Tanner stared out his window, listening to the roar of the helicopter's engine and watching the sky fly past. That morning, he'd been given a nice breakfast and then sent onto the helicopter. He'd waved goodbye to Samuel, Rebel and Annabelle, and surprisingly, he was sad to leave them behind. His kidnapper, a man with a strange name and the old lady had been the first to inform him of the magical evil out there. They were the first to declare him a hero, and the only, actually. Tanner anxiously drummed his fingers on the helicopter wall. It wasn't even noon yet. It was going to be a long ride.

***

"Okay, we've arrived at the Training Base," the pilot announced. Tanner thanked him and sprang out of the helicopter. In front of him stood a large building made of white metal. It was a rectangular shape, with the door on one of the small sides. From the door came a man who appeared to be a bit older, but still looked healthy.

"Name?" he asked.

"Tanner Conell," Tanner replied. The man smiled warmly.

"Ah, Tanner. Good to have you here. My name is Sensei."

"The Resistance has some weird names," Tanner noted. Sensei laughed.

"This isn't my real name, of course. I simply use it as to keep things simple. Come, now. Let me show you around." Sensei led Tanner into the building, where Tanner found himself in a short hall with wooden doors on all sides.

"The doors on your left and right," Sensei explained. "Are trainee rooms. Most of them are empty." Sensei then led him through the door at the end of the hall, which opened to reveal a large room similar to a basketball court in size and length.

"This is the main room of the building," Sensei informed Tanner. "We use it for meetings, training, and more." At the opposite end of the room- or, more accurately, stadium- was a smaller room with some equipment.

"The main indoor training room," Sensei explained. "It's commonly used in Physical Training. Weapons is usually outside, as is Mental. Free time can be spent here, as well. Which reminds me..." Sensei turned to Tanner. "I'm sure you've been told you're not alone in your fight. Well, currently, we have two other trainees with us: a boy and a girl. I'll take you to meet them now, if you'd like." Tanner nodded. Meeting some other trainees would be nice. He could use some friends in his new, crazy life. Sensei led Tanner out of the small equipment room, through the stadium, and into the hall. He then rapped on a door.

"Linsey?" he called. "The new recruit is here." The door flew open, and Tanner saw his first fellow trainee. Linsey was a teen girl who looked his age. She had long blonde hair, which fell freely over her shoulders. She was wearing a plain grey T-shirt and grey shorts.

"Hiya," she said. Her voice was friendly though loud, and made Tanner feel welcome. "Name's Linsey. I already know your name, Tanner. Sensei told us."

"Oh," Tanner said, not knowing what to talk about with a magic-rebel teen.

"I'm sure we can talk once we get Alex. Here, I'll grab em'." Linsey strode over to another door (Tanner noticed that Sensei was gone) and knocked on the door.

"Alex? New guy's here." The door creaked open, and Tanner was looking at the last other trainee. Alex had a bit of a reader look to him. Not tough-looking, seemed far less bold than Linsey. He was wearing the same grey outfit as Linsey.

"Ah," Alex said. He offered his hand to Tanner. "Well, welcome, I guess."

"Thanks," Tanner responded, feeling a tad awkward. Alex leaned in and whispered, "Don't feel awkward. I haven't seen anyone other than Linsey and our trainers for over a month. I think we're both a little nervous." Alex smiled a friendly smile, and Tanner returned it. He had the feeling they were going to get along.

"Alright, alright, introductions don't take that long," Linsey said impatiently. "What are you doing, telling the stories of your lives?" Tanner and Alex shared a look. "Let's head into the main room, and we can chat there." Linsey began striding toward the main room, and Alex and Tanner followed. Once in the main room, Linsey plopped on the floor. Tanner followed her lead.

"So, what do ya want to start with?" Linsey asked. "The different training sessions?"

"Sure," Tanner agreed. He was interested in what he was training in, exactly.

"Alright," Linsey said. "Well, first up is Gadgets Training."

"I'm more of a gadget guy than Linsey is," Alex interrupted. "In Gadgets, we work with electricity, wires, and of course, gadgets. Sometimes Timothy, the instructor, will bring in gadgets for us to try. Sometimes we work on a gadget until we've mastered it."

"Next is Melee Training," Linsey continued in Alex's place. "It works on strength. When there are magical bad guy creeps, sometimes you just gotta punch em' in the face. Melee focuses on hand-to-hand combat like karate, wrestling and some other techniques that our instructor probably made up. After Melee, there's Weapons, which focuses on swords, mostly. We also use bows, though. I'm not sure why we use swords, they seem a little old-fashioned, but after a while, you get pretty good with one." Linsey imitated using a sword, and the demonstration ended with her beheading Alex.

"Ha ha," he said as Linsey bowed. "Anyway, after Weapons is Strategy. What do you do when you're surrounded? How do you set up a efficient base? It's all strategy. Strategy takes smarts and planning."

"We have some training sessions twice a day," Linsey added. "And then there's Mental." Alex rolled his eyes. "In Mental Training, the trainee attempts to calm their mind. And basically, we take deep breaths while our instructor rambles."

"It's the one session that is utterly useless," Alex sighed sadly. Just then, Sensei walked in.

"You are now more prepared for tomorrow, I trust?"

"Yeah, I think I'll be able to catch on pretty quick," Tanner replied truthfully. Sensei smiled.

"Good. Well, it's getting late. You have a busy day tomorrow. I'll show you to your room." Sensei led Tanner into the hall with the doors to everyone's rooms in it.

"This is your room," Sensei said, opening a door. Tanner walked inside. His room was plain, with a few drawers and a bed as the only items inside. Still, it was everything Tanner needed, and he liked it.

"Others are allowed inside only with your permission," Sensei informed Tanner. "In your drawers, you will find plenty of outfits, all the same. Plain grey clothing is the 'uniform' here. And I believe that is all for now." Tanner sat on his bed.

"Okay, thanks."

"You'll be awakened tomorrow to start the day," Sensei informed him. With that, he exited the room. Tanner got changed into a comfortable set of grey pajamas and settled into bed. It was odd, trying to fall asleep without his mom or dad wishing him sweet dreams. But his old life was behind him now. Tanner cleared his mind and closed his eyes. In a matter of minutes, he was asleep.

***

"Up and at em'!" Tanner opened his eyes. Linsey's head was poking in his door.

"Rise and shine!" she bellowed. "Meet in the main room." Tanner's door slammed shut. He sat up and rubbed his eyes. This was it. The first day of preparing to become a part of the Obsidian Rebellion.

Tanner got dressed in the plain outfit and entered the main room. Sensei, Linsey, Alex, and a few adults were already there.

"Ah, Tanner," Sensei greeted. "Today's warm-ups will be introductions."

"I'll go first," a man volunteered. The man looked like a young adult, with dark skin. He was decently muscular. "Name's Bryce," he said. "I teach Melee."

"I'm next," said another man. This man had glasses and wild, yellow hair. "My name is Timothy. I instruct Gadgets and Strategy."

"Nicole," a lady introduced herself. "Weapons instructor." Nicole had long, brown hair and, like Bryce, looked athletic.

"That leaves me," said a woman's voice. An older lady stepped forward. "I am the instructor Fantisa. I instruct the training of your mental capabilities." Tanner could guess that this was the weird instructor Linsey and Alex had told him about.

"That's everyone," Sensei said. "We'll eat, and then your training begins." The group sat, and although there weren't any tables or chairs, Bryce left and came back with food. It was a meal with some variety; there were small berries, large fruits, meats that Tanner didn't recognize, and more. To start off, he selected a large fruit. It was rubbery in his hand, but when he bit into it, it was soft and chewy.

"What is this stuff?" he asked Alex, taking another bite.

"It only grows on this mountain," Alex explained. "We call it zoink." Tanner nearly choked on his fruit.

"Zoink? Seriously?" Alex shrugged.

"Hey, we didn't name it. Oh wait- yes we did." Alex grinned as Tanner laughed. The rest of the meal went well, and all the food was great. Tanner's favorite was the zoink, but meat from some kind of mountain gopher was a close second. It was a bit of an odd breakfast, but Tanner enjoyed it. After the meal, Sensei excused them to their first session.

"Right here," Timothy called. Tanner, Alex and Linsey gathered around him.

"Everyone here? Wonderful. Well, welcome to Gadgets training, Tanner. Gadgets are tools you'll use to battle obsidian magic. I thought that we could start with the..." Timothy pulled a device from his overcoat pocket. It looked like the blades of a helicopter, but miniature. "The classic Handheld Glider. When properly assembled, this device serves as a mode of transportation you can keep in your pocket." Timothy's hand moved, and he gripped the Glider with both hands. The blades began to spin, and then Timothy was hovering a foot in the air. He floated a bit higher, and then soared around the trainees' heads a few times. Once he finished the demonstration, Timothy placed the device in his pocket again. Tanner and the others applauded while Timothy took a bow.

"Now, let's get started!" Over the next two hours, Timothy walked them through setting the device up from scratch. It was confusing sometimes, and Tanner was a bit disappointed that they wouldn't be using the Glider that day, but he certainly learned a lot. After Gadgets was over, Timothy sent them to Melee training.

"So, how was it?" Linsey asked on their way to the smaller training room.

"Pretty cool," Tanner replied. "Not my favorite, but interesting enough."

"Yeah, I don't love it either," Linsey confessed.

"You're both crazy," Alex said. "It's the best! Imagine being a professional, just whipping out your own mini-helicopter whenever you wanted."

"Sure, that'd be neat, but I don't wanna have to build all the stuff," Linsey complained. Their argument was cut short by Bryce.

"Hey, Tanner!" he welcomed. "Welcome to Melee training. This is important, because you don't always have a fancy gadget or weapon on you. When it comes down to hand-to-hand combat, you need to be prepared. Now, before I can train you, I have to know your skill level. So, would you be okay fighting Linsey?" Linsey grinned wickedly. Tanner felt awkward at the idea of fighting a girl, but it was only training, after all. Plus, he didn't want to let Bryce down.

"I'm fine with it," he said.

"Me too," said Linsey.

"Great," Bryce said. "Can you two get on opposite sides of that mat?" He pointed to a large combat mat. Tanner and Linsey got on opposite sides.

"Okay, good. Now, for this, I want you to try and pin each other. Got it? Okay, fight when ready." Linsey edged toward Tanner in a attacking stance. Tanner copied her until they were both near the center. Then Linsey rushed forward, grabbing Tanner's shoulders. She had a strong grip, and Tanner was thrown to the ground, landing on his side. Linsey shot down next to him, pushing him down. Tanner didn't want to lose so quickly, and when Linsey was in an unstable stance, he shoved her off. Linsey recovered and stayed on her knees, panting. Tanner got to his knees as well. They squared up again, Tanner examining Linsey with new knowledge. She was strong, that was for sure. He darted at her and grabbed her around her exposed waist, successfully grabbing her. But he wasn't sure what to do next, and Linsey did. She used his own grab against him, twisting so that Tanner was below her, though at an angle. Then she broke free of his grasp and tackled him down. Tanner flailed, landing some solid hits, but Linsey stayed on top of him.

"That's enough," Bryce called. Linsey got off with a smirk, and Tanner stood, embarrassed at his loss.

"I've got a good idea of your strength now, Tanner." Then, noticing Tanner's embarrassment, Bryce added, "And don't worry about that. It was your first fight, and Linsey's no wimp." Linsey grinned, a bit crazily, and punched the air. Bryce's consolation made Tanner feel somewhat better. Melee training was over shortly, and it was time to eat next. Lunch had the same options as breakfast had, and Tanner enjoyed it.

"Isn't Melee terrible?" Alex whispered to Tanner.

"I don't hate it," Tanner replied. "I think it's a useful skill that we'll need. I'm just disappointed that I lost."

"Oh," Alex said. "Don't worry about it. Linsey's had two months of training, and you've never trained before. Plus, you got on-the-ground shoving, tackling as your combat method. Other sessions, it's better. There's stuff like karate, where you can take or deal a blow and it doesn't really matter." Tanner felt better with Alex's words, too, although no one could fully erase his shame.

After the meal, the trio of trainees had Weapons training. It was held outside, unlike any other session Tanner had had so far. When they arrived at the spot Weapons was held, Nicole greeted them.

"Welcome to Weapons training, Tanner. Weapons are the instruments of combat, the tools. You know how to use them, and you can survive any enemy. Unfortunately, nowadays, people use guns and bombs. Not us. We have two weapons we'll be training with: the sword and the bow." And so, for the next two hours, Nicole taught Tanner to use a sword. It was wooden, but Tanner still felt cool wielding it. Nicole taught him to hit hard and solid but also be ready to spring into another attack or be on the defensive. It was all about hitting hard, but keeping your balance and speed. They didn't use bows that day, although Nicole demonstrated a clean shot into a target.

After Weapons was Strategy, which was much calmer than Melee or Weapons. Timothy was back to instruct it.

"Strategy. Where do you set your base up? How do you set it up? How many people should work there? This is all part of strategy. Attacking and defending, you'll learn to make smart moves." Strategy sessions involved a large "gameboard", which Timothy kept in his room. It was the size of a dinner table, and the same shape, too. On the board were miniature forests, mountains, and lakes. Linsey, Alex and Timothy already had bases and troops, while Tanner had to start from scratch. The point of the "game" was to rule the entire board (which Timothy claimed he'd done once, on other trainees). You could attack other players or form alliances, build and destroy. Tanner liked this about the game, as well as one other feature: it never ended. Every session, they would play. You kept all your progress between days, too. Tanner, by the end of the session, had a small but operational base by some lakes. Linsey got hit hard by a well-planned attack by Timothy, which made Alex and Tanner laugh.

After Strategy was part two of Melee. Tanner was thankful that Bryce didn't bring up his loss.

"Right, here's the plan. For this session, we're working on straight punches. I'll be helping everyone throughout the session. We'll be working with PunchT.

"PunchT?" Tanner asked.

"It's like a punching bag, only it analyzes your blows and rates the strength and form of your hits." Tanner enjoyed PunchT, and liked that it offered advice. On a small screen near the top, he saw the messages, HARDER! SOFTER! HIGHER! LOWER!, as well as one message which appeared to be a winky face. Bryce examined it, punched it, and the message changed. He shrugged and walked away.

After Melee was Free Time, which meant that they could do pretty much whatever they wanted. Tanner chose to use some paper in his room to plan for Strategy training. Then, after Free Time came dinner, which was the same as lunch and breakfast. And then, the trio's last session of the day: Mental training. They met outside the Base with the old lady from that morning.

"Ah, Tanner," she said calmly. "I hear many things in the wind of you. In my session, we clear our minds and souls, which allows for better performance tomorrow." Mental training included stretching, deep breaths, imagining peaceful scenes, and warnings against the color orange.

"Orange disrupts one's calm state," Fantisa warned. "Also, I have noticed darker thoughts when sitting around anything orange for too long." The trainee trio could barely stop themselves from laughing.

After Mental was another Free Time, and after that, it was time for everyone to sleep. Tanner used this Free Time to review the circuits in the Glider, and then got into bed. Looking back at the day, it had been crazy and sometimes challenging. This was his life for the next three months, he knew. He had to master punching, kicking, planning, engineering, dueling, and more. It was a tall order. But Tanner was determined to master it all. He wanted to save lives, and this was how to do it. Tanner was determined. Tanner was ready. Tanner was... asleep.