When Viktor stepped out of the change room, he saw Yuri practicing combination spins on the ice. He waited for Yuri to stop spinning before he made his presence known.
"Hey, sorry about that. Yurio is a bit hot-headed and has difficulties controlling his anger on most days."
"You don't need apologize for him. He is the way that he is." Yuri reached for the water bottle and took a big swig. "I'm not sure how any memory I may have of him could possibly change what I currently think of him…but given what's happened to me in the last week…I suppose anything is possible."
Viktor smiled wistfully at Yuri. Don't pass judgment on Yurio yet, Yuri. He cares about you a lot more than he shows. You didn't see him that night. One day, when you remember, I can tell you just how many people care deeply about you.
The two skaters hit the ice hard after that. Viktor was pleased to discover that, other than a slight loss of flexibility due to muscles and ligaments being wound a bit too tight, Yuri was in top form.
"How's your head? Is it bothering you at all?"
"Head's fine. I got through all my usual spins and spin sequences without feeling any dizzier than usual."
"That's great. Let's work on jumps, then. We'll start with doubles as a warm-up and then work our way into the 5 quad jumps."
When Viktor mentioned the five quad jumps, the young man didn't seem phased at all. Why isn't he saying something? When I first started training him, he could only land the toe loop consistently in competitions. He learned how to land the Salchow from Yurio, and by the Grand Prix final he had added the flip to his repertoire. Does this mean he can do them after all?
The doubles and triples went off without a hitch. Before they started on the quad jumps though, Yuri asked for a timeout.
"Hey Viktor, would you be able to show me all five quad jumps before I attempt them?"
Viktor was a bit surprised by the request but agreed.
"My quad Lutz isn't the best, you should probably have Chris show you that one. He's perfected it."
"Chris? Who's that?"
"Christophe Giacometti, the Swiss skater."
"Oh! You're friends with him?"
"Yeah, we've been competing head-to-head for quite some time. He's the only non-Russian skater I ever really got along with."
"Well, he's not around at the moment…so I guess I'll have to settle for the quad Lutz of a 5-time world gold-medalist." Yuri winked and smiled at Viktor.
Viktor placed a hand on each cheek as he blushed.
"Well, now I just have to show you the best quad Lutz possible. Yuri is counting on me after all!"
Yuri watched intently as Viktor went through all the quad jumps. He started off with the easiest one; the toe loop, and then worked his way through the loop, Salchow, flip and Lutz.
Yuri placed his fingers on his chin and skated around in lazy circles as he mentally processed everything he'd seen. Viktor skated off to grab a drink of water before returning to Yuri. He was a little sweaty and out of breath.
"Phew! That was a bit of a workout. It's been a while since I've had to do all 5 jumps in succession like that. I don't use the quad Lutz too often in competitions."
Yuri looked up at Viktor. "Oh, really? Why's that?"
"The quad flip is my 'signature jump' if you will. It's the one I have chosen to perfect to the point of being able to do it in my sleep."
Yuri nodded. "Hmm, I don't think I've got a jump like that. Something tells me the toe loop and Salchow don't give me a hard time. I also remember being able to do the quad flip by the GPF final.
"Ok Yuri, please show me your quad flip."
Yuri skated around and built up a bit of speed before he pivoted into the backward approach. He launched himself into the air and landed beautifully.
Viktor clapped as Yuri skated back up to him. "Well done, Yuri! Great execution!"
"Thanks. That went quite well, but for sure the Lutz will be a pain. It's nearly identical to the flip. Those edges are tricky."
Viktor took another swig of water and wiped his mouth with the back of his gloved hand. "Yeah, it's so easy to end up on the inside edge and turn it into a 'flutz'. Some skaters keep their free leg too high and end up mule kicking or toe hammering."
"That would help make the jumping part easier, but wouldn't it lower the jump height and give the skater less control in the air?"
Viktor nodded. "That's right, Yuri. Skaters with good Lutz technique don't fear taking off on the outside edge. They embrace it and actually deepen it as they take off."
"I see. Let me give it a shot, then."
Yuri's first attempt ended up in a flutz. His second attempt ended up in a fall.
Viktor sighed as he saw the familiar scene playing out in front of him. Yuri is overthinking things again.
"Yuri, you always fall on jumps when you're worrying too much about their mechanics."
Yuri ruffled his hair in frustration as he grunted. "Yeah...I know, I know. There's gotta be some way to make this a bit easier, though."
Viktor skated up to Yuri and placed a hand on each shoulder.
"Sure there is. You actually have a few options."
Yuri stopped turning his hair into a bird's nest and stared intently at Viktor. He pressed his palms together and brought them up to his forehead. He closed his eyes and bowed forward slightly.
"Please teach me, Viktor Kōchi!"
Viktor's eyes sparkled with delight at Yuri's request. He threw his arms around the younger man's shoulders and pulled him in for a big hug.
"Anything for you, Yuri!"
Once the two men had disentangled from each other, they headed over to the whiteboard at the end of the rink. Viktor grabbed a marker and began writing.
ONE: Spiral entry.
TWO: Associated step sequence.
THREE: Plyometric training
Viktor put the marker down and turned to Yuri.
"So, the first option would be to incorporate a high leg takeoff by going into the jump from a spiral. That would be one way to get used to the jump and get accustomed to taking off and landing on the outside edge. BUT, I worry that it would cause you to develop the bad habit of relying too much on the leg as a lever."
Yuri nodded. "Yeah, I don't think that would be a good idea."
"The best thing to do would be to associate the jump with a specific step sequence or move. Something along the lines of a mohawk or 3 turn, that ends on a back outside edge. That way it becomes muscle memory and much more natural."
Yuri stepped in closer to the whiteboard. "I get the feeling that that would be the wisest option, but what's plee-oh-metric training?"
"It's pronounced pleye-oh-metric. It's a special kind of training to increase jump height and develop explosive jump power. It also helps with speed and strength."
Yuri was immediately intrigued. "That sounds perfect for ice skaters! Why haven't I heard of it before?"
"Well, it's been around since the 1960s, but it's mostly been used by martial artists, American Football players and track and field athletes. Recently, it's trickled down into other sports like basketball and volleyball. Not many ice skaters are using it yet, but I know for a fact that Jean-Jacques Leroy incorporates plyometrics into his training schedule."
"Oooh, JJ! Really?! He is a jump-monster! He always has so many quads in his programs. I've always wondered how he was able to pull them off so easily…even though his stamina didn't seem to be that impressive."
"Well, now you know his secret."
Viktor asked Yuri to try a quad Lutz at the end of his first step sequence in Eros. On his first attempt, Yuri leaned too far forward on the landing and touched the ice as he spun out. On his second attempt, he landed a lot more cleanly, but still had to put a hand down on the ice. On his third attempt, he landed it with a slight wobble, but managed to stick the landing.
Yuri was ecstatic. "I did it!" He charged at Viktor and threw his arms around him. Then he surprised the older Russian by giving him a quick peck on the lips.
"Wow, Yuri! I am going to have to do more things for you if this is how you thank me afterward!"
Yuri blushed but didn't pull away.
"I'll be sure to thank you…properly…later." Yuri's face went a shade redder before he quickly pushed himself away from Viktor and scurried off the ice.
Viktor watched for a few seconds, dumbfounded, as Yuri skated away before he gave chase.
The two skaters put on their blade guards and went back to the change room. They changed out of their sweaty practice clothes and tucked into their snacks. Yuri noticed that Viktor kept checking his phone and messaging someone, but didn't want to seem nosy so he tried to ignore it. They left the Sports Champions Club and hopped back into Viktor's car. Right away, Yuri noticed that they were headed in a different direction from Viktor's home.
"Are we stopping somewhere before heading back to your home?"
"Yes, we're making a pit-stop somewhere special before we head back to our home."
"Where are we going?"
Viktor winked at Yuri. "It's a secret."
Yuri sighed in exasperation as he pouted. He crossed his arms and sulked while he stared out the window.
Viktor laughed at how cute Yuri looked when he was sulking. He better not have this face later after he meets the wigglebutt again!
Once Yuri realized where they were, he shot Viktor a perplexed look.
"Viktor, why are we back at the airport?"
"It's part of the secret…"
"Arrrgh!" Yuri threw his hands up in vexation and sank back into his seat. "I give up!"
Viktor parked the car at the edge of the lot near a grassy patch. He asked Yuri to stay in the car and promised to return as soon as he had the 'package' he came to collect.
Viktor left the engine running so that the car would stay heated for Yuri. He grabbed his 'blending in' kit from the trunk. It consisted of an oversized black beanie and sunglasses. He combed his hair back with his fingers before putting the beanie on. Excellent. Hair fully covered…check! Then he put on a pair of oversized black sunglasses. Feeling like he had sufficiently hidden his most recognizable features, Viktor hurried into the airport.
At first, Yuri tried to pass the time by browsing social media. Sadly, nothing really interesting was happening. Even the media interest surrounding his accident had died down quite a bit. I should make a press release of some sort tomorrow. I missed Japanese Nationals after all. The JSF will be expecting some kind of statement. The efforts from the day's practice the previous night's workout finally caught up with him and Yuri suddenly felt exhausted. The cozy warmth of the heated car was the last straw, and soon he had drifted off to sleep.
Viktor waited anxiously at the Aeroflot cargo facility counter. He had all of Makkachin's documents ready and had brought all the necessary forms. The clerk at the counter recognized him immediately once he took his sunglasses off.
-Hello, Mr. Nikiforov. Thank you for flying your pet with us again."-
Viktor smiled as he lied through his teeth. -No, thank you. I always get such efficient and courteous service from Aeroflot."-
The clerk checked and stamped all the forms, made copies of them and asked him to sign Makkachin's release papers. Then he disappeared behind a door. Five minutes later, Viktor had an extremely happy and excited standard poodle wriggling up a storm inside his travel carrier. He reached a couple of fingers in through the door and scratched his chin.
"Let's get outside quickly, Makkachin. You probably need to poop and pee. Also, Yuri is here to see you!" The dog stopped panting for a second and tilted its head to the side when it heard Viktor mention Yuri's name. "Oh! Good boy, Makkachin! You remember him! He hurt his head and can't remember you right now, so make sure to love him lots and lots until he can, OK?"
Makkachin's travel carrier thankfully had wheels at the bottom, and so Viktor was able to get through the throng of people quite quickly. Once he got close enough to the car, he opened the door to the travel carrier and watched Makkachin make a beeline for the grassy patch. The excitable standard poodle quickly went about his business and returned to Viktor's side once he was all done. Viktor reached into his coat pocket and took out a treat. Makkachin snarfed it down without a second thought. The Russian skater ruffled the fur at the top of the poodle's head before walking up to the car. He peeked in through the windshield and saw that Yuri was passed out in his seat.
He must be exhausted. Today's practice was a bit rough with all the jumping. Viktor looked down at Makkachin. "Let's wake Yuri up together!" Viktor opened the driver's side door and ushered Makkachin inside. He immediately went straight for Yuri and began licking his face.
Yuri was dreaming that someone was washing his face with a warm, wet towel. Why is someone cleaning my face? Did I forget to wash it today or something? Yuri slowly opened his eyes and saw a furry face and two black eyes staring back at him.
"V—Vi-Chan?!"
A long wet tongue slurped his face with such enthusiasm that it knocked his glasses off his face. His hands fumbled around on his lap until he was able to find them. He quickly put them back on his face and stared at the dog that was suddenly next to him in the car. Wait a minute…this isn't Vi-Chan…who is this? Yuri heard the sound of Viktor's laughter and turned his head to see him getting into the car next to him.
"Yuri, this is Makkachin. You've met before…but probably don't remember."
As Yuri stared into Makkachin's fluffy face, the memories started flooding in. He recalled the first day he got Vi-Chan and how he had shown him off to Yuuko-Chan at school. Vi-Chan had been a result of his apparent obsession with Viktor. The dog had even been named after him. He remembered that day after his short program when his parents had told him that Vi-Chan had died. Then he was back at Yu-Topia, getting bowled over by this same dog and thinking the exact same thing; that he was Vi-Chan. That was the day Viktor showed up to be my coach! I remember it now! Tears started streaming down Yuri's face as he stared unblinkingly at Makkachin's face.
A hand was suddenly on his shoulder, gently shaking him.
"Did you remember something, Yuri?"
Yuri nodded as he wiped the tears from his eyes.
"I'll tell you about it later." Yuri sniffled as he was overcome by a huge yawn. "Can we please just go home now? I'm exhausted."
"We sure can."
Yuri pulled Makkachin into his lap and started stroking his head. He rubbed behind the dog's ears and planted a kiss on top of his head. Makkachin repositioned himself a bit more comfortably on Yuri's lap and was soon comatose. Viktor took out his phone and snapped a picture.
"My life's two loves…together in one photo…this is just too perfect!"
"Viiiikkkkttoorrrrr!"
"Ok, Ok…I get it! We're going home now, I promise!"
The little red car pulled out of the parking lot and the two men headed back home with their new furry addition.