Darkflare

Haven't done a "controversial" video in a while.

"Well, it's easy to see why you're interested in group training. I'll need a decision quick though, I have a group of rookies later."

Lilith joins the others toward the elevator. The group proceeds to descend toward the underground level. Once they arrive, they find the layout similar to the floors above ground. The arenas themselves however were different with various training machines taking up their space. It seemed that the underground arenas were more specialized than the general arenas seen above. "It looks like each of these machines are designed to focus on a particular trait." "You would be right, Miss. We got training machines to improve your footwork, your strength, your accuracy... If there's something you want to work on, we likely have something for it." "We were wondering if you had something for group training." "Group training? Not many folks ask for that, but it's a welcome surprise. Are you looking for something cooperative or perhaps something more competitive?"

"We can move there now. Allow me to warn you in advance that due to the nature of the room we're going to be locked inside. It will at least buy us time to figure out a more proper solution."

"You're looking for group training exercises. Perhaps one of our trainers in the underground levels will be able to assist you." "This is a very bad place to try anything funny. This place attracts all kinds of fighters including some particularly strong ones and that's without taking into account my own security force." "I have a place where we can test this signal theory of yours. It's deep underground where my offices are."

"Well, I can't give you an exact answer, but based on what you told me, I have a good guess. Somebody else is running the show." "Perhaps someone found a way to replicate your cyber initiative." "I've taken the liberty of scanning the cyborg in question." "The only organic tissue I was able to detect consisted of his brain and spinal cord." "I'm both impressed and disgusted. Wait and you said you were one at some point? How di- No, never mind. Let's focus on the present first." "For starters, it's not like I exactly know how exactly these cyborgs work. If I try to mess around with him, I could risk losing him completely. I could set aside some place to monitor him. I trust you have a plan as well," "I would imagine they both have their benefits. If this place has AI, they're probably designed with handling certain situations in mind. On the other hand, Lucent being able to train to control his beasts as well as having to deal with something that could be more unpredictable would be helpful as well. And I don't think there will be many places one could do this type of training anyway."

Anna took the payment as she made quick calculations in her head before returning some of the gil back as change. "All right, I'll just have you registered and..." Anna proceeded to finish registering Raina and Sasuke before handing over their member passes. "Here are your member passes." Anna then explained their functions again. Not soon after one of the mecha maids arrived with Darkflare in tow. "I thought I would finally have a bit of a break. Well, if they ask for me it's usually important."

"Um...you do realize you have to pay as well, right?"

"He's normally busy with his duties, but I'll see what I can do." The mecha maid bowed before leaving to look for Darkflare "Sir, could you be a bit more careful with that? You're going to scratch the floor." ("That thing looks like the cyborg from the ship. This old man has to be quite an experienced fighter to have been able to take him down.")

Lilith finishes her registration and approaches the group. "I have to say, I'm a bit surprised you want to to do a group exercise first. I thought you would take individual training or in the case of Anwalt and Umbra, spar with each other first."

"This facility is the combination of the money I've accumulated through bounties, tournament winnings and investments from some of my richer members. I had to pull several strings to get to this point. I was originally planning to do this in Kalos, but I found a better opportunity here in Candor." "Lilith went ahead to register. We can continue talking in my office, but I'm going to need some time to process that analysis of her." "I'll be just a moment" Anna proceeded to do the registration process for everyone while making sure everything was in order before handing the card back to Anwalt. She then proceeded to hand the member passes to everyone. "These are your member passes. You'll need them in order to use our facility. They also keep track of your results from your training sessions as well as any matches you partake in the arenas. You can look them up by scanning your pass in one of our info stations or using our app." "As you can see, they're quite important here. Any replacements are going to cost you extra, so make sure you don't lose them, ok? If there are no further questions, then allow me to welcome you to the hangout." Lilith managed to arrive to the desk in time to hear the explanation of the passes. "This place does seem to have everything... I should hurry up and register so I can join you guys." Lilith proceeded to begin her registration process.

"A lot has changed since then. I still have my group but they come and go as they please. Everyone's got their own thing after all. I usually just call them when something comes up. Gordeau here is an exception since he helps out with the cafeteria as well. Well, Robo-Ky too because someone needs to keep an eye on him. And then there's Ren who comes every once in a while to check on her "investment". "Neither I'm afraid. I'm on cafeteria duty today. Unless of course some smartass wants to cause trouble around here in which case I'll gladly introduce them to my scythe. Of course, I'm sure a lovely lady like yourself will behave while they're here. Now if you'll excuse me..." "Oh Miss, you're already done with the tour as well? I need you to fill out these forms to have you registered." "I'm actually from a proud lineage of merchants. You could say running a business is in my blood. Knowing the exchange rate of every currency is one of the many skills we learn since we're kids. Just fill out these forms in the mean time and I'll handle the exchange. Don't worry, I always make sure to keep myself up to date with the current rate."

"The one in the suit is part of my mercenary team. I don't know who the other one is." "It's always nice to see fresh faces around here. Enjoy your stay." Anna proceeds to hand out the registration forms to Raina "Just carefully review and fill these. Once you're done just hand them to me with the payment and I'll have you registered."

"Good luck with what you're looking for. I gotta get back to work or they're going to start chewing me out for slacking off." "Oh, it's a good thing you're aware, Gordeau." "Ah, lighten up. It's a slow day in the cafeteria anyway. I might swing my scythe around a bit just to kill this boredom." "I'm not the one that's going to get in trouble for not doing their job." Anna then noticed Raina "Oh, are you done looking around? If you decided to register please step over to the front desk and I'll have you registered." "New fighters? You were with that group that came earlier, right? Name's Gordeau, I usually help around our cafeteria, but I'm also one of the mercenaries around here. I know my way around a bar as well, but Boss isn't planning to get the alcohol license anytime soon."

Darkflare extended his arm to return the handshake, before the two adjusted their arms to turn it into an arm wrestling match. It would be what seemed like a long moment before the mecha maid stepped in between the two of them and separated them. "Flare-sama, Light-san, please behave appropriately." ("They seemed to be equally matched, but it seemed like Darkflare was about to lose ground.") "Light, I know you're curious about this whole thing. We can talk in private later." "Ah, there was something else. Actually, you wouldn't happen to have a job available, would you?" "...I don't. But I'll let you know if something comes up." "I see...thanks anyway. I should go register in the mean time."

"I see I'm blessed with the presence of the hero of Kalos. Finally realized there's no competition for you at the Bottom....or perhaps you finally lost and came for some serious training." "Lilith, was it?" "Mm-hm. I wanted to meet you, because I needed to see if it was possible to be more than just....you know." "A mere clone? I don't let it bother me, I don't even care about that detail. With that said..." "I can understand why you would think we're the same, but the truth is I don't believe that's quite right." "I know we're from different worlds, but we're the results of essentially the same project. So why do you think we're not the same?" "Memories of that project are very hazy for me, but I have a few theories. I'm sorry to force this on you, but please allow Hisui to analyze you." "Huh? Analyze me?" "It would clear up a few doubts in my mind. She's just going to follow you for a while. Just act normally." ("That won't be so easy knowing I got something stalking me....") "HEY YOU!" Anna approached Lightflare clearly in a bad mood as she forcefully handed him a card. "I can't believe you ignored me so easily. You need that member card while you're here or you won't be allowed to do anything. Don't lose it!" After handing the card, Anna went back to the front desk. "Oh? I see you wanted the full course after I let you use those prototypes."

"You said Darkflare was attending to a team drill. It's safe to assume then that he's in the underground areas then." "That would be correct." "When can I meet him then?" "..." "I cannot answer that for certain. Flare-sama is very busy running this facility. There is no guarantee that he will have time." "I just need a moment, that's all. How long until he's done with that drill?" "While I can't give an exact time, based on previous similar drills and the time that has passed, he should be done in about a few minutes. However, even so, I still cannot guarantee that he will be available." "That's fine. Like I said, I only need a moment." "I thought you were going to clear it up with Darkflare." "But I guess you realize he's not going to crack so easily. All right, let's begin." Anna proceeded to take out a form. "Please carefully review and fill out this form. When you're done, I'll take it and your payment and have you registered." After several minutes, the elevator door would open as a small group would step out from there. "As usual, I'll have the video sent to you and your team so that you may review." "But I must say, it was a close match. It's getting harder and harder to point out what could be improved. In the end, it's a matter of remaining calm under pressure. One rash move could be costly." "I understand, but even so we must continue to sharpen our steel. As always, we appreciate the opportunity you offer us to do so." "I'm just doing my job. You guys have it tougher than me in the end. Don't forget to schedule another appointment." Lilith noted the group that came out easily targeting a specific individual out of it. There was no doubt in her mind... "You're Darkflare, right?" Lilith tried to approach him, but the mecha maid quickly blocked her path. The man only known as Darkflare simply made a gesture for his maid to stand aside as she complies and stands to the side still wary of Lilith's actions. "Seems like you were looking for me. So what is it? Specialized training or perhaps a particular job you have to offer?" "I'm...not from around here. I've traveled from another world hearing word about you, I wanted to see if there was any truth to it. And.... sense my aura, you'll understand better." ("This is going to be a long day...")

"The only information we provide is the same information the bounty gives gives us. Any additional information must be acquired by those who wish to pursue the bounty." The mecha maid leads the group toward the front of an elevator and escalator. "As mentioned before we also provide training regiments. The underground levels have additional arenas but also have specialized training equipment. This equipment is designed to focus on a particular aspect during your training such as building up your speed or improving your strike accuracy. Further down are offices, but of course that area is restricted to staff only." "Finally, the upper floors have a cafeteria and area to rest. After all, resting is just as important while you're sparring or training." "I'll allow you to look around for some time as long as you remain on this floor and not enter any arenas. You may however spectate any current matches. Please let me know if you have any further questions."

"We have an area where we receive bounty requests and offer them to others. It is the only service we provide that is available to everyone including non-members. Bounties can range from capturing criminals to escorting VIPs among other tasks." "Anyone that takes these bounties do so at their own risk. We cannot guarantee the safety of anyone who decides to take them."

"That's funny, he never told us about this agreement." "Light-san, I suggest you talk with Flare-sama about this." "Please follow me and don't wander off." The mecha maid proceeded to lead the tour group deeper inside. "The Warrior's Hangout provides three types of services to all combatants: Sparring sessions, Training regiments and Bounty hunting." The group begins to pass by some arenas, a few of them already occupied. "Our main attraction is of course our state of the art arenas. Each arena is equipped with a special force field to absorb even the toughest of abilities to ensure no danger to non-combatants outside of the arena. For security reasons, I'm unable to disclose how the force field works. With that said, all members are free to enter any free arena with a sparring partner. If they don't have one, they could wait for a challenger or one to be assigned to them. While we encourage combatants to go all out, all matches are carefully monitored and if we believe there is a danger, we will interfere and stop the sparring session immediately." "The arenas are also used for special events where training sessions with special rules are used instead of a normal sparring session. All members are welcome to try one of these special events when they're hosted. Before we continue, are there any questions?"

(What a pain...) Lilith was considering trying to do something about this issue. However, she figured the situation was too volatile and one wrong move could make things worse. She decided to approach the clerk. "If it's all right, could you let use look around the area before we make our decision? We would like to make sure it's worth the admission." "You want to inspect the goods before making your purchase? Well, I can respect that, but I assure you I wouldn't be here if I wasn't selling a quality service." "It's fine Anna-san. I will show them around and introduce everything we have to offer." "Well, if she's fine with it then I see no harm. Have a look around and then come back here to get registered, ok?" Lilith proceeded to bow. "Anwalt, why don't you look around before you decide? It looks to me like you need a little more time."

Rather than the mecha maid as Light expected, the front desk was manned by a different woman. "Hm? You're friends with Darkflare? You're not just saying that to try and get a discount, are you?" (So there's an Anna in this world as well...it would certainly explain a few things.) "Lightflare...where have I heard that name before?" "Anna-san." The mecha maid's appearance was rather sudden even surprising the clerk. "I can assure that he's telling the truth. Light-san and Flare-sama are friends." (A Mech Hisui model? Actually, there seems to be a multitude of them in this place.) "Oh? Now I remember where I heard his name. One of my sisters mentioned him as the hero of Kalos city. I guess I shouldn't be surprised a hero like him would visit this place." "Regardless, Flare-sama is currently overlooking a team drill at the moment." "While you're waiting, you should consider registering here as you won't be able to use the facility without doing so." "It's 40 pompadillions for the first month and 15 for each additional month. Oh, don't worry about exchanging currency, I can take care of that for you."

"Now that's the first time I heard that one. I know many people come here, but never heard of anyone having trouble getting back home." "Remember how I said this was a link world? There's places like an airport but for world traveling thanks to that fact. But if you ask me, if something is stopping you from leaving your usual way, I don't think they will let you leave that way as well. And that's without taking into account all the paperwork and expenses you need. And the nearest one is in Kalos which is another long trip in itself from here." "Sorry I wasn't much help, but your situation is pretty unusual"