Yakeru leaped from one boulder to the next in hot pursuit of the twin-tailed fox weaving effortlessly through the wreckage. After hours of chasing, Dash's movements slowed ever-so-slightly, allowing Yakeru to finally close the distance.
"I got you now!" Yakeru shouted as Dash easily evaded his attempt at swiping the bell hanging from his neck.
The youth once again lost his footing and crashed into a dry log, spewing dust and debris in the air. When the smoke cleared, Yakeru was sprawled upside down inside the log. He watched from an inverted perspective as the black and red colored fox casually hopped down from one rock to another before strutting away, the bell jingling mockingly.
"You weren't even close that time." Itsuki teased as Yakeru stood right side up.
"I noticed." He dusted himself off.
"Do you know what you did wrong?"
"My...timing was off?"
His mentor shook his head. "You gambled. Once you got close enough, you made a bet, throwing away strategy in the small hope that you'd succeed. In my experience, gambling on the field doesn't end well. Your second mistake was trying to sustain your infusion at all times but that'll only disrupt your flow which your opponent can take advantage of. Infusing in bursts will ensure you last longer."
Yakeru nodded. "Understood."
After his day off, he got back to work, only this time he was training with the elusive fox. The objective wasn't only to steal the bell, but to develop a sense of situational awareness while moving at high speeds. The only problem was the horrible match-up. Although he'd gotten somewhat used to his increased speed, it was still incomparable to a twin-tailed fox's seamless agility, lightning-fast reflexes, and impeccable coordination. These creatures knew exactly how to maneuver in harsh terrain and it showed during the numerous times he'd failed to catch the little critter. The difference between them was night and day.
'How am I supposed to catch something that's physiologically designed to outmaneuver me?' He pondered, frustration bubbling.
Coming to no satisfying conclusion, he decided to head back to the lounge area of the training grounds that Itsuki set up more for himself than for the kid. Watching Dash drink from his bowl, he clicked his tongue in annoyance.
During this part of his training, he needed to combine the previous lessons. Building resilience, concentration, control, agility, and coordination separately was already challenging. Applying them all at once to utilize the technique properly was another hurdle in itself.
It also didn't help that now he had to hone his spatial awareness since he was training in the actual training grounds congested with natural obstacles and uneven ground. It was frustrating how even the slightest miscalculation in trajectory would make him face plant or crash into debris. With these factors, he failed to see how he could manage completing this task in less than a month, before the Clan Skirmish.
Yakeru went home after the sun began dipping beneath the horizon allowing a shroud of darkness to spread through the sky.
The next morning, Yakeru and Dash were back at it again. The fox effortlessly kept a safe distance at all times, getting a kick out of the boy's futile attempts.
"This is why no one picks the fastest kid to be the bell bearer," Yakeru grumbled as he burst toward the arrogant fox, missing its tail by a foot and crashing into hard ground.
The past five days had been filled with frustration and resentment toward himself for comparing himself to Itsuki. Although overcoming difficulties soothed him to an extent, Dash was a constant reminder of just how much he needed to learn. He'd come a long way but the little critter was still leagues faster than him.
Dash evaded the boy's attempt, hopping from one obstacle to another as Yakeru aggressively pursued him. Taking his mentor's advice, he shortened his infusions and propelled himself around the training grounds. While this tip relieved him of the physical stress it put on his body, he still wasn't coordinated enough to stabilize his landings.
The next day, Yakeru started to recognize Dash's micro-movements which allowed him to plan accordingly. If he attacked high, Dash would go low, blocking line of sight by weaving between debris. If he went low, Dash would usually go high and outmaneuver him. Flanking wasn't an option because the fox was faster than him anyway so reaching his blindspot was near impossible. At least as of now.
With his legs coalescing with radiance, Yakeru bounced from one boulder to the next. His speed and agility was still inferior to that of the fox, even when pushing himself to his limits, so he needed to be crafty. The bell jingled teasingly as Dash slowed his pace just enough so he stayed just out of Yakeru's reach, taunting him.
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"Now's my chance!" He exclaimed as an idea came to mind.
Veering off course, he took advantage of the fox's overconfidence and vanished in his blind spot, startling him. By the time Dash had a visual on Yakeru, he could only perceive him as a blur darting chaotically around him. Stumbling from his landing, Yakeru appeared behind Dash as the fox remained in a daze. Recovering from his bad footing, Yakeru launched himself toward Dash's flank. The distance he cleared was near-instant but as soon as victory seemed within his grasp, Dash, without even having to glance back, leaped vertically and completely avoided Yakeru's ambush.
The kid went wide-eyed as he'd never seen him do that before, crashing into the log the critter was just standing on. When the dust cleared, Dash mockingly landed on top of the dazed Yakeru and strutted away, a taunting cackle escaping the fox's mouth.
"You little..." Yakeru gritted.
The next couple of days passed and Yakeru had gotten better at utilizing the technique he'd been learning. Yet, although he'd reached a level that he could clear about ten meters with little pain or problems with footing, he still hadn't laid a finger on Dash which only fueled the fox's ego.
'How do I bypass a twin-tailed fox's hyperacute intuition?' He pondered. 'His agility makes him untouchable...and coupled with his uncanny coordination and senses...Ugh!'
He rubbed his temples in frustration as there were too many variables to account for. There was still something he was missing but what? On top of everything, Dash was smart too. There had been multiple occasions—an embarrassing amount—when the fox would willingly let Yakeru draw close to him only to bait out a swipe and make him fumble.
With every training session, the kid started observing the fox closely even when they were taking a break. He obsessively noted small details like approximately how far Dash could jump, how long before his stamina reached its limit, and even insignificant details like which side of his bowl he preferred to drink from.
He studied the fox, determined to finally catch him and wipe that infuriating smug look off his face that appeared more frequently these days. He did, however, notice one detail while he was hunting another squirrel. He hadn't eaten for a few hours by this time so he decided to take the opportunity to turn the intruder into his next meal.
During his hunt, his movements were abnormal, winding up and around debris. The squirrel, once running relatively straight, immediately started to zig-zag back and forth. Yakeru leaned in, intrigued after realizing that Dash's hunting looked fundamentally different than when he just wanted to chase squirrels away, which he would run straight toward them.
Dash appeared in front of the squirrel, causing it to double back but, as if he predicted that would happen, he lunged and caught the squirrel. It squirmed in his jaws as he whipped his head wildly until it stopped moving.
As much as Yakeru hated to admit it, Dash was impressive. He deduced two things from this small chase: First, Dash was able to influence the squirrel's movements making it easier to predict its route. The second thing he uncovered was that the fox had intentionally lunged where the squirrel was going to be rather than where it was currently positioned.
At that moment, he realized that his method of catching Dash more resembled Dash's way of chasing away squirrels rather than hunting them.
"That's it!" Yakeru exclaimed, his mind already formulating a plan.
"What's it?" Itsuki asked, handing the kid a glass of water.
Accepting the glass, he explained, "I think I figured out a way to catch Dash."
"Oh?" His mentor took a seat in the shade, sipping on his mug. "Then I look forward to seeing your plan in action."
He was still lacking in the speed and coordination department so he still had much to improve on before putting his strategy into action.
For the next two days, Yakeru focused on refining his coordination and increasing his bursts of speed. Since moving at an increased speed blurred the world around him, he needed to predict when to brace himself and how beforehand. Even if radiance could help him with the initial burst of speed, it was much more difficult to stop in the location he intended to.
Dash hadn't suspected a thing, thinking he was the one still in control but Yakeru was purposely not trying to catch the fox, but merely trying to keep up. He could tell Dash's ego had skyrocketed ever since his first training session with him.
'It'll make it all the more satisfying when it comes crashing down.' Yakeru thought, the corner of his lips lifting into a small smirk.
After shifting his objective, he'd seen a noticeable difference. The stress on his legs had reduced and he no longer had to consciously calculate where he needed to burst forward and approximate where he'd end up, freeing up space so he could concentrate on herding the fox.
The next training session, Yakeru was confident enough in his ability to snatch the bell. As usual, Dash got a head start and after a few seconds, Yakeru crouched down, infused his legs, and launched himself.
Itsuki spectated from the sidelines and could tell, even at a glance, that the boy had improved significantly. His movements, although a bit sluggish, were more deliberate and his endurance allowed him to chase down Dash for several more minutes than usual.
Yakeru locked onto the fox, never allowing him to break line of sight. He remembered what he'd seen days prior. He needed to hunt him, not chase him. Hot on Dash's tail—or tails—he began moving to his right, urging the fox to veer left. As expected, Dash kept his distance while Yakeru zipped through the training grounds to get a feel for his movements.
As Dash started to lose track of the blur, Yakeru appeared in front of him. He crouched down, readying himself to pounce on the critter but Dash saw this coming from a mile away. The fox preemptively leaped into the air as Yakeru's body language obviously suggested that he was aiming low. What the fox didn't account for, however, was that the kid feinted him as he quickly readjusted and propelled himself up.
The landscape below him stretched as he catapulted through the air, aiming for the location where he anticipated Dash would be once he arrived. For the first time, Dash's eyes went wide as he realized his grave mistake. As he reached his maximum height, a gust of wind followed by a trail of amber spun him wildly before he was able to land.
Dash trembled slightly but soon realized that he was still alive after patting himself. But something was missing. He briefly sniffed the area but couldn't find it.
"Lose something?"
Dash turned his head to find Yakeru several meters away, dangling the bell with a satisfied smirk.