Wild Side [h.s au]

Chapter 6

If they are going to stay here, then it's only fair they prove they're worthy of being a part of this base. I won't expose them since I don't want to be held responsible for any problems that would surely follow that revelation. However, I'm going to test their abilities to know with whom exactly am I dealing with here.

I ignore Lia and brush past her, toward the centre of the large training room. I whistle loudly, my hands clapping. "Listen up!" I raise my voice, gaining everyone's attention. "As you all know, we have recruited two soldiers. As I recall, every new soldier has to prove themselves and go through their initiation. You guessed it – it's time for a combat."

Everyone starts clapping and cheering, forming a circle around me. I keep my face blank, my eyes glancing over the group. "Which one of you newbies is going to fight first?" I ask, my eyes searching for the two of them before they stop on Elena. Her eyebrows are pulled together slightly, her amber eyes staring into mine. She wasn't expecting this. Ha.

"I will," she says as she steps into the circle, giving me a challenging smile.

"Alright," I say, raising my eyebrow. "Any volunteers?"

"I volunteer," Lia suddenly says, stepping into the circle, sending me a wink. Surely this is one of her tricks to gain my attention.

"Okay then," I say. "No weapons allowed, the combat starts on my sign and it ends when one of the opponents is in no condition to fight, whether it be because their opponent pinned them to the ground or they're beaten to a pulp."

I slowly make my way toward Elena and just before I walk past her, I lean in to whisper in her ear. "Show me what you've got, tiger." I walk away and blend into the crowd. "Begin."

"Damn, a girl fight," Niall whispers behind me, placing his hand on my shoulder. "This is why I love you, Styles."

"Just keep it in your pants, Ni, I'm sure you're used to it by now," I say.

The two of them stare at each other for a few seconds, both of them estimating their opponent, slowly moving in a circle.  Lia is the first one to swing her fist, but Elena reacts quickly, dodging the punch. It was predictable. Lia swings again and then again, missing both times.  Her growing frustration is clear in her expression, her fists firmly clenched.

Shit, this will be fun, I wish I had popcorns.

Elena is focused on her and I notice she isn't in a defensive stance; her back is straight, her arms simply hanging on her sides. It's almost as if she has some kind of tactic. I believe she's estimating her, trying to predict her moves and letting her tire herself out. At least, that's what I would do.

Lia is done playing games when she tries to deliver a punch to Elena's stomach, but she's quick to catch Lia's wrist and twist it, causing her to groan in pain. Lia quickly bends her knee and kicks her in the ribs, pushing her away in the process. Elena doesn't show any sign of pain, quickly standing straight.

"Let's go, it's your turn," Lia taunts her, her foreign accent prominent as she speaks.

Before Elena can do anything, her jaw receives a strong blow, her head whipping to the side from the impact. She swings her left fist toward Lia's stomach, but she blocks the punch. Elena quickly punches Lia's throat with her right fist then collides it with her cheek, grabbing her arm and throwing her down on her knees. She tricked her.

Nice move, tiger.

Lia coughs and wraps one of her hands around her throat, trying to stand up again. However, Elena pushes her onto her stomach with her foot, quickly crouching down and placing her knee on her lower back, shifting her weight on her. She pins Lia's wrists behind her back in a painful manner, disabling her from throwing her off.