bravenewworld | (no subject)

"Good, there you are." Sanger appeared from deep within the forest, his Beldum following closely behind him. He had been preparing for this since before sunrise. The teacher had to be better prepared than the student, after all.

"Here." A wooden sword was tossed over to Fuuka, freshly carved from a tree in the forest. Sanger carried one himself, his actual sword still hanging from his waist. He's not looking to kill anyone today, there would be no need for steel.

As the wooden sword was given to her, she just looked rather surprised. While she was expecting something to use, she didn't expect it to look so new!

"Goodness, you didn't need to get something so new for me! I would have been fine with just a stick!" Of course, the girl knew close to nothing about using a sword. As he swung it around, it still amazed her that he could do such a thing!

"That would be unacceptable. If I am do take a student, I intend to do this properly." Sanger nods. How could he possibly teach a student with just a stick? Even a wooden sword is technically a compromise.

Sanger watched her swing the sword for a while, before raising a hand to stop her. He's seen enough. She's not nearly strong enough, and her technique is off. But that's fine, that's why she needs a teacher.

"Do it like this." He takes a hold of his own wooden sword, gripping it tightly with both hands and brings it down in a straight line. It's a clean, simple cut. Nothing special, but that's where everything starts.

"Eventually, you might be able to pull this off." He takes the same stance, and swings again, but this time with much more force. Enough that a rock a few metres in front of him explodes from the shockwave.

With that, Fuuka just nervously chuckled to herself. As she looked down at the wood, she just smiled at him. "Yes, I suppose it would be proper. I'm sorry, I never had anyone given me something like this before!" Mostly because no one really has given her such a gift before...

Although, as she kept on swinging, she found herself staring at him. Oh dear, she didn't do something wrong did she? However, that was the point wasn't it?

But when she saw her teacher holding down his own sword and cutting it straight down, she stared at her own hands. As she thought to herself, she simply tried her best to mimic him. When she placed her hands around the handle though, she couldn't help but stare at in awe at what happened!

"G-Goodness, that's...! That's really impressive! I don't think I'll ever be able to handle that! And especially with something that strong...!"

"'tis a matter of training. Before my rebirth - some call it Enlightenment - I could just about cut through a piece of paper at ten paces. Now I can bring it into battle." Sanger stated matter of factly. There is an element of talent of course, but even if you can't be the greatest of all time, sheer dedication alone can make anyone a master.

"First, you need to right your stance and your technique. Becoming a swordsman requires a lot of repetition, so if you do not get those right from the beginning, you will end up developing bad habits that will hurt you in the long run." Apparently, becoming a swordsman also involves a lot of listening to your teacher's lectures. It's an unavoidable part of being a disciple.

"Stand with your feet slightly apart. Your strong leg in front. Two-thirds of your swing comes from your hips and in-step, so you cannot get this wrong. Eventually you will learn to fight from every possible stance, but this one is the steadiest." Sanger makes a small show of it, shuffling into place so Fuuka has an example.

"Then swing. It may look like a straight cut, but in reality you cut in an arc. Start from here," he raises his sword horizontally over his head, the tip pointing behind him, "and end here." He brings the blade down slowly, a large semicircle ending just before the blade touches the ground.

Fuuka wasn't sure if that was suppose to make her feel better or not. After she found about her powers, the only thing she could do was not let her parents know. The last thing they wanted from their sick daughter was to make her go out on dangerous adventures.

Still, as she listened to his words, she tried her best to make the correct stance. While she kept looking down to see if her feet were in their right spot along with her arms, she was starting to express some doubts. While she was sure that she would eventually get this right, she was worried about something else.

"U-Um, okay then! Like this right?" She said as she stood still and showed him the correct stance. As she tried her best to mimic him and swung her sword straight down, she just stared at him and wondered if she did it right. Although, while it wasn't difficult, she was starting to wonder if she was good enough.

Sanger tapped the back of Fuuka's leg with his wooden sword, moving it slightly forward, before nodding, basically satisfied with how her stance looked.

"You need to work on moving your entire body in one motion. Everything from the tip of your sword to the back of your heels moves as one. Your full weight has more strength in it now than you will ever be able to get from training your arms alone." He's stern and critical, but not harsh or at all angry.

"But before that, you need to believe in yourself. A wavering blade can never reach anyone." Looks like it's time for another lecture!

"I am a swordsman. It is all I have known, and likely all I will ever be. That is not who you are. I have taken you in as my disciple, but I do not know if you will be my successor. I do not know if I will have a successor. That is fine. It would be best if the world has no more need of Swords that Smite Evil.

"I started much younger and am now much older than you are. I also had a teacher who has likely forgotten more about swordplay than I will ever know. Do not expect to stand alongside me just yet, you are at least ten years too early for that. Look into yourself, as long as you are better than you were yesterday, that is all I can ask for as a master."

While she was surprised by the sudden movement from his sword, she was rather shocked to know that he was happy with her posture. And here, she thought she might have messed something up!

Although, the thing she was surprised the most was how he was able to pick up her lack of confidence! She made no attempt to hide it but it was still shocking to hear it!

"I...I suppose so. If you don't believe in yourself then it would affect how you would use a sword." She mumbled as she continued to listen to him. However, to think that he might even consider her a successor said a lot thought. As she blushed a little, she started chuckling to herself.

"Then I really hope so, I really do want to learn how to use a sword! I know it will take me a while to get use to this but the last thing I would want to do is to disappoint you!" She said proudly before she stood much more confident than before. As she attempted to swing down the sword with all her might, she hoped that it would impress her master just a little. Although, even then, she had no idea if she was doing it right or not.

But the important thing was that she was trying right?

"Mm. Your sword is an extension of your soul. If your spirit wavers, so will your blade. Take this as a life lesson: If you believe something is impossible, you will always be correct." Sanger nodded. Perhaps she wasn't the most talented student he could hope for, but she had the right spirit and that was far more important.

"Now then. You have the basic motion correct, so here comes the difficult part. You will need to drill that action into your body, so that you can pull it out on a moment's notice. The moment you have to stop and think about how to get it right is the moment you lose." After all, in a fight, a split second can be the difference between life and death, but there's no need to think about anyone dying right now. There's a long way to go before Fuuka can use any of this in a fight.

"So practice that strike. See if you can repeat it for ten minutes." Honestly? She probably couldn't. Not while keeping her stance right, but he wanted to see how far she could power through.

Fuuka didn't need to be told twice that she wasn't that talented compared to most people. The only thing she had was how she excelled in technology and that was it. Still, she mumbled as she nodded to him. "And that's why no matter what, you always have to try right? Otherwise, nothing would ever happen."

Although, she wished that she could grind that advice into her head. It really would have saved her a lot of trouble. As she listened to his words, there was some hesitation she stared back at the sword. She would never thought of herself as someone who would really fight but to know she might one day?

"So that means I can't allow myself to think of anything but to win." And all things considered, while she could do it, it was going to take a while.

Which was why she kept on continuing that action putting as much power as she could. But, she had to admit, it didn't take that long before she was feeling tired.

"For now, concentrate on surviving. Even if everything hurts, if you don't break through this first barrier you can never get anywhere." It was one part physical conditioning, two parts testing her willpower.

"Being tired is fine. Even if you cannot move tomorrow, making it through today is worth it. Keep your head up, and your spirits high. You will find that you can do so much more with just that." Sanger hoped that he was being sufficiently encouraging. He wasn't much good at being a cheerleader, and honestly he didn't expect Fuuka to make it all the way through. He just really wanted her to try.

At times like these, she cursed at how weak she truly was. While all her Espurr could do was just watch and struggled not to wince at how hard the girl was pushing herself. If she had trouble keeping up with running, just how long can she handle doing this?

Still, despite that, she wanted to prove herself to him. She didn't want to seem like all of this training for nothing. As her arms were tired, she gritted her teeth and pushed herself to keep going. "B-But it would seem like it wouldn't be e-enough for you!" She said between her pants. "I know I might not be the s-strongest person in the Union but I still want to s-show that I can do it...!"

"Hm. I'm not as harsh as you think." Sanger crossed his arms, watching Fuuka carefully. She was so worried, and pushing herself so hard. It was heartening, but it was also dangerous. He knew it was tough, and he meant it to be tough, but he had to keep her safe. That was the first responsibility of a good master.

"That's enough. We shall take a small break. Have a drink." The training session wasn't over yet.

Fuuka didn't want to say it out loud but there was a sigh of relief that went through her head. As soon as she let her arms slump over, she gave out a huge gasp of air that she wasn't aware she was holding in!

When she started stretching her arms out though, she had to flinch a little from the dull sensation she was feeling. "Y-Yea, I think that would be for the best. I didn't realize my arms were in that much pain already..."

"This is hardly over yet. You can swing a sword, but more than half of any martial art is in physical conditioning. We will be doing something else once you've rested." Sanger said, watching closely for Fuuka's reaction.

"If you want to give up now, that's fine." He knows it's tough. And this is only the first session after all, there's no need to commit fully immediately.

With those words, she couldn't help but flinch. Again, she didn't mean to but to exercise much more than she was use to? This was going to take a lot longer than she thought. But then again, she did sign up for this and it was definitely something she had to keep on continuing. "A...All right then. I'm really not use to all of this..."

However, despite that, she shook her head. "But it's okay, I don't mind. I know it's difficult but I want to keep going. I might be weak but I still want to show that I can do something for people..."

"I see." Sanger doesn't say anything more, but he's definitely pleased. He knows it's tough, and the first hurdle is the hardest. She'll just have to keep struggling.

"We'll work on your stamina after this. How do you feel about jogging?" Because too bad, they're going jogging. Sanger will join in too, don't worry about it! Maybe! "If you want to help people, you need to be able to keep going no matter what."

Again, Fuuka didn't say anything but if Sanger might hear carefully? He'll hear the sound of the girl giving a mumble or two. As she struggled to get up, she had to give another wince from the pain of her arm.

"I....I suppose so? Although, I do have to wonder how long did it take you to improve your stamina...?" She said in between pants. "It looks like it might take forever! And...I'm not quite sure how long much it might take for me." Which was why she was starting to wonder if this whole thing was worth it.

"That depends on what you mean. I'm still improving my stamina even now." Sanger pointed out. That was the truth, too. He was still in training himself. "A true master is an eternal student."

"But if you want to see instant results, once everything stops feeling like it's burning, you should be able to feel the results." Sanger didn't want her to give up. He gave her the option, but he hoped she would stick with it.

Right now though, she didn't quite listen to Sanger's words. Instead, she was too busy attempting to jog just so she could see her results quicker. You know what they say right? No pain, no gain!

Although, with her Espurr behind her, the Pokemon was getting more worried than usual! "T-Then does that mean I should start running right now? If it's going to f-faster...?"

"It's good to have enthusiasm," Sanger smiled, but gestured for her to sit down, "but you will end up hurting yourself if you don't rest when you have to. You said you are an engineer, right? Do you work late at night with no light with heavy and sharp equipment?"

He hopes the answer is no. He would actually be a little bit angry if she said yes. Training was supposed to be tough yes, demanding even, but safe. Always safe.

Thank goodness, she thought to herself. As she took another step, she quickly placed her knees to the ground trying to catch her breath. Despite how tried she was, she shook her head.

"No, not always. Sometimes only when things get really rough and I can't figure out how to make things work..."

"You should rest. Rest in one of your greatest weapons, and fatigue is the enemy." Sanger said, still on his feet. Of course, that doesn't mean he's going to stop trying to push Fuuka to her limits. Fatigue may be an enemy, but what he's here to do is to teach her how to overcome her enemies.

"And it's probably dangerous to be handling sharp objects in the dark unless you're truly skilled with them."

As she attempted to stand up, it felt like every part of her body hurts. It felt like her entire body might as well be screaming out in pain! At this point, she just gave a sigh before finally settling on sitting on her bottom. (And even then, it hurts too!)

"Well, I always turn the light on whenever I'm doing them! So it won't be that dangerous! And besides, it just depends on what I'm making really. I know a light won't be too hard to make for you though...!"

"Ah, don't worry about that. There's no hurry. A good student is its own reward." Sanger pulled a bottle of water out from somewhere and tossed it at Fuuka, before extracting one for himself.

"Another part of staying safe is being properly hydrated. We can't have you fainting from the heat or drying out."

She didn't need to wait another second for that! The moment that he gave her that water bottle, she started drinking like there was no tomorrow! But as soon as she was done, she immediately gave it to her Espurr who also did the same!

“Well, if you say so….” She mumbled to herself before attempting to get back up. “But it’s funny, I never thought that I would end up as a pokemon trainer though. Much less attempt to try and use a sword to fight. I know my parents would be screaming right now if they found out!”

"Take care of your parents. There's no need to do everything they want, but take care of them." Sanger managed a small smile, ever so briefly at that. He can't even remember his parents. His earliest memories were with his master, who taught him everything about how to live.

"But that means being strong. And I know you can do it. Not everybody has the fangs needed to protect those that they care about, but for those of us who have been granted this gift of power, I believe we have a responsibility to use it in a way that helps others. And that means plenty of training."

Should Zanger look even closer, he might see that Fuuka didn't really quite agree with him. However, she dared not to disagree with her teacher. Instead, she simply gave a nod. "R-Right, I know I have to take care of them."

Although, the problem was how can she take care of them when they didn't even see eye to eye on Fuuka wanted out of her future.

But on that note though? "What if...the people you want to protect? Don't necessary agree with you? Or rather, what if no matter how much you have talked? It seems like there is just endless fighting?"

Was it time for another lecture? It's probably time for another lecture. Sit tight, Fuuka.

"There's a lot I don't agree with many people about, but I defend them regardless. When I call myself the Sword that Smites Evil, I do not mean 'the evil that affects those I like.' I mean all evil, everywhere, that I can see, and I can reach with my blade.

Perhaps that's too much of a weight to place upon your shoulders, but if your goal is to protect your loved ones, then you will do so above their protests. If you are lucky, they will understand. If you are not, at least they will survive. But if you do not fight, then there is no chance of a reconciliation."

Again, Fuuka tried to fully understand what her teacher was telling her. But with that, she just chuckled a little. "I know, I would do the same. I know I don't like my parents but I know I would protect them. The problem is if they're willing to accept that or not!"

The fact that their daughter was more interesting in technology and pokemon instead of being a doctor in general. To think, she would be out and about fighting instead of doing the healing.

"Even if they don't accept it, I think that might be okay. Or at least, I hope so."