[Aoi Sato]

She walked out of the hardware store dressed in civvies with several planks of wood under her arms varying in thickness and size. Being six foot four with giant dragonfly wings on her back, she got plenty of stares, but she had long since learned to ignore them. If anything, she was proud of them. Besides her height and wings, her lean, rippling muscles certainly made an impression. She was stronger than all these other people. She was in charge.

Once she was out of the building, she unfurled her wings. A familiar buzzing emanated from them as they began to flap, sending her high into the air. She took off over the town, making sure to keep a careful eye on the citizens below. The area she was in was small, just outside of New York City proper, close enough that it shouldn’t take her trainee too long to get there, but far away enough that they would have plenty of room.

She made her way over the town to a large expanse of grass. The perfectly flat field stretched far in all directions. She pulled out her phone, tracking her coordinates. She’d sent the precise coordinates of their training location to Sunny, hoping to god the ditz would be able to follow them. Eventually, she arrived, landing slowly near the center of the field, placing the wooden planks on the ground next to her. She checked her watch. She was three minutes early, about thirty seconds earlier than she was comfortable with, but she could manage.

She slipped off her shoes, feeling the grass underneath her. It was short and dry, but soft, perfect for combat training. She had a plan of attack for how she wanted to deal with Sunny. When she got the call that they wanted her to train Sunny Slater, she accepted without hesitation. It was her job after all, and god knew Sunny could use some training. She was so powerful, if she had just an iota of skill behind it she could be such an effective law enforcer. Still, she knew this was going to be a challenge. She didn’t know much about Sunny, but she knew enough about her that she would not be coming to training willingly.

Picking up a rather thick plank of wood, she tossed it high into the air, calmly watching as it went up and up and up and up, then down and down and down and down. Just as it reached her eye level, she struck out her hand like a viper accompanied by a sharp ”Hyah!” The plank of wood splintered into a myriad of pieces, littering the field. Her lips twitched into a satisfied smile.

Sunny Slater

[Sunny Slater]

"Uh like, I totes don't need training."

Ew, this better not ruin my nails!

Sunny had thought at first when the Program had contacted her while she was in New York, attending a red carpet launch of a new perfume she had endorsed, that perhaps it was a new exciting publicity opportunity for her. Something to help launch her superhero career in New York, as well as in LA. Unfortunately, it wasn't to be. Apparently, while she was in New York, they wanted her to report to training. She thought the whole thing was a waste of time. She was Gravity Girl. What did they need to teach her? She was one of the most powerful heroes in the Program, and one of the most famous.

There really wasn't much else for her to learn.

Still, she thought she had better show up. By which she meant she whined and protested until she was told in no uncertain terms that she wasn't special and she wasn't allowed to skip training, and if she didn't attend she'd find herself in a boot camp for the next few months, so reluctantly she accepted and decided to fly to meet her new trainer, who apparently had decided they'd train outside.

She supposed that could make for some nice publicity shots.

She floated down from the air, her pink cape fluttering behind her. Finding the spot had been easy enough, despite her ditziness, Sunny always knew how to follow a satnav position. Namely because she often used it for finding the best photoshoot locations. She paused, hovering just above the ground, her heels not quite touching down because she didn't want to get them dirty. With her came an overwhelming aura of perfume which could shock anybody who hadn't met Sunny face to face yet. While Sunny didn't quite literally bathe in perfume, it wasn't for a lack of trying. She loved the stuff, and wore enough of it to make most people's eyes water.

"Hiya!" She beamed. "You don't mind if I keep hovering, do you? My heels might sink in the grass and they'd get totally ruined!" She said with aghast shock, as if this was the most terrible thought imaginable. "Give me a sec, I just gotta check my hair. You know what it's like when you've been flying." She explained, pulling a compact off of her utility belt and examining herself in the mirror, fanning her hair out with a small foldable hairbrush and checking that she looked perfect. Just for the heck of it, she freshened up her lip gloss, transfixed for a moment by her own reflection.

"Totes cute wings, by the way. You're like a real life Tinker Bell! That's sooooooooo cool!" She smiled happily, deciding that she was already making friends. Besides, if she was super nice, maybe she'd get out of any training too hard. She absent minded started spraying on even more perfume, despite most definitely not needing any...


Aoi Sato

"Yuck! Grass!"

ulla

[Aoi Sato]

It seemed Aoi had her work cut out for her. She could tell the instant that wave of perfume hit her nose that this was not going to be easy. A part of her was looking forward to whipping this so-called ‘Hero’ into shape, breaking her down into a fighting machine (or at least something close to it), but another part of her was not looking forward to dealing with all this delicate, girly, little pink mess she had in front of her.

Aoi wings buzzed slightly in annoyance at Sunny’s comment about Tinker Bell. Not much got to her, but being called ‘cute’ and being compared to something so delicate did not make her happy. She wrinkled her nose as Sunny started spraying herself with even more perfume. She quickly snatched the perfume bottle out of Sunny’s hands at threw it somewhere far, far away, hard enough that it would most certainly break. ”No perfume.” She said with a sharp edge in her voice. ”Don’t worry, you’ll sweat off what you have on.”

She squared her shoulders and began her spiel with the commanding voice she’d perfected since childhood. “Do exactly what I say or I will tell the Program you did not cooperate with your training and your title as Hero will be revoked immediately.” She didn't know if this was true or not but she figured it would scare the girl into submission.

"You will not being using your powers. If I catch you using your powers without my say so you will do thirty pushups, if it continues then sixty, then one hundred, then I will tell the Program you did not cooperate, is that understood?" She didn't wait for an answer.

"Now, drop to the ground, take your shoes off, and punch me as hard as you can without using powers. Don't worry, it won't hurt." She stared Sunny down, lips tight, eyes sharp and belittling. This ‘Hero’ needed to learn her place.

Sunny Slater

[Sunny Slater]

"Uh like, I totes don't need training."

Ew, this better not ruin my nails!

Sunny wasn't too sure what had just happened. Only that the perfume bottle that was in her hand was gone, and thrown away, and she was getting told she'd sweat off the rest of her perfume? Like, that was the GROSSEST thing she'd ever heard! Sunny had been STABBED and that was still just about the meanest thing anybody had ever said to her.

For a moment, she bore the look of an offended celebrity, as if she couldn't believe anybody would dare talk to her that way, but quickly realising that this wouldn't work, not to mention the fact while Sunny was no stranger to throwing a diva style strop, she did TRY to avoid doing that, she toned it down a little. She was pretty much the sweet and innocent girl she seemed to be, at least when her appearance wasn't being inconvenienced. Besides, she was sure it was all just a misunderstanding. This girl probably didn't know who she was.

"Th-that was imported!" She said, aghast for a moment, but the expression quickly fading. "I-I mean, it's like, fine. I've got a back-up bottle. I'm sure one bottle can last me the rest of the day..." Coming from anybody else, it may have been a sarcastic, jokey statement, but something in Sunny's eyes (not to mention the extraordinarily strong scent of perfume in the air) suggested that she might actually be serious...

"Oh, did they not tell you who I am?" Sunny asked. It wasn't quite the 'don't you realise who you're talking to' arrogance of some celebrities, but more said in a friendly, light tone of 'what a silly mistake this all is'. "I'm Sunny Slater. Y'know, Gravity Girl?" She pointed to the emblem on her chest. "I don't really do sweaty things, they're kinda gross, and like, I definitely don't do push ups, but it's okay! I'm sure we can find some stuff we can do together!" She said cheerfully, moving quickly past what was obviously a misunderstanding and deciding to get on with what she assumed would be better for her.

She landed on the grass, although carefully to avoid her heels sinking, keeping her weight near her toes. And maybe a little of her gravity powers still on to keep her afloat.

"Take my... shoes off?" Sunny looked at Aoi like she had just sprouted a second head. "I'm not wearing shoes, silly! These are designer boots made exclusively for my Gravity Girl costume by Louboutin and like, I'm definitely not taking them off and leaving then lying on some silly grass." She was pretty proud of all the designers her Mom had gotten to work on her costume, after all. Nobody else had anything like it. Even if they had tried to argue it was TOO MUCH pink. Sunny had refused to hear about it.

Sunny paused, and looked over at her.
"Um, do I have to, like, punch without my powers? 'cause, like, um, I can't punch very hard without them. And like, I just got this manicure done, and without my gravity powers protecting me, what if I like, chip a nail or something?" She said, apparently completely missing the point...

Aoi Sato

"Yuck! Grass!"

ulla

[Aoi Sato]

Aoi’s nostrils flared at Sunny’s reaction. She clearly wasn’t taking this seriously. And she had another perfume bottle on her? Aoi made sure that if Sunny pulled that bottle out, it would quickly join the first. The scent of perfume was only adding to her rage. Sunny was supposed to be a Hero. A Hero doesn’t worry about cosmetics, they worry about keeping the order, saving lives. That’s all they should think about. Clearly, it was something that rarely crossed Sunny’s mind.

Her muscles tensed in anger as Sunny continued talking. It was obvious that Sunny’s brand was important to her. As if saying ‘I’m Gravity Girl’ made her special. In fact, it was quite the opposite. To Aoi, Sunny Slater had a very unsavory reputation. She was inept, delicate, stupid, overall bad at her job. Bad enough that it was, in Aoi’s mind, practically criminal, and there was little Aoi hated more than a criminal. She acted as if she was above training when in fact she was far, far below it. As if her appearance was more important than being a Hero. Aoi was practically seething, but quietly, controlled. One shouldn’t let their emotions overpower them.

Once Sunny was done talking, Aoi took a menacing step toward her. "I know who you are, Sunny." She said, voice bitingly cold, arms crossed, looking down at the tiny, pathetic little woman. "On October tenth of last year a nonpowered woman attacked your red carpet, killing two of your fans and three police officers.” Her lip raised into a slight snarl. “You let people die.” She growled. “You are a Hero. You are supposed to protect people. But because of your incompetence, people died.” She stepped closer so she was casting a dark shadow over Sunny. ”Never forget that.”

She stepped back and looked down at Sunny’s feet, noticing that her heels weren’t exactly touching the ground. ”Now take your shoes off, drop to the ground, and give me thirty. You’re using your powers.” Aoi couldn’t wait to see Sunny actually exert herself. The girl needed to be whipped into shape. ”After that, you punch me as hard as you can.” She said. ”You have to do something besides pretend that you’re pretty.”

[Sunny Slater]

"Uh like, I totes don't need training."

Ew, this better not ruin my nails!

Sunny's attitude suddenly changed when Aoi brought up the events of last year. The deaths that Sunny had always blamed herself for. The truth was that Sunny had really struggled to overcome that and carry on moving forwards, and Aoi bringing it up made her feel like she was just twisting a knife into an open wound. She looked back, full of hurt and offence, and did her best not to cry.
"That's... like, that's not how it was." Sunny said, her voice quaking with anguish. "I've spent a long time, like, thinking about it. And, like, I will always blame myself. But not 'cause I didn't do my job. But 'cause, those fans were there to see me. They came to see me and they died, and that's... that's always gonna be 'cause of me. But, it was an ambush. A surprise attack. Like, I don't... I don't think I could of stopped her if I'd been ready. Nobody saw it coming, and like, I got her away from hurting anymore people as soon as I could. Then she hurt me, but she hurt me 'cause I trusted her. I believed in a person when I shouldn't. That's, like, not incompetence. That was love. I... I shouldn't be ashamed of that." She said, even if she was repeating the words her counsellor had said to her.

"The police are meant to protect people too, but they died too. Because, because that person who did that. She was evil. And good people, like, they just, aren't ready to handle evil. If I should be ashamed, so should the police, and they shouldn't be, 'cause they were heroes too." Sunny had obviously had a lot of counselling to try and find her confidence again, and while part of her would always blame herself, she had been taught that a bigger part of her should blame her assailant. Failing to protect others hurt, but it was the the fault of the assailant ultimately, not of Sunny's.

"I told you, they're not shoes, they're boots. And they're, like, thigh highs. They don't come off easily! I can't just, like, take them off." Sunny explained, sounding a bit exasperated, gesturing to her huge boots. She couldn't easily remove them at all. Not without somewhere to sit down, and preferably somebody to do it for her. She usually had an assistant, and if not, she needed a wedge to help her, as they were on so tight.

When ordered to 'drop and give 30', Sunny sighed, putting her feet down on the ground, although balancing carefully to avoid her heels from sinking, and reached in to her purse on her utility belt.
"Like, I dunno why I have to give you thirty. Seems kinda mean to me. I mean, like, what if I was poor? Obviously, I'm not, but like, still. Uh, have you got change for a hundred?" She asked, producing a hundred dollar bill, apparently having completely misunderstood what 'give me 30' meant in terms of training.

"And uh, I am like, TOTALLY pretty. EVERYBODY says so." She said proudly, still not ready to throw the punch as, well, she didn't want to, and besides, she was waiting for Aoi to take the bill from her.

Aoi Sato

"Yuck! Grass!"

ulla

[Aoi Sato]

Aoi felt a wave of satisfaction as she saw how her motivational speech (as she chose to call it) affected the so-called ‘Hero.’ She wanted her to be aware of her inadequacy. To know that she needed to improve; to better herself and her abilities to save lives. Aoi might’ve disliked Sunny, yes. She was antithetical to all Aoi stood for as a Hero. Yet, Aoi had a job to do, so she’d have to put all emotion aside. Every action she did, every word that came out of her mouth, was all to benefit Sunny’s training. Or at least she’d try to keep to that objective.

Her heart sank, however, as Sunny began to rationalize the events of that day to Aoi. Obviously, some imbecile had gotten it into Sunny’s head that she couldn’t have stopped the attacker even if she was more equipped to deal with the situation. At least she showed remorse. At least she wasn’t that vain. Her eyes rolled deep into her head at Sunny’s ‘love’ defense. It was like her entire world view was based off a Disney movie. How naive could Sunny possibly be?

Her anger came back full force as Sunny brought the police into her feeble, confused defense. With both Aoi and her father having been part of the police force, she had deep seeded vindication for the men and women in blue, almost to an irrational degree. Her lips pulled up into a snarl as she suggested that if she should be ‘ashamed,’ then the police should be ‘ashamed.’ One thought rang throughout Aoi’s mind: How dare she.

Aoi stared for a moment at the hundred dollar bill Sunny - seemingly completely earnestly - tried to hand her. Looking back up at Sunny, she struck her arm out and forcefully plucked the bill from the young woman’s hand. Without taking her eyes off of Sunny, she tore the bill in half, put the two pieces together, and tore it in half again, and again, and again. Then she let go of the lacerated bill, letting the pieces flutter to the ground. ”When I tell you to give me thirty, I mean pushups, not money.”

She took a step closer to Sunny, dwarfing her by a foot and a half. ”Let me make something clear to you, Sunny. If you were the slightest bit more competent, those people would have lived. No, it’s not your fault the Hero Program signed on someone as inept as you. But it’s still your duty as a Hero to protect people. As a Hero, you outrank the police, and you were there before them. It is not, and I repeat, not the policemen and women’s fault that they were killed, and don’t you dare insinuate something so insulting ever, ever again!” She’d started bending down, her face getting closer and closer to Sunny’s, anger seeping into her voice. ”You should be ashamed! They should not!” She yelled, her face right in front of Sunny’s, her spit landing on her face.

She took a deep breath and took a step back, straightening herself to her full height. ”Good defeats evil, Sunny. It always does in the end. Good, competent people can defeat evil, which is why you are here. You do not break the law, Sunny. You are, despite everything, a good person. Now you just need to be competent. If you do what I say, I can teach you competent, and the next time lives are at stake, you can save them.”

Aoi looked down at Sunny’s footwear. ”I’m sure you can take your shoes off if you try. In the future wear something more practical, like those.” She gestured down toward her combat boots laying by the side of the wooden planks as an example. ”Now take your shoes off and do forty pushups. I’m adding ten for your poor attempt to rationalize away your responsibilities.” Ten was a generously small number, but like Aoi said, it wasn’t Sunny’s fault that the Hero Program signed her on, and it was obvious there was no lack of empathy in her defense. She was just trying to cope with what happened, and though she did it poorly, it was clear she still felt an immense amount of remorse, and something like that can be a powerful punishment. No amount of pushups could punish Sunny as much as she punished herself.

Sunny Slater

[Sunny Slater]

"Uh like, I totes don't need training."

Ew, this better not ruin my nails!

Sunny certainly hadn't expected the nastiness from Aoi all of a sudden. She had ripped up the $100 bill and explained what she had meant, which Sunny herself thought was rude. Yes, Sunny was clueless about the real value of money, being too wealthy to care, but $100 was a lot to some people, wasn't it? Like, didn't it buy like, some groceries? Wasn't a pint of milk about $100? Sunny wasn't sure. She'd never done grocery shopping in her life. But it seemed like people would appreciate that money, and ripping it up was a waste.

"Hey!" She protested. "You could of like, just given that to somebody. I'm sure they'd of appreciated it." She said sheepishly, watching the torn up bill flutter away. And they said she was spoiled. She'd never tear up money. She knew she had a lot, but she knew better than to just openly waste it like that. "Well, that's dumb. How am I meant to give you a push up?" Sunny asked, letting out a slight giggle of amusement, apparently still not understanding the phrase.

However, before she could dwell on that, Aoi was yelling in her face, her spit even flying at Sunny. Of course, luckily, Sunny automatically put up her gravity field, meaning the spit was just condensed, crushed and fell to the floor rather than touching her skin, but it was still gross enough to make Sunny wrinkle her nose and let out a small 'ew'. Still Aoi yelled, and Sunny thought she'd totally missed the point.
"Uh, like, I said it WASN'T their fault!" She said back, a little angrily herself. She didn't like this woman, she didn't like being yelled at, and she didn't like how little she seemed to understand her. "The only person who's fault it is was the evil person who did all the killing! Nobody, like, else!" She insisted. It was what her therapist kept telling her. She couldn't take the blame for the actions of an evil person. You couldn't be prepared for somebody that twisted unless you thought like them too, and Sunny never would.

"You're right, I AM a good person." Sunny said a little defiantly. "'cause, y'know what? If I was a BAD person, I'd of stopped her without her hurting anybody. 'cause I'm one of the most powerful superheroes on the planet. If I activated my powers the right way, I could punch her heart out and send it down the city block before she could blink. She wouldn't, like, hurt another soul. But she'd be dead. I'd have, like, totally killed her, without a trial, without questioning, without even trying to understand. I got stabbed by her not 'cause I didn't have the power or the skill. She didn't hurt me 'cause she BEAT me physically. She hurt me 'cause I trusted her at the wrong time. 'cause she, like, tricked me. 'cause, yeah, I'm a good person. And like, I'm not ready to be a BAD person. Even if it means doing this job properly. I wanna be me. I trust people. I gotta. I can't believe everybody is evil like her. So the next bad guy I meet, I'm still not gonna punch their guts out, because, like, who's to say they've not got some good in them? I can't be, like, that person. I just can't." She finished, which was, by Sunny's standards, a rather impassioned speech on why she was the way she was.

"Ugh, I told you, they're boots, and they're totally part of my costume." Sunny said as she hovered in the air, 'sat' on nothing trying to remove them. "And like, joke's on you. If I'm not allowed to use my powers, I can't even do, like, four push ups, let alone forty." She added, still struggling without a shoe horn to remove her tight thigh high boots.



Aoi Sato

"Yuck! Grass!"

ulla

[Aoi Sato]

”I’m sure you have plenty of other hundred dollar bills that you can give out to people.” Aoi said. She stood still, body and face unmoving as Sunny gave her speech. She sucked in a sharp breath as Sunny proudly explained that she was a good person because she didn’t kill the assailant. Sunny absolutely should have used lethal force in that situation. It would’ve saved countless lives. But she didn’t say anything. She let Sunny finish talking without saying a word.

Once Sunny had finished her spiel, Aoi pinched the bridge of her nose and let out a deep breath. She had gotten emotional. She’d put herself in Sunny’s place. She was thinking of all the people she could’ve saved should the assailant have attacked Aoi instead of Sunny. She was speaking as if Sunny had any agency in the situation. It was quickly becoming clear that she simply didn’t know any better. She was substituting will for incompetence. They were not here to argue right and wrong, what someone should have or should not have done. They were here for physical training.

”I apologize.” She said, straightening out. ”My qualms are not with you, but with the Hero Program. We’re here today to learn combat, not argue. My emotions got the better of me and that should not have happened.” She spoke plainly and professionally, like a subordinate officer speaking to their chief. She still had that edge in her voice, she always did, but her sentiment was genuine, and she hoped that came through in her words. ”But do not bring up the police force. Your ignorance of the subject is insulting and you have no right to talk about them.” She said evenly. She didn’t intend any malice, she was simply giving Sunny an order.

Most of the people she trained came to training willingly. They did what she said without protest. It was obvious that this wouldn’t be the case with Sunny, so she’d attempted to use Sunny’s failure as a means to motivate her to participate and better her abilities. Things, however, got impassioned, which was unproductive. Aoi had never been good with emotionally volatile situations. She found she had a difficult time empathizing with others, thus when others got upset, her instinct was to simply tell them that they were being unproductive and that they should stop. If they didn’t comply, Aoi would sometimes get angry and yell at them. This didn’t often work, and typically another officer or Hero would have to come in to deal with the emotions of a victim or a witness or a suspect. It was a weakness that Aoi was working to rectify. Thus far, she hadn’t made much progress.

It seemed, at least, Sunny was attempting to follow Aoi’s orders. She was still using her powers to avoid touching the ground, but at least she was trying to take off those ridiculous shoes.

Aoi watched for a moment as Sunny struggled before sighing and bending down. ”Straighten your legs.” She ordered. Using her enhanced strength, she pulled off Sunny’s shoes (boots) and threw them by her own. ”Next time wear something more practical and easier to remove.” She repeated, standing up. ”And you can do forty push ups without the use of your powers. It may take some time, but I’ll wait.” She didn’t increase the number of push ups she required from her for the continuous use of her powers as a silent means of apology. Still, ”That means you need to stop using your powers. You will have to touch the ground.” She ordered.

Sunny Slater

[Sunny Slater]

"Uh like, I totes don't need training."

Ew, this better not ruin my nails!

Sunny went to reply when Aoi pointed out about her having plenty more money she could give away, but her mouth hung open and then closed again. Technically speaking, Aoi was right. Sunny did have plenty more money. But she still didn't think it was right, just tearing money up. Especially in a public park. Her mother always warned her about appearing too spoiled in public, and at least anybody watching would of seen Gravity Girl take a stand against such behaviour.

An apology from Aoi was the last thing she was expecting, even if it wasn't quite a proper apology. She blamed the 'hero program' for Sunny, which Sunny didn't really think was fair. Regardless of how Aoi felt about her, Sunny was an inspiring presence. People loved her and looked up to her. It didn't matter if she was a bit, well, girly, that just made her a memorable, well known presence, right?

Even the cops liked her! At least, some of them did. She'd taken lots of selfies with cops! She bet Aoi had never taken a selfie with a cop in her life, and yet here she was, lecturing Sunny on how to not talk about them. Like Sunny didn't know or respect them! She always did! She'd even done that Youtube PSA for supporting your local police force. God, it was like Aoi didn't even subscribe to her Youtube channel...

She winced a little as Aoi tossed her boots aside. Of course, Sunny had a wardrobe full of similar and identical boots. Not that usually she'd ever recommend owning a copy of more than one outfit; some things simply weren't done when you could offer variation instead, but her superhero outfit was a different situation. She needed lots of spares. What if her costume got dirty on a mission? She couldn't been seen in the photographs as having a messy costume! She had to have a spare one, ready to change into it at a moment's notice...

"Those are designer..." She pouted as her boots were thrown aside though, because even with spares, Sunny couldn't stand to see mindless destruction delivered to innocent designer footwear. "They're my costume boots! I wear them with my costume! I'm not replacing them!" She said firmly, even if she knew Aoi wasn't exactly alone in the world of critics who pointed out her boots were anything but practical. That wasn't the point. They weren't MEANT to be practical. Besides, she could fly.

She wrinkled her nose as her bare feet touched the floor. Ew. It felt horrible. And it hurt her calves a little. Sunny basically lived in high heels. Well, more than 'basically'. She couldn't remember the last time wearing flats, or even going barefoot, and her legs didn't feel right without a heel now.

"Um, okay, so, uh..." Sunny slowly got down on to her knees, bent to do a push-up. Of course, she had the form totally wrong, and stayed with her knees bent, in what many knew as kiddie or 'easy' push-ups. With noticeable, obvious strain, she did one, and then a second one. "Uh, can I stop now?" She asked hopefully.



Aoi Sato

"Yuck! Grass!"

ulla

[Aoi Sato]

At the rate they were going at, it would be sundown before they made any progress, if they made any at all. She was failing at her job and that was not something she could accept. She’d have to…compromise. Her lip curled at the thought. One should not compromise when it came to discipline, nor should they do so when it came to the art of combat. It went against every bone in her body, but there was no other option. If she wanted to make any progress at all, she’d have to meet Sunny in the middle.

”At least get rid of the heels.” Aoi said, trying her best to ‘meet in the middle.’ ”Extended periods wearing heels can cause hammer toes, bunions, and ingrown toenails at best, permanent hip damage at worst. Not to mention they are highly ineffective in a fight unless you plan on using the heel to stab someone, which I wouldn’t recommend. A stab like that could be lethal, and lethal force should only be applied when absolutely necessary.” As in that fight with the mysterious assailant that killed her fans and the police officers, she thought but didn’t say aloud. She wanted to put that argument behind them.

Thankfully, it seemed Sunny had given up fighting Aoi’s orders, but it was obvious she couldn’t fulfill them. Her form was terrible - no surprise there - and she couldn’t do more than two push ups on her knees. Aoi’s record was fifteen thousand seven hundred and sixty-two consecutively. Although this was no doubt assisted by her powers, she also attributed this accomplishment to her rigorous fitness regiment that she’d sustained since she was a child. She couldn’t imagine being a weak as Sunny. Still, she had to meet her in the middle. They had to accomplish what Sunny could reasonably do, and it was obvious that forty push ups was far outside her capacity.

Aoi got down on the ground in push up position next to Sunny. ”We’ll do five.” Aoi said. ”I’ll do them with you. Take your knees off the ground. Make your back as flat as you can. Imagine a plank on your back. Imagine it touching every part of your body. Place your palms so they’re slightly wider than your shoulders. Then go down, breathing in.” She went down, breathing in, bending her elbows, holding perfectly still. Sustaining this position was a high intensity move, she didn’t expect Sunny to copy her. ”Keep your back flat, your elbows at a ninety degree angle. Then come back up, breathing out.” She extended her arms, breathing out, returning to her original position. ”Like I said, I’ll do them with you. If you need to rest briefly between them, then do so, but the faster you do them, the faster you’ll get them over with.” Then they could start training properly. Aoi remained in her push up position, ready for Sunny to begin.

Sunny Slater

[Sunny Slater]

"Uh like, I totes don't need training."

Ew, this better not ruin my nails!

Aoi made a plea for her to remove her heels, but of course, she might as well have told Sunny to stop breathing. Not wearing high heels was like not wearing make-up. It was so unthinkable to Sunny that she was left frowning at the thought. Not frowning badly, of course, that might give her wrinkles when she was older! But a slight pout of confusion.
"I'm not, like, NOT wearing heels. I've been wearing them all my life and I'm like, totally fine!" Sunny pointed out defiantly. "Besides, like, I can fly, so it doesn't matter." She added proudly, as if this was to be the final word on the matter. Nothing would make Sunny stop wearing her precious heels. Nothing at all.

Sunny's Mom always said that Sunny herself should never be allowed in on any negotiations, because she was terrible at it. If only her Mom could see her now! She wasn't sure how she'd done it but somehow she'd argued Aoi down from forty push-ups to five! Without even knowing what she did! That must have been the signs of a master negotiator, right? She couldn't wait to tell her Mom!

She did as instructed, putting her back straight, holding herself up with her arms, her face contorting with effort immediately as her skinny arms shook. She went down as instructed, her arms shaking like leaves, her face screwed up, and tried to push herself back up...

...she groaned out loud as she tried, but she couldn't do it, and after a moment of trying, she collapsed onto the grass, panting.
"I can't do it! It's tooooooo hard!" She whined. It seemed that Sunny couldn't complete even one regular push-up...



Aoi Sato

"Yuck! Grass!"

ulla

[Aoi Sato]

Deep breaths. Aoi was not accustomed to people fighting back against her orders. Her imposing demeanor and assertive voice typically shut down any dissent. It seemed Sunny’s head was so thick that Aoi’s warnings simply couldn’t get through. ”If you wish to destroy your feet that is your choice. Just know that it will inhibit your ability to effectively fulfill your duties as Hero. I am here to assist you in that manner. You can choose to either listen to me or risk endangering yourself or the public.” Aoi had given up trying to force Sunny into anything. If she didn’t listen to Aoi, it was her loss. Aoi would report Sunny’s resistance to the Program, and they would punish her accordingly.

Aoi watched Sunny as she went down in push-up position, copying her descent. She saw the effort on Sunny’s face. That was good. That meant she was trying. The pain of exercise was the first step toward gaining strength. Aoi always enjoyed the pain. Not in a masochistic way. No, it meant she was getting stronger. Everytime she did an exercise regiment, she went as hard and as fast as she could until it hurt, and then she went twice as long as the build up to the pain. It was satisfying to feel that she was bettering herself. Not the mention the endorphin rush afterwards. As far as she was concerned, exercise was the only acceptable way to get high.

Aoi let out an exasperated breath as Sunny collapsed into the grass, unable to perform the simplest of exercises. Sunny had tried, she really had. It was obvious. It seemed she was physically incapable of fulfilling Aoi’s request. She was an even more desperate case than Aoi had anticipated. There was no way Aoi could teach Sunny the art of combat if she didn’t have any muscles to combat with. Muscles were a combatant's weapon, and one could not fight without a weapon.

Aoi breathed in deeply, then let the breath out, slow and steady, still in the downward push-up position. ”You can go on your knees.” The words hurt to speak. Doing a push-up on one’s knees were the weakest way to perform the exercise - they communicated fragility. Aoi had never done a push-up on her knees in her life. But it seemed they had no other option. ”Let’s try again.” Aoi extended her arms so she was in the upward position. ”On your knees, if you must.”

Sunny Slater

[Sunny Slater]

Sept 29, 2019 20:05:34 GMT Sunny Slater said:

"Uh like, I totes don't need training."

Ew, this better not ruin my nails!

Sunny gave a smile of victory when Aoi gave up trying to dissuade her from the heels. Sunny still saw no problem with wearing them, since she could fly, and they looked great, but she wasn't going to open the can of worms any further since now Aoi had agreed, she'd take that as a victory.

She smiled a little when Aoi said she could go on her knees, and she did so. She began to do the push ups as requested. Her face screwed up in concentration and effort, but she managed to do the requested additional three (to the two she did before), before collapsing onto her back, panting.

"Whew. I did it!" She cheered, too exhausted to lift her arms. "Now I never have to do it again!" She added proudly, apparently utterly unaware of how this 'exercise' thing worked. Despite her exhaustion, she was hovering about half a meter off the ground. She might be resting, but she wasn't about to lay on her back on the dirty ground...

Aoi Sato

"Yuck! Grass!"

ulla

[Aoi Sato]

Much to Aoi’s chagrin, it seemed that Sunny had interpreted her “try again” as “only do three more.” In any other situation, she would correct the young woman’s mistake, but she doubted if Sunny was even capable of doing the five in a row that she requested. Not to mention, they needed to get on with the training. They would go to nightfall if they had to. They would go on to the next day. Unfortunately, however, they didn’t have a week. Aoi had other duties to attend to, and she was sure some dunce at the Program had given Sunny responsibilities as well. This regiment had to be completed, even if it meant cutting a corner or two.

”You have.” Aoi said, monotone. At least the girl could be proud of her - to put it liberally - accomplishments. Unfortunately, her celebration included “never doing it again.” ”You will have to do it again.” Aoi said. ”Many, many times. If you want to be an effective Hero, you will have to be strong: mentally, physically, and in the use of your powers. We are focusing on the second aspect, so you will be doing many more physical activities in order to increase your strength in that area.” Aoi thought Sunny could use improvement in all those areas, but that wasn’t her assignment.

”Stop using your powers. You will touch the ground. It can’t hurt you, I see no reason why you should be avoiding it.” Aoi didn’t particularly take into account Sunny’s girlish aversion to getting dirty. She found it illogical that she would use her powers to avoid some simple dirt and grass. ”Now that we know your abilities, I will make you do five push-ups every time you use your powers.” The implication being that she would be able to go on her knees, but Aoi didn’t like saying something like that. It was bad enough she had to speak those words once; she most certainly didn’t want to do it again.

”Now,” she stood straight and tall, ”punch me as hard and fast as you can in the best way you know how without using your powers. I need to judge your current ability.” Aoi didn’t have much hope for Sunny, but she had a plan and she wanted to stick to it. She did this with all her students, and while Sunny was a bit of a special case, she saw no reason why she should treat her any differently. ”Don’t worry, it won’t hurt.” She said. At least, it wouldn’t hurt Aoi; depending on Sunny’s technique, it could hurt her student, but Aoi would try to keep that pain to a minimum.

Sunny Slater