Chapter 374 - 374. Meeting In The Middle

"Seriously!" Louis was furious. The fact that he had been stuck in the same place for ten minutes was driving him mad. Every single time he would turn a wall would move up and block the path. He found that his speed was lacking even though he tried to use his lightning to push his legs in a quick burst of speed. 

"Louis!?" Sammy's voice came from the opposite side of the wall.

"Sammy!??? How are you here?" It was the closest anyone had gotten to each other without being in combat or running from a mannequin. 

"I ran from somewhere over the other side. I found the edge of the gym but I think I'm back in the center. What are you stuck in a box?" Sammy had been running from a mannequin and found the very edge of the gym. Unfortunately, she had to keep running and was now back in the center. However, she had found a five by five section of walls that had the sounds of running from it. 

"It trapped me in a box!? This stupid maze. Tell me if you can get it to open from your side!" Louis rushed around to find he really was stuck in a box now even though the inside had some walls up separating it. 

Sammy moved to look through the walls and everything around. It was odd that Louis had gotten trapped but as she moved she noticed the walls nearby shoplifting. Before she knew it she had no way to move around and look. "I think we are being directed away from each other. I can't go around."

"It opened on this side. I will try to get to you." The two moved further and further as the walls changed again and again. They shouted for each other but ended up attracting the attention of another combat training mannequin. 

Asher was in a similar position. The only difference was that he was holding his own. He had adjusted to the fighting style and could feel himself improving by leaps and bounds. The speed that the mannequin was using move after move was much faster than his friends could use them. The only one that could move faster was Laura, but she lacked the experience to use all of the moves efficiently and properly. 

The sweat was building on Asher's clothing but he still persisted. The movements he and the mannequin made pushed them through passages of the shifting maze. It was the best possible way for him to learn to maneuver in tight places while also trying to accomplish the goal of getting to the center. 

"Duck!" The roar of Jacksons' voice caused Asher to drop flat to the ground. Jackson had jumped in to the air and unleashed a heavy flying punch at the mannequin. Naturally, the mannequin could not handle the heavy force. "I heard you coming from around the corner and decided to give you some space. Plus, they had a weak point in the same areas as a human. They act as off switches. Thankfully I paid some attention in human biology." 

It was rare to see Jackson sweating and tired. He seemed to have been running around and battling for a much harder time than Asher had. "Have you bumped in to anyone yet?" 

"I heard Louis and Sammy a few minutes ago but nothing since. I found another mannequin beaten tight. The metal that held it together had been unscrewed from place. I think Art did it." This was good news. It meant that Jackson had found a mannequin that Art had defeated by using very controlled metal manipulation. It was surely a major breakthrough for Art. 

"Then we will stick together and try to find them. If they were nearby then it will only help us." Asher was stretching as he began to walk toward the way Jackson had come.

"Jane, behind you!" Cara had become cornered along with Jane. There was a mannequin on each side of them that was trying to beat them down. The only reason they had ended up in the situation was that both had ended up with the same mindset. This led them to run away and try to conserve energy for the shifting maze that they believed was designed to take away their stamina. 

The mannequins charged at the pair causing them to slide under them. Cara had pulled Jane along with her and the two mannequins crashed in to each other. There was no chance to look back as they sprinted straight ahead. The sounds of shifting walls behind them made them hopeful. Unfortunately, that was not the best thing for them. The walls lowered in front of them showing Louis who was trying his best to defeat three opponents at once. 

"Louis, we are here for back up!" Jane and Cara jumped in to action tackling the two other mannequins. Louis was thankful for only a moment before his focus and instincts took over. The three of them were not facing one each.

"Did you hear that?" Jackson and Asher both heard the others shouting. This caused them to rush in to a sprint toward the sound. The battle sounds got more and more intense until they also saw the opening where the fight was. 

"You take the one on the left. I will kick the one on the right. Then we beat the third. After that we need to find Sammy!" 

"Find me? I found you!" Sammy sped through with a gust of wind. The speed she was using was much faster than normal with each step pushing more wind about. Asher only had a split second to respect the fact that she was using wind under her feet to push herself faster. 

The three came in from behind the mannequin es taking them all out with kicks or punches to the neck area. They shut down completely with the attacks. All that was left was the group that had met up again in a newly tired and ragged state. 

"It only took you all an hour give or take a few minutes." The walls all began to lower and the mannequins were seen walking to the side walls and falling to the ground in a sleep mode state. "I think you all learned a pretty good lesson. Battle in close quarters is wildly different than battle in the open with a single opponent face to face with you." Coach Winters and Garnet walked toward them. 

"I have to agree with this monster today. She had a pretty good idea to use this gym. Now drink some water and start to stretch. We have a lot more to do." Garnet made a motion and another mannequin brought over a board with a list of work outs and other activities. "Today we are going to deal with problem solving, reflexes, and some damn common sense!" Her harsh words were more than she had ever used. 

"When we were learning to do our jobs we didn't run around afraid. You were all freaking out as if you have never worked together or even run solo. When you were separated you should have moved around calmly and waited for openings. Instead, you ran and fought. This burned your energy and you will suffer for it. Do you think a natural disaster will be done in an hour or two?" 

None of them could argue with coach Winters. She was making a lot of sense and it was very true that the group lacked these things. Currently, they were a mix of academics and martial arts training. But implementing the two was something every single one of them lacked. The simple way to do this was experience. 

"First we are setting these dummies to a faster speed. You need to react to their moves and counter. I do not expect a dodge or running. For every time I see a dodge without an immediate counter I will double your cardio after every exercise."

"You heard the woman. Activate the platforms!" The gym seemed to have an automatic voice system that started to shift the walls. Soon three rising platforms made their way up. The mannequins moved and stood on them while they did a final diagnostic check of their bodies. When completed they fell in to  a stance. 

"The rules are simple. Their speed is faster than yours and you are required to counter them. I don't want to see anything else. Now, who will go first?" Jackson responded instantly to coach Winters' words. He was still fired up from the earlier encounter and wanted to strike while the iron is hot. 

"Well, look who has lit a fire in his belly. I thought you wouldn't ever be in a fighting mood. Get on there and take the first one. The next stage is two opponents and the third, well that's three opponents." Garnet was impressed with the change in Jackson and pushed him forward. Jackson followed the encouragement and made his move.. The mannequin was already in motion as his foot stepped up.