June 21, 2337

It's just my luck that the strongest member of the Commander's guard is the biggest guy there.  I can't allow myself to lose with the Elements because I would definitley lose if this came to a fist fight.  Ok Taecyeon was pure muscle and unlike other men I knew, he also seemed as if he had a brain to go along with the brawn.  I was going to kill Jongdae for not warning me if I got out of this alive.  Losing was not an option and while willpower was not a strategy to win it gave me confidence that I wasn't just talk.  I knew that if it came down to it that I would win because I was the best and I never lost a fight.

Minseok joked around with me before I was challenged, calming my nerves until I was able to be at peace with the situation.  I noticed that he was good at that, making me feel better just by telling silly stories in my ear even though I was unable to respond. He was mature most of the time, someone that I could look up to as my mentor, a person that I could learn from provided he didn't lose his composure due to Jongdae.  I enjoy it at times but then I remember I have no business enjoying anything until the Resistance brings peace to the country.  

Ok Taecyeon sized me up in the makeshift ring inside the training room.  I did the same thing.  That morning when I had changed into my uniform of a white dress shirt and pinstriped black pants one of the other guards had approached me to give me a little hint.  This man's Element was Metal, which meant he could kill me in an instant with all the metal around for him to manipulate.  This just meant this battle was meant to be fought by outsmarting him rather than using brute force, at least on my part.  I debated what kind of attack would work on him as we circled each other in the ring without coming up with any kind of real answer.

"You can do this," Minseok suddenly spoke up, just before Taecyeon lunged at me.

I was momentarily stunned by Minseok's confidence in me that I almost did not leap out of the way in time.  Almost.  I quickly came to my senses and ducked below Taecyeon's waist so that his arms would not reach me.  Simaltaneously, my leg moved, sending a kick to the man's shins and I backed away in surprise that this kind of attack had worked.  It was probably the oldest trick in the book and it had somehow worked, perhaps because he wouldn't expect someone to use such a juvenile tactic.

I concentrated my energy into making an icicle into my hand.  Taecyeon furrowed his brow when he saw what I was doing as if he were confused about something.  The expression on his face cleared up in a split second but he made no move to command his element.  My icicles don't take too long to form so I continued dodging his attacks as they came faster and faster.  For a hulk of a man, he was able to move quickly and when I felt like it was time I spun around to face him and stabbed him in the stomach.  My ice was met with the hard surface of some sort of metallic armor and then I was a second too late.

Taecyeon's hand's closed over my shoulders, picking me up and slamming me down on the ground.  I think I'll remember how much that hurt for the rest of my life.  It felt like all the air had been knocked out of me and every single part of my body had broke all at once.  Minseok was worried if the chattering in my ear was any indication but I was in so much pain that I barely heard a single word he'd said until I saw my opponent's fist heading towards my face from where I was laying on the ground.

"Show me that you deserve being my partner, Hyunae.  Show them that you're worthy being my replacement over there."

That was all that Minseok had to say for me to roll away and spring up to re-evalutate this fight.  I was my own person and no matter how much I liked being Minseok's partner, I was not his replacement.  I was never going to be that because I was in a league of my own just as he was of his own being.  I needed to prove that I was good enough to deserve that kind of recognition.  I held my hand own at froze the air around my opponent, rendering him unable to move.  I did the same for all the spectators watching the fight; everyone was frozen in place.  I took advantage of the temporary paralysis and then proceeded to beat the living out of Ok Taecyeon.  (I'm not actually pro