Marionette

-Next morning

"Close your eyes," Akisame said. "Reinforce your mind."

Ohma sat cross-legged inside the training while Akisame was walking all around him while explaining this training. His eyes closed in a meditative position, feeling each breath he took, the inhalation, the exhalation, oxygen spreading his body.

"That fact that you can't eat much doesn't constitute as necessarily a disadvantage," Akisame explained, "Many in the world of martial arts practise intermediate fasting. When your stomach you could push awareness further to your normal state, feel your heartbeat as if it were a drum, the temperature in your body and everything around you, the sensation of air in your skin, and make an image of the environment in your mind through the sounds you hear."

He continued, "Sharpen your five senses, sharpen your nerves until you can feel even a serpent's breath. For today this will be your training."

No matter how Ohma tried to focus, the sensation of his stomach which started with a queasy feeling in his stomach had now turned into a stinging pain.

****************

-Next day, evening

"Ohma wouldn't be able to win his fight like this." The Elder said. "And Kenichi's training needs some reform."

The other masters gathered in the room.

Sakaki added, "And Akisame meditation wouldn't help him beat that punk, he is just wasting his time."

"What about my training?" Akisame asked.

"Ohma lacks stamina for a longer fight," Sakaki answered, "moreover you refused to fix his condition. It's one thing if a disciple loses a fight, it's worse if a disciple loses because of the master."

"As he describes it... he is against a Judoka, who outclasses him in mass, boasts of having a strong body and probably has the knowledge of using pressure point techniques mixed in with his throws, and Ohma would get tired of dodging quickly," Akisame said, "This is exactly the kind of challenge he needs to draw out his latent potential."

Sakaki opened his mouth to refute but stopped as he heard footsteps running towards the room entrance. The door slid open, revealing Miu and Kenichi carrying Ohma's unconscious body on his shoulders.

"Sensei, help!"

********************

-Some times ago

The three teens of Ryozanpaku stood near the bridge on the way to the school. Conversing about their own challenges and coming fights.

"You are going to challenge that guy again while starving." Kenichi. "Why don't you just avoid it?"

Miu then added, "Seriously you haven't taken anything but soup and some juice."

"It wouldn't be necessary if not for Akisame's stupid training," Ohma said feeling that the stinging in his stomach had painfully increased. "I don't need striking to beat him, I just need to calm my metabolism, consume less energy and win this fight."

Saying that Ohma moved to walk away then suddenly collapsed onto the ground.

"Ohma!"

*************

When Ohma opened his eyes he found himself lying on the sandy grounds of Kengan stadium of his dreamscape where he did his image training.

"I always said you are better than me in redirection kata." A rough voice said, "but are you still the same?"

As Ohma slowly got up, the figure of a man came into his view, black hair, which were tied into a ponytail that hung over his right shoulder. He had confident eyes with pronounced tear troughs and thin facial hair on his chin, wearing a grey cloak that covered most of his body. It was the figure of the man Ohma was most familiar with, Tokita Niko.

"What are you doing here, Niko?" Ohma said as he got back up on his feet.

"I came here because your subconscious felt I was needed here." Niko said, "I am a product of your imagination after all."

Ohma asked, "What for?"

Niko didn't reply and took his stance, "Let's make up for this opportunity and find out how far your redirection kata has progressed."

Before Ohma could say anything Niko dashed at him, just in time Ohma raised his fists to guard. Niko brought his fist down but instead of punching he grabbed Ohma's left wrist and twisted his arm.

"Weak mind to muscle reaction connection like this is why your Adamantine Kata sucks," Niko commented, "But that's not why I am here for."

Ohma gritted his teeth in pain from his arm, then pulled his grip to his right while delivering a strong kick to Niko's feet to the left.

'Redirection Kata: Weeping Willow.'

Niko spun in the air before landing on his feet.

"The most basic move of the Redirection Kata, Weeping Willow. By applying two forces on opposite sides It alters the trajectory of the opponent's attack by redirecting their flow of power. In this manner, the user can make their opponent's attacks miss as well as make an opponent lose their balance, allowing an opening for an attack." Niko commented. "Still your moments are way too excessive, it makes you predictable and drains your stamina faster. You can't put too much thrust on it."

Niko dashed again, this time he started laying a series of quick jabs. Ohma countered, deflecting the first by applying minimum pressure with little movement to their sides with the back of his hands.

'Redirection Kata: Flowing Edge.'

"That's it, at least your Flowing Edge is as good as before," Niko said. "Keep your movement to the minimum. Calculate the strike's angle of incidence, and push it away with the hard bone utilising minimum force at the moment of impact, changing its trajectory."

Suddenly he stopped striking as pushed forth with his elbow. Ohma stepped back and grabbed hold of Niko's arm, one hand on his wrist and the other on the side of the elbow. Then he twisted, with the same principle as weeping willows.

'Redirection Kata: Entanglement.'

Ohma heard Niko snicker as he grabbed grasped both his hand together and swept off Ohma's feet with a low kick while pulling his grasp hand in the other direction. Ohma felt his feet leave the ground as he spun in mid-air and landed back on his feet.

"Weeping Willow," Niko said, "Both Weeping Willow and Entanglement are best to used as a surprise and counters, if not, then soft-style users, experienced fighters and heavier opponents could easily break them."

"Now show me your Chi Blockage," said Niko.

Ohma complied. 'Make full use of the rotation of the shoulders and hips, twist yourself like rubber and throw it.'

But before his palm could even reach Niko he was sent staggering back with a kick to the face.

"Your preparatory movement for it is excessive, it would only work against a stunned opponent," Niko said before dashing in and grabbing Ohma by his waist.

'Redirection Kata: Change of scenery.'

Again Ohma felt his body leave the ground as hurled up into the air, spinning five times before he landed hard on the ground; on his back. He felt a shock then pain ran through his body, Ohma gritted his teeth and slowly got back up on his feet.His body felt heavy and head light, he found his leg trembling and breaths painful.

"Already tired," Niko commented, "but I guess you are running low on stamina."

Ohma tried to counter but he felt his leg heavy to move. He almost stumbled on his feet but then took a deep breath and relaxed. His body suddenly became light as if it was no longer him forcing them to move but pulled by an invisible force with invisible strings, like a marionette.

'Redirection Kata Ultimate technique : Marionette.'

"Relax your body, place all your weight on your bone structure, shift your weight to move, minimise your movements and use the lightest of force to perform them, feel the flow of power in your body and grasp control of it," Niko said, "master all this and you have the Ultimate technique of Redirection Kata; Marionette. It amplifies the body's internal power and allows control of the body with minimal usage of energy, enabling one to move and fight when their stamina is extremely limited. Now you remember."

Saying this Niko dashed again with a swinging arm, Ohma collapsed down and dodged at the last moment before grabbing Niko grabbing by his chest and right thigh.

'Redirection Kata: Weeping Willow.'

Niko countered by placing on weight his feet, Ohma retorted moving swiftly to Niko's back and going in for the ankles. Niko then spun with his hips and pushed Ohma off before he could get a grip.

"That's how soft style users fight," Niko said, "Using your brain more than your brawn, trying to get in control of your opponent's flow of power, be in control of the flow of the fight, always try to be one step ahead, using your best techniques as surprise counters."

He withdrew from his fighting stance and looked at Ohma.

"Still need some refinement in those movements, but for this fight, you are ready."

**************

Outside Ohma's mind, his body was on an attendant bed laying on his stomach, his shirt lifted, his back exposed. Akisame stood nearby with his casual expression in contrast to Miu and Kenichi who had the look of worry filling their faces.

"His body particularly isn't well adjusted on running on low energy output," Akisame said.

"His heart?" Miu muttered.

"There are two special types of hearts. Concentric hypertrophy, a thickening of the muscle walls of left ventricles in which contracting muscle sarcomeres are added in parallel; which means the heart can pump harder with more force allowing better high-intensity action like continuous striking power, or eccentric hypertrophy which stretches left ventricle cavity like a balloon making it bigger with the muscle sarcomeres are added in a series; this means the heart can pump a larger volume of blood in each beat. Both of these types of heart prove greater aerobic capacity," Akisame then explained, "but Ohma's heart is a physiologic hypertrophy which means it has properties of both, it's capable of transporting a greater amount of oxygenated blood to the working muscles while allowing you do high-intensity action without slowing the pace, allowing him to also have a better anaerobic power reserve not mention his abnormally strong cardiovascular system. The problem is that - he simply doesn't have enough fuel to power it - all his body needs a bit more rest to adapt to the current situation and he'll be back to normal."

Akisame finished explaining and then took a deep breath and then slammed his fist on Ohma's back. Kenichi screamed, "Why are you hitting his back? You said the problem was in his stomach."

"Each vertebra is tightly connected to the inner organs," Akisame explained while pressing each side of Ohma's back with his thumb, "Sometimes when the stomach is in pain, it causes a slight deformation in the cervical vertebrae, by straightening and massaging it one could directly treat the stomach without even directly touching it."

Akisame then raised his hand and slammed it d onto the back again. Ohma's body jerked like it was hit with an electric shock, and his eyes flung open as he gasped for air.

"The pain in the stomach gone right?" Akisame asked.

Ohma turned his head to Akisame, registering his surroundings and situation. "Yeah ---- it's gone, is it cured? Cause I am really craving a large bowl of ramen right now."

"No, I just eased your pain, full cure is after you pass the test."

"Fuck you." Ohma spat.