"Better but put more of your wieght on your back foot." Quinn said, kicking Link's heel to shift him into position. "You get more power if you push off, and you're less likely to lose balence." The rito stepped, back hands on his hips. "I was plenty ballenced." Link argued. "Want to test that?" Quinn asked, raising an eyebrow. Link shook his head. "I'm guessing that's Battle-Ring for 'I'll knock you flat on your back if you argue with me again'." "That's exactly what it is." Quinn nodded. "Now run the forms again, and fix your footing." Link took a deep breath and lunged forewards, running through the complex drill Quinn had showed him. his sword sished through the air, cutting down imaginary foes and blocking invisible strikes. "Nice, that was way better." Quinn said, moving foreward as Link finished the final strike. "Good job fixing your stance, and I noticed some improv in there too, not bad but don't let it become a habit." "Why not? I was just doing what felt natural." Link asked, rolling his shoulder. hours of practicee every day seemed easy at first glance, but the toll it took on his muscles and energy was impressive. "That's the problem." Quin told him, "You follow the move with one that feels like it should come next right?" Link nodded, and Quinn continued. "That mindset is natural, a slice left leaves your blade extended at your side, so you follow it up with a swing to the right. It closes your guard while simultaniously delivering a powerful attack. Most Ringers would be content to let that suffice. "But here's the thing. That's predictable. For a mid-tier Ringer, it's a solid move, but any high class fighter will read you like a book if you pull one of those. They'll dodge and skewer you before the cut finishes." "Huh." Link said, leaning on his sword. Battle-Ring was so much more nuanced and intricate than he had orrigionally thought. It was more of a dance than a brawl, each contestant attempting to predict and outmaneuver the other, gracefully trading blows and attacks. "So let's see you try to fix that instinct. Quinn said, picking up a practice sword, "I'll defend, but I want you to come at me with everything you got." Link hesitated, they were alone in the glade, so he didn 't need to worry about humiliating himself in front of other students, but Quinn was still one of the best fighters in Battle Ring. But this was why he singed up right? To become the best, to show jerks like Cliff that size and stature wasn't everything. He grit his teeth and rushed in, blade whipping in a furious attack. Days passed in a blur, the deadline to when Rauru would select the team members creeping closer, like storm forming overhead. Not quite dangerous yet, but quickly becoming deadly. Battle-Ring began to encompass Link's entire life, hours spent training with Quinn, studying forms in the library, running through drills in his room, watching every move Raru made like a hawk. He knew things like homework and cleaning out Kohga's cellar were more important, but he also knew that when the time came, he had to be in the top ten. He needed to make the team, to become the best. So he watched the veteran ringers train, taking notes and memorizing forms, he pushed hard during practice, pounding through drills until his arms drooped from exaustion and his muscles felt like lead. Oftentimes Sidon would be forced to shake him awake for calsses, and Link would have to drag himself out of bed, exauhsted from the previous day's training. His ribs constantly ached from a blow during practice or a misplaced block, and more than once his arms were so sore, he had trouble even getting his pen to the paper. Pain became something of a currency for him. If he got that sore and bruised, then he got that much better. And there was an infinite bank of pain to pull from. Quinn alone seemed more than eager to keep him supplied. Training with the older boy became the focal point of his week, there he learned advanced techniques and skills mastered by only the most talented ringers. It was hard, and more than once Quinn would demand a duel, leaving Link on the ground wheezing. But as the weeks went by, he felt his body changing, hardening, adapting. Attacks that had once seemed a blur to Link's eyes became recognizable and dodgeable. Combonations Quinn threw at him began to reveal paterns predicatbility. Their duels began to last longer, leads switching back and forth. Quinn still won, but Link was beginning to make the Rito put in real work, sweating and pressing hard. His muscles stopped aching after every session, and he started to feel the blows less. When the day Rauru would select the top cadets dawned, Link finally felt confident that he was ready. "Cadets, please line up in front of the ring." Rauru said, pacing into The Grove with his hands clasped behind his back.
The veterain Ringers strode in behind him. Link frowned as the other cadets whispered and gulpped. Rauru hadn't told them there would be spectators, much less the current team. He shared a look with Yunobo as they took up positions facing the white circle painted onto the grass. "You nervous?" He asked. The big goron chuckled nervously. "I'm about to throw up. You?" "A little. Less than I thought I would be though." Yunobo glanced at him. "Really? This is super important to you, I feel like you would be biting your nails off or something." Link shrugged. "So did I," He admit, "but I've done everything to prepare, training for hours, studying, practicing, all of it. If I can't get in here, then at least I know I did everything I could." Yunobo oppened his mouth to say something, but Rauru cut him off. "As you know, today I will be selecting the ten cadets who will make it into the Hylia Academy Battle Ring team." He said from the center of the ring, "As a sort of final exam, we will hold a tournament style duel, with winners battling each other until we have one ultimate victor. Round one will be hand to hand technique, and each consecutive round will be a different skill. The contestants will be assigned at random, by drawing names." Cliff stepped forewards and held out a small leather sack. Rauru dipped his hadn into the bag and pulled out a slip of paper. "Teba Lightfeather will be battling first," He reached into the bag again, "alogside Darius Fin." Link clapped as Teba and a short Zora stepped into the ring. They saluted, holding their right forearm over their head, and Rauru blew his whistle. "Commence!" Within a minute it was clear that Teba was the obvious winner. He danced around the zora, easily dodging blows and taunting the boy. It was over in less than five minutes. Teba seemed to tire of his game, and executed a perfect parry, getting inside Darius' guard and delivering a palm jab to the side of his head, knocking the boy out insantly. Link clapped along with the rest of the cadets, and Teba threw a bow towards the crowd. Rauru continued to draw names, and the sides of the ring began to fill with winners and loosers. Link was paired with a small boy named Jordan. It had been obvious siunce the first day of training that he wouldn't make it, and the boy's skill had barely improved since that point. Link gave him a good run, letting it seem that a few attacks gave him trouble, but ultimatly forced the boy's arm behind him and twisted until he recieved a surrender. Yunobo passed as well, although he had a much harder fight, battling one of the more talented cadets. The contest went on for several minutes before Yunobo picked the guy up and threw him onto the ground, earning the victory. Rounds went by quickly, each slightly harder than the last. Link and Yunobo passed each fight, with Teba dominating his battles as well. By the third round of fights, less than half of the cadets remained. Link's training wiht Quinn over the last weeks paired with his constant practice and studying began to show as he defeated oponent after oponent, leaving each groaning in the grass. Soon only four cadets remained, Link, Teba, a zora named Finnick, and a hylian named Rein. Teba had defeated Yunobo one fight ago, an impressive feat, considering the goron's size and strength. Yunobo had insisted it was no problem when Teba helpped him to his feet, but he seemed slightly flustered that he had lost to the smaller boy. Link was paired against Finnick, and Teba was drawn agaisnt Rein. Since it was the last two battles, they were held on two different fields art the same time. more than half the cadets went to watch Teba's match, taking down Yunobo had gotten him a lot of respect and admiration. Link chuckled. He was totally fine with less spectators. Finnick saluted, and Link followed suit. "Commence!" Rauru called, signaling for both matches to start. Link held his battle-rod up, round four was fought with staves, and waited for Finnick to make his first move. Quinn had taught him that you could learn a lot about an oponent by how they acted when the fight began. A fighter who rushed in the moment the whistle blew was bound to be agressive and reckless, moving to end the match quickly and brutally. Someone who stalked and circled first, siezing you up and trying to read your movements was going to be more of a tactical fighter, while an oponent that feinted and struck precisly was likely to play it safe and deffensively. Finnick filled the second roll, circling and siezing Link up. He had seen Link absalutly domminate his previous fights, and was in no hurry to attack recklessly. Okay then. Link grinned and rushed in, staff whirling.
