• Delta Plus
    Chapter 3: A Fighter’s Most Valuable Trait
    Disclaimer: All places, ideas, and characters, are works of my imagination. DO NOT USE THEM WITHOUT MY PERMISSION!!

    “I can’t find any videos on boxing.” I mumbled to myself as I browsed the shelves of a local video store. “I’d be better off teaching myself at this point.” I sighed as hopelessness began to set in. Just as was about to give up, I heard a voice come from behind. “So, you want to learn boxing, eh?” I turned around and found an old man standing behind me. “I may not look it now, but I was once a world champion boxer.” He said as he puffed out his chest. “And you’re telling me this why?” I asked. “Consider yourself lucky, I’m offering to teach you a little something.” He said with an excited look on his face.

    “Why are you so anxious to learn boxing?” the old man asked me as I hit away at a sandbag at a local gym. “One of my friends is being targeted right now. I want to protect her, but I just don’t have the strength right now. But I don’t necessarily want to learn everything about boxing, I just want to learn a little and get stronger, so I can protect her.” I said as I leaned against the sandbag. “Kid, what do you think is the most important trait a fighter can have?” he asked after a long, awkward silence. “Let’s see here, strength and technique.” I said after a little thought “You’re wrong! It’s courage!” he shouted. “Courage.” I repeated. “That’s right, without courage, your strength is meaningless, without courage your technique becomes sloppy and useless. Courage is what really counts in a fight.” He said as he looked right into my eyes. “Let me ask you this then. How do I gain enough courage to stare down the barrel of a pistol?” I asked. “Why…are you asking me this?” He asked, clearly shaken. “I can’t give you any details. If I did, your life would be in danger as well.” I said as I went back to hitting the sandbag.

    “Courage, just like strength and technique, can be gained through training. If you train yourself enough, then you will have the courage to stand up to anything.” The old man said suddenly as he twirled his cane. I stopped hitting the sandbag and listened intently. “Strength, technique and courage, in order to be a truly strong fighter, you must posses a balance of these three qualities. The amount of time and dedication it will take to obtain this balance is unfathomable. I’ll tell you this though kid, you’ve got heart. As long as you have a reason to fight, you can become as strong as you want. These days, a lot people fight for the hell of it, or for the fun of beating someone up. They think they are strong, but they are not. Their punches are light, But not yours. Your punches are heavy, because you have a reason to fight, you have someone you wish to protect. Keep that reason engraved in your heart and you will become strong.” He said as he walked out the door