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Post by Deleted on Apr 29, 2022 5:44:19 GMT -5
• Kame House Island • It was yet another calm, peaceful and sunshine-filled day on Master Roshi's island. The ocean was sparkling blue, the sky met the horizon unimpeded, and only distant clouds could be seen. The breeze was - as usual - nice and cool, with the pointed leaves of the palm trees of the island swaying gently. In the time since Trunks and Rosalind had sparred, both had had time to improve and learn from Master Roshi. So, the young warrior had decided to call his new friendly acquaintance and organize another friendly bout; and if it was one thing Trunks expected, it was that Rosalind would be better, because the old master didn't mess around when it came to training. Well. Not too much, anyway.As like last time, Trunks had spread chalk powder on a section of the narrow beach. The outline was a circle this time, a bit smaller than the previous spar square, which would promote tighter quarters. There would be less room to back up, so both opponents would be in each others face for most of the spar. Trunks had worn his typical workout clothing, which consisted of the black sleeveless tank top, black pants and his yellow boots. This time, however, Trunks also had some thick straps on both wrists and ankles - weights, designed to make punching and kicking harder, to more fully workout the body. He didn't expect Rosalind to do the same, though. And, speaking of, his sparring partner arrived: "Rosalind, hey. I've heard you're improving quickly," Trunks said in a solemn tone as he turned to look at Rosalind. "It's been about a week? Has Master Roshi had you carrying the heavy milk crates and working on striking the training dummy?"Trunks recalled his initial training sessions with the old master, where the methods had seemed odd and out of place, but after time began to - slowly - make sense. There was no doubt in Trunks' mind that Rosalind was probably questioning everything about the master-pupil arrangement, but hopefully she would stick with it, because the benefits in the longer term were definitely worth it. Still, they were both present for training, so Trunks entered the chalk circle and started to control his breathing, as he waited for his sparring partner. "I'm going to put a bit more into this one," Trunks said, as he stared at Rosalind and offered a small smile. "Ready?"With a few quick hops on the balls of his feet, to loosen up and prepare, Trunks tested the wrist weights with a few jabs into the air. They felt good. Then, without further delay, the young warrior stepped toward Rosalind and started the spar with a front kick aimed at her stomach - again, nothing to injure, but the strength applied was more than last time. Once the kick reached the apex, Trunks pulled his leg back and immediately performed a side kick with the same leg, before the boot had even returned to the ground, his body pivoted sideways. Then, using that motion, the young warrior pushed off his ground-standing leg and closed the gap with a short jump, before he finished with a quick jab at the center of Rosalind's chest, palm open and forward! "Don't be shy. Hit me."Personal Word Count: 540/540 Thread Word Count: 540
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Post by Deleted on Apr 29, 2022 11:23:24 GMT -5
The first week as Master Roshi's pupil was over, and Rosalind could feel some positive changes in herself already. At a first glance, most of the tasks she received seemed like household chores that the old man was tricking his gullible apprentices into doing for sheer amusement. But the twists he added to those tasks, such as wearing weighted clothes or blindfolds, made it a good exercise nonetheless. She could understand that, and for the most part wasn't too indignant about having to do occasional cleaning or carry groceries. However, she still questioned his reasoning as to why she had to wear certain garments. Was he really making sure she didn't overheat when directing her to wear just a sports bra and shorts? She wasn't even sure she could overheat, even if it was fairly warm outside; it would take temperatures far higher than that to cause discomfort to her. Such doubts, and the need to appear as a regular human, were the main reason why she didn't protest too vocally.
It was how she showed up for the spar, too - barefoot, with a white sports bra and thin yoga pants that didn't even reach her knees. This was her latest Roshi-approved uniform. That, and a set of wrist- and ankle-bands that at first made her limbs feel unwieldy, causing even the simplest tasks to consume a lot of energy. Having gotten used to them after a while, she continued wearing them even at work, at the lab - although she did take the wristbands off when performing tasks that required precision. Rosalind figured it would be best to stick to Roshi's routine as much as possible, even outside the lessons.
"I think I improved some, yeah. Not that I did much combat training. None, actually. I did repaint the house," she gestured towards the pink building that was still the same exact shade of pink as always. Even while performing the task, she could barely see the difference as she applied fresh paint. Like as not, dozens of students were doing this same task every year. "I was wearing the wrist weights while doing that, and they were new to me then, so the task was more difficult than it sounds." She was also wearing tight shorts, as per the master's recommendation, while the old man himself sat cross-legged below the ladder and sipped a drink, watching her work - although that part she decided to leave out. "Oh, and I walked on a rope he tied between the house and one of the trees, which definitely improved my balance." In fact, so far that had been the only exercise that didn't involve doing something around the house.
"I'm actually looking forward to a bit more... orthodox training," she admitted, stepping into the circle and assuming a defensive pose - turned sideways to her opponent, arms balled into loose fists in front of her to meet any incoming blows, her left leg ahead of the right one, knees bent slightly. "Ready when you are."
Even while wearing weights, Trunks moved faster than he did last time, showing just how much he had been holding back. She shifted to the side, evading his initial kick, but then the youth renewed the attack, with the same leg, without any pause. It was a surprisingly fluid motion. Caught off-guard, she blocked the kick with her left hand only partially, still receiving some of the impact to her stomach. That wasn't all - he also used the same kind of shove that concluded their first spar. She jumped backward to avoid it; the attacking hand still connected with her chest, but since she was already moving in the same direction as it was, the impact got significantly reduced. All it did was send Rosalind a bit closer to the edge of the chalk ring than she intended with that retreat.
She moved towards the center again, circling the warrior, looking for weak spots. Trunks was urging her to try hitting him as well, which she was more than willing to grant him. Stepping forward, she shot her right fist out, towards his chest, but brought it back to a defensive position before it could reach the target. "Did you save the world from any more evil masterminds since we saw each other last time?" she asked casually, before offering another half-hearted punch with her right hand, aiming high - for neck or face, hoping he would try to duck.
Immediately after the second feigned attack, she dropped down, holding her weight on her left leg, while performing a sweep with her right one. Whether it succeeded in knocking Trunks' feet off the ground or not, she would spring back up, ready to defend.
Personal word count: 785 Thread word count: 1,325
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Post by Deleted on Apr 29, 2022 12:10:26 GMT -5
• Kame House Island • From the sound of it, Master Roshi was putting Rosalind through the paces, and Trunks suspected he knew a portion of what was expected. The revelation that the house had been repainted was no surprise, the pink dwelling always seemed in a constant state of upkeep, and the addition of weights while doing that activity made sense. Not only that, but Trunks was a little surprised by Rosalind's outfit, it seemed fairly... skimpy, compared to what she had worn earlier in the week. But, far be it for Trunks to judge someone's choice of clothing, especially when they barely knew one another; at least not beyond coordinating the takedown of a villainous lair, destruction of a weather machine, and joining as students under the same master. But, beyond that, there was a lot more to find out. Maybe she, uh, likes to dress like that? She does look nice, so it suits her if she did."Yep, that sounds like Master Roshi all right," Trunks said with a grunt. "Don't get discouraged. He does that kind of stuff all the time. The orthodox will come."The initial opening engagement went well, Trunks felt, as he landed several strikes. He was also happy to see Rosalind up close and doing what she could to block and evade. The more fighting she did, the better she would become, as her instincts began to grow and develop and her prowess improved. For his part, Trunks tried to display different potential options for attack, so that Rosalind could witness them and begin to remember and recall techniques. Not only would it expand her own repertoire, but it would supplement Master Roshi's martial arts teachings when those began. It was like getting a sneak peek before the movie came out, Trunks supposed. Then it was Rosalind's turn. The right punch Rosalind threw was intercepted by Trunk's left palm, as he raised it to block the extended strike; but the brunette pulled back the punch before it reached, which caused Trunks to smirk. Rosalind did like her feints, certainly, and the young warrior wondered how many would happen before the real attack came. Another right-handed strike was sent, as Rosalind asked about Trunks' activity through the week. "No, no more lairs destroyed or world ending machines in the last few days," Trunks muttered, his blue eyes on his sparring partner, as he ducked the second punch. He was excited to see what she did next. "How about you? Anything happen outside Master Roshi getting you to paint?"At that moment, Rosalind performed a well-executed leg sweep, which caught Trunks around the ankles. He felt his weight shift, and toppled sideways-- "Nice one!"--but, instead of being on the sand, Trunks floated with his stomach downward about a foot off the ground. He looked like he was suspended from a rope tied to his back. Ki energy to fly was helpful sometimes, and in this instance stopped the young warrior from getting a face full of sand. Trunks lowered his hands and boots, touched down, then stood back up quickly and adopted his usual fighting pose - arms up, legs shoulder width, with balance spread evenly between forward and back feet. "Soon you'll be able to do that, too, I think," Trunks said, as he referenced the levitation. "Master Roshi will help you unlock your Ki energy."Still, it was time for a counter, and Trunks moved forward suddenly. He used a bit more speed, closed the gap with Rosalind in a heartbeat, as he stood to her left side - shoulder to shoulder. With a smirk, Trunks reached out for a grapple, as he attempted to grip both hands on Rosalind's left arm - one hand on the forearm, other on the bicep - and, should it succeed, did a hip toss that was aimed to send his sparring partner into the sand on her back. "Heads' up!" Trunks said, as he anticipated her position on the ground, and added a jump stomp with his knee, though honestly he lightened the impact with some manipulation of his flight; he didn't want to hurt Rosalind, after all, just give her a realistic example of what could happen after a potential hip toss and prone position... I can see the improvement in her balance already. Master Roshi has some odd methods at times, but they work... somehow.And with a backward roll, Trunks came up from his tuck into his defensive stance and prepared for Rosalind's follow-up. Personal Word Count: 726/1,266 Thread Word Count: 2,051
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Post by Deleted on Apr 29, 2022 15:57:16 GMT -5
For some reason, she experienced an odd sort of relief upon learning that her one-time ally apparently hadn't embarked on too many heroic adventures alone, after the one that they partook in together. She couldn't figure out where that feeling came from, or why she was curious about her companion's endeavors in the first place. There wasn't any time to delve deeper into these thoughts to analyze them, however, because it was her turn to answer questions.
"Oh, no, I haven't been doing anything so exciting. Just some slow-going projects at work." More specifically, she had been assigned to the group of RR scientists trying to recreate the weather device, and was pretending to help them as they worked with the blueprints. The same ones she herself had altered to lack key information. With every passing day, her life seemed more and more like that of a secret agent, and less like that of a regular scientists she had once been. Rosalind had certainly uttered more half-truths and blatant lies in the past two weeks than she had in the entirety of last year, too. And now she was even learning martial arts, something that had never held particular interest for her. Surprisingly, she had to admit that the activity was quite enjoyable.
Her two false jabs successfully got her sparring partner exactly where she wanted him - evading an attack to his head by diving below it, thus not being ready to change direction and dodge a sudden sweep from below. The fact that he didn't finish his fall was quite disappointing. "That seems almost like cheating," she complained. Still, Rosalind noted the technique. She could fly with ease, thanks to the alterations made to her body, although she hid it from both Trunks and Master Roshi. Perhaps she could imitate that trick, as she already imitated so much of what Trunks had shown her.
She didn't respond to the remark about 'unlocking' her Ki; there truly wasn't much she could say without it being a direct lie. In fact, she hadn't even thought that Roshi might teach her anything about focused energy and flight - his tasks so far had been so reliant on strength, balance and endurance, all overly down-to-earth. At least now she would know what to expect. There might be a need to pretend she was learning all of it as a complete newbie. A waste of everyone's time, really, time that could be spent learning something she actually wasn't able to do.
The next offensive maneuver that came from her opponent was completely new to her. Rosalind had only just started to turn towards and move away from Trunks when he locked her arm in a two-handed grip. As she sensed herself being pulled off the ground and falling, there was a sudden urge to attempt floating right before she hit the ground, seeing if she could succeed. But common sense won, and she felt her back slam into the sand, the impact made stronger by Trunks' knee that was pushing her downward at the same time. This was certainly another combo she would need to try out.
Rosalind pushed herself off the ground and brushed the worst patches of sand off her clothes and skin with a few hurried strokes, before readying herself to resume the fight. "That was an interesting move, makes me wonder how many more such tricks you have up your sleeve," she said. Closing in the distance between them with two resolute steps, she was about to perform a kick with her left foot, when her digital wristwatch made a beeping sound. Uh-oh. She cut the attack off, leaping backwards instead, and held her right hand up - calling for a pause - while her eyes scanned the six-digit sequence displayed on the gadget's screen. The RR superior officer was demanding her presence, using the new code issued to her shortly after her semi-successful mission against Unmei. It was not her scientific expertise that they would be wanting now.
"Sorry, I have to go - something urgent at work. I do wish we could continue," she was already moving backwards, out of their spar circle and towards the hovercar. Oh, how she hated her employer at the moment. "We should reschedule, I'll text you when I'm finished with whatever they need me to do!" With that, she leaped into the vehicle, started its engine and zoomed off over the water.
Personal word count: 733/1,518 Thread word count: 2,783
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Post by Deleted on Apr 29, 2022 18:31:27 GMT -5
• Kame House Island • Rosalind's comment about floating caused Trunks to scoff. He could see how it might be considered 'cheating', and he supposed when used against someone who - presumably - couldn't use Ki for similar feats, it might have been. But one thing Trunks always tried to do, even in spars, was accurately try to emulate real fighting. Granted at the present the young warrior had to keep his power level lowered, to avoid injury of his lair-busting companion, but suspected that in time both of them would be able to amp up the intensity. Again, for Trunks, it came down to providing the odd move or skill that Rosalind would learn in time, but had the benefit of seeing beforehand. Hopefully it wasn't discouraging, but more inspiring of where Rosalind could be, with some time and effort. And even then, I'm not as powerful as others in this timeline, Trunks thought to himself, as he considered his encounter with Goku. Jr and the whole misunderstanding that came from that. For now, though, I'm enough."Once you can levitate and fly, it opens up all kinds of possibilities in a battle," Trunks said simply, as he kept his gaze steady on his opponent, as he circled with her. "Never be reluctant to use everything you have. Your enemy won't hold back, either."It was with a degree of success that Trunks performed his hip toss and knee smash, though he took no pleasure in performing it, as Rosalind was learning from - essentially - step one. Still, the point remained, that Trunks would do whatever he could to help expand her knowledge and experience alongside Master Roshi, and going through some of the new techniques involved getting thrown or punched. Trunks had certain taken his own licks in his timeline, under the tutelage of Gohan. But that was a bitter-sweet memory of a time Trunks hoped to alter and make better, for all concerned, so he pushed that from his mind and focused as he expected Rosalind to make a move... "I've learned a few things, here and there," Trunks said regarding his use of flight to levitate. "There's one or two tricks, yeah."That was when Rosalind shifted her weight, onto her right foot, and Trunks prepared for a kick from her left-- *Beep, beep*--but the counter strikes never came, as Trunks watched his opponent back away and hold up a hand - effectively pausing the spar - and seemed to check a communication watch. There wasn't much to do except wait, but that wasn't an issue, as Trunks lowered his guard and observed casually. After a few seconds, the young warrior stepped over to the edge of the sparring circle and bent down to retrieve a bottle of water - from several - that had been placed into the sand near the chalk powder outline. While his companion went about checking the message or alert or whatever it was, Trunks took a moment to have a few sips of water, and to mentally prepare himself to continue after the - hopefully brief - break the pair were now having. "Something important, I'm guessing?" Trunks asked absently, as he put the lid back on the water bottle and returned it to the sand hole. He walked back into the middle of the sparring circle and raised his eyebrows. "Not another villain lair is it--"Rosalind announced she had to leave, with something urgent at work cropping up, to which Trunks nodded. Not everyone could get by being a time displaced martial artist, with no real career options and a sensei to offset living requirements, after all. The young warrior offered a quick flick-wave of his fingers, then watched as Rosalind exited the sparring circle, walked to her hover car. But, before she entered, she added that they should reschedule. "Okay," Trunks nodded again as he watched the hover car depart. "I'll be here."Determined not to let the opportunity go to waste, since Trunks was warmed up and ready to spar, he looked toward Kame House and called out. Within a few minutes, the old man hobbled out with his cane in hand, as he peered around - ignoring Trunks, to begin with, and possibly looking for Rosalind. The young warrior stood silently, patiently, and waited until his master zeroed his thick sunglasses back on him. "What? What is it?" Master Roshi asked, confused. There seemed like a moment where the old man wanted to ask about the departed companion, but didn't. "What's going on with you?""I have a spar circle, but no partner right now," Trunks said simply, his tone lowered as he rolled his shoulders and neck. He looked to his teacher, one eyebrow raised. "No point wasting it, Master Roshi..."Recognition passed across the old man's face, before he grinned and picked up his cane, to then bound back into the house. "I'll change, be right back - don't start without me, hehe!"Trunks cleared his throat, amused at the joke, but then prepared as he dug his boots into the sand and prepared his stance for when his next sparring partner returned... Personal Word Count: 845/2,111 Thread Word Count: 3,583
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