Well, if I had to take these exams, I believed that I needed to fresh up my skills… well…. LEARN is more of a better way to say it. I can pretty much agree with anyone, including King, that my victory of Ariados was a complete fluke. There's no way I should've been able to do that by myself. So I realized I needed to try to learn how I did it.

So after the rest of our team moved in, I decided to check into this place in Tiny Woods Sasuke told me about. It's this tiny spot he and Naruto uses to train. I made sure I stayed away from any potential wild Pokémon, so I didn't start a fight. I came close to bumping into a Spearow, but when he turned to see that I was an electric type, he backed off.

So, as I got to a clearing, it showed a tiny field inside the woods, surrounded by trees. It had a little pond and a few huge rocks there that had dents and damage done to it, most likely from my brothers' training. I stretched out as I began to form a thought of how I was going to start to train myself.

Well, so I can fast forward through boring stuff, I practiced my dodging and evasion by envisioning attacks and moving. I found that I had gotten faster from the battle during our mission that I sometimes fell over from how fast and sudden I jumped. I could jump higher and feel more energetic. But now it was time for the real training.

I took a deep breath and decided it was time to practice my electric attacks. But it was hard to try it; the reason I learned it so fast was because Zev was in trouble and needed my help. I tried to envision it, but the feeling just didn't seem the same.

So, what was that technique? Electro Ball… right? So, I decided to practice that. I remember that my anger had helped me form it and thus I lifted my arm and closed my eyes. Channeling my anger and power into my hand, I formed a ball, but it was tiny compared to the one I made. I grunted and began to try to force myself to do it. The ball grew, but my body started to ache painfully.

Then I had gotten an idea; Electro Ball is a projectile, but what if I was able to use it like Naruto's Rasengan from that Manga? Yeah, that sounds cool, doesn't it? Too bad it doesn't work… I found really quick why it wasn't going to work. As I ran towards one of the rocks, the energy in the attack started to ricochet out of my hand and fly into different directions, hitting me and charging my body with negative electricity. Before I could even strike the rock, it exploded and I was sent flying across the field. My body bounced several times as I tried to protect my head.

Suddenly as I got the other end of the field near the pond, I felt myself get caught by two gentle and furry arms. I grunted as I was unable to look up for a bit. I soon felt my face stroked gently with a soft chuckle. I recognized it immediately as Sasuke's voice. He picked me up and hugged me.

"Shh…. It's okay, I'm here now," he said, making me feel safe and content, "You okay? You flew a big distance there."

"Yeah, I'm fine…" I rubbed my head and looked at him, "Wow, it was such a major coincidence you showed up."

"Well, I got to thinking that… well, no offense, but you may not have a clue on how to fight or train, so I followed you immediately after I told you of our secret practice field. The reason Naruto's not here is that he's with the others making sure we have everything we need and to help them better fit into the base," he explained, "So, I'm here to be your mentor."

I blushed at Sasuke's explanation of me being his pupil as I smirked and said, "Thanks… I did an epic fail there…"

"Yeah, Electro Ball mainly is a projectile attack… it takes extreme control and power to use it as a close-range attack without getting hurt, something you don't have yet," Sasuke said, "But right now, we can't focus on your electric attacks."

I blinked as I asked, "What? Why not?"

Sasuke smiled and replied, "Well, Thomas, Electric is your specialty, but I'm sure I don't have to tell you that some types barely get hurt by it; in fact, some are immune to it. This means you have to learn some hand-to-hand combat. Now, I'm not talking about that show Naruto and I saw back at your house; you know, those ninja tortoises-"

I didn't mean to be rude, but I chuckled out loud and corrected him, "The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles."

"They both have shells; what's the difference?" Sasuke said with a smirk, causing me to laugh, and then continued, "Anyway, their moves are just for show and entertainment. I mean, sure; it can be cool to have a flashy move, but in close combat where you can get hurt, you have to know real quick and precise moves to protect yourself. That's what we're gonna learn first off."

With that, Sasuke dropped into a fighting stance, causing my eyes to widen and nearly pop out of my sockets. He was gonna fight me right now!?

"W-Whoa, whoa! You're wanting to fight me? But that's not fair, Sasuke; you're tied as the strongest rookie here, and I don't know squat!" I protested.

"Calm down, Thomas," Sasuke said as he smiled, "Don't worry; I'll go easy on you. I'm gonna teach you how to strike somebody. Now, come at me however you like."

I took a DEEP breath as I readied myself. As I braced myself, Sasuke never took his eyes off me or even blinked. I then charged at my brother and then tried a punch. Suddenly, I felt myself get yanked off the ground as Sasuke swiftly threw me over his head. I suddenly found myself going to a one-way trip into the pond. I splashed into the water, only to quickly shoot back up and scream "It's COLD!" Sasuke hid a grin in his paws as he watched me wade out of the pond and glare at him.

"W-whahat?" Sasuke said, trying not to giggle.

"You didn't tell me you were gonna fling me into the pond," I said.

"Hehe, okay, okay. That's my bad; I'm sorry," Sasuke said, getting his giggle out and regaining his composure, "At least, it was better than me throwing you into a rock or tree, right?"

I wanted to say no, but I'd rather be wet than in pain, so I reluctantly nodded.

"See?" Sasuke smiled, "There's a silver lining in anything! Okay, try it again, but this time I'll warn you, I may throw you or take you down. Fair?"

I nodded as I got ready to charge again and he dropped into his stance again. I charged again as I tried another punch, but this time in a jabbing formation. He parried it and threw my fist to the side. I widened my eyes as I felt that rush of adrenaline come into my body. I took my left foot and swung it at him. He raised his right knee and blocked my kick before it reached his stomach. I took a step so that I twirled in a circle and tried to backhand him with the same fist he parried. But as I turned, he ducked and my attack cut air. He then grabbed my arm and forced me down to the ground. Then, with a blink of an eye, I found myself with my right arm behind my back held by Sasuke, who had held it with his left arm and grabbed around my neck with his right. I grabbed his arm with my free arm and tried to struggle, but I eventually gave up; Sasuke had gotten me twice now.

"Sorry, bro, but you left yourself open. Don't turn your back on your enemy that close; they could surprise you when you can't see them," he said as he nuzzled my face.

After a few seconds of enjoying this, he let me go and helped me stand up. I brushed myself off as he folded his arms with a smile.

"Do you get what I did?" he asked.

"Yeah, you predicted what I was going to do and then you countered," I said.

"Correct! Good, Thomas," he nodded and said, "It's a term I like to call 'Telegraphing'."

Now, the term 'Telegraphing' refers to an obvious action that someone can tell you will do. It's a common term found in sports, like basketball. For example, say a player is dribbling the ball down the court. He sees a teammate and he's going to pass. It's then the defensive player can tell he's going to pass it, like if the dribbler takes a long time looking at the person he'll pass to, he dribbles closer, he takes a long motion signaling he's going to pass… you get the idea. Then, that way, the defensive player can intercept the ball and cause a turnover. Well, I found out telegraphing can work the same way in fighting.

"If you can tell what your opponent is going to do, Thomas," Sasuke said, "then you can reverse the move and use the momentum against them. In our case, I could tell when you would strike, so I could block or reverse your attacks. So, Thomas, we're going to do it again, but this time, make sure your attacks aren't readable, okay?"

I nodded as he stretched out a bit and he dropped into his fighting position. He then exhaled and prepared for me to do a better job. Feeling the adrenaline run through my body. I roared with a smirk and charged once more. As I came at him, my strikes became faster and less predictable. Sasuke smiled as I smirked and we clashed. He was able to block and parry my attacks, but he wasn't able to counter my moves, for I had taken every chance he had gotten for a reversal and closed it. I could feel it. I could myself getting stronger. And to think this was only close-range combat! I couldn't wait to learn electric attacks! I now couldn't wait for these exams!

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