"Hard-core" Training. [Open-to-all.]

[light_of_willpower]

Who: (Future) Trunks and whoever is interested! Open to all.
When: October 22nd.
Where: Open Grounds (and Sky) near Caireen's Temple.
What: An open area and invitation for some harder-training than is usually done during the intro-events.



Bishamon was always kind enough every month to open part of her temple and its grounds for new shinki and gods, and Trunks was grateful for that. But he was also pretty sure he, and a few others he could think of, would appreciate a training session or two that wasn't geared towards most of the new arrivals. (Not that there was anything wrong with new arrivals, or those who weren't as skilled as others. They all had to learn.) Fortunately, he also had an understanding Goddess, who had decent space around her temple-grounds, and who knew he'd take care of clean-up and everything else.

Especially since some of the platforms and structure's they'd used from the game of hide-and-seek were still placed around. Celestia'd been kind enough to help Trunks with forming clouds into various loops and shapes to provide some obstacles there too. Clearly marking the space closest to Caireen's temple as off-limits, just in case as well.

It still left them lots of open ground on the edge of the forest, the beach-area, and the sky. Perfect, as far as he was concerned. Word-of-mouth, mostly making sure to stop by and visit friends he knew would be interested (like Snow and Goten) the date he was planning this, and then just setting things up.

He didn't have animated straw-dummies, but then--most of the people he was expecting were far beyond straw-dummy level.]

Comments

[light_of_willpower]

Trunks had been managing to hover closer to the ground, but enough up that he could see what Celestia was doing. It seemed like a good course, from what he could tell, and with her confirmation, he let himself float on up closer. "I'll have to, since I'm hosting after all. I appreciate your help though, any tips?"

Y'know--casual conversation, as if they weren't just however many hundred of feet up in the sky...

[letteropener]

Well, being up here was certainly normal for her. And who was she to say it should be strange for him?

"Oh, I put in a couple of surprises for those who might try to go too fast," she said with a sly smile.

[light_of_willpower]

"Define too fast." Trunks was still learning himself just how fast he could go, both in the air or in a fight. But he was up for the challenge, and that sly smile of Celestia's invited the question well.

"I'd say we could race it, but you designed it--which might be a bit unfair."

[letteropener]

"Maybe, but I'm no racer to begin with. To be honest, I've flown more since coming to the Far Shore than I have in years in Equestria." And she was enjoying it phenomenally. No need for proper formal transport or restraint!

[light_of_willpower]

"I'm not sure if I'm a racer, honestly. I'm just trying anything that seems reasonable, hoping it'll help me relearn things." But he can hear the enjoyment in her voice, when she talks about how she's been more active. "Well, why don't you give me a tour of the course anyway, and you can stretch your wings more. It'll be nice to be flying with you when we're not dealing with a nightmare ayakashi."

[letteropener]

"Well, the beginning is over this way." She turned in midair, sweeping over towards the course start, clearly marked with a pair of cloud pillars and a long strand of cumulus for a starting line. Grace was one of her gifts, so the sweep of her wings and the motion of her body through the air was smooth and elegant even despite her professed lack of practice.

[light_of_willpower]

For someone who hadn't really 'known' he could fly until about a month before, there's a definite ease with it as Trunks moves with her. Not necessarily graceful or elegant the way Celestia was, but his movements through the air were just as smooth. Even if his mind was trying to relearn, clearly somewhere inside, along with muscle-memory and body-motions, flight had been something he was very familiar with.

And without wings too. If Celestia is able to, she can probably figure out how he's doing so as well--it's not magic, although it could seem so. She's seen him use Chi-blasts before, but those are flashy compared to this.

[letteropener]

Humans flew in a way that was at once utterly unlike ponykind, and at the same time shared several similarities. Celestia might describe them more like bees, if she thought about it. It was very interesting.

Not bothering with formalities or details, Celestia breezed past the beginning and into the straightaway, where people could gain speed and test their limits (to a certain extent).

[light_of_willpower]

Most humans didn't fly really, so it was very interesting.

Trunks is observant enough, and following everything easily. She can see a type of gleam in his eye when she mentions testing limits, and speed. One she's probably seen in Rainbow Dash's eye, when a new challenge is placed before her. Asking for a pause, blue-eyes narrow in thought as he eyes the straight-away.

Before there is a small burst of energy and he's racing down it, focused, and alert. Gauging his own speed, but also trying to study how he's doing this. As it relates to using that chi to fly, and move through the air. It's...not the easiest thing, trying to relearn something that the body and mind clearly know how to do without thought.

[letteropener]

Well, Celestia was certainly not here to say that what any human did was unusual, because they were a very strange race in many ways.

Celestia follows after him with graceful beats of her wings, not trying to keep pace. As to why, well, the wall of clouds that forms the outer boundary of the track curves gracefully enough that a racer could keep their speed if they wanted -- but it leads directly into a great grey cloudwall full of water. Easy to go over or under... if somepony has time to react!

[light_of_willpower]

Good, because he's gradually speeding up and could probably give most racers a good run for their money. The faintest of a hint of shimmer (almost like heat-haze) was around him too, as his Chi acted as buffer as well as kept him flying. Blue eyes narrowed, studying the curve of the clouds and while he could've gone over or under the grey-cloudwall...

He stopped, quickly but efficiently and just waited instead, turning towards Celestia.

[letteropener]

Who breezed straight past him, putting on just enough height that she shot over the cloud with her hooves skimming it. "Why did you stop?" she called out over her shoulder, playfully.

[light_of_willpower]

That brought a smirk as he joined her easily. "Because I thought it'd be rude to leave you behind." The hint of cocksure nature was new, but also in some ways--a sign of just how comfortable Trunks was with Celestia. If he could tease like that.

[letteropener]

"I'm not the flyer you are." Celestia had wisdom over pride, and could admit that without hesitation or reservation as she banked into the broad turn the cloud-track took.

[light_of_willpower]

"You're not a lot of things I am, Celestia." Trunks replied good-naturedly, keeping pace with her easily. "I mean, I could go find out what other surprises you have planned, but I do like talking with you too."

[letteropener]

"If you can talk and race, I should have made this more challenging."

Celestia pulled ahead slightly with a flap of her wings as the path opened up into a broad maze of horizontal and vertical lines. She dove into the thick of it without hesitation, weaving deftly around and through the cloud-pillars.

[light_of_willpower]

"This just means we'll have to do this again then, right?"

Please say yes--because this is fun. Her pulling ahead, graceful as ever, makes him chuckle. Then he's catching up again and weaving through and around the pillars just as easily. No hesitation on his part, and he'll even speed up again to pass her. Waving as he does so, before focusing on whatever's coming next.

[letteropener]

Emerging from the aerial obstacle course took him right between two narrow pairs of grey clouds, long lines that practically crackled with electrical charge. Lightning rumbled in their depths, ready to jump out at a moment's notice.

[light_of_willpower]

If it gave him pause, Trunks wasn't showing it. Instead, blue-eyes are narrowing in focus and he's diving between those narrow pairs without hesitation. It's a very good test of his reflexes and speed; Trunks trying to pay just enough attention to what he's doing while not actively thinking, so he knows how he's doing it.

Especially when he almost seems to teleport away from one sudden strike to reappear out of that zone, then dive to avoid another. He's not, but moving fast enough to look like a teleport is still something he's getting relearning. Once he's out of the storm clouds though, he'll stop and wait for Celestia again. A bit of a relieved expression as he looks back, but not tired yet.

[letteropener]

"That was very impressive flying!" Celestia said brightly -- from behind him. She'd chosen to dodge the obstacles through her own abilities... in this case, teleporting. She was very good at it, after all.

[light_of_willpower]

True teleportation is not something he can do; but moving fast and seeming to mimic it? It's come up at least once or twice before, which is why he's trying to get handle on how he does it. A little duck of his head at the praise, and a smile. "I'm trying to...react, but also analyze how I react? If that makes sense? It's part of why I'm glad you made a course. So I can test myself."

It wasn't 'magic'--at least not like Celestia used, or even shinki spells. It was energy; Chi is what Hakkai called it, and that made sense to Trunks. It fluctuated at various times depending on what he was doing and how he was using it--at the higher speeds of his plain flight it was almost like a shimmery haze that was visible around him.

[letteropener]

"So far it doesn't seem to be testing you very hard," Celestia chuckled. She wasn't sure HOW she could test Trunks, to be honest.

[light_of_willpower]

"It's better than just open sky for now, so I'm still glad to have it." Trunks responded with genuine sincerity. Honestly Celestia, you could probably treat him like Rainbow Dash for purposes of testing...

[letteropener]

As if Celestia had any idea how to test Rainbow Dash!

Turning, she accelerates back into the next section -- a wide-open one, for flyers to catch their breath or enjoy the energy in their bodies after all that for a moment. No acrobatics from Celestia, though, more's the pity.

[light_of_willpower]

She could always start throwing obstacles at him...

Trunks kept pace, but was also looking around at the open stretch. Studying, before stopping and turning back to look at the course they'd traversed so far. "Are these the kinds of things Pegasi deal with back in Equestria? I mean, you probably have some kind of organized air-squad of some kind? How do they train?" Did Celestia know, being a princess?

This is all kind of new to Trunks, but he's already trying to think of ways to potentially improve.