It was just about sunrise when old Thomas asked Conrad and Tom,
"So... first of all, what do you two know about fighting?"
Without saying a word, Conrad and Tom stepped forward and started fighting each other.
Well...
Calling it "fighting" would be generous.
They were jumping on each other, pushing each other around, rolling on the ground, and somehow looked more like a newly married couple on their first night than two guys throwing punches.
Old Thomas sighed.
"This brings back memories..."
A second later, he snapped back to reality.
"You two know absolutely nothing about fighting."
"I'll have to teach you both from zero."
First, Thomas carefully analyzed both of them.
Their height.
Their body type.
Everything.
Conrad stood at 6'2".
Tom was 6'0".
Conrad had a bulky physique, almost like a WWE wrestler.
Tom, on the other hand, had the body of an assassin—lean, quick, and agile.
Thomas immediately understood.
The two of them couldn't be trained the same way.
Conrad would learn boxing.
Tom would learn Muay Thai.
Conrad looked like the type of person who could dominate someone in a one-on-one fight.
Tom looked better suited for taking on multiple opponents, moving quickly, quietly, and striking before anyone could react.
After deciding their fighting styles, Thomas gave each of them one simple task.
He stood still.
"For Conrad..."
"Land one punch on my stomach hard enough to make me take one step back."
"And for Tom..."
"Land one kick powerful enough to bring me down to one knee."
Conrad went first.
He threw punch after punch after punch.
Nothing.
Thomas didn't move even an inch.
Conrad finally realized just how weak he really was compared to the old man.
Thomas smiled.
"My turn."
He threw the exact same punch into Conrad's stomach.
BOOM.
Conrad immediately threw up all over the place before collapsing onto the ground.
For the next few minutes...
He wasn't sure whether he was awake or asleep.
Now it was Tom's turn.
He stood in front of Thomas.
Took a deep breath.
Pulled his right leg back.
Gathered all the strength in his body.
And launched his kick.
"..."
"Congratulations, Tom."
Thomas was now on one knee.
Conrad couldn't believe his eyes.
How was Tom stronger than him?
A second later...
He realized what had actually happened.
Tom had accidentally kicked their teacher...
Right in the balls.
Thomas quietly whispered,
"...That might be the strongest attack I've ever taken."
Even worse than any fight he'd experienced in Redware.
Ten minutes later, both Conrad and Thomas were finally back on their feet.
The three of them couldn't stop laughing.
Thomas looked at Tom and smiled.
"You really are... something."
For the first time in his life...
Tom looked at Thomas...
And felt something he had never felt before.
For just a moment...
He saw the father he had never had.
The next morning, the real training finally began.
Thomas made Conrad punch a tree over and over again.
Tom had to kick another tree just as many times.
After that, Thomas introduced Conrad to four different punches.
Jab.
Hook.
Uppercut.
And finally...
The Thomas Special.
A combination that perfectly chained all three punches together.
Tom learned four different kicks.
Front Kick.
Back Kick.
Reverse Kick.
Spin Kick.
And finally...
The Thomas Special.
Jump.
Spin.
Kick.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Thomas even made them practice underwater.
"Water is denser than air," he explained.
"If you can move fast in water..."
"Imagine how fast you'll move in the air."
"The trees will strengthen your bones."
"The water will sharpen your speed."
"And repetition..."
"Will sharpen your skill."
Thomas looked at both of them before saying,
"Practice these same techniques for the next ten days."
"You won't reach the level of the fighters in Redware with just one month of training."
"But doing one thing a million times..."
"...is always better than doing a million things once."
"Oh..."
"And your hotel money also runs out in ten days."
"Fifteen dollars a night for one person..."
"Thirty dollars for food..."
"So once you earn enough money again..."
"I'll teach you the next lesson."
Thomas smiled.
"Hahaha."