Post by Saito Kito on Aug 17, 2014 0:29:28 GMT -5
Ten times the Earths normal gravity had been a lot for the fighter to handle. Beads of sweat rolled down his masculine body as he began his fifth set of one hundred pushups. A normal task that should not have caused him much harm, but in this case brought him an unbelievable strain. The weight had not only been more than he was expecting, but had almost been too much for his body to handle. After exiting the fifth multiplier he was certain it couldn’t get much worse, but it had. His Skin had most literally begun to drag off of his body. He had to acclimate but couldn’t seem to do it fast enough. The thought of Tundra’s arrival brought him legitimate fear, or even panic. Ten times normal gravity didn’t seem like enough, and truly if he wished to beat the Icer he had to be better prepared than that. He had settled on the idea that he would rather have his skin torn from his bones than give up short of perfection. Luckily that needn’t occur as the crane’s remodeler had found yet another nifty Ki technique to help himself. Before hitting the ground each bead of sweat seemed to roll through the air, lengthwise down his body. His Ki glistening in a golden color. It would have been closer to teal, but his body was in a focus state meaning that he was more than capable of maintain the force field. The new technique? A basic shielding Ki that surrounded his body. He had come up with the idea during yet another spar with Ethan in which the boy was able to hit him in several blind spots. Kit recalled many fights in which the enemy got the upper hand on him due to these unavoidable blind spot. Ultimately the only answer to this conundrum was to in fact remove every blind spot.
Impossible he had thought, but by creating a thin sheet of Ki around his body he was able to protect himself. Alternatively this attack also seemed to protect his body from the harsh climate within the gravity room. His muscles were still forced to exert extra effort, but his skin was no longer stretching or pulling in an uncomfortable manner. The sleek glow that surrounded his body was useful outside of the chamber as well. After thorough testing it had become clear that the technique could block minor attacks with ease. Basic Ki blasts, physical attacks, or other much weaker strikes would still hit Saito, but would be absorbed by the Ki shield. He found that the technique could be maintained so long as it was not struck heavily. In other words he could take several strikes at reduced damage before the Ki would shatter, and shatter it would. It was very visible when the shield was weakening. It took Ethan (Who at his very best was a tenth of his brother’s strength) twenty or so punches to the same spot to crack the armor.
Do not mistake that for an impenetrable armor, as a matter of fact Saito was disappointed with how much damage he still took. It seemed as though the Ki shield only took half of the damage, his body taking the rest. He knew this was better than the alternative, but was annoyed that Ethan’s punches still had any effect at all. Perfection would obviously be difficult to obtain. He had also learned the hard way that the armor was not meant to withstand signature style attacks. For example his Spirit Gun. A single charged Spirit gun striking his armor immediately cracked it. That meant that the armor could take a hit of that level, but would not survive after that. Kit needed to be sure he was not putting himself in a situation where he needed the armor to protect him from such an attack. His muscles flexed as the heavy room began to take its toll on him. Five sets meant he was nearly finished with the 500th pushup, impressive only in the chamber that amplified his efforts. Really it felt as though he had done fifty thousand pushups, and his muscles were responding similarly. To understand the chamber one merely needed a working knowledge of mathematical theory. If he did one push up in ten times the earths normal gravity it was really as if he were doing ten of them, so two was twenty, and by the time he had done ten pushups he had already completed a usual set. His face grew red as he persevered through the pain. He had to ensure that he was giving it his all, he never knew when he would be called upon to face off against the dastardly Tundra.
One thing he knew for certain, Nyu was never going to be a problem again. Saito had recently broken the threshold of Nyu’s maximum power. The alien had been at thirty thousand power level when he had arrived several months prior, and Kit was now significantly higher than that. In fact Nyu was only seventy five percent of Saito’s base power level. God forbid the blond fighter enter his focus state. Even with the deep golden eyes, spikey hair, and bolstered muscular figure, the weight of the room was still giving him room for pause. The worst part though was still the weights. Unfortunately when Saito became heavier so did the weights. Each one had started off as two hundred pounds on each arm and leg, plus another two hundred around the waist. Now with the gravity at ten times its normal effect he was wearing over ten thousand pounds worth of weight. Equivalent easily to a school bus filled with children. He had never done pushups underneath a bus, but now he was certain in the real world he could accomplish such a feat.
Rolling over onto his back, Kit reached his goal, yet even breathing felt difficult. His chest struggled to rise after falling, and his lungs begged for salvation. It would take Kit nearly five minutes of this panting before he was able to push past the pain of the physical barrier and continue his training. The next challenge was sitting up, which took him only a few seconds to accomplish. After that came the hard part. His right arm supported his body as he fought the powerful gravity to stand. After nearly thirty seconds of struggling Kit rose. It felt as though he were being pummeled by a waterfall and was forced to stand against his body’s advisement. How does one swim upstream? Stumbling forward and forcing himself not to fall over again, he staggered over to the punching bag. He was surprised the back was still hanging on. He needed to start his sets, another five hundred would do the trick. He began his punching, all the while thinking back…
His father had spoken in rhythm and poetry, spending many hours training their body and mind. To focus away from the pain of his labors, he began to recant his favorite versus, speaking some of the quotes out loud, and saying much of them in his head as to save his breath.
Have a Broad Perspective. Be Aware of Your Options. Choose a Direction. Develop the Discipline of Patience. Be Alert for Opportunities. Avoid the Wrong Responses. Anticipate Problems and Setbacks. Be Determined to Persevere. Develop a Pride in Your Dedication. Practice Right Actions. Do It until You Die
Live
With his next set complete, he thought back more. His mind focused, and his body pushing forward. He couldn’t stop to consider the pain. His muscles begged for release but would receive no mercy. Nyu had shown none, Anri would show none, Saito would give himself none. He continued…
At some point I became aware bathing in the warmth of the sun of my leaves reaching in attempt to touch the loving life smiling on me from above. Of blowing breezes pushing me from time to time to and fro, little knowing of how such trouble subtly helped my strength to grow. The rain that quenched my thirst and cooled me from the life force above which often overpowered me as it showered about its love. How amazing was my discovery of the ones who came before me so tall it sometimes seemed that they could touch eternity. Branches long outstretched with the ability to gather so much sunlight on occasion I found I fell inside their shadow. How I’ve struggled to become taller and sink my own roots deeper as I search to find my own place in the sunlight grateful to be among the trees.
Although he had spoken the words, he recalled them as a lullaby from his mother. Every night until he was eleven years old his loving mother had sang these words to him. Saito believed it was where his love and compassion for nature had come from. If so, he understood exactly what his mother had been saying. The subtlety of nature and its beauty. Ever since developing his ability to communicate with the animals of the forest he had been forced to recognize even his truest nature. Fear had been present in his heart where he had never thought it to exist. He had to shun it from existence if he was ever to be truly successful. Normally his mental trainings took place in the outdoors but gravity was difficult to control outside of the safety of his dojo. He continued, his thoughts focusing on anything but the utter pain in his arms, he was halfway done.
Be like water making its way through cracks. Do not be assertive, but adjust to the object, and you shall find a way around or through it. Any object may be revealed as a simple challenge. Think before you act, and if you can take the form of water, strive to do so. If nothing within you stays rigid, outward things will disclose themselves. Empty your mind, be formless. Shapeless, like water. If you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle and it becomes the bottle. You put it in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Now, water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my son, for it is the purest and most agile substance.
Only one hundred more strikes to go. His armor too was giving way, a small crack forming over his shoulders. The gravity was going to get the better of him. Safety dictated he had to stop, but his determination was too great. He had to finish the job. He had to square off in a manner that suited his abilities and served to prove that he could in fact be trusted to handle any situations. Like water he had to form into the situation at hand. His body now striking out indiscriminately, striking the punching bag with ferocity and grimace. He thought once more, pulling his mind away from the desperate attempt to finish before his armor left his body exposed to the harsh room.
Use only that which works, and take it from any place you can find it. Flow with whatever may happen, and let your mind be free: Stay centered by accepting whatever you are doing. This is the ultimate. The warrior learns of the spiritual realm by dwelling on the cutting edge of the sword, standing at the edge of the fire pit, venturing right up to the edge of starvation if necessary. Vibrant and intense living is the warrior's form of worship. Tenderness relieves strength that encumbers. Your anger is your First Enemy. Whatever is going on inside your head has everything to do with how well you end up performing. A champion always prepares to win.
Those final inspiring words had been from his brother. His eldest brother. Saito was the second son of Masamune, and his first was superior to Saito not in strength but in spirit. Anzo knew more about himself than any of his father’s children after him, and even Kit wondered how Anzo had become so wise. He was only a few years older than Kit and yet he seemed to have it all figured out. The thought of his brothers encouraging words brought him the final strength necessary to finish the set, and not a second too soon. His cracked armor finally snapped under the pressure, and Saito was forced to Dash across the room, his legs tightening under the intensity of the gravity. Within a second he was at the control panel hitting the emergency shut off. As the room powered down and Kit felt his body return to its rightful positioning, his eyes began to swell with tears. Not tears of sadness, but of pride. All of the words he had heard still left an impression on his mind. His father’s words of wisdom, his brother’s profound encouragement, his mother’s compassion and trust. All of this was permanently engraved in him. He knew now more than even he would be ready to take on any challenge regardless of its difficulty. He at least had to try.
He also needed to leave, before Ethan caught him crying.
New Technique
Ki Armor: The user creates a thin layer of Ki around his body that absorbs 50% of an attacks damage. This works well against smaller attacks such as punches, kicks, and basic Ki blasts, but against a signature attack will shatter if forced to withstand it. The armor is incredibly resilient and so it can take many hits before being destroyed especially due to its ineffectiveness at guarding half of an attack. As it is struck it will slowly begin to crack, eventually shattering like glass.