Bruce Wayne

Chapter 09: New Lessons

Yuro Sensei knelt in front of the class. The students were already kneeling on the bamboo mats cushioning the floor. Bruce had his place in the back corner of the group. Having changed attire since his arrival, Bruce wore the traditional white robe of a keikogi, identical to all the other students.

"Consider well the elemental forces in this world as they can teach you many things," Yuro Sensei instructed. "Let us begin with fire. A forest grows strong with tall trees, but when a fire comes through, it consumes them and takes their strength as its own. If you can use the strength of your opponent against them, they will fall. Can anyone see a problem with the strength of fire?"

"It has no defense," Bruce answered when no one else seemed inclined to speak up.

"Explain," Yuro Sensei instructed.

"Fire is all aggression," Bruce clarified. "It rushes to the attack, but it doesn't have anything in reserve should its first assault fail."

"Quite so," Yuro Sensei confirmed. "Throw water on it, and it's extinguished. Cover it with dirt, and it's smothered. Remove the air, and it suffocates. Fire, for all its power, has many weaknesses. Although it can consume the strength of the trees for fuel, increasing its own power, this too is a weakness as it must continue doing so or it will starve. When a forest has been completely burned, a flame will die out because there is nothing left. Remember this well. While it is a good tactic to use an enemy's strength against them, you must have strength of your own to be able to stand when you are alone."

Yuro Sensei paused momentarily to give his students time to consider his words before he moved on to the next thought.

"Let us now consider the wind," Yuro Sensei stated. "It is never seen, but by what it touches, we can detect its presence. The wind can be fierce enough to tear down a building, but it can also be gentle enough to move a feather. In life, not just in fighting, you must know how much power is required in a given situation. If you use too little, you will be ineffective, but too much will be destructive. What is the weakness of the wind?"

No one spoke, and the silence dragged on.

"It's unfocused," Bruce said. He didn't want to be the only one answering the questions, but he couldn't sit by and do nothing when he had the correct response. "When it hits an object it can't move, it splits, going around it in multiple directions. The wind couldn't take a single pencil out of a jar of many; it's all or nothing."

"You identified its weakness. Now, tell me its strength, Wayne-san," Yuro Sensei ordered calmly.

"Beyond brute force, the wind has persistence," Bruce replied. "After many years, it can gradually wear away stone, even those larger than it can move. It's relentless."

"Good," Yuro Sensei commended. "Keep in mind you will all face many great obstacles in both life and battle. Be as persistent as the wind, and you will achieve what no one thinks you can do. Next, we will speak of the earth. What is the strength of earth?"

"It's solid and resilient," one of the other students spoke up, taking the pressure off Bruce to come up with all the answers. "The ground can take much damage but still regenerates if given enough time."

"Quite so," Yuro Sensei agreed. "Does it have a weakness?"

"Unless there's an earthquake or landslide, it's immobile," a different student responded.

"Indeed," Yuro Sensei confirmed. "Although it can take great punishment, it pays for its toughness by being nearly immovable. Do not focus all your efforts here in becoming stronger and tougher to the exclusion of all else as mobility and agility are also required to prevail."