Pov Dipper

We have to work with Soul for the rest of the two weeks. She told us that on Friday of our final week is the day of the tourment.

We have to bring our superhero outfits and wear them when we do this. I have a bad feeling in stomach for some reason. I-I don't know why I have this bad feeling in my stomach.

Mabel starts to poke my cheek and I look over to her. Her face looked concerned about me. I looked at her and she makes a dull smile.

"I-I have a bad feeling." I stuttered.
"About what silly?" Mabel smiled.
"I-I don't know Mabel, I-I just have this bad feeling. I-I'm so scared." I said making a fist.
"There's nothing to be scared about." Mabel said.
"I know there isn't, but I-I just can't ignore this feeling in the pit of my stomach Mabel."

I looked at it as my hands slowly turn black. I started to turn a bit pale and my aching heart started to race.

"Come on Mason!" A male vocie said.
"Come on Mason, let's go!" A female vocie.
"I'm coming ******* and ******!" I laughed.
"Stop being so slow! Mark is going to be mad at us for sneaking out." He said.
"Mark is gonna kill us because we skipped training to see a puppies at a pet store." She said.
"Dad won't be as mad, I left a note that we went to steal something." I said.
"He won't believe that." He said.
"We can get introuble together!" She smiled.
"Friends forever!" I yelled.

Those two were close to me but one was even closer to me. Best friend and a close friend.

"You had me worried sick." Dad told us.
"We didn't go that far." She pouted.
"You're only six and seven." Dad said.
"We're big boys." He said.
"Yeah." She said.
"Sorry dad, but we didn't get hurt." I said.
"Just glad my little villians are safe." Dad said hugging the three of us.
"Hugs!" She smiled.
"Gross." He said.
"Man up ******." I would smile.
"You don't have to work today, go be kids." Dad would say.
"Thanks Mark!" The two would say.
"Thanks Dad." I would smile.

He treated them like his own and I loved him for it because they wer-

I felt a tap on my shoulder and my hand quickly turned back to it's regular color. I looked up and it was Mabel.

"Are you okay Dipper? I'm seriously worried about you." Mabel said.
"Y-Yeah j-just thinking." I stuttered.
"That wasn't thinking bro, your hand turning black and you're somewhat sweating and that isn't thinking." Mabel said.
"Remembering." I said.
"Okay, but if you see to take a break tell me." Mabel said.
"I-I'll be just fine." I said.
"Alright." Mabel said.
"Yeah..." I mumbled.
"Why now?"

Mabel looked at my and gave me a long side hug and smiled. I was trying to push off that remembering feeling from the pit of my stomach.

My eyes glowed as a awful memory flashes my mind.

"You're weak, get up Mason!"
"Y-Yes sir... "
"You're a fucking waste Mason, get up and do it!"

He kicked me in the stomach and I fell back down. I looked at him and he was ashamed.

"I-I'll make you proud..."

I felt someone touch my shoulder and it was Soul.

"Are you okay?" Soul asked.
"Yeah I-I'm just fine." I said.

Soul told us to go change and we all did. My hands was slowly turning black again and it was slowly consuming my forearm.

Today was just a simple lecture about the challenges and what we should be prepared for.

"Each round will he different and you'll have no idea what it will be. Some you won't be able to use your powers and some you will. The environment can change while fighting. There'll be a white box and if you step out of the line then you'll lose." Soul said.
"Do we have a time limit?" Will asked.
"Depends on the challenge, but it's rare to have a time limit." Soul said.
"What happens if you're equally matched?" Star asked.
"Then a different challenge will settle it." Soul said.
"So it will be winner agaisnt winner." Andrew smiled.
"Yes." Soul said.
"Why are heroes coming anyway?" Lady Widow asked.
"I explained this already but since that was weeks ago I'll say it again. They will talk to your about your possible future as a hero." Soul said.
"Isn't this going to be shown on live T.V?" Mabel asked.
"Yes and heroes from all around will be coming and seeing this so don't hold back." Soul said.
"This is going to fun." Bill said.
"I have to warn you, students from years ago put others in the hospital." Soul said.
"We're allowed to do that?" Someone said.
"Of course! The school wants to show the heroes what your capable of." Soul said.
"Isn't that dangerous..." I said sofly having a worried tone.
"Nope! This is perfectly fine unless you don't kill them then your fine." Soul said.

You can only hurt them...
You can only hurt them Mason, just like dad wanted...

Not to kill...

Only if I needed too.

"Mason come on, you can do it." Dad would say to me.
"I-I can't daddy, I don't care if he hurts me." I was only six.
"Mason it's life this is what happens to everyone." Dad told me.
"N-No I won't kill him." I said.
"Mason it's okay, just hurt him you don't have to kill him." Dad told me.
"I-I"
"It's okay if you hurt someone, that's what I'm telling you with this bunny. You can hurt it as much as you want, but you can't kill it." Dad told me.
"B-But mommy said that you shouldn't hurt others."
"Your mother doesn't want you to know about this world Mason, there's people like them that show you what this world really is when it's too late." Dad told me.
"Sissy said that I shouldn't listen to them."
"Forget about your sister Mason, she's apart of this society that labels us for good and evil. Her power is light meaning good while yours is dark meaning bad." Dad told me.
"Okay Daddy... I-I'll hurt him."

The kid that I put in the hospital was in middle school. Dad and I were in the shadows because we didn't want to get in trouble. He was a bully.

I-I never had a choice, didn't I...?
I wanted to make him proud of me!
Why don't I feel proud?
Why do I still feel empty when I think about my memory?

Dad...

Mom...

I-I'm so s-sorry...

Mabel pushes me and I look at her. She looks worried and I look up at the sky and took a deep breath.

"Sorry Mabel, just over thinking again." I smiled at her.
"Alright, you have to stop over thing you look so serious and mad when you do." Mabel said.
"Sorry about that Mabel." I smiled.

•••

For the next two weeks we start to trainning. Soul brought collars so we can fight each other without powers.

Mabel failed miserably agaisnt Star and it was funny for a bit. Students got bruises and scratches, but it was okay because healer was here.

I barely got hurt and I didn't really go to healer to heal me. I keep hearing this voice in my head just yelling at me.

"You don't need to be healed, get up and fight."

On Wednesday I went agaisnt Bill and I was hurt badly but I still won. I kept hearing that voice just shouting at me, I didn't go to healer and Mabel looked at me.

"Dipper go heal yourself." Mabel pouted.
"I'm fine Mabel." I said.
"I will force you to go to Healer." Star said.
"I'm really fine trust me." I said.
"Come on." Lady Widow said.
"As much as you tell me, I'm fine." I said.
"Come on Dipper." Andrew and Will said.
"Fine." I said.

I got up and went to healer. Bill looks at me with a smile and placed his arm around my shoulder.

"You finally came, I was actually going to carry you here." Bill smiled.
"Haha... Yeah." I said.
"Pinetree you have to take care of yourself, I don't like see you hurt even though I caused it." Bill said.
"I still won." I smiled.
"I'm getting worried about you." Bill said.

My cheeks turned slightly red. I just looked at him with a smile as I felt guilty about it.

"You don't have to worry about me, I'm just fine." I smiled.
"You don't have to push that smile on your face." Bill told me.

"You don't have to push that smile on your face." They sound alike sometimes.

A tear went down the opposite side of my face, away from Bill. I wiped it off and then chuckled.

"Okay."

•••

"This is your last day of training." Soul said.
"It only felt like a week." Someone said.
"Tomorrow is the day of the tourment so please be well rested and please don't do anything stupid a day before the tourment. We've had that before and it wasn't pretty." Soul said.
"Like what?" Soemone asked.
"These two students got drunk and they fainted once they came here." Soul said.
"How did they get... "
"I have no idea just please don't do anything that will lower your changes of winning." Soul said.
"Okay." We all said.
"Go turn your weakness into your strengths." Soul said.

When she said that I can only thing about what my dad would always say.

"Turn your weakness into your strengths."

  I felt so guilty when ever I hear that for some reason. It just eats me up inside and I can't help but feel some sort of guilt.

I felt Star hop on my back and thank god I didn't get my fighting reaction. I just wanted to make sure she didn't fall off my back.

"I can't believe you caught me." Star said.
"I can't believe I didn't flip you over." I said.
"What?" Star said.
"It's a self defense reaction." I said.
"Thank god you didn't do it again." Star said.
"What should we do?" Mabel said.
"Star you have to stop doing that." Will said.
"Why?" Star said.
"Dipper flipped you over last time." Andrew said.
"He didn't this time!" Star cheered.
"I was thinking and she surprised me." I said.
"What should we do now?" Lady Widow asked.
"Nothing I guess, everyone just gave up at this point." Bill said.
"Alright." Mabel said.

I carried Star over to a tree that we all sat under. I placed her down and she was happy that she didn't have to walk. She can be super lazy sometimes.

They all sat under the sunlight of the tree while I sat under the shade. I was next to the boarder from dark to light.

Why now?

Why am I remembering things right now?

Why now?

Why am I starting to feel guilty about everything?

Why now?

Why am I feeling so empty?

Why now?

"Don't let emotions get between you and what you want Mason, their the reason why most people fail. They'll torture you until you give in, They'll break you apart until you give in."

Why do I feel scared?

"Pinetree?"
"Y-Yeah..." I said.
"Are you okay? You're staring into space again." Bill said.
"J-Just over thinking again." I said.
"You look terrified about something." Bill said.
"I-I'm just scared." I blurred out.
"Why?" His voice sounded worried.
"Just something that someone said to me when I was younger." I said.
"Pinetree." Bill said.
Meaning...Tell me why you're scared.

I hugged my knees and wanted to die in the corner. Bill sat closer to me being between the light and dark.

I stopped hugging my knees and looked at him. I placed my head on his shoulder and I felt his arm around my shoulder.

Is this even right?

I-I'm just going to mess everything up.

I-I'm just worried about everything.

"Pinetree."
Meaning...I'm worried about you, please.
"I-I just can't stay it for some odd reason." I said.
"It's okay if you can't, it takes time to say things you want to say to others." Bill said.
"I'm just worried." I said.
"About what?" Bill asked.
"Everything." I said.
"It's going to be okay Pinetree, don't let anything bother you because we're here." Bill said.

I made a dull smile and tried to ignore the fact that my feelings are messed up.

•••

I changed out of my gym uniform and went home when school was over. I had an idea that no one was staying for the boot camp because everyone was leaving.

"Let's just hope I don't end up doing anything stupid tonight."