Square One

Alaina nodded and gave the signal, beginning to run herself. Sure enough Yuki was faster and looked like she was running circles around Alaina. However, Alaina knew that the first couple minutes weren't hard. It was when you kept going as quickly as you could after the first signs of fatigue showed up that this little exercise got tough. Alaina was controlling her breathing and starting to work up a sweat. She looked over at Yuki and wagered she still wasn't going to be tired just yet.

When people were new to this they had a point where they tipped, their exhaustion seeming to show up all at once. Alaina hoped that Yuki was able to prolong that as long as she could.

Yukina was doing just fine for the first few minutes, running circles around Alaina as she went from one set of ropes to another, running across the ring and bouncing from the ropes. But, as time passed, the blue-haired girl started to feel the strain from the exercise as she started to feel labored, her breathing became heavier as she started to work up a sweat. The muscles of her legs were aching from the constant running.

Still, Yukina refused to stop just because she was starting to feel exhausted. She showed the signs of fatigue as she almost stumbled, but she quickly regained her bearing and continued her running, going to the ropes and rebounding from them. She could see why this was an effective endurance test, and she would like to see her limit as she continued doing the exercise.

Alaina kept up her pace, continuing on and moving as quick as she could even though she was starting to feel tired herself. She had done this a few thousand times before, and knew how to handle it. She saw Yuki starting to struggle and tried to encourage her along. "I know you are feeling it, but this is when you have to keep going! Go as fast as you can as long as you can!" Alaina said as she kept an eye on Yuki. The last thing she needed was for Yuki to over do it and injure herself.

Despite her fatigue, Yukina would continue running and bouncing off the ropes, as per Alaina's instruction. Her legs felt like they were burning from the constant running, and she started panting. Her eyes were blurred by her sweat. She tried to endure the exhaustion, but she knew that she was almost reaching her limit.

"Hnngh...*pant* *pant*..." Yukina was wheezing at this point, too tired. Though she didn't stop her running and rebounding, but her movement had slowed down, and she might end up stopping soon due to exhaustion.

Alaina saw the signs Yuki was showing. She herself was getting tired and gasping. "Okay.... final minute! Just push it... sixty more seconds." Alaina instructed. All she had to do away keep moving. No stopping. The pace didn't matter. All Alaina wanted was for Yuki to keep going no matter how tired she got. That was how you kept increasing a limit. When you felt like you had to stop, but kept on going. She knew Yuki had it in her. Now it was all a matter of Yuki knowing that she could do it..

Yukina just wanted to stop. Her lungs and legs felt like they were on fire, but she heard Alaina's words, encouraging her to continue. Steeling her resolve despite her growing exhaustion, Yukina continued on, running from ropes to ropes. Her whole body was slick with sweat, but she soldiered on, motivating herself to continue moving despite her aching muscles. She would not let herself disappointing Alaina by stopping and giving up, so she would continue, forcing herself to run across the ring, rebounding from the ropes to continue running.

Alaina kept checking her breathing and making sure she drew deep breaths in and breathed out slowly. She was tired but still going as well, doing all she could to look in control and unfazed. The timer kept creeping down and Alaina counted down the final ten seconds. Finally the time was up. "Ok, time! Yuki bring it to a stop in the center of the ring." Alaina said as she herself stopped and walked to the middle of the ring, her hands resting atop her head. Alaina was breathing deeply, but controlling it still. She looked Yuki over and saw how exhausted she was.

"I am tired out too, but you look like you can barely move. Do ya want a little break before our next exercise?" Alaina asked. The last thing she wanted was for Yuki to over do something. Sure pushing yourself was good, but doing so to the point where you risked injury or were hurting yourself just wasn't smart.

When Alaina finally signalled her to stop, Yukina stopped and headed over to the center. She was panting heavily, terribly exhausted from the workout. Her whole body was drenched in sweat, and she almost fell on her knees as she tried controlling her breathing.

"Haa... y-yes, please..." Yukina said, feeling a little ashamed that she had turned into a very sweaty mess, unlike Alaina who seemed to be in control even after doing this workout. From this, it looked obvious now how weak Yukina was in terms of her endurance.

"Ok, a break might do us both some good." Alaina said as she walked over to a corner and slumped against it, her arms draped across the top. She was taking deep breaths as she tried to recover her stamina as well.

"You look tired as hell, but I know you can dig deep. Ya took whatever I threw at ya and managed to hammer away at me pulling off the comeback win." Alaina said, shaking her head as she recalled that loss all too vividly. "I know you have more in the tank than you may realize. How did ya do it before? How did ya get the energy and drive to get the win?" Alaina asked, trying to find a way for Yuki to maybe tap her full potential.

Yukina slumped against the opposite corner, taking her chance to catch her breath and recover. She could feel her heart beating fast. As she was resting, she listened to Alaina, mulling over her words for a while before she came up with a response.

"Umm... it's just that I tend to force myself even when I'm exhausted and running on fumes. Like forcing myself to my limit..." Yukina admitted. "I always end up terribly drained afterwards, which isn't good for a long run. I just want to have a match, win and leave the arena without having myself helped out by the backstage crew to walk." It was a little embarrassing that she always ended up being helped out to leave the arena, even if she managed to get a win for herself.