Dario flew for two whole seconds before landing on the ground several meters away with a grunt of pain. Dario’s instincts honed through years of schoolyard scraps and back alley brawls forced his muscles to attempt some kind of roll to salvage his fall. His efforts weren’t in vain as he was somehow able to avoid injuring himself any further. He rolled to a stop before lying on his back to take a deep breath.

Disoriented and swimming in pain, he put all his effort into trying to stand up. He’d learned early on that staying on the ground was asking for a death sentence, especially against multiple opponents. Fortunately, there was only one adversary, but that didn’t ease his worries a single bit.

With a groan of exertion, he managed to drag himself to his feet, albeit rather shakily. Somewhere in front of him, he heard soft chuckling.

“Hmm, impressive.”

Looking up, Dario saw Miss Aimee slowly and casually walking towards him with a predatory smile on her face. She almost seemed to have completely changed in attitude and bearing.

“Most people immediately puke when I hit them like that, but you took it like a champ, and you’re even still somewhat standing! That’s quite an impressive feat,” she praised. “Your Physique must be fairly decent to handle that, or you have a good Defender score. How much punishment can you take, I wonder...?”

“That, wasn’t fair,” Dario gasped. It was all he could do to stop himself from throwing up. “You could, hah, at least warn me.”

“If life were fair, then we wouldn’t need supes to go out and fight in the wilds now would we?” the pale, tattooed beauty patronized. “Monsters can attack at any time, regardless of whether or not you’re ready. Take this to heart Dario, it’s a lesson that will serve you well.” She stopped a few feet in front of him with her hands on her hips. “Nonetheless, you responded well to that surprise attack, even when it came from a supposed ally. You have good instincts so, as a reward, I'll give you a few seconds reprieve before we continue.”

“Continue!?” Dario coughed.

“Of course,” she confirmed, spreading out her arms. “This is my favorite part of the exam after all, can’t let it finish in just a few seconds.” She leaned forward with an impish grin on her face. “Unless you’re telling me that you’re the kinda guy who can only last so long.”

Oh, she was one of those types. Luckily, Dario had dealt with those kind of women his entire life. In fact, most of the adult women he knew of were like that now that he thought about it. They were always coy or playful, but ultimately underestimated you. In this case, that was good news. If she wanted a fight, he’d give her one.

“Why don’t you come closer and show me how long you can last then,” Dario retorted with as confident a smile he could muster. “We can compare who has better stamina afterwards, but I’ll have to warn you, I tend to outlast my opponents.” Thankfully, there was actually some truth to his blustering as he could feel his body quickly recovering.

“Mmm, I like a guy with confidence,” Miss Aimee chuckled. “Makes breaking them a lot funner.”

As she approached, Dario subtly reached behind him and felt around the pieces of metal equipment he was leaning on to look for something to use. This was an experienced Superior he was up against, so a straight up fight would probably be pointless. He wasn’t averse to using weapons, even against women, but this particular one seemed especially bloodthirsty. His next course of action was most likely a desperate gamble.

During his search, he feigned weakness by stumbling around and holding a hand to his stomach.

“Wait, wait, wait! I’m still a bit dizzy, can you help steady me a bit first?” Dario asked as he took a firm grip on something long, heavy, and metallic behind him. It seemed to be some kind of metallic rod or staff.

Miss Aimee rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. “Really now? Didn’t I tell you that you won’t get any rest when you’re fighting in the wilds? I thought you said that you had better stamina than-”

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With a burst of speed, Dario swung the metal staff in a horizontal arc aiming straight at his opponent’s midriff. He figured that aiming for her center would reduce the chances of her avoiding it by ducking or jumping over it. If he was fast enough, he could capitalize on the moment and move into another attack.

That was the plan at least.

Unfortunately for Dario, the staff he grabbed was shorter than expected and Miss Aimee was easily able to dodge it by taking a quick step back out of range. Without any hesitation, Dario moved forward with both hands on his makeshift weapon and immediately swung a flurry of blows in an attempt to keep his surprise advantage. He had little experience with using a staff as a weapon but he figured he could at least land one solid hit.

Expectations met reality in a disappointing way as not only did Miss Aimee dodge every swing, she also did so with an amused smile on her face and arms crossed the entire time.

“I assume this is your first time handling something so long and thick, huh?” Miss Aimee mocked, a wide grin on her face.

He ignored her jibe and focused on keeping up his attacks. After half a minute of Dario wildly flailing and missing as she repeatedly jabbed him with painful counterblows, he finally realized his efforts were futile. He really should have taken up his neighbour’s offer of Bo Staff handling lessons...

Eventually, he slowed down and backed off in order to reassess the situation.

“What’s the matter boy? Can’t keep it up?”

“Just needed a quick breather, something I’m sure your partners hear a lot,” Dario quipped back while panting. The punches he took during their exchange really took their toll on him. He had to end this fast.

His opponent laughed as they both began to circle each other.

“It’s refreshing you know, having someone to banter with like this. Most people are so stuck up and prudish. All the newbies I’ve met are always so formal and professional with me, it gets boring very quickly.” Miss Aimee smiled cheerfully. “This is a nice change of pace, and one I hope you can keep up with.”

“I’ll try my best m'am.” Dario focused and bent his knees at a slight angle in preparation for his next desperate gamble. Just like before with the guard, he began to channel energy into his body, his legs specifically.

“M’am? I’m not that old, newbie. I’ve still got many years ahead of me and many more partners to go through, I’d say.” She pouted, looking annoyed.

“I’m sure you do, but until then, you’d have to handle me first,” Dario said just as he threw the metal staff towards her, aiming for her knees. It went flying slightly off course and was easily dodged, but he paid it no attention as it wasn’t his main goal.

The ground cracked the moment Dario pushed off with all his strength, determinedly sprinting towards the bald femme fatale. Miss Aimee reacted quickly, but Dario reckoned he was just a little bit faster, and there was no way for her to avoid his attack. The aim in his rush was to tackle her to the ground and bring her into a grapple, as he had more experience with grappling than stick-fighting. It was most likely his best chance of actually winning.

Sadly, luck was not on his side as he clumsily slipped on the very same staff he had used against her. Somehow, it had bounced back from where it veered off course and landed in his path, directly by his feet. Fortunately, his momentum carried him forward, albeit at a much lower speed. Continuing with the plan anyway, Dario tried to grab her as soon as she came within reach.

Miss Aimee was annoyingly calm during this short time span and simply moved backwards in line with his movements. She brought her leg forward and kneed Dario in the face, breaking his nose and knocking his head backwards.

In a display of astonishing acrobatic maneuvers and superior agility, she grabbed his head and slammed it into the ground before flipping over his body and landing gracefully on the other side, unblemished.

“Not bad, newbie. I give it a six out of ten, but A for effort,” Miss Aimee said, her hand on chin with a contemplative look on her face. “You’re quite fast, and you threw that staff pretty hard.” She looked down at the ground nearby where Dario cracked the surface. “You also cracked the floor, so you’re pretty strong too. Don’t worry about damaging anything though, you’re not liable for anything that goes on in this room,” she said, smiling with amusement at the innuendo. “I’d say your Physique level is at the very least C-tier, like a 5 or something. And maybe you have some levels in Traveler as well.”

Dario groaned and turned over onto his back while nursing his bloody nose. “Is that good?”

“Yes, very good, it’s way above average for a newbie for sure.” She frowned in thought as she stared at the dark haired teenager on the ground. “You must have some levels in Defender too if you were able to withstand all that. Even normal C-Tier Physique wouldn’t prevent you from passing out by now.”

“I’ve always had great stamina,” Dario panted as he slowly and shakily stood up. “I’m told It’s one of my few redeeming qualities.” He grinned and winked at Miss Aimee.

“Cute.” The corners of her lips twitched upwards. “That would be more effective if your face wasn’t covered in blood, though.”

“Oh.” Dario sheepishly rubbed his face, catching some blood on his hands. “Damn it.”

Miss Aimee shook her head and chuckled. “Maybe next time.”