Phantom ~ [Simon Ghost Riley]

XXXIII. Self defense

'Ace' Everson - 11.13 am

"Here," Price says, patting one of his hands on his ribs.

"I know this," I smile at him.

"Show me then. Hit me with your worst," he says, his hands spread open as an invitation.

Price has been forcing me to do self-defense training a couple of days a week. Ghost had offered to take his place, but Price was firm about doing it himself. It was nice training with him, though. The man knows what he's doing and I can tell he really wants me to improve too.

"Ready old man?" I say with a chuckle.

"See how this old man handles you, sweetheart," he smiles as he raises his fists in front of his face.

"Alright. Don't hold back.." I take on a defensive stance before stepping forward.

"I won't," he says, his voice low as he gets in full focus mode.

I bite the inside of my cheek as I try to find a way to get through to him. It's not easy with him. Like I said, he damn well knows what he's doing. He and Ghost are the only ones who I haven't gotten through with yet. Soap is always way too confident, leaving gaps in his defense for me to jab through. Gaz is fast and precise, though he leans more to the defending side, giving his opponent the chance to lead the fight which is exactly what happened last time. You'd think König had it well with his size, but even my size had its advantages in a close-range fight. Keegan, on the other hand, was a strong one. I had only gotten him once when I was in recovery, though I still wasn't sure if he just let me win for the sake of it.

Price waves his hands, motioning for me to come closer as a smile tugs on his lips. It's hard to tell with his facial hair, but his eyes tell on him.

I start with a few hits that he all manages to block with his hands. My breathing gets heavier as the fight continues like this for at least two minutes. I can't exactly get through the way I planned, so I'll have to change my strategy.

That's when I notice Price gets ready to throw a punch. As his right-hand swings towards me, I throw my left arm up which blocks his punch. With my own right hand, I find an opening in his defense. With full force, my fist lands on his ribs in the exact spot he showed me just a minute prior.

He groans from the sudden impact. It's clear he hadn't expected me to get him.

I breathe heavily, shaking out my hands as I look at him. He's hunched over, his hands planted on his knees as he takes a moment to recover.

"Bloody fucking hell," he mutters quietly.

"I'm sorry," I say. "You told me to!"

"-Don't be," he hums low. "That was good, yeah," he says as he goes to stand up straight again. He squints for a split second before speaking. "Again," he says.

"Again?"

"Get on with it. Surprise me."

"Yes, sir," I say, getting my fists back in front of me again.

I step forward again and I can immediately tell Price picks up his speed. His fists fly at me faster and I have to try way harder to block all of his attempts. Some of his hits get through, most of them landing on my side and causing my breath to get irregular.

"Look at that," a voice sounds from behind me.

As my head snaps around and I notice Gaz, I feel an arm wrap around my thigh. The next second, I'm lifted up in the air and flipped right over Price's shoulder. Another second later, I'm thrown into the grass, my back hitting the ground with a soft thud. Price looks down at me, and one of his hands supports my neck which prevented my head from hitting the ground.