The Moon and Polaris

Chapter 3: Training: Day One

Kiki sat cross-legged on the pavement of the empty lot as she listened intently to Iori's lecture.

"... And that's why your legs are also an important part of your arsenal. Any questions?" Kiki shot her hand straight up and Iori pointed to her, "Yes?"

"I wanna fight now!" she declared. "I'm ready! I'm ready!"

With a sigh, Iori beckoned Kiki to stand, "Fine, but I'd better see some improvement from earlier today."

She hopped from her seat, stood tall, and saluted her teacher, "You got it, Mr. Yagami. I'll do my best!"

The two of them stood a few feet away from each other, both of them staring each other down as they positioned themselves into their respective fighting stances.

"Ready?" asked Iori. Kiki nodded. "Let's go!"

The two of them rushed at each other; Kiki raised her fist and brought it back, getting ready to throw a punch. Iori crouched and kicked outward, connecting with Kiki's ankles. She cried out as she was knocked to the ground. Quickly thinking, she caught herself and rolled away before Iori could land another hit. Kiki closed the distance between her and Iori again, this time choosing to duck down and kick at him. Iori hopped back outside of Kiki's range and threw a purple fireball down to the ground. It snaked towards her and hit her shin. Stumbling back from the searing pain, Kiki retreated once more and struggled to stand back up. As she attempted to stand, Iori had already closed the distance between them and kicked straight at her chest. The wind knocked out of her body and she flew back from the impact, sliding a short distance across the pavement.

Kiki heard footsteps approach, but she laid still on the ground, breathing heavily as she tried to keep her mind away from the pain in her chest, back, and leg. Iori loomed over and gazed at her with his usual cold glare.

His brow furrowed slightly, "There was an improvement, but not much." Kiki groaned from exhaustion and disappointment. Crouching down, Iori continued, "It was a fluke that you managed to last this long this time around." The girl pouted and remained silent. "Just what were you thinking when you tried to attack me?"

"I just wanted to hit you," replied Kiki. "What else do you think I was trying to do?"

Iori shook his head, "What about defense? Counterattacks? Anything?" With a frown, Kiki averted her gaze and shook her head. He pinched the bridge of his nose and stood, "Get up." With a grunt, Kiki pushed herself up and rose to her feet. "Hmph, at least you can do that much. Now, listen. I'm not going to repeat myself." Kiki nodded and stared straight into Iori's eyes. Raising a finger, Iori began his lecture, "First off, you're predictable. You start off each fight the same exact way: you run towards your opponent and attempt to punch them at your shoulder height."

Kiki closed her eyes and pondered for a moment. The fight just now, the one from earlier this afternoon, the day before that, and the day before that... Yeah, he was right. Every fight started just like that. She nodded with a newfound understanding.

"Now," Iori continued, "this may work if your opponent knows jack shit about you, but once they catch on, they'll counter it right away. Usually with something like a low kick or a grab, depending on their fighting style."

"Hm, yeah, that makes sense--oh, wait!" Kiki dug through her back pocket and pulled out a small notebook and pen. She opened it up to the first page and scribbled down some notes. "Got it, got it." Without looking up from the notebook, she continued to write. "Keep going, Mr. Yagami."

Iori paused. When Kiki turned the next page of her notebook, he continued, "As I was saying, while this approach can get countered, I'm not saying you should stop doing it. It's just one of the many ways you can start. If you have different opening attacks, it'll keep your opponent on your toes. Understand?"
"Yeah! Yeah!" Kiki quickly jotted down more notes and filled up more pages. "Totally get it!"

"Alright. My other point." He shot her a glare, "You're holding back."

Kiki's pen stopped and she looked up at Iori, cocking her head, "What do you mean, Mr. Yagami?"

"Don't play dumb with me. I know you can hit harder than you did during this fight just now." He tapped his stomach with his fist, "Remember when you knocked me to the ground? When you hit me right here?"

Kiki bowed her head and rubbed the back of her neck, "S-Sorry, that was--"

"Don't apologize." Iori approached her and demanded, "Hit me like that again."

She blinked. Her mouth hung open. She almost dropped her pen and notebook. "Uh."

He stepped closer, "Didn't you hear me? Hit me."

A blush rose to her cheeks. "M-Mr. Yagami--"

"Now."

Squeezing her eyes shut, Kiki let her fist fly straight to Iori's chest with all her might. She heard his footsteps stumbling back a few paces. Cautiously opening one eye, she looked and saw Iori with a slight smile on his lips.

"That's more like it, my student."