On a String

Chapter 3

Lloyd hesitantly raised a hand. His hard gaze faintly softening for a moment, Kai nodded to the younger Ninja, giving him permission to speak.

"He started both fights the same way. Zane could predict what was coming,"

Kai clasped his hands behind his back and nodded at Lloyd. "Correct. Cole is a very strong fighter, but he needs to stop relying on strength so much. He's a predictable fighter- he will use a technique which is direct and aimed at the opposition's most obvious opening. While this is a good thing when fighting opponents you've never faced before, it means that anyone facing you a second time will know exactly what they're up against and can guess what move you will use. Remember that a punch to the gut and a quick finger strike to the throat will both slow your opponent down, but one technique is a lot more subtle than the other because people just don't use it enough,"

Kai folded his arms. "Cole needs to become sneakier. By contrast, Zane looks for patterns in his opponent's fighting style. He's good at analyzing, and pulling off moves which are technically correct. Now, he needs to work at making his movements flow or he will lose momentum, hence why Cole was able to knock him over. If he's doing a spinning kick, he should follow up with a kick which also has a circular motion. If he does a straight line kick such as a front kick, he should follow it through with something like a straight side kick. Okay, Lloyd's up next against Zane."

Nervously, the Green Ninja made his way to where Cole and Zane were shaking hands. Once Cole had left the immediate area, Kai nodded for the two Ninja to begin.

Lloyd had obviously been learning from Cole during Kai's absence and started the fight with a spin of his staff. Zane avoided the blow, coming back at Lloyd with a front kick and a side kick. Kai nodded approvingly at Zane's two straight line kicks which caused Lloyd to hurriedly back up.

The younger Ninja recovered quickly, leaping in with a double spinning kick, using both his legs and his staff to get Zane to give him some space. The Ice Ninja waited until Lloyd had stopped spinning, before coming in with two punches. Lloyd had let his guard down in an attempt to balance during his kicks, and got hit twice.

"Right," Kai said, stopping the fight and regaining the attention of the on-looking group. "What can we say about Lloyd's fighting?"

"He needs to keep his guard up all the time," Cole said, watching Kai carefully, noting the folded arms and hard expression. He'd never seen Kai look so...detached before. Lloyd had just taken two hits, and Kai hadn't even asked the younger ninja if he was alright. What had happened to his team mate?

Kai stood there, complete with spiky hair, red gi and sword strapped on his back. But where was his smile? The jokes, where had they gone? His demeanor was so empty. No emotions were displayed; it was like a door had slammed shut and Kai was looking out, evaluating and analyzing his surroundings, but never letting anything look back in.

Kai nodded. "Yes. Lloyd's very determined to prove himself as the Green Ninja. Unfortunately, that determination is affecting his judgment," the Red Ninja turned face Lloyd. "There is no point in trying to prove yourself to on-lookers who cannot affect the outcome of the fight. Focus on the moment, focus on the fight, and focus on keeping your guard up. Don't try to impress anyone with fancy moves. Heroics get people killed,"

Cole looked directly into Kai's serious (but strangely empty) brown eyes. "Speaking from experience?" he asked, trying to catch the red Ninja off guard-trying to make that cold exterior crumble slightly.