A New Student (Part 2)

*Sura's POV*

I slide under her just in time and she falls on me, Ruyi landing with a resonating thud next to us.

"I'm sorry! I messed up! I didn't practice enough yet... I've never been the best at hand to hand but pole staff weapons were the one thing I was somewhat good at."

What? Nonsense!

"Are you kidding me Wukong that was awesome!"

"Really?"

"Yeah! Do you mind if I try a little?"

Wukong laughs a little, finally cracking up.

"Hahaha! What's with you? I don't know, Kyuu sensei will kill us if she finds us goofing off."

"Pleeasseee? Just a little bit! I'll hold back! I just want to see what it feels like."

I give her puppy eyes as I hug her waist and look up at her. I see the thoughts run through her head as she struggles.

"Fine... just a little ok. Here."

She goes back to the weapons room and takes out a wooden staff.

"This is meant for practice, do you want me to teach you some moves... if... if you think I'm good enough."

"Of course!!"

Wukong spent time teaching me basic proper stances, foot even, the wooden pole pointed forwards with hands spread evenly at the center for grip. I thrust forward, sliding my hands down towards one end to extend my reach while shooting the pole forward... lunge with your body and move with the weapon as Wukong said.

"Woah!"

I shoot forward too much and end up almost tripping as momentum carries me on my tiptoes... phew-whoop! And down I fall. It feels weird, having a weight attached to you and using a weapon.

"Careful of your feet motion, remember, you move forward together with the staff."

Geh... this is hard. I felt so much better with hand-to-hand combat. After a while and a few more trips and tumbles... I tried to spin the staff like Wukong. "All in the wrist and arms," she says... I start to slowly get a feel as I turn my wrist... "let the weight of the staff spin itself and your hand its centerpiece." Wukong watches a bit anxiously, perhaps scared at how I'll mess up... start slowly... then pick up!! Uh oh! I let my excitement move my hand and put too much force.

"Sura!"

The staff flies off my hands and was about to bonk me in the head when I used my petals to catch it. I drop the staff onto the ground and sheath my petals back into my gi.

"I don't think weapons are for me... I like my own fists better, it just feels natural!"

Wukong smiles.

"It may be, but weapons can be quite fun to learn. Here, follow me."

I follow her outside again, passing by the training ground.

"If the opponent tries to pull away, this is how you choke lock your opponent."

Klara-san from her pinned-down position pulls the girl's hands away. As the girl tries to pull back, Klara-san locks her legs around her head and clamps her in place, locking her at Klara-san's groin. Pressing the girl tighter against herself, Klara smiles slyly.

"Make sure to get real intimate, works in bed too if you know what I mean."

The human girl's face poofs an absolute red, held there with Klara before she finally let go. Klara picks the girl up in her arms and sets her down before the girl scurries back into the circle of students.

"Moving onto leg-locks, remember, these moves are to pin your opponent. In real fighting, you can't solely rely on these to win, and if the opponent uses quanta, many of these moves can be made pointless... now... which girl wants to lay down with me?"

Some of the guy students sigh and some girls giggle. Klara sees me and winks. I give a little wave back and I follow Wukong beyond the training grounds to where all the target practicing and raised platforms are. A ball of dispersing energy burns the target, fired from a centaur... who stomps the ground in frustration. Kyuu-san was beside her, guiding her.

"Concentrate, imagine your energy flowing into a pinpoint... focus that energy in a clear direct shape. The aim is to not fire large amounts of energy, but concentrate them for accuracy and precision."

Kyuu-san raises her finger and fires a laser of quanta. It hits the straw-made target dead on the head.

"Here's our target practicing range as you can see for quanta training. And just beyond that are the training platforms. We use that for more intensive fighting and sparring as well as weapons and quanta sparring as well."

Kyuu-san walks over to us.

"Right on time, sparring and practice are about to start. I'll take the brat over. Wukong, thank you."

Sparring and practice? Does that mean I'll get to fight the other students? But, I look at the regulating rings on my arms... it's safe, right? Kyuu-san looks down at me and looks over the students.

"You'll be sitting this one out brat, but you can watch. I want you to try and observe how some of the student's fights, could be an experience for you. And even with the regulating rings on, I'm not completely sure how safe it will be and what new abilities you start to develop. Better safe than sorry."

Right... Kyuu-san led me back to the training area and I sat on the side porches looking on. Seeing groups of students come together and finding their spots to spar turned an itch on in me. I just have to watch, don't I?! But, it might be dangerous if I do...

I watch as a Naga lady prepares herself to spar with a Chidiya student. I think she's the one who flicked her tongue at me! The Chidiya student seems confused.

"How am I supposed to practice those moves on a Naga?! Tasha's huge and she doesn't even have legs!"

Tasha's expression morphs into pure smugness as she immediately slighters at an incredible speed at the other student, wrapping her massive serpent body bound with muscles around the student.

"Awww... can't fight back?"

"I swear Tasha!! If you bite me again I'll shit on your house! I do not taste like chicken for the last time!!"

They seem feisty together. I continue to watch the student struggle to no avail while Tasha laughs at his futile attempts. Hmph, no fair! I wanna try to spar with a Naga!

Not too far away I see a cat girl block a punch and kicks out the leg of the other, rolling onto him pinning him down with an arm lock as she secures her legs around his chest and holds his arm. However, her leg lock and position was off and he breaks free. Klara flies over to help her.

I roll around on the porch impatiently. This is so boring! I wanna join in! I span over to the center and watch as Artemas kicks towards Pandora... oh no! But she smirks as she grabs onto the attack and pulls Artemas off the ground with sudden force towards her as my heart leaps with excitement.

"Woah!"

"You're mine now!"

Pandor throws a punch but Artemas quickly grabs on as he knocks Pandora to the ground with a kick, using her own attack against her. So cool!! The pounding in my heart grows louder and I feel the primordial blood brew... but I can't participate!!

I roll around trying to contain my desire... it's almost like they're taunting me to fight! Forcing my head away... I try as I can muster whatever strength I can! Fighting is boring! Fighting isn't cool! But my head swings back in denial as my eyes glued on to the fights again... fighting is cool! Fighting is awesome!! My attempts to look away were a failure.

This is torture! But... I was also engrossed in the fight, seeing how students spar and fight, how they each find their own ways to counter and fight. As their fists cross, each resounding punch making my heart jump with exhilaration. At some point, I forgot about wanting to join in and just watched, intently.

But after a while, the desire to fight came back with a burning vengeance! How long has it been?! It feels like it has been hours!! Suddenly a bag drops in front of my eyes.

"Wah!"

It startles me and I jump back.

"Mokuren!!"

Mokuren was standing before me, bags in her hand. I rush to hug her and she pets me on the head... aahh, the sweet, delightful scent of Magnolia.

"Hehe, sorry had to tease you there for a second, you seemed so concentrated."

I pick up something good and savory inside the bags and I get closer to sniff it. Food?!

"That's right! I brought lunch! Practice is almost over so I thought I swing by the sushi restaurant to get some lunch before I came here. Jacky was adamant on giving me a discount."

I back away on instinct with Mokuren laughing.

"Haha! Don't worry, I didn't get wasabi for you, I remember."

Phew.

*Ding... Ding... Ding*

At the front entrance temple, the large bell upon the roof rung. Hitting the bell with a stick was Klara-san.

"That's the bell! Come back later if you want for free practice hours!"

Wait?! The Dojo class is over? How long was I watching for?! Awww... and I didn't even get a chance to participate. With a towel resting on his shoulders, Artemas, Pandora, and Wukong come back to the porches. They all promptly bow a little towards Mokuren.

"Greetings Mokuren-sama."

"Oh stop with the formality, I've been here so many times now and we're all friends."

Mokuren interjects. Artemas takes a seat next to me and asks.

"Hey kid, didn't see you practicing with us? What's wrong?"

I pout.

"Kyuu-san told me to watch and sit this one out for now..."

Wukong was drinking some water and rubs my back a little.

"Sorry Sura, I'm sure Kyuu sensei had good reason to. "

"Yeah kid, I hope you'll join in on us next time, maybe join our group. I'm looking forward to a rematch heh."

After that, they bid us farewell and would come back later after they went to get lunch.

"You brought sushi?"

Kyuu-san exclaimed when Mokuren presented her lunch. After some wonderful sashimi, sushi wrapped in creamy rice, and no wasabi! Kyuu-san stands up.

"Alright brat, it's time for some training for you."

Mokuren seems to have expected this and stands up as well.

"What about supervising free practice hours?"

"I've told Klara to help look over this time along with Artemas. Mokuren, is Goddess Myriam linked to you right now?"

Mokuren nods and reaches her hands towards the center of the training area. A couple of students who stayed watched as the ring's symbol glows once more, particulate energy revolving around a growing nebula that condenses to collapse space. The rift tears itself open ... and in we step.

"Take care, flower maiden... be careful."

Echoes in my mind as Goddess Myriam bids her greeting in my head. Exiting the other side, I hold my stomach again... bleh, I'll never get used to this stomach-turning sensation. Something irritating enters my eye.

"Agh!"

... Sand? I wipe it away and open them again... to see storms of the desert brown sky in perpetual cyclones. We were someplace new, on a massive pillar of stone.

A barren wasteland of carved deserts and mountainous pillars of rock. Great desert canyons showed the age of this planet, layers of differentiating rock and hues from grainy copper to sediment red. Monoliths of crudely carved desert stone emerged from the ground like monuments as the sand storm brewed below... ever chipping away, carving canyons deeper.

"Pleh! Pleh! I think I got some sand in my mouth…"

Mokuren was spitting onto the ground and shivering. She forms a green, emerald shield around herself.

"This place is a living nightmare for dryads and mother's creations… so dry and lifeless, arid, not even the Hydranous plant can live here. Wait... this is..."

The atmosphere is dry, lifeless, yet wild with power. But among its landscape, carried massive, fallen metal heaps whose colossal forms made mountains and canyons pale in comparison. They look like... machines, huge, pieces of fallen hulls, engines, mechanical hearts. I look up and see several planets, crushed, split open, drifting apart in its dying breath... it was surreal. Far away, I can see massive continents... just... crushed upon this planet where it rose even above this planet's atmosphere as if they fell from the sky.

"This is the barren planet where Sarcone fell."

Sarcone? Suddenly a fiery visage flashes before my eyes of destruction... "mercy"... I feel a pit within me grow before it goes away as it came...

"Sura?"

"Huh? Oh sorry... who is Sarcone?"

What was that? Mokuren takes out her matrix cube, looking through something as the holograms scroll.

"Just as I thought, one of our ancient gods of technology, fission, and fusion. Tyrannical it was in their rule... it was upon this planet in the Akasha dimension where it fell, by the hands of Asura."

"Yep, now's it's become a barren wasteland perfect for battle and training. I asked Goddess Myriam to send us here."

Kyuu-san's hair blows and drifts to the wind. Tightening the bandage around her chest, she takes off the top of her black gi.

"Don't want sand to get into my gi too much. Do the same brat. The storms aren't too bad, only in the upper atmosphere do they get that bad."

"Heh, my pleasure."

I quickly take off the annoying top of my gi, phew!! My skin can finally breathe. Arms on her waist and chest out, Kyuu-san looks across the canyons and pillars.

"Here's where the real training starts."