"Miss Avi, we will be on standby so call us whenever you need transport."
Liu Ye covered his eyes from the wind as the helicopter set off again. He scanned their new location and realized they got dropped on top of a modern building with tall trees surrounding them from all sides. It was clearly a base with multiple other buildings in the vicinity.
Despite being relatively well hidden, Liu Ye immediately discovered a major flaw.
"Isn't this place too open?" He questioned as he gazed at the sky. Any passing plane could easily spot their location.
Avi only smiled as she pulled out a remote and pressed the only button. "Don't worry, we are not stupid."
Before he could reply, multiple lights flashed and the open space in the forest was replaced with a hologram of the treetops. He was about to nod in approval when a sudden translucent barrier covered the whole base.
"This is a Spirit Barrier created using a small Spirit Stone. We are completely safe here and even if we are discovered, no one can easily break inside," Avi explained as she casually walked towards the entrance. "Follow me. I will show you around."
"What is this base for?" Liu Ye questioned curiously while carrying all the bags for the girls. Although the inside looked like a normal apartment, they quickly found there was more to it.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt"It's a regional base which monitors all the players from the region. We also train new recruits here so it has everything we need for our training," Avi explained as they approached one of the glass walls. The whole base floor of the building was an office with tens of workers while the top apartment was just a small part of it.
"Seems like your organization is bigger than I thought," Xu Yue commented while scanning the developers behind their screens. "How many of those are in the country?"
"We have spent years preparing for the game launch and we have built hundreds of such bases all around the world," Avi replied casually. "High-ranked trainers like me live in those bases when we travel. Right now there shouldn't be anyone else here so we can enjoy this apartment for ourselves."
Avi finally sat down on the sofa but she wasn't able to rest for long.
"Train us," Liu Ye pleaded without bothering to tour the whole apartment. "You said you can make me improve so much in just a month. We don't know when we get attacked again and I want to be prepared for that moment."
"Are you sure you want me to train you?" Avi questioned while pursing her lips. "I'm pretty chill right now but if I teach you, I won't have mercy on you. Anything I say, you will do without a single complaint. If you dare to question my methods, I will stop teaching you."
"That's fine by me," Liu Ye nodded while gazing at the girls. Xu Yue quickly confirmed as well while Zhenzhen clenched her fists with determination in her eyes.
"I want to become stronger too and help however I can!"
It was clear she blamed herself for being unable to heal when they needed it but Liu Ye didn't correct her. She wouldn't listen to him no matter what he said and he didn't mind being her motivation to work harder.
"Alright, I will give you a chance to become my students," Avi nodded in approval while getting up to the fridge. "Since you have only awakened Water and Fire Element, I can teach you all at the same time. I can't teach Zhenzhen healing but we can work on basics for now."
She grabbed two bottles before casually floating them to Liu Ye and Zhenzhen. "This is your first test. You two have a single day to get comfortable controlling this amount of water."
"Isn't that simple?" Liu Ye questioned as he withdrew the water into a ball. It floated on top of his palm and he looked at her confused.
He expected she would teach him how to fight since he was already familiar with Water Manipulation.
"Simple?" Avi asked back with a mysterious smile. "Don't get too cocky just cause you can Waterbend for a few minutes. What if the fight drags for hours? Do you think your brain can handle it or will you collapse unconscious?"
"This…" Liu Ye muttered uncertainly while Zhenzhen looked down embarrassed. Avi was quick to reach her though and patted her shoulder.
"Don't worry, healing is already a hundred times harder than normal Waterbending. I'm actually shocked you can heal so efficiently without any practice," Avi praised while giving Liu Ye a stinky eye. "I wouldn't be surprised if you can beat your brother in the endurance battle."
"Ah, I doubt. He is very powerful," Zhenzhen replied humbly as she also withdrew the water. "Big Bro, let's work hard to train!"
Avi didn't forget about Xu Yue and created a small flame on top of her palm. "When it comes to Firebending, the training looks the same. I can't teach you different abilities if your endurance is lacking."
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm"I can do it," Xu Yue nodded as she copied Avi's flame. "How long do we have to hold it?"
"I never said you can even stop," Avi replied while going back to her sofa. "I will teach you all if you can keep your bending active for a whole day. You are allowed to lower the amount but you can't stop. If you fail, I won't teach you."
They naturally agreed to her demands and only after 30 minutes did they realize how hard it was. Liu Ye was already sweating while Xu Yue's flame was swaying left and right. Zhenzhen was the only one who didn't have much of a reaction.
Avi naturally couldn't resist teasing him.
"What? Are you already giving up?" Avi questioned playfully while patting Liu Ye's forehead with a towel. "I thought you said it was simple and look at you now. You should lower the amount by half or you will pass out within the next 30 minutes."
"I'm fine, thank you…" Liu Ye replied while trying to pretend it was nothing but it was just too obvious. "I need to go to the toilet."
"Why you telling me, just go. It's labeled. You can do whatever you want as long as you keep your Waterbending active. I know you won't cheat," Avi informed with a smile and pulled out her phone. "I will order some food for lunch. You got to eat or else your brain will run out of juices."
It was definitely a must since the moment Liu Ye came back from the bathroom, he could barely walk. His mind was mushy and his headache became painful. It was obvious he wouldn't last all day at this rate.
He looked at Xu Yue and they made a silent agreement. Both of them lowered the difficulty by half at the same time. Thankfully, Avi didn't tease them again as she busied herself with the food.
That was only a false hope though as she returned with full force once they were done eating.
"Alright, time to do some workout. Who is down to run around the building with me?"