I take a boxer's stance, since it's what I'm most familiar with from all the martial arts video fights I've seen and tried to copy. Avatar is cool and all, but that does nothing for me if I can't tear the ground from below his feet and embarrass him by making him fall on his ass.
Wouldn't that be funny?
Focus dammit! Why are you so nervous!?
Another deep breath and I start to slowly shuffle towards him, something tells me this isn't going to be like fighting with Kunta and the gang.
Three meters
Guard tight with my eyes peeking over my fists, I weave my head left and right, up and down, hoping to throw him off his aim if he sends a fast punch my way.
Two meters
What comes my way surprises me even more than a fast punch.
Nothing.
Just over one meter apart and he hasn't moved a muscle, if I couldn't see that his eyes were still staring into mine I'd have thought he turned into stone.
He still hasn't moved a muscle. Is he even breathing? Now that I'm next to him I realise he's really tall. I'm around 1.5m in height and he's at least two big heads taller than me. His reach is going to be a problem.
My mind on full alert, I decide to test things out. This won't go anywhere unless I make a move it seems. I read in a book once that fortune favours the brave, so let's get this thing started.
Toes curled for maximum grip, I crouch low and rush in to get inside his personal space and prevent him from hitting me with any power punches. Immediately my front foot smashes into the ground as I push all that power into my left fist and go for a body shot, hoping to bring his face down to my level.
Whoosh.
The next thing I know my body is spinning and I'm falling. I let myself continue spinning around until I put a hand on the tree he was leaning on before and steady myself. Shocked, I push off the tree and put some distance between us. He's still standing in the same place as before, as if nothing happened. I look back at Kunta and the rest to see them looking at me and then the man with their eyes as wide open as their mouths.
What the hell happened? Why did I suddenly start spinning?
Thinking back more carefully I trace it back to just before I was about to hit him with a punch to the body. I felt something hit my left elbow, but it was so brief I didn't register it until now. I can only guess that he somehow threw me off my balance just before I hit him; how? He was so fast I could barely even notice anything until long after it happened!
I hear a few giggles behind me as the reality of me looking like a fool sinks in to my friends.
Damn it.
I shuffle towards him again, I refuse to believe the difference between us is that great that I can't even see him move. As usual he remains like a work of art, still and uncaring for anything other than staring at me. At this point victory is no longer in my mind, I just want to hit him once and vent my anger and embarrassment! How can I not even see him move!
Damn it. So this is what Kunta and the guys feel like when facing me, except the difference here is even worse.
I'm at about the same distance as last time when I rush in again and feint, changing the motion for a punch to a shoulder barge. Just as I'm about to make contact with his chest I stamp on the ground again to jump and reach for his head to grab it so I can smash my knee in his face. I went straight for the double feint on this one, his reflexes are too fast so I have to give up on defence and go all out this time.
Fhwoop.
I'm suddenly spinning again, but this time I saw him move.
He leans back to avoid my hands then steps sideways to avoid my charge, hitting my knees and making me flip forwards and head first towards the ground; all in one swift motion.
This thought crosses my mind just before my head hits the ground, and everything fades to black.
===
My head hurts.
I open my eyes to see Kunta and the rest standing over me, smiles on their faces like they were the ones that did it.
Just behind Kanaan is the man, also looking at me, the same smile on his face.
Looking back at him, I can't help but feel that this isn't how I thought the fight would go. I expected something more… intense? But I guess I underestimated just how big the difference in skill was between us.
This thought helps me calm down, and it finally dawns on me that this man seems to be of Chinese origin, he looks a lot like Uncle China, just much younger. It dawns on me how nervous I was at the thought of noticing this just now.
(Xiansheng, my name is Hailu Enke; you can call me Xiao En. How might I address you?)
I ask him in Mandarin, hoping he isn't from some other non-Mandarin speaking country; how the hell am I supposed to know the difference!?
His smile changes to a look of genuine surprise, finally! A petty sense of satisfaction arises at this small victory.
(Consider me surprised, I didn't expect you to be able to speak Mandarin, and quite well too! So polite. How did you learn? And why?) He responds with questions of his own, then realises he hadn't answered mine.
(Forgive me; you can refer to me as Daoshi Ye, written with the character for leaves)
A Daoist? Wow. Aren't they peace loving monks who live in temples for their entire lives? Only in fantasy stories do they travel the world and combat with martial arts! At least that's what Uncle China told me when we were talking about the culture in China.
(I learned Mandarin from Da-Ye who runs a restaurant in the city's Chinatown. He is really nice and when he noticed how I'd stand outside his store every day, listening to and teaching myself Mandarin, he gave me a kind of job to help him out in exchange for teaching me to read and write and feeding me. He has no children of his own and once said that this is his way of making up for that, even if only a little bit) I respond back, I really am grateful for meeting someone so nice in a world that can be so heartless; but that's for another time.
Daoist Ye nods in understanding, his expression changing back to a smiling one.
(Great Daoshi Ye, do you happen to know martial arts? Would it be possible for your great self to teach me? Just the basics, please?)
Curiosity bursts out of my mouth before I can contain it. I can't help but keep thinking back to the fight. How did he move so fast? Was that even humanly possible? I've had fights with some adults before but it was nothing like this. With those adults I was still able to evade counterattacks and even run away. I've seen professional fights on the TV at Uncle China's and it still wasn't to the extent that my eyes couldn't keep up. I don't have this much confidence in myself for nothing, so there must be something special about this Daoist!
His expression changes slightly, but he says nothing for a while, so I'm assuming he's thinking about it.
After holding my breath for what feels like a day, he finally says
(Why do you want to learn Martial Arts?)
If I'm honest? Well, it's bad ass, I want to be able to walk into a room and know I can kick everybody's ass if I wanted or needed to. But common sense tells me that isn't gonna cut it
(I want to see the peak of martial arts with my own eyes. The most useful thing I've had in this life of mine is my body. I'm strong for my age; I have fast reflexes and have never found myself stimulated by anything more than I did when I was fighting your great self. I would like to know with my own body what it feels like to be as powerful as you. I'm also confident in my learning abilities; at thirteen years of age I can speak three languages, and despite not going to school I am confident I could pass exams designed for high school students. All of this is mostly self-taught; if I had teachers I believe I would be even better)
I don't hold back, yes I polished my love for fighting a little bit but there were no lies in what I said. He's seen my fighting abilities for himself and was clearly intrigued enough to challenge me so nothing needs to be said on that part.
I wait.
He continues staying still.
He speaks.
(On this journey of mine, I have been fated to encounter a few individuals like yourself; each with their own reasons for pursuing the Dao of Combat. Each had something about them that created bonds of karma with me…)
He sighs. That there could be a burden so heavy to make a man so powerful helpless… leaves me in silent awe.
(…The soul is neither born nor dies, and so its karmic shadow follows. When man interferes in such a way that he must continue to interfere, when the solution creates even more problems, when the control of a thing creates the necessity of controlling more things, then the man is entangled in Karma… heavy is the burden that must be lifted.) he says, more to himself than anything else.
It sounds like something to do with Daoism, but I don't dare to poke my nose in what looks like a sore spot. The thought that there are others like me around the world lingers though… am I not the first person to ask to be his student? Does this mean there's hope? My eyes are practically glowing at this thought, but I restrain my excitement. Read the room dumbass!
(I shall grant you an opportunity -)
I resist the urge to scream like a little girl, but a squeaky noise leaks out that causes him to pause.
Damn it!
(… but think carefully before you accept. I shall train you around here for one month. If by the end of the month you are able to keep up and still want to continue, I shall accept our relationship as master and student; and we shall carry out the initiation ceremony. Being my student involves three things you need to be aware of beforehand:
One. I am a Wandering Daoist; I do not stay in one place for too long before moving on to another unless there are good reasons to do so. Training a student is not one of them so you will have to leave home and travel with me. Do not worry about things like documentation and such as I can resolve that, but it will mean you will leave home for a long time; how long I can't say, but assume at least 10 years.
Two. As a student of a Daoist, you will be expected to study literature and contemplate the Dao; I have no time in this cycle for a muscle head who only knows how to hit things. Knowledge is just as important to personal strength as physical ability.
Three. By the machinations of fate, we have become entangled through karma, the day this entanglement is resolved is the day we shall go our separate ways.)
He pauses to give me time to think.
Though I know nothing of fate and karma, clearly this decision to take me on as a student isn't entirely his own; but I guess that's not important right now.
I'm going to have to leave home!?
I didn't think this far ahead, sure I've wanted to travel the world and had the ambition to become someone big, but this is way ahead of schedule, and with someone I've known for maybe an hour if you include the time I spent unconscious.
The other things like reading and learning the Dao don't bother me, I'm curious by nature and enjoy using my brain anyway, but the thought of leaving home to unknown lands with an unknown man does cause me to pause for a while.
I'm at a crossroad.
Do I take a chance with this Daoist or do I stick to my game plan and continue doing what I had planned for myself. Thoughts of all the possibilities of either option flashes through my mind's eye before I stop and force myself to ask the question.
So.
Should I stay or should I go?