Rough||Robby Keene

008

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Chapter 8!
Geiko
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Bonnie knew it was going to be a hot day the moment she stepped outside. As soon as she got into her mother's car, she cranked the air conditioner on full blast, seeking temporary relief from the heat. However, it didn't help much once she reached the dojo and was hit with the scorching air again.

She grabbed her duffel bag from the back seat, tied her hair into a ponytail, and made her way inside. After dropping her belongings in the dojo, she headed outside and sought refuge under a tree. As the sun rose higher, more Miyagi-Do members arrived and joined Bonnie under the tree.

"Oh, God," Demetri panted, resting his head on Sam's shoulder. "It's so hot out. I'm sweating in places I didn't even know had pores."

Bonnie winced, "Gross."

"Oh? Would you prefer I wipe my sweat off?" Demetri teased, pushing himself off Sam and rubbing his forehead on Bonnie's shoulder.

"Ugh, Demetri, get off me!" Bonnie exclaimed, pushing his face away. "I'm already dying in this heat without your sweat."

At that moment, Daniel stepped outside and told the group to get out from under the tree and get to work.

"Mr. LaRusso, it's like 100 degrees out," Robby sighed. "Can't we take it easy today?"

"Are you kidding? This heat wave is a gift. Today, you are going to experience Shochu-Geiko."

"Like the car insurance?" Chris asked.

"Shochu-Geiko is a Japanese exercise where you train during the hottest days of the year," Daniel explained. "It's about pushing yourself to your limit. The fight isn't always going to come when it's 75 degrees and breezy."

"I thought you wanted us to avoid fights?" Bonnie said.

"Sometimes you can't. Someday, the fight may come to you. And I wanna make sure you're ready," Daniel said. "So, today, we're going to see what Miyagi-Do is made of."

Daniel set them to work with an exercise where one person stood in the centre of a circle. He would call out a number, and the corresponding student would step into the circle to spar with the person. They continued with the exercise for a few hours until Sam asked if they could take a break.

"You guys wanna cool off?" Daniel asked. The students all nodded. "All right. I think I can accommodate that."

Daniel took his students to a walk-in freezer.

"So, you couldn't take the heat of Shochu-Geiko, perhaps you'll find Kangeiko more to your liking."

"Are there no 'geikos' that take place in a spa?" Sam asked.

"It's not about the heat or the cold," Daniel said. "It's about adapting to the environment around you and using that to your advantage."

Daniel explained that immersing themselves in their environment would sharpen their senses and help them anticipate their opponent's moves before they even struck, allowing them to always be ready.

They repeated the same exercise from earlier, this time with more success. Even Demetri had started to get the hang of it when Daniel called it a day and rushed out of the freezer.

•••••••••••••••••••••

The next day, Bonnie decided to stay home from training. Or, more accurately, her mother made her stay home after Bonnie spent the entire night in the bathroom, throwing up.