J A Y
The punch landed squarely on my jaw. My teeth clacked together violently, and a deep, dull ache spread across my face. I staggered backwards, groaning.
"Oh god, I'm sorry Jay- I didn't mean to do it that hard!" Cole apologised, wringing his hands guiltily. I steadied myself, and rubbed my jaw tenderly. Yep, that'll be a bruise for sure. "Don't worry about it." I replied, opening my mouth repeatedly to try and rid myself of the ache.
"Again." Master Wu instructed, and I joined Cole once more for round goodness knows what. We'd been practicing for so long the sun had risen, and the sky was blue. I swung first, my fist cutting through the brisk air, but Cole ducked just in time, the punch missing him by inches. Not wasting a second, I threw another strike, aiming for the ribs. But the earth ninja sidestepped once more with a smirk that only fuelled my frustration.
"Control, Jay. Control your body, your movements. But also your mind. Do not let frustration and anger overcome your thoughts."
We danced around each other, feet shuffling over the ground in a rough, uneasy pattern, breathing ragged and eyes firm and concentrated. A swing came from my left and I barely managed to block it. Another from below that I managed to dodge just in time.
Cole quickened his punches, and it was all I could do to block them, I didn't have a chance to return any strikes. He struck, again and again, merciless, pushing me backwards until my back was nearly pressed against the wall.
"When you can't control what's happening, control the way you respond to what's happening. That's where true power lies. In the mind."
Wu's voice floated over Cole's grunts of effort. What does that even mean? How does that help me?
Annoyance flared in my chest. Why couldn't I just win for once? Cole had always been the better fighter, but I want to prove to master Wu that I'm not completely useless. With a grunt of anger, I lashed out a fist and hit Cole square in the nose. He yelped, not expecting the sudden move, and clutched his face, blood seeping through the cracks in-between his fingers.
"Sorry Cole!" I apologised, stepping backwards to let him have some space.
"I guess we're even now." He grunted, holding the bridge of his nose in an attempt to stop the bleeding.
"Even though you landed a punch, you did not use control." Wu commented, giving me a disappointed look.
"What does that even mean, Sensei?" I asked, rubbing my jaw absentmindedly. "You will know when you need it most." He responded, before walking over to where Nya and Lloyd were fighting.
Thanks a lot master Wu. Very helpful. Why did everything have to be a riddle with him?
Sighing, I went back up to Cole. "You ok?" I asked. "Need some tissues?"
"No, it's alright. I think it's nearly stopped." He replied. I nodded and focused my gaze on Kai and Zane battling it out by the mast. Zane was, as usual, calm and collected, striking tactically and accurately. It was all Kai could do to doge the blows. In one fell swoop, Zane had kicked the fire ninja down, sending him crashing to the ground in a matter of seconds. Kai lay there, groaning in frustration.
Smiling gently, Zane extended his arm. "I apologise, Kai. I did not mean to kick that hard."
The fire ninja chuckled, wincing as he grabbed the nindroids hand and got to his feet. "No worries. You won that fair and square. Thanks, though."
I smiled. Kai was getting way better with losing. He used to be so competitive, so it was good that he wasn't such a sore loser now.
"Ok, Ninja." Master Wu spoke, tapping his staff on the wood to draw our attention.
"This is an important lesson. Copy my movements."
We all gathered in a semi circle around him.
His arms slowly lifted into the air, then swung back down. His body was moving in an odd, unpredictable rhythm, each movement seemingly flowing into the next with a sense of calm, yet none of it seemed to follow a recognisable pattern. It was a bit like yoga, I thought, but without structure or purpose- eyes closed, fully immersed and concentrated on controlling his mind and body.
Everyone looked at each other uncertainly, before repeating his movements stiffly. I shared a sceptical look with Nya before attempting to copy. My body felt stiff and awkward, not used to the flowing motions we were practicing. My brows were furrowed in concentration, but it was no use. Senseis movements were so unpredictable, and I just felt so embarrassed and stupid doing it. I could feel my face going red.
"Once you control your mind, you can control your body." The old man whispered, continuing with his movements.
I huffed in annoyance. His riddles were just getting annoying. It doesn't even make sense. How is this helpful for us right now? Shouldn't we be training with our powers, or practicing with our fighting? Or stopping crime in the city?
My arms fumbled awkwardly, trying to copy Wu. My breath hitched in my throat, and a sigh escaped, heavy with tiredness and defeat. Everyone else seemed to be getting the hang of it- Lloyd was a natural, and so was Zane, but that was no surprise. Hell, even Kai was able to keep up! Why was I struggling so much?
I should be able to do this- it should be easy- but each misstep made it feel more impossible. I felt a mix of embarrassment and frustration, making it hard to focus on anything but the nagging thought: why can't I get this right?
Sensei stopped, his breathing calm and even despite the exercise. His long, white beard swayed slightly as he surveyed us all with a look of indecision. With a slow, deliberate motion, he clasped his hands behind his back and straightened his posture, signalling the end of the session.
I breathed a sigh of relief. I swear, if I was doing that any longer, I would've gone mad.
"We will continue that another time. I'm still not satisfied with the outcome. But for now, you may take the rest of the day off. You have worked hard."
I grinned, and turned to the others. "Lunch?" I proposed.
"Yep. I'm starving." Cole replied, opening the door to let everyone else through.
"I dibs the last slice of cake on the counter!" Lloyd squealed and rushed inside. Cole huffed in annoyance.