Match of the Millennium

Description: Kenzo and Ishida have a quick training session before the finals.

[KENZO]
Kenzo stands alone in the second area of the fitness complex. Instead of holding either of his two signature weapons, he's holding a stick with a tennis ball on the end.

He isn't interested in sparring or working on any physical attributes. No. Kenzo wants do something a bit different. When Ishida arrives, he will be more than happy to explain his motives.

For now, the ninja is content to idly spin it around various directions as he waits.

[ISHIDA]
Despite notching up a win in the first part of his NFG journey, his failure to make an adequate showing in any of the New Zack Island competitions had been weighing heavily upon him. Shock and Roll's battle against Lisa Hamilton and a squad of Zack clones had wrecked his spirit. Their battle against reanimated scientists and soldiers quashed almost everything left.

Luckily, it's been some time since then. Recovery at the base camp and dinner buffets on the Mermaid have revitalized his body and soul. With a return to routine, the aspiring Shaolin student has finally gotten some color back into his skin and regained definition in his muscles. His arm remains bandaged to a thin splint -- though that's largely a precautionary measure at this point.

When he turns the corner to the mirrored area, he arches a eyebrow at Kenzo's new 'weapon'. A faint smile crosses his lips as he approaches. He's ready to work out, dressed in baggy black pants and a loose grey t-shirt. And as he steps close, he plants his right fist in his left palm, bowing formally at the waist.

"Hello, Kuroiwa-sensei. Thank you for inviting me here today." He does not actually ask about the tennis ball -- but his eyes show his curiosity.

"I hope all is well with you."

[KENZO]
Kenzo had came into Zack Island segment going from the highest of highs of being point leader and undefeated among the first season competitors to the lowest of lows of early elimination from team competition then followed up by falling to Lisa and the Zack clones and finally the raid on the secret lab where he fell to one of his former mentors who wasn't in control of her actions. In each case, things started going sideways when Kenzo was the first to be removed from the fight forcing Ishida to carry on (admirably if you were to ask Kenzo) without him.

Unlike Ishida, Kenzo did see some bright spots. Kenzo had practically ran through the Zack copies until Lisa was forced to intervene. He just wasn't able to do anything about her intervention since Ishida and Arisa were doing a better job of landing hits on her than he was. With the raid, he managed to get through a wave of zombies and then get some good hits in on the second wave and Veronica but even then, he still was the first to go down, even with an assist from Max and whatever the hell is in her saliva.

As for right now, Kenzo is focused on the future. What he can improve on for himself and Ishida. What things that Ishida does that he can incorporate into his style even if they aren't similar fighters.

"The idea of being called sensei still feels strange to me. I'm far from mastery and just a year ago I was in your place. Senpai seems more appropriate. I'm well and I hope things are well for you."

Kenzo takes a moment to bow to Ishida though not as deep.

"As for why we're here, my goal is to think about how we respond to things, why we respond to them that way, and alternate responses. I'll deliver the same attack three times at the same speed and I want you to respond to it differently each time. I want you to think of that tennis ball at the end of this as the business end of whatever is trying to hurt you. It could be a weapon, a fist, a foot, whatever. When you take your stance, I will know that you are ready."

[ISHIDA]
Sensei. Senpai. Is it true what they say, that traveling to a dramatically new culture can mean forgetting your home language? Ishida winces, bowing his head lightly in apology. "Of course, Senpai!"

Not wanting to grin too openly -- as that, too, is something that can be a little threatening to native Japanese -- he nonetheless shows his appreciation for things going... well, not as -roughly- as on the island. "That is good to hear. I, too, am well."

He pauses, before adding, "I am glad for the greater variety in food, here."

After rising from his bow, he takes a step sideways as a precautionary measure. Though, it seems to be unnecessary, as Kenzo takes the next few moments to explain the upcoming lesson. Three attacks. Same speed, different responses.

Digesting the thought, he then nods briskly. He scans the area around him briefly, then selects the best place to stand. He raises both hands in a knife stance, ready to deal with the incoming attack as best he can, knowing that the first one may be something of a mystery.

He would say 'Ready,' but Kenzo already explained that he doesn't have to.

[KENZO]
Kenzo watches as his kouhai rises from the bow and shifts into his stance. Observing the subtle information provided by stance he has a general idea of what to expect as his response to his first 'attack' but he was open to being surprised.

He steps forward and jabs the tennis ball tipped stick right for Ishida's chest. It's clear that he's not going at full speed. He wants Ishida to see it coming, respond, and think about why he responded that way.

He then steps back to his original position, giving Ishida about ten seconds for a chance to think about other responses. Then he delivers the second thrust at the same location, at the same speed, letting Ishida respond one more time before taking a moment to step back.

Kenzo doesn't give Ishida as much time between the second and third attack as he gave Ishida between the first and second attacks. Maybe a little less than two seconds. Even still Kenzo still delivers the attack at the same speed to the same location, letting Ishida respond a third time.

After the third response, Kenzo steps back to think about what his next attack will be.

[ISHIDA]
Ishida is ready for a full-speed attack. There is a little lift of his eyebrow the instant he recognizes that the tennis-ball-tipped-stick is moving at a fraction of his mentor's typical speed. And yet -- he recognizes that the intent is to demonstrate, rather than to test.

Accordingly, he moves with a similarly slowed rate of speed to meet the charge: he takes a half-step backwards and raises his leading forearm. The aim is clear: by contacting the ball with his forearm, he blunts the momentum and redirects it away from his core, with the cost of meeting the blow head-on. His focus is directed towards the ball while it is in motion; when the ball is retracted, he turns back to Kenzo.

In the midst of combat, ten seconds is an eternity. Ishida makes use of that time by stepping back into his former position, and regulating his breathing.

When the second strike comes in, Ishida pivots in the direction of his hips, effectively mirroring his stance so that his right hand is now leading whereas it had been following before. The tennis-ball-tipped staff whistles past his chest, and Ishida makes clear that he would step forward into a counterattacking strike with his right hand.

Again, Kenzo steps back; again, Ishida resets into his former positioning.

When the third strike comes in, Ishida chooses instead to lunge -into- the strike, rolling his fists like an old-style lawnmower. The first strike upon the staff will redirect that force downward, so that it's tucked beneath his right arm; if it hits him in the torso, the force will be diminished. But, with the weapon defended, Ishida's now got the reach for a series of three Wing Chun punches to batter against Kenzo's guard. Of course, both the speed and the force of his punches are purely nominal.

Afterwards, Ishida returns to the spot from before as soon as Kenzo does. His gray eyes stay fixed upon Kenzo's for further instruction.

[KENZO]
Kenzo would most likely use Ishida's first response. It's probably due to how basic it is in nature. It's instinctual to the point that even people without training would attempt respond in that fashion. The second response however is the most interesting to the ninja. Utilizing a change in stance from orthodox to southpaw as a defense was not something he thought about potentially incorporating until this moment but also had the advantage of changing the power hand for someone who might not have trained against someone with the capable of using both stances and forcing an opponent out of their element. That might be something Kenzo might want to try some day. The third one well that might require some adjustments for him to work into his game plan.

Upon making his next attack decision, Kenzo takes a step forward to deliver a lateral swing the tennis ball tipped stick for the calf muscle of the lead leg. Once again, it could a weapon strike but it could also be imagined as a calf kick if one were so inclined.

As Kenzo did before, He resets but this time, he gives Ishida eight seconds to think about the next potential responses. Kenzo then delivers that swing at the same speed he did previously before returning to original stance.

This time, Kenzo waits for about four seconds before delivering the final swing. At this point, changing how much time Ishida has between swings is as much part of the drill as th swings themselves.

[ISHIDA]
At first Ishida was a little confused by the pace of the exercise. He'd been through combat with Kenzo before, and he feels like this was a few steps back from what he had already demonstrated. But... he trusts his senpai's judgment. He knows his elder has had time to review the footage -- and in fact, he'd reviewed some at his own leisure.

Perhaps it is time to rehash some of the basics -- as his being forced to accelerate past some of them may have been the cause for his performance in the underground laboratory. And with that in mind, Ishida sets his jaw, preparing himself for the next round of attacks with a fresh outlook.

He decides to start off a bit more boldly this time, staying true to his focus on momentum. He sways sideways, lifting his leading foot over top of the incoming attack. But -- he's also using the pivot as a pretext to bring his trailing foot into a snap kick. Gravity forces him to move in real time, but he compensates for that by stopping his snap kick short of actually making contact with his mentor. When the ball swings down, his left foot would land on the other side of it -- and he keeps his right foot jacknifed high to show how he -might- have followed through.

A moment passes -- and in the eight seconds, he's able to hop backwards and reset himself. He nods in tacit readiness ... and prepares for the second approach.

This second time, he drops his elbow onto his knee, bracing the bones in place as his sturdy muscle does the work of absorbing the impact. With the blow stopped, Ishida also takes a half-step forward -- slowed, this time -- to show that he'd be using the stopped limb or weapon as a way to keep the opponent momentarily moored in place for a shoulder rush. Again -- he stops short of actually making contact, but the intentions are, hopefully, clear.

With four seconds to reset, Ishida seems to anticipate the third motion before Kenzo initiates it. This time, the Shaolin student aims to preempt the attack itself, delivering a reversed palm punch to the inner elbow of Kenzo's swinging arm. He's moving slowly -- but the shuddering of the mirrors when his trailing leg stomps down upon the padded floor shows that there would nonetheless be a lot of force behind the palm punch that would have followed -- if he hadn't softened the strike to a mere whisper-soft touch.

He steps back, eyes watching Kenzo for a response -- but offering nothing but a blank slate on his own facade.

[KENZO]
It's time for Kenzo to once again analyze what the kouhai was doing. He had to say that all three responses had an appeal to him whether it was skipping over the attack to deliver one of his own be it with his foot, the sickle part of his kusari-gama, or his fan. The approach of the second response is also relatively similar to how he'd respond though he'd hook and trap with the sickle or use war fan to hold it in place though the shoulder rush after might be something to incorporate as well. The third one, the proactive approach can be appreciated by anyone if they have the ability to anticipate their opponent and are also not on the receiving end.

"The reason I wanted to train like this is because it's rarely a bad thing to go over the basics. Also I'm aiming for a mindful training session."

He lowers the tennis ball stick to his side as a sign that there's going to be a pause in the session.

"I could be wrong but usually the first reaction selected is a person's go to response. I recommend training the movements each of those responses. As you do so, think about why you're doing each of those movements and which situations are better suited for one response over another. Perform them slowly at first to help with mechanics but have the later repetitions be as close to combat speed as possible."

Kenzo then extends the hand not holding the stick outward, gesturing to him as if he was getting ready to turn the floor over to him.

"Is there something specific that you want to improve on?"

[ISHIDA]
"... Ah, I see."

So that was it. Ishida smiles and nods in agreement. "Mindfulness was a big part of why I entered fighting. And yet -- the pace of battle on the island was such that I did not have adequate time to reflect on the lessons learned." He nods, further demonstrating his commitment to the idea.

As he draws back, he tries his first response to the second three attacks again, but without Kenzo as the target. He starts with a more gradual, intentional build up to speed in the pivot -- but a much -swifter- strike, now that he is able to go for a full extension. It's probably something he's practiced a number of times in the past, sure -- but executing it again feels different, somehow. Fresher.

Drawing in his breath, he squares up his shoulders to Kenzo once more, regarding the open handed gesture.

"I... feel a return to basics will help. But one thing I have had the most trouble with is recovering pace. Resuming momentum, when I have been staggered by a series of attacks."

He spreads his hands for a moment -- and then bends his knuckles with intention, in such a way as to demonstrate the rigidity of his joints.

"I feel as if sturdiness is one of my strengths, but against some opponents, I get flustered. Disoriented. And recovering balance and initiative becomes much more difficult. Do you have any suggestions?"

[KENZO]
"It probably didn't help that a good portion of the fights was under a significant numbers disadvantage."

The ninja takes his empty hand to rub his chin in thought. It's hard for Kenzo to think of the answer for that. He is used to forcing opponents to operate at his tempo from the beginning. Most of his losses came from losing his hold on momentum and then never getting it back. If anything, Kenzo suspects that he might be the worst person to ask about that particular subject.

"I have to admit that it something I have difficulty with too. However, your durability will buy you time that others wouldn't have."

Like Kenzo himself. Unfortunately the best advice he could give himself is hit them hard.

"I have to be honest. I haven't really figured that out myself and best answer I can give is that hitting them hard enough that they have to stop and think about it might provide enough of a shake up that the flow of the fight changes and setting it up so you can take away their choice about how much damage they receive."

Kenzo shrugs since it is answer that he isn't sure about.

[ISHIDA]
A significant numbers disadvantage. That's definitely one way to say it.

"Hmm... I suppose that's true. And hitting them hard is... Definitely a strategy I have pursued against many of my opponents. Though... I think..." He frowns for a moment, scratching at his chin. "Well... perhaps it is more of an issue of sifting through to the right data points. For instance... Roxana and Max both had a way to place me into grappling holds that I had difficulty maneuvering around. In those cases my durability was something of a liability, as it allowed both of them to keep maneuvering more nimbly around me."

He smiles -- and almost immediately, slackens his stance, moving a bit more nimbly upon his feet. He's still in a kung-fu stance -- but one more befitting of tai chi.

"Do you think it would be worth looking into styles other than Iron Shirt?"

[KENZO]
Kenzo nods as Ishida mentions Roxana and Max specifically. Those two in particular present problems that are unique.

"Roxana and Max each have things that make them difficult to deal with. The strategy I gave at the party specifically for Roxana would still /mostly/ apply. Pressure with attacks that are either quickly delivered and/or quickly rechambered and force her to deal with attacks that difficult to avoid or counter. If we find it necessary to jam an attack, it would have to be at a moment where it is hard to give an adequate response to it."

Kenzo then thinks back to their fight with Wild Things as well as their raid. Most of the former was spent focusing on Buck and with the later he did get bits and pieces of her style from that but a good portion got lost after he fell.

"As for Max, her ability to focus in on her opponents make her difficult to find an opening to hit her hard while taking away her choice of how much damage she receives. I suspect once again that fast attack speed might be the better route against her but even then, it isn't one hundred percent certain."

As for the supplemental styles Kenzo does have a few additional ideas.

"There are some fighters who find success with just one style so it might be a case of using creativity to close off a perceived gap. But if you wish to supplement with other arts and want to stick with arts of Chinese origin, I'd suggest Shuai Jiao if you want to add a grappling art or Baji Quan for explosive close range power. That being said, Muay Thai, Wrestling, Judo, and Boxing are also options."

[ISHIDA]
Ishida nods slowly, as Kenzo outlines his own take on the fights with Roxana and Max. And... perhaps unsurprisingly, he suggests a different approach.

In a lot of ways, it makes sense, Ishida realizes. Adding more styles to his repertoire certainly couldn't hurt -- but it might give more bang for the buck to stick with using creativity, as he says.

He refrains from commenting until his mentor delivers his full thoughts on the matter. No sense in interrupting, when he's getting so much good information, after all.

"I do think those suggestions are good. I definitely feel as if I was close to success on Roxana -- and an attempt to improve limberness may jeopardize the strengths I have spent a good deal of time cultivating." He smiles -- there's a chastened look in his features, but he's already learned to appreciate the insight and practicality of Kuroiwa's comments.

"Muay Thai and Bajiquan are certainly kindred arts. I think... they might be better for me, in that they also provide solutions for close-quarters combat that I have been lacking to date."

He pauses. And places his fist into his palm once more, with a faint grin.

"I do enjoy hitting people hard and hitting people often," he says, with a light air of humor in his voice.

He adds, after a light pause. "I am glad to be off the island. And for the NFG to be getting back to... 'normal'."

[KENZO]
Kenzo could kick himself. Baguazhang didn't pop into his head until just now but the moment to bring it up has passed. He can only mentally shrug at that.

The return of relative normality is mentioned and Kenzo's eyebrow rises in response. With the finals coming, the ninja had to note that there was nothing normal about the previous one, largely in part due to one of the parties responsible for the miserable experience on the island. Junko attacked Coco after having already won and was prepared to do the same to Kenzo but Team Metal's sponsors were prepared with barriers to protect the spectators and additional in case Junko decided that attacking another downed opponent was a good idea.

"Normal... With this particular crop of competitors, I don't see this season being as much of a mess as last season's. At least not without outside influence. Not as likely to hit a downed opponent."

Kenzo bows to Ishida and then upon rising, rests the tennis ball tipped stick.

"While normally, I would prefer a longer training session, we each have other things we need to do to prepare for the finals."

[ISHIDA]
It's okay -- Baguazhang is, along with Tai Chi, a style which Ishida had already committed some study to. Ultimately, many of the forms helped him, but without a sparring partner, his growth was a bit more limited.

What drew Ishida to Shaolin-style kung fu was not its combat effectiveness, but rather its holistic approach to enlightenment. Shaolin monks practice a wide variety of skills in order to become good at them all. While Ishida had certainly concentrated upon muscle conditioning, that was because it was easy to practice within the tight confines of a traditional Japanese home. Stepping out into the wide world has... taught him that the best way to learn is with others.

In a 'normal' way, rather than in a set of harrowing experiences that brought him back to the tragedy that forced him to -focus- on martial arts in the first place.

Ishida smiles faintly, as Kenzo alludes to the circumstances of the previous season. Sure -- there was certainly drama brought on by and to certain people. But without the vantage point of someone actually taking part in those activities, it seemed like such a faraway memory.

His smile faints; he takes on a more sober appearance as he nods with the clarification. The circumstances of Junko's failure to lose her match with grace are... definitely an exception.

"That is understandable," he says, not wanting to belabor the point. Season 1 may not have been beset by a demonic phoenix goddess -- but it did have its own share of drama.

Ishida presses his fist to his palm and bows to his mentor. "Indeed. I have many new avenues of study ahead of me now. I will begin studying as soon as I can -- and if we do not see each other before the commencement of battle, I wish you the best of luck."

He remains in place as long as could be polite -- but with as much as he'd just done, he's itching to get some practice time with Kenzo's latest lessons in mind before he hits the showers.

Log created on 10:48:17 11/13/2024 by Kenzo, and last modified on 07:42:46 11/17/2024.