Seeing her giving in, Zaeryn thought he had won. Only for Morticia to change things.

With a fluid elegance, she wrapped her legs around his waist, locking her ankles behind his back. The sudden, intimate entanglement drawing his hips flush against hers, pressing them together inescapably.

She looked up at him. The earlier frustration was gone, replaced by a slow, calculating smirk. "Hmmm," she hummed, her voice turning erotic,"I actually quite like this position".

Zaeryn blinked, momentarily confused by the abrupt change in tactics and the sudden intimacy. Her legs were strong, holding him securely.

Him on top of her and her wrapping her legs around his waist as they made eye contact: This resembled a sex position."What... what are you doing?"

Her smirk widened, her eyes gleaming with mischief. "You think you've got me pinned, don't you?" she purred. Her legs tightened around him, a deliberate, squeezing pressure.

Then, she shifted her hips almost imperceptibly, a slow, subtle grind that sent a jolt of pure, unexpected heat straight through Zaeryn. The friction was unmistakable, undeniably intimate.

"But look again, Zaeryn. Who's really trapped here?" Her gaze dropped pointedly to where their hips were joined, then flickered back up to his eyes. He could feel the undeniable evidence of his body's reaction pressing against her through the thin CQC gear.

"Maybe you should be the one to tap out".

Zaeryn's breath was stuck in his throat as his mind scrambled for what to do.

This wasn't a standard escape technique; this was… something else entirely.

He could feel the heat rising in his face, the distinct, unwelcome throb low in his belly.

Morticia continued her subtle movements, the slight rotation of her hips creating an agonizing friction. She leaned her head back slightly, exposing the pale column of her throat, her lips parted as if in a suggestive look as her eyes, locked on his, and they held nothing but knowing amusement.

'This…., is she doing this on purpose?' Zaeryn thought, horrified and acutely aware of his body's betrayal. He had her wrists pinned, he was technically winning, but the situation felt rapidly spiraling out of his control.

Tapping out now would be humiliating, admitting defeat not to her skill but to… this. But staying like this, with her continuing these movements and his arousal becoming increasingly obvious...? That felt even worse.

He gritted his teeth, trying to ignore the sensation, trying to maintain the pin, but her eyes seemed to see right through him.

"Morticia! Zaeryn! What in Marea's name are you doing?" Zelda's voice snapped like a whip from the edge of the mat, her tone laced with exasperation.

Both Zaeryn and Morticia froze. Zaeryn glanced up, his face flushing slightly as he met the instructor's unimpressed stare. Morticia slowly released her leg lock, though the knowing smirk lingered on her lips.

Zelda sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. The two students on the mat looked less like they were engaged in training and more like they were exploring... alternative grappling techniques. It looked suspiciously like dry humping. "Alright, that's enough," she declared, "Clearly, this pairing isn't productive. Change partners!"

Zaeryn let go of Morticia's wrists immediately and scrambled to his feet. Relief washed over him, Zelda had saved him from an increasingly awkward and potentially humiliating situation. Imagine if he got hard in front of everyone. He could only imagine the shame.

However, the physical relief warred with the lingering thrum of arousal Morticia's tactics had ignited; thankfully, it wasn't pronounced enough to visibly strain his outfit. Morticia rose elegantly, looking entirely unfazed, perhaps even a little triumphant.

Zelda's gaze turned to Leia, who had easily held her opponent in a controlled arm bar. "Leia! Release!"

Leia immediately let go, stepping back, as her opponent quickly got to her feet, rubbing her arm.

"New pairs," Zelda commanded, pointing. "Leia, you're with Zaeryn. Let's see how that 'no competition' holds up without Vitae. Morticia, you take on Leia's previous partner".

A collective murmur went through the students. Leia versus Zaeryn again, this time purely physical.

Leia's gaze was sharper and more predatory than ever, as her gaze locked onto Zaeryn.

Zaeryn met her stare without flinching. He adopted a simpler, ready stance. "Wouldn't want to disappoint the fans," he shot back.

"Begin!" Zelda commanded. By this time, the other students had finished so now almost everyone was watching these two.

Leia exploded forward, incredibly fast even without Vitae enhancement. A sharp jab tested his guard, followed by a low sweep.

Zaeryn blocked clumsily but avoided the sweep. Leia pressed relentlessly, a whirlwind of precise strikes, elbows, knees, palm-heels aimed at pressure points.

Zaeryn was purely defensive. He should be stronger than Leia, since he had super strength ability, however that wasn't working now due to the vitae dampeners.

Right now, Leia might even be stronger than him or equal, plus his lack of formal CQC training was painfully clear. He blocked and parried mostly on instinct, his Combat Instincts providing just enough anticipation to avoid clean hits.

"All that muscle, and no idea how to use it!" Leia taunted, slipping under a wild swing and landing a sharp body blow. "How disappointing!"

Frustration built in Zaeryn. She was too fast, too skilled, flowing around him. Seeing her commit again, he deliberately took a glancing blow, rotating to drive his right hook.

Leia twisted, letting the punch graze her as she simultaneously drove her shoulder into his midsection. The air rushed from Zaeryn's lungs. The impact was pure technique. He stumbled back. Leia flowed into a leg takedown, sending him crashing onto the mat again.

This time, Leia landed securely in side control, her trained strength and body weight pinning him effectively. Before he could even try to bridge or shrimp to escape, she transitioned smoothly, isolating his left arm and folding it back in a tight key lock. She leaned her weight down through her chest, driving pressure through his shoulder while cranking his wrist toward his head with painful precision.

Even through the searing agony radiating from his joint, Zaeryn couldn't ignore the unwelcome but distinct sensation of her firm breasts pressing hard against his trapped upper arm and shoulder, a jarringly intimate detail amidst the brutal efficiency of the hold.

Zaeryn gritted his teeth, a sharp groan catching in his throat as white-hot pain shot through his shoulder joint.

He struggled against the lock, trying to bridge or turn into her, but her technique was flawless, her weight controlling his body while her grip destroyed his joint. Pure physical resilience wasn't enough; escape felt impossible. Panic began to set in. Tapping out felt inevitable.

Leia leaned closer, applying more pressure, deliberately dropping her face inches from his to drive her full upper body weight down through his shoulder while cranking the lock.

Their lips were just inches away from each other, however Leia did all just to taunt, because she couldn't help it.

"Tap, anomaly," she commanded, her breath hot against his face, flushed with exertion and the focus of impending victory.

Desperation grew in Zaeryn. He couldn't win conventionally. So, he wouldn't. With Leia's face so close as she bore down on him, an audacious, perhaps suicidal, idea sparked. He twisted his head sharply.

His lips crashed against the side of her neck, just below her ear, a sudden, shocking, and undeniably intimate contact. He lingered just enough, to make it clear it wasn't by accident.

Leia froze. Her entire body went rigid, the pressure on his arm easing for a critical split second. Her eyes widened in pure, unadulterated shock, her mind completely short-circuiting at the unexpected, inappropriate violation of the spar.

He kissed her? Here? Now?

In that moment of stunned hesitation, Zaeryn ripped his arm free.

BRRRZZT!

A loud buzzer echoed through the chamber, the signal for the end of the round.

Zelda's voice cut through the lingering shock. "Time!"

Leia scrambled back, pushing herself off Zaeryn as if burned, her face flushed crimson with a mixture of fury and disbelief. "What the hell was that?" she sputtered, wiping furiously at her neck where his lips had touched. "He played dirty, Instructor! That's unacceptable!"

Zaeryn pushed himself up, rubbing his aching shoulder, a defiant, slightly winded grin spreading across his face. He didn't say anything, just met Leia's furious glare.

Zelda walked onto the mat, her expression unreadable as she looked from Leia's outraged face to Zaeryn's unapologetic one. "Dirty?" she repeated, her tone dangerously calm. She stopped between them.

"Unconventional? Yes. Unexpected? Absolutely." She paused, letting her gaze sweep over the stunned onlookers before returning to Leia. "But dirty? No."

"Instructor!" Leia protested.

"Against a Vorthak, Leia," Zelda stated flatly, to the whole class, her voice cutting off any further argument, "there are no rules. Only survival. If a tactic breaks your opponent's concentration, disrupts their attack, and allows you to survive or escape, it is a valid tactic.

Zaeryn used his brain and exploited an opening created by your momentary lapse in focus." Her gaze shifted to Zaeryn, sharp and assessing.

"That was crude, unexpected, but ultimately effective in breaking the hold before time expired," Zelda declared. "So, the round ends in a draw." Her eyes returned to Leia. "Lesson learned: maintain focus, anticipate the unexpected. Dismissed".

"Ugh," Leia groaned, shooting Zaeryn one last furious look.

Zaeryn let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding, pushing himself fully upright. He avoided meeting Leia's gaze as she left; despite the draw, he knew he'd crossed a line, and her reaction felt justified, even if Zelda approved of the tactic.

"Alright, cadets! That's it for today," Zelda announced, clapping her hands once more. "Review your assessment scores on the academy portal. Reflect on your weaknesses. See you next session."

The general dismissal signal sounded, and the chamber began to empty quickly. Jyn, Yuna, and Morticia immediately converged on Zaeryn.

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