As the month of Octary drew to a close, Izai noticed his calendar was now almost full. On Firsday, Thirday, Fifday, he spent his time at the stadium. Amar and the upper management were determined to shape him into a decent Pure-Sap user especially since one of the other Pulsers was about to go on maternity leave. But on weekends, they left him alone.

“What’s the point, then? Why make us show up if there’s no work? Just to dick around and train?” he whispered to Olav, who left him without saying a word.

‘Still at it, huh?’ Izai thought.

They’d been fighting for a week now – the longest they’d gone without talking since they were kids. Back then, they’d both liked the same girl, she had picked Izai.

‘He’ll cool off.’

Training at the Northern Skyway bridge felt like a rehearsed routine now. Izai would drink the Pure-Sap, feel the sensory overload, then walk up and down the ramp, trying to get used to the chaos in his mind.

Lunch was the same, too. The Kin who worked at the stadium usually brought packed lunches from home or grabbed some food on the way, which was always cold by the time they sat down. If they hadn’t packed anything, they got the free, allegedly subpar cafeteria food.

Izai now stood under the cafeteria’s buzzing fluorescent lights, waiting in line with the others. The checkered black and white tiles were polished and slick. He made brief eye contact with Olav, who quickly looked down at his plate. Laelia sat across from Olav, blocking the view.

Izai found a seat at another table with Bo, a chubby Folk, and Talia, a pregnant Vuyati Folk. She was about a month from giving birth. She wore a white shirt instead of the standard blue one that the rest of them wore. Her blue blazer was neatly folded to the side on a chair. She glanced between the plates in front of her, Bo, and Izai.

“They’re feeding you well, kid,” Talia said.

Bo looked envious. “You Pulsers always get the best meals.”

Izai glanced at his own plate – a giant heap of rice, broccoli, and bland chicken. He didn’t see what Bo meant. Everyone else had fries, burgers, and junk food, while his meal was all healthy stuff.

“It’s fresher,” Bo muttered through a bite of his burger. “Instead of this stale crap.”

Talia shifted her attention back to him. “What’s going on with you and your friend?” She nodded toward Olav, who was sneaking glances at their table.

Izai shrugged and decided not to answer. He was going to treat Olav like the child he was acting like.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

Later, back on the walkway with Laelia, he felt more in control. The Pure-Sap’s chaos had become something he could handle.

“I think you’re ready for the next step,” she said.

“Yeah? What’s that?” Izai felt confident. He craved for the same control he had felt when he was at the zoo and wore that special suit Koralo gave him.

Laelia pulled a small radio from her duffel bag. It looked like one of the miniature boomboxes younger Kin had been carrying around. Except it wasn’t just one radio – it was six.

“Today we work on your hearing,” she said.

Izai stood in the centre of the path, feeling the imperfect stonework beneath his feat and the cold wind brush his skin. The Pure-Sap buzzed in his system, but unlike weeks before, he felt in control.

“Jump the turnstile,” Laelia had said. He focused. That was the phrase he needed to listen for amidst the noise.

The radios crackled with different voices:

“He’s cute.”

“Sorry, if I might just scoot on right over.”

“Bro, watch where you’re going.”

“Saints. Saints. Saints.”

The individual voices eventually jumbled together, forming a chaotic melody that battered his ears. Izai wondered if this was what Tatu heard when the Kin prayed to her in the Dominion Epoch.

They tried again after the Pure-Sap faded, but the result was the same. Eventually, Izai’s stomach rumbled, and a wave of pain hit his abdomen. Laelia called it a day.

As they parted, Izai almost asked about Olav but stopped himself, remembering he was in the right. At the station, he saw them together – Olav resting his head on the very tall Laelia’s arm. For the first time in a long while, Olav looked peaceful.

On Secoday, and Forday, Izai trained with Tai. On Siday and Zeroday, the weekend, he practiced alone at home. But he had decided to stop using the Pure-Sap after too many trips to the bathroom.

“I need you to start combining these techniques,” Tai said, wiping the drizzle from the cloudy skies off his bald, blue dome.

“The lows and mediums?”

“Exactly.” Tai stripped off his shirt, revealing a hairy chest. Only his black tracksuit bottoms remained. “No more dummies. You’ve gotta learn to move now.” He stretched. “I won’t fight back – I’d put you into Cell-Lock if I did.”

Izai widened his stance, bent his knees, and took a deep breath.

“The trick with Folkling, and rather also any other MegaKin or Kinling, is to adjust your aim. It’s different than fighting Kin that are around your height like Akilas or Taurs. Start with the Light Kick I showed you.”

Izai hopped into his Optimal Striking Range, his Essence sweeping his leg into a quick swipe that tapped Tai’s ankles.

“Not bad. But you’re telegraphing your moves kid. Now, freestyle it. Find an opening for a Heavy move.”

Izai took another breath, aiming to use his Medium strikes – mostly kicks. Tai was too short, making punches awkward. When Izai tried to use his Pulse for punches, the moment he’d crouch, it wouldn’t finish the motion. He would twitch, and the Essence would sort of settle back into place.

“That’s because you’re not fully controlling your cells. You’ll get there in the Still Phase. You’ll also learn to mess with Push and Pull Essence for other tricks, but that’s for someone a little more experienced to teach you.”

Izai focused on kicking – Tai’s ankles, the side of his arm. Tai blocked everything, until finally, Izai found an opening. A Low Kick to Tai’s ankle sent him into an Involuntary Duration Cycle. Izai spun, his heel connecting with Tai’s shoulder, pushing him further back, then finished with a thrust to Tai’s chest using his Heavy Duration Cycle.

Tai stumbled back, grinning. “You used a Pulling trick you know, but I don’t want to confuse you any further.” He smiled wider. “You might have just have ‘it’ kid.”