The next day it was Blacker who woke him up, it was early or that's what Mouse felt, but in a space station there were few differences between day and night, only the biological clock of the sleep cycle could guide you in the absence of clocks or sunlight, and the boy didn't have the first nor did he know what the second was.
That sweet bowl was waiting for him, and the boy ate it as if it were the best delicacy he had ever eaten, they left for the tunnel as soon as they finished.
The training routine was the same as the day before with Marcus, the only thing was that Blacker couldn't answer the multitude of whys like the champion, at least to some easy questions. But this didn't make the training less intense but more, without questions the training times were shortened. After about two and a half hours the boy was exhausted sitting on the floor.
Blacker took him back to the basement.
"Wait for the champion here, he'll be here in a while."
Marcus appeared, looking better than the day before, which meant he had fewer dark circles under his eyes and stank less of alcohol. He looked at Mouse, although he couldn't overwhelm the boy with too many things so as not to overwhelm him in three months, there was something he could do for the boy.
Mouse was ready to repeat the routine of the day before, but Marcus told him to sit at the table for a moment.
"Do you remember when your opponent knocked you down?"
"Yes, I managed to escape, I had seen a Battle Suit fighter do something similar..."
"How did you do it?"
"Because my right leg didn't get caught, otherwise I would have had a problem..."
"You are absolutely right, but you are not always going to be lucky enough to be attacked while in that defensive stance. When someone knocks you down you have only a few seconds to react before whoever is on top starts hitting you, I want you to understand the chances you have to survive... Lie down on the ground"
Mouse obeyed, Marcus got on top with both of his legs on either side of Mouse, the boy was much smaller so the former champion's stance was very forced and would have to work for them.
"This is the worst possible position Mouse, you can't use your leg to get out, in a second your opponent will stand up and the blows will start, what would you do Mouse?"
"I can do little like that... protect myself?"
"Good instinct, but bad response, depending on how your hands are, attack the balls, the neck or the eyes, do it quickly and don't waste time protecting yourself, it would be useless in the long run, any of those points, especially the eyes or the balls, will make your opponent give you the seconds you need to move and have a chance to get out of the situation..."
They weren't the cleanest but Mouse didn't have the concept of honor in fighting or anything like that, but the concept was perfect for the child's mind, in that desperate situation not trying to survive was going to play as dirty as possible, but not because the boy was capable of those dirty tricks, but as a logical mechanism, it was the rational way out of the moment of crisis and understanding the reason behind his actions was the child's real talent.
Mouse had no problem trying to hit Marcus in those points although the champion didn't let him, the situation started when Marcus was on top, in three seconds Mouse had to try to hit and start again.
"Let's stop here for a moment, we're going to move into a position that, although it may seem advantageous, is ultimately a torture if you don't know what to do. You're going to put yourself with both hands above my hips, but below my arms."
Mouse did as he said, but in reality, in that position he wasn't much better than in the previous one. He was really trapped.
"When you are like this, and with years of practice, you could take advantage of the moment when your opponent gets up to lock him or move and get out, but let's opt for the two easiest options. The first is that if you can support your feet on your opponent's hips, push with all your strength. Since I weigh more, you will be the one who will slip away, but let's try it. Remember that it has to be a push, not a blow."
They were trying out that exit. Indeed, it was Mouse who was pushing himself. The problem was being able to put both feet in position. Most of the time he only managed to push with one of them, and with a greater weight that was not enough to push or push himself. With a gesture, the former champion made him stop.
"This is a way out, but it doesn't mean you're free. You'll have to be quick to get up if you don't want them to come at you again. Now we're going to try something else. When I get up to hit me, you're going to arch your back and kick upwards with all your strength. Do it with one leg to have support. Don't worry. With your reach, you won't hit me in the face. I can withstand a pooper's punch, but it's going to hurt your opponents a lot."
This option was more effective. Even if he only hit the chest and not the head, he would either withdraw his opponent or have an advantageous position.
The next position was the one Mouse had when he experienced his fight.
"You already know the solution to this, I just want to tell you that there is a small mistake that you have to be careful with, it is a natural reaction when the person under you has leaned to one side, the natural reaction is not to get up with your whole body but with one arm and hit, to avoid this you have to either turn to one side even faster or on the contrary wait for your opponent to raise his fist, that will be the moment when he will be most open"
The ground work was exhausting, hitting could hurt or tire you, but you had to be careful, working on the ground was an effort that started in the legs but extended from the first to the last muscle of the body.
"That's enough of the ground for today, let's go back to the kicks and the routine"
Mouse was tired but very happy, he was seeing many possible potentially dangerous situations, he surely wouldn't manage to learn everything he needed, it depended on luck, and the lack of skill of his rivals, it was a game of balance but it was better than not being prepared for it.
The practices were a little longer than the day before with the addition of the new exercise, the biggest improvement was when it came time to chase Marcus after having watched a video with the damage of the winner. It was not a continuous chase of blows, they were thought-out and explosive attacks, with longer combinations of blows. The effectiveness and strength of the blows increased many points. After each burst and while the boy returned to look for his opportunity to hunt the champion, he breathed just as he had been taught after doing a sprint. The heart rate of these explosions was the same as with a race at maximum power, so Mouse deduced by himself that this was the best solution.
The hours passed quickly, and after the former champion left, the boy was left alone again, but he did not stay still; he continued watching videos and practicing the blows. From time to time he practiced with the rope. This would be Mouse's life and routine for the next few months.