Before we start this chapter off, I'd like to make a recommendation. Go read For What It's Worth by clarissa620. It had me interested by the summary and y'all know about my obsession with wolves in this story? I was originally gonna try to put in actual dogs or wolves into this story, but I didn't know how it would work within the universe, so I scraped the idea. In my opinion, that story introduces it so beautifully that it's became an addiction and I NEED to know more.
Bulldozer stepped forward. "Today as you all know is when we start fighting. First, you will all fight someone who we think will match your level so we can see where you're all at and then, because I'm curious, I'm gonna set each of you put against one of us." Most of the trainees simply blinked as the words registered in their minds, but for those that caught on quicker, they shot Issy a desperate look, pleading her to step in. "So, first pairing, Milo and Soren!"
To Issy, it was weird to watch her trainees be partnered up and fight in the ring. Honestly, she was having difficulty analysis and grade each pair separately during the fights and Issy couldn't been to say how thankful she was to have the rest of her squadron with her and watching them too. Did Eric and Four struggle with this too during initiation or did they each watch one initiate and then discuss each fight after training?
Hector, being the smart cookie of the day, was recording all of the fights on his phone so that they could look at them all again when the squadron meets up in the common room after dinner later that day.
Some of the fights dragged, whereas others were over in a couple of minutes. The first fight, Milo vs Soren, dragged for longer than Issy reckoned it would. Sure, both guys were currently on level with each other of first but neither of them was willing to go down easily. Bulldozer called the fight to a draw as neither was gaining the upper hand. The next fight was between Robyn and Hannah, one that ended quite quickly with some well-placed punches from Hannah and Robyn went down. It surprised Issy more than she was willing to let on outside of her mask of indifference, after all, Issy was the one to push the younger woman into this career. As expected, Kale won his fight against Tommy, followed by Vera winning against Leo. Leo was acting far too cocking during the match and lost because of it, which was a shame to see.
For the next fight, Issy didn't know what she was going to see. Elliot was versing Emmett. From the files that Issy had received from Harrison, she knew that Elliot was ranked high during his initiation and the basic squadron training, he was also beginning to rank high in her program. Emmett however, ranked ninth in initiation and thirty second in squadron training. Though from what she's realised these past two days, Emmett has been not really trying at the activities that has been set, having been distracted by making comments towards others or seeing if he can get a rise out of anyone, ignoring the orders from her squaddies to get back to work. It felt like Emmett was hiding something and that thought made her cautious… Elliot was strong and swift when punching but Emmett was quicker at dodging but throwing no punches of his own. The fight finally ended when Elliot sent a fake hit to Emmett's side before quickly pulling it back and sending a nasty right hook that hit. Emmett hit the ground as Elliot staggered back.
As there is eleven of them, Bulldozer asked for volunteers from the winners to fight against Lani. Hannah stepped up, not having been worn out at all from her fight against Robyn. Issy watched through narrowed eyes as Lani stepped up to the mat. There was a slight shake to Lani's limbs, making Hannah smirk. Hannah struck out first, only for her to stagger, glancing around to locate Lani. That's better, Issy thought as she watched Lani dance around the mat, successfully pissing Hannah off but also wearing her out as well. The timid look of a rabbit didn't look well on the small wolf. When Hannah's back was turned, staggering from another attack that Lani evaded, Lani started throwing her own punches. She was vicious in her strikes but swift enough to get out of Hannah's reach in time. It was beginning to be the longest fight that day so far and Hannah had yet to land a hit. Hannah was losing her temper and Lani was gaining ground, a wicked grin of teeth fixed on her face. During the fight Bulldozer came up to Issy, unsure of whether or not he should call a draw. The fight was going on for too long and they had other shit that they needed to be doing today. Before Issy could make her decision, Hannah's body hit the mat with Lani standing over her. Issy wasn't quite sure how the fight ended, and she shared a look with Bulldozer, who shrugged, striding forward to instruct the class on their next task.
xXx
Issy sighed as she looked down at all of her notes about the trainees on the table in the squad's common room. It was dinner and the takeout boxes had long gone cold as the rest of the squadron sat back in food comas.
Hector's phone was linked up to one of the screens and the fights between trainees repeated in a loop. Billy stood next to the whiteboard, pen in hand as they tried to figure out where each trainee stood in terms of ranking due to their fights earlier today.
Milo and Soren where better that any of them had originally thought. Sure, both of them had high final ranks in squadron basic training but from what they showcased today, BD thought they could have both achieved a higher rank. Though none of the squad had seen those that ranked before Milo and Soren. Hannah was far better at fighting than she was at gun training, but it was enough points, added with those she missed out on after getting defeated by Lani, to drag her down a few ranks. Elliot, along with Vera, Tommy and Kale were the only ones that met the overall expectation that squad 226 had of them based on the reports from initiation and basic training. Though, there were some that were far worse than expected from the rankings Issy was given. Leo wasn't focusing on his fights and he was becoming cockier. Then there was Robyn… Issy was rather disappointed and Hector couldn't understand what had happened to make her suddenly drop. As many of her colleagues said again and again, she had just come out of initiation only to be put straight into basic training and then into Issy's program. Everything should be working like clockwork for her. Then there were the two trainees that surprised them. Lani and Emmett. Lani's rankings were low but there's some kind of fire in her spirit that makes her get back up again. Beforehand, Issy had checked the files and Lani was one of Emmett's victims. Though, whether it was because Lani was trying to prove that Emmett couldn't take her spirit or to get her brother to back off, none of them knew. Then there was the fucker himself. Emmett had one of the lowest ranking of all the files that Harrison had handed her but when he stopped fucking around and making comments, he was actually a good fighter, it was only his skills with a gun and the inability to take orders that pulled him down.
Issy sighed as she stood up and stretched, bones cracking from her discomfort. They had been in there for more than three hours revising the trainees' fights against each other.
Issy yawned as she looked around the room. Red looked like he was about to doze off, others looked to be nearing that way too. "I want coffee." She picked up her phone and card, shoving them in her jacket pocket. "Anyone else want coffee?"
"That's a good idea." Hector breathed out as he paused the video and stood up, stretching slightly.
"Where are you getting coffee from?" Bulldozer looked up from his notes. "Our kettle broke, didn't it?"
"There should be some coffee shops still open in the Pit." Issy shrugged.
"Go on then." Bulldozer nodded. "I'll transfer you the points over later."
"Nah, don't worry about it."
The others soon gave Issy and Hec their orders, all but one. Issy smiled softly as she walked over to Red and slightly shook him awake. At first Red tried to bat her away, much to the squad's amusement, but Issy carried on shaking him and he groaned.
"Wha ya want?"
"Wanna come with us to get coffee?" Issy smirked as he grumbled. "I'm paying?" She offered.
"Okay, fine." Red got up and glared at them as they smirked at him in return.
"c'mon sleepy head." Issy tugged at red's sleeve. "Let's go."
The walk to the Pit was quiet with it being so late but Issy could tell that they were getting closer to the Pit by the echoing roar of the Dauntless surely dancing and drinking the night away. Issy led the way and steered to the left of the Pit to where most of the cafes and small restaurants were. With no luck on the ground level, they climbed onto the first level before finding a café that was still open. It was down to pure luck really, as the few staff inside were just about to close the shop for the day. Issy and Hector relayed the orders to the staff while Red looked at the menu and decided what he wanted. Once all the orders were in, the staff smiled happily at the large tip Issy left them for keeping the shop open.
While Red and Hector slumped into the nearest booth, Issy wandered around outside. The Pit was rightly known as the life of Dauntless, but it seemed strange to see so many stores closed for the night on this side of the Pit. On the other side however, lights were flashing from each bar that was open and members walked from one to the next.
Issy narrowed her eyes at the first level on the other side of the Pit. At one of the tables stationed next to the railing, someone stared back at her. It wasn't until they shouted at her that she realised who it was.
"HEY ISSY!" Uriah waved his hands like a madman and the others on the table waved also. "COME JOIN US!"
Issy laughed, shaking her head. "I CAN'T." She shouted back. "I'VE STILL GOT SOME WORK TO DO!"
"OH, COME ON ISSY!" Jason shouted over the gap. "IT'S LIKE, HALF NINE. HOW ARE YOU STILL WORKING?!"
"WE GOTTA RANK THEM. I KINDA FEEL SORRY FOR FOUR AND THAT LOT… IT'S A LOT MORE WORK THAN YOU'D EXPECT."
Someone on the table lifted their glass in her direction in response and Issy assumed it was one of the instructors.
"WILL YOU ALL SHUT UP!" They all looked down to see Max glaring up at them from the ground level.
"OH, HEY MAX!" Issy grinned down at him. "HOW'S LIFE GOING?"
There were a few laughs from Uriah and the rest of the crew. "IT'D BE A HELL OF A LOT BETTER IF YOU COULD STOP SHOUTING AT EACH OTHER FROM ONE SIDE OF THE PIT TO THE OTHER!" Max pinched the bridge of his nose before looking back up. "THERE IS SUCH AN INTERVENTION CALLED A PHONE YOU KNOW?"
Jason leaned over the railing and motioned between himself and Issy. "BUT THIS IS SO MUCH MORE EFFICEINT THAN TEXTING."
Max shot Jason a look and the Head Leader appeared like he was so done with life. "THEN CALL EACH OTHER, JUST STOP SHOUTING, YOU'RE GIVING ME A HEADACHE!"
"BUT YOU'RE THE ONE SHOUTING NOW?"
"YEAH MAX!" Issy chimed in. "DON'T BE A HYPOCRITE!"
Max simply throws his hands in the air as he walked away leaving them laughing after him.
"YO BETA!" Hector called from behind her. She turned and saw that all their orders were complete. Issy hurried over and nearly sighed in relief when she saw there were names on the cups so that they didn't have to figure out who's is who's. Issy picked up two of the cups as Red picked up three and Hector picked up the remaining two.
Uriah and Jason were still leaning against the railing when they exited the café. They waved when they saw Issy, Hector and Red.
"WHEN ARE YOU GUYS NEXT FREE?" Uriah shouted. "THERE'S A LOAD OF US FROM THE FAMILY MEETING UP SOON BUT WE WANT YOU GUYS THERE TOO!"
"SUNDAY!" Hec yelled, motioning to Issy with a grin. "BETA'S FUCKING RUTHLESS AND HAS THE TRAINEES WORKING EVERY DAY BUT SUNDAY."
"GODDAMMIT BETA!" Jason shouted as he sat back down.
"WHAT'S A MATTER WITH YOU BETA?" Uriah also shouted as he tried to keep a straight face.
"I'LL SEE YOU ALL ON SUNDAY!" Issy called.
xXx
When they got back to the common room and everyone had inhaled at least half of their cups, they began going through the scoring for the fights the trainees had against the squaddies. It wasn't a surprise when none of the trainees won their fights, but a few of them were close calls.
Billy picked up the whiteboard pen and wrote down the pairings along with a few notes that some of them made during the fights.
Robyn v Rainbow
A quick fight. Robyn landed no hits and made poor attempts to cover her left side.
Hannah v Geek
Was a little bit longer but Hannah had fought two times previous so she could have handled it better if she only fought once before.
Milo v BD
Very close, one of the longest. Would Milo had won if he didn't misstep and fall into BD's hit?
Vera v Hector
Reasonably even fight. Vera pulled some of her punches, though has deadly kicks.
Lani v Beta
Interesting fight. Both vicious – no surprise. Lani got back up when she was knocked down until she passed out from standing up too quick. Will be interesting to see how she gets on with the rest of the program.
Soren v Red
Also, very close. Certainly doesn't pull any hits, is hard to take down, stands his ground, strong stance, hard to topple.
Kale v Billy
Another even fight. Kale steps when punches and doesn't cover his face.
Leo vs Rainbow
Ended too quickly if Leo didn't get cocky and paid attention to the fight rather than what people outside the ring.
Elliot v Geek
Perfectly matched. Brute force of a Dauntless born against the calculating strategies of an erudite born. Longest fight.
Emmett v BD
Strange but also surprising. Emmett seemed to be holding back but took most of BD's hits in his stride.
Tommy v Hector
Quickest fight. Tommy failed to protect himself and got knocked out quickly.
Once finished, they stared at the board, looking at where the trainees had been placed out of eleven.
"Tommy's not going to make it is he?" Billy asked.
"It's only been two days," Issy started, frowning at the board. "He's still got a week and a bit to make it up… Even so, we should start looking into which of them would suit other jobs in Harrison's department." Issy looked at her watch and sighed. It was nearly ten and they'll be setting off the alarms tomorrow at half five in the morning. "That's it for today. No point tidying up, we'll be back in there by the end of the week. Thank you."
"See you bright and early Beta!"
xXx
Issy huffed as she tossed and turned in her bed. She was used to insomnia, she had been for years, but someone had thrown that away. It was nearly eleven now and Issy didn't exactly want to collapse during work from the lack of sleep. It wouldn't send her trainees the greatest image of her if Issy did.
Issy sat up, dressed in only a large t-shirt, and rubbed her face, cursing quietly. She staggered out of her bed and started to shove clothes for tomorrow into a bag. If she was in a better state of mind, she'd also pull on some shorts before slipping on her trainers, but Issy didn't think about it. With her phone in hand and her keys in the other, Issy quickly walked out of her flat and locked her door. Not even seconds later, Issy was at the door across from her own and started banging loudly. She was about to bang again when the door swung open to reveal a ruffled, shirtless Eric who stood only in his boxers and Issy frowned at him.
"Can't sleep either?" Eric leaned on the doorframe, his arm holding the door open, and his eyes locked on her bare thighs.
"Yeah," Issy bit out but her words held no bite. "That's your fault." She ducked under his arm and took off her trainers behind the door before walking further into his apartment, towards his bedroom.
"Oh please, invite yourself in."
Ignoring him, she walked straight into his room and placed the bag on the chair. Walking around the bed, Issy placed her keys and phone on the bedside table and burrowed herself into the covers on what she was now calling her side of the bed.
She listened to Eric pad around the bed before climbing in on his side of the bed. He reached for her and Issy stilled.
"If your hands are cold again, I will slap you."
He chuckled, shuffling closer to her. "Of course you will."
Issy moved even closer, wrapping herself around him. "Shut up and go to sleep."
Eric laughed as Issy closed her eyes with a small smile on her face.
I think I've introduced all of the trainees more or less… Is there anyone that you're hoping makes the first cut and anyone you're attached to already?