The training hall was deathly quiet.
April stood in the center, rolling her shoulders as the others positioned themselves around her.
The air was thick with tension—this wasn't just sparring.
This was a test.
Jax cracked his neck. "The goal is simple—survive."
April smirked. "Dramatic much?"
Kai grinned. "You'll see why soon enough."
Saya was the first to move.
She blurred forward, launching a kick aimed straight for April's ribs.
April barely had time to react, twisting to avoid the hit.
But before she could counter, Dante was already on her, sweeping her legs out from under her.
April hit the ground hard.
"Sloppy," Jax said, watching from the sidelines. "You're thinking too much."
April grit her teeth.
She had dodged the first attack, but she hadn't felt the second one coming.
She exhaled sharply, pressing her fingers to the sigil on the back of her head.
She needed to let her Gear take over—not the dangerous berserk kind, but the instincts that had kept her alive before.
She closed her eyes for just a second.
'Listen.'
The air shifted.
April's eyes snapped open.
Dante moved in again, aiming a precise jab for her side.
But this time, April felt it coming.
Her body reacted before her mind did—
twisting, blocking, countering.
Dante's eyes widened as April's palm struck out, stopping inches from his throat.
April smirked. "Better?"
"Much."
But before she could revel in the moment, Kai lunged in from behind.
April pivoted, ducking just in time as his fist grazed past her ear.
She could feel her movements sharpening, her instincts screaming the moment someone made a move.
"I get it now."
The sigil on the back of her head pulsed.
A faint glow flickered to life around it.
Jax narrowed his eyes. "It's activating."
Saya grinned. "Then let's push it further."
She blurred forward, faster than before.
April barely had time to react before a wave of force slammed into her—Saya's own Gear-enhanced attack.
April skidded backward, her boots scraping against the reinforced floor.
Her breath hitched.
Her heart pounded.
And then—
It happened.
The G-force inside her exploded outward.
A ripple of G-force cracked the air around her.
The sigil glowed brighter, and April felt her entire body shift.
The others tensed.
Kai took a step back. "Uh… Jax?"
Jax's eyes narrowed. "She's pushing past the first barrier."
April clenched her fists.
The G-force surging through her was different from before—more controlled, more refined.
She could see their movements before they even made them.
Everything was clear.
Saya smirked. "Now we're talking."
April exhaled, a slow grin creeping onto her face.
"Alright," she said. "Let's go again."