The remainder of the school day was calm and even though an extra desk was brought in for Felicia she still remained sitting next to us as we had already become acquainted. Once classes were over, she went her own way while I took Gwen to the Chikara Dojo.
She was hungry for training after last night, and so I told her to bring some sports clothes along with her so we could go as soon as school was over. Like that, we arrived at the Dojo where she didn't even bother to test the waters with a free class, instead signing up and paying for a month-long subscription right away, just as I had done.
"Already bringing in new students for us?" Ryusei joked as the two of us made our way to the training ground after changing clothes. With it being a Tuesday afternoon, the place was close to empty and the trainers had very little to do. They were mostly sitting around to relax or tunnel focused on the few students who had shown up at this time, helping them out where they could.
"Hello, teacher," I greeted as we walked up to the man who had been casually lounging in a chair until now. "This is my classmate Gwen, she wanted to learn some self-defense, so I brought her along."
"Mmm, just like Danny and Colleen. Pulling in people like a magnet." Ryusei laughed and inspected Gwen closely up and down. "So Gwen, do you want to learn for sport and competitions or just self-defense like uh… what was your name again?"
"Reo…" I say deadpan.
"Right, right. Ray over here is training to defend himself and doesn't care about competing. Is that the same for you?" He repeated, still getting my name wrong. Now that I think about it, he never said my name even once the last time I was here. How bad with names can one be?
"That's correct." Gwen answered, we had already discussed what I was here for and what she should ask for beforehand. "I have some experience in gymnastics, so I think the eastern style would suit me better. My dad has also taught me some things about fighting before but I don't think I'm as good as anyone with training."
Ryusei nodded repeatedly as he listened. "I see, another one who wants to learn real fighting instead of show fighting. I can work with that. How about you sit down and watch for a bit while I get Ray warmed up, and then I will see what you have to offer."
Ryusei got up to walk toward me and I did the same, while Gwen sat down cross-legged on the mats a little bit away from us to give space.
"You warmed up at all?" Ryusai asks, facing me. He shakes his arms a little before getting into a standard fighting stance.
"We had P.E. in school. Does that count?"
"Perfectly fine. Means we don't have to start slow." He reaches over and gently pushes my fists a bit into a better position, then uses his own leg to push mine a bit further apart to give me more balance.
I had copied my stance from him but it still had errors. He corrected them without a word, just quick taps and nudges here and there. Once he was satisfied, he stepped back in place.
"Alright, let's get started. Come at me."
The moment Ryusei finished his words, I launched forward, not needing to be told twice. The thing that immediately became apparent was that I was much faster than last time.
Only now did I remember that previously, when I visited, my Might and Finesse were both still at F+ rank, but now they had each reached E-, putting me on the same level as Olympic athletes and almost at the peak of what normal humans can reach.
I hadn't noticed the clear improvements up until now as my enemies in the dungeon were also getting stronger and almost scaling together with my improvements but going up against someone I had already fought my increase in power became clear.
Last time, it was like trying to punch smoke and failing every time, but now it felt like I had the upper hand. Instead of simply leaning out of the way, even Ryusei was startled by my speed and ended up blocking my first jab.
He barely managed, his forearm snapping up just in time. He grunted softly and took a step back to create some space.
"Whoa." he muttered under his breath. "You been taking some performance enhancing drugs since last time?"
I pressed forward, not wanting him to get rest. I went in with a low body hook, but Ryusei had now anticipated the faster speed and was able to redirect my hit away from himself. Nevertheless, I knew my stamina would be better than his thanks to my stats and kept going in relentlessly, not giving him any room to breathe.
Despite my new edge, he wasn't an easy target. Ryusei flowed like water around my strikes and even though I got a few connections, causing him to grunt each time, I could feel he had the experience and persistence to keep going. His footwork was smooth, almost like gliding across the mat like he was weightless. Each time he realized he would get hit, he made small adjustments that stole or redirected the power behind my strikes before they landed, easing the burden on himself.
Finally, a stray elbow clipped his shoulder hard enough to stagger him. He backed off, chuckling and rolling out his arm with a grimace.
"Christ, kid. It's like fighting Danny all over again. What have you been eating?" He joked and rubbed his shoulder. "This isn't normal, you are built like a linebacker now."
I shrugged, breathing a little heavy from the exercise. "I'm a growing boy."
"Growing, my ass. You've been juicing with the same stuff Captain America had or something." He cracked his knuckles, smiling. "Doesn't matter though. This is a good lesson, actually. People can spend their entire lifetimes learning the techniques, training and tempering themselves, but once someone with overwhelming power comes along, all of that training means nothing."
He breathed out, recovering from the fatigue. "Speed and strength always trump technique, when the difference is big enough. You could be a grandmaster with decades of training, but if the other guy is three times as fast and four times as strong, you have zero chance of winning even if they are a newbie. What do you think would happen if the best fighter went against someone like that rock guy from The Fantastic Four? Their fist would be shattered by just trying to attack them."
He stretched his arms high in the air, letting out one final crack, before gesturing for me to come closer.
"Alright, let's switch it up. Come stand over here."
I walked over, and he had me stand only a foot away from him, almost chest to chest.
"This time, no fancy footwork. No moving around. Legs rooted to the ground. Just fists and upper body. Move your arms, twist your waist if you want, but keep your feet glued to the ground. Got it?"
"Got it," I said, mirroring his stance as best I could but he still adjusted me a little before continuing to speak.
"We're practicing tight exchanges. Inside fighting. Real messy stuff."
He raised his fists, guarding his chin, and I did the same.
"Ready? Start!"
Immediately, Ryusei sent out a fast jab toward my face. I barely deflected it, countering with a jab of my own that he moved his head away from as it brushed just past his ear. The close distance made every move a split-second affair. There was no telegraphing or reading attacks, just reflexes and instincts.
He popped me with a quick one-two combo, tapping my cheek and collarbone lightly. I absorbed the hits and retaliated, firing a hook toward his upper-ribs. He dipped under it and answered with a sharp uppercut that grazed my chin.
Even though I had the speed and strength advantage, this kind of fight felt brutal. It was quickly turning into an exchange of who could take more damage before giving in and surrendering.
I managed to land a clean body shot, feeling the air huff out of his lungs. He winced but grinned through it.
"Not bad," he said between gritted teeth.
We kept going with our rapid-fire punches, redirecting, blocking, or sometimes just taking the hits and gritting through it.
Then, in the middle of an exchange, Ryusei suddenly dropped lower and swept my legs out from under me.
I landed on my back with a heavy thud, not expecting that in the least, as all the air was knocked out of my chest.
"What the hell-" I coughed heavily, looking up at Ryusei who was pretty happy with himself. "I thought we wouldn't use our legs?"
"I was about to lose, so I cheated." The bastard admitted very easily with a shrug
With a fox-like grin on his face, he extended his hand to me, and I took it as he pulled me up.
"You yourself said you are learning to fight, not to show off in competitions. With no judges to impress, you should always be looking to win, and to do whatever it takes to achieve that." He explained, as I was recovering from the fall. "Most people don't play by the rules, and neither should you. Here, riddle me this. If you have a big bad school bully with his own gang, right? One day he calls you to a fistfight in some abandoned construction site late in the night, what do you do?"
"Not go to a battle that is already lost?" I say not thinking about it for too long. If he has his own gang then even winning means I get ganged up on by others, better to just not take part.
"No you idiot! You get no respect that way, they won't even fear you and the bullying would go on." Ryusei shouts. "You fucking cheat. Who cares that he said it's a fistfight? You bring a knife. Fuck it, we live in America, bring your dad's gun for all I care. You do that, and they won't dare to look at you ever again."
"Only an idiot would take a fair fight. If you are stronger, winning is easy. If you are weaker but still want to win, then use your brains. Cheat, scheme, find the gaps, set traps, whatever it takes. A cornered opponent is the most dangerous, cause they don't care about the rules or what is ethical or normal. You should always play like you are cornered, even if you are not, that is how you win."
I nodded slowly, absorbing every word. Gwen, from the side, was also watching intently, biting her lip in thought.
Ryusei grinned again, this time less cocky and more... proud.
"You're strong, Reynold. Crazy strong. But remember, strength without brains is just a blunt weapon. Now go sit down, time for the girl."
I nodded, stepping off to the side and plopping down on the mat near Gwen. My body was still buzzing with energy but it was now her go.
She stood up smoothly, bouncing on her feet as she made her way to where I stood before, taking a stance similar to what she had seen us use, but Ryusei still moved in and made tiny adjustments. Shifted her elbows in, lowered her stance an inch.
"Good. Loose but ready," he said, stepping back. "Remember, don't aim to win. Just show me how you move. I will assume you have no prerequisite knowledge, so just do what feels right to you."
Gwen nodded, pulling in a slow breath.
The moment Ryusei beckoned her forward, she exploded into motion.
She didn't charge at him head on like a bull as I had, but instead moved like a snake from left to right to left to right, constantly looking for openings in the teacher's stance. With the way her movements flowed, it was clearly heavily affected by her years of gymnastics training. She closed the distance in a heartbeat, flipping low as if to avoid an imaginary strike.
Ryusei didn't even try to strike yet, he just moved defensively, testing her reaction time.
And holy shit, her reflexes were inhuman.
Every time Ryusei twitched, a feint, a jab or even just raising his hand slightly, Gwen's body reacted almost before the move was formed and dodged out of the way from where that would have hit had Ryusei followed through. Her Spider-Sense was firing like crazy, guiding her to avoid every hit. Against a group she might have trouble, but against a single opponent it's like Ryusei had zero chance of ever hitting her.
It was mesmerizing to look at yet the opposite also held true. While Gwen was shining on defense, she was struggling on offense.
Despite all her agility and instinct, whenever Ryusei showed an opening, on purpose or not, she hesitated and did not follow through fully, instead jumping back and resetting.
Ryusei caught onto it fast. He didn't punish it. Yet. But he did start leaning in, testing her more aggressively.
"Good movement." Ryusei said casually in-between steps. Despite not hitting Gwen even once, he was much less tired than she was. Ryusei had simply been doing small movements that caused Gwen to twist and dodge but hadn't had to take any hits or dodge himself. "But dancing alone doesn't win fights. You need to attack when they open up."
Gwen's eyes narrowed at Ryusei's words. She bounced on her toes, feinting another sideways movement. Ryusei, to my eyes, very deliberately dropped his guard, exposing an opening, and Gwen followed up on it right away.
She lunged forward with a fast jab. The moment she committed, Ryusei's body shifted smoothly. His hand snapped up, guiding her strike past him with a parry. Off-balance for the first time, Gwen's Spider-Sense couldn't help her recover fast enough before Ryusei ever so gently tapped her forehead, pushing her backward onto the ground.
"Tag." Ryusei said with a smirk, stepping back and dropping his stance.
Gwen stumbled a step but caught herself, blinking wide-eyed.
"That's enough," Ryusei cracked his knuckles, voice now serious. "I've seen what I needed to see."
He crossed his arms and regarded her thoughtfully. "You're faster than anyone I've ever trained, and your instincts are stupid good, way beyond what I have ever seen from any human. In fact, most would suspect you two are mutants. That said, your problem is hesitation. You don't trust yourself when it comes time to strike. All that speed, and all that power… but no bite."
Gwen, breathing heavily, nodded, looking frustrated.
"You'll get there." Ryusei added, before pointing to me and Gwen alternatively. "You two might just be the next Danny and Colleen for this dojo. If only you decided to take part in competitions, we might just be able to refurbish the entire dojo just from scrapping all the medals and trophies into scrap metal and selling that."
He cracked his neck, then waved us both toward the benches. "Alright, now that I've seen where you are at, it's time to start the actual training. Let me show you some stuff before we get to practice."
The two of us stayed for a few hours at the dojo before more people started filtering in, and we left for the night, letting Ryusei focus on other students for once too.