"Huh? What do you mean by asking me to help you train one on one?"
The old man shook his head quickly, banishing a series of inappropriate images that had somehow surfaced in his mind.
What a bizarre way to phrase it.
Though puzzled, Bang adopted the dignified posture of a master, slowly sipping his tea before speaking. "If you want to learn martial arts, dojo rules require tuition first."
"Martial arts? Who said anything about martial arts?"
Seeing Bang's eyes narrow dangerously, Jordan rushed to clarify. "I recently mastered a new ability, so I took the day off. I'd like you to give me some special training, Master."
Bang sighed deeply.
Starting today, I officially hate superpowers.
But what could he do? He'd already accepted the gifts.
Bang studied Jordan's sunny expression, recalling how the kid had punched the testing machine into scrap metal, and quickly established boundaries. "Let me be clear. I am not sparring with your lightning power."
"This?" Jordan opened his palm. Lightning crackled to life, then dissipated just as quickly. "Don't worry. This is a brand new ability."
Is he showing off? Flexing on me?
The old man sighed internally, feeling his hopes of taking on a disciple grow even more distant.
With so many flashy superpowers at his disposal, the chances of this kid caring about martial arts were practically zero.
An earth-shaking explosion echoed from the back mountain. The dojo's floor trembled.
Feeling the continuous vibrations beneath their feet, the Flowing Water Dojo disciples had grown numb to the phenomenon.
Can humans really create such terrifying sounds during training?
The master's realm truly exceeds mortal comprehension.
Among the crowd, Garou snorted softly.
Those annoying pests will get what's coming to them eventually.
Back Mountain Training Grounds
Without the mountain peaks to muffle the sound, the dull thuds transformed into devastating explosions.
Two impossibly fast figures chased each other across ground and sky, occasionally colliding in blurs of motion.
The noise reaching the dojo was merely the echo of their clash.
Jordan flew backward, stabilizing himself mid-air. His bare torso glistened with sweat. The AT Field in front of him shattered like broken glass, dissipating into nothing. Cold sweat ran down his spine. "Hey, hey! A punch like that could kill someone! Old man, are you serious?!"
"You only call me 'Master' when you need something, but 'old man' the rest of the time?"
On the ground, Bang stretched his neck and pulled off his shirt, revealing a physique that defied his age. Muscles like carved granite rippled under sun-bronzed skin. "You brat, your weird force field ability hurts like hell when you hit back!"
Jordan's eye twitched. "Didn't you tell me to go harder? We agreed on training, not a death match!"
"Heh." Bang grinned wickedly, like a seal had been broken inside him. "How can it be proper training if it's not life or death? Take this! Fang of Flowing Water!"
The old man launched himself thirty meters into the air. Killing intent radiated from his finger strike, sharp enough to pierce steel.
Time slowed. Spider-Sense screamed warnings. Jordan manifested the Absolute Territory to block the incoming attack. The barrier formed from soul matter fluctuated violently, nearly reaching its breaking point.
Before he could catch his breath, a relentless torrent of strikes followed. Each attack flowed like water, occasionally concealing devastating killing blows.
The Absolute Territory barrier cracked and reformed under the mercury-smooth assault. Jordan could barely maintain it. The old man's underhanded tactics beat him within an inch of his life repeatedly.
Yet pain and growth were equivalent.
The more punishment he endured, the faster his AT Field proficiency increased. Control improved. Duration extended. He could withstand the old master's full power for longer each time.
Later
Bang held a cup of hot tea, chuckling contentedly. "When you get old, you really should exercise more." White steam escaped his lips. His expression matched someone who'd just enjoyed a perfect bath.
Jordan, who'd volunteered as a punching bag for the entire day, voiced his grievances weakly.
That old geezer got carried away and started hitting me without restraint.
Still, there were gains.
[Fantasy Card: Instantaneous Movement]
Type: Ability Card • Rarity: SR
Footwork techniques from Flowing Water Rock Smashing Fist.
Effect 1: Instant Step
Special footwork allows fluid, swift movement as smooth as flowing water.
Jordan studied the purple card calmly.
Bang's smile froze. In the blink of an eye, that familiar aura emanated from Jordan again. His heart skipped a beat.
Did that brat steal another one of my techniques?
You haven't even formally become my disciple yet!
After spending the day at the Flowing Water Dojo, Jordan felt he'd gained substantial benefits.
Though Bang had been reluctant initially, he'd eventually entered the state of a true master teacher during actual practice. Knowledge flowed naturally when he taught the Way.
Jordan's fighting style had always been unorthodox. His established habits were difficult to correct completely. But he'd still managed to draw inferences from Bang's lessons, discovering numerous shortcomings he'd previously overlooked.
Spider-Sense, for example.
He'd always relied passively on its danger warnings in combat. Never once had he considered developing it further.
Against an opponent of Bang's caliber, even his Spider-Sense, which worked perfectly against Demon-level monsters, became somewhat unreliable.
Their speed and strength were roughly equal. But the gap in experience and technique was astronomical. Even when he observed the attack trajectory in advance, he couldn't determine feints from real strikes, much less adapt his tactics mid-combat.
The result? He got thoroughly beaten.
Fortunately, the Absolute Territory's defense proved strong enough. Though the old man hit hard, he didn't actually intend to assault a police officer.
Aside from severe mental exhaustion and a slightly pale complexion, Jordan emerged from the day's work relatively unscathed.
Getting beaten was nothing. The important thing was discovering the gaps and deficiencies in his skill set.
After all, identifying weaknesses was the only way to improve.
Developing abilities couldn't happen overnight. At least now he had a general direction. The important thing was getting revenge eventually.
"Would you like to stay for dinner? One of my disciples has excellent cooking skills."
Bang was in an exceptionally good mood today. He'd been annoyed initially when he realized Jordan had copied another technique. But now? He wished he could keep Jordan for three days and nights straight.
With his strength, finding a punching bag capable of withstanding serious beatings wasn't easy.
Thinking about it that way, joining the Hero Association recruitment had definitely been the right choice.
"No thanks. I can't take anymore. Goodbye!"
The old man smiled and tried to persuade him to stay, but Jordan squinted, rubbing his temples, and refused three times consecutively.
"Come again next time!"
"Like hell I will!"