Legends Never Die (Amourshipping)

Legends Never Die#10 The More Things Change, The more Things Stay The Same

Oak drove Ash across the Pokemon 141 campus in a golf buggy. They stopped outside a traditional Japanese-style building with a single span roof made of giant sequoia logs. The surrounding area had a combed gravel garden and a pond stuffed with orange fish.
'This building is new,' Oak said. 'One of our pupils uncovered a fraud involving fake medicine. She saved hundreds of lives and billions of yen for a Japanese drug company. The Japanese government thanked us by paying for the new dojo.'
'A dojo huh?' Ash grinned.
Ash and Oak stepped inside. Thirty kids wearing white pyjamas tied with black or brown belts were sparring, twisting one another into painful positions, or getting"
"flipped over and springing effortlessly back up. A stern Japanese lady paced among them, stopping occasionally to scream criticism in a mix of Japanese and English that Ash found amusing.
Oak led Ash to a smaller room. Its floor was covered with springy blue matting. A wiry kid was standing at the back doing stretches. He was about four inches shorter than Ash, in a karate suit with a black belt.
'Take your shoes and socks off, Ash,' Oak said. 'Have you done martial arts before?'
'I went a couple of times when I was eight,' Ash said. 'I got bored. It was nothing like what's going on out there. Everyone was rubbish.'
'This is cleme ,' Oak said. 'He's going to spar with you.'
Cleme walked over, bowed and shook ash's hand. Ash felt confident as he squashed clemes bony little fingers. Clemens might know a few fancy moves  but ash reckoned his size and weight
advantage would counter them.
‘Rules,’ Oak said. ‘The first to win five submissions is the winner. An opponent can submit by
speaking or by tapping his hand on the mat. Either opponent can withdraw from the bout at any time.
You can do anything to get a submission except hitting the testicles or eye gouging. Do you both
understand?’
Both boys nodded. Oak handed ash a gum shield.
‘Stand two metres apart and prepare for the first bout.’
The boys walked to the centre of the mat.
‘I’ll bust your nose,’ cleme said.
Ash smiled. ‘You can try, shorty.’
‘Fight,’ oak said.
Cleme moved so fast ash didn’t see the palm of his hand until it had smashed into his nose. A fine
mist of blood sprayed as ash stumbled backwards. Cleme swept ashes feet away, tipping him on to
the mat. Cleme turned aah on to his chest and twisted his wrist into a painful lock. He used his other
hand to smear ash’s face in the blood dripping from his nose.
Ash yelled through his gum shield, ‘I submit.’
Cleme got off. Ash couldn’t believe cleme had half killed him in about five seconds. He wiped his
bloody face on the arm of his T-shirt.
‘Ready?’ oak asked.
Ash’s nose was clogged with blood. He gasped for air.
‘Hang on, oak,’ cleme said. ‘What hand does he write with?’
Ash was grateful for a few seconds’ rest but wondered why cleme had asked such a weird
tion.
‘What hand do you write with, ash?’ oak asked.
‘My left,’ ash said.
‘OK, fight.’
There was no way ash was getting the early hit in this time. Ash lunged forward. Trouble was,
Cleme had gone by the time ash got there. Ash felt himself being lifted from behind. Cleme threw
Ash on to his back then sat astride him with his thighs crushing the wind out of him. Ash tried to
escape but he couldn’t even breathe. Cleme grabbed ash's right hand and twisted his thumb until it
made a loud crack.
Ash cried out. Cleme clenched his fist and spat out his gum shield. ‘I’m gonna smash the nose
again if you don’t submit.’
The hand looked a lot scarier than when ash had shaken it a couple of minutes earlier.
‘I submit,’ ash said.
Ash held his thumb as he stumbled to his feet. A drip of blood from his nose ran over his top lip
into his mouth. The mat was covered in red smudges.
‘You want to carry on?’ oak asked.
Ash nodded. They squared up for a third time. Ash knew he had no chance with blood running
down his face and his right hand so painful he couldn’t even move it. But he had so much anger he was
determined to get one good punch in, even if it got him killed.
‘Please give up,’ cleme said. ‘I don’t want to hurt you badly.’
Ash charged forward without waiting for the start signal. He missed again. Cleme heel hit ash's
in the stomach. Ash doubled over. All he could see was green and yellow blurs. Still standing, ash
felt his arm being twisted.
‘I’m breaking your arm this time,’ cleme said. ‘I don’t want to.’
Ash knew he couldn’t take a broken arm.
‘I give up,’ he shouted. ‘I withdraw.’
Cleme stepped back and held his hand out for ash to shake it. ‘Good fight, ash,’ he said,
smiling.
Ash limply shook Cleme's hand. ‘I think you broke my thumb,’ he said.
‘It’s only dislocated. Show me.’
Ash held out his hand.
‘This is going to hurt,’ cleme said.
He pressed ash’s thumb at the joint. The pain made ash buckle at the knees as the bone
crunched back into place.
Cleme laughed. ‘You think that’s painful, one time someone broke my leg in nine places.’
Ash sank to the floor. The pain in his nose felt like his head was splitting in two between his eyes.
It was only pride that stopped him crying.
‘So,’ oak said. ‘Ready for the next test