Pacifica once more found herself staring at the ocean blue, the waves losing their clear luster as they crashed on the shores of Salegio. The sand tumbled as it was picked up by the currents staining the clarity the waters once bore.

She had stood on many such beaches in her short life, and to the untrained eye, they were all the same. But she knew better. Every coastline had its own quirks, its own water, like a Resonator of the oceans.

She exhaled sharply, though her breath hitched suddenly as a voice hit her ears.

"Dodge," was the only warning she got. Unfortunately for her attacker, Pacifica had an entire several weeks of training in precisely what was just asked of her.

The otter stepped away from the whip of water that crashed down next to her, facing her attacker in one motion.

"Oh? Something you're actually good at," Captain Wik teased, a ring of water coiling around her like a serpent ready to strike.

Today's training session was abundantly clear. Pacifica took in a breath, held it, and passed it through her nose; all without tearing her eyes away from her teacher.

"Dodge," Wikolia repeated, before lashing out again.

Pacifica didn't allow herself pride in her movement, that was wasted processing time. Each step backward was done with such little movement. Her brain was working on several levels, analyzing both her opponent and her environment.

The otter of six months ago would have never been able to achieve this feat, this level of dexterity and awareness. Rebecca had trained her well, and leaned into Pacifica's strengths – she could sense intention, and for that, it meant the opponent was an open book when she sharpened her focus. The only matter that took a portion of her brain power was the environment. Each step was methodical and smooth. Even walking backward, she used her long tail to feel what was behind her with small precise taps.

In tandem with feeling out her opponent, she always had a good idea of what was behind her without actually needing to expend the time or energy to look. Using the opponent's emotions, thoughts, and perception against them. That is how Pacifica wanted to fight.

Step step step Splash splash splash

The two otter's dance continued for some time and even longer distance. There was not a wasted step nor movement in Pacifica's retreat. Even as Wikolia introduced a second whip to the shuffle, Pacifica was still able to pivot around them. Her footwork wasn't elaborate or overly flashy. It did what it needed to, keeping the normally water-obsessed Resonator dry and water-free.

Her pace only hastened when Captain Wik attempted a full-frontal wave of water, emulating the oceans that backdropped their waltz down the coast. The heightened pace didn't persist, Pacifica calmed herself back to her methodical stride as the intensity of the elder otter's assault waned.

Three whips were difficult, but not insurmountable. Four necessitated hops, whirls, ducks, and bends. Captain Wik couldn't help but be impressed when Pacifica cartwheeled away from her five whips, and back-flipped away from six.

The seventh struck her hard and the other six piled onto the downed otter before she could utter a cry.

As soon as the brutal assault had begun, it ended just as abruptly, sparing the young otter from a total beatdown.

"I've seen enough," Wikolia declared, dispersing her watery implements into the air. "That firefox trained you, didn't she?"

Pacifica dusted the sand off as she sat up. "She did."

"I can tell." Wikolia turned her back. "That's all for today."

The trainee furrowed her brow. She couldn't get a read on the elder otter. Did that mean she was purposefully allowing her emotional tells to slip through?

With a sigh, she fell onto her back, splaying her arms out in the sand. "I wonder what she's really thinking," she mused to herself. Closing her eyes, Pacifica allowed her thoughts to drift. "Hope Sho and them are having a better time than I am."

"I wonder how we got into this industry," said Shouri, throwing another box onto the pile. "I think it started and ended with 'Paci needs a trainer for her ad-Lib'," Rebecca reminded him, also stacking a box on the pile. "Right." Shouri stood and appreciated their work thus far.

"At least Rebby got to learn how to drive a truck," Taika pointed out, joining the two at the tailgate, plopping a box of her own on top. "Emphasis on learn. I'm a sportscar girl, and I will accept no substitutes," Rebecca grumbled.

Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. "I was considering a van rental when we get back," Shouri informed her. "Kill me now." The fire fox's shoulders caught slack as she slumped over in defeat.

The tailgate was raised, clicking into place to secure their load of packages. The trio piled into the cabin of the truck, which lacked a back seat, meaning Rebecca, Taika, and Shouri were shoulder-to-shoulder in the front seats.

"It's actually convenient that Pacifica isn't here, someone would be riding in the back otherwise," Rebecca commented. "Remember that's not legal, or safe," Shouri pointed out. "I haven't seen a single cop out here, I don't think they care," countered the fire element.

Shouri hummed, considering that thought. "You got me there," he conceded. "That doesn't mean you can speed though," he chided her.

"Oh my god, I'm more careful than that!" Rebecca exclaimed. "I saw you watching 'The Swift and the Reckless' series on your tuner," Shouri called her out. "Hey hey! They're good movies, okay!?" shouted the vixen in defense of her honor.

Taika just smiled, sitting in between the two as they went back and forth. Having loved ones was nice.

Thankfully for the peace of Salegio City's rookery, the noise was contained to the interior of the truck's cabin, and Rebecca had gotten particularly good at carrying out a conversation while driving.

The truck stopped at a dozen or so different locations, dropping off the box marked for each respective building. The people accepting the deliveries were appreciative of the trio's hard work, one grateful elderly woman even going so far as to pull them inside to feed them lunch as they were in her words "skin and bone".

They completed their rounds at about five in the evening, returning the truck to where they got it and climbing back into their rented sedan.

A loud, weary sigh escaped the three's lips.

"Tired," Taika groaned. "Good thing you did another slow cooker meal," said Shouri. "I'm ready to eat and sleep." Rebecca peeled her face off the steering wheel to make the trek back to Wikolia's abode.

The drive was uneventful. Not even traffic impeded their progress. Finally back, they could rest their weary bones and enjoy the hot fresh meal that awaited them.

"Oh, hey guys," Pacifica greeted the trio as they cleared the entrance to the dining room. "You seem to be doing better today," Shouri noted, sticking with the otter while the foxes went to run amok of the kitchen. "We just did some practical work today, nothing too intense, we were done by like noon," said Pacifica. "Hm?" Shouri eyed the otter suspiciously.

She cracked under his scrutinizing gaze. Looking around, she decided it was safe and she spoke quieter. "It seemed like a test? I think I did well. But maybe she didn't like the way I did it?"

Shouri nodded, allowing her to continue.

"She seemed to be stuck on how I was moving and the fact that Rebecca was the one that trained me to move like that," Pacifica further elaborated. "Do you have a problem with it?" Shouri asked.

"Yes, but not in the way you think," she started. "I like how Rebby moves, and I like that she taught me how to better use my body for lack of a better word?" She furrowed her brows, frowning as she did so. "It's like, I feel like I'm focused when I fight like I have an actual direction to work with instead of just throwing spells at the wall, I dunno if I'm explaining myself right."

The dining room fell to silence as Shouri considered her explanation. "No, it makes sense," he finally spoke.

"You prefer the style you learned from Rebby and don't want to deviate from it too much because it's what you're comfortable with, right?" he questioned for confirmation.

She nodded, though lowered her head. "I like that we learn things from each other and get better." Shouri cut in before she could continue. "But sometimes we need an outside perspective," he challenged.

There wasn't a denial from the otter, only a slow, sad nod.

Shouri placed a hand on her shoulder. "It's okay Paci, she's not going to take offense to you learning a different way to move and fight. Remember, she's been through a bunch of different trainers."

"I know, I just… still feel bad about it. Like I wasted her time." "You didn't."

She allowed her gaze to meet his. "Even if it's small, everything you've learned builds onto everything you will learn. That's just part of the process love." A reassuring smile graced his lips – which was exactly what she needed at that moment.

"Thanks, Sho." "Of course."

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