39 Training(3)

The two ran at each other. Johnathan getting to Ivan faster tried tackling him. But because of Ivan's experience in fighting, he could put all his weight forwards, making it harder for Johnathan to push him over.

Lifting his elbow, Ivan then slammed it down, aiming for his opponent's back.

Johnathan feeling like something was off, let go and stepped back as fast as he could. The elbow brushed right past his face, making him suck in the cold air.

'That was close.'

He took three more steps back, wanting to catch his breath, but Ivan didn't give him the time. Ivan dashed at him and jumped up. Turning in the air, he sent a kick towards Johnathan.

Ducking under the kick, Johnathan used the short time to position himself. Once Ivan reached the ground, Johnathan kicked at his shins. 'Fuck.' Ivan thought.

He wouldn't be fast enough to jump over the kick. So to stop the damage he'd take, he kicked at Johnathan's legs too. When the kick connected, they canceled each other momentum out, decreasing the damage.

Johnathan didn't stay still after failing. He sprinted at Ivan and once he reached him; he threw a jab at his face.

His opponent, however, dodged right. Ivan then put his hands up and threw a jab. Johnathan, with his hands up, easily blocked it. However, with his vision blocked because of how he had to block, Ivan had an advantage. Using that split second, he kicked at Jonathan's left leg, making him bend to a knee.

He brought his fists up, preparing to finish the job, but he then fell backward. 'What?'

What happened? He didn't understand. One second he was about to win the fight, the next he was on his back.

His vision caught Johnathan smirking. "Haha. You thought you had it, fucking idiot."

"Still not over."

"It'll be right now."

Johnathan then kicked his thighs, making Ivan grunt in pain. He then bent over to punch him.

'Now!'

Once he was low enough, Ivan used his legs to pull Johnathan's head between his thighs.

"Another fucking headlock!" Johnathan annoyingly exclaimed.

He couldn't believe he let himself get into another headlock. It was annoying. He thought by now he could see it coming.

Laughing, Ivan tightened his grip with his legs, making Johnathan tap.

Once the fight was over, Ivan let him go and got up. "You did pretty well. If you kept kicking, you probably would've won."

"Ya, ya. Let's go for another round."

"Sure."

————-

The two then fought eight more times. Johnathan had lost the fight going 3-5. Though he lost, Johnathan wasn't upset. One, Ivan, was his closest friend. Two, he learned a lot. What he should do differently in different situations, what not to do, and to always expect the unexpected.

Once the sparring sessions were over, the sergeant called everyone to gather up.

"Everyone, switch. People who were sparring switch with the people using the weights."

Johnathan and the group that sparred first went over to the weights area. When they got there, Ivan and Johnathan partnered up.

There was plenty of equipment there. However, the weights weren't normal. There were normal plates, but there were also tires and bins filled with garbage bags.

"Let's go to the bench press. Spot me for a second."

Following Johnathan, Ivan spotted his friend.

The tires were heavy. But it was manageable. So challenging himself further, Johnathan put on an extra 200 pounds of plates.

When he tried benching it, he noticed how hard it got. 'Good.'

Barely doing ten, Johnathan got up and switched with Ivan.

While the two were doing this, the sergeant was watching with a small smile on his face. 'Looks like I got some monsters on my hands.'

Johnathan and Ivan weren't the only ones who could lift that much. The sergeant had seen Danny do the same. But he wasn't surprised. The three came in together, so he expected them to be plenty strong.

—-

The weights station went by quickly. After benching, the two did various weight training and calisthenics. From lifting to pull-ups, the two didn't take it easy.

With his newfound strength, Johnathan could finally do a good amount of pull-ups. The only thing was, there wasn't any challenge. So he had to weigh himself down with a tire and two plates.

Once the training was over, the sergeant called everyone to gather.

"Good job everyone. Morning training is done. You are free to go. Just remember to be back by six. We'll continue training."

He heard many groan in annoyance. Chuckling, he said, "Don't worry. We'll be working with guns."

Everyone's mood brightened up. Especially Johnathan's. 'I'll finally be able to use the damn gun.'

When the sergeant finished speaking, everyone made their way back to the building. Walking inside, everyone went their own way.

Johnathan, Ivan, and Danny, waiting in front of the elevator, talked about their training.

"How'd yours go, Danny? You meet anyone new?" Johnathan asked.

"Ya, you know that blonde girl? Her name is Bianca, and we sparred together twice. Other than that, me and the Asian guy, Xiao, spotted each other."

"That's cool," Ivan said.

"What about you guys?"

"I and this guy sparred. By the way, I won. He owes me a favor cause of that. And I beat the fuck out of one guy earlier."

"I sparred with a woman named Emma and then fought this pussy. He's lucky we didn't use everything."

"Ya, ya. No need to be mad, princess."

*Ding*

The elevator doors opened. They were about to step inside when they heard someone call their names.

Turning around, Johnathan and the other two smiled. In front of them were Mark, Sophia and her sister Darla, and finally Ash.

The small boy ran towards them with his arms out. Johnathan and the two bent down, letting Ash hug them.

"What's up Ash. How are you guys." Johnathan asked Ash and the others behind him.

It relieved Johnathan that the group was safe. Mark had done a lot for them in the beginning. Not only did he give them shelter, but he also gave them clothes and weapons. Ash was like a little brother to Johnathan. From the short time he's been with him, the kid grew on him. So the least he wanted for him was to be safe.

"We're good. You guys want to talk somewhere else? This place is a little crowded." Mark asked, making the boys focus on how many people were in the lobby.

'I mean, it is 8 in the morning. And I doubt people would want to be cooped up in their rooms.

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AN: Ash is back!