Getting Ready

The second month after learning that Dre would be heading to China, Dash felt even more pressure, so he trained much harder than he had been doing.

"Come on, ten more push-ups!" Mr. Kim said, looking at the sweaty Dash who was breathing heavily.

Devon Lee, who watched her friend suffer, smiled and said, "If you complain so much, it's because you can't handle this simple training. We should just quit and focus on finishing watching the movies."

"Do you know I've been training for two hours longer than you?" Dash asked, looking at Devon as if she were his enemy in this training.

After Dash insisted that Devon join the training, she agreed and joined without fail every day. Additionally, according to Mr. Kim, they were about to learn the first movements of Kung Fu.

"That's what I'm talking about; my presence increased Sensei Kim's pressure," Devon said, elbowing Dash, who was drinking water.

Mr. Kim stood in front of his two students and said, "Kung Fu is a very ancient martial art that dates back to a long time ago when knights in China learned combat techniques to develop their fighting skills."

"These techniques have been translated into what is known as the five elements of Kung Fu. These include karate, taekwondo, judo, aikido, and Kung Fu in fighting style."

Dash's eyes sparkled with excitement. Right now, he was about to begin his indoctrination with the known movements of Kung Fu.

Mr. Kim ignored the fact that they called him Sensei and said, "We will divide the class into two phases. In the first one, you will learn the basic movements of Kung Fu."

"These techniques focus on basic principles such as posture, alignment, breathing, and combat movements. These techniques are practiced at an elementary level to help develop a skill set in Kung Fu and move on to the next level, which would be advanced."

Dash was not impatient; he just wanted to assess his adaptation to martial arts and see how good he was at performing these doctrines. He knew that Kung Fu is often described as a lifelong journey. While it takes years, or even decades, to reach an experienced level in this martial art, it is possible to learn the basics in a relatively short period, as Dre did in the known story.

"Follow my movements; first, we will learn the basic stance, and you will adjust it to the way you feel most comfortable." Saying this, Mr. Kim assumed a basic stance for Dash and Devon to implement.

"I thought it would be more amazing..." Devon murmured as she assumed the posture.

"This posture is known as the horse stance, a standard starting point for learning to throw punches," Mr. Kim said very seriously.

Dash then spread his feet to a distance of three to four feet from each other. He crouched until his hips were above his knees and straightened his spine by tilting the upper torso slightly backward.

Now he understood why flexibility was important for this; at least Devon had no problem as she practiced gymnastics occasionally.

"This is more complicated than I expected!"

Mr. Kim then said, "Use the horse stance to lower and stabilize your center of gravity when practicing punches and strikes with your arms. Remember to always maintain a straight posture to ensure that your body and muscles align properly."

"Alright, that's enough. Rest for two minutes, and then return to the horse stance until you no longer feel pain in your muscles," Mr. Kim said, letting his students rest.

Dash and Devon sat on the ground; right now, they were training in an artificial forest a few kilometers from their house, and the place was suitable because there weren't many people early in the morning.

After training and continued training, Dash, behind Mr. Kim's back, practiced movements he saw on the internet to avoid being caught off guard in a fight that never happened.

"You should train alone only once a day; that way, you might keep up with me in this training and not seem like you can barely handle your body."

Perhaps because he trained a lot, Dash, who was leaning against the trunk of an old tree, did not hear Devon's suggestion since he would normally respond, showing how tired he was.

But he couldn't stop; if he wanted to try participating in that Kung Fu tournament, he needed at least to adapt to fights and have a body acceptable enough not to make a fool of himself, which would really affect him mentally.

Still, Dash wondered if, hypothetically, he participated in that tournament, he would have to fight someone like Cheng or some other successful fighter. At least he should put on a good show and reach the quarterfinals.

"Are you listening to me?" Devon asked again, turning her head to look at Dash, who had fallen asleep.

"Alright, guys, let's continue with the horse stance, and now we'll throw straight punches!" Mr. Kim said, clapping forcefully.

Dash, who was asleep, opened his eyes, turned his head, and saw Devon staring at him, so he asked, "What happened?"

"Horse stance and straight punches," Devon said as she got up from the ground.

She didn't know what Dash's sudden obsession with martial arts was. They were incredible, but that's not the point of her doubts. Devon really didn't understand if her friend had suddenly gotten excited about fighting in that tournament; he mentioned every chance he got, but she hoped that wouldn't affect him if he really got his butt kicked.

Even at this point, Devon doesn't know why she cares about Dash. Everyone can take a beating, and if he really cares about this, a defeat shouldn't affect him. But she would be angry to lose; she had made sure to lose a few times in her life.

"If you want me to go to that tournament in China, you should at least not act recklessly, but also don't torture yourself. Injuries could end your hopes of participating in that tournament. By the way, is there a women's division?"

"There is no Kung Fu division, but we could look for a karate one since it's not very different and is easier to find around here," Dash replied, slightly excited about Devon's interest in a tournament.

Mr. Kim had heard about that Kung Fu tournament Dash kept talking about; he had done some research and knew that children between nine and thirteen years old could participate, so Dash, who was eleven, could be considered a candidate, but he fears he won't advance much among competitors who have trained since they were five.

"Alright, punch!" Mr. Kim shouted as Dash and Devon followed him behind each punch.

"Again, punch!"

Dash maintained his serene expression, feeling his legs burn, and muscles he hadn't used before began to ache. This was incredible; that feeling of pain was incredible, and he knew that in a short time, there would be more improvements.