Author's note: Sorry that it has been forever since the last update, and that this one is so short! I'm so busy nowadays so I don't have much time or energy to write! And I have another computer now which doesn't have a real program to write in so I have to keep writing in WordPad which drives me crazy. Doesn't have as much functions and feels less flexible than I'm used to. I miss Office Word ;n;

Anyway, I hope you won't have to wait way too long for the next chapter. I really don't want to stop with this story and I have several things I want to write but I have to reach that point in the story first. Just suddenly jumping to it doesn't feel right and will probably mess up the pace of the story. But what I really wanted to say is that I don't want to give up this story just yet!

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters.

Chapter 13: Teamwork

"Too obvious and too slow!" Falspar mocked as he sidestepped an attack from Jecra, who in the process lost his balance and tumbled forward a few meters to end with a groan. "Good try, blueberry, but too much ferocity!" he said as he blocked an attack from Meta Knight, who had hoped to catch him off guard while the green batamon was focused on Jecra. Even after more than a week's training they still hadn't managed to defeat Falspar and they were both bruised as well as annoyed at all the taunts he normally flung at them. With a surprisingly fast and strong movement pushed Meta Knight backwards before suddenly stepping aside as Jecra lunged at him from behind, only to crash into the blue batamon. Falspar gave out a laugh as the two recruits struggled to get up with any dignity they had left. But suddenly his face turned grim.

"It has been over a week now, newbies. Haven't ya learned anything?" he scolded them as they both managed to get up and he gave them a rather stern look that caught them off guard as they both viewed Falspar as the non-serious type. While Meta Knight usually was the calm of the two, he let out a frustrated growl that was only loud enough for Jecra to pick up and actually earned him a questioning look from said recruit.

"Sir, we have been training all we can to get better. What are you trying to teach us? So far it seems you have only given us bruises and taunts-" Meta Knight began to say but before he could go any further both he and Jecra received a smack on the top of their heads from Falspar's wooden training sword, which returned an angered 'hey' from both recruits. Falspar shook his head at them with a sigh and then shot them both a stern look.

"Nope, ya haven't learned at all! Seems like I have spent the whole week training ya for nothing!" he kept scolding them and started tapping one of his feet while doing so. "Ya both don't know one of the most important things about being in the army! What kind of army would we be without it?"

"Sir, with all due respect, could you please tell us what you are talking about instead of… rambling in that manner. We don't understand" Meta Knight said, this time in a softer tone so they wouldn't earn themselves another smack on their heads but Jecra looked like he was braising himself for another smack just in case. The green batamon said nothing for a few moments. He seemed to only look at them closely, as if searching for something. Instead of the cocky batamon they normally knew him as, he suddenly seemed wiser than ever and with a look in his eyes that said that he had experienced a lot in life.

"Do ya guys remember your first big battle? The one against the Heavy Lobster? Well, of course you do! But what is the difference between ya battling me and battling it?" he asked them at last.

"Um... You're small and green and on our side, while that thing is a gigantic mechanical monster on the enemy's side which can shoot flamethrowers and laser beams and doesn't hesitate to run you over?" Jecra suggested, but his words earned him another smack on the head while Falspar muttered something under his breath that sounded like "Watch your mouth." Meta Knight seemed to be spared of this treatment as he visibly was thinking back to that battle with the Heavy Lobster. What was different? What was the difference between fighting Falspar and fighting the demon beast? As Jecra badly put it, it wasn't because of the obvious differences in appearance and ways of attacking as well as which side they were on.

"Come on guys, think! What is different? Isn't there at least something ya can point out?" Falspar said after a short while of waiting for a response. The two recruits shook their heads in fear that they would be whacked again if responding wrongly. Falspar let out a sigh. "Seriously, it hasn't been that long ago since that battle so ya can't have forgotten everything!" Then he shook his head. "But perhaps it's time to give you some hints. Or else we won't get anywhere." He held up one finger. "First of all. How many of us were fighting the monster at first?" Meta Knight and Jecra easily answered "four", so Falspar nodded and held up a second finger. "Good. And why were we four people to fight that tin-can?"

"Because… none of us could take it down on our own" Meta Knight said after a few moments of trying to think about what Falspar was trying to point out. As he said that, he vaguely remembered Falspar saying something alike back then as they all were about to fight the monster. The green batamon nodded and a very faint smile was starting to play on his lips, not that they could see it beneath his mask. It seemed like Meta Knight was on the right way now. 'What could Falspar possible be talking about? It must be something simple but crucial.' Meta Knight closed his eyes in thought. 'Back then we were four warriors against the Heavy Lobster. Galacta Knight was circulating above it while we others were standing on different sides.. Jecra managed to damage its leg which gave me the opportunity to do a fatal blow to the monster.' Suddenly it hit him, it was now so obvious that he almost wanted to face palm. He almost felt a bit ashamed of not thinking about it directly when it was so simple. Perhaps it was his aching muscles and irritation with Falspar that caused him to not think as clearly as he usually did. Yes, that's probably why. "Teamwork" he said at last. Then Falspar gave out a laugh and clapped his hands.

"That's right, blueberry, teamwork! Seems like our new recruits ain't that stupid after all!" he laughed, which earned him an irritated glare from both Jecra and Meta Knight. The blue batamon wasn't fond of being called a blueberry, or stupid for the matter. "Teamwork is one of the most important things in our army. While we have many brave and strong warriors here, none of them can take down all the demon beasts by themselves. We all need to work together to survive in this war and to emerge victorious." This time Falspar sounded more serious and wiser than they had ever seen him. The green batamon paused for a few seconds, as if he was thinking about old memories. Meta Knight nor Jecra could figure out what he was thinking about but the look in his eyes reminded them that this soldier had been in the army for a while and surely experienced everything war brings with it. "Haven't you noticed yourself how less successful you are with beating me as when you were up against the Heavy Lobster? I'm not even as big as one of its claws so you can't really say that you're less successful because you are fewer, and I dare you to say that you are going easy on me! So -" He tapped his training sword against the floor a few times. "- time to get serious. While you're training with me you gonna learn how to work together. When you can function together we will focus on more individual training. Instances where you will be alone against an enemy might arise and as a soldier you also have to be somewhat independent in battle. You did well on both parts in your first battle but you need to be aware of the risks of fighting an enemy on your own and as a team. So the coming weeks we will focus on teamwork and then individual training. Ya got that?"