"Normal speech"

"Thought"

A/N:

Disclaimer

1 d0 |\|07 0\/\/|\| 94|\|7Z…

100-Point Training

While his pursuers were steaming over their failure to get him, the Gantz team were delighted that DJ had returned. Of all their experiences, this was probably the most fearful, exhausting, and deadly of them all. Never before had they encountered something where the enemy dominated them so.

"Just… what were those guys?" Carlos asked.

"Even after all of that, I'm not sure… All I can say for sure is that they weren't human," DJ said.

"All I know is one thing… the only one of us that stood a chance back there… was DJ," Kristina surprisingly mentioned.

"Wait, what're you talkin' about!? I held my own just as well!" Justin stressed. "If I wasn't pulled outta there--,"

"You'd probably be dead," Kristina shut him down.

Justin crossed his arms. "Don't be stupid… You don't know how things would've turned out. You're just another person that's blindly jumping on the guy's bandwagon for some stupid reason or something."

"You're right. You might've done fairly well yourself," she agreed. "But I do know that, all alone, DJ managed to stay alive with all of them there while most of us could barely handle one…"

"That really is amazing. Me and Ana were just being slapped around so easily. How didyou manage to do it?" Madison asked.

DJ told them exactly what happened, and, "See…! He ran away!" Justin made clear.

"He was outnumbered…! It was the smart thing to do. He would've been an idiot if he stayed and tried to fight them all alone!" Madison defended.

Justin was about to try to oppose this, but Nicole told him to let it go and, shockingly, he did. She then went on to say, "I think what Kristina is tryin' to say is that, there's something that DJ's been doing that the rest of us haven't…"

"And what is that?" Justin sneered.

"He trains… He wears his suit almost everywhere, so he must be gettin' used to it and how it works. Some of us haven't been able to do that yet, so we could use some tips."

"What are you sayin'?" the blonde woman asked.

"Well… um, I'm sorry… What's your name?"

"Lauren," she answered.

"I'm Ralph," the other guy added.

"Well, Lauren, Ralph… we could use some special trainin'… We should make sure we're all in fightin' shape for the next mission. If it's anything like this one, a lot more of us may not make it back," Kristina finished.

The points were given out. In this mission, very few people managed to get any, but not through lack of trying…

Ca$h

13 pts.

Total: 27 pts., 73 to go

Officer Baldy

13 pts.

Total: 53 pts., 47 to go

Rookie

13 pts.

Total: 29 pts., 71 to go

Dr. Nic

13 pts.

Total: 25 pts., 75 to go

Hero-fool

15 pts.

Total: 43 pts., 57 to go

Booby Goddess

52 pts.

Total: 102

Gantz now displayed the 100 point menu…

Please choose an option:

You will go free, with your memory being erased.

You will be given a powerful weapon.

You will be able to revive someone.

Everyone was surprised to see that someone like Ana, who they figured wouldn't do very good in the beginning, if at all, had actually achieved what so few people could, 100 points. All eyes were now on her…

Madison couldn't help but feel a bit sad. "[Sniffle]… I know that this is supposed to be a good thing, but… [sniffle]… now I'm gonna have to come here alone because you're gonna pick option--,"

"Option 2," she said to the surprise of everyone.

"What are you doin', Ana…!? You had a chance to get outta this madness…! Why didn't you take the way out?!" Madison questioned.

"Because Dávid didn't," she responded.

DJ was in disbelief. "But that isn't--,"

"I didn't want to leave you or anyone else behind. Because of all of this, I got to meet you and the others… and I don't want to forget any of you. Especially," her eyes shifted and stayed on DJ…

"I get it," DJ stated. "I'd rather you, and the others return to your nice and peaceful lives, but… I guess I can't force you to do somethin' like that if you don't want to… I guess that means that there'll be someone watchin' my back for a good while then, right?" He crossed his arms and acted like he didn't care.

Ana smiled and pulled him into a hug. If it wasn't for the shade of his skin, a big bright blush would be seen on his cheeks. A sudden movement caused this moment to end as Nicole got up and headed to the back. Realizing that their mission for the day was over and they were free to go, everyone followed suit…

Before everyone left, Kristina mentioned that it would be a good idea for everyone to follow DJ's example, and Jonathan and Matthew's to a lesser extent. A training session at some point in the near future was even suggested.

"Fine… Where will it be?" DJ asked.

"How about your place…?" Kristina proposed.

"What!? We can't do that! My parents would find it suspicious that our house suddenly became a gym!"

"Then we'll have to think of some other place and time," Jonathan joined. "For now, let's head on home, and we'll keep in contact."

Everyone left after exchanging numbers, not everyone got other's, but they would be kept in the loop if need be. Lauren and Ralph, the two that were lucky enough to survive their first mission, got a chance to meet and greet the rest of the team that they would be working with. Although the circumstance was unusual, it was nice to actually meet new people.

Since everyone was taking their suits and weapons with them this time, Jonathan reminded them to keep them hidden and not to forget them the next time they came to the room. He mentioned the eerie chill that would take place, and, like usual, everyone parted and went their separate ways after leaving the building.

Ana, however, didn't seem like she wanted to go. She seemed torn about whether to go along with DJ and the others or go to her hotel. She was invited to stay whenever she pleased by his parents after all…

She fought the urge to run up and grab him. She wasn't sure if it would be alright with him, so she sent him a text message.

DJ heard his phone and checked it. When he saw the message, he reacted, "Is this for real!?"

He turned to see Ana still standing in front of the hotel. She said, "I stayed behind for a reason… So… what do you say?"

"Sure," DJ responded.

The next day…

DJ had just finished one of his very own secret training sessions. He returned home and, after making a pit stop to the restroom, he heard the television…

"… this tragic event. According to police, it's as though the victims were attacked by wild animals," DJ overheard a news report. The reporter continued, "In the area of Ulysses S. Grant Junior High School, no one seemed to have seen anything, but people have said that they heard horrible screams and eerie howls last night. At the moment, police have no leads on who, or what, may be responsible for such a thing…"

DJ thought back to the night before and how he and his friends had barely come back alive. "Just what was the deal with those guys…? They were nothing like what we'd encountered so far. If the caliber of our targets continues to get that bad, then that special training idea sounds like a pretty good idea right about now…"

All week long, the news covered the tragic events that took place at the Middle School. It was temporarily shut down while the investigation into the matter continued. It stayed in DJ's mind and he became anxious about when the special training would be decided. Everyone had to step up their game before it was too late.

Finally, that time had come. The team had agreed to gather at a local park late in the evening. This was perfect because all the parents and kids and other random people that were around earlier had or were returning home. At this point in the day, everyone was clearing out and very little, if any, people stuck around after dark.

With the place practically to themselves, the Gantz team was free to engage in their "special" training to get everyone 100-point abilities. Because they weren't certain when the next time they would be called to that room, it was decided that they would cover as many things as possible in this one weekend. Laid out, the agenda was warm-ups, hand-to-hand combat, utilizing the radar and invisibility, engaging the suits, weapon usage, and teamwork. They would take their time to ensure that they got it right, but they tried to do it quickly as well. If there were any problems, they would work on it, move on if they could, and come back to the problem areas later. They would do it any opportunity they could so that this random group of people could progress and become an elite team.

By the end of their first training session, most, if not all, were exhausted. Trying to utilize the new skills they hoped to acquire took a great deal of effort.

"If I knew it was gonna be like this… I would've… worn something… I didn't like," Madison huffed, looking at her torn and tattered clothes.

"How… do you do it, Deej?" Richard wheezed.

"Me…? I've got natural talent and some potential, but… you should be askin' Kris," he responded.

She was surprised to be praised by DJ so unexpectedly. Since they're encounter with the mysterious aliens, she was beginning to see him in a slightly new light, but just slightly. To his compliment, she returned, "I've trained my butt off to get in the condition I'm in, but, I'll admit… you really do have great potential…"

"What's with that? I thought that you couldn't stand him… Anyway, if anyone should be praised, it's me. I did just as good as he did… and so did that guy over there," Justin mentioned while pointing at Jayden.

She replied, "Of course you guys did very well too, but that's to be expected since you both have, most likely, been properly trained because of the sports you play…"

"DJ's a natural athlete with no special training. Any progress he's made, he's done on his own," Nicole cleared.

"Tch! Why don't you just marry him," Justin spit before leaving.

This hit a nerve, although she hid it fairly well. She gathered her things and prepared to leave as well. "If we're done here, then let's go."

As everyone got their things together, Ana pulled DJ to the side. She looked around and, before she could say what she wanted to say, Jonathan and Kristina complimented her on how well she did as well. She responded with a, "Thank you." When she got the chance, she asked DJ, "So, how's tomorrow for you?"

"Tomorrow…? Sure… but I wasn't expecting it to be so soon--,"

"Really…!?" she sounded excited. "I don't want to make you do something you don't want to, but… I'm really looking forward to it! I can't wait!"

She left him to finish getting ready, and they went their separate ways…

The next day…

DJ woke up and spent the whole day freaking out about what to wear. He had never been so good at picking out something nice that he looked good wearing and that he was comfortable with. Maybe he could put up with it since this was Ana. Things would be easier if he didn't need to wear anything at all…

"No, no, no…! I can't be thinkin' of that!" He paused to take a breather… "Craaa~p!!"

DJ wasn't the only one feeling anxious about the day's events. One minute, Ana would be floating on air from the excitement, and the next she felt like she was a sinking rock. Madison noticed her bizarre behavior and pried into it…

*****

It had been a slow day so far, and, since she didn't have to work today, Nicole was bored. She wasn't sure what to do. She thought about seeing what DJ was up to, but she still didn't feel comfortable with him. Every time she thought of him, she wanted to do something to take her mind off of him. Usually, when things got this way, she would do something she felt ashamed about with Justin. She would do that now if it wasn't for how he acted the night before. Because of this, she decided that it was time for a change of pace…

*****

DJ had finally gotten dressed. His style for this kind of occasion wasn't that great so he wasn't sure about his outfit, but he thought it looked nice enough. He had dressed in casual fashion.

He had been waiting when he noticed a car pull up. He grabbed his bag, with his suit inside, and headed outside after locking up and setting the alarm. As he approached the small SUV, he recognized the driver. He couldn't believe it. He got in behind the driver, greeted Ana, and asked, "What're you doin' here?"

"So that you guys can have a good time, I'll be your chauffer for today," Madison tipped her baseball cap.

"You just want to be nosy, don't you?"

She smiled at him through the rear-view mirror and backed out of the driveway. Whether he was ready or not, his evening began now.

It was an awkward car ride. The two would glance at the other then look away. DJ wanted to say something; he just didn't know what to talk about. He thought about asking her how she had been, but then he remembered that he had seen her the previous night.

While trying to think of a subject to talk about, he didn't realize that he was staring right at her for a good minute or two…

"Dávid… are you okay?" she asked out of concern. "You've been staring at me for a while…"

DJ snapped out of it and words just came out of his mouth, "Oh, I'm sorry, I was just… It's just… you look very nice. I can't believe that this is happenin'…"

"Oh come on… I'm sure you have girls all over you all the time," Madison chimed in.

"No… I don't," DJ flatly responded.

"I know that nothin' happened, but you're completely forgettin' the night we spent together. How mean…"

"Oh… I'm sorry, Madison," DJ apologized. He turned back to Ana, "Anyway… I really like what you're wearing."

Ana smiled and said, "Thank you… It took me a while to finally find something I thought was good to wear…"

Madison joined the conversation. "You should be thankful that I helped her. She had so many outfits she thought about wearing, that, if I hadn't stepped in, this wouldn't be happenin' until next year," she exaggerated.

Ana nervously chuckled, "A-anyway… This is what I picked to wear. I'm glad you like it."

"Yeah, you make it look good," he simply complimented.

From toe to head, Ana was wearing wooden wedge heel sandals, a knee-length blue jean skirt, a tight white tank top that showed plenty, but not too much cleavage, the necklace she had gotten from DJ as a gift, a blue ribbon around her neck as a choker, and her hair was straight as usual.

She happily accepted the compliment and tried to fight off a huge blush and smile from appearing on her face, but she couldn't. Seeing her smile brought a smile to DJ's face as well. So far, things were going rather smoothly…

*****

Since she didn't feel like being around many people, mainly guys, Nicole decided to pay Kristina a visit. Until later that night when the team gathered to train, she had no plans other than to lounge around all day. As long as Nicole didn't want to go out and do something, she didn't mind her coming by.

The two were sitting around her apartment when Nicole heard her phone ringing. Kristina watched her check to see who was calling and discard it. "Aren't you gonna answer it?" she asked.

"No… I don't really feel like it."

"Well… who was it?"

"Justin…"

"Justin…? Why is he callin' you?" Kristina wondered.

Nicole briefly thought it over. She then told her, "He's probably lookin' for a 'booty call'…"

Kristina was furious. "What…!? That pig…! I can't believe he thinks that he can just call you and get you into bed!"

"He kinda… can," Nicole said lightly.

"Excuse me," Kristina said, unsure of what she had heard.

"Well… I don't know if you know this, but… I have feelings for DJ…… I've tried to get rid of them, but I could only manage to bury them temporarily by sleepin' with Justin."

Kristina wasn't sure how to react. She knew that she hated Justin even more because he was taking advantage of Nicole, who was obviously hurt. All she could think of was to try and comfort her as best she could, but not in the same way as Justin, although she had thought about it. She could only embrace her in a friendly hug…

*****

Ana and DJ had arrived at a quaint little restaurant, nothing too fancy. They had already ordered their food and were now just waiting. He had to admit, he wasn't too good when it came to the opposite sex, especially when it was in this manner, but, like with Nicole, he was growing more comfortable with her.

While they waited for their food, Ana began asking DJ a series of questions. "You're 16, right…?"

"Yeah, but I'll be 17 by the end of the year." She asked him when his birthday was, and he answered, "December 31st… A little later and I would've been born on New Year's day," he smiled. "What about yours?"

"May 21st," she told him. "Thank you for my present," she caressed her necklace.

"Oh, d-don't mention it," DJ said, a little "bothered".

"So, your birthday is coming up quickly… Is there anything you want?"

An obvious answer popped into his head, but he buried it because he felt it would be a bit inappropriate. To her question, he responded, "Nothing comes to mind," he danced around her question.

Even though he gave a reply, Ana didn't really believe it. When she asked the question, she noticed that he focused on her and then shyly looked away. This got her thinking of a way to keep him constantly looking that "cute". She figured that it wouldn't hurt to tease him a bit in good nature…

*****

Nicole and Kristina now sat on the couch in front of the television. After a small moment of vulnerability, it had been a lazy day for the two. A sudden ring from her cellphone caused Nicole to jolt awoke and out of Kristina's arms. This woke her up as well.

Nicole answered the phone this time. On the other end was Carlos asking for a ride to the park. This got her attention. She had forgotten that the team was to meet for another training session. She reminded Kristina and the two were out the door in a hurry.

*****

Ana had fun playing with DJ. It was like she was putting him through her own personal training. At first, he stuttered any time he tried to respond to her, but, at some point in it all, he had seemed to gain some confidence and regain some composure. He was still flustered a great deal, but now he seemed more cool and collected.

Ana figured that there had been enough teasing, for now, and she asked, "What will you do after you graduate?"

"To be honest… I'm not very sure. School comes pretty easy to me, but… I'm not sure what I would be good at… well, other than, you know… But I'm not too worried about it because there are plenty of people that aren't sure what they want to do by the time they graduate…"

"Yes, it's alright if you don't know yet," Ana agreed. "I didn't and look how it turned out for me… But just to make sure… you don't plan on living off of me, do you?"

"No~," DJ shook his head. "I'm not the type that could sit home all day doin' nothin'… by myself at least…" Something thing came to him. "Wait a minute…! You asked that like I have that option… Just what are you sayin'?"

Ana gave him the look she had all evening when she teased him and stood from the table. She slightly glanced at DJ while saying, "I do like you quite a bit… but we'll just have to see how well things go from here." She left it at that and left the table.

They had finished their meal and had somewhere else to be. As they got back in their ride, an irritated Madison said, "Argh…! You guys took so long in there and didn't even bring me anything!" she raised her voice.

Ana and DJ apologized for forgetting about her sitting in the car. She was steaming, but she didn't want to ruin their day. She let them know that it wasn't a big deal, but they would be making a quick stop before they headed to the park.

They were nearly the last ones to arrive. Since they had a little time, Madison stayed in the car to finish her burger and fries. DJ looked for a place to change into his suit but didn't see anywhere suitable nearby. He turned around to get his bag, but, to his surprise, found Ana slipping off her panties.

He abruptly turned away and asked, "Wha-uh-… what are you doin'?"

She simply replied, "Changing into my suit…"

"In here…!? With me only inches away…!?"

She nodded and said, "Don't worry… I don't plan on you seeing anything good… Not yet anyway," she teased.

DJ's mouth gaped. He felt hot as he unknowingly watched Ana try to slip on her suit without showing him anything she wasn't comfortable with him seeing. She then snapped him back by suggesting he go on and change as well. This time, his temperature increased from nervousness. He didn't have the luxury of hiding anything of his under a skirt. Even if he tried to hide his front, his behind would be seen. Either way, he felt embarrassed that either could be seen, at least in this way.

Trying to keep his cool, he went along. He removed his shirt first and, to his surprise and satisfaction, found Ana watching him. When she smiled at him, he felt his confidence grow a little. It wasn't the only thing growing once she retaliated by removing her shirt.

She took both of their shirts and her skirt, after removing it, and made a curtain out of them in her window. She then turned her back to him, looked over her shoulder, and invitingly asked if he could help her with her bra.

"S-s-su… Yeah," he stammered. As he reached over and unhooked her bra, he thought, "I can't believe this is happenin'…!"

Ana then removed her bra and sat it beside herself. DJ was mesmerized. Her back looked so small. It looked even smaller since her breasts could be seen on both sides from behind.

Through the rear-view mirror, Madison looked on. At this point, she figured that DJ would do all he could to get a good look and feel of Ana's breasts. "Maybe he'll throw his shoe over there and pretend to have to get it… No, he'll find some kind of way to trip and fall on her… Maybe… he'll toss over his pants and then need to get his wallet… no better yet, his shirt over in the window…"

Madison thought that she had it all figured out. Normally, it'd upset her, as well as Ana, if someone went so far to inappropriately touch her, but Ana seemed comfortable enough to change clothes in front of him and let him unhook her bra. Maybe she could let it go this time. She found all of this interesting. She was intrigued and surprised when DJ turned away and continued undressing himself.

"What's with this kid?" Madison thought. Regardless of what she thought, she kept on watching as she finished her meal.

Ana finished dressing and turned to see DJ, with his back turned to her, pulling up his suit. "What a cute behind," she cutely commented, embarrassing DJ and causing him to nervously chuckle.

Nicole, as well as the others, noticed DJ and Ana stepping out of the small SUV with smiles on their faces. She had made up her mind that she was no longer going to stress over him and any other relationship he may have developed with anyone else. If he wanted to be with Ana, then good for him…

Finally, everyone had arrived and everyone was dressed to train. With this, they resumed their tough session from the night before…

The time came and went and, like the night before, many of the hunters were winded from the tough workout. Satisfied with what they had done, the hunters collected their things and headed home.

Later that night…

DJ had just gotten out of the bath, but he had been thinking about his time with Ana all night. He picked up his cellphone and checked the time. It didn't seem that late, but he still hoped that he wasn't calling at a bad time.

The phone rang a couple of times before it was answered. A bit startled, he cleared his throat to nervously say, "Hi, um… Ana… I was just callin' to say… that I had a really great time with you today, so--,"

"You want to do it again…!?" she jumped in.

"Ye-Yeah…"

"I'm so, [yawns], happy!" she exclaimed. "But I can't wait, so… do you think that we could go out tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow…?"

"[Yawns]… Yeah, after tomorrow, I'll be leaving for a few shoots that may take a while," she explained. "I don't want to move too fast with you, but I also don't want to go too slow…"

DJ thought it over, and, "I guess I could free myself up…" Ana sounded excited to hear it. He didn't seem as enthusiastic as she was, but he was just as excited. "Um…… Will Madison be coming too?"

*****

"Damn it…! I can't believe they all got away from us!" the fiery woman cursed. "They're so lucky because we were about to--!"

"Just let it go, Monday," Lyall interjected. "It wasn't all luck. That last guy, the one I marked as my own personal prey, possessed some real skill to keep from gettin' caught by us," he said as if he didn't really care.

Lyall and his group were lounging around a dank, dark bar. There were more people spread about the place so they sat in fairly close proximity of each other. Among their little group was the new face, the woman that had been waiting on the roof of the school. Like the brunette, Portia, this blonde, who goes by the name Phoebe, was average height for a woman, somewhere between 5'4" and 5'5", with an average frame, with the exception of having long legs and a more shapely body.

"It is rather disappointing, however," Lowell, the guy in the flat cap, said.

"And I was lookin' forward to eatin' 'em," the big country guy, Edwin, said. While rubbing his big belly, he then said, "At least we got a snack out of it."

"It still wasn't enough to satisfy me. I had a cravin' for that guy, DJ… Until I kill him, nothin'll hit the spot," Lyall stated with a serious look on his face.

"Then why aren't we the ones out searchin' for 'em?!!" Monday exploded. "Everyone else is out there lookin', but we're sittin' here doin' nothin'! At this rate, someone else'll get him before us!"

Once again, seeming uninterested, Lyall responded, "Everyone is out searchin' for him, but they'll report once they find him." He looked to see that that didn't sit well with her and went on to say, "Don't worry… we'll be out there trackin' that guy too. I won't let anyone steal my prey."