Gizmo would just let out a defeated sigh at that, but despite all of his grumbling he at least always seemed to suck it up eventually and trudge through it. And this seemed to be no different, though Jinny could tell that Gizmo was taking his time packing away his own gear. Resigned to getting his ass handed to him he may be, but that didn’t mean he was in any way in a hurry to make that fight.
Over in the center of the mat Slade was, despite his seeming bored stature, very much aware of the surrounding students. Most all of them weren’t worth noting in his opinion, biased as it was, but that did still leave a few notable faces. He wondered if it was just luck of the draw that had most of them in this class, or if it was just a quirk of these kids having had lunch more recently.
Either way he did have to give this class some credit, he had yet to need to start calling people over to the mat. Still the third fight had gone about as far as he had expected it too. Sixty-five seconds was the record for the class so far, and he had a feeling that a only few people here, mainly the twins and the girl with her hair in buns, might be able to make or break the ninety second hurdle.
Before he could muse further his next examinee announced herself. With a casual nod of acceptance, he waited for his daughter to make her way into the ring with him. Of all the student’s here he was curious about her performance the most. Especially after her demonstration with the guns earlier. It was a sly plan, and he was curious what her plan was here.
“On go, fight until a five count or you’re off the mat.” He reiterated, waiting for Jinny to settle into her stance. Once that was done, all that was left was “Go.”
Slade came in quick, or what was quick to most of the students here. He was holding back, a fairly large amount as well. All of his attacks were single moves. A straight or a sweep, a hook or a jab. Honestly the number of students that would fail in the first thirty seconds shouldn’t be high, as out side the speed it was far too straight forward.
Jinny breezed through the starting seconds, to her it was more akin to a warm up then anything to note. If anything, the simplicity of her father’s attacks was throwing her off. As they lacked any follow up. Not that meant it was any easier to land a hit, but Slade was never easy to hit.
Then the first shift came. Thirty seconds after the start. Slade’s speed didn’t much change, but the weight behind his blows got heavier. But more than that was the combinations’ he was now employing. Now each block had to be followed up with another, from a different angle, or a dodge. The window for retaliation shrinking.
For Jinny it was more like the ‘light spar she was used too, but he was still holding back. Still, she held her own. She was able to make attempts at striking back to try and steal the initiative in the fight, and in some cases succeeding. She was still a participant in the fight. And so far, was demonstrating that she was the best fighter in the class so far.
Another thirty seconds passed, one minuet since the start of the fight, and a roundhouse kick snapped out that, even blocked, took her off her feet. There was the strength she was used to facing from her spars. Rolling back to her stance, the fight continued. It was harder now; Slade was precise as always and even holding back he was hitting hard enough to leave bruises if he managed a clean hit. Something that was becoming more of a trend.
His reach, his speed, his strength. All of those factors kept Jinny on the back foot. Something she was fairly accustomed to when it came to sparring Slade. But her own skill and small stature were still things she had at her disposal. She was losing, but it was a slow decline for now.
But she knew that would change. And change it did, thirty more seconds. One minuet and thirty since the start of the fight. Slade’s speed and strength were now beyond what Jinny normally faced. But worse than that, she could see him now actually using his style of close quarters combat. And it hurt. Each strike was bone jarring, and there was scant time to even think between attacks. She had been pushed entirely onto the defensive, relying on near misses and mad scrambles to remain on the mat. But she did stay on the mat, bruises on bruises, ache on ache, she stay on the mat.
Thirty seconds passed agonizingly slowly, as each second required another desperate defense of some kind. But pass they did. And exactly two minuets after the start of the fight. Slade blurred past her defenses. And with a single, powerful, palm strike. Threw Jinny off the mat and into the crowd of students.
Even if she hadn’t been thrown so far, she wasn’t getting up in time, the wind having been violently expelled form her. Taking her ten painful seconds to get the ability to breath back.
Slade from his place, again in the center of the mat, looked out to her. “Impressive.” His voice shockingly loud in the silence that had descended as Jinny fought. It even sounded like he might mean that. “Next” No one seemed willing to test their own mettle so swiftly after the display. “Suit yourselves.” He would say after a moment, before calling out a student’s name.
Once Jinny was able to get her feet back underneath her, and Slade’s testing had continued. The first thing she hear was a familiar voice “Damn girl, I figured you had some skill but that was something else.” Bee was standing not far with a look of open respect on her face.
“Indeed, my brother wasn’t wrong when he said you were skilled, but that was still an impressive showing.” Came another voice, one of the twins this time. And judging from the stiffer more formal pattern it was likely Kiri. “Two minuets even. Something tells me that will not be an easy feat to meet or surpass.”
Snowdrops
Mistress Dizzy
Light the Dark
Majoraa
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LG
twave