The Powershifter

Chapter 46

Ten minutes passed and then Mira was called. Unfortunately, she made a slight mistake towards the end. She was much better than some of those who went earlier though.

As she came to rejoin those of us who were target practicing, a familiar voice nearby asked me, "Want to spar?"

I turned to see Mohana standing there with two blunt edged sword. My total shock stayed behind a mask. It was best if no one knew that the two of us had already met and talked.

"I didn't see you here before." I replied letting a sliver of my confusion pass by.

Mohana shrugged, "Unfortunately, I couldn't come in sooner. Wish I could've seen the Striker herself go through that tough obstacle course. Would've liked to have seen the looks on everyone's face."

I dare to let the slightest smile show on my face, "Lucky for you, I haven't gone yet."

"Great. Meanwhile, you want to spar?"

I nodded curtly. He tossed one of the edgeless swords and I caught it. The sword felt familiar and like a friend in my grasp, yet the weight was heavier than what I was used to. That was no problem. I had the strength of a tiger to back me up.

My breathing became slower as the lessons given by the one who taught me swordmanship filled my mind.

Mohana and I stepped onto a huge mat placed there specifically for hand-on combat training.

As we turned towards each other, Mohana playfully swirled his sword in his right hand. My eyes watched how he took a left step before he did his right foot. I searched for how he carried his weight and the way he held the sword.

"Ready?" Mohana asked.

I nodded wordlessly. Tension built up around us.

My opponent took a swift step forward and brought his sword around. I stayed absolutely still, knowing this was only a trick to get me to come forth. He then stepped back just as quick. Mohana grinned at the realization that false moves wouldn't affect me. I knew that tricks like that were meant to spur you off then leave you defenseless.

This meant I couldn't pull a quick move like that without him catching it first.

Never make the first move. Let your opponent do so.

The two of us circled slowly. I stayed emotionless and held my sword limp by my side. Just the slightest thing could give away how exact I swung or how fast I would jab. My eyes watched him grip the handle of his sword. The blade swung just slightly in a u-shaped arch. That meant when he came at me he would try to do an underhanded swing at my torso. Only the most trained eye could guess that.

Then without warning he came towards me. This was a real move. The fight had begun.

His sword swung low and started towards my middle. Expecting the move, I blocked his blade and used the momentum of my sword to knocked his back. When his arm was slung away, I used the opening to step forward and pressed the edgeless sword against his neck. Victory.

Mohana chuckled, "You're pretty good. How did you know I would make that move?"

I smurked, "I've got a few tricks up my sleeve. Swordfights never last long when I'm involved."

Taking the sword away from his neck, I stepped back and bowed slightly as a sign that our spar was done.

Our stance loosened and we walked off the mat. I caught many of the other teens quickly turning back to what they were doing. They had watched us clash.

"Shakti!" The harsh voice of the officer yelled out my name.

I glanced at Mohana, "I guess it's my turn to try out this obstacle course."