ALL NOVEL Chapter 85: Quick Learner
Alex nodded, He looked at Midnight in anticipation. He couldn't believe the type of power he just received, The fact that he could learn techniques if he was to just observe others doing them and then try doing it himself was just out of common sense. It was a thing for tales. Alex looked at his fist, 'But still, I don't' think I can completely reliant on this ability. As Midnight said, It wasn't like hers, It was close but it was missing a lot. I don't think she was talking about the lack of foot work or other fundamentals, but more about the punch itself… I think that this power will only make practicing new abilities easier as I could get a few things correct just watching it being done but I need to actually practice it a bit before I can actually fully learn it.' Alex thought, making sense of everything.
Midnight looked at Alex and said, "Since you copied me pretty well, Why don't you copy me again?." She said as she put the left foot forward and the right foot slightly behind. Alex nodded and did the same.
Midnight nodded, "Good, Now this is just plain boxing footwork, It's simple, gets you closer to the enemy or helps you get away from them. Most of my foot working techniques are iterations of boxing techniques, even some kicks are taken from top boxers which I hope was a sport in your world as well…" Midnight explained slowly.
Alex nodded and spoke, "It was a sport where I came from but we didn't kick… It was only fists, nothing below the belt…" Midnight nodded as well when she heard Alex's answer, She looked At Alex's feet and said, "Just follow what I do and try to do it in the same rhythm like me. Rhythm is one of the most important things in a fight. But we'll talk about that once you matter your own rhythm." Midnight did a small jump in that position. Then she started to jump as if she was skipping but keeping that same position.
Alex nodded, 'Just like what those boxers did, I just need to do this…' He remembered watching a match on TV while waiting for a job interview. Alex observed Midnight's legs, her hips, and her hands. He wanted to see how every part of her body was moving.
After taking a big breath, Alex tried to copy Midnight. "Good! You're doing it well!" Midnight spoke as she continued to her footwork. Alex kept his attention on Midnight, Following her rhythm as closely as he could. After some time, Alex was landing and jumping at the same time as Midnight. They were doing the same movements in unison. Midnight looked at Alex and nodded, "you're a really quick learner, I must say…" She turned to his legs, "You've learned the motion while idle. Now all you need to do is move as you're doing that. It does wonders if you need to quickly dodge or get closer to the enemy… Now follow me again!" Midnight looked pumped up when she saw how Fast Alex was learning.
She continued to teach Alex the basic footwork, followed up by dodging and evading for the next hour. After another hour of repetitive practice, Midnight looked at Alex and smiled, "I've said this many times, but you're a very fast learner, It's wildly impressive. By now, You've mastered the basic footwork… This is the foundation, now you can add other techniques to your move list as you do it. Speaking of which, Want to try that punch again?" She thought of something, Midnight looked at Alex with curiosity and waited for his answer.
Alex thought for a few seconds and nodded, "I do want to they that punch again. I feel like I won't lose my balance as much anymore… At least now that I've figured out how to work my legs in battle." Midnight nodded and smiled, "That is good but just keep in mind, You don't need to do those small hops back and forward every time, you learn it just to get the idea of how to work your feet. Once you mastered that, you can integrate it to when you're walking or running or even jumping. All I'm saying is just that you don't need to do those hops. It was just to learn movements. Your body will automatically learn to integrate it into normal movement. This is something I cannot teach you it will be a bit different for everyone. And I believe it can open ways for you to make your own moves with what you've learned…" Midnight explained slowly.
Alex nodded and looked at Midnight. She stood in a combat stance and spoke, "Come at me!" Alex took a deep breath and ran around Midnight, It was the same tactic but his movements looked a lot sharper. Midnight smiled when she saw Alex's movement, 'This scary man… It'll only take time before he can master everything I can teach him… Master Zhun's words were correct about this guy… It's only a matter of time before he becomes a titan among us…' She thought as she watched Alex jump towards her back.
Alex smiled, 'This feels lighter and I already know that I have more control over everything that I do.' He felt confident. Alex punched straight towards Midnight's back. This time, keeping in mind of his footing as well as balance.
"Not bad…" Midnight laughed as she turned quickly and put her hand around Alex's hand. She then used his momentum to spin around while grabbing his hand. Alex felt his entire body being pulled. But this time, he wasn't on the ground. 'What was that… She usually used my momentum to flip but this time, she only slowed me down… No harm is done to me at all…' Alex thought as he looked at midnight who was smiling. "You're an impressive one I must say… Good punch, You didn't lose balance so It was difficult for me to flip you." Midnight looked at Alex, Good form with the punch, it was still a bit off but just imitating from looking at me is very impressive." She added.
Alex thanked Midnight and spoke, "Do we continued with the techniques now?" He was eager to learn more. Midnight laughed when she saw Alex's enthusiasm and spoke, "No, take a break. It's been two to three hours since we started training. It's around 9 am right now. Take a small break, playback everything you did in your mind. Until then, It's breakfast time, Let's go and have a small meal…" Midnight said as she walked towards the room. Alex nodded and followed behind, 'I didn't even realize so much time went… But now, I do feel a bit hungry…' Alex then thought of something, "Do I need to go back and cook? I'd rather train more than go back to the room and cook more food." Alex lazily said.
Midnight smiled and looked back at Alex, "No, no. Meals are given during training. It would be made by the chef in the cafe inside of the facility but due to obvious reasons, we can't do that. But luckily, you seem to have someone here who can also cook…"
Alex looked back at Midnight and question, "Is Imani going to give the meals today?" midnight nodded in answer, "Yes, it's only for today… The chef is being tested today so it's a special occasion. From tomorrow on wards, we don't need to worry about cooking food on our own, even in the hotel as everyone will have been checked. The raw materials will also be brought under high security so really isn't much to worry about. You're lucky that Master Zhun has kept you under such a high spot in his mind to go all out for your security. It might have seemed like Ryan was doing it all but Master Zhun is the one behind all these orders. From your training to food and protection. He seems to have more interest in you as more powers are revealed about you… There might even be someone special coming tomorrow to teach you healing so you really are a lucky one." Midnight smiled. She continued to walk out of the room and continue down the hallway.
Alex followed closely behind as he thought, 'Why would he go so far to help me? He couldn't see anything when he tried to look into my powers so it doesn't make sense… unless… Did he see a slight glimpse of something that might have made him decide to help me to this extent… Or did he just believe that I was like Hana and that I would become another asset for the country later… I hope it's the latter as if it were the prior… My trust in him would decrease… The last thing I want is to be betrayed by someone again… I should be a lot more cautious about everyone's intentions, at least until I know that they mean well.'