Training For Dummies [Ezero Standalone]

The training center is the hub where all of the tributes gather for the last few days before they are sent into the arena. Here, they will get to know their fellow competitors, learn about survival skills, practice fighting with various weapons, form alliances and rivalries, and attempt to make a good impression on the Capitolites whose money might make the difference between life and death.

Tower of Doom

The building is easily discernible among the other buildings of the Capitol. With its height of fourteen stories, and the rather bleak exterior, the structures around are - in general - shorter and more visually appealing. The main floor is the largest, housing the training area, dining room, and various other facilities. The next thirteen stories are designated to the housing of the tributes, their mentors, the escorts, and the staff. In order to make things simple for the tributes, their floors are consistent with their districts. As such, Ezero - hailing from District eight - will reside on the eighth floor during his stay here.

Rocko helps to guide us into the building with as little fuss from the paparazzi as can be managed. I'm immediately gripped by the foreboding look of the building. The plain concrete, poured into a very utilitarian form, the building really did seem like a place you might never exit from. I felt like I was being lead into a prison, the only thing missing was the electric fence with barbed wire loops at the top. Rocko shepherded us into the elevator, his plastic smile set on his face as he gleefully waved at the cameras. Only when the doors closed did he look at me with a small frown. "You need to learn how to smile for them." I felt my eyes slide to the floor and heard Rocko huff. "You also need to learn how to maintain eye contact. I will have to teach you these things." Unable to think of a rebuttal, I resigned myself to the fate of having to be taught by Rocko.

Personal Apartments

Like the train compartments, but even more expansive, the tribute suites in the training center consist of three rooms specially dedicated to each tribute with a central room that all of the others join off of. The center room has a number of chairs, a couch, and a gigantic television. The trio of rooms are a lavish bathroom, large bedroom with a king size bed, and a sitting room. There is also a walk-in closet attached to the bedroom which holds a seemingly infinite amount of outfits in the tribute's size.

We emerged on the eighth floor - at least they had made things easy to remember - and were greeted by the sight of yet another set of extravagant rooms. I could tell without looking further that everything on this floor was going to be ridiculously expensive and overly ornate, just like all of the other lodgings I'd had since being reaped. Without a word, I disappeared into the nearest set of rooms and found that I had accurately picked. These were my rooms - I could tell because the clothes in the walk-in closet were all my size - and I felt the need to change out of the clothes I had worn on the train. Having been in them for over eight hours, I was ready for a fresh pair of pants and a clean shirt.

Once I was in a new set of clothes, I took a peek behind the other two doors of my rooms. The bathroom here was even nicer that the one on the train, and the sitting room would be a welcome recluse from everyone. There were recordings of all of the previous Games stacked beside the tv - one that was about half of the size of the one in the main room - but nothing else was offered. Supposedly, I could watch the coverage of the seventy-second and try to get a read on the other tributes but right now I wanted to get away from the impending doom we would all be facing. Though I suppose that's rather hard to do in a place like this.

Learning to Survive

For three days, the tributes are meant to train in survival skills and weapons. Trainers who specialize in each skill and fighting style reside at stations that tributes can go to in order to work on their ability with that task. By the end of the training period, tributes have at least three main skills that they picked up during their time training.

In this area is where many of the interactions between tributes occurs, and where many rivalries and alliances are formed. As well, this is a great place for each tribute to get a sense of others' strengths and weaknesses.

The first time I entered the training area I was overwhelmed. The sound of fighting echoed off the walls and I watched as weapons flew to stick in targets, walls, and the floor. How could I ever compete with people like this. For a moment I felt the urge to turn and flee to my rooms and refuse to come out until they dragged me to the arena. That wouldn't do me any good, though, so I decided to monitor the others. Once I started to scrutinized I realized that people weren't as good as they had first seemed. A good number of weapons didn't hit their target, and the trainers were shaking their heads at a few people. Of course the Careers were doing well, but that was no surprise. Now that I saw I wasn't the only one who had no skill in a batch of elites I felt better. No better time to start than now. Except that I had absolutely no idea what I would do best at, so I instead opted to simply watch for a while. I had time, I could learn enough to help from today so that the next two would go well.

The True Gathering Place

While there are a lot of opportunities to interact in the training area, the sense of competition is too strong to allow for free chat. As such, it is more common to see tributes speaking in the dining hall where things are more relaxed and the presence of food eases conversation. Along with plenty of conversation, the dining room also offers plenty of food and drink. A tribute could easily eat as much as they wanted and more without worrying about eating another person's share.

When I got hungry I followed my stomach, and my nose, to the dining room. The amount of food I saw there was incredible. It looked as though I could eat forever and never reach the end of it all. Somewhere around thirty-five or forty chairs line the sides of the table, giving places for all of the tributes and the victors to sit down together if they so wanted. I could only see a few people in there at the time, though, and I was able to sit by myself somewhere near one of the corners of the table. Piling my plate with a little bit of everything, I set myself down to a good meal. This place, while not a private spot, could definitely be a place of comfort.