Power Flow

After the first day of the Kengan tournament wraps up, and people are partying and enjoying themselves. We find ourselves drawn to what will surely be a fun and unique encounter. Sitting up to his neck in a bubbling hot-tub, was Takeo Agatsuma. His formerly curly hair was splayed out in the roiling water.

He'd had a long and stressful day today, he deserved a bit of relaxation. He'd had a tough time with his opponent. His aging body still held the bruises to prove it. And after his bout, he'd been confined to the arena until the tournament ended for the day. Right now, all he wanted was to let his unending quest be held off, if only for an hour.

The water level rose by several inches as another man entered the tub. That man was Terry Jackson, who was currently clad in a pair of deep blue swim trunks. His characteristic grin was prominent, and perhaps a tad larger than normal.

"Hey, you're Takeo right?" the Hustler asked. He'd been looking all over for this man, and he finally found him chilling in a hot-tub. He desired to know more about the legendary Actor, and was ready to do just about anything to do so.

"Eh? Yeah i'm Takeo, what do you want?" asked the older man. He wanted to rest and relax, and here was this manlet bothering him. He wanted almost nothing to do with Terry.

"Well, I heard you have the ability to use the Shapeless Dance effectively, something no one else has ever managed. I've been trying to figure out how you do it, but I'm coming up dry for answers. So I was wondering if you could give me a few pointers to figure it out." Terry was leaning against the corner of the tub, arms lounging along the wall.

The Rising Dragon raised an eyebrow and shifted so that he sat up straighter. The boy wanted to learn about the Shapeless Dance? That was an idea he'd never considered, it was certainly a strange request. But he was willing to inform the lad if he impressed Takeo enough. "How do you think it works then? You told me you were having difficulty figuring it out, but what ideas do you have?"

Terry's smile somehow grew larger, and his voice when he spoke trembled with a nervous excitement. "So the Shapeless Dance uses a lot of techniques from older martial arts. Wing Chun, Judo, Pugilism, Greco Roman Wrestling, and even some moves from Pankration. But you use them in a way that allows power to flow through your body, which makes your attacks even stronger. I thought you might've been using momentum and leverage to make up for your lack of physical strength, but your movements don't make sense if you do do that."

Takeo smiled as he listened to the young man, the answer was right in front of him, he just had to connect the dots. But Takeo was patient, he'd wait until Terry finished speaking before he gave his thoughts.

The Hustler's words picked up pace and pep as he began to gush about the Shapeless Dance. "You use your own power, and your opponents power, to attack and overwhelm them. But you don't counter all that often, so I don't quite understand how you do it. If you were larger, your power could offset the imbalance caused by how you fight. But as it is, you shouldn't be hitting as hard as you do, or as quick as you do. How does the Shapeless Dance give you so much strength?"

Takeo's eyes closed as he took in Terry's words. He wasn't wrong, his martial art shouldn't give him the proficiency and power he possessed while fighting. But what the younger man was missing was that he was using something else in junction to the Shapeless Dance.

"Do you know what the 'Power Flow' is?" When the Rising Dragon didn't receive an answer, he smiled a lazy smile and lowered himself lower into the Hot-Tub. "I'll give you a hint, it'll be up to you to figure out the rest." Takeo's voice became much more stern and commanding compared to his previously soft spoken demeanor.

"Power is not how hard you can hit, nor is it how well you can wrestle with your opponent. Power is the ability to control the flow of a fight, and make an opponent's power yours to use. This is called the 'Power Flow', learn how to understand it and wield it. Then return to me, we'll have much to discuss when that happens."

The elder dragon raised his hand out of the roiling water and made a shooing gesture. "Now go, I wish to enjoy my time tonight."

Terry nodded quietly, his mind racing with ideas and thoughts. He got out of the tub and walked off into the night. He needed time to think through his ideas, but he knew that he'd master this 'Power Flow' if he had enough time.

He was certain of it.