Chapter 13: Physical Training

With each fight, Li's brain improved, sharpening his reactions and enhancing his timing. If his brain had previously been just a storehouse of information, it now reproduced this knowledge with precision, limited only by his physical body. 

By the time he reached the fifth dummy, the battle patterns had evolved. The dummies stopped taking simple counterattacks, improving their own defenses. Where Li once took 3 to 5 minutes to defeat a dummy, he now took 10. However, this small improvement was not enough to bring down someone who had experienced fighting since the age of eight. 

When the tenth humanoid appeared, Li felt a certain sense of danger. It was no longer a wooden dummy but a "shadow" of a human body, with no visible features, just well-defined skin and joints. 

"It looks like things are about to get serious." 

Without waiting for Jihan to prepare, the dummy rushed at him, taking the initiative for the first time since the training began. Preparing to block a punch, he defended himself. 

"A feint?!" 

The dummy changed its strategy, pretending to throw a straight punch but instead using its shin to strike Li's ribs with full force. Despite his body being more resilient, he hadn't fully healed from the last battle's injuries. Feeling the impact, he jumped back, trying to distance himself from the opponent. 

"It hasn't used the lower body until now!" Going on the defensive again, Li tried to protect himself while gathering information. "It doesn't seem as proficient with its legs as it is with its arms. I think I can use that." 

To test this possibility, Li used himself as bait. When the humanoid advanced to kick him, Jihan stopped retreating and threw himself towards the dummy. The sudden change made the distance too close for a kick. He then ducked, grabbed the dummy's leg, and positioned it over his shoulder, immobilizing it between his legs and bringing it to the ground, winning the fight. 

With the tenth dummy's disappearance, the eleventh appeared. 

"What the hell is this?" A shiver ran down his spine. "These things are getting creepier." A real mouth appeared on the dummy's face. 

Rushing at the boy like the previous opponent, the patterns repeated. This time, however, Li quickly took the initiative, noticing that the two were very similar. Again, when the dummy prepared to kick, he advanced. The humanoid smiled. As its leg reached the top of its arc, it came down with all its force, like a guillotine, striking Jihan's trapezius and knocking him to the ground. Immediately after, Li was expelled from the place, returning to the food court. Everything happened so fast that he still couldn't fully understand. 

"What was that?" he thought, recalling the last movements of the eleventh dummy, which were almost always mechanical. "But that last strike… that mocking smile… it was almost as if it was taunting me." Preparing to return to the stage, he tried to pull the same ball. To his surprise, it wouldn't come off the wall. A small message appeared above the object, making him frown in disbelief. "You've already taken this mission today? So I can't enter this place twice in the same day? What do I do for the rest of the day?" Looking at the large clock atop the mural, he noticed it was still mid-afternoon. Reflecting, he saw the library orb next to the combat training one. 

"I guess I'll go to the gym." Talking to himself, he headed towards the facility. Unlike the shop, it was near the food court. 

The physical training center was close to the plaza. Arriving there, he noticed hundreds of state-of-the-art pieces of equipment. "Compared to the old gym I used to frequent when fighting for Tai Lang, this place is paradise." Entering the door, he was stopped by a man at the entrance counter. 

"Hey, kid, first time here?" the receptionist asked. 

"You know your clients well," Li replied, noting the man's muscle size and concluding he must be the manager. "Yes, it's my first time." 

"It's easy to recognize newcomers, you don't have these!" Extending both arms, the muscle-bound man did a double biceps pose. "You really need a personal trainer to help you. I'm one of the best here, and I charge cheaply." 

"I thought you owned this place." 

"The owner isn't here right now. In fact, she should be arriving in a few minutes." The man withdrew and answered. "Well, it's 100 points for three days a week, what do you think of the promotion?" 

"You call that a promotion?" 

"In fact, I call it practically free!" 

Li had always trained with a coach since he was a child. Starting on his own now in an unfamiliar place would be disadvantageous. Moreover, he didn't have much time, so, gritting his teeth, he agreed, transferring the points. 

"Do we start right now?" 

"What kind of training and what weapon do you use?" said the man, smiling. "By the way, my name is Polnareff." 

"I usually do exercises for physical endurance and muscle growth." Li didn't quite understand the question. "But I don't use any weapons, just my fists." 

Polnareff looked at him as if he were seeing an exotic animal; but without caring much, he proceeded with the exercises. After about half an hour of training, a woman entered the gym. Her long brown hair was tied in a braid, her face marked by a large scar on her cheek, her thighs large, and her shoulders broad. She had a different kind of beauty from most. 

"Director, it's a pleasure to see you here! How was the meeting?" 

"Oh, Polnareff, it was a pain. The budget increase request for the gym was denied… again." The woman then turned her head, looking at the boy beyond the personal trainer. "What are you doing?" 

"I'm training the new kid; he's a wimp, but I'll turn him into a giant like me!" 

The director observed Li for a minute and then spoke: 

"Hey, kid! Why are you doing that exercise? It doesn't suit your body structure." 

"He assigned it to me, is it wrong?" 

"What kind of weapon do you use?" 

"I already told him, I don't use any kind of weapon, I fight only with my hands." 

The woman put her hand on her chin, supporting one arm with the other as she thought. "I doubt Polnareff would make such a silly mistake." 

"Why are you assigning an exercise that has nothing to do with what he wants?" 

"Director, you know! Everyone ends up using some kind of instrument, I'm just getting ahead of things, I…" 

"You're an idiot. Give me his payment; I'll handle this myself!" 

"Ame…" 

URGH 

The man's plea was cut off by a punch to his face, throwing him to the ground. Li swallowed hard. 

"That's for trying to 'get ahead of things.' I hope you get the message." 

The man quickly got to his feet, clutching his face. Bowing, he said: 

"Sorry and thank you very much, Ma'am." 

"Why did he thank her?" Li wondered. 

"Now…" The woman's eyes turned to the boy. "Let's see what you're capable of." 

Li felt a bit of fear but stood up and followed the woman. Passing through a door, he was surprised to see a fighting ring in a room next to the gym. 

"First, I want to get an idea of what you lack, so let's go one-on-one." 

"She wants to fight me?" Jihan wondered. For a moment, he thought about questioning the request, but remembering how she had taken down the brute, he quickly changed his mind. "Maybe it's actually easy for her…" 

The director then threw a pair of boxing gloves onto his chest. 

"You must be used to these, so let's do it your way. By the way, my name is Amelie. I hope we have a good fight." 

After all the training he had had against the dummies, he felt much better than when he arrived, so he confidently climbed into the ring. Without wasting time, he rushed at her. 

"In a hurry, aren't you?" 

Showing no intention to counterattack, Amelie simply began to dodge. After about five minutes, Li started to feel a bit of exhaustion. 

"What is this? Why can't I land a blow?" Another punch cut through the air, almost hitting the target. "I thought it was just my impression, but all my punches miss by a hair. It seems intentional!" Jihan took some distance to catch his breath. 

"Alright! I've got everything I need. Time to finish this." As soon as she finished speaking, Amelie instantly rushed at the boy. 

"FAST!" The only reaction he had was to try predicting her movement. In vain, he instinctively punched the air in front of him and, again, missed by a hair. 

"You're too slow, kid!" With a straight punch to the stomach, hitting the solar plexus, Amelie brought him to his knees. His eyes blurred for a moment, and he nearly lost consciousness. 

"This woman is a monster; how much brute strength does she have?" 

"You're quite resilient. Alright, I've decided!" Clapping her gloves together, she smiled. "I'll train you myself! Be here in the morning at this same time." Stepping out of the ring, she left through the door. 

"She's going to kill me…"