Fluut's Training: An Even Stronger Strike Than Before

Note: This is Fluut's first training at Level 2.
-------------------------------------------------------
His arm stretched out to beyond its usual length, and had struck home directly into that large robot’s chest, even burrowing underneath all that metal to the circuits within. Yet, before Fluut could deal the coup de grace, the thing grabbed on to his arm and flung it out. As Fluut’s arm retracted, Nero said the fateful words.

“I can finish it…” Nero dashed right past Fluut, ignoring Fluut’s subsequent warning. A moment later, the white-hot explosion reached out hungrily, swallowing Nero. Had the blast been any more violent than it was, Fluut’s coming up short would have resulted in Nero’s…death.

It just about happened again later on, just after he and Xalia dealt a serious blow to the opposition. However, Fluut had missed at first. But yet again, Fluut’s final blow came up short… However, this time, everyone managed to get clear…

Still…if only Fluut were just that much stronger…if only he’d been able to hit a little harder, perhaps those two events wouldn’t have happened like that…
--------------
Fluut opened his eyes, in his room at the base. He knew what he had to do. Fluut contemplated his four-fingered hand for a few moments, before clenching his fist.

“I need to become stronger… to create a fist that can deal that last blow when it counts…” Fluut said, images of red explosions cropping up in his mind as he did so. His mind set on the task, Fluut marched out of his room, gathering what he needed for his task.
---------------
Several minutes later, Fluut stood in a large, empty-ish room. In the center was a sturdy chain, with a large sandbag attached to it. Well, the thing Fluut was eyeing had the appearance of a sandbag, anyway. Fluut clenched and unclenched his fists, contemplating the challenge that laid before him.

A bag full of metal marbles… Fluut thought, It should be the right consistency to match the metal I had been up against…

The Namek soon clenched both his fists one final time, causing his knuckles to crack. There was no time like the present to get things going. The sooner he got stronger, the sooner he could put what he learned to use. A flash of red, Nero’s silhouette vanishing into the light and smoke… the image cropped up again in his head. Just a little more, and Nero wouldn’t have had to witness that…

Closing the distance quickly, Fluut swung out with all his force into a left cross. Fluut’s fist caused the sandbag to budge a little, but neither the material nor the sandbag gave any. Fluut could feel his hand hurt only a tiny bit as the force failed to do any damage to the ball bearings, but he didn’t falter for an instant, throwing out a right hook, a left straight punch and a right, slightly downward punch in rapid succession. Spinning around, Fluut threw out a kick, but was met with the same results. Taking a moment to pause, Fluut eyed the sandbag.

I’ve definitely found the right target… Fluut’s memory guided him back once again, the image of the last attack he threw at the second exploding Sentry ringing true, his foot not even penetrating the thick metal to the circuitry underneath, despite the previous damage. And then, there was the one that almost succeeded in taking Nero with it, stopping him from completing the final blow…

Red flash, Nero disappearing… coming out with his artificial flesh melted—

With a snarl, Fluut resumed his fight against the metal-filled bag, crashing knuckles and feet against the surface, trying desperately to make a big breakthrough against the metal within, against the sandbag itself, really anything at all. There was no sense of time, no sense of place left after a while, just Fluut, the bag full of metal ball bearings, and his thoughts. His thoughts, which were betraying him.

A flash of a distorting memory now—Nero vanishing into red, coming out with his eyes darkened… The red flash, the collapsing buildings… the humans captured within crying out for help as the building started collapsing again.

Why… why are the visions getting worse… Fluut cursed, his mind struggling to remain focused on the ‘wall’ before him, that sandbag, Nobody died during all that… yet…

Fluut suddenly flinched, feeling something warm on his hands and a hot throbbing in his feet. He was distinctly aware he was sweating as well, and paused his flurry of blows to check himself. When did he get exhausted from just this? And why were his hands bleeding from fresh wounds? Just what was going on?

His wounds had only begun to close when Fluut let out a roar of effort and redoubled his efforts, a flurry of punches and kicks being unleashed. For each punch Fluut landed, some more of his blood would splash on to the bag, and his feet would start to ache. Flashes of distorted memory would pop into his head, and it grew harder and harder to shut it all out. More and more of Nero seemed to vanish into the ether that was the large robot’s self-destruction, and the civilians were getting slower and slower… Not just them, but the rest of his teammates…

Fluut was distinctly aware his hands and feet were slowing down as well, his breathing growing more and more shallow from fatigue.

I should be stronger than this! I should be stronger than that! Why is my body failing me in all respects… why is my mind failing me in all respects…!?

The image of Nero vanishing together with the robot… Lusk buried under the rubble. Lusk. Someone he’d known practically since hatching. Someone who made the choice to go to Earth with him when he’d heard…

It was more than Fluut could stand.

With a loud yell, Fluut summoned up whatever strength he still had in reserve, his purple aura crackling to life as he once again began to lay into the bag with renewed vigor, throwing out so many punches and kicks that he couldn’t even tell what he was going to throw until he was throwing it. And despite the blood still squirting from knuckles that had been pressed to their limit, the soreness from feet that had been pressed to their limit, Fluut kept at it, until his ears twitched, and a grin split his face at long last.

A tear in the sandbag, some of the tiny metal marbles beginning to leak out of the new hole. Slowing his pace yet again, Fluut threw a right cross, left hook, and sideways double axe-handle, the tear widening at long last. Hopping up slightly, continuing from the momentum of that punch, Fluut spun around, violently kicking the sandbag. The weight of the falling marbles, coupled with the force of Fluut’s kick, tore the sandbag in half and sent the contents of the bottom half tumbling out with loud clatters.

Fluut returned to a relaxed stance, his aura finally fading at long last. Blood leaked from the tears on his hands, which began to slowly close. His feet and legs throbbed with a renewed agony he hadn’t felt in quite a while. When was the last time a training session had gone this wrong, yet so right, in his life?

Fluut looked back to his hands, bloodied and sore, but stronger than they’d been in a long time before he’d ever taken part of this Earthling problem. A small smirk of contentment slowly grew on Fluut’s face.

This is why I injected myself into their war… For this… Fluut said. His… obsession with growing his strength was an extreme rarity among his people. Even Lusk didn’t seem to share his sentiments, but had agreed nonetheless to join Fluut on the RISING Unit when the time came. For that, Fluut was grateful. And for them to serve the greater good… well, that just sweetened the pot all the more.

Fluut glanced behind him, looking to the mess he made. Contemplating it for a while, Fluut decided to let the support team handle it. Or whoever used the room next. There were still some things he needed to do before duty would call him into action yet again. Like clear his mind of those distorted visions of the past, and make sure his hands healed properly. Really, he just needed a rest after that…unexpectedly difficult training session.
-------------------------------------------------------
OOC: So a few things. First, the punching bag full of ball bearings actually has some basis in crossfit stuff, mainly. Just note it's an 8-9 year old topic. Although I'm sure it's more for walking with ankle weights than for punching, but our characters are meant to be superhuman, so I went with it.

The reason why it appears that Fluut is failing his training but isn't, is actually because for the "reduce" rolls, I failed all three. However, for the actual training roll, I succeeded. Here are my notes on the matter below, copied directly from notepad++, which I used as the basis for my post.

Conditions

Full Power (Intensity 2) - Hitting with all his force on the sandbag filled with ball bearings, Fluut hopes to overcome the 'wall' that kept him from finishing off two Big Sentries.

Calm Mind (Intensity 1) - Fluut's training is motivated by nearly seeing his teammate destroyed right in front of him, and the image comes up from time to time in his subconscious. This training will help banish that demon, and make sure he can face down any machine...

DC is 5 + (2 + 2) + (2 + 1) = 5 + 4 + 3 = 12

To try to push through his conditions, Fluut concentrates on his Stamina and Endurance to keep going at his full potential before his physical body and physical stamina give out.

Fluut's Stamina, used to determine if he'll break before the sandbag does, because he's going to keep at it until he succeeds:
DC 14; Roll 10 + 1 = 11
Fluut starts to get winded from his efforts at such a simple task, which frustrates him more and more as time goes on and the bag still hasn't broken yet.

Fluut's Endurance, used to determine if his flesh and bones can hold up to the challenge:
DC 14; Roll 9 + 1 = 10
Fluut's knuckles start to crack open and bleed from the effort he's exerting into the challenge he's given himself, but he can keep it going if he just stays in control!

Fluut's Willpower, used to determine if he can keep the image of Nero's exploding out of his head.
DC 12; Roll 6 + 1 = 7
Fluut is unable to banish it, and it comes up more and more as his frustration grows, and seems to get worse as time progresses...
----------
Final DC = 12 - 0 - 0 - 0 = still 12.

Fluut is still using all his Strength to try to bust the sandbag wide open! If he can just hit harder, hit quicker, and keep going until it's done, those Big Sentries won't try to self-destruct anymore...! So even if his body and mind won't aid him, Fluut is just going to have to rise above even that, and even if his mind betrays him, his fists turn to pudding, he will still take down that Big Sentry first!

Roll: 18 + 1 (half Fluut's level) + 2 (Strength mod)

Alright, definitely the kind of training post you want to see. Solid premise, character working for it, ties into story, all of that. Seeing this reaction in Fluut after those events in Episode 1 really add a whole new level to that explosion scene and an entire new perspective to Fluuts character. We didn't get to see much of Fluut in Episode 1, and coming out of this post you definitely know Fluut better. Definitely what you want from these training sessions, story wise.

In terms of the training itself, worked good, especially while we're in early training where we can actually believably use the simple stuff. While of course hitting a bag for for 900 words is only gonna far, it was all fresh enough (and backseat to the story) that didn't bother me any. You also see the progression he makes in the training I'd say. Whether through that anger or natural progress, I'm not sure...man...Fluut is scarier the we knew!

All and all, a solid 4 bonus points. With the 7 earned through the roll that's 11 Training Points total.




PS: Captain Fluut?...I mean hey if it catches on...

"Captain!"