Proving Grounds

BLITZ Team: Proving Grounds is the second episode of BLITZ Team, and is a comic-style art panel project, illustrated by RampGroovesFighter and voiced by the cast of BLITZ Team.

## Synopsis

When ASSD-87 Toredon hosts a boot camp, the cadets are both nervous and excited to attend. But you know what they say, no good party goes exactly as planned.

## Plot

Early one morning, the cadets are lined up in formation in front of the garage, with Barton commanding basic drill training. Suddenly, Captain Deckerburg appears and halts the training session with news that a nearby unit is hosting a boot camp event for all units of Wylinn County. Barton dismisses the cadets to get ready for the event tomorrow, while he stays behind to have a talk with the Captain. The Captain informs Barton that he is to be the event's Command Chief, as the previous Command Chief has taken ill and cannot attend the event. Barton hesitantly agrees to the position.

The next morning, the cadets from ASSD-82 Rivvia line up in front of the Double-Iron to be addressed by Captain Lahers, the event's Commander. Captain Lahers announces that the first group of exercises will be taking place at a recreation center and gymnasium called Planet Cardio, and that there will be four exercises the first day. He says there will be a dodging exercise, a speed exercise, a climbing exercise, and a combat exercise. The ASSD-82 Rivvia cadets talk amongst themselves afterward, and then all of them hop into the van except for Ward, Cathie and Kylee. Cathie seems nervous, and when Ward and Kylee ask her what's wrong, she tells them it's because she is afraid that Barton will be angry with her if she messes up during the exercises, and that she will be in trouble. She tells them she's "always been afraid of Barton since the day (they) met." Barton, who is checking the van's tire pressure, overhears this, and he is visibly upset about it.

At Planet Cardio, Barton and Jacky are helping Captain O'Dell and Captain Lahers set up the event, while Seargent Jinsenko and the Rowan brothers instruct a warm-up exercise. As Barton works, he thinks to himself, wondering why Cathie would be so afraid of him, and wondering how he can fix things between them. Jacky asks Barton if everything's okay, to which Barton responds, "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine." Jacky accepts this answer but doesn't seem convinced.

It is now time for the first exercise, a dodging exercise in which the cadets will take turns training with Seargents Jacob Rowan and Reilly Jinsenko. Barton explains that the goal of the exercise is to dodge foam blocks which will be thrown at the cadet taking the exercise by the sergeants. The first to take the exercise is Bobby, who dodges 38 blocks before he finally takes a hit to the foot. As he climbs out of the exercise area, Captain Lahers pats him on the back and tells him he did a good job. As Bobby takes a sip of water, Captain Lahers calls Cathie to perform next. She seems hesitant and nervous to go, so Kylee offers to take a turn first while Cathie prepares, and Barton backs her up. Captain Lahers agrees to this, and Kylee scores 36 dodges, after which she gets hit in the forehead by a shot from Jacob Rowan. As Kylee climbs out, she explains it felt like a pillow to the face, which makes Cathie less nervous. Confidently, she climbs into the training area, and Reilly and Jacob give her a wink. She steadies her foot into the trampoline floor of the exercise area, and the exercise begins.

Cathie scores 35 dodges, before she trips by accident, and hits her hip solidly on one of the exercise area's covered metal supports. She yelps in pain, and Barton climbs into the training area, helping her to get out. Jacob Rowan helps them from behind, and as Barton asks if Cathie is okay, Cathie bites her lip and softly says, "No...", trying her hardest not to cry. Assisted by Reilly and Jacob, Barton helps Cathie out of the exercise area and down the metal ladder.

Cathie is seated on a small platform just outside the exercise area, as Jacky examines her for injuries. Ward rushes over, asking if she's okay, and River Rowan attempts to stop him, but Captain Lahers tells him off. Barton approaches Cathie, saying they will have to take her to the facility's medic, and she tearfully nods. He tells her she doesn't have to be afraid of him, as he only wants to help her. Cathie says she is always afraid Barton will do something to her if she messes up, and Barton says he doesn't like doing things like that, and he will only punish a cadet if they do something horrible on purpose, following up with a wink and telling her that since he knows she wouldn't do that, she has nothing to be afraid of.

After this, Cathie jumps off the table and throws her arms around Barton's neck, pulling him in for a hug. Barton hugs back, and Cathie asks him to be careful of her hurt hip. Ward finally breaks through the crowd to ask if Cathie is okay, and Cathie assures Ward that she's fine, to which Ward is visibly relieved. Captain Lahers and Jacky smile on at the situation, and when the captain asks Barton if he can help lift a few things, Barton apologizes and says he is busy at the moment, but he will help soon. Cathie strokes Barton's hair and then they both let go, and Barton takes Cathie to the facility's medic, while Ward lines up for his turn in the challenge. In the background, Kylee seems to have mixed feelings about this.

After a little while, Cathie and Barton return, and Cathie gets ready to take her turn in the third exercise, before Kurt Kramer appears suddenly with a laser pistol, firing three shots and hitting Barton in the shoulder with one of them, sending him to the floor. Kurt orders the squadron to put their hands up, as several B.A.D. operatives enter the room, also armed. Captain Lahers starts to attack, as Kylee rushes to help Barton, when a B.A.D. operative shoots her as well, knocking her out. Kurt braces himself for the captain's attack, grabbing his shirt collar and shooting his mechanical hand off with his laser pistol. Captain Lahers kicks Kurt in the face, then lands on the floor and puts his hand back on. Cathie runs to help Barton, skillfully dodging several lasers on the way to him. Cathie rolls Barton over onto his back, and pats his cheek in an effort to wake him up. Kurt runs at her to attack, and is knocked out of the way by Jacky, who lunges for him again.

Cathie finally succeeds in getting Barton to come to, and he tells her he's been hit by a stun laser, that doesn't hurt him much but it will knock him unconscious for a few minutes. Cathie stands up, trembling with rage at Kurt Kramer, who has successfully taken down Jacky. Kurt shoots three other people, including Captain O'Dell, Seargent Jinsenko and Ward. Cathie tells Kurt she will murder him, but Kurt only laughs at her, telling her that her attacks will be useless against a big and strong guy such as himself. Cathie quickly proves him wrong and drops Kurt to the floor with three well-timed attacks and deadly accuracy. She rolls him over and handcuffs him with handcuffs she apparently took from Barton's hip pockets. Kurt breaks out of the handcuffs and targets Cathie, when Barton appears and pushes Kurt across the floor, throwing him off the platform. Kurt bounces off a trampoline and shoots through the ceiling, landing in his helicopter which is piloted by Gren. He and his operatives manage to get away successfully.

Cathie hugs Barton again, thanking him for saving her between tears. She also hugs Kylee, and when she releases, she tells both of them she was worried they were dead. Jacky helps Seargent Jinsenko get back up to her feet, Barton and Kylee rush to help Captain O'Dell, and Cathie goes to Ward. Cathie hugs Ward, and tells him she was worried he had died. This seems to make Ward cry a little bit, and he tearfully hugs back.

After everyone gets back to normal, the fourth exercise begins, the combat exercise. The exercise consists of a pair of ragdoll-esque robots which wander around in an enclosed training area. Captain O'Dell tells everyone that each cadet must pair with either another cadet or a staff member to perform the exercise. Captain Lahers tells Cathie he knows she gets nervous about this type of exercise, and gives her the option to sit this one out because she already battled Kurt. Cathie says she would like to take the challenge because it sounds fun, and Captain Lahers asks who she would like to team up with on the exercise. Cathie thinks for a moment, then says she would like Barton to do the exercise with her, and says it's "about time (she) got to know him a little better." The project ends with Barton and Cathie entering the practice area with Kylee and Ward smiling at them.

## Trivia

* In this episode, Cathie hugs a total of four different people, including:
	+ Jacky
	+ Barton
	+ Ward
	+ Kylee
* As usual, RampGroovesFighter has given hints of other paths that might've happened in the episode's final battle.
	+ If Captain Lahers hadn't lost his mechanical hand during the fight, he would've "cut open Kurt's face like a Thanksgiving turkey."
	+ If Cathie had still been afraid of Barton, and hadn't gone to try to snap him back to consciousness, Kurt would've captured him.
	+ If Cathie hadn't tried to wake up Barton from directly overtop of him, she wouldn't have found the handcuffs.
	+ If Gren had been inside the building to assist Kurt in the fight, Kylee wouldn't have been shot.
	+ If Cathie didn't try to attack Kurt first, he would've tried to attack her first, and there would've been a similar result.
		- So to say, Cathie would've still beaten the crap out of him.
	+ If Cathie had taken Barton's fighting knife instead of his handcuffs, Kurt would've gone to the hospital.
	+ If Bobby had attacked Kurt Kramer instead of Cathie, Kurt would've been knocked unconscious.
	+ If Kurt had dodged Cathie's attack instead of trying to counter it, he would've had a chance to recoil, and Cathie would've been severely injured.
	+ If Barton had dodged the shot, he and Cathie would've teamed up on Kurt.
* According to RthoNightshade07, Kurt and his team had been planning to attack Planet Cardio already, in hopes of taking over the establishment and turning it into Kurt's personal training area, but when word came that ASSD was holding a boot camp there, Kurt knew this would be a double-or-nothing attack.