They Never Trained Me For This
Chapter 12

At the Institute, Laura has several friends, and not just the junior instructors. Some are her own age, but that doesn't mean they are untrained...

---nt

There was a knock on the door frame. Laura already knew the source, ears and nose revealing her friend Betsy. "Knock?"

"Hello Betsy. Come on in." Though she'd never admit it, she could use a break from her spanish homework. She'd put herself two nights behind practicing mountaineering techniques in the pit then talking with Kurt, Forge and Scott about the plans for Blackbird-2. Those were exciting- the new aircraft would be larger, have longer range, and they were putting the engines on the wings, rather than at the aft of the fuselage. That meant they could have a cargo ramp on the X-Men's flagship, which made it safe to jump from, unlike the current Blackbird. Of course, Blackbird would be kept- she was faster and a bit more stealthy. The expanded fleet meant that anyone with earth moving powers could get credit and even pocket money for helping to revise the hanger pretty soon. None of that had been getting this drivel done, of course. "Stop! Betsy, high step, two feet in front of you- Kitty's shoes."

"Thanks. I'd feel a proper twit if I broke my neck tripping over Shadowcat's trainers." The blind girl's foot quested carefully, looking for the offending footwear. "I can see you fine, but the little stuff..." What she meant was, living people she could 'see' with her telepathy, but most inanimate objects were part of a void.

Laura leaned over, knocking her knuckles on the frame of the papasan chair. She smiled at the flicker of thanks from Betsy. "Aren't you supposed to be training with Kurt"

"Canceled again, another victim of Logan's cold."

Last week it had taken out Kitty and Rogue, and through them Kurt and Remy. Laura felt slightly vindicated that her upgraded immune system worked as designed. Of course, Alex had it now to. She didn't like the possibility she'd given it to him. Logically, there were other vectors, but Laura wondered if there was a flaw, or maybe an intentional gap in her design that could have been used to use her to distribute a biological weapon. "Bored?"

"Frustrated, mostly. I can't train with anyone else; most people aren't as good as I am." Never mind that swords and blindness were a combination most people tried to avoid. Betsy had been studying swordsmanship, Chinese and European forms, since before she was as tall as some of her swords. She'd started with her grandfather, who died shortly before her family returned to England with Hong Kong going back to the People's Republic, and continued with her father. He'd died in the same explosion that had taken her eyes and awoke her mutation. With Kurt and Logan, the Anglo-Chinese mutant had been able to resume that training despite everything that had happened. "Some one said you were third best person with blades here."

Laura's eyebrow twitched up. She knew it was a goad, but her pride had limits. "Third?"

"Well, Logan is the best."

There was a snort from Laura. As either one of them was willing to point out, he had the advantage of at least fifty years experience, but she was still faster. He was the only person she sparred with claws out- they both ended up breathing hard and soaked in sweat, and in the real world, timing and luck would have determined the winner more times than anything else. "Who is second?"

The smile was utterly guileless. "Me."

"Excuse me?"

---nt

Ten minutes later, they were in the Danger Room. They'd agreed- no claws, no telekinesis, just rattan training sticks, bare hands and bare feet. Both had put on pads, Laura had insisted. She knew Betsy's power mostly made up for her blindness, but she was blind and she wasn't trained to take the same kind of abuse. Laura was wearing her usual training wear, which was the same as the rest of the time- combat fatigues and a tshirt. Betsy had changed into a dark blue leotard and a red sash- it made the wine stain birthmark on her face stand out stronger. Both had their long hair tied back.

In the control room, people were trickling in. Word got out fast- Laura and Betsy were going to spar. The living weapon and the blind swordswoman. In the words of Tabitha, "this is going to be better than anything on pay per view." Wallets were out, and money was on the control panel, along with scribbled notes about dessert and chore exchanges.

They had put mats down on the floor, covering a square about 30' on a side. The two warriors pulled their face guards down as the stood facing each other, about fifteen feet apart. They had dimmed the lights to the level Laura was most comfortable at, Betsy willing grant that as a concession against telepathy. It also made Psylocke's psychic signature, her 'butterfly', to be fully visible. Both bowed, then raised the rattan to the guard position of their choice. Given the variety of their training, they weren't sticking with any one set of rules. Best two out of three, to determine second best blade.

"Hajime?" Logan's training was most Japanese- after English, he preferred that language for his commands. They had been adopted by many of the students when sparing.

"Hai!"

Neither charged immediately, waiting to determine the actions of their opponent. They side stepped a few times, before Betsy moved forward. There was a flurry of whacks, the sound of blows being blocked and parried, joined by several kicks and a forearm-and-elbow combination, then they separated, both bouncing back to the starting distance. One bowed, the other saluted with her blade, confirming her point to the other.

In the booth, no one spoke. Money and notes moved from one pile to another, depending on the outcome of first fall estimates. It had been faster than they expected.

This time they didn't speak. It must have been a telepathic inquiry and then a confirming thought. They dove in straight this time, Laura feinting to go low. She must have been thinking about it hard, because Betsy leaped into the air. Laura reached up, taking her friend's wrist, turning it into a throw while her opponent was in mid air. Despite slapping down hard on the pads, Betsy still parried the the thrust that had been aimed at her, then rolled to the side, her 'sword' lashing towards Laura's ankles. Laura headed for the overhead as Betsy rolled back onto her feet. As if it was rehearsed, they were both upright on the mats with sticks crossing instantly. Betsy moved her lower hand up to choke up on the blade, then snapped the 'pommel' around, trying for a blunt strike at the wrist wrist. It hit at the same time as Laura's down snap to Betsy's right shoulder.

They both skipped back, shaking their arms. Both looked like they were laughing at the tied point.

Upstairs, the whispers grew more strident. The main point of debate in the wagers was coming down to psychic power vs enhanced perceptions, feinting with the body or the mind.

As far as their immediate concerns were involved, they could both tell the other's actions as they started, body language and scent matching telepathy. Swords went to the left hand.

""KAI!""

Swords thrust and swung, feet kicked out, right hands flashed in a variety of blows. Then there was crack, sharp and harsh, like old bones breaking. Part of a rattan sword slapped the polycarbonate window of the booth, causing everyone to jump back. The top half of the other one ricocheted up in the lights, then dropped down by the door way. The change in length brought a change in tactics, using short stick techniques. It had changed the dynamic of the fight. The girls were barely more than four feet away from each other at the most. Then one was in the air, held onto by the other. There was a thud as a body hit the pads, then a foot was on the back of her head lightly, pinning down while hands held the captured wrist still. There was a slap on the mat.

A tie.

Those in the booth looked around. Several swore. Had anyone bet on a tie? One had. Who?

In the back of the control booth, Charles Xavier beamed his relaxed, confident Budda smile to them. "Chores will be returned to those who were assigned them. The money will go in the student emergency fund." This was the fund that helped those students of lesser means cover unforeseen expenses that those from richer families could cover with ease. "Let this be a lesson to you all- betting against the X-men is a way to lose. You young people should know that by now."

---Author's notes:
OK, I've been trying to do a chapter of Never Trained and one of something else a week for a bit now- not able to hit that this week. I'm even going to post this early, given how stupid the uploading system has been acting.

Oh, and if there were no rules, the odds would lean seriously to Laura. Betsy knows this, but she also has the upside of being a psionic. It was interesting to meet a Betsy Braddock that combines parts of the three major "versions" of her from the printed Marvel'verse, and a few traits unique to her. A canon-lawyer won't like her, but... *blows a big, wet Bronx cheer at the canon-lawyers* There, how's that for a rebuttal. And I don't know if she'll get new eyes- people can talk to Forge about that.

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