The shift passed quietly — just a standard block watch: no incidents, no complaints, no fights. I lay sprawled across my bed like a lazy cat, browsing new techniques in the library. Soft music played in my ears, some calm folk tune with the steady rhythm of ocean surf — smooth, even, unhurried. And that was exactly the moment Kate chose to finally get in touch.

Incoming message: K. L. Wong

Subject: Dodging training/build

Content: 17:30. We'll train and talk.

A geolocation tag was attached.

Alright, looks like she's fine. I had started to worry a bit — it'd been a while since I'd heard from her. Dodge training wasn't exactly a joyful experience, but Kate had already proved it was necessary. I just hoped there'd be more training and less torment this time. I glanced at the clock. A little over an hour left in my shift. No point in trying to guess what she had in mind. I'd find out soon enough.

The training area she'd booked for us was very different from the last one — the open-air dome where the ceiling beams were so far up they looked like part of the sky. This time, we were inside a building. The arena was just a high-ceilinged room with scarred grey walls, flat lighting panels overhead, and a sunken floor. From the door, you had to descend a short set of steps. The floor — like the bottom of a shallow pool — was covered wall to wall in dense, yellow-grey sand. No stones, no boulders, not even markers. Just a soft, flat bed of sand.

Kate was already there, waiting. She stood barefoot in the sand, socks in hand — it looked like she'd just taken them off. Her gaze was focused, her breathing calm, like someone fully at ease in their own body.

She looked different. The injured side of her face wasn't as pink anymore — the skin had paled, and her eye now gleamed with a normal light again. But the real change was in her arm. It had almost grown back. It no longer looked like a strange, underdeveloped limb — it was no longer laughably small or oddly proportioned. The fingers were normal now. But the colour… the skin was still uneven. It was a patchwork of pale pink and natural tone, mottled like a mosaic. A faint network of blood vessels shimmered close to the surface, as though the skin hadn't fully matured yet. The pattern was almost decorative — but it gave everything away. Regeneration was still ongoing.

"How are you?" I asked instead of a greeting. Her quiet, almost withdrawn presence made me uneasy.

Kate raised an eyebrow.

"Worried? Or just trying to be clever?"

"Oh, come on, don't make me out to be a total arse. Just a little too sharp-tongued sometimes."

"Just spare me the dirty jokes about your tongue," she said, rolling her eyes.

"I wasn't even going there!"

"Sure you weren't… Let's get started."

"Should I take my shoes off too?"

"If you want. I can avoid getting sand in my clothes. You'll probably end up bathing in it. So your choices are bolt or dive." She raised a hand as I opened my mouth to respond. "I'm not saying you have to dive. Dodge however you like," she waved it off.

I'd braced myself for the usual jabs, the teasing, maybe even a lightning bolt to the arse — but today, Kate was different. There was no smile in her voice. No mockery in her eyes. Just calm, cold focus.

"Are we still talking about my build?" I reminded her.

"While we move. Consider it another distraction."

She took a slow step forward, tucking her socks into a pocket. Her feet sank lightly into the sand, but she moved with the confidence of someone standing on solid ground.

"I spoke with Rene about your progress. I have a rough idea of what you can do. Unfortunately, you're not ready to answer directly yet, so today your goal is simple — recover your stance as fast as possible after dodging. We'll count that as your answer."

"And how exactly are we training that?" I looked around. No cover, no obstacles. "Duel like last time?"

Kate nodded.

"Go."

Zap.

Before she'd even finished the word, a bolt of electricity struck my shoulder. She was holding back. It didn't hurt much, but it sure wasn't pleasant.

"Focus! I won't always give you time to recover!"

She flicked her hand. I jumped to the side and immediately lost balance. The sand shifted beneath my foot.

Zap.

Kate deflected the bolt at the last moment.

"Walk around a bit first — get used to the surface. You can jump, fall, roll if you want."

She was being remarkably generous today. But I wasn't about to complain.

For the next ten minutes, I slipped, jumped, fell, got up — only to fall again. Kate didn't laugh, didn't shoot. She just waited. Waited until I finally managed a clean roll followed by a spring to my feet — which was no easy feat on sand — and then she said,

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"Now we begin the training."

I jumped to the side before she even finished the sentence.

The electric bolt zipped past, and I grinned at my mentor.

"Back!" she reminded me. "You need to return!"

"Again…" I cut myself off, guessing she wouldn't let me finish — and dodged just in time. When the bolt flew past, I returned to my original position.

"Good!" Kate called out. I leapt again — but this time, there was no bolt. Not until I'd stopped and realised I'd messed up. That's when she fired. I wasn't quick enough and took it straight to the chest.

Zap.

Kate didn't wait.

I hadn't even ducked before the crackling lightning sang past my ear, half my face twitching from the jolt. I slid sideways and tried to get back to my previous position — just like she said. But before I could take a step —

Zap!

Right in the ribs.

"Stop, stop, stop!" I threw up my hands.

"What?" Kate asked.

"This isn't working. If you shoot more than twice in a row, I've no idea where I'm supposed to be returning to."

"Hmmm." Kate tilted her head in thought.

"This drill… is it something you've actually done, or did you just make it up?" I asked.

Kate looked slightly offended.

"I've done it! But I'd already mastered my first technique — I could respond."

"So maybe we wait until I can too? Let me just focus on dodging for now."

Kate grimaced.

"I want to see your instincts — and give you some feedback before I go into seclusion for my breakthrough."

"Seclusion?"

"Got a medium crystal from the last raid. Should be enough qi for my breakthrough. If I absorb it continuously in an isolated room, I should be able to push through in about a week."

"Oh, congratulations!"

Kate waved my words away like a fly and shook her head.

"There's still prep to do – healing the body, calming the mind. Preparation's part of seclusion – that'll take another two weeks. So I'll be out of your life for about three weeks. We've got four days for me to set you on the righteous path. Dodging – that's what I had the most trouble with. I want to make sure you don't."

I smiled.

"So that's why you're so serious today."

Kate nodded.

"I thought we'd have more time, but the Meditation Hall approved my request for a specialised chamber earlier than expected. If you want, I can withdraw from mentorship. You'd be free to choose someone else."

I raised an eyebrow.

"Already tired of me?"

"Of course not. I just can't give you the attention you need."

Vaclav can. Though… better she didn't know that. Or should she?

I opened a call.

Outgoing call: V. Novak

Kate noticed me fiddling with my interface but didn't quite understand what I was doing.

"What are you doing?"

I didn't answer. Not that it mattered — this time, Vaclav picked up almost immediately.

"I'm listening."

"Good afternoon, sir. This is about Kate."

Kate figured it out — and her eyes widened in panic. She drew her hand sharply across her throat, telling me to cut the call.

Yeah, like that would work after my opening line. Especially since Vaclav immediately misunderstood what I meant.

"PTSD?" he sighed.

"No, I just don't want you threatening me again like the last time she was prepping for a raid. She's seriously worried no one will be able to teach me dodge while she's in seclusion."

"I see," replied Vaclav, and disconnected.

Then Kate suddenly flinched as if startled, and hesitantly tapped an invisible button in her interface.

"Yes, Master."

Why was she so scared of him? From what I'd seen, Vaclav seemed to indulge his students more than most. And with Kate, he treated her like a hen fussing over her only chick.

"Yes, Master," she repeated, flustered. "Of course..." she added, blushing. "No, that's not… Yes, Master… Yes, Master." She glanced up at me and slowly dragged her thumb across her neck. "Yes! Jake's done very well! …Thank you, Master."

"You're dead, mentee!" she shouted. Absolutely enraged.

She took a few steps to the side — and vanished with a crack, leaving behind a burst of sand and violet sparks.

Zap!

I didn't react in time to the sound or the motion — no dodge, just a bolt straight to the arse, even though I face-planted into the sand and slid across it. Sand in my collar, in my mouth, in my ears. I hadn't even started to get up before —

Zap!

Again. Right in the backside. I was starting to get used to it.

Kate darted across the arena, kicking up clouds of sand and sparks — almost too fast for my eyes to follow. Good thing her little outburst ended quickly.

She reappeared right in front of my face, making me flinch and fall over again. She wasn't even out of breath.

"This isn't teleportation, is it?" I asked, just to be sure.

"Of course not! Your eyes just aren't fast enough to track it yet."

"What's the technique?"

"Reverent Step of the Thunder God."

I raised an eyebrow.

She'd really gone and collected the whole Thunder God set, hadn't she? Her offensive technique had a name like that too, if I remembered correctly.

"Oh, as if I don't know that!" she snapped, clearly irritated.

"I didn't even say anything!"

"It was all over your face!" she barked. But she calmed down, glanced at her dust-covered jumpsuit, waved it off and sat down in the sand across from me.

"The effect's similar to Mad Monkey, but the speed is higher – and I can move in a straight line."

We sat in silence for a while, and then she added, "Adam will keep an eye on you."

"Fantastic! And what was the need for the drama?" I asked.

"You're making me look dependent!" Kate sulked. "I already run to my master for every little thing!"

"Isn't that what a master's for – giving advice to students?"

Kate clearly didn't like that answer. She raised her hand, and sparks cracked between her fingers.

I leaned back, bracing my hands in the sand, ready to roll if she launched another bolt – but she held back, so I went on.

"Look at it another way. You're leaving me in good hands. One less thing to worry about – makes it easier for you to prepare your mind."

"True," she nodded. "But tomorrow for training I'm bringing tennis balls. You'll be throwing them at me. Alright, up you get – let's continue. You can dodge however you like."

We got up – and I immediately had to leap to the side, then again, and again.

"If you only ever move in one direction, your opponent will match your rhythm."

The next bolt struck me in the thigh – as if to underline her point.

"Now, about your build," Kate continued. "Monkey only makes sense if you plan to upgrade it. Air – are you going to grow that root?

"You've got two main ones as well," I pointed out, dropping to all fours, rolling, and getting back on my feet.

She vanished – blitzed past me and reappeared behind my back, landing a bolt just under my shoulder blade.

"Chain Punch and Iron Head don't have Air upgrades."

"What about the Hook?" I asked, ducking another lightning bolt.

"Hook has some variations that work with Air, but... a pure second-tier Hook will hit harder than a hybrid. Hard to say if it's worth it."

"You're the one who said your first technique is like your first love."

"And that's the problem. You could easily change your mind before reaching second tier and drop Mad Monkey of East entirely. No pressure here. Take it if it works for you – but think hard before you order armour. I'd suggest mastering the Hook first – you already know how to lay channels in your arms, and that's easier than learning a movement technique and wiring your legs. That'll buy you time to decide."

"Sounds like a plan," I said, diving under another lightning bolt.

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