Joining SOLDIER.
Pyrrha entered library, it was a little different from what she was used to, but still nothing really out of the ordinary. She walked up to a desk were a woman sat "Excuse me Ms, But could you tell me where I can find the history books?".
The woman smiled "Of course my dear. Right this way" She led Pyrrha to where she could find the history books "It's always nice to see the next generation being interested in the old ones".
Pyrrha smiled "I like to learn".
The woman smiled back "Then enjoy your fine collection".
Pyrrha rubbed her hands together and decided to first find out just what this world is. Turns out, the planet's name was Gaia. Gaia is made up of three unnamed continents: one in the east, one in the west, and one in the north. Other large islands include the Mideel island south of the eastern continent part of a long chain of islands, a large forested island that holds the Temple of the Ancients in the southwest of the eastern continent, and a long island to the west of the western continent. Most of Gaia has a temperate climate with large grassy plains broken up by mountains.
The Icicle Area taking up the northern continent is made up of a massive plain of ice known as the Great Glacier. At the northern tip of the landmass is the gigantic North Crater that has a cave inside known as the Northern Cave which leads into the bowels of Gaia. The most prominent desert is in the western continent below Gold Saucer. Marshlands can be found in the eastern continent in front of the Mythril Mine in the Grasslands Area.
Something that really fascinated Pyrrha was the fact that Gaia is a living organism from which all its living creatures are born and to where they return upon death. Its life blood is the Lifestream, a flow of energy that contains all the knowledge of all the creatures that ever lived on it. Gaia has a mind of its own and humans with special powers, called Cetra, can speak directly with Gaia. Gaia creates protectors called Weapons to be summoned whenever it feels threatened.
'So the planet is alive. Incredible!' Pyrrha thought to herself. It was trully amazing.
After learning about the world itself, Pyrrha moved on to another part that was just as interesting. The Lifestream.
The Lifestream contains the essence of the Planet and the memories, emotions, and knowledge of all who have lived on it. Portions of the Lifestream are believed to be used to create new life on the Planet, and the energy of a person returns to the Planet when they die, bringing with it the emotions, memories, and knowledge they obtained during life. Lifestream acts as an afterlife for the conscious spirits of the Planet's inhabitants. Certain souls remain sentient after having returned to the Planet, and gain control of the Lifestream, becoming able to affect the physical plane from within it, and even able to communicate with those still living. Those who die and hold a resilient will and attachment to the living world in a place of negative disposition can return as ghosts and evil spirits.
"Wow... this is more amazing than anything back home" Pyrrha whispered to herself. This new world truly was a gold mine of amazing things.
Pyrrha spent hours just reading and learning about her new home. Her mind was overflowing with new knowledge of what this world is and its history and cultures. After having spent so much time reading, she was finally brought out of her deep emergence in the books when her stomach suddenly voiced it's opinion of the lack of food.
"Wow. I need to eat something, I am starving" Pyrrha said to herself before putting the books back and went to leave the library
When she passed the woman from before she received a smile "You were in there for a long time. It was getting close to closing time".
Pyrrha smiled sheepishly "What can I say? There was so much to lern".
The woman only chuckled "The world could use more people like you".
Pyrrha smiled with a nod "Thank you Ms, I'll be sure to come back here if I can. See you around".
When Pyrrha walked out, The woman sighed in a dreamy fashion "She is almost as pretty as me when I was her age".
Pyrrha was walking through the streets, her stomach still voicing it's needs "Shut up! I know already" She sighed 'And I don't even have any money on me to by any food. Would have been nice if the God of Life had given me something to keep me alive. How am I supposed to survive without something as basic as food?'.
As she rounded a corner, she pumped into someone, almost making both of them fall "Oh. I'm sorry".
"No worries, it was my fault" Came the voice of a boy.
The boy looked to be around Pyrrha's age, maybe a little younger. He is tall, well-built, and sky-blue eyes. He has spiky black hair and several bangs framing the sides of his face. He wears a dark blue uniform, gloves, boots, and is equipped with a large sword. It was not hard to figure out he was fighter.
"Hey, I have never seen someone like you around here before. You new?" He asked in a friendly tone.
Pyrrha nods "I am. My name is Pyrrha Nikos".
"Zack Fair, nice to meet you!" The boy named Zack said as they shook hands. But the moment was ruined when Pyrrha's stomach once again demonstrated how a lion sounds, Zack laughed softly "Hungry?".
Pyrrha blushed "Yeah... but I don't have any money to pay for any".
Zack gasped "Well that won't do! Come on, I'll treat you".
"Thank you Zack, but you don't have to" Pyrrha tried to protest but Zack held up a hand to silence her.
"No buts. There is no way in hell I'm just gonna let a lady starve like this. I know a great place nearby, they have perfect food for any taste" Zack said, his tone leaving no room for argument.
Pyrrha sighed "Fine you convinced me".
Zack smirked in victory "Well let's get going then!".
A little later, Pyrrha and Zack were at a really nice restaurant. Having not eaten for so long, Pyrrha had worked up quite the appetite as she was stuffing herself with spaghetti and meat sauce. Zack was slowly slurping his drink through the straw a little surprised by how fast Pyrrha could eat.
The waitress walked up to them "It's good isn't it? Would you like a refill?".
Pyrrha smiled "Yes please!".
The waitress looked at Zack "What about you?".
"I'm good, thank you" Zack answered.
Another plate of food later, Pyrrha and Zack stepped out as Zack was checking his wallet which had taken a beating from Pyrrha's hunger "Well, you sure was starving, weren't you?".
Pyrrha rubbed her neck "Sorry about that, I got carried away".
Zack waved it of "Don't worry about. I'm getting paid soon anyway".
"So. What is that you do for a job anyway?" Pyrrha asked.
"I'm with SOLDIER" Zack said in pride.
"Soldier?" Pyrrha asked, she never read about them.
"Oh that's right. You are new here. Well I will try to explain" Zack said before clearing his throat "SOLDIER is the elite fighting force of Shinra Electric Power Company. We are advanced super-soldiers with superhuman strength, speed, and agility. Much stronger than the Shinra Peacekeeping Troops and the Turks, Shinra uses SOLDIER for special missions that require the greatest use of strength".
Pyrrha was already interested since it sounded familiar "Tell me more".
Zack smirked "Gladly. SOLDIER members are divided in three classes: 1st Class, 2nd Class, and 3rd Class. 1st Class SOLDIERs are responsible for the most important, and usually most dangerous, missions, while 2nd and 3rd Classes mostly assist Shinra Troops or 1st Class SOLDIERs, or are in charge of less important missions. New units are recruited as 3rd Class and the best are later promoted to 2nd Class, and only distinguished 2nd Class SOLDIERs reach 1st Class".
Pyrrha took it all in and asked "So what exactlly do you do?".
"Simple. We make sure the planet is safe and take care of an evil organizations and monsters that threatens the people" Zack explained.
'They are just like a huntsman' Pyrrha thought before speaking "Thanks for telling me this, Zack".
Zack rubbed his head "Well this is kind of secret info, so I can't go in to any real details. What about you? Are you a fighter? Giving your outfit and weapon".
Pyrrha looked over herself. That's right, Zack would notice something like that. Pyrrha had to think of something. She could not tell Zack that she went to a combat school, or he would surely ask what school it was, and Pyrrha had not gotten that far in to this world's history yet.
Pyrrha quickly came up with a cover story "My parents trained me. I have actually fought alot of monsters and bad people before".
Zack nods "So, do your parents know you are here?".
Pyrrha's eyes became wide for a moment before she looked down with a sad face. That's right, she was never going to see her parents again after she died back in her own world. She did not even want to imagen how they would react when they find out she is dead.
Zack noticed Pyrrha's sadness and let out a quick gasp "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you sad".
"It's ok Zack... you didn't know" Pyrrha said with a sigh. But then an idea sprung to her head "Hey, think I can join SOLDIER?".
Zack blinks before rubbing his cheek "You could. But it's not really that easy. It takes years of training before you can even try to join".
"But I have years of training. Give me a chance to prove myself" Pyrrha insited. If she was gonna live in this world, she would rather have a job she is at least a little familiar with.
"It's not really my call Pyrrha, but if you really want to, I will take you to the Shinra building and see if I can convince them to give you a shot" Zack said.
Pyrrha smiled happily "Thank you Zack!".
Zack smiled back "Sure thing. Now come on, no point in standing around. Angeal will give me hell if I don't return soon".
With that, both new friends headed for the Shinra building.
When they finally arrived, they were met by a man.
The man was tall with a broad and muscular structure. He has black hair slicked back except for two bangs on each side. He wears a uniform the looks a like Zack's but black and he carries two swords, one looks just like the one Zack uses while the other one looks alot different. It was a colossal single-edged blade with a very heavy design. Pyrrha had a feeling Ruby would love it.
"You are late Zack. And who is that?" The man asked when he noticed.
"Her name is Pyrrha Nikos. Pyrrha this is my master, Angeal Hewley" Zack introduced the two.
Pyrrha bowed in respect "It's good to meet you sir".
"And what is your buisness here, Pyrrha was it?" Angeal asked.
"I am here to join SOLDIER sir" Pyrrha answered with determination.
Angeal raised an eyebrow "Is that so? I hope you know it's not really that simple as to just join out of the blue like this".
Pyrrha nods "I am well aware of that sir. But I have spent my whole life developing my combat skills. Give me a chance to prove myself".
Angeal looked her over, there was no doubting from her outfit, weapons and rather impressive physique that she was no stranger to combat. Still he was not sure about just letting a random girl join like this.
"Come on man, just give her a chance" Zack said, backing Pyrrha up. Despite the short time they had known eachother, he already saw her as a friend.
Angeal sighed "Very well, I will talk to the higher-ups and give her a chance to prove herself. But..." He got in Pyrrha's face with a stern look "Waste our time, and there will be consequences. Understood?".
Pyrrha nods "I understand sir. I won't let you down!".
Angeal hummed as they walked inside.
Later, they stood inside a training room, Angeal walked up to Pyrrha with some kind of goggles "Put these on".
Pyrrha takes them "What is this?".
"When you put them on and the room powers up, you will enter, what you can call, a artificial area. Everything you see will be fake, but they are as solid as if they were real. If you mess up it will hurt and if you prove to be weak, it can even kill you" Angeal explained with a no nonsense attitude.
Pyrrha take a deep breath and nods "Right... here goes nothing" She puts on the goggles and get's ready.
Angeal leavs the room as it powers up. When it was done, Pyrrha found herself in the middle of wasteland and soon several soldiers showed up and aimed their weapons at her.
Pyrrha took out her weapon and shield before getting in to her stance. This was it, if she failed here, her new life would be over before it even had a chance to truly begin.
The soldiers open fire and rolls to the side to avoid the bullets before transforming her weapon in to it's rifle form and shot a soldier in the leg. Pyrrha leaps over a rock as she continues to receive fire, shooting the soldier on the right. A bullet flies passed her head, but she was able to maintain her composure as she grabs her shield and throws it at the soldiers, causing it to ricochet between them and knocking them down.
Pyrrha backflips off another soldier she was standing on, flash kicking another. The other soldiers attack her but she manages to hold her own and blow them away with her her weapon as it turned in to it's spear form, she sliced and kicked them away. Combining her spear with hand to hand combat, Pyrrha takes out another three and throws the fourth into another one nearby.
The soldiers open fire again, and Pyrrha hurries to grab her shield to block the shots. She ran around to keep them from pinning her down. She closed the distance and managed to beat down the soldiers.
While all this was going on, a man with glasses was watching with clear interest "Impressive. And she don't even have the Mako energy yet... turn up the level".
The woman next to him gave him an unsure look "Sir she is just a kid. What if she can't handle that level?".
The man simply smirked "We just need to have a little faith".
The woman sighed and turned the training to a much higher level.
Pyrrha had just finished of the last soldier until she noticed a light. When she looked the light took the shape of a large monster.
The monster was large, purple, canine-esque creature with two bull-like horns and flowing manes. It also had a tail with spikes on it. This monster could rival a grimm in the scary area.
Pyrrha only got ready to fight this monster. Not knowing it was not a part of the original test.
But Angeal and Zack did know and they were shocked when the beast showed up.
"A Behemoth!? Is that not a little much for a test?" Zack asked.
"I did not tell them to put the training room on that level" Angeal said.
Zack got wide eyes before looking back at the fight in worry "This is not good".
Back to the fight. Pyrrha ran around the Behemoth, avoiding it's strikes while shooting at it. But the bullets had little effect on the monster. Pyrrha changed her weapon in to it's sword form and got ready to continue the battle.
The Behemoth charges on all fours towards her. Pyrrha meets this charge head on. She then somersaults before running forward to finish her advance. She avoids the Behemoth's left swipe by using the momentum of the swing to flip over it. She then lands three strikes to the Behemoth's left leg, which causes the monster to roar in response, as it seems apparent that the attacks haven't done any significant damage. A retaliatory right swipe sends Pyrrha tumbling back, before the red head warrior flips back upright and slows her momentum by firmly gripping her legs on the ground, with her left arm to support her in a three-point landing.
Her weapon turns in to it's rifle form and she fires two more rounds, which arc towards the Behemoth, forcing the large beast to go back down to all fours, before roaring and charging again. Pyrrha grits her teeth as she then blocks the Behemoth's overhead swipe with her shield, she stands her ground and lands an upperslash to the Behemoth's chin, propelling herself upwards to perform an airborne slice on the Behemoth's chest, before landing back on the ground, propelling herself forward to slide under the Behemoth's belly, firing six more shots from behind, forcing the monster to turn around, the projectiles apparently having no effect either.
Pyrrha propels herself forward again, before landing a powerful kick to the Behemoth's jaw, forcing it to wince in pain, before Pyrrha slices at it forcing its head to its right, as Pyrrha uses its momentum to move to its left. A right swipe from behind is blocked by her shield, she then proceeds to stab in to the limb, twists it and hits the Behemoth with her shield, forcing it back as Pyrrha pulls her weapon free. Pyrrha then slides underneath the left foot to dodge the low left swipe, before propelling herself, sliding underneath the Behemoth again to dodge the right swipe, finishing her movement with a cartwheel. As the Behemoth turns around, Pyrrha uses her weapon's spear form to send herself herself upwards, dodging the fifth swipe, firing another round to spin herself up for a left tornado kick, which pushes the Behemoth's head to the right, before the Behemoth tries to use both it's clawed feet to pin her down with a swipe, which misses as Pyrrha propels herself backwards, ready for another charge as the Behemoth is now on all fours.
As Pyrrha prepares another stab, the Behmoth times its next attack perfectly and hits her with it's tail, sending her to the ground on her back and crashing into a nearby boulder, the impact cracks the boulder as Pyrrha lands on her chest with a grunt of pain.
"PYRRHA!" Zack shouts before looking at Angeal "We need to stop this!".
"Wait..." Angeal said when he noticed Pyrrha getting back up.
Pyrrha took a deep breath before her weapon turned in to it's spear form. She saw the Behemoth run at her and she aimed her spear, wating for the right moment. The Behemoth roars, but the moment it did, Pyrrha rockets her spear straight in to the monster's mouth. The Behemoth crashed to the ground, and after a few moments it vanished as the training room powered down.
Zack and Angeal were stunned until the former let out a loud cheer "WOW! That was awesome!".
Angeal would be lying if he said he was not impressed. He did not believe this girl could defeat such a high training level. This girl was something else.
"Let's go" Angeal said as he headed to the door to the training room.
"Yes sir!" Zack said and followed his master.
Pyrrha retrieved her weapon and turned it back to it's sword form before putting it along with her shield on her back. She wiped her forehead with a Phew. This test was tougher than she expected.
"That was awesome!" Zack shouted as he and Angeal walked up to her.
Pyrrha smiled "Thanks. But I'm sure you two could do it easy".
"Pyrrha, you finished a 2nd class level training mode. I say that is something to be proud of" Zack said.
"It was 2nd class level?" Pyrrha asked surprised.
"It was. I did not plan this. But the result is that you have more than proven yourself worthy to join" Angeal said before holding out his hand "Welcome to SOLDIER. Pyrrha Nikos".
Pyrrha smiled and shook his hand "Thank you sir".
"You still need to go through the Mako process before you can become an official member. Come along" Angeal said as he began to walk away.
Pyrrha and Zack smiled at each other before following the 1st class soldier to get Pyrrha in to SOLDIER shape.
"I will not let you down sir" Pyrrha promised.
"You better not, or you will die" Angeal said though Pyrrha saw a smile on his face.
Pyrrha smiled to. Her new life has officially begun.
.
For those who don't know. Zack was 16 back when he was a 2nd class Soldier. So yes he is one year younger than Pyrrha. Not that it matters much.
Tell me what you think.
