Optional Training (open)

[Genji]

It was early in the morning, before classes would even been ready to start. He had passed around some invitations to some of the more promising students to take a training exercise with him today. He had set up a scenario in the training area for the cadets who show up to try. They would be given a set of objectives and will then have to complete the objectives in their own fashion, they would then be judged based on performance.

Of course they would be given a day pass for anyone who passes Genji's scrutinize so they wouldn't have to attend classes for the rest of the day. However the real reason he is doing this is because he doesn't expect any of them to have the energy left for class.

[☆ Leon ☆]

Leon was still pretty sore about the whole thing with Celeste, he wanted to make it up to her and the only thing that was perfect for that was to reply to Genji about the flyer he had handed out the day before. Genji was known to be one of the best teachers in the entire Garden, but Leon knew better than that, Genji was the best teacher. Most feared him, but others respected him. He had experience and a feel to him that you would feel compelled to follow. If there was anyone who could make Leon stronger, it was Genji. Leon had noticed in the time that he has spent here, that he has been getting stronger. Which would be fine, but he was surpassing all of his classmates much faster than he would think to be normal, even the strongest men in his class paled in comparison to his own strength which was pretty scary. However, Leon would continue to get stronger, he would continue to exceed those around him so that he would always be strong enough to protect Celeste.

Leon walked down the dormitory hallways, fully armored aside form his headpiece which he carried under his left arm with mask in hand. To him though, his suit didn't feel heavy, in fact it wasn't suppose to feel too heavy for cadets, but to Leon it felt like a normal set of clothes with restricted movement. His collapsable BMG was mounted on his back and his FN P90 was at the right side of his leg in a special holster.

Leon was the first to arrive, a little early, but that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Leon just wanted to make sure he wasn't late. He was rather worried for whatever Genji had in store for him and the other selected cadets. He was willing and able to fight any monster, it just brought back hurtful memories. The only reason why he figured this was because there was no other real reason to have to bring along his Balamb Garden Combat Suit with both weapons and live ammunition. When he saw Genji, Leon immediately stood up straight and saluted to show respect. "Special Forces Richthofen reporting.", said Leon with a bold tone.

[Genji]

"At ease, Cadet, Welcome you arrived first which means you will be permitted to enter at your leisure in. You can be the first or last entry member, the choice is is yours." he said with a firm, commanding tone as he looked at the kid. He knew him well he was one of the most promising ones that was held at the top of all lists that were kept in the school for teacher reference. " On a side not I am quite glade that you decided to show up Cadet Leon, planning on taking your little sister out on a day trip if you pass I assume?" Genji asked with a hint of pride in his voice as he spoke. "Now prepare your equipment and when you are ready for your briefing let me know and we may begin your training mission." He spoke with a grin slowly spreading from cheek to cheek. He rather enjoyed setting up these little scenario's for the students, determing their skills in combat and how they handle the pressures of stress and life or death was a key element in his curriculum.

[☆ Leon ☆]

"Yes sir!", said Leon in a confident tone. He placed on his helmet, tightening a very sturdy strap under his chin to keep it in place. He then place his mask over his face, the mask locked in place thanks to the helmet. He then reached back with both arms and pulled out one tube from the right side of the armored backpack. He placed the tubing over his right shoulder, fitting it in a little grove and then attaching it to his mask in the front. Airflow began and his armor was ready. He then reached for his .50 BMG and unmounted it from the top of the armored backpack. He unfolded it from the center and it snapped in place. Making sure the safety was on, he opened up the top near the trigger with his left hand while he held it with his right hand. He reached behind his back again and pulled out a 100 bullet strip from the left side of his armored backpack. He placed the first bullet in the top grove and slammed the top shut and then placed the loaded .50 BMG on the table in front of him. The FN P90 was already loaded with a 50 round clip, 5.7x28mm armor piercing rounds.

"Initiate system check.", said Leon to the suit. The eyes of the mask lit up bright red as it powered up and then dimmed down a bit. Satellite linkup was successful and everything seemed to be operation with 100% efficiency. "Sir, I am now ready for the briefing. I would like to be first to go.", said Leon, his voice rang with confidence.

Leon wanted to go first since he was already there, he wanted to get this done as soon as possible so that he could spend the rest of the day with his little sister. Genji knew this and when he mentioned it before, Leon smiled on the inside. If Leon were to trust anyone else aside from his sister, it would definitely be Genji.

[Genji]

"Very good, down to business." he said as he took out a small pointer device. "I will now upload information to your hud as I brief you." he said as he pushed a button and pointed it at the helmet, a thing green laser shot from the pointer to a recieve on the side of the helmet, information was stored in the laser that would bring images up on the HUD of the cadet. The first images were layouts of the training area including a small shack building that was made by Genji for the exercise.

"At 0400 hours this morning a small family on vacation around balamb sent out a distress signal from their vehicle here." A flashing red dot appeared near the top right of the map. "Upon the initial recon of the area there was no signs of the family, however several monster bodies were found and were classified as a young swarm of bitebugs. Some blood trails make it appear as if the family ran to look for cover to the south east of the location of the bitebug corpses. They could have either ran to one of three area's. They could have ran through the Forrest in hopes of finding someone to help or shelter, in which they would have made it to this shack. However they could have headed somewhat west after their initial flee attempt at made it to this cave system here." a purple marker appeared on the map south west of the cars location for his reference. "Or they could have made their way south to the shoreline, in hopes of getting underwater to try and avoid the bugs. Our scouts could not find any clues as to which direction they went other than the initial flee attempt. Your objecdtives are as followed."

On his hud appeared bulleted objective's.
Search the area around the car for any clues for where they might have gone.
Use clues to determine where to continue your search, if no clues are found use your judgment.
Proceed swiftly in the set direction scanning for signs of fights or the family, eliminating all monsters on your way.
If you find the family try to issue first aid while you try to assess what happpened and what caused the attack.
Move them back to Balamb Garden for immediate phyiscial care and debriefing.

"I will be connected to your HUD at all times to see what you see and talk you through this if needed. Remember the area may be VR but the monsters ARE real and they can kill you. I will be controlling the release of the monsters so be prepared for anything at any time. Goodluck, and to help you this is a supposed picture of the family."

A picture of a normal family is flashed up on his head over the map, the family consists of a Father with brown hair and hazel eyes, a 6 year old son who has red hair and hazel eyes, a mother who has red hair and green eyes and a daughter of 3 who has black hair and green eyes, smiling happily into the camera that took the picture.

"Deadly force is authorized for the fighting of monsters. Are you ready to mobilize?" Genji asked intently his voice hard and edgy, pushing him to his answer.

[☆ Leon ☆]

"....classified as a young swarm of Bite Bugs.", said Genji.

Leon's fists clenched together as soon as those words left Genji's mouth. Memories of the past began to creep their way into Leon's mind, filling him with pain, suffering, and anger. Already, Leon was beginning to feel uneasy and agitated. Leon was unsure how he would react to the Bite Bugs. Would he pull the trigger or simply loose control? As he listened to the rest of the mission Genji listed three possible locations of where the family could have fled. A shack, a cavern, or the beach. With reasoning, if any of them were stung, they would most likely be long gone by now from the poison. There would be no way they could outrun them if they headed toward the shore, and even if they did they wouldn't be able to hold their breath long enough and ran the risk of running into more Bite Bugs and Fastitocalon-Fs. If they ran toward the cave, they might have been able to hold off but they would also be trapped. Leon felt the only reasonable place they would be was the shack, but that was only on the assumption that they knew where it was at the time. Hopefully however there would be enough clues to point him in the right direction.

"....this is a supposed picture of the family.", said Genji once more.

The picture appeared on display and images only seen in nightmares flashed through his head. The screaming, the blood, and the pain. It was almost too unbearable on a mental level, pushing him past his limits already. There were so many emotions spiraling within his mind; anguish, turmoil, and hate. Leon was afraid on how he would act next, it would be his parents death all over again. Would he break under the conditions or would he finally be able to rise above them? There was too much uncertainty in his mind now, he would become hesitant and clumsy, this was certainly not good.

"...Are you ready to mobilize?", asked Genji, pushing Leon even more.

A pause loomed overhead, all was silent for a few moments before Leon actually responded to the initial question. "... Yes sir!", said Leon, the boldness and confidence had left his voice. To any normal person, it would sound just about right, but Genji would be able to read him like a book. It was a truly disappointing turn of events.

[Genji]

Genji walked over to a chair "Well then, you may begin your mission, Good luck, take however long you need, but realize taking to long could cause adverse side effects for others involved. " He said as he put on a headset and turned his chair to a computer screen. "Now go through the door and we can begin."

[☆ Leon ☆]

Leon picked up his BMG and pointed it upward to prevent the bullets from dragging along the floor. He then proceeded toward the entrance of the virtualization room. The technology was so advanced, that you could literally feel as though you were anywhere in the world, it was real in a sense, but it wasn't. Leon slowly approached the door, when he stood in front of it the door slide open automatically. A loud sound came from the room, the sound of a high powered engine. Leon stepped in and as he did, it looked as though he just stepped though the door of a airship that lead to the departure room. There he saw, sitting on benches other Balamb Garden Soldiers, but they weren't there to help him. This was common on a Balamb Garden military airship. The soldiers that stayed behind in these kinds of situations served as a personal defense unit for the ship, as well as soldiers to retrieve and protect found survivors. Some of them looked at Leon and waved casually to greet him, however Leon didn't really acknowledge them since he knew they were merely part of the virtual reality program. Leon walked directly toward six doors that were situated very close together on the right. Leon walked toward the second door on the right and went through it after it opened. One of the Balamb Garden Soldiers then yelled something at Leon, "Hey! Just cause we're not real doesn't mean you have to ignore us ya asshole!"

The door closed behind Leon. The room was very small, only being able to fit one person; a claustrophobics worst nightmare. Then all of a sudden a red light began to flash within the small room up above Leon's head and not even a moment after, the room started to shake. Leon then felt as though he was falling. The sound of the engine from the airship soon disappeared as he fell from the sky in a specially designed pod. A couple seconds before the pod hit the ground, wind flaps spread open to slow down it's acceleration so that it would not slam into the ground so hard that it would bury itself. The pod crashed but the inside was designed to absorb 85% of the impact so the one inside wouldn't die. The pod opened and Leon stepped out. He grabbed a handle on the left side of the BMG and pulled it out to an angle. He then let go of the handle and lowered his gun just enough that so the bullets were almost touching the ground. Leon put his left arm underneath the gun and slid it to the left, having the bullets rest on a grove on his arm. Leon fully lowered his BMG so that if pointed forward and grabbed back onto the handle with his left hand.^[1] He saw the car in the distance and proceeded toward it at reasonable pace. If he went too fast he risked the chance of tripping as well as the possibility to misinterpret his surroundings. Even though the mask would make up for the second reason, he felt this was a necessary habit to become accustom to so that he would be able to operate efficiently even without the battle suit on. When he reached the car he clenched his teeth. It was the same exact car as the one he was in that very day. ".... GENJI!", he thought aloud in his head in anger.

Leon did his best to calm down and proceeded to examine the car, it was difficult for him, but he knew he had to try his best to get over it. Leon was checking around and in the car to see if there was any hints that would point him in the right direction to where the family could have ran off too. He also wanted to see if any of the children were within it, dead or alive. It was possible that the parents used themselves as a distraction to let their children escape to the car safely, just like his parents tired to do.

^[1]This will be known as battle stance so that I do not have to keep explaining how he situates and restitutes.

[Genji]

Genji moved his head from screen to screen as he sat infront of the monitors, one spewed code out at a fast rate, another was the view from Leon's helmet and the final one was from camera's set up from within the training room so he can keep tabs if his helmet became to damaged to function.

When he reached the car he noticed a spike in Leon's vitals as the anger and stress shot through him from his own traumatic experience as a child, however his training was keeping him moving well, just as to be expected from the star cadet from the academy. However to was soley up to him to figure out each clue for himself, as if Genji wasn't here at all.

He decided to set up some extra fun though and began typing in a mad storm on a keyboard inserting line after line of code. When he was finished two swarms of bite bugs were released in the training room, and they immediatley began moving toward the car from the south and south west.

[☆ Leon ☆]

Leon's enemy locator began to go off as soon as it successfully determined what the sound was. A flying type creature, most likely a variety of bug. Since the virtual reality was set in Balamb, it was only natural that the helmet would register the sound as Bite Bugs since those are the only insects that made that much noise from flapping their wings. Leon turned around, putting the car to his back, but proceeded forward a couple of steps so that he wouldn't be cornered. When Leon saw the Bite Bugs, the bad memories flooded his mind once more. He was hesitant to shoot. His helmet began to give off a louder beeps as the Bite Bugs drew closer.

Leon snapped out of it and readied himself. They weren't close enough to start firing just yet, so Leon had enough time to determine which one he should take down first. There were two swarms, a swarm of four and a swarm of three. The swarm of four was advancing more quickly then the swarm of three and since they were close together they were easier targets. Leon's helmet calculated the distance and wind direction and velocity, the odds were in his favor. Leon pulled the trigger and began unleashed a barrage of .50 caliber rounds at the Bite Bugs. One by one they fell and splattered until they were all dead. Leon had used up only a third of a clip. He let out a deep sigh as his helmet confirmed they had all ceased living.

He turned back around and walked over to the car, peeking inside. There was nothing. He looked around the car and saw only two dead Bite Bugs who had long since been dead. He checked for foot prints and pushed down grass. Then he spotted it, a little girl's shoe. It must have fallen off when the family ran. Judging by where the shoe was found, Leon deduced that they fled into the forest. However nether indicated wether or not they headed toward the shed or the cave. Leon proceeded toward the forest in the assumed direction at a quickened pace. "I'm not going to fail.", thought Leon as he entered the forest.

[Genji]

Genji smirked again as he easily wiped out the bitebugs, however he had created a scenario if he had went to the forest infact he had a scenario for any place he went, and whil ehe didn't choose the hardest he did not choose the easiest. The forest was definatley going to be a challenge for him, lets just see if he can survive with out help.

He soon began typing in code after code into the forest area, placing broken twigs and muddy foot prints, crushed plants and all the sort to help guide him on his path to finding the family. Who knows if he could possibly get there in time to save them.

[☆ Leon ☆]

Leon tread through the forest. The terrain was a pain and not just annoyingly, but the weight of his armor combined with the unnatural terrain was starting to effect his ankles, but he would endure. This was nothing compare to the pain that dwelled inside of him. Leon knew he had to be on his guard however, the trees that surrounded him limited to where he could aim his gun. There were so many blind spots. Hopefully his armor would be able to make up for some of these factors, but nothing was a guarantee, he would have to stay on his toes.

Leon spotted a couple of muddy footprints, a gleam of hope entered his soul. However, this was in a way bad. Leon was in his own little world. The lives of the family were starting to become real in his heart, they were no longer a virtual simulation even though his mind told him otherwise. It was possible that this simulation could push him too far. Leon continued to tread through the forest, following the footprints, stomped down grass, and broken twigs along with ripped articles of clothing. So far the family seemed to be heading in the direction of the shed, but Leon was only half way there and a lot of factors could have driven their course astray. Nothing was for certain at this point. Leon picked up the pace, dashing though the forest at an un-normal pace. His mind was so caught up with everything, he had almost forgotten that Genji was in fact watching him.

His mind began to processes his surrounding at a superior level. He was spotting the slightest bit of clues that lead him along the correct path. This was Leon's true skill, no this was Leon's determination. The past had put him in an unnatural state. His heart beat began beating faster and his oxygen intake was increasing, if his body continued to excel at this rate, his heart could give out.

[Genji]

Genji watched the fruits of his labors in coding bring Leon closer to the family, when he noticed his vitals began spiking. Leon on screen was running and breathing heavily. His blood was being rushed through his body by his heart which was overworking itself, Genji clicked on his headset.

"Leon, Calm down. You need to lower your vitals and calm down, in battle your state would just cause you to stress your body to the point it will collapse, and you could possibly die. There is no way you can help anybody, or complete tasks like this effectively. Now take charge of yourself and get your head back into the mission and reach yoru objectives." he commanded sternly.

He was actually quite excited that the scenario was going so well, in fact he began typing more code, and he set triggers to release monsters to his vitals, once he calmed down 6 swarms of bite bugs would appear infront of him, followed by a surprise guest set on a time after the bite bugs release.

[☆ Leon ☆]

Genji's words pierced his thoughts and he decided to take his advice. Leon wasn't going to be foolish or stubborn. Genji was right, Leon would be no good to anyone if he couldn't keep his own body under control, that was a given. "Thanks Genji.", thought Leon as he slowed down his pace, lowering his heart rate.

Then all of a sudden his enemy locator began going off like crazy. Leon frowned, "Hmph,"

Leon immediately took action, looking around him checking his blind spots and familiarizing himself with his current surroundings. The enemy locater indicated that there were multiple targets coming from all sides. "Dammit...", Leon thought as he readied himself.

The enemy locator indicated that the enemies were closing in fast, so Leon would quickly have to determine which ones to take down first. However the trees were so thick he couldn't see far enough to make a solid plan. Leon let go of the handle on his BMG and unholstered his FN-P90 with his left hand. He rotated his BMG forcing the remaining bullets to wrap around the barrel. The bite bugs were closing in and finally a couple of them reared their ugly mugs. Leon pointed his FN-P90 at the three that showed up and pulled the trigger. It took him a few moments to take hold of the muzzle climb, but overall his accuracy was good. The three Bite Bugs went down as four more appeared on Leon's left. When the first one came rushing in, Leon quickly spun around 360 degrees and slammed the barrel of his BMG into the bug. As soon as he swatted away the Bite-Bug, he extended his left arm and began firing his FN-P90, taking down the remaining three.

Five more came from behind. Leon turned around to face them and unleashed more FN-P90 rounds. One by one they fell, but then suddenly the P-90 ran out. "Shit.", said Leon as the last swarm began to come from behind. Leon pointed his BMG at the last one of the third swarm and shot a 50. Caliber round right in the middle of the bastard. The force from the pull of the magazine caused the bullets wrapped around the barrel to unwrap, but Leon had to help it along a bit. Leon quickly turned around holstering his FN-P90 at the same time. When he faced the last swarm he quickly got into his battle stance and unleashed the rest of his magazine on the remaining six Bite Bugs, splattering their guts all over the woods.

Leon let out a deep sigh and collapsed his BMG, placing it on his back. He unholstered his FN-P90 and began reloading. Leon was being pushed passed his limits, Genji truly was the master of training.

[Genji]

Genji smiled, as 8 more swarms of bite bugs began heading in the direction of Leon, and soon Leon was surrounded once again, when the bugs went to attack however they suddenly turned and fled as a deafening roar was released from the surprise guest in today's events. A t-rexsaur, it took quite sometime for the soldiers to capture it and sedate it properly for the training area, but now their labors will be experienced first hand by Leon.

"Leon, don't lose your head, maneuver and conquer your foe, or retreat away. Your call, just realize I think its faster than you." Genji instructed to Leon in an urgent tone. "Now move out!"