Belle, after taking up a fighting stance, did not charge at the instructor. He wanted to follow the instructor's advice. "I see, you want to take my advice on not charging head first and instead measuring your opponent," Iko said with a smile. He loved the fact that Belle at least remembered what he had taught. He had taught them that charging in headfirst against an opponent would give the opponent a higher chance of countering.
"I will be coming at you though. I just forgot to tell you guys that not going for the attack works perfectly against a person when there is no disparity of skills between you and him. Against a person who outclasses you, letting them attack first will keep you on the receiving end, trying to defend from the beginning to the end. You all should watch this," Iko said. As he took a massive step, covering the little space between him and Belle, he threw a punch immediately with his left hand.
Seeing Iko punch with his left hand, Belle raised his right hand, parrying the punch. But then, his telepathy ability kicked in, allowing him to read Iko's mind: "A feint, he will follow up with a punch with his right hand," Belle read and immediately moved his left hand to intercept. But bang! A kick connected to Belle's lower ribcage. "Ability is not the zenith. Once your opponent knows your ability, he is already one step ahead. I followed the exam, though you only said it without proving it. I prepared myself for it. Just now, you used telepathy to read my mind, making you react and move your left hand to intercept. I actually thought of it to mislead you if you really have telepathy ability," Iko said.
"How did you hide the thought that you were going to mislead me?" Belle asked. He was surprised hearing this. He had always thought that everyone was laid bare by telepathy.
"Martial art practitioners are different. Some believe that a well-skilled martial art master moves with thoughts, while others believe a martial artist that goes with instinct is a master. I am among the latter. You see, being thoughtful and calculative is great, but I don't think it is needed much in a martial fight. It can prove immensely beneficial in other kinds of battles, but not in martial arts. First, if you are fighting a thoughtful person in martial arts, the possibility of you both canceling each other's attacks is high. If you can calculate that he can do this, he can also calculate that you can do that. Second, I think thinking most of the time restrains humans' ability to do more in martial arts. A radical that goes on instinct will not think of dodging most attacks and can take them head-on to inflict more damage. Though going on instinct is a barbarian way of fighting, it makes one totally unpredictable while at the same time raising their ability to evade critical attacks. It is easier to move your body faster with your instinct than with your thought. You didn't notice that the thought was to mislead you because the thought was actually led by instinct, my battle instinct, which is always based on exploiting any possible weaknesses, led to the thought which you picked up and falled for," Sir Iko said.
Hearing him, Belle seemed to understand. "You move based on your instinct. The thought was a byproduct of instinct which I fell for," Belle asked to confirm.
"Exactly, you picked up good," Sir Iko said before charging at Belle again. Whim! His kick missed Belle, who barely dodged, only to be caught in the face by a punch that lifted him off his feet. Immediately upon landing, Belle took a quick roll, even though feeling a bit dizzy from the attack, barely dodging Sir Iko's follow-up kick. Sir Iko didn't hold back at all.
"Why are you all wide agape? In a fight, one should always be decisive enough to end the battle faster, whether it is a friendly spar. And besides, I was trying to prove a point. Also, attacks at this level can't kill him," Sir Iko said, as Belle, who had stood up after the roll, watched Sir Iko explain.
"Quite impressive. You dodged my last kick based on instinct. That means at the exam, you were dodging and timing the attacks from instinct. If you really learn martial skills to top off your already good instinct, even I will be afraid to fight you," Sir Iko said. Hearing him, Belle couldn't even explain. He hadn't battled in the exam based on instinct. He had only suppressed his telepathy and used instinct well enough now because he is a spatial monster, and monsters are known for their instinct.
The fight continued between Belle and Sir Iko, Belle maintained a calm and focused mindset. He relied on his instincts, carefully observing Sir Iko's every move. With each punch and kick thrown his way, Belle swiftly dodged, parried or blocked the attacks with precise though a lot hit and he couldn't counter back due to having no decent fighting skill the instinct prove to be good, at most time that Sir Iko will catch him on unfavorable position, it helps him at least dodge.
Sir Iko, on the other hand, continued to push Belle to his limits. He was impressed by Belle's ability to adapt and react quickly. He could see the determination in Belle's eyes.
With every successful block or dodge, Belle found more confidence within himself. He started to understand the true essence of martial arts – it's not just physical strength but also mental agility and adaptability. The battle is less about overpowering the opponent but rather finding the right moments to strike and exploit weaknesses, he couldn't strike though on Sir Iko's case, he was totally outclass, his skill set just consist of punching and kicking which everyone can do .
Sir Iko observed Belle's growth throughout the fight with a sense of pride. He knew that his teachings had resonated with Belle, he was surprised he has improve this fast based on just words though.
"you learn and adapt from just words" Sir Iko stopped his attacks to ask.
"It is only right to improve when given advice, Belle that only thought his fast improvement with advice was normal said.
" sure, you all blacks should have a misconception for being normal," Sir Iko said with a smile.