As the last chapter ended with a cliffhanger, here's the rest of it.

Relative Scale

The spar between Genesis and Sephiroth swiftly grew into an all-out battle, forcing Zack and Cloud to take cover behind a Wall cast by the second-classes manufactured Wall Materia. Cloud also cast a Reflect on both of them for extra security, watching the match with wide-eyed awe. This was what the blond aspired to become, to grow into a person able to fight on the same level as the three Generals.

As the battle escalated further to the point that the Training Room started to take damage Cloud quickly equipped one of his long knives with a linked Time and All, slipped a linked Final Attack and Restore into his armlet and dived into the fray to halt the fight. The two Generals' defences held up against the first Stop casting, but the All Materia was level four and both were eventually frozen in place by the status effect.

"I apologise for interrupting, but you're starting to damage the simulation room," Cloud said politely, pointing to the crackling areas of the hologram with the knives held firmly in each hand. "If you really want to try and kill each-other you'll have to do it outside. Preferably out of the city, if Genesis is going to use Flare that recklessly." Neither General actually replied, both having been completely immobilised by the barrage of Stop spells. Cloud cast a DeSpell with his Destruct Materia then swiftly backed up as both SOLDIERs turned to eye him speculatively.

"Knives, Strife?" Sephiroth asked, waving his free hand at the slim blades the blond wielded. Cloud shrugged, sliding the weapons back into their hidden sheaths.

"I was too small for a sword when I started training and my instructor couldn't teach me how to use one anyway," he explained, not mentioning Vincent while in public.

"Well, I say we call the fight a draw and postpone the rematch until another day," Genesis decided. "I for one want to see how well Strife performs with his Materia; we can relocate to one of the other training rooms for that." That said, the Crimson General gripped the blond's shoulder and steered him out of the Simulation Room and towards the lift.


The normal training rooms were located on the next floor down and were open at all hours to all SOLDIERs without needing to be booked beforehand. As Genesis set up targets with Sephiroth, Cloud set about retrieving all his Materia from their various hidden pockets and weapons. As he was removing the Poison from his stiletto Zack shuffled over to him:

"I can't believe you interfered in their fight!" the spiky-haired brunet hissed. "You could have been killed! If you wanted them to stop you should have asked me to do it; at least I'm augmented!"

Cloud shrugged. "I have phoenix down in my inventory and had a Final Attack linked to a Revive in my armlet. Even if they had killed me it wouldn't have been permanent."

The energetic second-classes jaw dropped. "You- you-" he gibbered, "you planned on getting killed?"

"Accidents happen in fights," Cloud said simply as both Sephiroth and Genesis turned to stare at him in horror, proving they had indeed been listening in. "It wouldn't have been the first time and neither General is more dangerous to me than Vincent is or can become when pushed too far. Or even half as scary, to be honest. Neither Sephiroth nor Genesis would ever consider skinning me alive, for instance." Hellmasker had considered it once, out loud.

"I don't want to know," Zack said flatly, clapping his hands over his ears. "I'm not listening!"

Sephiroth seemed to find his acceptance and fearlessness reassuring, while Genesis looked like he had considered acting offended but thought better of it. "The targets are set up; now let's see what you've got, blondie!" the Crimson General said gleefully, changing the subject as he strode over to the table at the end of the room nearest the door where Cloud and Zack were standing. "Empty your pockets, kid!"

A short while later the egg-box-like tabletop was full of little orbs: thirty-seven in total, eleven of which were mastered and seven of which were completely unused. Genesis claimed he had never seen so many high-level Materia in one place before, natural or otherwise, which was saying something. There were seventeen green magic Materia, eleven blue support Materia, three yellow command Materia, five purple independent Materia and one red summon: Odin. Two of the purples were pristine, as were two of the blues and three of the greens.

"I generally swap the baby ones with Vincent when we master a Materia and it spawns," Cloud explained, slightly worried by the fixed stares of the three SOLDIERs. "That's how I got the Destruct, Contain, Gravity and one of the Added Effects. The rest are all either bought or found." Or stolen, but the blond didn't feel the need to mention that.

"You use all of these?" Sephiroth asked, brow furrowing slightly. "Regularly?"

Cloud smiled. "I have a gun, six knives and a sword, all of which can be equipped and all of which can be used in combinations with each-other. I keep all of them equipped at all times, the same as my armlet." Genesis had found the dragon armlet fascinating and insisted on testing its resistance to the elements. "I usually shuffle the Materia around regularly so I can try out new combinations and don't get stuck in a particular pattern. Predictability kills." the blond paused, eyeing his stash. He really did have a few too many to properly use them all. "I really don't need the Throw though; Zack? Do you want it?"

Zack stared at the little yellow sphere Cloud was holding out, then at Cloud himself. "You're just giving me that?" he squeaked.

Cloud pinked. "It didn't cost me anything and I can't really use it in a fight," he babbled, wondering what the problem was. "Don't you want it?"

The second-class lunged forward in a blur and snatched the Materia. "Hell yes! This is so cool! Thanks Spiky!" He ruffled the blond's hair, making it even messier than usual.

"Don't I get one?" Genesis pouted. Cloud gamely through a blue All at the redheaded General; ShinRa couldn't reliably replicate those, so the company didn't even try.

Cloud paused. "Seph? Would you like one?" The Silver General stepped a little closer to the table and picked out a green Heal.

"Thank-you Cloud," he said sincerely, a small smile catching the corners of his mouth. "Now let us get on with what we came down here for: seeing you cast with your Materia. Start with the lowest level spells and work your way up."


Two hours later Cloud had cast everything he could think of -except the Chocobo Lure, Enemy Away and Odin that is- in every conceivable combination his weapons and armlet allowed him to. He had ended up drinking four turbo-ethers to replenish his MP and by the end his three-SOLDIER audience seemed slightly stunned by what he'd managed to cast. True, the Tornado was pretty amazing, but most of the rest of his spells had been fairly standard.

"How can you cast that quickly?" Genesis asked after a pause.

"Er, practice?" Cloud offered. He hadn't thought he'd been particularly fast; Vincent was faster. "I'm not all that strong so I work really hard on building my speed. Having natural Materia helps though, I think. I've used manufactured ones once or twice and they feel, well, clunky in comparison. Less responsive."

"Really?" Zack promptly tried out his new Throw Materia on the almost-disintegrated targets. "Hey, you're right! This is way easier to use!"

"I think you could take the SOLDIER exam without passing through the the eight weeks of cadet training at all if Vincent taught you to be this proficient in all areas," Sephiroth mused. "I certainly never did cadet training and neither do most of the older recruits, so there's plenty of precedent for admitting competent applicants directly. You know the material and are physically fit enough to meet the SOLDIER standard, so why not?"

"Er, can that discussion wait until I'm actually old enough to join?" Cloud requested quietly as he efficiently re-equipped his weapons and armlet and tidied away his remaining loose Materia. He didn't like showing off, or even the idea of showing off really. If you were capable you did a good job without flaunting your ability; Vincent had taught him that. The former Turk firmly believed that it was better to be discreet, underestimated and under-appreciated than flashy and have to live up to the ridiculously high standards of people who didn't even understand what it was you did.

Perhaps Kunsel and Angeal would like some of his baby Materia; what was the point of having extras if you couldn't share them with your friends?

"Spiky, you really are that good," Zack said earnestly. "Certainly way better than me with Materia and probably better than Angeal; he doesn't use them much. If Sephiroth thinks you can make SOLDIER right off the bat then you should definitely try, right Genesis?"

"Most definitely," the Crimson General agreed with an easy smile. "And if Sephiroth doesn't take you on as his student as soon as you make the program then I certainly will. There is no hate, only joy: For you are beloved by the Goddess, Hero of the dawn, Healer of worlds."

The Silver General's eyes narrowed. "Strife, I will recommend you to Director Lazard and you will pass the exam in September."

Cloud picked up on the clearly unspoken or else. "Fine, fine. I'll give it a shot. I'll definitely need to train more between now and then, though."

"I'll allot you more free time to go hunting in the slums," Sephiroth said promptly, his expression conveying subtle pleasure at Cloud's agreement, however disrespectful it had been. "I don't need you in the office all day anyway and most people now know better than to come and badger me in person."

"Very well then," the blond capitulated, feeling warm inside. Sephiroth definitely cared if he was willing to push this. His goal of becoming friends with the forbidding General was looking more achievable by the day and he was getting a few more friends on the side as well.


Cloud gets to show off a bit and is offered a head start into the SOLDIER program. The idea of teenage-Sephiroth in cadet training just does not work, so I refuse to believe he ever did it. Cloud's genuinely modest and generous nature gets to shine for a bit and Genesis and Sephiroth get something else to fight over. As if they weren't competitive enough.

Thanks to Celydon for the truly encouraging review and to Kitsune Onna1 for her cute comments. No, nobody suspects Sephiroth at all...