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RANK 2
17/20 EXP

[b]Location: Sandswept Sky - Tostarena Town[/b][/color]
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Lining up to beat Tora and watching Tora get beat was a weird experience. It almost felt normal to him, training his abilities while being watched and judged, but in slow motion. He probably just got used to too much of a breakneck pace back home, so being on this semi-mundane train ride and punching at a glorified training dummy - no offense Tora - was almost relaxing. Raz wasn't the only one feeling this way, obviously, since his train-going companions were a beanbag creature and his robotic assistant, a flying imp with a hand for hair, a gigantic [i]bee[/i] lady, and what he suspected was a man who was half-saxophone. It would be rude to just ask.

Though 'relaxing' might not be the right word. The trip was more [i]demoralizing[/i] than anything else. Once everyone who wanted to give Tora a good smacking gathered, Raz was first up to bat. He gave it his best, which... wasn't good enough at all. Tora was deceptively quick with his shield, blocking any dive, roll, or lunge Raz could throw at him, and his only means of good offense at the moment, his Psi-Blast, could barely push the Nopon back! It was an exceptionally easy act to follow, leaving Raz to mope in the sidelines at the cooler and more experienced members got their licks in. Raz tried to offer his own advice, "Lean into the fall!" and "Pivot with your hips, not your knees!", though it was all talk and no bite. Sure, he was only recently made [i]aware[/i] and had to play catch-up in the group, but it still stung to be faced with the reality that he sucked now.

This thought stuck with Raz even after the practice was over. He hung out by one of the side railings of the train, watching the blistering desert whip past them, and looked to the looming mountain that could be seen for miles in any direction. They were going to be climbing that thing, which was dangerous enough without the Champion that they were going to face down. Raz didn't want to be a liability when the stake were so high. He also didn't want to die, which, well, could definitely happen, but that was a thought best kept on the backburner.

As the train pulled into Tostarena Town, Raz's fears only doubled, so close to the mountain that you could lick it, if that's something you wanted to do. "Yup, really big, really high, really scary..." he muttered, disembarking with the rest into the last bit of reprieve they'll have for a while.

Looking around the place, up to the mountain's peek, then down to his shoes, Raz posited an important question. "Does anyone think this quaint [i]desert[/i] town sells snow boots?"
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[center][color=FF8C00]WORD COUNT: 464
EXP GAIN: +1[/color][/center]