I.... yes. Even at first. Even the first day. But they had to be hard. Training was a Terran year, if you were lucky. One mistake in a dogfight, one, and you're most likely dead.

[ He wet his lips, closed his eyes. Tried to adjust the balance of the sword, find something that felt right. He held his hand a little lower, angled the tip a little higher.

Opened his eyes again. One side of his mouth twitched up in a toothy grin. ]

I kinda liked it, to be honest. Hurting made me work harder. And I wanted to be the best.

[ He turned the blade of the sword and made a lunge. Not too far, trying not to overextend himself, but he added force, the heel of his offhand to the pommel, guiding the fast downward, inward stroke. He knew a parry was coming, knew he had to push past it. Only strength and speed would count against skill. ]