Hope.

One of the most pervasive myths out there is that it's impossible to be too encouraging. That's like being too healthy! Or too rich!
But just like so many other things in life, that's context dependent. I think we can all agree there are times in life where more encouragement is appreciated better than other times. So really, it shouldn't come as a surprise that there are times when encouraging people should... Well...
When they should chill the frick out for just one goddamn moment!

8:53 AM

"Seventy... Huff... Four..." I groaned, pulling my torso up to my knees in a situp before slowly trembling myself down to a lying position.
"All right, all right!"Bird Brain hollered cheeringly, "You can do it! Just one more time! One more!"
"Seven-ty--" I huffed, exerting all my strength to pull myself up one more time, "...Fiii-iive!"
I lowered myself, feeling relief and triumph light up from the depth of my fatigue.
"Yes! That's it! Once more! Just one more time!"
That sliver of accomplishment shifted aside, as I felt the need to once more lift myself up. I strained against my own limits in an effort to shakingly make it up one more time.
"Ssss--- Sev-en-tyyy--" I groaned, slowly looking for that last ounce of strength to tug my exasperated body against my knees. I trembled, stopping midway only to slowly shift myself to knee height, "Sssiiix...."
With that I lowered, panting rapidly. Every muscle in my body burned.
"All right! Nice job! You're doing amazing! But you can do one more, right? Just one more! Go for it!"

I fell splash on the floor. My lungs on fire, I saw my chest heaving from between the black spots in my vision, "No... No, Sanakia. No more. Please."
Great. I had a goal, and I achieved that goal. But somehow I still had to give up!
I took my water bottle from Bird Brain's hand, spraying the refreshing jet from it into my mouth greedily.
"Good effort there!" Bird Brain patted my shoulder, "Next time do the same thing again! But in my armour!"
I gasped in relief pulling the bottle from my lips, "Oh, that's... Yeah, I'll be looking forward to that..."

I'm always amazed by how quick I recover lucidity once properly lubricated. My fatigue was but a memory. At that point I could jump back to my feet! Except that my trembling knees didn't agree with me. I crawled up instead, and then planted myself on the bench.
"But really, I didn't really come here for a workout." I pointed out, slipping my bottle into my gym bag, "I'm trying to preserve my energy for my next fight! I only let you drag me here cause, honestly, after our last meeting I for sure thought you hated my guts!"
"Hate your guts?" Bird Brain shook her head, "I most certainly do not! I understand you are not that bright, as well as somewhat confused. That is why you ask so many questions. Can it get on my nerves? At times, yes. But it is not something that you can help. So certainly I do not hate your guts!"
"Really?" I asked, "Cause with that warm-up routine you pushed me through, you sure could've fooled me!"
Bird Brain scratched the back of her neck chuckling, "Ahaha... I suppose I got a bit overexcited. I did win my third match after all!"
"Oh... Oh! Yeah! Congratulations!" I clapped my hands together in excitement, "Great job making it this far and all!" "Indeed." Bird Brain smirked, "With my victory against the renowned Treasure Hunter Feena, I shall be contending in the A-Bracket Finals tomorrow! And that is precisely why I called you here. As the only contestant so far who has been able to best me, it falls on you to test my limits!"
"Heh. I'll see what I can do, but I dunno. You've gone this far on your own, haven't you? So you must be doing something right!"

By the way, her matches so far? They've totally been rigged. Yeah.
Remember when I said I'd check out that Poor Girl Sally? Well, I sent a couple of spy bugs after her. Blended in with the flies soaring around her. No one suspected a thing. Turns out that this lady Ojou Sama was like a crime boss who's basically running this entire city. She's got that Poor Girl Sally wrapped around her finger. That poor Poor Girl owes Ojou Sama 5 000 gold. So she gotta fight in the Tournament on her behalf, using all her winnings to pay off her debt. What's even worse? Ojou Sama just sort of increases the debt every time she pays it off! Paying interest, she calls it.
That's such a bitch move, right? I know she's a mafia don or something, but come on!
And she's been rigging like, half the matches of the Tournament too.
Not mine though. Which is really fortunate.
For her.

As for Bird Brain, turns out no one really expects a low level galmon to pull through in this Tournament. That gives her absurdly high odds.
For someone like Ojou Sama, that translates into a golden opportunity. If she can angle it the right way.
Poor Bird Brain. It's enough to make me wanna bet on her. Just to show everyone what a little bit of faith looks like!
Not the next match though. Turns out Ojou Sama wouldn't stick her fingers in that porridge.
So yeah, Bird Brain's on her own. Looks like she's got good reason to prep herself for the next match.
"Eh, what the heck!" I shrugged, "I'm game!"
Bird Brain's eyes lit up, "Very well! Prepare yourself for battle!"
The Bird Brain drew her sword, entering a combat stance.

"Hold on a minute!" I yelled, circling around her while she held her guard.
"What? What is it? Is something wrong?" Bird Brain asked anxiously.
"No." I replied, "I mean, not exactly. Just thought of some tips that will really shape up your sword-game! Why don't you give them a try?"
Bird Brain frowned, shaking her head, "Allison... I have trained relentlessly in the style of my Lord since as far as I can remember. If I discard all what I know so haphazardly, then what shall I be left with?"
"Come on, just try it once or twice! See how it works out! For example, right now you're standing with right foot forward, but with your sword arm raised! Drop your arm and extend it instead!"
Bird Brain hesitated, but lowered her arm and pointed her sword ahead.
"Great! Now you've got something sharp between you and the bad guy! But you know what? I think we can do better! Put your left foot forward instead."
She shifted her stance, extending her left leg.
"See?" I tapped her shield with my knuckles, "Now, if your opponent tries to hit you they'll hit your shield instead! Just... Don't stand so straight in front of them. Your side's so much harder to hit than your front. Show off your side instead! No, that's too much side! Stand a bit more in an angle! That's better! And hold your shield at an angle too! The idea is to deflect incoming blows, not block them head on. Oh, and pull your sword behind some more. Even more than that! Your elbow is still exposed! You want to pull your arm way behind your shield. Almost sling it over your shoulder."

"Hey!" Bird Brain shrieked, "This is getting far too tricky! We were supposed to be training! Why are you prodding around my stance instead of fighting me?"
"Haha! Sorry. I'm saving all my fight until the match." I scratched the back of my head, "Getting myself hurt so soon before showtime really would be the worst. You wanted me to help you out? I'll help you out-- In my way!"
Bird Brain pouted, her sword drooping to the floor, "But... But that is so unfair! I have to test my mettle against you! I shall, after all, soon face off against another mage!"
I cocked my eyebrow, "...Eh? Okay. Uhm, what? What did you say just now?"
"Indeed! Tomorrow I shall test my battle prowess against a mage!"
"No... What you said before that. You said 'another' mage."
Bird Brain nodded, "There are many skilled magic users in this Tournament besides you."
"Hold the phone! I'm not a mage!"
"I do apologize for the imprecise language. It is necessary however to call you such as long as I know not the source of your power. Sorcerer? Wizard? Warlock? They all have in common how they wield furious power at their beck and call, commanding the battlefield with eldritch forces. That is what a mage is!"

...Huh.
Yeah... Leave it to someone who doesn't know the first thing about science to tell technology apart from magic.
She kinda had a point though. Whether she's burned to a crisp by a propelled incendiary device or cause her opponent turned into a fire breathing dragon won't make much of a difference to her.
Poor girl. Imagine training relentlessly your entire life and become a renowned swordsman, only to be bested by any boob who can teleport you ten thousand feet into the air.

"...You presume I stand no chance against her ilk, do you not?"
I laughed, patting her shoulder, "You got this one in a bag, Sannie! Just remember that picking the right tool for the job is as much of a skill as swordmanship!"
Bird Brain blinked, "But... I am a Knight! I have trained to fight with sword and shield! If my hardest efforts do not suffice, how can I conceivably overcome my opponent with anything else?"
"Oh, trust me! If it comes down to swordplay she won't stand a chance! But your opponent will prepare for that if they know that's what you'll bring to the table! Then they'll do their darndest to make sure it won't come down to swordplay. So... You just gotta respond in kind! Switch up your game from time to time! Get out of your comfort zone! Think of it like playing rock paper scissors; there's no hand that can beat everything. You gotta prepare against their preparations. Lie one step ahead of them! So, think! Imagine yourself winning against this mage... What would have to have happened for that to be the case?
Bird Brain scratched her Bird-Head with the pommel of her sword, "Uh... I stab her with my sword?"
"Yes... But also no. Try thinking outside the box! Come up with something she'd never expect... Something only you can think of!"

She stood silent for a good minute or two, her eyes shifting as if to search the air for an answer. I could practically hear the cogs turning in her head, but nothing came out of it.
Like any skill, lateral thinking isn't something that comes overnight. There are people for whom thinking up even a really stupid idea is an astonishing feat.

But hey! If I got dumbfounded by a bit of dumbfounding, what kinda mad scientist would I be?
"So, how about this then: How would your Lord go about defeating that mage?"
Her eyes lit up, her wings fluttering excitedly, "Oh! He would smite her down with the mighty Jaiverdhan! That old witch could not even fathom the power she is dealing with!"
I tilted my head, "Jah-dah-vah-dah wha-at now?"
"Jaiverdhan! A blessed spear of legend! A one of a kind relic! Entrusted throughout the generations between worthy beacons of benevolent aspirations! Now it has fallen to the hands of my Lord, Silvester spartano d'artagan! It is the symbol of mankind's hope against the relentless onslaught of evil!"
"I see..."

Not exactly thinking outside the box either, going from bashing her opponent with a weapon to bashing them with a big, shiny priceless weapon.
But you know what? A low level galmon showing up with a legendary weapon... In this world that's as crazy as a square circle! At the very least no one will be expecting that!
"All right!" I slammed my fist in my palm, "So all you gotta do is ask Goldfish Knight to borrow that spear for the match!"
"...B-but I cannot do that!" Bird Brain spat out, "Th-that is... That is a sacred weapon dedicated to the hands of my Lord by higher powers to combat the forces of darkness! And I am but... I am only..."
"Hey!" I said as I approached her, "Whatever it is you are, you are not 'only' that! All right? And just ask him to borrow it! Worst case, he says no... And then you'll be no worse off than when you started!"
"...I know. But... "

Whatever she was about to say died in her Bird Brain before she could utter it. With a sigh, her confident facade melted away. She stared at her feet, her shoulders drooped.
I rested my hand on her shoulder. She looked up at me with sad eyes, and I smiled back at her reassuringly.
"Say, if it's that hard for you, then how about I ask him for you?"
She blinked, "What? N-no! That's not..."
"It'll be easy! That's what friends are for, after all!"
"Allison..."
"Whoops!" I pretended to have a watch on my wrist, "Oh, how time flies! My match is gonna start any minute!"
"...Wait."
I grabbe my bag, sprinting towards the showers, "Sorry! Gotta rush! I promise I'll talk it out with your Goldfish Knight when I've got time! Wish me luck!"
Before she could utter her objection, I slammed the doors to the locker room behind me. To my delight, the last I saw of her was her smiling.
"...Good luck, Allison."

Now, you're probably thinking that I've got the billionth the chance of getting the spear from Goldfish Knight as Sanakia would have if she asked him.
Is that what you are thinking?

If so, listen up here. This is important.
Who it is that says something is far less important than how it's said. Doesn't matter if it's about asking for something, or convincing someone you're right. You gotta say what you wanna say with conviction and dedication. If you can do that, it won't matter what it is you have to say!
Don't go about your life thinking it's only the words of kings or generals or experts that matter! Not only will you end up quiet when you actually got something to say... You'll probably end up listening to a bunch of bullshit cause you can't think for yourself!
No matter who you are, you are able to say something that matters. And if you can say it like you mean it, people will listen. No matter who you are.

So I'll leave the hesitation for Bird Brain. I'm gonna need all my moxxy for this task!
That Goldfish Knight better watch out, cause I'm gonna ask the crap out of him!

Right after I'm done beating up Estelle Bright.
Oh, man! This is gonna be a trip...