One Master, One Apprentice II (Dual Training between Xan and Zaku)

Posts : 394 Join date : 2014-03-28

Zaku would slowly slash at the air diagonally with his katana, sweat dripping from his face, "One-hun-dred." The boy would release the grip on his sword as he let his legs go and he fell onto his ass. He was breathing heavily as he layed down on his back and sprawled out, stretching out his arms as they throbbed from the pain. He was told to do 100 slashes with his katana each day, but he pushed himself to do 300. 100 vertical swings, 100 horizontal, and of course 100 diagonal swings. He was wearing his classic long sleeve, white t-shirt. His red shorts, and his black shinobi sandals. He had his silver earrings in and the sheath to his katana strapped to his back. His pink hair looked like it was drenched in sweat, since it actually was. Zaku now had white bandages over his eyes that wrapped all the way around his head. He just didn't want everyone to see how his eyes looked now. He also didn't want to just keep them shut forever.

It had been a week since the boy had been blinded by his master. He was enraged at first, but then dipped off into despair for a couple days. The only reason why he was able to escape the darkness was because he knew the only way to get his vision back was to continue his goal of getting way stronger. He didn't want to be blind forever. He was going to do everything it took to see again. The past week was or sure a struggle though. He spent most of his time wandering his house and remembering the distance between everything. It was really hard with him crashing into things with almost every step at first. After the week though, now he had it down pretty much, barely bumping into things as he moved. He had to remember the number of steps from place to place, and finally got the hang of it after pending day after day of learning every inch of his household.

Now, he did learn his household, but still had no idea of the outside world. That's why his mom dropped him off at the training grounds. It was his first day back since he lost his sight. He had to admit it felt good to be out again. Last time he saw Xan, he was told to learn how to use echolocation in human form. He actually had been practicing it too. He didn't think it was possible, but finally learned how to do it. It was like the sound he would create with his mouth would travel into things around him, an then he would be able to tell what's going on in a short distance around. It almost gave him a mental image of his surroundings.

Guest

Xan would drop down from the sky landing with a soft thump and straightening up, it might have been odd but not to anyone who knew what Xan was. "Good, you have been practicing. Any luck with harnessing Echolocation, I have left you alone for a week giving you time to adjust, did you put it to use or are you still wallowing in your perceived weakness." Xans aid speaking quite bluntly as he held a cigar between his lips inhaling before exhaling a smoke cloud from his nostrils. He would continue to do so while waiting for his apprentices reply though regardless of Zaku's response it didn't really matter. They would be training today yet again and the results of whether Zaku practiced or not would become visible quite shortly. Xan would inhale a deep drag burning through half of the cigar in one drag before snuffing out the flame by using his forearm as an ash tray.

"Prepare yourself, I will be coming at you once more same rules as the last time we sparred except this time I will only use Iaido and will restrict myself to swift release speeds except when defending in which case i won't exceed bullet release. Pay attention to my movements, my sound my smell whatever you need to detect me focus on it. he said while sliding his hand to Basilisk and then dashing forward at normal running speeds to close the distance between him and his apprentice.

Posts : 394 Join date : 2014-03-28

Zaku's breathing would finally start to steady when he heard a sound. He would slowly sit up and would click his tongue against the side of his teeth to utilize his echolocation. A mental image of Xan would be imprinted in Zaku's head as he heard the voice of his master. The boy would of looked towards Xan, but figuring he had no vision, he realized a couple days ago he had no need to face the people he talked to now. The vampire would be facing the opposite direction of Xan as he replied, "Of course I been practicing. You think I'm just going to sit around and do nothing?" Zaku would wait for his master to finish his sentence before talking again, "Yeah I've actually learned to use echolocation a little bit in my human form. It wasn't easy, but I think I know how to do it perfectly. Right now I'm just trying to increase its range so I can 'see' farther." When he said "see" he would use his fingers to create quotation marks, for he actually couldn't see anything at all. The smell of smoke would reach Zaku even though he was facing the other way, he figured his Sensei really liked to smoke. Zaku clicked his tongue, wanting to see if Xan had moved at all. It didn't look like he did.

The pink haired boy would listen as Xan stated they were going to be training again. He had actually been waiting for this moment. Zaku wanted to see if fighting while blind was actually possible. The boy quickly hopped up and picked up his katana, and spun around. He had memorized where everything was, so he knew Xan was behind him. Zaku took a stance as he listened to Xan explain his limitations. Then he heard footsteps. Zaku grinned before clicking his tongue to get a mental image of where Xan was before charging off at D-rank speeds. He knew Xan was at, so he attempted swinging Sonikku Netsu at Xan's head at the same speeds. If his attack failed he would spin in the opposite direction and would try swinging his katana at Xan's arm, of course after clicking his tongue.

Techniques Used:

Guest

Xan would raise a brow at Zaku's reply, it was good to sell the point that he was blind and thus vulnerable but at the same time not to the point that it would put him at a disadvantage. For instance until he was confident in his skill enough to turn around in time to repel an attack he should instead turn towards the sound yet be off by several inches. This would delude the opponent into weakness yet not leave one vulnerable in the event that an attack from the front could arrive. Still it begged no call to attention as he had begun moving at Xan ran forward. Xan would lean backward while using Iai Draw with basilisk with his right arm to parry the strike for his head though when Zaku spun to the side he would parry the blow by using Iai Bash gripping Basilisk's hilt with his left hand. Both was done at D-rank speed with Xan using Iai prediction to accurately guess where Zaku was going to strike before he could complete his action.

"Interesting, so you at at least passable with it, what of your other senses without vision have you begun to focus on them more, or has your desperation for sight been ignored as you only focus on your hearing? Xan said and if Zaku's weapon had been knocked out of his hands he would take a step back while sheathing Basilisk and attempting Iai slicing at Zaku's hand if he dared to reach for his weapon. Of course it was moving at swift release speeds and as a result it wasn't strong enough to break skin but his apprentice wouldn't know that.

Spoiler:

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Zaku would fell his sword be countered both times, the second one knocking the katana out of his hands before it flew in the air and then sunk into the ground by the bladed end. The boy would be knocked back a little by the impact and he would stumble, before taking off at C-rank speeds, utilizing Shunpo to retrieve his sword. He would use the sound of his feet hitting the ground to get an understanding of where Sonnkku Netsu was. Zaku would dive at the sword once he realized Xan was slashing out. The boy would grab his sword and would roll to his feet a few feet away from Xan, able to avoid his strike. Luckily Xan wasn't slashing out at full speed or Zaku would've been caught. After re-establishing his grip on the katana he would reply to Xan's question, "I thought that focusing on my hearing would be the most useful thing to me right now. I feel like it is the closest thing to sight to being able to react to things." Zaku didn't know if he could even focus on more. Focusing on his hearing alone was hard as it is. He had to admit that focusing on all his senses would be way more useful though.

Technique Used:

Guest

"Understandable, but do not settle for one sense, part of the reason your sight was deprived from you was because you are overly reliant on it. It's part of being human. You have four senses, even if you utilize hearing you must not forget the others, otherwise you will fall prey to things those who rely on their vision do. For instance this." Xan would say as he sheathed Basilisk back when his student managed to get away in time and snatch up his sword once again. He would suddenly attack similar to the manner that he used to blind him using Lack of Intent, except this time it was slower and utilized silent killing so it wouldn't even make a sound as he slid Basilisk out of it's hilt.

He would burst forward moving at swift release suddenly and utilize Iai Bash yet again mainly to see if his student would take his advice and try to use his other senses when he couldn't hear anything. Echolocation would still gauge Xan's position but if it was in regards to hearing him move the only clue would be Xan's statement. Or if he used his sense of touch the wind displaced at the blade got closer to him, the scent of blood, steel and death if he used his sense of smell, taste was useless for now then again Zaku would have to be a retard to consider using it at the moment. His strike was aimed at Zaku's legs trying to knock him off balance using the bokken causing him to literally fall upon Basilisk's blade. It was done with Xan not targetting anything vital sure it would hurt like a bitch and bleed but where Zaku would land would not sever any major arteries nor puncture any major organs even if he was in fact stabbing him in the torso.

Trying to Teach:

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Zaku nodded his head, understanding that he shouldn't just focus on one of his senses and should actually focus on making all of them better. He would explain the fact of how difficult it was to do that, but figured making up excuses wasn't going to help, and he assumed Xan already knew the difficulty of doing such. Zaku's eyebrow would raise as Xan's sentence would end with the words "for instance this". The vampire knew an attack was on its way now. He knew that Xan was trying to make a point about relying heavily on one sense, so he had a feeling the attack was going to be silent.

It looked as if he was right, because after the man's words he heard nothing else. Nothing other than the wind passing by. Alright, time to focus on something other than hearing. I got to focus... Zaku would try to utilize his other senses. Trying to feel something with ouch, or even smell something. Okay, this isn't working. Zaku couldn't sense anything, and he didn't really feel like getting his head cut off, so he would revert back to what he knew, echolocation. With a click of his tongue against his teeth, he would get a mental image of something coming towards his legs, causing him to push off the ground quickly at C-rank speeds, backpedaling backwards for about 10 feet, since that was his range from using his echolocation earlier. He still had Sonikku Netsu drawn, ready to defend at any moment. He then would call out to his master, "It seems like I don't got the hang of it yet. I'll work on enhancing my other senses. Whatever you just did though, I would like if you could teach it to me. That was cool how you were able to get so close to me without even making a sound. I want to be able to be that quiet and strike my opponent down without them hearing me coming." Zaku wondered what kind of technique it was. He literally heard no sounds from the last attack.

Learned:

Techniques Used:

Guest

"Very well, add this to your daily practice. Concentrate on stepping as softly as possible so as not to make a sound, once you manage to do so stand in a hallway or some other location with a set length and proceed to walk faster yet maintain the same level of soft stepping. Keep practicing until you are able to walk silently as fast as you can walk normally and then advance into learning how to run that way. Make your breaths slower deeper, and dedicate an hour to meditation so you can learn how to slow your heart rate. Eventually you will understand how to utilize Silent Killing." Xan said sheathing his weapon after the attack having deliberately pulled back when he noticed Zaku was unable to detect him through his other senses."There isn't a way to rush this other than your own hard work and effort, though unlike your kenjutsu forms aggression won't assist you in this matter, you have to be patient methodological before unleashing your strike. Culminating in a silent execution of your target"

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Zaku listened carefully to what Xan was saying. He made sure to make mental notes to what his sensei was saying, trying to remember every step that went along with learning this silent technique. So basically he had to try stepping as softly and slowly as possible at first, just to get a feel of how to take quiet steps. After that he needed to learn to take light steps as well as moving quicker. It looked like meditation was also a factor that went into learning the technique, he needed to learn how to control his own heart rate. It looked like the technique wasn't going to be as easy as he thought to learn, especially since he hated meditating, it was just so damn boring. Zaku sighed, a little disappointed to how long it was going to take to learn the technique. He didn't care much for the work that was needed to put in, but being impatient, the time was the issue.

The vampire boy would listen to his teacher's explanation of how there was no way to rush the process. Zaku nodded, understanding that there was no short cuts. Methodological? Culminating? What the hell is he talking about? The boy was so confused, not understanding Xan's vast depth in vocabulary sometimes. Zaku kind of gt the grasp of what Xan was talking about using context clues, kind of....

Guest

"How goes your practice of Shunpo, have you figured out how to utilize Shunpo: Bushin yet. I can let you in on a secret your echolocation will not allow you to be fooled by it anymore as the afterimage produced is an optical illusion not an auditory one." Xan said before falling forward this time he slowed it down deliberately so that if Zaku used his echolocation he would be able to see him seemingly run in place for a brief moment before moving to another location. The trick was simple it was just the speed to do it which make it a difficult maneuver to pull off, then again Zaku was a samurai so he was predisposed to figuring it out quicker than say a non-samurai. It was simply the Tenmetsu-Ko samurai's Bushin technique reformatted into working for Shunpo.

Trying to Teach:

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Zaku sheathed his katana for the time being, listening to Xan's question about his training in Shunpo. Zaku then was told about how Shunpo: Bushin would not effect him anymore. A smile appeared on his face, "Oh no. I haven't managed to master that technique yet." The vampire forgot about all the things being blind made him immune to now. Not only was Shunpo: Bushin ineffective against him, so were all optical illusion based genjutsu. He had to admit to himself that not falling for sight based genjutsu could be really useful depending on the opponent. Zaku used his echolocation to get a mental image of his sensei moving around. Wait. Was he running in place? It looked like he stopped actually moving for a short amount of time, it was weird. Zaku was focused as he started piecing together what was going on. The boy nodded his head, understanding how to preform the technique. He did have a question though, "Okay Xan Sensei. But doesn't the technique only work on those who are slower than you? Or is it more that it works against those who are just moving slower than you. Like if I tried it on you and you were standing still, would you see the images of me? Or would you not because you are faster than me?"

Learning:

Guest

"Yes and no, I'm not moving at the moment, so if you used Shunpo: Bushin it would affect me. If I started moving the same speed as you then it would affect me much less or if I was moving faster than you it wouldn't affect me at all. Likewise it is an optical illusion those with high enough defense tiers can just shrug it off as optical illusions are physical illusions, but those who possess time-slowing dojutsu such as the Kyougan or Raidengan are affected by this technique worse than normal due to their visions acute sensory causing them to see double." Xan would leave out the reminder of the conditions he had set for this sparring occasion as it had been his intention to see if Zaku could manage to preform the technique. He still had methods of attack regardless but at least he will be able to confirm if his student got it or not.

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Zaku nodded his head, fully understanding the technique that Xan was explaining to him. Knowing more about the techniques strengths and weaknesses was sure to come in handy and could even help him know when to use the technique better. So basically it effects those moving slower too, not just those who are just slower than me. It was good to know that it could effect those who were standing still because it made the movement even more useful than it already was. Those with dojutsu would be effected by it even more than normal which gave him a better chance at beating opponents like that. He smiled, just knowing the fact that he was getting stronger and gaining more power excited the boy. After his train of thought ended he brought his attention back to the physical world as he remembered he was in the middle of training. Anyways, Zaku took off towards Xan, copying his motions as he charged forward at C-rank speeds. Xan would see the after images so to speak as Zaku attempted slashing at his Sensei's left leg.

Spoiler:

Guest

Xan would watch his student only for Zaku to successfully use the Shunpo: Bushin technique, Xan would draw Basilisk just a bit, before suddenly sheathing it while darting to the right at D-rank speeds. The purpose was to disorientate Zaku knowing fully well that he relied on his hearing instead of trying to decipher where he was at the present moment. Xan would then reply with Iai Draw if the fact that Zaku's eardrums popping not only ruined his balance but temporarily ruined his echolocation was successful then Xan would be able to distinguish which was an afterimage and which wasn't. This would allow him to utilize Iai Draw to deflect the sword strike to his leg and attempt to sheath Basilisk once more so he could follow up with something more deadly. "Just like your eyes over reliance on your ears will be your downfall, with the loss of your sight your other senses will extend themselves to cover your weakness. Make sure that you learn how to use each of them quickly, your brain is malleable now that your sight is no longer to forefront of your focus."

Spoiler:

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Luckily for Xan, Zaku was just in the range of what he was trying to do. The sound caused Zaku's ears to pop, making his echolocation useless. Zaku's mouth would drop a little as he lost balance as he attacked, falling on his face after Xan blocked the attack. The boy cursed under his breath, he was vulnerable and his ears hurt like hell. Not only that, but he also dropped his katana, and finding it wasn't going to be fun without echolocation. He knew he had to focus on his other senses, but it was really hard. He had to focus though, it was either that or get slashed at by Xan's sword.

Spoiler:

Guest

Xan would follow up with another Iai Draw aiming for Zaku's chest pulling back his blade from cutting too deep and instead would try to leave a painful wound but superficial that it would only cause it to bleed and sting. "Perhaps I was too eager, I realize that it must take sometime to learn such things." Xan thought to himself flicking Basilisk so the blood could be cleaned off and then sheathing his sword while waiting for Zaku to regain his bearings. So far he had managed to pull off learning techniques quicker than Hiro for the most part, it was a sign that his current student had the natural aptitude for Kenjutsu whereas his heir had the potential for it but no natural talent. Which was fine, a rival who was naturally skilled would not only catch up quicker but continue to push his heir to train more, he already knew that Hiro was feeling self conscious about him teaching Zaku that had been his intention when he informed him in the first place.

Spoiler:

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Zaku would slowly stand up, but then would feel his chest be cut, the burning feeling of sweat entering a cut is always horrible. The boy would grit his teeth as he fell backwards once more, not being able to pick up his sword, or even locate it thanks to his ears being popped. The vampire boy would stand up once again, this time he was facing Xan, but a little bit off to the side. Training his senses wasn't an easy task. He assumed it was something to take months to due, not just a mere week. But he couldn't be this vulnerable for months, so he would have to step his game up. Zaku would smile when his hearjng returned to normal and he would use echolocation to locate Sonikku Netsu before picking it up and then facing Xan.

Spoiler:

Guest

"Regained your bearings, good. Now pay attention and watch." Xan said shifting into the stance familiar to Batto and drawing his blade before slashing five times in quick succession and sheathing it once again. The time interval between his draw, slashes and subsequent sheathing of Basilisk was in the same interval that it would of taken him to utilize an Iaido technique. "This is Battojutsu, initially I simply taught you how to apply the concepts of Batto to your kenjutsu that is the actual fighting style. It and Iaido have a similar philosophy however were Iaido was pieced together and focused on drawing and sheathing as fast as possible, Batto is focused on cutting your opponent as fast as possible. It's attack speed is unmatched within the Samurai Arts, not even Tenmetsu which is famed for it's fast strikes and movements can hope to compete, though Tenmetsu has it beat in terms of sheer mobility." Xan would repeat what he did again this time at swift release and slicing ten times rather than five just to show Zaku the difference, yet again the strikes were done with the same interval as last time. "It's only drawback is that it is tiring on the body, preforming it to it's full capabilities will fatigue you immensely as a result when you use it you must take care to not strain yourself and use it properly whether to overwhelm an opponent, deflect chained strikes or to finish them once they've left an opening. When you build up your stamina only then can you afford to show off such as deflecting numerous projectiles instead of dodging or slicing numerous explosive tags in half before they can detonate."

Trying to Teach:

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Tch. Watch he says. Doesn't he know he blinded me. Zaku would think this to himself as he used echolocation to find out what Xan was trying to show him. The boy would smile after the quick succession of strikes. The vampire would listen to his sensei's words before responding, "Oh yeah. I like this style already. The idea of being able to unload a barrage of slashes into my enemy is exciting." Zaku would grip his sword tighter than before and would swing towards the air, copying Xan's movements, but obviously not as fast. He did this while Xan explained how it was taxing on the body. Honestly Zaku didn't care too much about all that, he just wanted to cut things quickly. He didn't care for the specifics of the consequences really. The boy would shrug his shoulders towards Xan, "I'll have enough stamina. Cutting up explosive tags seems really cool. Maybe we should practice using the technique in a dangerous situation like that. It might help me learn it faster."

Guest

Xan would nod, he taught Zaku it because it fit his style after all Hiro was too passive to truly embrace Batto only aggressive swordsmen could utilize it to it's true potential. Zaku was one of those people, not to mention he learnt very quickly a natural prodigy who learnt best in the heat of combat, truly a worthy apprentice. But not a heir, a heir was someone like him being built from the ground up and earning skill through practice and repetition, while Zaku would never be his heir like Hiro was if he measured up he would still adopt him into the Isley Family. "Very well then. Same as before however, now I will be moving at Crashing ground. Let us begin." Xan said gripping Basilisk and making a beckoning gesture with his other hand inviting Zaku to make the first move.

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Zaku would grin at the chance at beginning with the first move, he liked striking first. The boy would charge forward at C-rank speeds, using the sound of his footsteps for echolocation. He then drawed his sword while still charging at Xan. Once he reached his sensei he would try to copy the way he striked multiple times with nearly no interval between them. Zaku wasn't able to copy it perfectly though, and would end up swinging his katana 3 times towards Xan's ribcage, all at C-rank speeds. He would curse under his breath, knowing he prreformed the technique wrong. Not only that, but he also knew Xan was going to hit him with a counter attack, and was going to move at Crashing Ground speeds, which meant he wasn't going to be able to counter.

Guest

Xan would utilize Iai Prediction to read Zaku's strikes, dodging out of the way of the first and second at crashing ground speeds, then utilizing Iai Draw to counter the last. If Zaku didn't halt his attack he would get sliced by Basilisk, though it was possible that Zaku would decided to follow through with his strike in order to harm his mentor. If he did, he would find his attack actually caught by Xan's free hand before it could cut him this was due to Xan's natural reaction tiers coupled with Iai Prediction made anticipating where the strike was coming very easy. It helped that Zaku aimed for the same place all three times, which Xan would have to correct. "Don't aim for the same place if you can help it, then again it is your first time using it so being able to strike three times is quite the accomplishment." Xan would praise him all the while dealing a slicing damage equivalent to a Birank to Zaku's chest, Xan had pulled back his strike so he wouldn't give his student a grevious wound but it was deep enough to hurt quite a bit.

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It was too kate. Zaku was too far in his swing to stop now. Zaku would feel his strikes miss their target and would feel his skin opening in his chest as he stumbled backwards. The vanpire would grit his teeth, revealing his fangs to his sensei. Red liquid would drip down his body after he was slashed. Zaku heard Xan say something, but was in the middle of being cut, so he couldn't really make out what was being said. The boy would regain his bearings before gripping his katana tightly. It was agitating to never be able to strike his opponent, and then always getting sliced. The boy would charge forward again, his chest hurt like a bitch, but he was able to withstand the painful sensation. The boy would swing his sword towards Xan 4 times, the first one was aimed at his head with the second one at his waist, then he repeated.

Guest

Xan would nod, his student worked well with pain each time he failed and was punished for it he would improve almost immediately. Such growth would have to be cultivated carefully, and Xan would do so falling backwards so that the first strike would miss and then utilizing Shunpo: Bushin to see if Zaku had forgotten that he was all but immune to such things. If he had then he would end up suffering from another Iai Draw this time to his back at crashing ground speeds, if not however then Xan would parry the second and third strike before using Iai Bash on the last in an attempt to disarm him. "Better. Keep it up, you should be able to draw once yet have the control to strike at five different targets almost simultaneously. Go for vulnerable targets, things that your opponent needs, eyes, wrists, thighs, fighting "dirty" means nothing in a life or death battle and by removing your opponents ability to counter attack you can finish them to you liking." he said waiting patiently for Zaku to retrieve his weapon if the Iai Bash at bullet release speeds was successful.

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Zaku would wonder why Xan tried using Shunpo Bushin on him when his sensei knew that the technique was useless against him. Zaku could only tell he was trying to use it by the movements of Xan which he made a point to memorize so he could preform the technique himself. The vampire would shrug off thr useless movements as he continued with his attack. He felt his attacks connect with his sensei's sword a few times, and then got a mental image of the hilt coming towards him. Zaku remembered what happened last time that happened, so instead of continuing his strike, the boy would stumble to the left at B-rank speeds, utilizing shunpo. After doing that he would spin around so that he would be behind his sensei as he swung his sword at the back of Xan's neck at C-rank speeds. "Don't worry Xan Sensei. That term isn't even in my vocabulary." Fighting was fighting, anything goes in a heated battle.

» One Master, One Apprentice. (Dual Training Xan & Zaku) [Closed Except to Hiro]
» Training an Apprentice. (Dual Training Xan & Tumu)
» A Routine Training Session (Dual Training = Cleo & Hiro)
» Training the Apprentice [Asura/Training]
» Dances of Death [Zaku's Training]

Road Trip

With the first round of classes complete and the students already acclimated to life at the academy. The school has organized a field trip in order to give the students a taste of what …

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