The Training

Astaraels room is three doors down, the combination is 313. "Thanks, Shadowrage." I leap out and lift Astarael up. She murmurs something and lapses back into unconsciousness. I carry her out of the hall with Shadow walking alongside, nudging her worriedly. 1..2..3. I enter the combination and push the door open with my foot. Her room's sparse, with only a bed, computer, desk, and chair. I put her down on the bed and leave to think about how I'm going to defeat Hiltz. I'm eating a sandwich and watching a documentary on the Guardian Force when they start talking about how they had been destroyed by an unknown zoid. They show a picture of Astarael and Shadowrage fighting in one of her earlier battles. Apparently, any information on Astarael and Shadowrage would be much appreciated. I hear footsteps behind me and turn in time to see Astarael stumble in. "Hi, Raven." She pulls out a chair and sits down. "You okay?" I inquire. "Yeah, but going berserk takes so much energy, it hurts." I gesture toward the T.V. " So, they're looking for me, aren't they? Futile. They'll never find me." I voice the question I had been wondering. "Uh, where are we, exactly?" She replies tiredly, "In Zi's core." She looks up. I notice that her eyes, they aren't silver anymore. Instead they're a bright glittering green, full of knowledge. They're deep and sparking, with no end. "Oh." I make her a sandwich, which she accepts gladly. "So, you're going to train me?" She grins. " I'm going to teach you to feel your zoid. If you really link with them, it will give you a definite edge in battle. You will sort of be able to predict the next move." She grabs the plates and carries them over to the sink before dragging me off to the training room.

"Fiona? Fiona? Hellooo." Fiona was sitting in the blade liger's cockpit staring straight ahead. "What do you want?" Van was surprised at this change in the normally calm and placid Fiona. " Who is Astarael? I know she's a zoid warrior, but how do you know her?" Fiona sighed. " She's a ancient zoidian, like me. But yet, not like me." "Huh?" He quickly set up a com-link to let the others hear. " There were two types of zoidians. The Wild, and the Zi. I'm a Zi, and so is Reese. The Wild never associated with us. They lived in the forest with their zoids, and were extremely warlike. Some of the Wild had this special ability with zoids and organoids. They could sense their thoughts and were nearly indestructible in battle. Others had a curse called the Bloodwrath. They would go berserk with bloodlust. In the bloodwrath, they're more animal than human. In this state, they would always win, but they would invariably go insane and die. Astarael was the first to have both abilities. But they came with a hidden price. Her bloodwrath was horrible! She went mad and would hit even her own. She was the most powerful warrior that had ever lived. Her family and clan were killed, and so was her organoid. She went berserk and destroyed all of the Zi, except for us. She was piloting a blue genosaurer. (a/n: It was really Reese!) Then she dropped out of sight. And then, well, she came back. The reason I was scared was because nothing in sky, water, or earth could stand up to her. So, the Wild are gone. She is the last of her kind and is alone in the universe. Well.. there are rumors of another Wild that survived. A boy. But no one knows if it is fact or fiction. " " That powerful, eh?" She nodded soberly. "Van!" Moonbay called. "There's something weird up here you should look at." He jumped out. Everyone was standing around a pile of gray dust. "That's just it." Dr. D said. " However, do you recognize this?" It was a scrap of blue metal. " Specular." Van whispered. He looked off into the roiling storm clouds, feeling helpless and afraid. "This was the genosaurer." Everyone gaped. The mighty genosaurer had been reduced to dust. There was no doubt in their minds who had done it. He looked at Fiona. "I'm guessing this is the product of the bloodwrath?" She nodded. "We still need to find Raven." They ran back to their zoids.

"So, you basically concentrate on the zoid, and try to imagine what they're feeling. If you get it right, then there you are." I was listening to her explanation of mind merging. It was fascinating. "All right. That's enough technical stuff." We walk down to Liger's hangar. I sit on a crate and concentrate. I feel a jolt and I open my eyes. Whoa! I'm seeing through two pairs of eyes. I think about moving my legs, and I see Liger walk forward. "Good job, Raven. You've grasped this extremely quickly. Do you feel ready to try a battle? We'll start off easy, but later you'll battle me." I nod. This is so cool! I've finally found a friend who doesn't care who I am or what I did in the past, she likes me anyway. I climb into Liger. Astarael climbs up and hoists herself up to sit on his back. The room shakes and feels like it's going downward. The huge doors open. It's an arena! There's a sand floor, and it doesn't have any trees. It's made out of marble, with a high, vaulted ceiling. "Goodbye Raven, I'm going to be watching from the observation deck." She jumps off and disappears through a door in the side. "Your first opponent is a Dimantis." Her voice comes through hidden speakers. "It is equipped with two gatling guns, steel claws, and a mortar launcher." The dimantis comes out and stands still. A bing! noise is heard and he opens up both gatling guns. My mind quickly runs through all the options. Liger decides the issue by dodging. I thank him and take back control. I run forward and somehow I'm up in the air and my claws are blazing. The squeal of torn metal breaks through the daze. We leap back and wait. The Dimantis is completely destroyed. "Good job, Raven. You've done quite well. I was going to make you fight a molga next, but you've done so well, you'll fight me and Shadowrage instead. You're lucky in the fact that the arena is so small I can't use my boosters. So our top speed is going to be the same." A panel in the floor opens up and Shadowrage comes up through the opening. Raven. It's Shadowrage. As a warrior in my own right, I am going to fight you with all of my power. It is a severe limitation that I cannot use my boosters, but I will still do my best to win. No damage that can't be fixed easily will be inflicted by me. I can repair myself easily, so attack with everything you've got. He sinks into a guard stance, waiting for my move. I open the boosters and race forward. Shadowrage slips through the Liger's legs, grabbing a conduit and ripping it. We duel, trading shots and attacks as quickly as the wind before leaping back and attacking again. I bound forward, deciding to try the move that Liger used against the Blade Liger. We leap into the air. I feel the calculations Liger is doing flash before my eyes in a stream. I crouch while cutting the power to the boosters, slamming into Shadowrage with my whole weight. We leap back, Shadowrage stands for a minute longer, and topples. Astarael climbs out. "Good job, Raven! You're the first person I've ever lost to." I disconnect our minds and leap out. Astarael is standing there, smiling. She's changed since the battle with Reese. She's not mad that she lost, in fact she's happy for me. I smile back and we walk back together, with Liger and Shadow by our sides.