Ienzo thought back to the end of his Nobody life. Taking advantage of his weak state, Replica Riku had no problem killing him. Not only was it frightening to think about, it was also discouraging. However, it motivated him like nothing else. He approached the three guards and asked them to train him. "I'm not much of a fighter, and I may not have a real weapon, but I do feel the need to become stronger and more capable of handling myself in a fight, even if I can't become as good as the rest of you."
Braig, Dilan, and Aeleus shared a look. "I suppose a little training wouldn't kill you," Aeleus said. "Are you sure you want to do this?"
"So far my experience in battle has been to project illusions and run away. I talk a good game but I need to be more dependable."
"Nothing wrong with that," Braig said. He summoned his weapon and pointed it at Ienzo. "Lesson one: dodge!" He wasn't really aiming at him, just shooting close enough to him to make him jump. Aeleus and Dilan did not look like they approved but did nothing to stop him; Even would do that.
"What is going on here?" Even yelled when he heard the gunfire.
Braig stopped. "The kid wants to learn how to fight. I was just testing his reflexes."
Even looked at Ienzo, surprised. "Perhaps you should try something else," he suggested.
"Are you ready for some sparring practice, Ienzo?" Dilan asked.
"Yes."
"Good soldier."
The first thing they had to do was teach him self-defense. Ienzo had actually read some books that were helpful but had never put what he'd learned into practice, preferring to play mental games with his opponents. "Put that away," Dilan advised when Ienzo brought out his lexicon. "You won't be needing it."
"But what about a weapon?"
"It's too soon for you to be worrying about that."
"We'll start without weapons," Aeleus said. "Your opponent will be me."
Ienzo knew that Aeleus was strong enough to pick him up and throw him halfway across the room if he wanted to. Aeleus didn't want to hurt him either, which is why they had never rough-housed with the kid before. Ienzo tried to sneak up on him and jump on him. It wasn't very effective, as Aeleus was able to lock him in a vice grip before letting him go. "Nice try," he said generously.
Next Ienzo tried a sweep-kick from below, but that didn't work either; Aeleus had stronger legs than him. He didn't seem to have any weaknesses either, but then Ienzo thought of the back of the knee, one of the human weak points he'd read about. He wouldn't even have to kick him that hard. Sure enough, Aeleus fell down and Ienzo jumped on him again. "Victory!" he laughed.
Aeleus laughed too. "You got me."
He faced off against Dilan next. Like Aeleus, Dilan blocked all of his attacks and captured him in hold. Unfortunately for Dilan, Ienzo knew how to break out of them by kicking him in the shin or hitting his solar plexus. "Why me?" Dilan groaned, experiencing deja vu.
"I think that's enough for today," Aeleus concluded, ending their session.
They resumed the next day, but this time they did use their weapons against Ienzo, who was not allowed to use his. He did his best to dodge their attacks and put up his hands to defend himself. To everyone's surprise, two daggers appeared in his hands, catching Dilan's lance. "What?" Dilan exclaimed in surprise.
"Another weapon," Aeleus said, amazed.
"But...my lexicon..." Ienzo dropped the daggers, looking confused.
"You can't hit and block attacks with a book, Ienzo. It's just not practical," Dilan said gently. "You don't want to damage it, do you?"
"No, I don't. It's for casting spells only."
Aeleus picked up the daggers and examined them. He seemed to recognize them but said nothing about it. "There's nothing wrong with these. We carry our weapons with the hope of never having to use them." He handed them back to Ienzo.
"What will Master Ansem think?"
"I know he still considers you a child," Dilan said. "All of us do. But you're an adult now. You're old enough to make your own decisions about such things."
"There's no shame in having to use a weapon to protect yourself and others," Aeleus added. "Especially when you're involved in a lot of battles that force you into close combat."
Even and Braig showed up to check on his progress. They were intrigued by this turn of events, but it was Braig's turn to spar with him unarmed. Ienzo jumped him from behind. "Real cute, kid," Braig said, flipping him onto the floor with ease, "but you'll have to do better than that."
He extended his hand to help him up, but instead Ienzo responded by pulling him to the floor too. "Don't let your guard down," he chastised, getting back up.
Braig grinned sinisterly. "Fine, if you don't want me to go easy on you..." Ienzo managed to avoid most of Braig's attacks but ultimately fell down. Braig twisted his arm behind his back. "Say 'uncle.'"
"That's enough, Braig," Even spoke up. They thought he was being overprotective but then he summoned his shield. "It's my turn." He joined in, challenging Ienzo to get past him. Ienzo used an illusion to create copies of himself and the real one tagged him while he was distracted.
Ansem, wondering where his apprentices had gotten to, found them downstairs where they were training Ienzo. Braig had tied his bandana around the boy's eyes so he couldn't see anything, reinforcing his other senses (like smell). This looked like it could be dangerous, so Ansem intervened. "What are you all doing?" he asked curiously.
"Ienzo wanted to learn self-defense," Dilan explained. "We've been training him for the past day and a half."
"And what has he learned?"
"He still has a long way to go, but he's making progress," Aeleus replied.
"New weapons appeared for him too," Braig added.
"May I see them?" Ansem requested, his tone neutral. Ienzo undid the blindfold and handed them over. After a brief, thoughtful silence, Ansem said at last, "Well, if you want to learn how to defend yourself, there's nothing I can do to stop you."
"I promise I'll keep up with my work," Ienzo said in earnest, unnerved by this off-handed approval. "I'll stay up all night if I have to."
"But you already do that," Even pointed out. "How many times has one of us had to carry you back to your room?"
"Even's right. You need your rest, especially if you plan to keep doing this," Ansem said. Ienzo was embarrassed and disappointed because he thought Ansem was trying to talk him out of it. Ansem handed him back the daggers. "Just promise you'll be careful. It is unusual to start training this late in life."
Ienzo looked at him quizzically. "Sir?"
Ansem smiled. "My little Ienzo has grown up."
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