Cryptids: The Beginning Arc. [book 1] |REDUX|

chapter 11: "training time."

With stars in his eyes and child-like wonder, Dayvawn is in awe at the fancy military-like training room.
"Duuuude! This is something straight out of a movie...! Like the Men In Black! Ow! Are you guys the Men In Black?!"
He excitedly says. Sarah is a little confused, as She doesn't know what Dayvawn is talking about.
"Uh. I guess...? Sorta?"

Sarah points to a realistic-looking dummy, Dayvawn is taken back at just how realistic it looks, as He thought it was a real person.
"Okay. Dayvawn. I want you to punch that Dummy as hard as you can. Do not hold back." Sarah begins to cross her arms, ready to spectate his training. Dayvawn is a little confused but does it anyway. He is shocked when the dummy goes flying and hits the wall making a huge sound that catches the attention of everyone. Dayvawn stares at his fist in amazement.

"Oh... Dude, that was Dope! Supa' Dope!" He says with a huge grin. Sarah approaches. "Yes. You must be careful about who you hit. One fit of anger can kill someone. Your strength is now immense." She flips her bang.
"Now... Fight me." She sighs while putting her fist up.
Dayvawn's face contorts into confusion.
"Uh... No? Sorry, but did you NOT see what I did just now?! Also, I don't like hitting women. So, no thanks."

"I really don't give a shit." Sarah says.
"This is a part of your training. If you don't train, you can die. And if you don't, you'll be stuck at your current rank. It would be an embarrassment to Captain to have a Hybrid be a low rank."

Dayvawn doesn't know what She is talking about. "Uh... Rank? There's ranks up in this hoe?!" He questions. Sarah nods.
"Yes. There are Five ranks among the Cryptid Hunter Agency. The lowest rank, you, is rank Orange Diamond. It means you can possibly kill a human and non-lethal Cryptid. Then, there's Red Diamond. You can take on slightly higher threats, maybe a Shadow Person or a Chupacabra. Then, the Champagne Diamond. You can fight beasts like the Blue Tiger and such. Basic predatory animals, I guess. Then, the Black Diamond. You can kill Aliens, the big ones. Like the Flatwoods Monster. Finally, the Violet Diamond. That's... The legend rank. You can take on special Cryptids known as 'Urban Legends'. Only a few hunters here in the world even have that status."

"Of course, though, there are certain classes of Hunters we usually send. Example: there's a poltergeist? We send an exorcist. Monsters? Normal Hunters. Sea creatures? Divers, etc."

All this information overloads Dayvawn's brain.
"Urban... Legends...?" He sputters. Sarah nods.
"Yes. 'Urban Legends' is the class used to describe the strongest Cryptids. Bloody Mary, Mothman, the Goat Man, Loch Ness Monster, the stuff you see on conspiracy channels. Although, technically, the term 'Cryptid' is used for extinct animals believed to still be alive, such as a giant cave sloth, or even the wooly mammoth. while Mothman and, let's say something like La Llorona are 'paranormal' to the common folk and not Cryptids. But to keep it simple, 'Cryptids' is an umbrella term, and-"

Dayvawn cuts her off. "OKAY!! CAN WE GET BACK TO OUR TRAINING?!?!" He shouts. Sarah nods once more.
"Sure. Strike me."
She strikes a pose. Dayvawn is hesitant to hit a woman, so He holds back as He goes in for a punch. Sarah swiftly dodges, Dayvawn couldn't even see her move. His eyes pop out wide and She grabs his fist.
"You're holding back... Don't." She throws Dayvawn to the ground and He yells in pain.

"Ack! Hey! What the" Her shoe steps on his head, shutting him up.
"You'll surely die if you don't intend on harming me, Dayvawn. Get up and fight." She takes Her shoe off, and Dayvawn gets up and looks at her. He clenches his fist.
"Okay... Just try not to kill her... That's... Easy..." He says while hyping himself up. He charges at her with a fist raised in the air.
"SUPER-MEGA PUNCH!!!!!" He screams at the top of his lungs. Sarah easily counters it and sweeps his legs, making him fall to the ground once more.

"Again." She says.

Dayvawn repeats himself, trying the punch and failing.

"Again." She says.