“Here?” Larna asked into the phone.

  “Three houses to the right,” a familiar, plain voice answered. ”Now, stop.”

  Larna was ready to go to a tent below a bridge when Analyzer invited him to his house. But the residence in front of him made the neighboring ones look like hovels.

  It had two floors, with a small room at the top. The walls of the house were made of polished dark wood. Except for the particular small room, which seemed to be made of some kind of glass that blocked the view from outside.

  Analyzer stepped through the door. He wore a blue sweater and fluffy pink windpants. Even outside the battle center, his hair was a mess, and he preserved his distinctive eyebags as dark as the coffee he was drinking.

  Larna smirked. What kind of millionaire are you?! However, even with that appearance, Analyzer was his predictability master. And he had come here in search of his advice.

  “Come in,” Analyzer said before turning back inside.

  A refreshing coldness welcomed him when he walked into. The room was large, illuminated by soft lights. Furnished with just two fluffy bean bags separated by a glass table and a coffee machine in a corner.

  The soft material of the bean bag hugged his body and warmed his skin. “This is better than my bed.”

  “Right?” Analyzer acknowledged, sinking into the other. ”Do you want something to drink?”

  Larna looked around the room as Analyzer prepared coffee. Normally, he would be still as a statue in a stranger's house, but he felt strangely comfortable. “This is your guest's room?”

  Analyzer handed a cup to Larna and took a sip of his own. “I attend to my patients here.”

  Larna took a sip too and clenched his jaw, trying not to grimace. “So, why did you call me?”

  “I saw your battle yesterday.”

  I don’t remember seeing him around. Larna narrowed his eyes as he took another sip of coffee. He wouldn’t be surprised if Analyzer had cameras on the Battle Center.

  “How? And…how did you guide me to your home?”

  The room was silent while Analyzer took a long sip. “I have a telescope.”

  A telescope? Larna chuckled. Why does he say that all of a sudden? Right… the third floor. Larna glanced at Analyzer, remembering the unease he felt when he asked for his cellphone number. He indeed had a bit of a dark side.

  Anyway, the fact that he saw that fight made things easier. “So, what do you think?”

  Analyzer’s cup of coffee clicked on the glass table. He steepled his fingers and rested his chin on them. “Your judgment in battle improved. I want to know how you did it.”

  Larna took a long sip. There’s no other way. If he wished to understand his ability better, he would have to tell Analyzer about it.

  “In exchange, I want your advice,” Larna negotiated. When Analyzer nodded, his shoulders dropped. He clenched his cup and confided in him the process from day one to the Battle with the thug.

  Analyzer’s face remained as emotionless as ever, but his eyes glittered with each word that satisfied his curiosity.

  “I’m surprised you don’t have any scratches.” He paused, his eyes watching through Larna’s skin. “Those kinds of people aren’t very good at containing themselves.”

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  Larna looked down at his reflection in the coffee. “If you say that, you must have stopped watching after the battle. It didn’t end well.” Larna briefly pursed his lips. “When his brother lost, the strong thug was going to punch me, but Vale took the hit for me.” He dashed the tears away. “It left a bruise on his cheek, but he always smiles and says it doesn’t hurt.”

  “That boy is intriguing,” Analyzer thought aloud.

  “Then how can I help you?" he asked, looking straight into Larna's eyes.

  Larna had done his part of the deal. Now it was Analyzer’s turn.

  "I want to know how to improve," he affirmed. He had won his first battle, but he couldn't compare with the monsters out there.

  "There are countless things you could do. Why don't you tell me what bothered you the most in that battle?"

  "I couldn't think clearly." That has been the most annoying thing without a doubt. "I couldn't use my skill as I'd planned. And just managed to come up with a precarious plan."

  "That precarious plan worked tough," Analyzer teased.

  "But I could have done it better." Larna’s jaw tightened. He didn't know he could feel so frustrated after a victory.

  "You can always do it better. But if you think like that, you'll always feel discouraged. Instead, you should notice your improvement.“

  Larna lowered his head, feeling as if his parents were admonishing him with all the reasons to do it.

  “The thing clouding your thinking is called pressure, and it pushes you to react when you are in a conflict." Analyzer's voice grew solemn. "And I'm sorry, but I've never heard of someone who doesn't feel it."

  Larna sighed.

  "But you can be close to that. Experience will help you manage it better, and there are other methods to diminish it."

  Larna gulped. “How?”

  "You've told me you identify people's personalities and predict their moves based on it. Then you have to do that with yourself. You are the person you've been spending more time with, so it should be simple, right?"

  “I suppose." Larna guessed.

  "Well, you are wrong. You are the person who knows better how to deceive yourself. It will be hard, but by practicing it, you will progress."

  "You must see yourself as an experimental subject. That way, when an overwhelming feeling surges, you will be capable of doing more than feeling it. You'll analyze it.” Analyzer smiled, the subject seeming to excite him.

  ”When you achieve that, you’ll be capable of putting your feelings aside. The pressure is just a name for the overwhelming flow of emotions, so when you tame them, your judgment will enlighten.”

  “Plus, analyzing yourself is something that I, as a psychologist, sincerely recommend,” he added to finish.

  Larna felt as if the secret to immortality had been revealed to him. He would have never reached a conclusion like that.

  "Was I clear?" Analyzer inquired, probably noticing the wrinkles in Larna's forehead.

  "Yes, it's just hard to understand,” he admitted, scratching his head. “Still, I think I've caught it. I remember the time I decided to watch a movie, trying to catch all the inconsistencies in its plot. It felt completely different from normally watching it."

  Analyzer nodded. "You understand." He extended his right hand to Larna. "My name is William. From now on, we’re partners on the field."

  Larna’s eyes widened. He would be an apprentice more than his partner. But he smiled back and shook William's hand.

  "Something similar happened to you at first? With the pressure thing."

  William shook his head. "I've worked as a psychologist before, so watching for my opponent and identifying their reactions was something I was accustomed to.” William's face contorted. “But the physical exercise was a constant that always dulled my thinking."

  Larna chuckled. Indeed, William didn't look like the typical athletic guy.

  "Thank you," Larna said from the bottom of his soul. William had shown him the path to follow.

  "Don't mind. I'm excited to see what you'll achieve."

  Larna nodded with a smile and stood up. He could see the growing darkness outside through the windows. And a brief check to his phone confirmed that the hour he had accorded with Vale was close.

  “Your feet pointed to the door, checking your phone after watching at the window, and the obvious act of standing on your feet.” William chuckled. “I think I don't need to be a psychologist to know you're leaving.”

  Larna took a deep breath. “Yes, I have something to do.”

  Analyzer glanced at his watch. “So late?”

  “Yeah,” he complained with a sigh before his face turned into a smirk. “If you’re curious, you should use your telescope.”