"Huh? What do you mean, help you train?" A series of inexplicably suggestive images popped into the old man's head. He hurriedly shook his head to banish those decidedly inappropriate thoughts.
What kind of bizarre wording was that?!
Although confused, the old man slipped with practiced ease into the bearing of a master. He leisurely drank a cup of hot tea before speaking. "If you want to learn martial arts, the dojo's rules require you to pay tuition first."
"Martial arts? Who said anything about training in martial arts?"
Bang: ...
Before the old man could glare at him, Josen hurriedly explained, "I recently mastered a new psychic power, so I specifically took a day off to ask you to help me train, Master."
After hearing that, Bang sighed.
Starting today, I hate psychic powers.
But what can I do? I've already accepted his gift!
Looking the cheerful Josen up and down, Bang recalled the sight of him destroying the testing machine with a single punch and quickly laid down a condition. "Let's get this straight first. I won't help you practice that electricity-shooting psychic power of yours!"
"Oh, you mean this?" Josen opened his hand, conjured a burst of lightning in his palm, then casually snuffed it out. "Don't worry, this one's a shiny new power!"
Bang: ...
What is this brat trying to do? Show off his strength?!
The old man sighed inwardly, feeling that his chances of taking Josen as a disciple had become even slimmer.
Of course. With all those strange psychic powers, a shrewd kid like him would have to be out of his mind to take an interest in martial arts!
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Astonishingly loud thuds came from the mountain behind the dojo, shaking even the dojo's floor.
Feeling the intermittent tremors beneath their feet, the disciples of the Flowing Water Dojo had already gone numb.
Could humans really make such terrifying noises while training?
Our master's level truly was beyond the reach of ordinary mortals like us!
Among the crowd, Garou gave a quiet snort.
That annoying bastard. One day...
The view shifted to the mountain behind the dojo.
Bang-
Without the mountain peaks muffling them, the dull blows became terrifying explosive booms!
Two blindingly fast figures chased each other across the ground and through the sky, occasionally crossing paths and tangling together.
The deafening noises heard at the dojo were the sounds of their clashes.
Josen steadied himself in midair after being sent flying backward. Sweat covered his bare torso, and the AT Force Field before him shattered and vanished like an illusion. Even he couldn't help breaking into a cold sweat. "Hey, hey, hey! Punches that hard could kill someone, couldn't they? You're seriously going all out, old man!"
"So it's 'Master' when you want something, and 'old man' when you don't!"
On the ground, Bang rolled his neck, pulled off his shirt, and tossed it aside, revealing an inhumanly powerful, lean physique. "That damn force field power of yours hurts when it hits me too, brat!" he complained.
Josen's mouth twitched. "Didn't you tell me to hit harder? This was supposed to be training, not a fight to the death!"
"Heh..." Bang flashed a wicked grin, as though some seal inside him had cracked open. "How can you call it training if you don't treat it like a fight to the death? Take this! Tooth-Piercing Finger!"
The old man instantly crossed thirty meters and attacked him in midair. A lethally sharp menace radiated from the thrust of his joined fingers!
"Holy shit!"
The flow of time abruptly slowed. Absolute Domain spread out to block the incoming strike, and the barrier formed from soul matter rippled violently, nearly reaching its breaking point.
Before he could catch his breath, an unbroken stream of attacks followed, flowing endlessly like the tide, with the occasional earth-shattering blow concealed within.
Bang, bang, bang!
The barrier formed by Absolute Domain nearly collapsed under the attacks that poured in like quicksilver. Struggling just to maintain it, Josen was put through hell by the nasty old man's sneaky, underhanded strikes.
Still, pain and pleasure came in equal measure.
The more he got beaten, the faster his proficiency with the AT Force Field increased. As his control improved, he lasted longer against a certain little old man fighting at full power.
Holding a cup of hot tea, Bang remarked with a cheerful smile, "When you get old, you really ought to get some vigorous exercise." He exhaled a straight plume of white vapor, looking as though he'd just stepped out of a bathhouse, his expression indescribably content.
"Heh, heh..."
Having voluntarily spent an entire day as a punching bag, Josen laughed like the world's biggest sucker.
That nasty old man got carried away and completely forgot to hold back.
Still, he had gained something.
[Fantasy Card: Body Flicker Technique Skill] [Card type: Ability Card] [Rarity: SR] [Description: The essential footwork of Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist.] [Effect 1: Flash Step] [Use special footwork to move as smoothly and swiftly as flowing water.]
Without betraying anything, Josen learned the purple card in his hand.
Ding! Freebie +1.
Huh?
The smile on Bang's face suddenly froze. In the blink of an eye, that familiar feeling emanated from Josen again, making his heart skip a beat.
Did that brat steal another one of my techniques?
You haven't even become my disciple yet!
After spending a day at the Flowing Water Dojo, Josen felt he had gained quite a lot.
Although Bang had been a reluctant sparring partner, once the training truly began, he slipped into the role of an accomplished master passing on his knowledge.
Josen had always been self-taught, and his established combat habits were difficult to correct. Still, he drew connections from what he learned and discovered many shortcomings he had previously overlooked.
Spider-Sense, for example.
He had always relied on Spider-Sense's passive warnings in combat, never considering developing it further.
Against an opponent of Bang's caliber, Spider-Sense, which worked well even against Demon-level Monsters, became somewhat unreliable.
Their strength and speed were still roughly on par, but the gap in experience and technique was enormous. Even if he saw the trajectory of an attack in advance, he couldn't distinguish a real strike from a feint, let alone anticipate the changes that followed.
The result was a beating.
Fortunately, Absolute Domain's defenses were strong enough. Though the old man hit hard, he had no intention of actually assaulting a police officer.
At the end of the day, aside from severely depleted psychic power and a slightly pale face, Josen was more or less fine.
Taking a brutal beating was nothing. What mattered was discovering the gaps and shortcomings in his abilities.
After all, only that would help him...
No, the more I think about it, the angrier I get!
Developing his abilities couldn't happen overnight. Now that he had a general direction, what mattered was that he would settle today's score sooner or later!
"Why not stay for a simple meal? One of my disciples is quite a good cook."
Bang had thoroughly enjoyed himself today. At first, realizing his moves had been stolen left him a little annoyed, but by now he practically wanted to keep Josen there for three days and nights.
With his strength, finding a punching bag tough enough to take his blows wasn't easy.
Looking at it that way, signing up for Hero recruitment really had been the right choice.
"No thanks. No appetite. Goodbye!"
As the nasty old man smiled and urged him to stay, Josen narrowed his eyes and rubbed his brow, delivering his three-part refusal.
"Come again next time!"
"Next time? Definitely not!"
Before you continue