Generating a field was small potatoes compared to running signals through your body. It took concentration. Practice. Like threading a needle. So naturally Alexander had them fight each other while doing it.

“Gah!”

Pain shot through her arms, Sasha screaming out moments before taking Cici's boot to her face. The supercharged attack sent her careening into a rockface, creating a mini cave with her body. If anything, she was surprised the hit didn't kill her.

"Oh! Sash! You okay?"

The panther brushed off rocks and dirt. Though she could still move, the blowback was even more intense than she thought it'd be. How the heck did Mr. Xan fight like this? She dragged herself out of the cave.

"Panther, watch your signals," Alexander called. "You're body's spiking. Regulate that crap."

She groaned, trying her best to obey. According to the godkiller, one needed to support the muscles with their signals to prevent blowback.

It was a technique she barely managed to grasp when she tried. Using the energy produced by signals to power the cells in her body. Give them a boost of power. She could do it if she really focused, applying signals little by little until they were flowing throughout her entire being. Like powering on a generator.

The problem came when there was a supercharged fox trying to punch her the entire time.

"You okay to keep going?" Cici asked, cracking her knuckles.

Sasha sighed. At the very least Cici was forcing her to think on the fly.

"Let's go, canine."

Cici smiled, wasting no time in going back on the offensive.

Her fists came like rockets, but Sasha managed to dodge them all, her breath already constricting from the effort. Cici was always fast. A brawler through and through. Add signals on top of that and she became a red tornado, always attacking no matter how much distance Sasha tried to gain. She attempted a counter, but the fox read her like a book, catching it and knocking her away with a kick.

"Too easy, Sash."

The panther shook it off, taking a moment to refocus her signals. Her final mistake.

Cici closed the distance in one leap, Sasha forced to throw up her arms to block, but it was already too late. A fist colliding with her chin put an end to their sparring match, Sasha dropping to the ground in defeat.

“Time,” Alexander called.

Cici's loud cheers echoed across the Toudy landscape. Of which Sasha could only see the top as she was laid out on her back.

"Nice work, Cecil," Alexander said. "Both of you are good to switch out."

She didn't move, still staring up at the clouds. In truth, she felt too exhausted to move.

“Alright. C'mon, Sash.”

Cici bent down, lifting Sasha over her shoulder. Though the blowback had subsided, exhaustion came down on her like a meteor. Everything from her joints to her muscles felt like they would never move again. And yet Cici managed to carry her like an empty sack.

"Y'know, it's actually not so bad once you get used to it," the fox said.

Sasha groaned.

Despite how much she struggled initially, Cici clearly had a better knack for signal generation. Enough to knock her flat every time they fought. And that was without their god tools. Sasha knew the minute her rings came on, the fox would be unstoppable. A speedy red bulldozer. Not that she'd stop trying to beat her.

She smiled.

"I really missed this, Cici," she said.

The fox giggled. "It's a lot more fun with godly power. Or spirtly, I guess."

"Time!"

They both looked over, finding Iris flat on the ground. Alexander was standing over her, shaking his head.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

"Be a lot more fun if Sulky could join us," Cici said.

Sasha nodded. If only Alexander hadn't chosen himself as her opponent.

***

The wolf's training didn't stop until well into the night. Or at least what was night for any other world.

Sasha and Cici were both lounging in the den when she entered, the wolf wandering over and plopping down beside them. Without a word, of course. Cici greeted her with a nod, Sasha immediately looking the wolf over. Somehow the wolf was in even worse shape than she'd been.

Her body was covered in scratches and bruises. To the point that her cheeks were a bit swollen. Sasha quickly grabbed some medical supplies, getting to work on first aid.

"Alright!" Alexander called from outside. "Everyone rest up and be ready to start again in the morning!"

None of them responded, Sasha outright glaring at the door. Such had become the routine for their training regiments.

She and Cici would go at it until she inevitably had to be carried back. They'd recuperate a bit while Iris got one-on-one training with Alexander. And then Iris would come back shambling like a mummy in need of bandages because a certain human refused to hold back.

Such was their routine. And Sasha hated Iris's role in it.

“I swear I'm gonna claw that jerk one day,” she said, dabbing at Cici's face.

The wolf didn't respond. Nor did she react as Sasha applied the stinging medicine. She only stared blankly ahead.

“S-sulky?” Cici asked.

No response. Sasha stopped her work.

"Iris? Iris?"

She took her hand, the wolf finally reacting then, though her blank expression remained.

“4.3 seconds."

Both she and Cici looked on confused.

"4.3 seconds," Iris repeated. "I only lasted 4.3 seconds."

Her eyes started to water.

“I fought him so many times, but couldn't get past 4.3 seconds.”

Sasha dropped the bandages, both she and Cici gathering around the wolf. Her words were muffled under their fur, but she kept going anyhow. Repeating the same phrase over and over.

"4.3 seconds. My record is only 4.3 seconds."

Sasha squeezed the wolf, neither she nor Cici saying a word as they hugged her. For the second time since they'd reunited, she saw the wolf break down in front of her. And for the second time, she heard the same sentiment echoed through Iris's lips.

“Why am I so weak?” she asked. “ I can't even beat one human. How can I beat the Comet Man?”

At that moment, Sasha wanted to reassure her. To tell her that she was too hard on herself. That she was a lot stronger than she thought. But she knew better than anyone else how those words would sound. How hard they were to believe. Mr. Erin had said as much to her a few times. And look how she turned out...

“How do you do it, Sash?”

The panther winced.

As she pulled away, she found Iris looking at her, desperation in her eyes.

“Alexander said it himself," she went on. "You’re the weakling. The one with no real power. The small fry.”

She knew the wolf wasn't trying to be harsh with the question, but it did agitate her a bit to hear Iris call her a small fry. The wolf seemed to recognize this, though, going on to clarify.

"You don't have a lot of power," she said. "You know that. But you’re still here. You’re still trying to fight the AIC. You’re still trying to keep pace with us. Even now. Even if people like Alexander don’t want you here. How are you so…you?”

She looked at Cici. Though the fox didn’t say anything, she could see the curiosity in her eyes as well. So even she'd wondered about that? Sasha sighed.

“I guess,” she said, “I just don't feel like that's a dealbreaker.”

Iris furrowed at her, even Cici waiting for her to elaborate. What, did they want her to spell it out? She scratched her head.

“I already know I'm not a powerhouse,” she said. “My gravity skills are useful, sure, but I can’t really use them for long. That's something I had to learn to accept. Can't change it so might as well work around it, y'know. Hence why I learned about signals and junk. GT's not the strongest god tool around, but it suits me. Weakness and all."

Thinking back, she could remember how hard it was to have GT as a weapon at first. How she felt like the weakest grad in the cosmos. The useless one always being dragged around by her liaisons. Like she'd never amount to anything but a ragdoll to be pushed around by every enemy she faced.

That was, up until she'd fought with Mr. Xan. Up until she'd faced off against giant legionnaires and graduates. Until she'd fought Gabriella. And smugglers. And Alexander the Tiger. And Iris herself.

She might have been the weakest graduate in the cosmos, but that never meant she couldn't put up a decent fight. That never stopped her from whacking her enemies with reckless abandon.

“Every world I’ve been to. Every legionnaire I’ve killed. That's all been me. Doesn't matter if I'm weak. As long as I don't go down easy, that's all I really care about."

She offered them both a smile. One that she herself was surprised how genuine it felt. Here she was talking about how weak she was, and she was happy about it. Maybe she really had gone off the deep end.

Iris wiped her eyes.

“Sash.”

The wolf looked from her to Cici, the desperation in her eyes softening a bit. Though Sasha doubted she'd get over the feeling that easily, at least something she said seemed to have sunken in. The wolf's ears fell.

“I'm not getting this signal stuff,” she said. “Would it be too much for you guys to help me?"

It wasn't something they had to think really hard about. They both gave her another squeeze.

"'Course, Sulky," Cici said.

"Like you even need to ask,” Sasha added.