by Jon F. Merz
As if to emphasize the point, she now stood on the forty-five degree angle line. "My position when I stand here enables me to attack your centerline - the line running down the center of your body - and compromise your balance with less energy."
Jimmy stood on the punching line and examined their respective positions. Vanessa was to the inside of his punch and despite the fact that he should have been able to reach her, she seemed untouchable.
"Angling gives me the ability to hit you without you being able to hit me." She reached up and flicked her fingers at his eyes. Jimmy blinked and fell back.
"That's pretty amazing."
"That," said Vanessa, "is water. Think of the movement as a wave. First it recedes and then crashes back into the beach."
“It’s different from what you showed me before,” said Jimmy. “It may take a while to get used to.”
“I’d be surprised if you picked it up quickly,” said Vanessa. “Your attitude is a lot more suited to a fiery type of energy. What we have to do is make sure you know how to pull tactics from every type of perspective, not just the one that happens to feel the most comfortable to you right now.”
Jimmy frowned. He didn’t necessarily see himself as being fiery, but if that’s what Vanessa saw in him.
She put her arm around his shoulders. “Remember the flare? You didn’t hesitate. You didn’t think about it; you were right there ready to do what needed to be done. That’s a fire energy.”
“So, that’s good, right?”
Vanessa shrugged. “Well, that depends. You can be overly impulsive and let the fire burn you up, so to speak. The key to being any type of personality is to use the energy well, without letting it consume you. That’s why you’ll learn how to use all of them equally well.”
“All right.”
Vanessa backed up. “So, ready to try the technique I just showed you?”
“I guess so.”
She blinked. And then smiled. “Ah, I see. Not going to be impulsive now is that it?”
Jimmy grinned. “Something like that.”
“Well, you’d better get moving because here comes my punch.” And even before she finished saying it, her punch was already rocketing toward Jimmy’s face. He barely had time to register the action and then tried to jerkily take his body off the line of the attack. But instead of angling like Vanessa had showed him, he simply moved back on the same path as her punch.
Vanessa’s fist sailed into his mouth and Jimmy tasted blood. He reeled back and brought his hand across his mouth, smearing a line of crimson across his cheek. “Jeez.”
She stopped. “You’ll be fine. Nothing like a swollen lip to remind you not to ever stay on the same line as your attacker. You can see why that’s not a good idea, right?”
“Uh, yeah, because you punched me in the face?”
She frowned. “Yes, obviously, but beyond that there’s a deeper lesson to be learned. If you simply back up on the same line, an attacker intent on hitting you will simply charge ahead and flatten you. Their momentum will overwhelm you. You need to move off the line of the attack and into a safer position. Then you can counter.”
Jimmy licked some of the blood off his lips. “Okay, I guess I get it.”
“Good,” said Vanessa. “Because we’re going to train until you get it down just right.”
Jimmy sighed. “So much for getting a meal after the run, huh?”
“You can eat,” said Vanessa, “when you learn the technique.”
Chapter Thirteen
As the days at sea began adding up, Jimmy had to admit that he was actually enjoying himself. He could feel his strength increasing with every day he trained. Vanessa was a merciless instructor who urged him on well past what he thought his limits were.
“Your mind rules your body,” she had told him repeatedly. “Even when your physical shell wants to quit more than anything else, you must drive it forward with the strength of your mind and spirit. It will obey.”
“But won’t I just be injuring myself?”
Vanessa had smiled. “Let me put it this way: if you were trying to evade a hunting party of armed soldiers intent on killing you and you had to run twenty miles across the desert to reach freedom, would you?”
“Well, sure…”
“But what if your legs ached? What if you were thirsty? Would you quit knowing that you would surely die?”
“No.”
“Exactly. What we are attempting to teach you is that your body is capable of so much more than whatever you have believed in the past. Most people go through their lives convinced that their bodies have limitations and they must accept them. This is not true.”
“It’s not?”
“Your body is just a means of conveying your mind and spirit. And its capabilities border on what people would consider supernatural. But most people have no way of knowing how to tap that power. The ninja of the Matsuda-ryu - your family - knew how to accomplish their goals regardless of obstacles that would stop anyone else.”
Jimmy took a sip of water. “And this training will show me how to tap into that power?”
Vanessa smiled. “Everything in its time. For right now, we have to get you to a standard of passable physical prowess before we start showing you the incredible things you can truly do.”
“Okay.”
Vanessa pointed at the deck. “Good. I’m sure you won’t mind running another twenty laps then.”
He did, but he was determined not to let her see his discomfort. The prospect of learning how to tap into some untold power source excited him. He could feel his muscles responding to the increased demands Vanessa placed on them. His arms and chest were already somewhat bulkier than before and his abdominal muscles felt rippled to the touch. As for his legs, between the running and heaving fifty-pound sandbags all over the deck, they were developing into thick tree trunks.
But as much as he enjoyed the training, Jimmy really liked the martial arts techniques the best. Vanessa had shown him a number of skills that she considered “indispensable basic building blocks.”
“These are the techniques that will form the foundation for everything that I show you. You must learn how to properly respond to whatever an attacker throws at you.”
“And how do I do that?”
“I will show you the four basic approaches to handling an attack: holding your ground, backpedaling and counterattacking, an aggressive offense, and a circling evasion movement. These four methods of movement are most critical. There is also a fifth.”
“Which is what?”
“It’s not so much a technique as an attitude and ability to instinctively know the appropriate response.”
“How am I supposed to learn that one?”
“Experience,” winked Vanessa. “You’ll learn it when you start getting into more scrapes.”
“Great.”
“Aren’t you supposed to be running?” asked Vanessa.
* * *
It was on the seventh day that Jimmy once again ran into the Asian boy who had accosted him in the corridor that first day. Jimmy had done his best to make sure that they avoided each other. Almost subconsciously, Jimmy had begun scouting the boy’s routine, learning where he moved on the ship, when he ate, and where he liked to spend his free time.
With that knowledge, Jimmy had set up his own routine so that they never crossed paths. The last thing he wanted was to have the boy angry with him. Jimmy wanted to get on with his training and leave things the way they were.
He might have been successful, too, if not for the fact that on this particular day, Jimmy had forgotten that the boy ate later than usual. And as Jimmy dropped down the stairs after another lengthy workout with Vanessa, he found himself gasping at the boy’s sudden appearance directly in front of him.
Determined to pass, Jimmy muttered a quick, “Excuse me” and tried to keep walking.
“I see you are studying martial arts.” The tone in which the boy spoke left little doubt what he t
hought of Jimmy’s training.
Jimmy shrugged. “I’m just working out. No big deal.”
He caught the glimmer of a sinister grin snake across the boy’s face. “So you think perhaps you are a tough fighter now, is that it?”
“I don’t think I’m anything except tired. Really tired. Now please, let me get going.”
“Don’t you want to teach me some of your martial arts?”
The boy stood about six feet away. Jimmy knew from his training that he was in range of a quick kick to the groin. But what was the point? Jimmy had done nothing to threaten the boy. Why was he even bothering with Jimmy?
“I’m not good enough to teach you anything.”
The boy smirked. “That…woman…has you running all over the deck. Is that because she knows you will never be good enough to hold your own in a fight? She knows you will have no option but to run away and cry in a corner somewhere?”
Jimmy’s heart thundered in his chest. “You leave Vanessa out of this.”
“Oh ho ho, is that her name? Your precious teacher?” The boy snickered. “Maybe she will change your diaper and tuck you into your crib later? Take care of the little baby?”
Jimmy’s face felt hot, but he was determined not to give the boy the satisfaction of getting a rise out of him. He clamped his jaw shut and said nothing.
The boy leaned against the wall of the corridor. “I hear that she is some foolish woman who speaks to ghosts and shadows. One of the crew says he heard her carrying on a conversation with someone in her room the other night. But there was no one in there with her. Were you there?”
“No.”
“So, she is probably crazy.” The boy made a circling gesture with his finger around his ear. “Insane. And here you are taking martial arts lessons from someone who has lost their mind.”
“I don’t like the way you’re talking about my teacher.”
“So, what are you going to do about it?”
Jimmy noticed that the boy had eased himself off of the wall. His balance was evenly distributed on the ball of his feet and his hands seemed to be floating at about waist level.
He’s waiting for me to make a move, thought Jimmy.
The smirk on the boy’s face made Jimmy’s blood boil. And he dearly wanted to smack that snide expression off, but he knew the boy was expecting that.
Jimmy took a deep breath. “What’s your name?”
The boy’s eyebrows shot up. “What?”
“Your name. What is it?”
“Hideaki.”
Jimmy grinned. “Japanese. Like me, huh?”
“Japanese, yes,” said Hideaki. “Not like you, however.”
Jimmy frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"You are not a pureblood. You are a mutt who has been tainted by other less superior races."
“Right. Well, my name is Jimmy.”
“I don’t care what your name is.”
Jimmy smiled. “Well, here’s the thing: I’m exhausted. So if you’re done making fun of my teacher and my mixed heritage, Hideaki, I’d really like to grab a shower and a nap before I eat. Because my teacher, whether or not she happens to be completely crazy, is going to make me keep training. And that means I need my rest. Now if we’re through here, I’d like to be going. But really, it was nice to finally meet you properly.”
Hideaki’s face turned into a wrinkled frown. But his hands came down and Jimmy noticed that his weight shifted.
Now would be the time to attack, he thought. He felt the urge to drive his knee up into Hideaki’s groin, but something held him in place, something kept him from attacking and he couldn’t figure it out-
- wait...
-there it was.
One of Hideaki’s hand concealed something small. Jimmy could just make out the point jutting out from the bottom of his left palm.
He would have smashed my skull in with that.
Hideaki frowned, realizing that Jimmy wouldn’t be falling for the trap he’d taken the time to set up. With an angry wave of his thumb, he growled at Jimmy. “Go.”
Jimmy inclined his head slightly but kept his eyes locked on Hideaki’s. “Be seeing you.”
“Count on it, little boy.”
Jimmy watched Hideaki stalk off down the corridor and then felt himself go lightheaded. He leaned back against the wall of the corridor and took a few breaths to steady himself.
That was close, he thought.
Indeed.
Jimmy frowned. Fine time to make an appearance.
I am always around you, Jimmy. But I cannot make your decisions for you. To do so would keep you from learning how to make them for yourself. And there will come a time when you will be without me. You must learn to trust yourself. And your instincts.
Yeah, well, what am I going to do about Hideaki there? That guy wants to beat the crap out of me.
You did fine just now. And you were not forced to fight him. You used your intellect to sidestep a confrontation.
Yeah, but I was going to attack him at the end.
But you chose not to.
Yeah, but…what was that? That feeling? It kept me rooted in place. I couldn’t move even though I wanted to.
That is something that all humans have deep within themselves. It is an instinct that has long since fallen into disuse. When wild animals stalked us across the prehistoric landscape, this instinct was with us always. But as the world has progressed beyond that stage where we fought everyday for our very survival, the instinct has withered like a plant craving water.
But we still have it?
Indeed. And what you are doing by going through such arduous training is reawakening it. It will protect you but you must never fully rely on it. It is simply another tool you possess that will make you into a warrior.
It’s wild to think of that as being something that I have.
You have far more skills that will bewilder and amaze you.
And when do I get to see those?
They will emerge when the time is right. And not a moment before. Realizing too soon one’s own incredible powers would be deadly.
Jimmy frowned. His stomach ached. He put hand there and felt the angry growl from deep within him.
You will get used to the after-effects of hostile encounters. You are having what Vanessa would call an adrenaline dump.
How long does it last?
It will pass soon enough. In the meantime, you need to make sure you get enough rest so your body can keep up with what is happening to the rest of you.
Jimmy frowned. “What’s happening to the rest of me?”
The sudden sound of his voice made him jump and look around the corridor for fear someone might have overheard him. Hideaki had already mentioned that some of the crew had overheard Vanessa talking to ghosts. No sense giving them anything else to gossip about.
What is happening to me?
But this time, there was no response. And Jimmy was left alone in the empty corridor.
Finally, he shrugged and went off to get some sleep.
Chapter Fourteen
If Jimmy thought that by redoubling his efforts at keeping tabs on Hideaki he could avoid him, he found out he was sorely mistaken. Despite his best work at keeping a covert eye on the boy he now considered to be his enemy, Hideaki demonstrated an annoying habit of showing up exactly when Jimmy least expected it.
The first time was after dinner one night when Jimmy’s belly was busily digesting the beef and pasta combination that he’d helped himself to three bowls of. Hideaki bumped into him, literally, as Jimmy clambered down the steps toward his cabin. Jimmy sidestepped the assault but not before Hideaki managed to drive his elbow into Jimmy’s full stomach. The shot made Jimmy want to heave all over the corridor, but he bit down and swallowed back the rising tide in his throat. He refused to give Hideaki the satisfaction.
The next time they encountered each other was after a particularly grueling workout. Vanessa had mercilessly hunted him across the deck, launchi
ng a series of lightning fast attacks. Jimmy had managed to avoid the first few, but the constant assault wore down his defenses. And Vanessa had dictated that he would not be allowed to counterattack until he first mastered the act of getting out of the way of her attacks.
“What good is countering if you can’t even protect yourself first?”
Jimmy hated agreeing with her, but he saw the wisdom in it. The result, however, left him battered and bruised as he made his way back to the cabin.
Hideaki had been waiting for him. “Rough day for the little tiger, huh?” A toothpick idled in his mouth.
Jimmy ignored him and tried to move past him down the corridor. The last thing he needed was Hideaki taunting him. Jimmy had felt badly enough about his performance without having it reinforced by some nasty guy like Hideaki.
But Hideaki wouldn’t let him by that easily. He lifted his leg and stuck it across the corridor, barring Jimmy’s way. “Why don’t you let me teach you how to fight. I’m willing to bet I can teach you more than the pretty little thing you have instructing you now.”
Jimmy smirked. “I doubt she’d appreciate you saying that about her.”
Hideaki shrugged and let the toothpick dance to the other side of his mouth. “She’s welcome to try to convince me otherwise.”
Jimmy frowned. “What is it that you do on this ship, anyway?”
“Why should I tell you?”
“Are you part of the crew?”
“I’m on the ship,” said Hideaki. “That’s all you need to know. And right now, I’m suggesting you let me teach you a few moves.”
Jimmy sighed. The day could hardly get worse. Especially since Vanessa had already told him that they would be training at night on the deck as well since Jimmy hadn’t done as well as she wanted.
“Fine, what do you want to teach m-“
But Hideaki had already chopped down hard on the side of Jimmy’s neck. The move had come so suddenly and so fast that Jimmy barely had a moment to register it before it impacted and left his head buzzing.
