11 Learning to run(4)

While Wu didn't teach me anything per se I saw him giving advice and showing the other students how to fight and thanks to my memory and 'limbo state' I could replicate the moves they did but I felt that something was missing I didn't know what so the only thing I could do was wait for him to show me.

One night about six months into training we were about to leave like everybody else but Wu stopped us.

"Kids come here!"

We came to him waiting for whatever he was about to say, while the others were excited probably thinking that today is the day we start learning martial arts, truth be told I didn't have my hopes up for that so you can imagine how I felt when Wu told us.

"I've been thinking about your training and I concluded that you are ready for the next level, you are ready to start learning martial arts."

When I heard that I was about to cry because of how happy I was. Finally, we were going to learn martial arts I almost couldn't contain my excitement. I bowed and said.

"If master thinks we're ready we'll do our best to live up to master's expectations."

"HAHA, Ethan you're always so polite and serious, try to loosen up a little."

I only nodded not wanting to say anything more.

After that, he went to some crates, pulled up some wooden mannequins, and put them in front of us. They were of different sizes and at a closer inspection there could be seen colored points on them, I instantly realize that they were pressure points.

'Finally, he's going to start teaching us chi blocking. This all I've been waiting for.'

"Ok kids take a good look at those mannequins because they are going to be your sparring partners for the next few months maybe years, it all depends how fast you learn."

"Learning what master?" asked Kai.

"Learn where those points are." He said while pointing at the shoulder of a puppet. "They are called pressure points and in the martial art that I'm going to teach, you are essential. If you hit them hard enough and in a certain order you can immobilize your opponent and in the case of benders, you can take their ability to bend for some time. So from now on your we're are going to put this in your training."

He then started showing us how to hit the puppet and how to hold our fists while hitting. After that, he assigned each one a puppet. We started to hit the puppet how he showed us. At first, it hurt and I could feel my skin peeling off my knuckles but after a while my hands become numb but I continued to hit the puppet.

My surroundings started to change, they started to blur, and finally, there was only me hitting the puppet and complete darkness. I continued to hit it harder and harder in the way Wu showed. I was about to hit again when I feel something catching my hand, I wake up from my dream-like state and see the master standing there looking oddly at me. I look at my hands and at the puppet, they were both bloody beyond recognition. The points on the wooden mannequin couldn't be seen any longer because of the amount of blood on them. The only indication of them being there were some cracks I left while hitting. I turn to my friends and see them looking scared at me, I can't blame them since it looks pretty disturbing.

"Ethan come with me, the rest of you change puppets with each other and continue"

Master takes the puppet and we head to a small room build inside the warehouse where a few chairs, a table, and many lockers, that had seen better days. He searched in a bag one of the chairs and took a small container. Trowing it to me he says.

"Open it and put some lotion on your knuckles."

I take it and open the box. Inside was a green-like gue that smelled like plants. I put some lotion on and asked Wu.

"Master should I wash the puppet."

"Sigh... Kid, you are so weird at times. Most kids would cry under normal circumstances but you don't seem even fazed about it."

"Well it doesn't hurt too much and it's kind of my fault for getting hurt, I hope master will forgive me for damaging the puppet."

"Kid I know you are different from your friends. You are more mature than them and have a completely different way of thinking. You are more of an adult than most of the people coming here and way smarter than them. Also, you don't seem to live a bad life so why do really want to learn to fight?"

I didn't expect him to ask me this question.

"Master I might be smarter and more mature than most people, but I'm still a kid and I have dreams. I want to travel the world and seek adventure, but at the same time, I want to help people along the way. But before I leave I want to change things here.

Every week the triads come to my grandmother's shop to take protection money, every time they come they ask for more and the police do nothing. Just thinking about it makes my blood boil. I want to change those things, I want to help those good people like my grandma that the system does nothing about. No more no less."

This was the first time I was completely honest with my master and I think it moved him.

"Haaaaa... What am I going to do with you kid..."