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The sahagin’s trident stopped Zack’s sword between its prongs. Then the creature twisted its grip, rotating Zack’s sword right out of his hands, flinging the blade far out of his reach. Before Zack could even blink, the sahagin stabbed forward, driving its trident right at his chest.
Zack stumbled backward in his attempt to dodge, tripping and landing heavily on his back. With the sahagin lifting its trident above him, Zack scrambled to grab his PHS from his pocket. Device in hand, he pressed buttons in a panic—
Just in time, the VR program halted, the sahagin’s trident inches from impaling Zack’s chest.
“Oh man,” Zack said in a rush of relief, watching the virtual monster quickly dissolving into bright blue cubes of light. Once the beast had vanished, Zack let his head fall back on the floor, catching his breath. And then pouting at the ceiling of the VR room.
Still no improvement.
“Ugh, today is the worst,” Zack groaned, getting to his feet. He’d been at this same program for weeks. He should’ve leveled up by now. Or hit a new limit break, or something. He hoped to beat the module before Angeal got here and found out he made no progress, but a quick check of the time told him there was no chance of that.
Resigned, Zack started a set of squats. If he couldn’t beat the module, maybe Angeal would be proud of how Zack was actually on time today.
Today’s session in particular was ‘different,’ according to Angeal.
Zack pondered over what his mentor could have meant, the squats doing nothing to distract his energized brain. If the training was different, he could have some hope about not dealing with the stupid sahagin again.
Distantly, he heard the door to the Training Room open—Angeal, finally arriving, surely.
Zack smiled to himself, still exercising as the doors to the VR room opened in turn. “Look who finally decided to show up!” Zack joked, not bothering to look. “Can’t believe you kept me waiting.”
“I’ve arrived at precisely the time Angeal asked me to,” responded a complete and total stranger, with a smooth baritone.
Zack halted halfway through a squat, turning his head in surprise.
At the door was none other than SOLDIER First Class, Sephiroth, watching Zack with an unamused, calculating gaze. He was just like his posters—Regal in an ethereal sort of way, not a single strand of long silver hair out of place. Pauldrons so well-polished they gleamed. Everything about him felt flawless, as it should—He was everything a SOLDIER operative should strive to be.
“Holy—” Zack started, gawking at the man as he straightened up. “Sephiroth?! What are you doing here?”
“Angeal didn’t tell you?” Sephiroth asked, frowning, but not in a way that made Zack think he was in trouble. At least, not yet.
Zack might be in trouble with Angeal once he found out Zack sassed Sephiroth, of all people.
For now, though, Zack put that worry aside. He grinned sheepishly at Sephiroth. “Nope,” he answered. “Just told me today’s training was really important, and that I absolutely had to be on time.”
Sephiroth broke eye contact, thoughtful as he said, “I suppose that’s accurate enough.”
Now that the shock of seeing the SOLDIER program’s poster boy was starting to wear off, Zack realized there was only one reason Sephiroth would be here. “Are you gonna train me today?!” Zack guessed, already beaming at the thought.
Sephiroth nodded. Just once. Decisive and direct, exactly as all the rumors described him. “Angeal wants me to evaluate your abilities. Depending on your behavior today, I may train you in his stead while he’s on missions,” Sephiroth clarified.
“Hell yeah!” Zack cheered, pumping a fist. It was the chance of a lifetime—Personal training by Sephiroth, who didn’t typically take on any sort of mentorship roles. Zack could not mess this up. “I won’t let ya down!” he told Sephiroth, firmly, determined to take on whatever crazy regimen the superpowered First threw at him.
Zack’s exuberance was met with the slightest furrowing of Sephiroth’s brow. Then Sephiroth crossed his arms over his chest, and ordered, “Retrieve your sword and run through the Third Class forms.”
“Third Class?” Zack questioned, confused at such a bland instruction. “Not…Second?” he added, gesturing weakly to his uniform.
“Your command of the basics informs the rest of your capabilities,” Sephiroth explained.
“Oh, right,” Zack said, scratching his cheek. “That makes sense.” He went to pick up his sword, then returned to the center of the room, and took up his fighting stance.
The Third Class forms were, indeed, basic. Zack hadn’t performed them in months. Not since the Second Class test. As such, he cringed inwardly at his own, rusty movements, hyper aware of Sephiroth’s discerning gaze.
He twisted into a thrust that even he knew was too weak, and uttered a quiet, “Shit.”
“Concentrate,” Sephiroth demanded, clearly catching the curse.
“I know! I know, I just—” Zack shot back without thinking, correcting his stance, only to realize it was the same move that got his sword stolen by a sahagin not twenty minutes ago. He huffed in annoyance, trying and failing to get himself to focus on the next move. It was a parry—No, a backslash?
What was it again?
“Ugh, hang on,” Zack stopped, shaking his head in an effort to get ahold of himself. It was one thing to mess up in front of Angeal—Angeal was used to Zack’s struggles with focus, especially on an off day like today was. Sephiroth, on the other hand—
“I didn’t give you permission to stop, SOLDIER.”
“I know, I’m sorry,” Zack replied, rubbing his eyes with one hand. Was it a lack of sleep throwing him off? Though, Sephiroth probably wouldn’t give him any sympathy if that were the case. Angeal sure wouldn’t. Lack of sleep was no excuse for someone in SOLDIER—
Which…Sephiroth must deal with all the time, right?
“Hey,” Zack turned to the First, questioning, “What do you do when you’re having an off day?”
Sephiroth considered him quietly for a moment. “Excuse me?”
“When you’re having a bad day and can’t concentrate during a fight,” Zack elaborated, sure Sephiroth had to have some bad days, even if he was the best. “What do you do?”
When Sephiroth slowly shut his eyes, going silent, Zack briefly worried he was about to say this whole exercise was a waste of time. Instead, though, Sephiroth responded with a thoughtful hum. And then, surprisingly, answered. “Regroup. Center myself before engaging again.”
“How, though?” Zack continued, needing something much more specific.
Again, Sephiroth regarded him with that slight frown—one that Zack was starting to think might be closer to confusion, rather than outright displeasure. Unlike Angeal, Sephiroth’s face was like an impassive mask. Every expression seemed muted. “There are multiple methods,” Sephiroth said. “Breathing, for example.”
“Oh, like…just, take a deep breath?” Zack clarified, surprised at how simple the technique was, for someone so powerful.
“When possible,” Sephiroth shrugged with one shoulder. “Breathe, fall back into form, and attempt again.”
Zack looked at his sword, thinking. It wasn’t so far off from how Zack tried to concentrate sometimes. Maybe a bit more purposeful. Maybe there was a difference Sephiroth wasn’t explaining, though he seemed content enough to give Zack information. If SOLDIER’s top operative got to where he was with simple techniques, maybe simple was the way to go.
So, Zack took a very deep, very purposeful breath, and fell back into his stance.
This time, the forms went much smoother, Zack relying more on muscle memory instead of thinking through the motions. He thought less of Sephiroth’s eyes on him, too. Still aware of the guy, of course, but now with the sense that even the greatest SOLDIER operative on the Planet sometimes needed to regroup.
When he reached the end of the last form, Zack finished with his typical flourish, but still wearing a frustrated frown.
Sephiroth noticed. “Something the matter?”
“That felt…slow,” Zack determined, hooking his blade on the magnet on his back.
“Your form was more accurate this time, but you are correct,” Sephiroth concurred. “It was too slow.”
“Man, of all the days…” Zack grumbled, rubbing the back of his neck. He smiled at Sephiroth anyway, despite being sure he hadn’t impressed the First at all. “Thanks for the tip—It helped. I just gotta figure out how to do it faster. And, uh,” he winced. “...how to do it on my worst days.”
Sephiroth hummed, still watching Zack like he was judging his every movement. Or, like Zack was some sort of puzzle he was piecing together. It was unclear which.
Zack stared back at him, confused. The First wasn’t acting how Zack expected—It wasn’t like Zack did anything amazing. Hell, his performance on his test for Second was probably better than what he just did. As it was, Zack figured he must look like every other average Second Class operative to Sephiroth. Not like someone worth getting training from SOLDIER’s finest. He was wasting Sephiroth’s time.
Yet, instead of walking out the door, Sephiroth’s lips twitched into a small smirk. “Interesting.”
“Huh?” Zack tilted his head. “What is?”
“Your reactions,” Sephiroth answered, mysteriously.
Before Zack could ask what he meant, they both heard the sound of the Training Room door opening. Then Angeal appeared, stiffening at the sight of Sephiroth, already here. “Ah, I see you’ve met already,” he observed, coming to stand next to Sephiroth. “Sorry I’m late—Meeting with the Director ran long.”
“I was on time!” Zack told Angeal. “I was early!”
“A miracle,” Angeal chuckled at his student. “So, Sephiroth, for today—”
“I’ve seen enough,” Sephiroth decided, turning to leave.
There it was. Zack’s heart sank.
“What—Wait!” Angeal protested. “His training—”
“I will oversee his progress while you’re away,” Sephiroth declared. Nodding in Zack’s direction, he added, “Correct his form before then. I’ll work out the schedule with Lazard.” And with that, he left.
Angeal watched Sephiroth go, until the doors slid shut. Then he turned to Zack, huffing a laugh. “Well. I’m not sure what you did, Zack, but you must have made quite the impression.” He smiled warmly at his protégé. “Good work.”
“Uh…thanks,” Zack replied, having no idea what, exactly, was so impressive. He would have to ask Sephiroth, later—
And then it dawned on him that not only could he ask Sephiroth later, he would see Sephiroth again soon. He would be seeing a lot more of Sephiroth in the future. Because he, Zack Fair, was going to be training under SOLDIER First Class Sephiroth.
Zack retracted his earlier sentiment—Today was the best.