These last four days have been rough; it turns out the chief wanted me to do six days in total of the first three steps in my training. While to me that seems like a lot but according to Foxy, it should be months worth before moving on the next three phases of my training. It appears that Chief needs me on this upcoming mission which Foxy still isn't too happy about. That's probably why she pushed me so hard because she's worried about me and the mission. It paid off a little bit but not only enough to get me a least back to a halfway healthy body state.

Gunners combat training helped with that as well though. Of course, the practice I was best at was still shooting which I've only gotten better at. Then there's the session with Ace which I actually made a small dent in but apparently, it wasn't good enough for Ace. Which honestly doesn't surprise me since technology seems to be the only thing he cares about; while both Gunner and Foxy praised on multiple occasions not once did I even get a slight smile at my accomplishments from Ace.

I'm just glad to be done training with him; now I'm moving on the fourth and fifth step today. For the fourth step, they currently have me at a poker table interesting enough. I have a feeling this has something to do with Swindle and whatever skills she has to offer. I hear loud and proud footsteps that I've come to recognize as Swindle's footsteps. She seems to carry herself highly, and I'm jealous I wish I had confidence like that. She enters the room with an excited gleam in her eye.

" Hey there Axel, ready for today's training? " Swindle asks excitedly.

"I guess so, but what exactly am I being trained on?" I ask nervously.

" Well, you need to know how to hustle people and gamble properly," Swindle says with a duh voice.

" Uh, how is that skill useful," I say but instantly regret it when I see her offended facial expression.

" Excuse me, Axel?" She questions in mock shock.

" I just thought..... before I can continue though she cuts me off.

" I'll have you know that Gambling and hustling people are the backbones of this country." She says with a shake of her head.

" And here I thought you'd understand with you being a thief and all which is the same thing I do."

Swindle looks disappointed while I, on the other hand, am now offended. What we do is not the same. I was forced into what I had to do being on the streets and all. I've heard from Foxy that Swindle came from a wealthy family and her dad was a professional gambler. Swindle got sent here to hone her skills better after her dad learned that she was secretly doing it just like him. It makes me mad that she would compare us because she already has so much money. So I don't know why she has to steal other people's money, especially by cheating.

" You know what I think I'm going to skip this step of training," I mutter angrily.

" Oh come on I didn't mean it like that, I just that you'd understand the thrill of it," Swindle says confused.

" Swindle I was just trying to survive. I didn't do it because I liked it." I huff.

" Man you are innocent compared to rest of us." She smiles sadly.

" I'm far from innocent." I laugh bitterly.

" That's true, I guess pure-hearted is more the word, "Swindle says.

" Pure hearted?" I give her a strange look.

" All of us even sweet Foxy love what we do unlike you." Swindle sighs ruefully.

" Man we're going to ruin you." She says slightly sorrowfully.

We start our training after that and even though I don't know exactly what I'm going to be using this particular skill for I go along with it. I felt terrible after our conversation even though she's rich it would seem I still triggered a bad part of her past. I guess money doesn't solve everything but again, I'm jealous. We continue for a few hours until I have the basics down then I head to lunch where I'm supposed to meet my next trainer.

As soon as I walk in the cafeteria, I feel like something is off. I don't see anyone waiting for me apart isn't surprised considering who my next trainer is. Still, though I feel something off in the air like I used to on the streets. Either the streets made me permanently paranoid, or they gave me a sense for when something was off. All of a sudden I feel my whole body go flying back through the air and I close my eyes as my body is slammed on the ground. When I open them again, I see a smiling Sneak on top of me.

" Lesson number one don't doubt your intuition. "Sneak grins widely.

" What the fuck-kk," I say gasping out the last part.

Sneak gets up and pulls me to my feet still grinning just as big.

" Come on man it's in my name." He laughs.

" Stealth?" I question still caught off guard by the situation.

" Yep, that's my specialty, and I get to teach you how to be almost as good as me." He says happily.

" Just almost?" I ask and grin not being able to help myself.

" Come on no one can be as good as me; I just have natural talent." He says flexing his nonexistent muscles.

" Okay, whatever you say." I walk away to go get my lunch.

Over lunch, he and I just talk through what he's going to teach me and the whole time I smile. I've learned over the last few days that while Sneak is weak around Ace, around everyone else, he's just a genuine ball of sunshine. You can't help but always be happy around him, and you'd think Ace would mess with him the most, but surprisingly it's him who he messes with the least. I bet even Ace can't be mean to the guy. He just has something about him. Too bad he's straight, or he could be someone I would date. He's precisely the type of guy I would get back into dating for. Alas, I always have lousy luck when it comes to such things.

After lunch, we go train in stealth, and it's actually something I'm pretty good at even more than shooting. Sneak says it is probably from all my years of stealing since I had to learn how to do it without being caught. He actually looks pretty impressed throughout our lesson and says I can probably actually just skip over the rest of the basics in our next session.

When leaving the session and heading towards my room, I hear yelling.

" WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO TO MY BABY!"

I groan recognizing the voice, and I almost run the other way when I realize that I'm near his work area. Instead, though I push forward preparing myself for whatever mess I'm about to find.