Bruce Wayne

Chapter 13: A Friend in Need

"You did well, Wayne-san," Yuro Sensei congratulated.

"I failed, Sensei," Bruce corrected between gasps for air after his strenuous run of the course.

"Not so," Yuro Sensei denied.

"I didn't finish before the hourglass emptied," Bruce pointed out.

"I told you two things before you started," Yuro Sensei explained, calmly clasping his hands behind his back. "First, I said you needed to complete the course. Secondly, I said you would be timed. I never said completing within the time limit was required to pass this challenge. This test was designed to examine your heart and mind as much as your physical prowess. All of the students you competed against have run this course before, even the one you assisted."

The injured student Bruce had helped across the finish line suddenly stood up, showing no sign of injury. He offered Bruce a bow of thanks before walking away.

"He hindered you in the challenge," Yuro Sensei went on, his voice cutting through the confusion in Bruce's mind. "You showed a moral righteousness by helping your opponent when a lesser man would have left him behind either in retaliation or in the selfish pursuit of one's own interests. You demonstrated respect, loyalty, and benevolence to him who had made himself your enemy. You knew it might cost you, but you acted with honor and a selfless courage, assisting your opponent to the finish. Even when told you passed, you denied it in honesty, thinking the timing of the course was an issue. In this trial, you have proved you not only know the teachings of Bushido, but they are a part of you and your actions. This is the essence of what it is to be a warrior. As I said, you passed this test."

Yuro Sensei said nothing more, simply walking past Bruce and leaving him alone to consider what had happened and what had been said.

                                                                                          ***

Bruce ducked under the swing of the bamboo cane, dodging the attack. A second strike came from his left, and he raised his forearm to block, striking back with a kick. His attacker performed a backwards roll to avoid Bruce's kick, but it didn't give Bruce any time to rest as there were a total of three opponents.

The two remaining in range struck simultaneously from both sides. Stepping back and to the side, Bruce closed the distance between himself and the opponent on his left. Seizing the man by the wrist of his weapon hand and by his neck, Bruce pulled and shifted his attacker into the path of the other bamboo staff, blocking the attack while inflicting damage on his held opponent. A solid kick drove the injured foe into the one who had inadvertently struck him. Bruce focused his senses on the third man as the other two would be out of the fight for a moment or two more.

The strikes from the bamboo staff came in fast and strong, but Bruce dodged and weaved, blocking whatever he couldn't evade entirely. A horizontal swing at his head from the left side presented a perfect opportunity. Ducking under the weapon, Bruce reached across his chest and grabbed the staff with his left hand after it had passed, pulling the staff back toward him. Raising his right hand, he smashed his fist down on the center of the bamboo staff to shatter it at the midpoint. With the weapon broken, Bruce shifted his stance from defensive to offensive, unleashing a flurry of blows on his opponent, forcing him back to the edge of the arena where they were sparring.

The other two combatants had managed to get up and were prepared to get involved in the fight again, so Bruce had little time to spare. He hit his weaponless rival in the ribs before a strike to the knee unbalanced the man. A punch to the chin staggered the man, and Bruce finished him with a kick to his chest, launching him out of the arena to land in the impact absorbing sand between the ring and the benches where the other students were observing the contest.