Chapter 266: Room to Stop

Jin used the west beast-care hall, in the stall he had reserved after the evening rotation. The partition door closed behind them, leaving him with the monitoring kit, a long resting mat, and Glitch trying to investigate the feed cupboard.

"That’s empty."

Glitch checked anyway, then came back and lay down.

Thirteen days remained before the ranking cutoff. Jin had no match booked tonight, no trial waiting on his phone, and no reason to hurry the next hour. He set up the monitors and watched their readings settle before opening the Engine.

Doyen’s morning assessment was already on file. Glitch’s gait was even, the superficial shoulder scrape needed no treatment, and the strain from the claw had resolved. He had eaten normally and spent most of the afternoon making it clear that walking was beneath him.

Jin rested a hand on his neck.

"You might change your mind about that later."

Glitch looked at the phone, then at him.

"Yes. Finally."

[Sync — Glitch]

[Transferring: accumulated development]

[Transferring: Astral Skill — Faultline Rush]

[Confirm?]

Jin checked the selected transfer once more. The growth had been earned while the real Glitch recovered and adjusted to his evolution. Now the body on the mat was ready to receive it.

He confirmed.

Glitch’s breathing deepened. His plating warmed beneath Jin’s hand, and a line on the monitor climbed before beginning to settle. Jin stayed beside him, feeling a familiar pressure spread through his own knees and shoulders.

He shifted his weight on the floor. The adjustment came easily, his body finding its balance before he had quite finished moving.

The fruit had changed Glitch’s shape while Jin watched. This time the outline under his hand stayed familiar. His beast stretched his toes, pushed his chin against the mat, and breathed out.

[Sync complete.]

[Astral Skill acquired: Faultline Rush]

[Star advancement: Rank 1 Novice, 6-Star → Rank 1 Novice, 7-Star]

[Quality: Silver (Peak)]

Jin grinned at the display.

"Seven."

Glitch opened one eye.

"I’m allowed to say it. I’ve been looking at six for a while."

He saved the reading and returned to the monitors. Glitch was still within Rank 1, but this was another step toward the ninth Star they would need before attempting the Rank-2 breakthrough. It also meant the next opponent would face a more developed beast than the one in yesterday’s circulating footage.

Glitch got up after the readings settled and stood with his head slightly tilted. His foreclaws spread against the mat. Through the bond, Jin felt him reach for the familiar anchoring motion, then hesitate over the force gathering beneath him.

"Not in here," Jin said.

The claws relaxed.

The movement knowledge had arrived with the skill. Glitch knew how to set the line and release the burst; the avatar’s practice had transferred with it. Knowing the movement did not tell him exactly where this heavier body would stop.

Jin had seen what happened when the avatar first discovered that problem. He had no intention of letting the real Glitch meet a wall to find out.

They stayed in the stall until Jin was satisfied that the initial warmth had subsided. Glitch drank, paced the length of the mat, and waited at the door while Jin packed the kit.

"Fine," Jin said. "We’ll look at the yard. Looking is not a promise."

Glitch was already trying to leave.

The long yard behind the training blocks was empty when they arrived. Jin had booked it for private practice and brought enough marker tape to make Glitch suspicious.

He walked the runout first, checking for loose equipment and uneven patches. Then he laid down a launch line, a mark eight meters ahead, and another thirty meters of clear space beyond that.

The eight-meter mark was where he wanted the burst to finish. He used different-colored tape for the stopping zone beyond it.

"Short release," he told Glitch. "Then brake. Keep facing forward."

Glitch set his claws into the composite.

Jin felt the anchor gather through the bond. The sensation was familiar from the avatar, but standing beside the real beast made him much more conscious of the space ahead.

He moved clear and gave the command.

Glitch launched. His body stayed low, the distance passing beneath him in a sudden rush, and Jin heard the scrape as the burst ended and the claws began to brake.

He crossed the intended stopping zone without slowing enough.

Glitch dug in harder, dropped his hindquarters, and slid to a halt eleven meters beyond the burst mark. Four long scratches ran behind him. He stood still, then looked back at Jin.

"That’s why we left room. Stay there."

Jin walked out and checked the legs. The readings showed exertion, and Glitch flexed each limb without favoring it. Jin noted the distance before giving him water and letting him rest.

The avatar’s stopping figures were useful starting points. They were not promises. Glitch’s new mass and proportions changed how he could brace, and a successful launch was only half the movement.

In an arena, nineteen meters from launch to halt could easily put them over a boundary. Jin paced back along the marks, imagining an opponent stepping aside while Glitch carried on past.

I’d lose the match before I turned around.

He shortened the next planned burst and moved the stopping-zone tape to reflect what he had actually measured. While Glitch rested, Jin showed him the body position through the bond: hindquarters lowering as the burst finished, forelegs braced to control the deceleration, tail helping him stay aligned.

Glitch had used that motion in the avatar. Here he would have to begin it with more space left.

The second trial came only after his breathing and strain readings had settled. He launched cleanly and began braking sooner. This time he stopped inside the far edge of the widened zone, still facing forward.

Jin measured the scratches and looked back at him.

"Better."

Glitch lifted his head, pleased.

"Don’t look that smug. I moved the tape for you."

They walked the length of the yard while the monitors recorded his recovery. Jin waited until the readings allowed one last short trial, then had Glitch repeat the same line. The stop came a little earlier, with his feet beneath him instead of splayed at the end of a skid.

That was enough to make Jin smile again. They had a working starting distance and a body that could recover its footing after the burst. Tomorrow they could test whether the result repeated.

Glitch returned to the launch line on his own.

"Finished," Jin said, pulling up the tape. "Three is enough on your first night."

His beast huffed.

Jin crouched beside him and rubbed the warm plating behind his horn. "I know. I want another one too."

He checked the yard booking for tomorrow, then gathered the remaining markers. Glitch followed him out, looking back once at the long empty stretch of floor.