Day 1

There he was, the fishman stood tall as a new group of Revolutionary soldiers walked into his ‘Dojo’. A young boy from the East Blue who couldn't have been much older than twenty, if he remembered correctly his name was Raziel. This actually brought a smile to his face as Raziel walked with a matching grin. Priest was glad to see that his work was having some results. This group was much smaller than the last with only two recruits, Raziel and another woman who looked confident in her abilities. Priest did mention to Raziel that perhaps, the duo could spar next time. No words were uttered before he got into his typical martial arts stance and eyed the two recruits. The two recruits looked at each other with a grin, they were excited to actually spar someone. A two-against-one opportunity against a fishman did not occur very often, the experience should be very rewarding. Apparently the other student’s name was Tono and one of the best recruits to come out of the West Blue. Priest could easily fend off two recruits who hadn’t even gotten into actual combat situations. He had been deemed qualified to teach basic hand-to-hand combat, which meant he had to have gotten down the basics. His speed and strength were also much more adept than the recruits and even his ability to take damage was higher.

The confident fishman flashed them both a cocky grin as the two recruits charged at him. Their footwork obviously needed some more work and their movements could be telegraphed. Raziel went for some awkwardly formed flying kick while the other student went for a sweep. A seemingly good tactic but it simply would not be executed properly enough to become even remotely threatening to the young man. Priest’s right leg checked the sweep as his hands blocked the attempted kick to the chest. The two recruits jumped back and charged once more. With proper footwork and a poise statue, Priest successfully defended his body from the attacking recruits. It did not take long for the first bead of sweat to drop and the chest to pound. Their hands were increasingly lowering and their bodies were easily fatigued.

Priest then went after Raziel with a light kick to the body. It did not perfectly connect due to Raziel’s partial block but Tono also helped by throwing rocks at Priest. The rocks did little damage, but enough to both annoy and catch him off guard. The very fact that they were throwing rocks was heartbreaking enough. Luckily, none hit his face or he could have been on trial for murder. The fishman then charged at the student who seemed to freeze and immediately block his face. Priest did not want to hurt the student too much so he simply tripped him with a simple push as he landed on his butt.

“ You two have plenty to learn, but most importantly you two need to condition your body. “

The two recruits shared a confused expression with each other, as they gasped for precious oxygen and attempted to regain their energy.

“ Not only are you both out of breath, but you both could have obtained some damage. Come to me and I will show you what it means to have a conditioned body. “

The two recruits then charged at Priest with fists of fury and intent to do damage. The recruits had little strength and could not inflict much damage with punches or kicks but they did have to work with what they had. Priest easily absorbed the simple punches and kicks. “ You see that…” He said with an array of confidence. Yet before he could continue his patronizing lecture, Raziel then delivered a sneaky punch to Priest’s balls…yup, his balls. The man’s poise was obviously broken, but he was not going down. His stomach tensed and his eyes watered. He wanted to scream, but his voice seemed to disappear into a high pitched squeal. The two recruits were still beating him, but Priest could not feel anything other than the throbbing pain in his pants. The recruits seemed to be snickering at the event and Priest would have been also if he was not the target. After performing some basic breathing techniques, he was able to gather himself and become the teacher once more. Priest displayed a more than necessary punch to Raziel’s shoulder and knocked him back a little. Tono seemed to have gotten scared. “ The more damage you take during practice than the more damage you will be able to take in combat. “ These words seemed to make the punch seem reasonably but there was a bit of hesitation coming from Raziel.

“ So now that I have shown you that the body can endure attacks, you two will get to spar each other. “ The two looked at each other with a smile. But, within the second turned into demons and charged at each other with no technique, no plan and little intention. They just seemed like beasts who were trying to eat each other, you could make this determination by all the clawing, biting and pinching they were doing as they were rolling around on the ground to win a dominate position. Priest shook his head with disappointment but could not stop himself from letting out a few chuckles.

“ What are you two doing? How is that even close to any martial art?! You two obviously need to work on your technique and composure. ”

The two recruits knew what Priest wanted. They stood up next to each other and watched Priest perform simple punches with reduced wasted movement. Priest was certain that the recruits hated this part of training, but performing punches with proper technique a million times is necessary to develop proper muscle memory. Many fighters think too often and too much while fighting, but when the user lets the body take control, then the fighter can unlock new horizons. The three then went to simple kicks. Priest had reviewed this many times before but apparently they needed another lesson. Priest could see how Raziels shoulder tensed every time he moved, wincing in minimal pain as if it were bruised. Hopefully, Raziel will toughen up by the time he finishes the training because the life of a Revolutionary is tough, rough, and short.

Priest then looked at the two bored shinobi and waved them over in a stance. The two seemed to be taking this session much more seriously as they punched and kicked with proper technique. Priest was able to block and dodge effectively with proper footwork and technique, he was also able to telegraph many of the punches and perform trips and other forms of take downs. However, Priest was not able to block every punch. Since the recruits were fighting with proper technique, their punches caused maximum damage. One punch in particular went straight for the liver and almost dropped Priest. The gasping pain was not caused by sheer force or speed but with proper connection and technique. The teacher was proud that his student was capable of delivering such a good punch, but the pain was also clouding his mind. Since there were two recruits, this meant that Priest had to look for four different arms and four different legs, let along elbows and knees. This meant that Priest was going to have to move a lot, he was going to have to get a much faster reaction time as he possibly could so he could evade or counter; and, he also had to make sure he was not easy to telegraph nor run into one of his recruit’s combos.

It was not easy for Priest. Not before long, the three begun to sweat and pant yet the intensity was still measurable. However, the three maintained their momentum. The recruits were learning and Priest was also becoming a stronger martial artist. It seemed like the recruits were becoming faster even though they were getting more tired; with their increase in speed, Priest needed to increase his speed as well. Bruises and red sore bumps were developing over the hands of the fighters and their legs and shins. They had a strong flow and made good training partners. It was incredible how much work they have put in. This no longer seemed like an extra-credit assignment but more like...fun? An intense sort of fun that involved a lot of sweat and a lot of pain, the fun was something that he could see himself doing much more often. Was this the rush of fighting multiple opponents? The very thought of a simple mistake or error could lead to drastic and dramatic changes and shifts in the fight. Over time, the student’s technique started to become lazy and Priest had more openings to provide counter attacks but he had to be tremendously quick to evade attacks while attacking. The rush was real and so was the damage. He was glad that these recruits had a strong will to succeed and defeat their teacher.

Priest would easily do this again because he felt like he was becoming stronger every second. Although, every second was becoming increasingly difficult. There was a point in which his arms began to sink and he started to take some damage himself. Luckily, he found an opening and was able to block further damage. He could see punches and kicks coming and he felt like fighting was in slow motion, like he could see the enemy and react faster than in reality. He read about this stuff, but he never knew what it felt like. With this feeling, he knew that he could conquer the world but he would need to be the best and this was one step in the journey to become the best. He never imagined how training with recruits could push him to his limit, how he could fight off two recruits and win so easily. To be fair, these recruits were learning very quickly and often looked for openings and were unfair in their fighting style. They would do small things that disrupted Priest’s movement like stepping on his feet or hold onto his clothing. It might not have been a realistic fighting style but it sure was effective, probably much more effective than the recruits perceived. However, the recruits speed simply was not enough to overtake Priest. Priest needed to work on his speed but for now, he felt like his ability to react to things were increasing. The two recruits seemed to stop fighting at the same time and simply dropped onto their backs to catch their breath. Priest tried to stand as straight as he could being just as winded if not more so than the two recruits and gathered himself. “Woah Priest, you sure are strong. “ said Tono.

“Same for both of you.”

Day 2

The next day, Recruits showed up again. However, he was not on a mission. He was not going to be getting paid for this. In fact, he was using one of his few days off to help train with the newest batch of recruits. This was him going to the recruits so that not only can they become better at fighting, but to also serve as excellent training partners. The way they immediately lunged at Recruits as soon as he walked through the door forced him to maintain his composure under pressure. A short scuffle ensued but after a short time he was able to push them back. It enabled him to become better at hand-to-hand and close quarter combat. Everyone knew how important it was for fishman karate users to excel in close range combat. Recruits knew he had weak spots, but getting up close and gritty was not one of them. The sky was as clear as it was the day prior and the Tono and Raziel were both present. Not only were they both present but they were the only two there. These two young recruits are very dedicated to their training and Recruits commended them for their initiative and their ability to push their boundaries in pursuit of greatness. The two recruits were surprised to see Recruits walking towards them. Today, the two took it upon themselves to meet there and practice together since there was no clinic set up for today, at least, not an official clinic. The three got into their stances after their brief greetings and introduction. The trio did many things but one thing they did not do was waste time. It must be noted that all three take their training very seriously, if they had not; then they quite clearly would not be there.

There quite obviously is a physical toll on such a grueling activity. Fighting is extremely difficult. Not only is it strenuous to fight and win but it also is draining to lose. Recruits could remember times when he was fighting someone and got his butt whooped, the craziest part was that Recruits was sometimes less tired than the person delivering the ass whopping. It was certainly very strange, but it was reality. Not only did all three need to endure punching but they had to get used to being punched. The three were fairly aggressive and trained rather rough…and dirty. Raziel would attempt to throw sand from the ground in Recruits’s face while he was looking. Yet, Recruits’s reflexes were quick enough and he had enough time to counter. Tono had to sit out for a few rounds due to sand being thrown in her face, the sand that Recruits was able to dodge. This of course, only made things worse for Raziel since he had to face the consequences of using dirty tactics; the consequences were having to face an angry Recruits, mano y mano, until Tono decided she wanted to come back in. Tono sat out a bit too long but she was enjoying the entertainment of Raziel getting thrown around. If Recruits were truly their teacher, then he would have made the two fight. It would not be fair because Tono would have lost her eyesight so Recruits would have made it even by either blindfolding Raziel or tying his hands behind his back…or maybe both.

It would not take very long before the three would be covered in not only their own sweat but the sweat of others. There was also few traces of blood that could be found due to long fingernails and the like. The three seemed to be having fun together, but they truly were at work. Recruits easily had better form and technique than the other two training partners had. This made it more possible for Recruits to face against them so reasonably. The three did not talk very much during their training because it would be distracting. Their focus was actually quite impressive though, it seemed that the recruits were so focused that they could not hear the tips that Recruits was providing. In some instances, Recruits was giving instructions on how to penetrate his lousy defense, yet the recruits continued to use their insane strategy until realizing that Recruits was talking to them. Recruits was much older and much more mature than these two, but Recruits was actually learning a lot from the two. This also held with his ability to multitask, to face multiple opponents at one time. Recruits often could guess the attack coming from Tono due to the attack that already came from Raziel. Recruits was able to piece the two as fabric and read their moves based off of their ‘lack’ of teamwork.

Day 3

This training was certainly assisting Aulburne in his ability to fight in close combat, it even made him more confident in his abilities. He was more able to predict movements from his opponent, this enabled him to react much quicker. Reaction time is a critical skill that all combatants need, but this ability is not sufficient. The fighter needs to know what to do. His mind needs to be able to determine what the correct move is and how to continue and move forward with the fight. He was quite the natural at this ability, due to his lean nature; he is easily capable of moving out of the range. The duo of recruits begun to strike Aulburne much quicker, it appears that the recruits were getting faster as well. A smile appeared on his face as he realized that his work was truly bearing fruits, though this was careless move because in his daze swift Tono managed to land quick kick to his gut. A light grunt came out of his body and he knew he needed to regain control of this battle. With his quick speed and his ability to react properly to situations, he was able to duck underneath two punches thrown by Raziel and managed to leg sweep Tono onto her butt.

The two stopped to laugh at Tono who just got sat down hard. Raziel and Aulburne looked at each other, they were glistening with sweat, but full of energy. It was amazing to Aulburne how much energy these two possessed, he was wondering if he was going to be able to keep this up. They were quick and agile so landing hits was difficult but they were also fragile so Aulburne was limited in the amount of power that he could use. There really was nothing worse for the reputation than beating up new Recruits and making them cry. Most of their parents were top level officials and Aulburne did not want to deal with that. He spent a lot of time around other martial artists and knew their real strength, if it weren't for his CQC capabilities, then Aulburne would easily be getting his ass whooped by even the most average joe, let alone a trained combatant.

A swift roundhouse landed directly onto Aulburne's chin, rocking him. Of course it was Raziel that threw the dirty kick. Aulburne knew that this would cause him both victory and troubles in the future. The two recruits crowded the fishman in what looked like a flanking maneuver rather than their usual full frontal assault. Aulburne needed to prevent all and any combat damage, his head was bobbing and weaving at an almost unnatural state. His head was ducking under punches as he'd throw light body punches in countering the strikes. Only because he could not focus enough force into one single quick punch. The recruits were like bloodthirsty sharks that spotted a weak prey, Aulburne was fairly surprised that they were not going after each other. There kicks and punches could all be easily read in a sound mind, however; Aulburne was not in a sound mind. His head was dizzy from the exhaustion and his legs were beginning to give from hours of training, but he was slowly recovering. The recruits could see that Aulburne was slowly regaining his composure and they pushed harder. At this point, the recruits lost all their form and simply begun to throw wild punches in a desperate frenzy style. Their style could have easily been poked, but Aulburne only could focus on his recovery. He certainly was not about to let some recruits knock him out, especially if it was dirty. And, since it was from a dirty hit, Raziel was about to get an ass whooping of a life time. At least, one that Aulburne could deliver. Maybe a technique right out of his arsenal.

Aulburne was able to survive the barrage by the recruits and he wanted to retaliate in wonderful fashion. The two recruits realized that their failure would be their downfall. Fighting hurts and Aulburne was about to prove that through this rigorous training. Of course, Tono would not be feeling the full force but Raziel would. Raziel fights dirty, which is fine IF he wins. If not, then it makes him look very bad and he grants authority for an ass whooping. The two recruits should just be glad that Aulburne is a martial arts user and not a Devil Fruit user, if that were the case then these two recruits would have been crying a long time ago. Flurries of light punches and kicks bombarded the two recruits knocking them both down in a breathless heap. His ability to react faster than they could move proved to be wonderful in this situation. Aulburne had the ability to fight two fledgling combatants much easier than some other people would. This allowed him to limit his power and control his strength against such young and such weak targets. Aulburne did not want to go too hard on them though, he wanted to make them know that they were doing the right thing. Training with recruits this young could actually be dangerous because they fight so dirty! Aulburne started to wonder what the recruits were beginning taught outside of the group training sessions, perhaps, he’d consider becoming a substitute or working there full time.

Day 4

Priest thought on how the lecture today would be slightly different than the others that he had delivered. He was dressed in his normal attire, the young man had seen no need to change anything for the sake of just speaking. His hair was held down under the bandana with the exception of the portion that extended down to the back of his neck. His hands and feet were wrapped today to protect him from injury, because he expected that the soldiers would know a great deal about what he had come to speak with them about today. After receiving feedback that the abstract lesson on hand-to-hand had left many of the men unsettled, he had decided that the next tutorial would again be on the basics of hand-to-hand combat.

Even as he approached the training grounds Priest saw the soldiers, men and women alike, practicing with swords, knives, and even unarmed strikes. For the first time since setting foot in the camp several weeks ago, Priest felt like he might be in over his head. He had written the unit commander for a basic description of the unit's martial techniques, finding that they were primarily a spear unit that used short swords in close quarters. And so, with this information in mind, Priest had spent many hours digging through manual after manual describing the basic techniques used with spears and short-swords. His own training in hand-to-hand was adept at best, and decidedly sup-par even amongst the higher ranks of those roaming the seas.

When he arrived at his designated lecturing area, he found that a large crowd unlike the size of the last one that he had addressed was already gathered there. They wore light versions of their normal armor, designed to be just heavy enough to stop any blows they might receive in training. They carried heavier versions of their spears, tipped in wooden knobs, so that when the time came their actual weapons would feel like easy tools indeed in their hands. Suddenly, Priest felt incredibly under-dressed. For a long while, Priest both engaged in and watched them drill and spar, putting the names and descriptions that he had read to the corresponding movements that he now saw in violent motion.

After about fifteen minutes of what Priest soon recognized to be a cool down session at the end, the drill commander called a halt to the activities. Everyone gathered including himself had worked up a reasonable amount of sweat through their exertions, and a few of them even panted as they took the positions to which they had become accustomed. Priest offered a respectful applause as he took his place ahead of the group.

"Alright, wow! You all are very talented. It must take a great amount of training to achieve the precision that was just displayed a moment ago."

Nods of agreement followed. He had gained enough respect here that his compliments held weight with the soldiers, and they were glad to receive the praise.

"As you know well by now, today's lesson is in physical body techniques. Martial Artists address these types of techniques, very broadly, hand-to-hand. We practice them with the same intent that you do; that is, to overcome the physical force of the opponent with our own and neutralize any threat that they may present."

Priest mimed through six different punches and four different kicks.

"We practice striking arts, as well as grappling and redirection of force."

His next movements took him through the basic stances of his own personal style of Fishman Karate. In truth, Priest had initially practiced martial arts as a young lad to promote fitness and discipline. Those classes had been little more than aerobic workouts, but he remembered the basic techniques. He heard a slight chuckle from the assembly and stopped his mock-up tour of martial techniques. The fishman smiled and laughed a little bit in spite of himself.

"Haha. Well, as you can see, my training is primarily in Hand-to-hand. I specialize in Fishman Karate, which we have not covered, and breathing techniques, which will be a lesson for another time. However, in some way or another, every fighter begins their training with Hand-to-hand. As I said, many of our techniques mirror your own, but as is true of everything I've showed you in the world thus far, Hand-to-hand techniques using precise skill can be more..."

Priest searched for the right word, finding that the soldiers had fallen back into their normal, disciplined state.

"...eccentric. Just as with martial arts and weaponry, the desired result is something altogether different from what the opponent expects. They are often combined with skill in combat to produce combinations that the opponent cannot come up with a counter to."

Priest shrugged his shoulders and showed his empty hands as an indication that, for the first time, he did not have a clever display.

"Unfortunately, ladies and gentlemen, you will have to use your imaginations in this case."

Though the soldiers seemed disappointed, Priest sensed some form of satisfaction forming in the realization spreading that the soldiers had finally found something that they could beat a few rookies at.

"However, that simply means that if you are ever confronted with someone who specializes in Hand-to-hand you will have to be extra wary. One of the gravest mistakes you can make in combat with a martial artist is to assume that even the slightest of movements is mundane."

The respectful hush that Priest had become accustomed to at the end of his lessons had fallen just where he had expected. On some level or another, the men had expected another grave warning about the talents of more skilled fighters, even if they had not been treated to a flashy show of such skills. Living in the village each of them had learned a cautious respect for anyone who fought on the frontlines.

"As with other lessons, I do not mean to scare you, but to prepare you. Bodies infused with the power of hope and determination are more than a match for your weapons, even when they appear harmless. And with that understanding, class is dismissed." The crowd watching him disassembled to continue about their work in the area. Priest took it as a sign that his work here was finished, the army would be busy on their preparations. The young man exited off the stage to the right taking his leave of the encampment.

WC: 4587 // Stamina Gain: 120

[Exit]