[@RC3] Someone may have asked these already but just to be certain:

1. Is gaining skills/talents solely linked to practice or training (someone who does a basic drill with a sword eventually learns E-Rank Swordsmanship or some kind of attack like...E-Rank Cleaving Slash), or does it also depend on level ups (same example as before, except the skill gain doesn't trigger until the character's next level)? If it's the latter, are some skills locked until we reach the appropriate level? Like maybe we qualify for something based on training, but can't use it until we're level 50?

2. Can a Skill be used in a way that doesn't match its original properties? For instance, I noticed with Lunging Strike that its distance and speed are fairly quantified and increase with rank. So I was wondering if, even if using it locks Saito into a sort of "attack animation," could he still use it solely for mobility, or perhaps to cross a gap he couldn't normally jump? Would using a Skill this way contribute to its growth, or change its properties?

3. Can skills eventually be combined or synthesized, like Guy was talking about with the Sweet Scent and Paralytic Spores earlier? I don't just mean using two skills at the same time, I mean like, fusing into an entirely new skill.