Twenty minutes later Shaun laid on the couch in Lucy's apartment counting his winnings, there was a big grin on his face. Things had gone pretty well for him tonight. Not only did he make over a thousand bucks in profit, he now understood his power better than before. However, he knew it was best to avoid that street at all costs in the near future.
if in Big Steve's position he would be pissed, so avoidance was his best option. That hurdle had passed so he placed it at the back of his mind. The rest of the night was used to keep Jamie informed of his progress before bed.
The next morning he had made his way over to the dojo. Inside the dojo, he saw Old Fox whose eyes lit up when seeing him. "Lad, I thought I had scared you away with my antics", He said.
Shaun felt a bit guilty not showing up as he had promised but it was unavoidable, "Sorry I had a few things to take care of yesterday so I couldn't make it," He lied. Saying he was busy was far better than admitting he had slept throughout the whole day.
"Aren't we busy, young one?" Old Fox teased. He was truly happy to see that Shaun returned. As he did the first day of training, Old Fox once more went for his stack of boards for the week-long exercises. Today he planned on teaching Shaun a few shortcuts which would yield the best results.
"Ok, do your meditation and breathing exercise, but this time will change the intervals between strikes to ten minutes. Afterwards I will teach a few trade secrets". Shaun nodded his head doing just as instructed. Using the stance of The Monk's Prayer and then meditating to have a clear mind.
Ten minutes after he arose, there was a confidence in his eyes that Old Fox had not seen prior. Why the sudden change the old man could not fathom. "Strike!" He instructed. Shaun took a pause and then adjusted his stance. When Old Fox saw the sudden shift in his stance he immediately identified it. But he knew there must be a mistake.
BAM!- Shaun's fist smashed the board to pieces leaving Old Fox stunned. When did this kid learn that move? It was not in their lesson. The only place he could have learned it from was the book. But he only had ten minutes with the reading material, grasping that technique was not possible within that time frame.
Shaun could only scratch his head awkwardly knowing he nearly gave the old man a heart attack. He simply wanted to ensure what he had accomplished two nights before was not a fluke.
"Be honest with me lad, did you learn that from the book?" Questioned Old Fox.
"Yes I did", Shaun admitted, it wasn't a big deal in his mind. This was the combination of moves he had compiled to get the best result. An enthusiastic expression grew on the old man's face. Its execution was by no means perfect but with the right training, there were possibilities for greater things. Shaun watched as he hurriedly went for all the boards.
Old Fox: "Do it again!"
"Ok!" Said Shaun, he took a breath before channeling all his energy into one strike, and BAM! The tough board was shattered into pieces as the old man's enthusiasm grew. He then placed another board in his hands.
He then instructed Shaun, "Listen to me, I want you this time to strike with your foot. Apply all the principles that you have used so far to the soles of your foot". The old man was a bit more enthusiastic than he expected but he complied nonetheless. Being a soccer player he was used to using his feet so this wasn't much of a stretch for him. He then calmed himself before striking with his foot.
BAM! The board was half broken to Shaun's disappointment. But the smile never left the old man's face, if anything it grew. He said nothing and only stared at Shaun like he had found a treasure.
"Give me a second", He said before running next door. When he returned there was a young woman in her early twenties. She wore pink yoga pants and was getting instructions from Old Fox. When seeing the woman Shaun's eyes lit up. Old Fox then beckoned for Shaun to come to where he and the woman stood.
"Lad, this is Lila. She teaches advanced yoga next door. Starting today you will be taking lessons from her. This will aid with your flexibility".
It was Shaun's time to smile as this young woman was a beauty. He would take her classes any day of the week. If he knew impressing the old fellow yielded such benefits he would be prime Bruce Lee at every turn.
"Sensei if it is your will it must be done," He smiled at Lila who returned it in kind. "I'll see you soon Shaun", she uttered before returning to her gym. Shaun could not help but watch her leave.
Old Fox only shook his head seeing Shaun's quick change in demeanor. "Put your tongue back in your mouth, lad". He smacked him at the back of his head as Shaun once more returned to reality. "Hey I didn't sign up for abuse, Old man," Shaun uttered while rubbing the back of his head.
Old Fox questioned Shaun with a stern look, "Listen, do you truly want to tread the path of martial arts?" "Yes I do," Replied Shaun. It was by no means a passion of his but the strides made were pleasing.
"Good lad, then we will make a change to our scheduling. For the next month, from 8-11 AM you will be doing yoga with Lila and from 1- 8 PM you will be doing martial arts training within me. I'll provide meals and everything. Even speak to your parents if needs be. Does this conflict with any schedules?"
Old Fox's preposition was just what Shaun had hoped for. If he wanted to grow quickly then being in the dojo for longer hours was ideal. There was also another reason as well, frequently when reading the book there were old jargons which his young mind didn't understand. Having the book's current owner around would yield tremendous benefits in that regard.
The only problems he saw with the old man's plan were his school and living arrangements. In a few weeks, he had to return to Clortho and his apartment. He had only been allowed this time from Clortho due to a timed call by "Jamie" claiming he needed to be quarantined for three weeks.
However, who knew what the next two weeks might bring, perhaps he would find a solution so he agreed. Old Fox was delighted with Shaun's acceptance. Still, he warned, "This will be the hardest month of your life. Now is the only time you will be given to renege".
Shaun was not daunted. He wanted strength, he wanted to face his challenges without running and hiding from those with influence like Carlos. He needed to know that if there was ever a day his big bro required help, for once he was the one with the calm smile easing his burden. So to Old Fox's words, he only had one response "Bring it on!"
The rest of the day saw Shaun continuously breaking boards but with a twist. Old Fox had made him place a blindfold over his eyes. This was to help with his sensing of all that was around him. If he used his ability it would be a simple task but he opted not to. He didn't want to make the old man have a heart attack.
Within reason, his results were not that great. It was quite hard to execute the strike when unable to see the physical object before him. He then made his progression gradually get better.
But each time he saw success the old man upped the difficulty as though trying to gauge his ceiling. When breaking one board became easy, two were used. This was when Shaun stopped holding back, he wanted to push himself to the limit.
By the end of the day, he was breaking two boards consecutively. When he arrived home, he was so tired, but Old Fox's aggressive teaching was to his liking, and the next day he was truly anticipating. He would be personally taught by the beautiful Lila.