CHAPTER 31: One Stances, Two Stances

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[The Stances have been refined for a long, long time and they have become so basic that even if one is a mage, you must still learn a Stance. There are easier and harder Stances, with the easier ones being those that are created by nations and organizations for their soldiers and the harder ones being those that are possessed by families with long histories or nations in their storage.

Stances are the basis of every Ranked's training, and they form the core of their fighting style. Choose the wrong Stance, and you may just have ruined yourself. That being said, it is very unusual to find a Stance that is perfect for yourself, so most people just make do with what they feel or perceive as the most comfortable for them...Excerpt from: A THESIS ON STANCES BY LAJAH ORMANI]

[George's POV]

Huh? I watched Professor A's finger move towards my direction.

What in the world is he doing? Why is his finger in my direction?

"Subject George, would you please come here?"

What's this? Is he asking me to come up there?

I moved sluggishly to the mat. When I got there, he told me to stand behind him and he turned to the rest.

"I will now demonstrate the three basic positions of the Pain Federation's Stance. They are the attack, defense and movement positions."

There were snickers from the group.

He turned his body to the right, bent his knees and got into a sumo wrestling position.

"This is the defense position. When used correctly, it can be used to defend yourself from a potentially fatal attacks and turn it into a counter attack. Make sure to note my body positioning."

He called out to me.

"Subject George, attack me."

"Sir?"

"You heard what I said. Attack me."

"I'm sorry sir, but I can't do that."

"Are you refusing an order, Subject George?"

Scenes of people dying because of refusing orders flashed through my mind. I steeled my resolve.

"No sir."

I ran towards him and threw my hand towards him with all my might.

"Haaaaaaaaaa!"

He smirked and threw me over his shoulder.

"Too weak."

Before I knew it, I was embedded in the wall with my head leaking blood.

I fell back to the ground moaning in pain. But because of all the beatings I've been taking these days, I was able to get back up quickly.

I looked back to see Professor A explaining to the rest about the mechanics behind what happened.

"What I did, which you would've noticed if you were watching closely was to use Subject George's weight against him by leaning back and letting his punch go over my shoulder and then gripping his shoulder and waist while sweeping his foot with mine. That all is important, but the most important thing is to able to throw him. You can skip this step if you want, but you'd just end up with your opponent falling down and you falling down with him. Although you'd have your arm on their shoulder and waist, it'd be pretty hard for a beginner to use it against them."

"If it was me, I'd get them into a joint lock using that position and break their arm. But it requires precise timing. What you just witnessed is only possible because of my level of power and how weak he is."

I stumbled back to the mat amid the stares and scorn of the others. Professor A walked towards me.

"Well, I was planning to use you to demonstrate the attacking position, but I don't think you're up to the task."

Holding my aching sides, I responded.

"With all due respect, I agree."

I fell to the ground groaning.

"If you don't mind, I'll watch from down here."

"I'll have to use someone else now.....Subject Doan, come up."

A guy who was shaking in his shoes came up. It was obvious from his face that he was dreading this.

"I will now demonstrate the attacking position."

He put one of his feet behind the other and held up his hand in a boxing position.

"The Pain Federation doesn't like to teach their solders any fancy techniques. They think it's too expensive, so they teach them boxing instead. That is the attacking position, a simple boxing stance."

"The last position is the one for movement. When they teach it to the soldiers, they like to use fancy words to wow them into believing that they're actually learning some important technique, but in reality there is no technique for movement. The best I can tell you is to find your own movement that lets you move the fastest."

"That's all I have for you, so I'll now show you how to mesh all the positions together."

He got into the attacking stance and gestured to Doan.

"Try to attack me. Don't worry, I'll take it easier on you that the last person."

Doan didn't move an inch.

"Did I tell you don't have an choice?"

Doan moved, although slowly. He started in a walk then progressed to a run. When he reached Professor A, he punched out. Professor A swiftly changed to the defense position. He caught Doan's hand and threw him over his shoulder.

Doan fell to the ground while Professor A moved away.

"Get up."

Doan struggled to his feet. Professor A moved towards him but this time in the attacking position. He then proceeded to give him a beating that I personally found entertaining, as Doan was one of the people who's been beating on me lately.

Doan fell to the ground once again, but this time with worse injuries. I watched in anticipation of the injuries he was sure to sustain as he fought Professor A some more.

"Get up."

Doan looked up in disbelief.

"Sir, I don't think I can still fight."

"What did you just say? I'm sure you didn't just refuse me, that would be impossible. After all, I'm sure you value your life. So like I said, get back up."

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