"Bro, must feel so bad getting the weak one!"

10:15 pm 21/08/2019

"Hmm, seems quite obvious that we should be partners, Steler, would you not agree?" Brian states as we all look at each other.

"I agree, that would make sense, how about you two? You don't seem to know anyone here Galaxy, and Shade needs a partner" Steler points out

"Yeah, I guess that works," I agree as Shade just nods. Brian and Steler walk away from us a little to give both us and them space to work as Shade turns around to face me, seeming a little intimidated. "Alright, are you ready Shade?" I ask as he nods again and says in a calm higher-pitched voice, similar to Barry Gibb from Bee Gees when he sings.

"I guess I'm just nervous, that's all" He shakes a little then continues "I don't do too well in crowds"

I bend down to his level "Look, if it makes you feel better, we can just take things slow, don't want to try overdoing it only for you to make things worse" I try to comfort him. He nods and we get into the same positions that everyone else has gotten into, with Splinter still on the stage.

He begins by telling us that while all Pokemon have Auras, not all Auras are created equal. Some Zoruas will have a much easier time controlling and mastering their Auras, and thus their illusions. He starts us off by doing some breathing exercises, making sure our heart rates are normal before we start the illusions.

"Now, the first thing to know with illusions, is that a steady flow of Aura must be maintained to keep the illusions going, so controlling your Aura is imperative to the success of an illusion, so, I need you all to close your eyes, find the flow of energy within your very being, and draw upon it. Humans, your job here is to observe, since you will not currently have any Aura that you can tap into, as far as we know." I keep a close eye on Shade as he slowly breathes in and out. "Clear your minds, similar to how you would when you meditate, and just focus on your breathing, and your Aura"

I notice that Shade's breathing begins to speed up, his face beginning to scrunch up as if he is in pain, before losing all focus and opening his eyes. I rush over to him as I see a few of the Humans look over with either smug or mocking expressions, with a couple of Zoruas doing the same. "Are you alright?" I ask as he shakes his head and starts to tear up.

"I-I can't do it" He states. I give a confused but concerned look as he rephrases "It's too much, I can't handle…" He trails off. I try to ask what he means when he jumps past me and runs out the door. I look to Brian and Steler who both seem very concerned as well. I run out after him, going out the door and looking around

'Where could he have gone?' I think as I look around frantically, before hearing faint crying from behind one of the cars across from the barn. I walk over to investigate when the crying stops and Shade steps out, still tears in his eyes.

"S-Sorry, I just have some… bad memories, that I remembered when I was concentrating" He states, seeming to be less teary-eyed.

"Do you think you'll be able to continue? I don't want to push you if you aren't up for it?" I reply, trying to sound as sincere as I can. He nods, as we both head back inside and back to our spots, Brian and Steler seeming glad Shade's ok.

11:25 pm 21/08/2019

We spend the next hour or so trying to get his breathing and concentration under control as much as we can. Over that time, Shade has a couple more crying fits as quite a few of the groups start laughing, one even stating "Bro, must feel so bad getting the weak one!" as the groups around him start laughing. "We've already created small illusions, and what has he done? Nothing but cry and run away, only for you to have to drag him back in," another one says. I look around the room as I see most of them walking out the back door.

I sigh as I look over to Shade, who is still a little shaky but is getting the hang of it. I put my hand on his shoulder as Splinter comes over to us. "I'm terribly sorry about all of them, some people can be quite harsh around those that don't learn techniques as easy as they do," Splinter apologizes as we both look at each other.

"Yeah, I've had my fair share of issues with people laughing at me for, not learning the same way they do, since I'm dyslexic," I reply. We spend the next 20 minutes talking about how Shade can improve his confidence and try to push beyond his past and fears, then he keeps trying to create an illusion.

11:45 pm 21/08/2019

Many tries, many fails, but no loss of determination, that's what the last 20 minutes have involved. "Alright, now try again, focus, and imagine a small orb in the middle of your paws" Splinter encourages. We begin to see a small, black orb form in his paws.

"Finally, we are beginning to see some progre- Oh shit, are you ok!?" I ask as I run over to where Shade has landed. The orb that was forming in his paws just backfired and caused Shade to be launched backward into a stack of hay bales.

"Y-Yeah, I'm ok I guess," he replies

We notice as some of the groups have begun coming back into the barn, several looking and pointing at Shade, some giggling and laughing, others making mocking gestures.

"Alright, calm down everyone, just because he hasn't got it yet, doesn't mean he's weak or useless, he may just find the basics hard but then be a natural at the harder stuff" Splinter states, looking back at Shade with confidence.

Shade stands back up and walks back to his spot, not paying much attention to the mocking cries of the others in the barn. He begins to focus again, breathing in and out slowly, as a new orb grows in his paws, but this time it isn't black, it's red. The orb slowly begins to stop growing as Shade keeps focusing on it. It then begins to change colors slowly, going from red to orange, then yellow to green, then blue to purple, and back to red before blinking out of existence again. Shade sighs "Why am I finding this so hard? I've done everything you've told me to do, but I still can't even create a simple orb that doesn't immediately vanish"

I bend down to Shade's level "Look, rarely you have some people that cannot do even the basics, others find the basics easy, but can never do more than that, some find both the basics and more advanced stuff easy, but those that find the basics hard, but persevere through it all, can become the best at it!"

"So what you're saying is while there's a small chance that I may never learn it, there's a chance that I could have a lot of potential?" Shade asks, seeming hopeful. I nod as he gets a new look of determination, and we continue.

12:37 pm 22/08/2019

A small light begins to shine in Shade's paws again, forming into the shape of a small orb, no bigger than my hand. It slowly grows bigger, until it becomes the size of a bowling ball, then stops as Shade opens his eyes, a look of excitement/relief on his face.

"I did it! I actually did it!" Both Splinter and I congratulate Shade as the rest of the barn begins to snicker again. I look to Splinter for help as he walks over to the large crowd.

"Honestly, is this any way to act? Most of you are adults but you're acting like you have the mentality of a typical schoolyard bully, so grow up!" He walks back to us as everyone in the room has just grown silent aside from Shade, who was trying once again to make another orb, still feeling that he needed the practice. After around 20 minutes and successfully making 2 more orbs that were stable, Shade is looking very confident with his progress.

"Alright, now it's time for you two to complete the course, after that it will likely be too late to do anything else, so we'll get you to head to bed, sound good?" We both nod as Splinter escorts us outside and into a large field that is filled with what appears to be a Military training course. "This obstacle course will test not only your own ability but also your ability to work together to reach a common goal. Now, you two are the pair that knows each other the least, so my expectations are less here than for anyone else, but I still expect you to try your best!" We both nod as we walk over to our designated spots since we will be taking different courses.

"Now, let me walk you both through the course," Splinter begins to explain "you both have 4 sections to complete, making 8 total." He takes out an iPad that has a layout map, with each section being color-coded to show who has each part "Now, this course was originally meant to be a military boot camp course, which is why it has some more... advanced technology."

He then presses a button on the iPad, which makes the entire course light up. "We'll start with the Human side, which is Galaxy, who will go through the first part of the course as normal, from there you will be shown a control panel with 3 buttons." Splinter shows us an image of one of these control panels.

"After that, we will have the Elemental, being Shade, go through his first section. Shade will come across a wall that will be coded with a color pattern that he must convey to Galaxy, who will then need to press the buttons in that order. It will get harder as you go through the course but that is the gist of it. Now the last 2 will have a few points where you'll need to enter the codes, each having separate codes, and on the fly, as you will not be able to stop at any point during that section, either due to you needing balance or being chased by something."

Both Shade and I look to each other, worried about the trial we will have to face, and what is in store for us beyond the course.