Capítulo 31: The training of the tributes
"Are you drunk?"
Jacob felt a little uncomfortable with Haymitch's intense gaze, then he looked at Katniss for help and she said, "I'm good with the bow and arrows..."
"And are you good at it?"
Katniss hesitated for a moment, but Jacob said, "It must be, have you ever heard of a hunter who isn't good with the bow and arrow?"
"Is that a compliment?" Haymitch became increasingly confused by Jacob's sudden bipolar comments, he looked at him, waiting for his honest response.
"I'm good at it..." Katniss nodded when she heard Jacob's comments.
"So, what can you do?" Katniss asked, expecting Jacob's response just like Haymitch.
"An elder taught me knife fighting, some basic hand-to-hand combat tactics, and I trained on my own by maneuvering a knife tied to a rope for long-range attacks..."
Saying this, Jacob shook his head and pointed, "Although it may sound impressive, I only trained on my own for a year, and what I know may not be much compared to others..."
"Not much?" Katniss asked this brief question without expecting an answer.
"Well, I worked in the mine, so I couldn't focus on other types of weapons that required much more time."
"Are you joking again?"
Jacob pointed at himself and said, "Well, I'm taking everything optimistically. What good does it do to worry all the time?"
"What we should focus on are small things like knowing what fruits are edible and which flowers are poisonous. I heard that most people die due to deadly traps in the arena rather than at the hands of a tribute." Jacob expressed his thoughts.
"That's too important. It seems you have a good judgment about what you're about to face," Haymitch said. "And Katniss, your archery skill is extremely important for hunting or killing participants from a distance. But remember, direct confrontation doesn't correspond to survival time. Often, the wounds caused by ending a confrontation can be deadly for the next few days or minutes of survival."
"At the Training Center, they will have knives, but don't show the other tributes what you're capable of lifting or how accurate your aim is. You must be smart; you gain nothing by demonstrating that you're good at something within that area surrounded by the most dangerous tributes."
Haymitch was doing his job and pointing out every little detail they needed to know before entering training:
The plan will be the same for both of you: attend the group training, spend time learning something you don't know, like Jacob said, throw spears, start fires, learn to make snares. However, save the best for the private sessions, understood?"
Jacob nodded and said, "Of course, we got it."
"One last thing. In public, I want you to be together at all times." When Haymitch said this, he approached Katniss a little more and said, "Should we hug?"
Katniss pulled away from Jacob's arm and said, "I don't think that's necessary right now..."
Haymitch looked at this duo of tributes he was advising and felt that everything he had said was already being implemented by them in one way or another. "Meet Effie in the elevator at ten for training."
"Come on, Katniss, we have to be natural like the waves in the sea..." Although Jacob felt embarrassed, it comforted him to know that Katniss seemed a little annoyed. Although she had agreed to be Jacob's ally, this sudden familiarity angered her, and she was about to walk away when she heard Haymitch speak again.
"That's perfect; the more accustomed you get, the clearer it will be to people."
"Don't worry, Katniss, we can do everything together and win." Jacob's eyes were confident, and Katniss was left speechless at his audacity.
...
Before ten in the morning, shortly after Katniss almost told Jacob to his face that this sudden closeness was not part of the deal, she went to the bathroom to check her face for any traces of chocolate or other food.
Upon exiting, Jacob looked at Katniss waiting for him, and they both walked toward the door. "Remember, District One and Two will look for trouble, and they are completely ruled out for considering an alliance. Let's look for weak tributes, but remember that they shouldn't pose a problem for us once we're in the arena."
Katniss nodded and said, "First, we need to observe each tribute. If any of them already have an alliance, it will be easy to spot."
"Well, Katniss, you couldn't have said it better. Don't you want us to hold hands?" Jacob extended his hand without apparent embarrassment.
Katniss looked at Jacob's hand and said, "No, only in public."
...
The training rooms are located below ground level in the building where they were staying. The elevator ride takes less than a minute, and then the doors open to reveal a gym filled with weapons and obstacle courses.
It's not yet ten, but Jacob discovered they were the last to arrive. The tributes who had arrived so far were gathered in a circle, with everyone looking tense.
"Don't you want me to give you your number?" Jacob asked, ignoring the people who had stepped forward holding the numbers for District Twelve.
"Behave..." Katniss couldn't believe that Jacob wasn't nervous. She thought it was obvious that they were allies now since both of them were dressed the same way.
"Don't be afraid, most of them are scared to death." After they received their numbers, both of them approached the circle with the others.
The head trainer, a tall and athletic woman named Atala, stepped forward and began explaining the training schedule.
At each station, there will be an expert in the respective skill, and each tribute can move from one area to another as they please, following the instructions of our mentors. Some stations teach survival tactics and other combat techniques. It is prohibited to engage in combat exercises with another tribute since they all have assistants on hand if they want to practice with a partner.
As Atala began reading the list of skills, Jacob started evaluating the other boys on his list of dangerous ones. This is the first time they are all together on solid ground and in normal clothes.
Except for the ones already considered, none of the others posed a mortal threat that could take his life. When Jacob realized this, his smart assistant started creating private profiles for each of these tributes and began gathering information based on his observations.
On the other hand, Katniss was very tense. Jacob doesn't have much to say to her right now. It's true that most of the tributes are dangerous, but that doesn't mean they don't have a chance.
Leaning slightly toward Katniss, Jacob whispered, "We'll be fine..."
As he knew in advance, the exceptions are the boys from the wealthiest districts, the volunteers who have been fed and trained their whole lives for this moment. The tributes from Districts 1, 2, and 4 usually have that look. In theory, it is against the rules to train the tributes before they arrive in the Capitol, but it happens every year. In District 12, they are called professionals, and they almost always win.
"Well, it seems like everything is over." Jacob pondered what he had just heard.
According to Atala, everyone wants to wield a sword, but most will perish from natural causes, ten percent from infection, and twenty percent from dehydration. Exposure to nature can kill as quickly as a knife, and that was true. Just look at the statistics from previous games to know that the arena is even deadlier than being exposed to a survivor.
"Where would you like to start?" Jacob asked Katniss, waiting for her response.
Katniss glanced at the professional tributes, who boasted about their skills in a clear attempt to intimidate the others. Then she looked at the others, the undernourished and the incompetent, receiving their first lessons in knife or ax handling while still trembling.
"What if we practice tying a few knots?"
"Good idea. Since both of us have mastered basic weapons, we should focus on the small things." Jacob agreed, looking at the tributes he would offer their alliance to.
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