Scene 3: Combat training with Pogo
The Academy's training room was already brightly lit when Five and his siblings descended the stone steps into the cellar. Cool air and a slightly musty basement smell enveloped them as thy got closer to the glow of light that illuminated the dark basement corridor and drew eerie shadows on the bare brick walls. Earlier, the Hargreeves children had already put on their frog-green tracksuits in their rooms - they all had the same model - and so now they looked a bit like a column of ants marching through the corridors in their den.
Pogo, the chimpanzee, was already waiting for them at the entrance to the hall. Even for training, he was dressed smartly in a suit and vest, his golden glasses perched on his nose. "Come in, kids, let's get started, please line up there!" he instructed them. Five strode through the cool hall with his chest out and obediently stood on the orange floor markings. Luther, Diego, Allison, Klaus and Ben lined up next to him, their expressions partly impatient, partly anxious.
No one really knew what to expect. It was their very first training session since Sir Reginald Hargreeves had announced - with a serious face at the morning breakfast - that they were now ready for their physical training. "Mr. Darwin teaches us," he gave one of his usual speeches, "that only the strongest survive in nature! Your ability to adapt to the situation determines victory or defeat. Your powers, however strong they may be, can fail in a fight." This is why physical combat training is essential. To this end, I have developed a new training plan. It applies to all of you from now on, I will not tolerate any exceptions!" he said, his eyes looking sternly into the children's faces as if he wanted to challenge them to a duel here and now.
After they had all warmed up - Pogo had them run fifteen laps around the hall - they lined up again on the line, where there was a lot of pushing and shoving. "Hey, I should be at the front, after all I'm the biggest of all of us!" Luther raged loudly, which elicited derisive laughter from Diego. "Maybe the biggest idiot of all of us, come on, monkey, the best fighter should be at the front and that's definitely me!"Diego said and tried to push by Luther, which degenerated into a scuffle that was only ended by Pogo sending the two squabblers to different ends of the line.
Five rolled his eyes at his siblings' incessant bickering and looked over at Klaus, who was the last to come trundling to the line and seemed to be dancing around the room rather than running. His arms swung elegantly beside him with each bounce and his hips swayed from right to left. Five couldn't help but think that Klaus's performance was much better suited to a stage than a combat training hall. There was something elegant about him, something floating, but Five highly doubted that it would be of any use to them in an emergency. Unless their opponents challenged them to a dance duel, perhaps.
"The most important thing in any close combat," Pogo now said in a grave voice as he paced up and down, "is a firm stance! Never attack an opponent if you are not standing securely. You'd be on the ground faster than you could count to three. Luther! Please come here and show us how to stand firm."
Luther was beaming all over his face, obviously delighted that he, of all people, could serve as a good example. Pogo showed him how to stand properly and a few seconds later Luther adopted exactly the same posture: Legs shoulder-width apart and knees slightly bent. "Very good, Luther." Pogo praised him effusively. "You see, it's almost impossible for an attacker to knock him down now." Five took a close look at Luther's posture before assuming it himself, his face highly concentrated.
He was determined to do at least as well as his brother.
Klaus, meanwhile, had sneaked up unnoticed and tickled Luther's sides, causing him to collapse laughing and almost fall over by himself. "KLAUS!" scolded Luther, "that wasn't fair!" "C'est la vie!" Klaus laugehd, shrugging his shoulders apologetically before prancing back to the line. Five slapped his hand over his face. On one hand he had to stifle a laugh too, on the other he estimated their chances of victory in a real fight as diminishing by the second. What a chaotic bunch they were!
"Klaus, enough of this nonsense!" Pogo warned. "Everyone listen! Show me your firm stance now and then please line up in pairs, we'll practice the frontal attack. Luther and Diego, you two practice together. Ben and Klaus, you're a team, Allison, you train with Five!"
Five swallowed hard as he saw Allison coming towards him. If any of his siblings were to be taken seriously in a battle, it was her, even if it might not look like it from the outside. As boys Luther and Diego may have had a physical advantage, but they were two airheads. And Ben? He was too reserved and Five would have been surprised if he'd ever been able to seriously beat anyone, but Allison... She might look like a fashion doll, but underneath her girly appearance was a tough fighter. In the Hargreeves house, she always got what she wanted, even without using her powers.
With a pounding heart, Five pulled the punching pads onto his hands while Allison wrapped bandages around her hands. "Ready to get a beaten up, Five?" she asked in a challenging tone. "Always ready! Show me what you've got!" he replied, raising the punching pads in front of his face and taking a firm stance. And then Allison struck. Hard. Very hard. The force of her blows threw Five flat on his back. "What the hell?!" he groaned, his face contorted in pain. He hadn't seen himself on the ground so quickly. Anger painted his cheeks red.
Allison reached out to help him up, but Five slapped her hand away gruffly."I don't need your help! He scrambled to his feet and resumed his starting position. Attack me again, come on!" With full force Allison hit the punching pads again and again and each time the force of her blows knocked Five to the ground. After the fifth rough contact with the ground, Five finally lost patience. "Why can't we just use our powers? After all, what do we have them for?" he grumbled in frustration, breathing heavily as he rubbed his aching back.
"Because Number Five," a cutting voice came suddenly from the door, "it's not the strongest species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one that responds best to change! In case you weren't paying attention at breakfast, the new training rules are as follows: The use of powers is prohibited in close combat! Your abilities may be your strength, but your stubbornness and unwillingness to adapt to change is your weakness. Overcome this weakness or you will continue to lie on the ground."The figure of Sir Reginald Hargreeves now appeared on the doorstep and then strode through the training room in a stately manner. He stopped here and there to take a note on his clipboard before turning his back on them without commenting anything.
Five's eyes followed his father and while he was still thinking about what his father was writing down on his clipboard, his chest was hit by hard blow and then complete darkness sourrounded him.