Chapter Text
“Elbow.” Came the voice as Ben braced his left hand. The girl lunged her body forward, twisting her core and aiming her right elbow into the centre of his focus pad. Even with the foreknowledge and the protective equipment, the force of the impact made him want to spit up and lose his balance. But this is why they were training. To improve. A wisp of acknowledgment flashed across Gwen’s eyes as she hopped back, bounced on the balls of her feet and then charged at him again, leaving each of them only the barest moment to regain their breath and posture.
Left jab, right jab, a hop to the side and then a right hook. “Knee.” Said Gwen as her left knee soared upwards. Ben glanced down to catch the blow with his right hand, straining from the impact. He started to pant before he returned to face Gwen, only to see her gloved right hand in front of him, a half-inch from his face. He shut his eyes, bracing for the impact that never came. When he opened them, Gwen was already in the corner, removing her gloves and eyeing her water bottle like a fish on dry land. Ben was taken aback for a bit before walking over to her. He stood there, pouting for a bit, fruitless before Gwen’s silence.
“What was that about?” Gwen didn’t bother even turning to face him, instead opting to drink her way through half the bottle in a single sip. She didn’t like to show it but these training sessions took a lot out of her as well. At least she had the benefit of being able to transform afterward.
“Training.” She always spoke as though everything were self-evident, as though it was a chore to point out what was before your eyes. Ben stirred the word around inside his head for a moment before Gwen elected to elaborate. “The monsters won’t aim for targets on your gloves or announce when they change their attack patterns.” She was sitting on the stool in the ring’s corner, twisting the lid of her water bottle and avoiding Ben’s eye contact. “I just… I don’t want you forgetting that, OK?”