𝐃𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐑𝐞𝐝 - [ʜɪᴀᴛᴜs]

𝟎𝟔𝟔.𝟓: 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠

After Mikey left back in 2006, you started to work out. A suggestion made by Draken. Unsurprisingly, the boy uses exercise as a way to ease his mind. The workout distracts him, in a way. No wonder he's so jacked at 15.

You hated working out in Draken's room. The brothel he lived in had thin walls. All you heard were the workers and customers having... 'Fun' in the rooms next door. You suggested going to the Sano Dojo to work out. Even mentioning walking or jogging there is a good pre-workout. Of course, Mr. Sano didn't mind the two of you using his dojo.

It seemed like Grandpa Sano actually enjoyed the company. Occasionally popping into the dojo to check on you and Draken. Even giving you two bottled water and sliced fruit.

A few weeks go by and Gramps offered to train you. You didn't hesitate to accept.

Grandpa Sano was actually more gentle when training you. Compared to how he previously described his training. You were sure the old man didn't want to discourage you or even frighten you. Of course, he was still very serious about his work. Though he was very stern at times, he never once insulted you or compared you to Mikey.

But Gramps was stubborn. When it came to actually having a move performed, he told you the best way to teach was to experience it firsthand. Meaning he insisted on you performing an attack on him.

You were against the idea. Even though you didn't know his real age, it was clear he was over 65. You suggested investing in a punching bag or even having one of your friends take the hit. This is where you can tell where Mikey got his stubbornness from. No matter how many times you tried to suggest a different method, Grandpa Sano always shut it down and insisted you practice a move on him.

Eventually, you caved. When you would practice a move on him, he would tell you to try again. The more you tried, the more he scolded you on how soft you were hitting. The two of you, once again, butt heads over the topic. You suggested punching bags, he shuts it down. You suggested bringing in Draken or Chifuyu to take his place, he shuts it down. Gramps then told you he would stop training you if you didn't hit him harder. To you, it was a stupid reason to stop training you. But you caved, once again.

With the increasing amounts of times you'd practice on Grandpa Sano, his body has increasingly gotten frailer. Every time you noticed the old man get genuinely hurt, you'd remind him of the suggestions you gave, telling the man they were still very possible. But again, the man refused to take them.

After almost a year of training, Gramps' body had almost fully given out. Having sharp pains and soreness daily. At first, you scolded Grandpa Sano for not listening to you in the first place. But soon, you started to blame yourself.

Maybe if you were more gentle when suggesting different methods, he'd listen. Or maybe if you were more stern. Finally, Gramps admitted to being hard-headed and took your suggestion to rest.

Thankfully, the Grandpa Sano had old VHS tapes from when he used to teach full-time. They all consisted of a young Mikey performing the moves. The one filming varied. When Grandpa filmed, the camera was straight and steady. Even having Mikey break down each step. As well as giving pointers and tips. Which was very helpful.

On the other hand, Shinichiro's recordings of Mikey were filled with encouragement and applause. It was cute to watch, but you had to keep repeating the footage because of how fast Mikey moves. Hearing Shinichiro's constant encouragement on repeat got less tolerable the more you had to rewind the footage.

Baji's recordings were the worst. The camera would shake. The kid was super loud. On one tape, he made a fart sound with his mouth, making it look like Mikey farted while doing a spinning back-kick. After watching all the tapes, the only ones you would repeat were the ones Grandpa Sano filmed.

After six months, you started to do one-on-one matches with Draken and Chifuyu.

Your foresight may give you the advantage of knowing your opponent's next move, but that doesn't mean your body could be as quick. Even with Draken using half his strength and Chifuyu going very easy on you, you lost a handful of times.

The more you practiced, the sharper your foresight got. As the months go by, your power strengthened. You were able to read your opponent's future moves in the next ten minutes, to five to one. Not only was this an advantage, but it also helped with your reflexes.

Soon, you started to spar with other past Toman members. Such as Mitsuya, Peh-yan, the Kawata twins. After Pah-chin was released and the two of you got to know each other, he too took up a sparring match.

Recently, though, you felt like you haven't grown much. The tapes Grandpa Sano left were very limited. You had basic moves down pat, but you knew you could be doing way more.

Gramps started walking with a cane in February. You definitely didn't want to ask him to continue helping you out. The poor man needed rest. You tried branching out to local dojos, but a lot of them cost. As well as ask for parental permission. Which you obviously couldn't get.

The most fighting experience you had up to now were small sparring matches at the dojo or when gangs targeted you for money. Even now, you had no clue what to do with Kokonoi's apology money.

You'd still have so much left over of the million yen he gave you if you spent it on the train fee to Shinjuku. Hell, you could've rented a motorcycle and still have money left over. Or even bought a new one. There was no use in thinking of ways to use that money now though, you left it at home.

You were already halfway to Shinjuku by foot. On the way to Wakasa and Benkei's gym.

Extra chapter, end.