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Post by Fiera Ferella on May 23, 2021 12:04:04 GMT -6
Of course, getting the weights on was easier said than done. Victor did NOT like the idea of strapping something heavy to his neck and back, but Fiera was able to do it with only getting herself wet just a little bit. He gave her the dirtiest of looks every time she so much as glanced his way, though. Still, she was ready to start the next round and this time she got out an extra large chunk of meat for him, practically a whole steak. His ears lifted at the sight of that, and Fiera began backing up again. He hardly needed a command to move this time, and followed after her diligently, determined to claim his prize. “That’s it, you can do it!” Fiera said. They made the first loop with barely any effort. And then the second. Even the third! By the fourth loop, Victor was panting and finally, finally at the fifth loop she let her rakai sarane stop and eat his meat. “Fantastic job, Victor!” Fiera said, and it really, really was. Despite his initial reluctance, he had just made five laps walking through water while weighed down heavily- and excelled at it. If that didn’t show improved stamina, she wasn’t sure what would.
Fiera 10 Victor 75.0/77.0 10
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Post by Fiera Ferella on May 27, 2021 18:55:34 GMT -6
Victor had gotten… devastatingly good at fighting. Their last training session had gone absolutely amazingly. Fiera had taught him just about every move she possibly could have, and then some. All she had left to do by this point (and all she had time to do, really) was take him to the gym just one more time. She had already trained him to have better dexterity, and to have better stamina. He had excelled at these and gone as far as his body would possibly let him, far beyond Fiera’s expectations. But she still needed to make sure he had as good a chance as possible in the upcoming tournament. He was good, yes, but he wasn’t yet the best he could be. Specifically, she wanted to see if she could push his resistance just a little bit further. He already was quite naturally resistant. Fiera had taught her arcane rakai sarane a lot about avoiding damage, but she had worked on teaching him how to take it too, such as making him hardier or helping him to develop stonier skin. He even had naturally increased resistance in the form of the hard scales that covered his back, reflecting damage that hit them. Fiera 1 Victor 85.1/87.1 1
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Post by Fiera Ferella on May 28, 2021 19:05:33 GMT -6
But in a way, that had made him become lazy. To take his natural armor for granted, and as a result not try to defend himself better when the attacks came rolling in. Fiera needed this to change- the last thing the humanish wanted was for him to just sit there and take hits that were more damaging than he thought. If he was tough enough to take those hits though, then… Fiera supposed it wasn’t as bad a strategy for him as she thought. Still, he would need to work on his defense for that to ever happen. Luckily, they were coming up on the training gym again, a now perfectly familiar sight ahead of them. Victor was pulling her along, apparently wanting to just get this over with already. Fiera appreciated his enthusiasm, but wished that he wasn’t QUITE so strong so it wouldn’t feel like he was trying to yank her shoulder out of its socket. Her gentle admonishments to him didn’t work, and the humanish was relieved when they finally stopped in front of the training gym. She paused for a moment before going in, rubbing her shoulder. “Ready for your last trip, Victor?” She asked.
Fiera 2 Victor 85.2/87.2 2
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Post by Fiera Ferella on May 28, 2021 19:06:05 GMT -6
The rakai sarane simply flicked his ear at her before pawing at the door. His feelings didn’t matter apparently- he just wanted to get it over with. She could empathize- Victor’s endless training sessions had taken a lot out of her too, and she was VERY glad to be just about over with them. This gym session would probably be the last thing they did before the tournament began, with the rest being spent on resting. That was fine by her- she needed the beauty sleep. Nothing had changed about the front lobby when they walked in… probably because they had been in here so recently with barely a break between sessions that they didn’t have the chance to change any of their stock or setup. Sure enough though, there was yet another receptionist at the front desk, apparently part of an endlessly rotating setup that they went through here. Fiera hadn’t seen the same one twice. This time it was a tall, dark avian with piercing purple eyes. The humanish resisted the urge to feel intimidated, and in fact seemed a little offended by her brain putting forward the though- she had seen scarier people before. Although, she hoped it wasn’t an ill omen for their training session.
Fiera 3 Victor 85.3/87.3 3
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Post by Fiera Ferella on May 28, 2021 19:06:21 GMT -6
“Hello, there!” Fiera said, trying to start up their conversation bright and cheerily. The avian looked up, and responded with a voice that was just as equally happy to Fiera’s surprise. “Oh, hi there! Checking in for a training session?” She said, and it was only just now that Fiera noticed all of the colorful pins and buttons adorning her gym uniform. Huh. Something about judging a book by its cover and all that. “...Yes!” She replied after the briefest of pauses. She whipped out her membership card and slid it across the desk. She wasn’t about to appear as if she was caught off guard, after all. “Fiera Ferella. Teaching Victor here to have better resistance.” She said. The avian nodded cheerfully. “Sounds like fun! Sign just here, please?” She said, holding up a notebook and tapping a pen on a line on it. Fiera accepted the pen and quickly scrawled herself and her pet’s name. She snapped the book shut. “Perfect! Thank you so much! Good luck with your training!” She said, waving. Fiera gave a little wave back and a thank you and headed back toward the training rooms, her sneakers squeaking quietly on the polished concrete floors.
Fiera 4 Victor 85.4/87.4 4
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Post by Fiera Ferella on May 28, 2021 19:06:44 GMT -6
Finally! An interaction with a receptionist here that actually went well! Fiera was thrilled- that was victory enough as far as she was concerned. Now she just had to find a decent room to train in. She crept through the halls and found that there… wasn’t a lot, actually. The training gym was pretty much packed full of people right now, no doubt training in preparation for the tournament. Fiera had started her training early, but she was finishing it… well, right on time if she could just find an empty room! All of the ones she wanted to use for training resistance- a ball launching machine, a sandblaster- were all taken up by other trainers. Fiera cursed under her breath as she walked- this session wasn’t going to go well at all if she couldn’t find anywhere to train it! She kept walking and finally found herself in the aquatic pets room again, with a couple of pools already occupied. She stomped through it in an attempt to find a better place… only to pause. Next to one of the walls was something she had only seen a couple of times in her life. The sign next to it made it obvious what Fiera was looking at though- “wave pool”.
Fiera 5 Victor 86.0/88.0 5
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Post by Fiera Ferella on May 28, 2021 19:07:06 GMT -6
Now that was interesting. A pool that created… well, waves? She sidled up next to the controls. They seemed simple enough, from small waves to huge ones, though she was sure they’d take a while to start up. What better way to teach Victor resistance though- getting him used to dinky waves, until he was able to stand up even when slammed with large ones? And even though it was good to teach him resistance, it wasn’t like he could actually be hurt by it either. At the end of the day, it was just water, and he would be in the shallow end of the pool as well. He’d be fine. She dragged Victor along, tugging him toward the shallows. “Let’s try this, Victor!” She said cheerily, letting the rakai sarane splash into the shallows. When he was about knee deep (as Fiera didn’t think she could roll her pants up any further), she dropped the leash. “Okay, stay there Victor! She said as she trotted toward the pool controls. She cranked it up to the medium setting to get them started. “Okay Victor! Now no matter what, stay!” She said, as she heard some sort of machinery clank to life in the distant end of the pool.
Fiera 6 Victor 86.1/88.1 6
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Post by Fiera Ferella on May 28, 2021 19:07:21 GMT -6
Victor looked at her awkwardly for a moment- was this all she needed? Surely there had to be more to it than that. Soon though, he noticed that the water had begun to move, lapping in and out against his feet like a real body of water would. After a few more minutes, regular waves were occurring, splashing past his knees and she noticed him start to sway with the force of some of them. They were only going to get higher however, Fiera knew that much. “Remember, Victor- stay!” She reiterated. Soon the waves were getting higher and higher, and began to slam against him. He held up as best he could, attempting to stay standing before the increasingly intense waves. They were at regular intervals so he could predict when they were coming, but they were so strong that he couldn’t just resist them, the impacts slamming against him. He couldn’t finish righting himself before the next one struck, and eventually fell over to his side, getting pushed up the shoreline by the waves, flailing, until he finally came to rest in a part of the shallows where the waves broke apart into gentler waters again, leaving him soaking wet.
Fiera 7 Victor 86.2/88.2 7
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Post by Fiera Ferella on May 28, 2021 19:07:38 GMT -6
“...Getting tired of water yet?” Fiera said with a chuckle. “Still! Good job, Victor!” She said, and turned the waves off. While the waves calmed down some more, she hopped up and went back over to her rakai sarane with a treat in hand. She helped the dizzy beast right himself, pushing him back to his feet, and offered him the treat. He accepted it slowly- likely still dizzy from the wipeout. When he seemed more steady on his feet however, Fiera led him back to the knee high water he had been standing in before. He seemed willing to try again, but he still shook himself off, spraying the humanish with water in a small act of revenge. Fiera sputtered and tried to hold her hands up, but still got a decent amount of water on her. “Oh! Well then. Two can play at that game.” She hissed before marching back to the wave machine controls. She pulled another level, pushing the height notch up a bit higher. It would hit him at the same interval this time, but with more forceful waves. Hopefully he’d be able to resist them easily, letting his scales take the majority of the damage. It was admittedly a little funny watching how his flames reacted to all of this.
Fiera 8 Victor 86.3/88.3 8
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Post by Fiera Ferella on May 28, 2021 19:07:54 GMT -6
Rakai sarane fire couldn’t be put out permanently, so instead they sputtered out every time he was hit by a wave and weakly came back to life when finally exposed to air again. Victor seemed a bit more confident this time, and had better footing on the ground this time. This was important- a proper stance was often the key to being able to take blows well. When the smaller waves started up this time, they didn’t seem to have any effect on him at all. Even as they grew, Victor held steadfast. When the larger ones started up again, at the same height that knocked him over last time, it was a bit harder for him to keep it up. Still, he did stay standing even as they slammed him with hit after hit. As the waves crept even higher than his last record however, he began showing signs of getting washed away again, no matter how hard he dug his claws in. “Come on Victor, you can do it!” Fiera called, trying to get him to hold on for just a little bit longer. He did his best to obey but was eventually bested, getting washed back toward the shore once more.
Fiera 9 Victor 86.4/88.4 9
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Post by Fiera Ferella on May 28, 2021 19:08:21 GMT -6
Oh well. This wasn’t too much of a loss- Fiera could already see how much he was improving. Instead, she walked over and helped him up again, praising the arcane rakai sarane and offering him another treat for his trouble. He was up and at it again in an instant- perhaps feeling tougher already? She wasn’t about to waste this second wind however, and rushed over to the controls as he trudged back into the water. She cranked it up to the highest setting- he could probably take that, right? She watched as the wave pool churned to life again, sending out wave after wave. Victor didn’t even blink at the smaller ones by now, and even with the larger ones he stood solidly. Even when the waves reached over his head he leaned into them, learning how to take the blows to avoid damage and breathing while the water was low enough. In just a day, he had learned how to be more resistant to blows, and Fiera couldn’t be more proud. “Great job, Victor! Come here!” She called as she shut the machine off. He looked up, still a little dazed from the earlier hits, but wagged his tail slightly as he trotted over. With this last session, they were done- and ready to face anything.
Fiera 10 Victor 87.0/89.0 10
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Dec 16, 2021 12:48:11 GMT -6
It had been QUITE some time since Fiera had come to the training gym. After she had finished training Victor, she had taken a long break on it. After all, training wasn't just intensive on a pet, it took a lot of effort on her part as well. She was pretty sure she was feeling up to it again however, which was why she now had Margarite with her here today. Recently, she had finished teaching her odd looking repointe enough tricks to ensure that she would behave herself here. She hadn't taught her pet anything that could be used in the field of battle yet, but wasn't it best to have a strong foundation to build upon? That was the reasoning she was reassuring herself with, at least. Just so long as Margarite didn't bite any of the attendants (which she shouldn't- she was pretty well behaved.), they would both be just fine. They just had to finish walking there first. Margarite followed along well enough on a lead, but through their whole walk to the gym she had paused a lot to take in her surroundings. Fiera supposed it was because she had never been to this part of town before. Fiera 1 Margarite 6.1/12.1 1
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Dec 20, 2021 14:17:56 GMT -6
She hadn't really been into town at all, Fiera realized. Well, it wouldn't be the last time- Fiera definitely wanted to take Margarite to the gym as much as possible, getting her used to different things. She intended to train the repointe's dexterity today, making her more nimble than before. She was pretty good at outright speed (though Fiera wanted to improve that as well), but for today Fiera wanted to focus on her agility and her dodging technique. Repointe were pretty nimble, but they couldn't take a lot of hits. Their biggest advantage was in their speed, and if Fiera couldn't get Margarite's skills up to snuff, it would show when she was finally put onto the field of battle. Not that Fiera had any plans to do that soon, but when it came time she just wanted her pet to be ready. The gym, thankfully, had many utilities for that... provided that they could get there already. Thankfully, Fiera saw the familiar tall, grey roof of the gym come into view, that of a warehouse that had long since been repurposed for the function of temporarily housing creatures of all shapes and sizes. It was the only building that COULD hold all types of creatures, really.
Fiera 2 Margarite 6.2/12.2 2
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Dec 20, 2021 15:21:52 GMT -6
The doors opened wide as Fiera approached, somehow noticing her presence before she got too close. Clever, that. The receptionist looked up from their desk and gave a friendly wave as Fiera walked into the foyer. Along each side of her were little stands of training related items. Bottles of nutrient additives, water, gym bags for those who had forgotten theirs. Fiera didn't spare a glance for them, having planned this trip well in advance. She had everything she needed in her bag already. A small cooler full of chunks of meat to treat Margarite with, a whistle to give signals, an extendable lead in case she needed to give Margarite more space. Anything that one could want for training, she already had. So the items went ignored as the humanish finally came to a stop in front of the desk. The attendant was an avian that Fiera didn't recognize (which wasn't too odd- she didn't come to the gym too often, and she had no clue how many employees this place had.), with a bright feathery crest pulled back behind their head, presumable to keep them from getting in their eyes. Fiera fiddled with her bag, pulling out her wallet.
Fiera 3 Margarite 6.3/12.3 3
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Dec 20, 2021 15:26:04 GMT -6
She quickly unzipped it, retrieving her gym card from within. The avian smiled politely as she handed it over. "Fiera Ferella, here to work with Margarite today." She said, reaching over and trying to give the repointe a pat on the neck. She leaned away, huffing quietly. The avian seemed amused by that and quickly handed back the card. "You're all good to go!" They said in a surprisingly loud voice. "Have a good time!" Fiera gave a stiff smile and nod before walking away. It was always nice when talking with the staff didn't turn into a huge mess, as it had in the past. Now all she had to do was find an appropriate area to train in. She walked through the halls, her and Margarite's footsteps making dulled thuds on the rubber mats covering the floors. The gym was pretty empty today. Between the lack of a pressing tournament encouraging people to train up their pets and the biting cold this time of year, it looked like no one could be bothered to drag themselves all the way out here today. It was practically a ghost town. "Well! Looks like we've got the place all to ourselves, Margarite!" Fiera said.
Fiera 4 Margarite 6.4/12.4 4
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