soul_logs | Morning Training

Entry tags:

Morning Training

Characters: Everyone!
Location: Training Ground, Shibusen
Rating: PG-13 for violence
Time: 6am to 9am
Description: Training takes place every morning in the park to prepare the guests of the city for the ongoing war. It's handwaved most days, but approximately once a month this gets played out in a log. This log takes place on March 29th.

Official areas:

FAQ: For people who have questions and need answers. Staffed by Maito Gai.
Breakfast: Providing food for those who come. All food-providers are given funds with which to buy the food and paid for the prep/cook time. Provided by Saya Tagaki.
Combat instruction: To learn or improve upon fighting techniques. Taught by Cloud Strife, Mickey Mouse, Auron.
Sparring: Show up, pick an opponent, and spar. Overseen by Amateresu, Spirit Albarn.
Weapon Transformation: Guiding new Weapons through the sometimes difficult process of finding a form and then re-finding their original one. Taught by Bakura Ryou, Yami Bakura, Aqua.
Soul Perception: If someone wants to find out more about their soul, what they are, and what they may potentially do. Overseen by Hades.
Partner Training: Guidance on how to work as partners. Taught by Spirit Albarn; Eve and Keroro
Weapons Handling Training: How to handle weapons and Weapons. Taught by Death the Kid with Liz and Patty.
Shooting Range: How to shoot. Taught by Naoto Shirogane, Maes Hughes.
Meister Ability Helpers: Learning what your meister ability is and how to use it. Taught by Kanji Tatsumi, Miles Edgeworth.
Finding a Partner: An area for unpartnered Weapons and Meisters to mingle in. Overseen by
Meditation: This month's novelty class is on focus and meditating. Taught by Hyuuga Neji.
Medics: A place for the medics to linger, recruit, and help anyone that's gotten hurt. Helping out are CR-S01, Rosalia Rossellini.
Watch: A place for the watch members to linger, recruit, and train. Interested observers welcome!
SEES: A place for the SEES members linger, recruit, and relax.
Hug Brigade: Offering encouragement through hugs. Staffed by Maes Hughes, Maito Gai.

Feel free to make your own threads!

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[It's dark and even at this distance it makes his skin crawl. That's how it feels. Yuugi concentrates on keeping his own grip firm, even though a part of him wants to pull away as the other Bakura's wavelength seeps through him like a cold mist.]

I can feel it. [That's about all he wants to say out loud. No doubt the spirit can sense his wariness, his urge to shrink back and escape this discomfort. No doubt he can also sense the flames which override that wariness, the burning determination in Yuugi's soul that the other Bakura himself re-kindled.]

[He feels it together with a small bang of rejection that comes not unexpected. Letting it hit him and accepting the dissonance between them without a flinch, he concentrates to make his presence as easy to bear as possible, laying low like a dangerous animal that is waiting for an order of its trainer without which it wouldn't react.

That way, it's a darkness that makes the light shine brighter.]

Good. Now concentrate on a situation that is important to you. Let's say- A battle! [A small grin flits over his face.] Imagine you and the Pharaoh are in a duel against somebody dangerous... Pegasus will do. You remember the duel against Pegasus, right?

[Yuugi's soul seems to shudder with loss at the reminder of his other self but he rallies quickly, pushing that pain aside because he doesn't want the distraction and also because he is loath to leave those feelings on display for the other Bakura.

He closes his eyes, locking in on the other thoughts raised by the spirit's suggestion. Of course Yuugi remembers the duel with Pegasus. He remembers what it was like to finally be able to help the other Yuugi (at least a little bit), remembers nearly dying as a result... He remembers the danger, the urgency, the constant awareness of what a loss would cost them.

Without opening his eyes, he gives a small nod, letting those memories and feelings stir within him.]

[He senses the small tremble and for a split-second a faint echo of the loss that Yuugi is struggling with, but he ignores them both. If Yuugi were ever able to truly peer into his soul past the monster he is now he might have been able to spot a soul that bears the marks of similar losses as his own, but those would be old, infect and scar-marked with time and things unmentionable that had gotten into Bakura's soul through them.

Tightening his grasp on Yuugi's hand just the tiniest bit, he continues in a voice that seeks to recreate that pressure from back then.]

Good... You and him, against Pegasus. He has all of his wacky monsters out, toon world, doppelganger, the enchantments and he just got one of your best cards and made it into one of his toons, too. What's worse, he can read your mind, the one of who is in charge of you two. Do you remember how that felt?

[Yuugi unintentionally tightens his grip on the other Bakura's hand as well, knitting his brow as his feelings become even more agitated.

It's very easy for him to bring these memories back to his mind. Even after he and his other self had put their Mind Shuffle strategy into play, Pegasus hadn't lost his dangerous edge until they'd claimed victory in the final turn. At that time, Yuugi had wanted so desperately to use his own strength--whatever strength he may have had--to help his other self...

His grip tightens even further. He senses that he's much closer to having something revealed to him.]

[His smile turns a touch wider and toothier at the sign that it was working.]

The sensation of switching places - you know how to do it, how to initiate it, right? Can you feel it, how he's drawing closer, spinning his net over you two and ensnaring you in it, paralyzing all your moves? The Pharaoh alone can't do anything about that, he's struggling, but it's useless. All he succeeds in is to entangle himself deeper. It's your power that is needed now... But switching isn't easy anymore, right? It takes power and Pegasus is doing his best to keep him in place - it's up to you now, Yuugi! Overcome the obstacle he laid between you two and save him!!

[The words stir the flames of Yuugi's soul into a veritable wildfire and all at once, the wall in his mind--the wall that threatened to trap him, seal his potential, make him all but useless to anyone in this world--is consumed and burnt away to ashes.

He will not allow himself go back to the weak, helpless person he used to be, no matter how intense the pressure may be around him. He will not fail everyone around him, and he will certainly not fail his other self.

His hand begins to glow and the light quickly travels up his arm and envelops his entire body; he pushes further, urging the transformation, and his form begins to change. It's a struggle, but no different from his every other struggle in that he absolutely cannot afford to let it get the better of him, lest the promises he's made to the other Yuugi, their friends, and even himself be emptied of all meaning. A few moments later, the other Bakura is left holding a sturdy longsword, its blade glinting fiercely in the sun as Yuugi's soul trembles with simultaneous triumph and fatigue.]

[He silently urges him along and lends him the tiniest bit of power as he observes his struggle to transform. When finally all of the shrimp, pardon, young man with a big fate glows and vanishes into a blade Bakura finds himself just the smallest bit impressed. That form is a lot more useful than his host's.

The Weapons sits awkwardly in his hand, feeling not quite right even as he tries his best to shift the balance of their resonance in their favor and keep it going. Every minute now was going to do wonder's for Yuugi's confidence (and this later readiness to take a leap and trust the thief again).

Letting out a small whistle, he grins.]

See? I knew that you were going to do it. Now try to relax, a bow that's pulled too tight is going to break.

[Yuugi is even more aware now of the discomfort in their resonance, but he's also aware that without it, he might not have succeeded in transforming today. The uneasy pressure of the other Bakura's wavelength had been a significant factor in pushing him forward.

This is the second time that the spirit has helped him in such an important way, and he can't ignore that.]

'Thanks'...

[His 'voice' is somewhat breathless, though he tries (with some success) to calm down as suggested. It took him a moment to figure out exactly what he was, but somehow he knew. A sword... He wasn't sure what that meant and right now it didn't matter, not as much as finally being able to access the power this world had gifted him.]

[He holds the blade still for a bit longer, giving Yuugi a chance to orientate himself as he contemplated it. It is a good Weapon, even with the distinct disadvantages their mismatched resonation gives it. In the hands of somebody whom Yuugi trusts it probably has an excellent balance as well to its good reach and material. For a moment he feels like sighing. Unlike his host who is a cracked egg even when he is trying to be useful for once... Their Weapon forms really display the differences in their character.

Pushing the thought aside, he does his best to imagine up a mental image of a warm smile and sends it over through their current link.]

'You're welcome.' [There is a moment of hesitation as his thoughts race. Chances are that Yuugi caught something his his musings from a moment ago. Why not use that?] 'Sometimes I wish host were more like you. Do you feel as if you can take some action? I want to see how sharp this edge is.'

[Too bad for the other Bakura, but he's pushed just a little too far a little too soon. Hearing himself compared to the spirit's 'host' makes Yuugi recoil, because he is no one's host; he is the other Yuugi's partner, and even that hinted reminder of his other self makes him flinch away from this unnatural resonance as though he's been burned.

Yuugi is not and cannot be the other Bakura's partner. Warm smiles won't change that. The fact that the spirit has helped him doesn't change that. When they started today, it made sense and didn't seem altogether strange to resonate with him. Now, with the suggestion that they actually practice together, it's exactly the opposite.

Yuugi detests the idea of being manipulated like Bakura, and he's not sure he trusts that the spirit can do anything but manipulate in this kind of situation.]

'No... No, let's stop. This is enough for today.' [He tries to retain his neutral tone but the way he shrinks back from the other Bakura's wavelength is all too telling.]

[He senses the drop in their resonance as the sword suddenly turns heavier by the second. At the same time it feels as if keeping a grip on its handle is positively burning his hand as it keeps growing hotter as well.

Despite that he doesn't let go right away. The backlash is something that he has expected, even when he doesn't know what exactly has caused it all of a sudden.]

Alright. Concentrate on turning back the same way you did it first, just by withdrawing rather than pushing forward and taking control. Release. [He gives it a pointed silence that contains no anger or resentment for the sudden push away before he adds] And don't let go of my hand all of a sudden unless you want to kiss the dirt with your face.

[Withdrawing is something that comes somewhat more naturally to Yuugi, and he does so without hesitation. Not too long after, he's stumbling ever-so-slightly as he finds himself back on his own two feet, drawing his hand away from the other Bakura only once he can do so without 'kissing the dirt', as the spirit put it. The resonance breaks and Yuugi almost sighs in relief as that cold and looming pressure lifts away again.

Almost sighs in relief, because even though the other Bakura has given no hint that he's perturbed at Yuugi's sudden decision to pull away, he can't help but feel a little agitated and wary again.

He got more than he was bargaining for with all this.]

You... shouldn't wish for him to be more like me...

[He drops his hand and hides it's slightly abused state by quickly pushing it into his pockets.]

Why not? You face your fears, Yuugi, and even if we might not always be on the same side that is something that gains you respect. You ask questions and don't try to push your view of things onto others. [He gave him a thoughtful look.]

You actually view the Pharaoh as a person and consider him somebody that you can work with. The best that yadounushi might have ever viewed me as is a sickness.

[Rather than feeling complimented, Yuugi grows even more uneasy at the praise, which, coming from the other Bakura, stirs a number of strange and unexpected emotions. It's not possible that the spirit is being sincere. Is it? This must be another trap.

... But if it isn't? If it isn't, then Yuugi has to admit that he would hate to disregard those words.]

You don't make it easy for him. You never have...

[He bites his tongue.]

[For a fraction of a moment his eyes narrow angrily at that choice of words. Of course. He never has, because it will always have been his fault, no matter whether Yuugi actually knows anything about the things that he was passing judgment on or not!]

I'd be curious from where you take the right to say such a thing, vessel. [The words are calm, but all warmth in them has vanished. It's a clear sign for Yuugi not to push his luck too hard with the Spirit of the Ring.] Have you been there as well during those years that he and I had to spent together before meeting you at Domino? My senses must have been really dull to not to have noticed you before! Or was it during one of the many times where you hung out together and only had time to pay attention to him when you suspected that I'd taken over?

Please do tell me, because I am confused about it right now.

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Morning Training

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