Things go on similarly. It'll quickly become apparent that 'cooperative' prisoners don't just get little rewards - they sometimes get promoted out. (There is, in fact, a very blurry line between prisoner and loyal - at least one prisoner leaves and returns as a guard, some guards become prisoners...)

The high-end guards are also slowly phased out in favor of returning to a level more similar to pre-breakout. Karin's rumored to have been reassigned; some say she's managing an entire hideout herself.

Shoma catches on quickly to the benefits of those who are 'cooperative' with the guards as well as others. He's seen the guards and prisoners swap in and out, as well as switching places sometimes. He calculates who is more vulnerable and who he would be best cooperating with. He slowly becomes more cooperative, gaining the ability to listen to the rumours that go about the hideout. He learns more than he had previously. He doesn't try too hard however, knowing that being too obvious would mean he would be caught out.

He's pushed into combats to test his abilities more than a few times. Some of the people who fail the combats vanish. Some of them are subjected to more and more experiments. Some of them are merely denied food for a while, possibly as part of some esoteric experiment.

After a while, as he works his way up, he's informed he'll be fighting someone a bit more special this time.

Shoma works hard in his combats. Sometimes he loses, but is fortunate enough to only be denied meals. He thinks that this is luckier than disappearing or having more experiments. He improves with each combat, his compulsory experiments soon growing less in need. 

When he learns that he is to fight someone special, he feels fear rush through his system briefly before he simply accepts it. He wonders who it could be that he will be fighting against. 

Whoever he's fighting seems to be very aggressively and creatively cursing at the guards right now.

Shoma listens to his opponent's spew of choice words against the guards. He himself stays silent, not going to create a ruckus. 

That doesn't seem to be one of his opponent's concerns. The guards prod Shoma into the observed room, revealing a white-haired boy a bit older than him, whose form keeps wavering fluidly.

"Let me have a fucking sword at least," he's snarling right now, fists clenching. His guard snorts and shakes her head, then sends a disdainful glance Shoma's way.

"Let's get this over with," the guard says, and Shoma's nudged into the arena while the guards retreat.

His opponent just stands there, hands on his hips and expression furious.

Shoma steps forward as he feels the prod, looking at his opponent for the first time. He watches as his form wavers, at first thinking it's his eyesight, but soon realises that it's not. 

He rubs his wrists and makes sure that he isn't too stiff, knowing that he has to be fluid with his movements. He allows himself to be nudged, looking around the room with quick glances out of the corners of his eyes, surveying what he could work with in the observed room. He sees that there's barely anything, the area open intentionally.

The male looks at the other, not going to start a conversation with someone who looks as though he wants to be done with this, so simply starts, using his swift release to easily dart around the other in a simple blur, looking for openings before he starts to use his experiment given power, beginning to suck chakra out of his opponent, however he never stops moving, knowing not to let his guard down.

His opponent laughs and throws himself at Shoma, form bursting into water - it doesn't make his chakra un-stealable, but it makes it very, very hard.

Shoma is surprised as his opponent turns to water, having suspected he used water ninjutsu, but not that he had the ability to manipulate his form into liquid. He quickly dodges out of the way, having to rethink his tactics. 

His opponent is both fast and aggressive and not in the slightest bit cautious, so taking time to think won't be easy.

He indeed finds it hard to catch a break to think, doing his best to dodge the fast and aggressive attacks. He keeps up his own speed, however in a moment of hesitation, he finds himself off guard and he's hit, the male feeling himself flying backwards and he hits the ground, a low grunt escaping him. He is quick to get up however, not going to go down from one simple punch.

"You're good!" his opponent says while continuing to attack. "I'm Suigetsu. What's your name?"

Shoma doesn't let his concentration slip despite his opponent beginning to talk. "Shoma." he replies. "I think you're a bit better than me," he says. "I'm already preparing myself for what experiments they'll do," he said with a slight laugh. Despite the fact they were fighting against one another, he found that he was slightly happier than he had been ever since he was kidnapped. "Why's my name of interest to you?" he asks.

"Like knowing whose ass I'm kicking if they're any good."

"I suppose I'll take that as a compliment then," he replies back, trying to use his ability again, focussing on his movements.

Suigetsu's recklessness does mean he leaves a lot of openings, even if he's dangerous to close with for long enough to steal a significant portion of his chakra. Still, Shoma can whittle him down a good bit, and Suigetsu clearly grows a mixture of amused and frustrated as Shoma keeps dodging.

"You're faster than that Sasuke asshole," he says after a bit, huffing. 

Shoma has honed his ability to move quickly, his taijutsu having grown more sharp due to his constant battles he'd had with other prisoners. He keeps draining Suigetsu's chakra, pleased with himself when he noticed that his consistent effort was working. His training had also helped him be able to endure longer stealing of chakra. 

"Oh, you've fought him?" he asks, however never stops his attack and movements. "I don't think I want to go up against him," he replies. He then starts absorbing the chakra, focusing some of it in front of him before he lets it all out in a sharp burst, aiming to try and knock the other down so he could have an easier angle to be able to move forward and attack.

Suigetsu starts breathing a bit more heavily.

"Yeah. He's a pain in the ass. Decided to test some fancy lightning technique on me."

Shoma focuses his chakra, deciding to wait a few seconds more. 

"Guess it wasn't the best fight?" he asks. "I'm surprised you didn't fry, what with water and lightning not going well together," he says. Shoma is then quick to dart forward, sensing a gap and he pushes his hand against Suigetsu's chest, activating his seal and began heightening his draining of chakra. He never took too much that would kill anyone however. He only takes enough so that his opponent is rendered in capable of moving out of weakness. 

Suigetsu punches him in the face.

Shoma isn't expecting the punch so it rocks him off balance and he quickly darts away, out of reach of any potential attacks.

Suigetsu laughs, sharply, and pursues.

Shoma does his best to dodge the attacks, having to keep his steps quick as the other continues pursuing him. He quickly pushes himself upwards and flips over the other, landing behind him and he aims a sharp attack at his back, quickly darting backwards in case the other lashes out.

Suigetsu bursts into water again, dropping to the floor and flowing around Shoma's feet.