My lungs burned as I planted my hands on the hurdle, swinging my legs up over it. I came down on the other side, and broke into a sprint. The gap ahead of me was nearly fifteen feet across, layered with sand at the bottom. I'd had to make the distance several times now, and had gained an idea of the momentum I needed to carry across it. It was hard to build it up in the short distance between it and the hurdles, but that was the point of it.

I threw myself at the Gap with muster, and cleared it handily. Returning to a sprint as my feet touched the ground. There was still one obstacle left.

The Wall.

It only took us a few minutes to reach the gym from Port's class. Less than that to get changed. While I wasn't excited to train, the movement was doing wonders to wake the rest of me up. Not to mention the brief stints I got in the sunlight in-between woke me up like a hit of jet. It was no substitute for the real thing, but spending some time in the sunlight would at least take the edge off. If the previous night had been any indication, sleep and me were going to be spending some time apart, as I'd assumed. I could muscle through, but it'd catch up to me eventually. Being Solar Powered in this instance just meant I could go for longer before I finally come tumbling in.

Unfortunately, it only works under direct sunlight.

Which we weren't.

Not that it would be enough to stop me, but it made everything more difficult regardless.

We were running an obstacle course that'd risen up from, descended into, the floor of the building. Standard things you might've found from the old-world: hurdles, walls, ropes, pit traps and the like. Things that encourage athleticism and agility, in contrast to the training most might do for combat. It was also amped up to account for aura, meaning the pits were deeper and longer, the walls and hurdles were higher or more tightly grouped, that sort of thing.

Couple that with just a minor degree of exhaustion, and you've got a recipe for a headache.

The Wall I was climbing was over nearly twenty feet high, and was almost a sheer face.

It was also the last leg of the course I needed to run for now.

I slowed as I approached and jumped into a climb. There weren't any hand holds or real ledges to it, meaning I had to scramble to make any real progress. Compared to the speed I'd been moving at until then, I practically slowed to a crawl.

But, clearly, it wasn't enough to stop me.

I eked my way to the top, slowly and mantled over the wall for a final time. I'd made it over the wall innumerable times by this point, and had figured out how to safely drop down. Funny thing about having to run the course as part of training, you get good at avoiding the parts that could kill you.

"Heads up!" Sun shouted.

At least, you do. Then a monkey lands on you and send you careening to the floor.

As I scrambled over the upper edge of the wall, I felt someone land on my back and use me as a springboard. As I tumbled through their air, I could see Sun blurring past me. I then subsequently fell the twenty feet I'd just climbed into the air. On the bright side, they at least included another sand pit on the opposite side, anticipating the odds that someone would fall.

On the not-so-bright side, falling twenty feet into sand still hurt like hell. Better that than concrete though.

I hit the sand and stayed down for only a moment, glaring after Sun. I then pushed back to my feet with minimal trouble. Part of that I could probably thank my aura for, having to do it without one hurt infinitely more than with. Regardless, I left the pit and sprinted the last couple dozen yards of flat ground, ending with Port and a cluster of students that had finished well before me.

Including Ruby and Weiss.

Give them credit, what they lack in strength, they at least made up for in mobility.

I took my spot with them as the rest of the class finished running the course and joined us. Port tapped at his Scroll for a moment, then acknowledged us.

"An adequate performance, all of you." He boomed "However, many of you should consider a change to your training regimen. Strength and power mean little without the speed and endurance to back them."

"Or the common sense not to land on other people." I grumbled, glaring at Sun.

"Now then, with that in mind, I leave the remaining time to you." Port nodded, continuing to mess with his scroll "I suggest using it to adjust your regimen accordingly."

Port walked off to the side and the crowd dispersed. The Obstacle course descending back into the floor as people began filtering off for individual work. Yang and Blake joined me, as I joined Ruby and Weiss.

"So, plans?" I asked.

"Huh?" Ruby asked, looking confused.

"For training." I clarified "You can't keep doing the same thing over and over and expect results to keep happening."

"O-oh, uh… I guess we could… do whatever you're doing?"

"… alright, If you're up for it."

"Y-yeah."

I eyed Ruby for a moment longer, before shrugging and moving to collect some extraneous weights. I got the impression her head was elsewhere right now, but this wasn't the time or place to address it. If it was about the White Fang, we'd talk about it when we were behind closed doors again.

If it was about something else…

Closed doors.

I went to a rack on the far end of the room and collected the weight vest I'd grown so accustomed to using for training. Making sure to add some additional weight on top of that. I had no clue how much stronger I could actually get, but the only way to find out was to keep pushing it.

I grabbed a few additional weight vests and walked back to my teammates.

"So what're we doing?" Yang asked, stretching her arms "Bench, punching bags, where're we starting?"

"Well, you can start by putting this on." I said, tossing her a loaded vest "We're doing calisthenics."

"Whaaat?" Yang whined "Lame~"

"Hey, you don't want to do it, you can bow out." I said, passing out the rest of the vests "If there's anything I'm certain you girls could do with a boost in, it's stamina. I'm pretty sure it's one of the areas aura doesn't cover, and it always pays."

"I believe we did rather well on the course." Weiss huffed, holding the vest out in front of her.

"Again, you can bow out if you want, but just running doesn't build stamina for everything else."

Weiss gave me a soft glare, before grumbling and hoisting the heavy vest over her head, an action that was mimicked by everyone else. Amusingly, Ruby struggled to get it over her head and nearly fell back on her ass.

"I'm pretty sure this isn't really going to make a difference." Yang shrugged "I did stuff like this all the time back home."

"Well then you can think of it this way:" I said smugly "The vest at least matches your pants."

Which, I might prudently note, were indeed different from the last pair she wore. What she wore now were loose, baggy sweat pants, the near polar opposite of what she'd worn last time.

Yang gave me an equally chilled glare to the one Weiss had.

"You done whining?" I asked.

Yang continued her glare, but eventually rolled her eyes, and the five of us got to training. I started us slow, by my standards anyway. We were all, hopefully, warmed up from the course. So I skipped straight into the meat of it. Push-ups, squats, jumping jacks, burpees, planks, lunges, crunches, chin ups, speed ropes, and switch kicks, to start. Rather than meeting a rep goal for each though, we did circuit training. Doing each exercise for a set time before moving to the next.

In this case, three-minute sets, ten circuits, no rests. My standard.

The intention was to run the circuit as many times as I could get away with. Push my teammates to their limits and really get an understanding of what their stamina and endurance were like. Then we could improve from there. I honestly wasn't sure what to expect. I had to assume they'd do alright.

But then they didn't even make it through the whole thing.

Weiss, noodle lady that she is, caved half-way through the burpees on circuit two.

Ruby managed to finish the planks of the same set, but curled into a ball after that.

Blake did a single chin-up on circuit three, then lost her grip and caught the bar on the way down.

Yang was the only one able to make it to the switchkicks on three. It was the home stretch of them too.

Then her legs gave out mid-jump and she slammed into the ground like a log.

I finished kicking the air, and turned to look at my collapsed teammates.

"… Really?" I asked "That's all you got?"

All four of the girls glared at me, though with varied intensity. Each of them was, likewise, drenched in sweat. I hadn't thought they'd all cave that quickly. They were just basic callisthenic exercises. Now they were all laying there, drenched in sweat, their clothes-

No, focus.

"I honestly thought you girls were going to do better than that."

"We just finished running the course." Weiss groused.

"That's not an excuse." I shot back "I had a harder time of it than the rest of you, and I'm still standing."

Weiss's glare grew a little sharper, but it was dulled by the fact some of her hair had come loose. Now hanging in sweat drenched locks on her face. "How are you not tired!?"

"… You realize I train like this almost every day, right?" I asked.

"But we don't~" Ruby whined from the floor.

"Yeah, that's why this was a test. One, I've got to say, you girls failed spectacularly."

"You can't expect us to come straight from running and do this.~" Ruby vaguely flailed her arms at her vest.

"Actually, I can. Because in a real situation, you're not going to get to choose when to stop moving. There're going to be times when the only choice you have is to keep going, regardless of how far you ran… Or what you're carrying."

Or who…

I stood there for a moment, ruminating while the girls gasped for air on the floor. Endurance was important. When strength or speed fail you, having brains and endurance were the only thing you had left to fall back on. Maybe you weren't strong enough. Maybe you weren't fast enough. Not when it really mattered.

But when it did, you never quit.

Endurance means you stay in the fight.

Intelligence means you can figure out a plan.

Because, sometimes, when it really matters, not knowing when to quit is a force unto itself. When there's something greater on the line, you don't stop. When there's someone on the line…

I try not to think about it.

That day.

But it always sneaks up on me… Eventually.

When it does, I get sucked into thinking about it, about her.

Cass…

I should have tried hard-

Somebody tapped the back of my helmet.

I was catapulted out of my musings with the same life-or-death reaction I had for most surprises. I whipped around and balled my fists, almost instantly ready for a fight.

"Oh, so you are awake." Coco said, cocking an eyebrow "You're just ignoring me, nice one kid."

I blinked and took stock of my surroundings. I'd zoned out and had failed to notice that my team and I weren't alone anymore.

Team CFVY, who I vaguely recalled sharing this class with, had taken it upon themselves to join us. As she was standing closest, I got a good look at Coco wearing an, admittedly well-tailored, shirt and pair of shorts, colored in shades of beige and brown. It reminded me of the kind Yang had worn before our bet, if a bit longer and loose fitting.

Velvet wore a body suit like the one she normally wore. Difference here, she wasn't wearing a jacket or shorts over it. Though it was still the same shades of brown and black, trimmed with yellow at the sleeves and legs. The sleeves and pant legs were cut shorter as well, up to her elbows and knees. Which I supposed made it more of a leotard than a body suit. A very flattering leo-

Focus.

Beside Velvet were two guys. One was a lean young man. The other was giant. I couldn't tell who was who, since I'd never been formally introduced, but they were, obviously, Coco and Velvet's teammates. I think their names were Fox and Yatsu.

The leaner one had the type of build you get from hours of calisthenic training, taut, wiry, and defined. The type of build for fighting hand to hand, meant for quickness and agility. His complexion was dark, with hair the color of tarnished copper. He was wearing a tank top and sweat pants, reminiscent of the clothes I could vaguely remember him wearing for sparring. From as much of him as I could see, which was a fair bit, he was riddled with scars in a fashion I wouldn't find out of place in the Mojave. Mostly along his arms, as I could see, but I noticed a few on his face as well. Right underneath opaque white eyes.

I didn't need to be told he was blind to recognize it.

The other guy, the giant, was dressed in similar fashion, though I could note that his clothes were significantly tighter, worn in a fashion that showed it was intentional. He was ripped. He wasn't super mutant height, but that just meant he was big enough for the likes of Lanius. He had the muscle to back it up too, big and powerful. Coupled with his height, it made him quite imposing. His skin was a fairer tanned shade than his male companion's, and his hair black. His eyes were a shade of brown only slightly deeper than the tan of his skin.

The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

All together though, they all looked ready to, and had been, training.

Coco's gaze drifted down to my slightly raised fists, and her brow raised a few notches more.

"Wow, first you ignore me, now you want to fight, you're something special."

"I was zoned out." I grumbled, lowering my fists "What's up?"

"We're getting extra credit to help you train." Coco shrugged "This seemed like a better time to get started than tomorrow."

"I don't know what you're 'training' entails-" I said gesturing to myself "But I'd say we're not in too bad a shape.

"You actually do look like you need a bit of help." Velvet said, looking down at my teammates.

All of whom were still doubled over on themselves.

"… okay, I'm not in too bad a shape. Besides, you're helping me with my aura. I can see some intersect between it and PT, but nothing that falls under the need for you to 'tutor' me here."

"Fox says otherwise." Coco said, jerking a thumb to her leaner male companion. Finally putting a name to a face. "He knows the most about aura on our team."

"Hm, really?" I grunted, nodding to the blind boy "Then what am I doing wrong?"

Coco turned and looked Fox for a moment, then smirked and turned back to me. "Everything."

"… I'm going to resist the urge to call you a liar."

It was Fox's turn to cock an eyebrow at me, clearly skeptical.

"I've done enough PT to know when I'm doing it wrong." I continued, directing myself to Fox "So I know for a fact I'm not wrong… But, given that you're supposed to help me with my aura, I'm probably missing the point."

"… Hmph, wow." Coco said, looking amused "-So that's what it looks like."

I turned back to Coco, inclining my head slightly.

"Actually-" Velvet spoke up, help Ruby up off the floor "We were the same way when we were first training. Once we started training with Fox though-"

"He made us change." Coco finished "Training your aura isn't the same as just doing the exercises."

"Oh really?" I asked, a bit sarcastically "Pray tell, how?"

Coco scrutinized me for a moment, then shrugged "Well, to start, you're going to need to isolate and concentrate your aura."

"… Ok, how do I do that?"

Coco gave me a confused look. "What do you mean? That's the first thing you're trained to do after getting your aura unlocked."

"I didn't, the first thing I learned to do after I got it unlocked was that getting punched doesn't hurt as much."

Coco continued scrutinizing me, the confusion on her face only growing thicker with time. I could see it spreading to Fox as well.

"… Goodwitch didn't tell you I only got it unlocked, like, a week ago, did she?"

The Confusion on Coco and Fox's faces evaporated, leaving them bug-eyed.

"… Welp, that sounds about right."

"… She said that your control over your aura was lacking." Coco said, pinching her brow.

"-That also sounds like you got conned." I said "Pretty bad at that."

"How bad are we talking?" Coco asked.

"Can't control it even if my life required it." I shrugged "According to the school physician, it's pretty weak too."

Coco nodded, regaining he composure. "That explains why Fox said you were in such bad shape."

I cocked my head slightly, confused. "How'd he know that?"

"It's one of his many talents." Coco smirked "We'll talk about it tomorrow, when the real fun begins. Right now though, we should probably get started while there's still time."

I nodded and turned back to my teammates, most of whom were still recovering. Though I could Ruby had at least gotten back to her feet, albeit with a hand from Velvet.

"… Aight, I'd say I've got a few minutes." I shrugged "Hit me."

Coco nodded, crossing her arms. "First, you're going to need to focus your aura. It's one of the first things you learn to do after it's unlocked."

"Alright… so how do I do that?"

"Well first, you're going to need to clear your mind."

"Not too hard, it's pretty empty most of the time."

That got a chuckle out of Coco, and I think Velvet too.

"Ok, so close your eyes and focus then." Coco continued, smirking.

I followed her instructions, closing my eyes and emptying my mind.

"… Next?" I said, after a moment.

"Next, you need to draw out your aura." Coco said.

"… Ok, how do I do that?"

"… It's hard to describe." Coco answered "It's something you just figure out. First time always takes the longest."

"Wonderful." I grumbled.

"Hey, less back sass, more earning us extra credit."

"…"

I was going to pretend I didn't hear the self-servitude oozing from her voice.

I focused inward, keeping my mind blank, empty. Not always an easy thing, especially when you have lots of pressing things to get to. Like trying to punch a hole in reality, toppling a criminal conspiracy, or doing inane school work. There was also that gnawing pit in my stomach, caused by the fact I'd skipped breakfast and had been running on what little coffee I'd managed to quaff down before shuffling off to class.

But I could put it out of my mind for a moment.

Focus on… whatever this was supposed to be.

I let my thoughts drift inward. Growing quieter and softer with each second. Filtering to the back of my perception. Allowing my senses to grow dull and muted. My perception of time and the world around me fading into naught but a vague memory. Reaching deeper and deeper for the solace-

I jolted awake, barely avoiding falling asleep.

I really needed a nap.

I focused again, reaching 'deep' into myself. But I didn't know what I was supposed to be looking for. I was supposed to 'concentrate' my aura, but I had no clue what that meant. Aura was something so alien to me it was like asking me to consciously stop my heart from beating.

But it wasn't impossible, everyone here could do it. Granted, I wasn't from here, but the fact I had one meant I couldn't have functioned too differently. They couldn't just explain it to me, which meant I had to draw it out my own way. So I concentrated on all the times I'd seen my aura, or more accurately, all the time I'd seen it break. Getting hit, crashing into things, falling out windows, every time I was in danger, it was there. Something I couldn't voluntarily turn off, and was always there. Taking the brunt of pain I felt, if only for a moment.

I felt something in my chest. Something warm, steady.

I focused on those moments. The times when I had to push myself no matter how much it hurt. I had more of those moments than I could count. So many times in the Mojave. Just struggle and push forward.

The sensation in my chest condensed, I could feel it spreading. Like warm blood when the rest of you is numb.

Push on, because I needed to. For myself. For the people at my back.

For the ones that couldn't do it themselves.

Something settled over me, and my eyes slowly drifted open of their own accord.

Coco, and Fox, were smirking. Something about them gave me the impression they were liking whatever it was they were seeing.

From what I was seeing, I was utterly bewildered.

Looking down at my hands, up my arms, hovering over every inch of me, was a flame like haze.

An aura.

It was small, thin. Keeping close to my skin. Even looking at it, I could tell something was wrong. It looked weak, frail almost. Like the last flickering embers of a campfire, minutes away from being little more than coals.

It was also green.

Why it was green was beyond me, but there wasn't much sense in wondering it right then.

"This…" I started, voice level "… Is this-?"

"Not bad." Coco nodded "It normally takes a half hour of concentration before someone can pull their aura out for the first time. You managed to do it in ten."

"… That took ten minutes?" I asked dumbly "It felt like less."

"Always does." Yang said "Especially when you fall asleep half-way through."

I looked back over my shoulder again and found my teammates had, mostly, recovered. They were still clearly tired, and lacquered with sweat, but they weren't dry heaving anymore.

"I didn't fall asleep." I shot back "I was focusing… intently."

"Suuure you were." Yang smirked.

My aura began to fade, pulling the sensation back with it.

Then Coco closed in and flicked my forehead.

Had she tried any more than that, I'd probably have clocked her on reflex.

"Focus." Coco said, stern. "You lose it now; you've got to start over again."

I stared at Coco for a moment, then returned to my aura. The dimming glow that surrounded me returned to its full, flickering, strength.

"… Ok" I grunted, concentrating on keeping my aura visible "There a point to this, or am I supposed to be doing my best impersonation of a glowstick?"

"Both." Coco smirked, glancing back to Fox for a moment. "You need to keep that level of concentration."

"Ok… that doesn't seem so hard." I said, keeping my grip on the feel of my aura.

"Good." Coco smiled "-Then you can start exercising… just don't lose focus."

Coco's smile held an edge to it that was plain to see. If I had to guess, she probably assumed I was overestimating how easy this would be. Knowing how things normally went, I probably was.

I stared at Coco a moment longer, then knelt to the ground. I spaced out my hands and took the form for a pushup, freezing in the up position.

"You got any limit for me to aim for?" I asked.

"Just as many as you can do."

I could still hear the smirk in her voice.

It just made me want to push even harder.

I inhaled, then let myself sink slowly to the floor, before rocketing skyward. Keeping focus so the glow surrounding me wouldn't flicker out.

1…

2…

3…

…

James Ironwood was not a man to be easily surprised. It was a matter of course for him. His semblance made it so he could maintain a near impenetrable degree of focus. Rarely did things escape his notice, once he'd finally set his sights on them. This was not to say he was infallible, or did not overlook things that fell outside his purview. But such times were rare. He made sure of it as often as he could. In his line of work, surprises got people killed.

But, in the moment, staring down at the item before, James couldn't help be surprised.

The device, the TPPT, the thing that had brought an… 'alien' to their world

A teleporter.

A time machine.

A device that ripped a hole between worlds.

Something that could hold such cataclysmic power that the device itself could almost be considered as dangerous as any of the Relics and Maidens of legend.

These things did not escape or surprise him.

What surprised him was how small it was.

Sitting there, at his desk, in his office, aboard his ship, he stared down at the device in his hands.

In his hand.

Such a disconnect confounded him, made him want to laugh. So much power in something so small.

Ludicrous.

He loved it; it was one of those rare benign surprises as well.

Just as he knew the engineer he'd assigned to the project would as well.

Without looking, the general withdrew his scroll and connected it to the CCT terminal built into his desk. With deft motions he cycled through the contacts he had listed and selected the intended recipient. A short bout of silence followed, and the devices connected across the vast distance the CCT reached.

There was a small, electrical *click*, and a voice echoed out form the terminal's speakers. Disembodied, a purely audio communique.

"This is Will, you're on speaker." The voice spoke, clear but strained "Kind of in the middle of something, who's there?"

"It's me, Will." The general spoke.

"… Me who?" Will asked again.

A pause filled the air for a moment. As the general tried to gauge how serious his friend was being.

"… Kidding, James." Will answered, losing the strain in his voice for a happier tone "I knew it was you, just needed a moment. Was working on a modification for the new series of 290. Losing that prototype a few months ago had me looking over the schematics and specs. Wanted to see if I could find a better spot to mount the auto-defense sensors for the AI. Then, while I was doing that, I noticed a few structural flaws, and started working out how to balance them.

"Sounds like you've been busy." James chuckled.

"Oh, I've had a day of it." Will chuckled back, sounding enthused "Had just started testing one of the fixes when you called. What's up?"

"Something quite big, actually." James answered, smiling "Do you remember those items we received about four months ago?"

"Vaguely." Will said, a clattering of tools on his end of the conversation "You know chemistry was never my forte."

"I was just making sure you remembered." James spoke, looking down at the device "We received another item of interest. This one's well within your area of expertise."

"Oh yeah?"

"Mm, I'll be having it taken down to the tech bay shortly to begin scanning it. Not much is known about it at present, aside from the fact that it's broken."

"Ooo, intriguing."

"A larger one than you think. The device's origin is the same as that of the previous items. Be prepared to see things that are well beyond what you expect."

"Interesting… are we going to be able to hook it up to the diagnostic equipment?"

"That, I do not know." The general chuckled.

"Hmm… Well, I've never been one to turn down a challenge, still not, but any reason you don't want Pietro on this?"

"Not particularly." The general answered, Nonchalant "This is more than likely an engineering issue than a software one. Aside from the fact Doctor Polendina is likely busy worrying over Penny, I assumed you'd welcome the chance to test yourself against something new."

"… Hmph, well, you're not wrong. See to it that the boys on your ship at least attempt to hook it up to the diagnostics equipment. I can only do so much from back here at the academy. Especially if all I'm getting is images and descriptions."

"I'll make sure the message is passed along."

"Thank you."

A garbled hum began pass through the scroll, something vaguely electrical. It grew intensity for a moment as something on the opposite end began to spool, growing louder for a moment.

It was followed by a hammer of thunder that crackled the scroll's speakers, unable to convey the entire audio range.

"… Hey- uh, James, can you give me a call back later?" Will asked, an alarm beginning to blare in the background. "It appears the fuse I used was a bit… understrength… Wow, I really misjudged the wattage- Gotta go!"

The line clicked dead, leaving the general alone once more.

He stared down at the scroll neutrally for a moment, then chuckled and shook his head. Will Scarlatina had not changed in all the years he'd known him. Good man, even better worker. Despite his occasional… miscalculations, the general knew few better suited, or trusted, to whom he could hand such a task. The man was gifted when it came to engineering wonders. Without him they would have never gotten the series 200 knights off the ground.

He also was an, admittedly, compulsive worker. The general could remember times he'd see Will in the lab one day, be gone for a week, then return to find the man still there, and looking as if he'd never left the entire time. But the results spoke for themselves. Will was gifted.

As was his daughter, the general thought idly. He remembered well the young lady who had come to visit her father one summer. Her ingenuity and skill had been something to behold. A shame that she had chosen to attend Beacon rather than Atlas academy. The general had to wonder what she could have done, with full access to the same tools as her father.

The general turned from his desk, staring towards a portside window. One that gave him a good view of the city of Vale and, off in the distance, Beacon academy.

He wondered, absently, what she had done thus far with her time at Beacon.

…

"… Umm, are you ok?" Velvet asked

"…"

27…

My arms trembled as I slowly lowered myself to the floor again. It took a great effort to keep myself from collapsing right then and there. My triceps screamed at me at me as I forced them to reverse course, slowly watching the floor inch back for what felt an eternity.

28…

"You're really not looking so good."

"I'm… F-fi…"

My arms gave out and I hit the floor like a sack of Potatoes. A wave of exhaustion washing over me like I'd rarely felt before as my aura winked back out of existence. My arms and shoulders ached like I'd just had them beaten by Mutants with Rebar clubs. My core felt like jelly, and my legs strained like dried twigs. I felt like someone had been electrocuting me for hours, without ever having the decency to just kill me.

I was tired in a way I didn't even know I could be tired. I was drained.

"Really?" Yang asked "That's all you've got?"

From my spot on the floor, I quirked my head towards my blonde teammate. She was standing a short distance away, arm crossed and a playful smirk on her face. If she could've seen it, I'd have shot her a glare.

"Need a hand?"

I turned back around and found Velvet had walked over and leaned down to me, a hand extended.

Normally this would be the point where I'd just pick myself up, dust off, and get back to it. Truth was though, I honestly didn't know how quickly I was going to be upright again. With how I felt, it was likely to take me a few minutes.

So rather than stay down, I reached an arm out to Velvet and took her hand. Girl was stronger than she looked, hauled me to my feet without so much as a grunt.

Standing again, I found it a bit hard to find my balance, fighting back a bit of vertigo, but I refused to have gravity ground me again.

"Ok, this isn't normal." I grumbled, directing my vitriol at Coco "I can crank out sets that are triple what I did here, what gives?"

"You reached your limit." Coco chuckled "Guess that's what happens when you're aura is so weak."

"There's no way that was my limit." I said, knowing damn well what my limits were

"With your aura it is. It takes a lot of concentration and energy to use your aura. What you just did was show where you're at with it."

"… so that's all it's good for then?" I asked, agitated "Doing a couple lousy pushups and then feeling wasted afterwards?"

Coco shook her head, seeming to understand "Part of training your aura is learning how to efficiently use it. Everyone's like that starting out… but, well"

"Let me guess, you can do better." I grumbled

"Yea, kinda."

"… Figures."

I fell silent and looked down at my arms, they hurt a little, and were shaking. I couldn't remember the last time doing not even thirty pushups had taken that much out of me.

I hated it.

I could do better.

"… What do I have to do?" I asked "I'm not about to take this lying down."

"No, I'd say you're standing for it." Yang said, though I ignored her

"Keep training." Coco smiled "It's why we're getting credit for helping you. The real fun starts tomorrow."

I nodded, not happy to accept the answer but doing it anyway. "… What else can I do?"

Coco quirked an eyebrow at me.

"The doctor said my aura's been weakened by the way I handle things. But if I can weaken it, that means I can reinforce it too. What can I do about that?"

Coco pursed her lips, thinking on it for a moment. She shifted head towards Fox, giving him a sideways glance. The boy gave a shrug. It must have conveyed something I didn't catch, because Coco turned back to me. "You've got to train it like you do everything else."

"… Ok, how?"

"… Dude, how should I know?" Coco said, not being helpful in the slightest now "Everyone's aura is different, and we all have different amounts of it."

"…" I pinched the bridge of my mask's nose "… Ok, let's puzzle it out then:" My hand fell back to the chin of my mask "If I have to train it like everything else, then that means it's analogous to an organ. Or, probably more likely, a muscle. Muscles can get damaged and lose efficacy, but with proper care and rehabilitation can recover. Not necessarily to the level they once were, but to an acceptable level, at least." My hand fell from my chin, falling into a slightly pointed gesture, generally aimed towards Coco. "Going with that idea, that means If I begin using my aura actively while training I should, in theory, undo at least some of the damage and 'increase' the amount of aura I have, correct?"

Coco blinked, a surprised expression on her face. She turned back to Fox once more, before looking back to me. "That could work, yeah. But it's going to be a long process. Most people just learn to more efficiently use what they have."

"Yeah, because I can definitely use the power to do thirty pushups 'efficiently'." I groused

"twenty-eight." I heard Ruby correct

"Not now, Ruby." I shot back "- Either way, it'd be a good habit to get into, even if it takes a long time. It should also theoretically give me practice controlling my aura, right?"

Once more, Coco looked back and forth between Fox and myself. "It would, but it's still more efficient to train with it in other ways."

"I'm not saying I won't, just that I'll take all the practice I can get." I said, annoyed "… You know this would probably happen faster if he actually said something."

Fox leveled a look at me for a moment, clearly deciding something, then shrugged, deciding against it. Whatever it was.

"Hey, whatever floats you." Coco said "We'll stick around and help if you need it."

"I'll keep it in mind. But I guess the next thing to do is work on trying to more easily call out my aura right?"

Coco nodded, apparently not needing a non-verbal consultation for this answer. "Regardless of what you're doing, that's one you definitely want to get a handle on quick. It's a…"

"Imperative, key, standard?" I offered, only for Coco to shake her head.

"Fundamental?" Velvet asked

Coco snapped her fingers. "Yeah, that's the one."

I nodded to Velvet "nice one." She gave me a polite nod in turn.

I looked down to my pip-boy and checked the time. We had a few minutes yet before class ended, and we got to drudge on with the rest of our day. But a few minutes to practice the essential things that would probably save my skin was all it took sometimes. I was still tired, but I could muddle through, besides, once I spent some time outside under the sun, I'd feel right as rain. The prickly pears were finally coming in on my garden anyway, so that was an excuse to get outside. Plus Peach was probably going to have me transplanting flowers again or some non-…

Oh, right.

I'm being blackmailed.

Whelp, there goes the rest of my free-time.