𝐃𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐑𝐞𝐝 - s. ᴍᴀɴᴊɪʀᴏ

𝟎𝟔𝟕: 𝐆𝐨𝐣𝐨 𝐆𝐲𝐦

"Outside."

You move your right leg in, putting it before your left, leaving space between the two feet. You raise and extend your leg. This time, swinging it to the right and dropping it down.

"Good. Very good," Wakasa praises. His bland expression, not matching. Has he taught you spinning and jumping kicks?" Wakasa asks.

"A few, yes," you answered. "Has he taught you a tornado kick?" He asks again. You told him Gramps has. "Mikey's favourite," Wakasa says. You groan to yourself. You already knew that with how many times Gramps has boasted about Mikey. "Always a show off when it came to spins and jumps," Wakasa continued, "Come on, show me."

You've only ever been perfecting basic kicks and throws. Spin and jump kicks were what the Sano Dojo was known for. It was also the last thing on your mind when training. You didn't care about looking cool or flashy during battle. You thought being able to hit your opponent was the most important thing when fighting.

You take a few steps back. You hadn't practiced a tornado kick since Grandpa Sano was able to train you physically. You gulp, feeling more pressure than before. You feel sweat forming from nervousness rather than exercise.

You exhale. Calming yourself down to focus. You hesitate for a moment before finally turning your body. Taking a step forward as you do. As your back is facing Wakasa, you quickly spin back around and raise your leg up.

"Nope..." You unconfidently mutter as you stop midway. You put your foot down and go back to your original position.

"COME ON!" Benkei yells from the side. Startled, you jump a bit as you turn to face him. You were sure he was disappointed based on his strained facial expression. "YOU ALMOST HAD IT! I BELIEVED IN YOU!"

What's up with these guys?! You think. Benkei continues to yell. "No need to second guess yourself! Just follow through! You can do it!"

His voice and face seem angry but his words are so... Kind?!

You awkwardly smile and give the large man a thumbs up. He does the gesture back to you and quiets down.

You shift your focus back to Wakasa. Going back into your stance, you raise your arms up. Your fists at chin length. With your arms raised in front of you, you use them to gain momentum to turn. You take a step forward at the same time. As you make a full spin around, you get closer to Wakasa's body. Raising your left leg up, you bend your knee. Helping you get more height as you lift your right leg off the floor. You extend your right leg at Wakasa swiftly. The man raises his arm quick enough to block it with the forearm guard. The kick had more power than the last few you performed on him. Your body rotates with your leg after hitting the guard. You land on both feet and turn quickly to take a stance again.

Wakasa claps for you. Benkei claps even louder. "Good job," Wakasa compliments, "It wasn't as weak as your last kicks."

Thank you...? You were surprised you didn't slip or lose balance. You chalked it up as being beginner's luck.

Benkei gets into the ring. His and Wakasa's height difference was very apparent. "I noticed something while you were doing that!" Benkei says. He aggressively points at you, scaring you a bit. "Your fists! They're wrong!" He says.

"Wrong...?" You repeat, looking at your hands. Benkei walks closer, "Show me a simple jab!"

You ball your fists. As you shoot your fist forward, your upper body moves with it, slightly turning. But your feet were still planted on the floor.

"There!" He says. You stop at your position, with your arm still out. "Your thumbs! You're covering them!" Benkei tells you.

You asked how it was wrong. You naturally tucked your thumb in a fist most of the time. Suddenly, Benkei swings his arm at Wakasa. Wakasa quickly blocks his large fist with the forearm guard. You were shocked at the unwarned demonstration.