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It had been weeks since Yuta's mother had taken him to martial arts classes. For instance, martial arts differ from traditional workouts in that they need the use of total intelligence, self-defence, and the mastery of certain techniques, forms, etc.
During practice and downtime, Yuta has been flowing with the other children at the dojo. Since Isshin has been teaching the young student how to get his stance to prefecture, the youngsters occasionally go around making fun of Yuta while also helping him practice.
A stance in martial arts is a certain bodily position, especially related to the feet and legs, that provides a foundation for movement, balance, and technique execution readiness. The stances used in various martial arts can vary greatly and might highlight mobility, stability, or preparedness for attack or defense.
The little boy started training with the other children in order to obtain their assistance in correcting his stance, which is one of the fundamentals of martial arts.
"If you want to get your stance right, Yuta, you need to crouch down more." Desperate to fix his stance, Yuta was corrected by a boy with black hair, black eyes, and two small horns. While crouching below, he clenched his hands, stretching his right elbow backwards, thrusting his right hip backwards and left knee forward.
"Well, I believe you've made some progress." The boy with the dark hair made a remark as he prepared for battle.
"Now you've gotten your stance right , I'll teach you how to throw a punch while on your combat stance." Isshin added while rubbing his bald head, "Follow me." He went inside a room filled with lots of training gear while the voice and footsteps of the other kids echoed all through the room as the atmosphere got densed.
Isshin brought up a boxing bag while he crouched down to take his stance and clenched his fist as he struck the boxing bag again and again. 'Awesome.'
"Now, step up and take your stance, boy." Isshin commanded while standing next to the young student.
"Osu." Yuta shouted.
While crouching down, Yuta took his combat stance he learned earlier and clenched his right fist and struck the boxing bag as his right wrist underwent a little fracture against the impact of the strong boxing bag. The boy fell down his knees gripping his right wrist in pain and agony as Isshin walked over to him and stretched the wrist putting it in position.
The young boy felt much better as he got his wrists covered in bandages and got himself a spare 15 minute break until he began his training.
Sitting down on a wooden bench at the extreme corner with a bottle of water on his mouth he began to examine the great view of the dojo seeing the other kids in action with absolute focus maintaining their combat stance while striking the air with their clenched fist over and over while some kids were dueling each other in a 1v1 as Isshin was supervising them and observing every moment of his student while applying some correction in every movements.
'It's almost time for today's training to end so I guess I'll give it my all in my comeback.' He began to motivate himself seeing the other kids giving it their all then he won't be left out. The young boy dropped the bottle of water and rushed back to his Sensei and joined them in their training.
He let out a deep breath and crouched down once more to maintain his combat stance and clenched his fist while he began to strike the air with both fists as Isshin instructed. 'Phase one completed.' The young boy began to smile as he noticed he had perfected his stance after many trials of hardship and he was more fascinated about the situation and hoped to learn how to strike and kick very well.
"That's all for today's training so clean up and go take a good meal since your body needs that and make sure to rest while you can. That's all for today." Isshin dismissed his student as all of them obeyed and made their way out of the dojo.
As the sun dipped below the horizon, casting an orange glow across the city, Yuta stepped out of the dojo, his body still buzzing from the intense training session.
He had spent hours perfecting his martial arts techniques, each punch and kick fueled by his desire to become stronger. Today, he felt particularly accomplished, his mind racing with thoughts of becoming a strong martial artist, just like the ones he admired.
Yuta sprinted through the streets. It was late, and the air was heavy with mist, casting an eerie glow under the dim streetlights. Yuta's thoughts drifte and the scolding he'd probably get for being late—again. But he pushed those worries aside. The night was calm, or so he thought.
He walked through the quiet alleyway, seeing some thugs smoking but paid no mind as he focused on his journey back home.
"I'm back, Mom." He exclaimed as he opened the door and stepped inside the house.
"Welcome home, sweetie. How was your training today?"
"Eh, it was amazing, I mean I get to learn new tactics from Isshin."
"That's good to know! So go get your bath while I prepare some katsudon for dinner."
"Sure mom, I appreciate it."
Yuta made his way to his bedroom upstairs as he shut the door behind me and leaned on the wall, gazing at the ceiling when his phone rang to his surprise.
Yuta shocked his hands inside his pocket and brought out his phone, seeing the caller ID was Mei as he picked it up instantly.
"Sup, Mei." Yuta greeted Mei with a tired tone.
"I'm good, you?"
"Eh, I'm fine, thanks. So what's up?"
"I figured I should give you a call since it's been a while since we talked and I want to tell you how excited I am for the upcoming U.A. examination."
"Oh, that… Well, I can't wait. I wanna show the whole world how strong I am and with you by my side, we'll make an unbeatable duo."
"That's true, you know, I've been training alot all this while so I will be able to catch up to you and never be a burden to you."
"Is that so? You know, I've never thought of you being a burden to me and if it gets wrong, I'll protect you."
"Really? That's good to hear but I don't need you to babysit me coz you know I've been training all this while and I can protect myself."
"Then, that's great… Anyways, what are you doing now?"
"Nothing much, Just ate my dinner and I'm watching the news right now."
"Oh I see, well, I just got back from training and mom is preparing katsudon for me."
"Katsudon? That sounds tasty ... .and why get back from training this late? I mean, you shouldn't work yourself very hard and you should probably get yourself some rest."
"Thanks for the advice but…..if I don't work myself to my limit, then I can't be the greatest hero and I won't be able to stand by you and protect those I care about."
"Oh."
"Yeah…thanks for calling and I can't wait to see how far your wax quirk has developed since we trained together."
"It's definitely gonna blow your mind, Yuta. I've leveled up so much and I can boldly say I'm way stronger than you currently."
"Is that so? Well it's not a bad thing to dream big."
"What's the meaning of that?"
"Since you think you're stronger than me, then I'll leave that to your imagination and when we meet soon, I'll bring you out from your imagination."
"Eh? Do you think I'm gonna lose to a crybaby?"
"Heheh, definitely."
"Let's see about that, weakling."
"Sure… I'm gonna go take my bath and eat dinner so take care, Mei."
"Sure."
Yuta sighed and hobbled to the toilet to take his bath as Mei ended the call. He spent some time in the bathroom, and when his nose caught the mouthwatering scent of katsudon in the kitchen, he headed downstairs when his stomach rumbled with hunger.
As his mother brought him his hot and delicious katsudon, Yuta sat down. He eagerly consumed the dish, savoring the aroma of the katsudon.
"Don't rush it, sweetie. There's many more in the kitchen."
"Then, can I have some more?"
"Sure."
His mom took his plate and dished a second round of katsudon to Yuta, who took his time and enjoyed the meal.
"Thanks for the food mom. You're the best."
"You're welcome, sweetie."
Yuta stood from his seat and made his way to the living room to watch the news before going to bed when something piqued his interest…