a beast and such actions were natural for him, these drills made him a sharper and more precise killer. In addition, it increased their bond and Kattie's confidence in her ability to control him.
In Power Fighters, Almin, Alto and Dobin all got beaten by a player that went by the moniker Blood Evolver. They didn't contest he was strong, though some thought he was a hacker. Dobin realized quickly he may have been able to figure out one skill in the beginning by watching others, but he really needed the book to fully explain it before he could duplicate it. On the flip side, his hand-to-hand skills were improving. He'd often spar with the others.
The way the game was set up, a player could select their ability and use it against their opponent. You could follow others and send messages to one another. If you had beast gear, there was a way to scan it and have it included in the game as part of your gear. You were also able to customize your avatar. Some visuals were free as part of the game but the best looking depictions were something the player would need to pay for. The three boys were quite happy using the free stuff since all their money from the school was being dumped into the game. In the game, the player would feel the hits but not as bad as they would have in an actual fight. There was also an option to invite people into a private space, which was also called the white space because it was white. In here, one didn't get hurt or fatigued but players could learn from one another and practice moves away from the prying eyes of others. The only problem with it was they still only had their gaming pods from an hour. It was in these spaces that Almin taught martial arts to the others but not to the proficiency they would have gotten in class. It was enough to teach the moves. They would need to practice them in the actual game.
Alto really wanted the next book but he was willing to see what would happen to him in the game. One day he went against a strong earth user. He hoped using water would be beneficial here. The timer counted down and the fight began. Alto started by throwing a ball of water rather than getting close. His ball was blocked by an earth wall followed by an earth cylinder being fired from the hand of his opponent. Alto was only a level 2 user but he tried to muster a water spout. He managed a small one which did nothing but he was able to dodge the attack by moving aside. He moved in using some of Leo's techniques, blocking an earth spear with his arm while throwing a kick toward his head. It contacted but it wasn't enough. He saw his opponent moving his fingers and hands preparing a new move and he let out a water spray as he jumped up. He hit his opponent in the face with the water followed by a jump kick to the side of the head. He heard the sounds of his victory.
While this was just one of many fights in a game, Alto knew at this moment, combining martial arts with his ability would make him much stronger. He was tired of being bullied. Having to be protected was embarrassing to him though he was quite thankful for it. He came from a good family. His father was a water user as well and learned his ability from him, rather reluctantly. He held out for a long time looking for something that had a cool affect. Maybe something like prismatic light that also did damage. He thought water, though useful, was boring. Now that he was working with Lana and Dobin, though, he was far more appreciative of his ability. Somehow he got lucky. His ability meshed well with them. He was useful without being bullied or having to cater to the demands of others as his father did. His family weren't travelers. They were even able to afford to live on Earth but his father's company overworked him with his ability. He didn't see him enough and he, frankly, felt robbed of time with his father. He was an only child so he couldn't even practice his ability in that fashion and his mother died in the war. She left behind some insurance money and that was why they were able to stay. So many others had to move of planet after the war when a parent died. He was grateful for what he had, though he often wondered if his father used the demands of his boss as an excuse to stay away. He thought his father deserved better and hoped one day he'd be able to give him that.
Almin and his mother were poor for the longest time. His father was a traveler who took a job to a red-portal planet and never returned. They ended up living in a shipping container that was converted into a tiny home. It wasn't much but it kept them from the elements. His father left behind all his ability books up to level 6 but his mother ended up having to sell them to buy food even though she held down two jobs. They had lived in a shelter on an orange portal planet. Even though there were no taxes, they still had to purchase the things they needed. A month before school started, his mother re-married. They had moved into his home and he was now being provided with an allowance from his step-father. Greg was not his father but at least he seemed like a nice person and really loved his mother.
Behind their home, Greg had set up some things to help Almin improve with his ability. As he stood in the game looking at this opponent's attacks, he was reminded of those targets now. The person standing opposite him was holding a sword in her hand. While he didn't have magnetism, he couldn't pull the sword to him, he could try the crumple skill he used before in the assessment or he could…
He reached his hand out and bent a finger down. The tip of her sword bent at a 90 degree angle. This skill had a maximum range. He wasn't sure if he was quite inside but decided to try it. The girl was scared and angry at the same time. She threw the sword and then an ice spear. He brought up a metal shield to block the ice and it shattered against the hard metal. He then rushed in to fight the now unarmed girl, ice or not. That didn't worry him. After seeing her attacks, he knew he had this one. Just as he was getting ready to bash her in the head with his shield, she threw an ice spear into his stomach. The game registered a victor but it wasn't him.