Back into action

by Advina

Having left his previous life behind, Bolt now lives a common life in company of his two best friends. However, the appearance of some new faces will change things and show Bolt, Mittens and Rhino that nothing is what it seems and that it is only the beginning of something bigger.

21. Training

Chapter 21: Training

"We're mates!" Mittens told the group as soon as everyone was paying attention. Rhino and Flor already knew, as for the others, reactions didn't wait. Soul's three students congratulated them, Kass didn't seemed surprised an merely bowed his head briefly, contrary to Alpha, Beta and Delta, who were all open-mouthed; Jonathan was a little surprised as well, while Peep got up and began to run happily around the two as he congratulated them over and over again.

Once congratulations were over, they all parted and began to prepare for some training, excepting Peep, who lay down and closed his eyes. Meanwhile, Penny was still concentrating while receiving instructions from Soul.

"Okay, now I want you to tell me what time it is."

"Um… okay. I think it must be…"

"Stop right there. I don't want you to make calculations. I want you to stop using your brain and start using your heart, stop thinking, start feeling. Now tell me what time it is."

"Nine thirty," Penny said almost immediately.

"Nine with fifteen. Now tell me what you would have told me if you had calculated."

"I was thinking about ten."

"And there's your difference. You are working very well for a first day. Give me a second, we'll try our priority."

Penny didn't understand at first, but seconds later Bolt came to her and sat. "Bolt's now going to tell you something, you'll try to tell me what he told you. Don't try with 'hello' or so, it's not likely that he'll tell you that. Feel the message, and what he wants to transmit to you."

"Okay," Penny answered, trying to understand what she had heard.

"Bolt, say something to Penny," Bolt barked once. "That'll do. Did you understand what he said?"

"Not one bit," Penny sighed. "I really want to believe this is possible, but I've been taught my whole life that it is not."

"Yes, I was there once. You'll have to unlearn what you know."

"Right," Bolt commented. "You haven't told us your past, Soul."

"That's a story for another time, Bolt."

"What did he say?"

"Nothing. Thanks, Bolt, you can go back with the rest. I'll go in a moment."

Bolt got up and left Penny with Soul once more. "Look, I know it's difficult to unlearn something you're too used to see, something you've believed your whole life. But it's not impossible… difficulty for this will be inversely proportional to the strength of your will. For now, take a break, you've been working more than one hour on this."

"Thanks, Soul." Then Penny sat on the bench, she had a slight pain in her head from the effort she had been putting on her activity.

In the meantime Mega and Byte were sparring; almost every time they did it ended up as a tie, for their forces were exactly the same but opposite, however, this time they were limited not to use any super abilities, in an attempt of staying hidden. Peep was still lying down, Kass was talking with Helang, and Jonathan with Rhino, Delta with Alpha, and Beta with Flor; Bolt was thinking, with Mittens at his side, both of them silent.

"Everyone, come here, let's see how good are your combat abilities." Everyone stopped whatever they were doing and formed a circle once more. "Bolt, come to the front please; Peep, you too."

"I don't think…"

"It's okay, Jonathan," Soul interrupted. "Byte knows how to heal deadly injuries in a matter of minutes. If anyone were to get hurt, she can take care of them. Mega can help, too."

Jonathan didn't seem to like the idea, but finally he sat down and said, "Alright."

Both dogs that Soul had called out stepped into the middle of the circle, the rest of them stepped back to give them more space. "Okay, this is simple. You just have to immobilize your opponent against the floor for three seconds, and that's it. No biting, try not to scratch, and without any special attacks. Whoever wins two out of three is the winner." Soul instructed.

Bolt didn't seem eager to attack Peep, after all, the little guy was innocent and pure, and that was just how he had earned everyone's hearts. When the shepherd turned to look at the half-bred dog, this last one had still his typical smile, but his eyes were different.

"Don't hold back… Bolt, I want to… learn… defend me's-self." He said with determination in his voice.

"Okay," Bolt agreed.

"Very well, you two, ready?" A couple of "yes" were heard. "Alright then, start!"

Peep immediately ran towards Bolt at an impressive speed, leaving everyone in awe. Bolt, who by then was again sunk in his thoughts, barely got time to react and avoid the lunge by moving to the side. Then he tried to counterattack by kicking Peep's side, but the little dog had already turned and blocked the kick with a paw, seconds before punching Bolt with the other, sending him to the floor. Peep then jumped on top of Bolt and kept him there until the three seconds had passed.

"Peep wins this round."

Peep got away from Bolt and let him get up. Mittens was the first one to be on his side. "Are you all right, Bolt? What happened?" She asked.

"Yes… I'm fine, Mittens," The dog answered before turning to see his opponent. "How did you do that?"

"Dunno," Peep answered as happily as always. "Ran as fast… as I could, and… punched… like that, too."

"I'll explain. This is what I wanted to show. Does anyone remember what Peep was doing after the first circle broke up?"

"He leaned on the floor and closed his eyes." Jonathan said.

"That's exactly what he did, Jonathan. But that was just for the eye to see. When Peep did so, he relaxed, he calmed his mind. Unconsciously, he began to absorb energy from his surroundings. When he began to pay attention to his actions, that extra energy was spent, giving him that speed, those reflexes and that strength; however, he didn't spend much time on it, so he probably already ran out of extra energy." Soul explained, and got a small silence for answer. "It is also true that someone has his head in the clouds right now. Bolt!"

The shepherd was startled by Soul's call, he was actually sunk in his thoughts again. "Wha-What's wrong?"

"What are you thinking about, Bolt? You've been like this since we finished talking."

"Well, I was thinking about what you said, Soul, the 'helping someone by not helping' thing. I didn't quite understand it; I don't feel it's the right thing to do."

There was a silence for a few seconds before Soul answered, "Then leave it. What I told you then was for you to understand why Mega did what he did; I don't intend to make you listen and do everything I tell you. Yes, it is a valid way of seeing things, there are those who practice it, such as myself, and sometimes you have no choice, but it's not the only valid one, nor you should practice it just because I do. Besides, I'm sure you're not the only one who didn't understand."

"True, I got why Mega did what he did, but not the rest." Rhino stated.

"Neither did me." Mittens added.

"Nor me."

"Same."

"More or less."

"What Peep said."

"See? And although the rest of them have understood what I meant, they wouldn't turn their backs on you if you were in trouble."

"True. I'm aware that it works like that sometimes, but I wouldn't let you sink on any trouble if I can help it."

"You said it, Kass."

"So just ignore it, Bolt. If you don't feel it right, then don't even bother thinking about it; follow the path you've taken so far and everything will turn out just well. After all, what must happen, will."

Bolt stayed silent for a moment or two. "Thanks, Soul."

"You're welcome. Now, can you continue? You still have two more rounds to go."

"What do you say, buddy?" Bolt asked Peep, whose smile just grew a little.

"Let's… do it."

"Very well. Give them some space, please." Everyone returned to their places. "Ready?"

"Yes."

"Sure."

"Go ahead!"

This time both started to run towards the other one. As Soul had said, Peep's speed was back to normal. When they were near the other, Peep jumped, aiming to fall on top of Bolt, but he slid on the grass to evade the half-bred. Bolt ended in Peep's side of the circle, and Peep on Bolt's. The small guy took the impulse to stand on his forepaws and try to scratch Bolt. However, before he got the chance, the shepherd threw himself directly at his opponent's chest, just the way he had done with the shadow and the Pitbull. Peep fell to the ground, and Bolt fell on top of him, keeping him from moving until the time was over.

"Bolt wins this round."

"Good… moves."

"Thanks, Peep, you did very well too."

"Can you both continue?" Both of them nodded. "Get ready, then." Both dogs took distance once more. "Ready?"

"Yes."

"Same."

"Go on!"

Once more, both ran towards the other. However, this time Peep stopped dead and took a step back once Bolt jumped towards him, making the shepherd miss and fall to the ground; then Peep began to try and jump over him, while Bolt spun while on the floor, avoiding Peep's attacks. The half-bred got tired eventually, giving Bolt enough time to get up. With both of them standing again, they got face to face, stood up on their forepaws and began scratching each other.

Slowly the wounds on both bodies began to multiply, and neither was willing to give it up. Finally Peep got back on all fours, causing Bolt to fail on his next attack and then hit him head-on, sending Bolt to the ground once more. However, when Peep jumped towards Bolt, he took advantage of that impulse and turned Peep around. Bolt ended up on top of Peep.

"Bolt wins!"

Bolt got off Peep and helped him get up, then shook a paw with him. "Well done," He said.

"Same."

Then Peep went with Byte to get his wounds attended, while Bolt went with Mega. Jonathan was waiting for Peep.

"It was amazing, buddy. How do you feel?"

"I'm… fine, John. Thanks… for asking." Peep answered with a smile as Byte placed a paw over his wounds. "It was fun."

"Of course it was, besides it is important that you know to defend yourself." The she-wolf added.

Meanwhile, Bolt was talking to Mega. "Really, where do you get those moves from?"

"I don't know, it just… came to me, the idea of turning with his own strength."

"Bolt!" Mittens ran up to him and hugged him, gesture that the dog returned.

"How was I?" He asked.

"Just like a super dog." She replied with a smile.

Once they were both recovered, the circle formed once more.

"Okay, between siblings now. Alpha, Delta, please come forward." Both of them got in the middle and stood face to face, no more than three feet away. "Same rules, two out of three and leave your opponent pinned to the ground; don't bite and try not to scratch as much as the last two did. Ready?"

"Yes," Both of them answered at the same time.

"Okay, then… Go!"

Alpha immediately charged towards her brother at full speed. Delta, however, just moved to one side to avoid her attack, and she passed by. When she tried once more to do her attack and ram Delta, he dodged again, but this time she ended up crashing against a tree. Alpha was stunned by the crash, and Delta just pushed her a little for her to fall down.

"Delta wins." Soul announced. "Can you continue?"

"I really doubt it. She hit her head very hard. If she had rammed me instead of the tree, I'd probably be lying on the floor right now." Delta commented while looking at his sister, who was still on the floor.

Byte got to where they were and placed Alpha on her back. "Give me a few minutes to heal her." She said as she got away a little.

"Okay, with one accident is enough. Anyone else want to give it a try?"

For a few seconds nobody spoke. Finally Kass stood up and said, "I'll do it."

"I want to," Jonathan said almost at the same time.

"Oh, great. Kass and Jonathan, this is going to be good." Rhino commented to nobody in particular.

"Please, step inside the circle. You know the rules; no bites, don't overdo it with the scratches." Both nodded and stood firm, looking at the opponent. "Begin."

Unlike the previous combats, neither of them ran towards the other. Both stood in their places, watching the moves of the other one, analyzing everything. Kass moved first, swiftly climbing a tree and moving in between the branches; Jonathan just followed him with his eyes. The spectators couldn't say the same, for the cat had disappeared from their view. Was he standing still somewhere? Or moving without making noise? They couldn't tell, only Jonathan kept moving his eyes as if he knew exactly where the cat was.

Suddenly, the dog jumped back, just before Kass fell at full speed, claws extended, over the spot where Jonathan had been. He took advantage of that second and rammed the cat, who couldn't dodge him. Instead, Kass sunk his claws in Jonathan's chest for a second or two, before letting go and running towards a tree once more. Before the dog could take his time to locate him, the cat fell on his back and began to scratch repeatedly. Jonathan stayed for some seconds like that until he had an idea. He threw himself backwards, landing on his back and crushing the poor cat with all of his weight, but sticking the cat's claws deeper into his skin.

A howl of pain and a drowned meow were heard at the same time, before Jonathan stood up again, with Kass' claws still nailed to his back. By then both of them looked tired, but didn't stop fighting. Kass quickly let go of Jonathan and ran for a tree once more, but this time the Alaskan malamute grabbed the cat by the tail and threw him against the floor. Before he could immobilize Kass, however, the cat kicked one of Jonathan's front legs and ran away passing under his stomach, not without punching it.

Jonathan recovered as fast as he could, but by the time he turned around, Kass was already falling on his back again with his claws out; however this time, when Jonathan threw himself backwards, Kass let go of him and slipped in between his hind legs, then swiftly gave the Alaskan malamute a head butt in the stomach, throwing him backwards to the floor. Kass quickly got on top of him and punched his stomach, not stopping once until the three seconds had passed.

"Kass wins! And it was a great fight… I think it's fair to say there won't be a second round, you're both injured."

Kass got off Jonathan and helped him to his paws. "You are certainly strong, no wonder you had a reputation out there," The Alaskan malamute said.

"Don't mention it; you're the strongest opponent I've faced. Something good came out of those hunting days, huh?"

Mega and Byte approached the two of them to heal their wounds, but there were too many. "Let me help you there." Soul offered. A small air flow became present, moving everyone's fur. When it left, both Kass and Jonathan were totally healed.

"Thanks, Soul" They said in unison.

"You're welcome. I think that was enough for today, unless someone else wants to participate." A silence. "Okay, you can relax now, play, anything. I'll be back soon, if you need me."

Before anything else happened, Bolt's stomach roared, catching everyone's attention.

"I think someone's hungry," Mittens said to him in a flirtatious tone.

Bolt couldn't help blushing at the comment. "Y-Yes, I think so."

"Maybe Penny brought some food with her."

"Maybe, Rhino, remember that she packed a lot of things before we left." Flor reminded them.

"True, let's go and check. You guys coming?"

"Yes… I go… for food."

"Peep's going, so am I." Jonathan added.

"I'll go, too, besides, I reminded you that Penny could've brought food."

"We'll stay here," Beta commented. "Penny doesn't know us."

"Same for us. Besides, seeing just two wolves walk around in the park may cause… a little trouble." Mega added.

"Okay, guys." Rhino then beckoned Peep to bend his head so he could climb on top of it. "We won't be long."

The group that had gone out with Penny that morning returned to her. The girl was still on the bench, although her head didn't hurt anymore, she was still tired from what she had been doing. When she saw everyone coming back, imagining what they could be looking for, she took something out of her backpack. "Alright everyone, if you're hungry, there's food here."

As soon as the girl left the food within reach, everyone but Jonathan started to eat. The Alaskan malamute sat down besides the bench and stared into nothing in particular.

"Could you do me a favor, John?" Penny asked him, getting his attention. "Could you tell me something?"

"I guess so," The dog answered and then thought for a moment. "This park is beautiful."

Penny said nothing for several seconds. "No, I don't understand yet. I guess I'll have to work with it daily if I want any real progress soon."

Jonathan turned to Penny's pets. "What's she talking about?"

Rhino finished chewing a piece and swallowed. "Soul said that Penny was going to participate too, so she has to learn to talk to us to make it easier."

"I see," He answered as he lay back to wait for the others to finish.

Twenty minutes later there were no traces of food left and they were all heading back with the rest of the group. When they arrived they saw Soul's kids lying down, two on the ground and one on a branch, with their eyes closed; the Labrador retrievers were talking to each other. Rhino, when he saw the wolves lying, tried to approach Mega, but being a couple of inches away from him something stopped him; the hamster had hit something that was around the wolf.

"Energy shield," Mega said without even opening his eyes. "It will protect you from all contact while active, like the one master used when he fought the shadow squadron that was after Penny."

"Be-awesome, could you show me how to?"

"Step one, relax. Come, lie down and close your eyes. Stop thinking about anything, empty your mind." Mega instructed, and Rhino did as he was told.

Flor was nearby them and saw all of it. "May I accompany you?"

"Sure, Flor," Mega answered, his eyes still closed.

Rhino and Flor joined the practice that Soul's kids were doing. Bolt, Mittens, Jonathan and Peep approached the siblings.

"Hi, guys."

"Hi there."

Another circle formed as Jonathan asked, "Where's Kass?"

"After you guys left he climbed a tree and we lost sight of him." Alpha answered, with some dismay in her voice.

Somebody noticed her tone. "Are you… good?"

The Labrador forced a smile. "Yes, I'm fine."

Peep approached Alpha. "Not true…" He said, "Something happened to you. What?"

Alpha stood up. "Do you mind if I talk to him in private?"

"Not at all, but don't stray too far from here." Jonathan answered.

"Thanks."

Alpha and Peep got a little separated from the circle. "What's the matter?" Bolt asked to her siblings.

"I'm not entirely sure, but I think it has to do with two things. First, she doesn't like to remember out past, she feels guilty that she couldn't take care of us when she is the oldest. The other one, I think, has to do with the combat training results."

"But I lost, too, and so did Peep."

"But not like that. Peep lost in round three, and you fought an incredible fight against Kass, being both awesome strategists."

"Oh, now I see."

"The reason why she goes around reminding me all the time that she is the oldest is to try and hide… or amend perhaps, the things that happened. She has tried to take the lead so many times, but generally I end up taking care of her." Delta stated.

"And why would she want to talk with Peep?"

"Maybe because he was the first of you guys to notice. I think we should let them talk." Delta closed his eyes. "According to dad and aunt Byte, closing your eyes and relaxing helps a lot with this crazy stuff; I guess I'll give it a shot."

Beta imitated her brother, as did Jonathan; before Bolt could, Mittens asked him with a touch to pull away from them to talk a little.

"Bolt?"

"Yes?"

She was silent for a few seconds. "What… what do you think about all this?"

Bolt was surprised by that question. "Why that question?"

"It's just…" She laid her head on his chest. "I'm just worried about what's going to happen. I'm worried that they could get hurt, or that something could happen to you."

The shepherd thought on her words for a moment. "I think they all know what they're getting into. Considering that they heard everything we had and stayed around… well, it would only be a matter of training and improving."

"But I'm not comfortable with this; you would be willing to protect me, right?" Bolt nodded immediately. "But… but if it were the other way around… I could never protect you, I don't even have claws." Mittens said as she lowered her head. "And I don't know what I would do if anything happened to you." Unable to help it, some tears began to fall from her eyes.

Once more, Bolt had no words to reassure Mittens. He kept thinking about a minute until he got an idea.

"I don't know what to say to make you feel better, Mittens; maybe she could help us."

"She?" The cat asked disconcertedly, turning to meet his eyes.

"She," Bolt repeated. "She has always helped me. Whenever I find something of the real world that I don't yet understand, she explains it to me. Whenever I feel down, she stays beside me to make me happy. I met her on a rather… aggressive way, but it was only a misunderstanding. With time, we grew fond on each other, and she took me out of a false life and gave me a real one. I know I can count on her, and I hope she knows she can count on me. She gave joy to my life." Bolt then noticed that Mittens was starting to smile. "And she is my first and only love, with her black fur and beautiful green eyes. Do you know her?" He asked playing.

The cat's smile now wouldn't disappear. "And… what would she do in such a situation?"

The dog smiled as well. "I don't know. I was just about to ask her."

Mittens was silent for a few seconds, and then rested her head on Bolt's chest again. "She says that she has to think about it."

Bolt rested his head on top of Mittens'. "Tell her to consider the possibility of her being a pillar. Or, in any case, that everything will be fine…"

"Even when it's not."

"Kass would say so." Bolt said before they both closed their eyes and snuggled up together.

---

Hi there guys, this was it for chapter 21. Next one will be in two weeks, and it'll be the last one with the day in the park. Once more, thanks for supporting me, thanks for having me patience, and stay tuned, 'cause the best is yet to come. Special thanks to Basbon, who is still supporting and leaving his comment on every chapter so far, and thanks everyone for reading. See you in a couple of weeks, nos vemos luego!