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 Posted: Sun Jun 14, 2015 11:08 am
Xela beat her focus mitts together. "C'mon, Os, give me all that you got!" she said as she bent at the waist and locked her green eyes on the officer's grey ones. "Don't hold back! C'mon, let's go!"
Balling his fists, the officer held her gaze, and swung with all of his might at the circle targets of the palms of the mitts. Hard, meaty slaps were heard as his knuckles rebounded off of the cushioned gloves again and again. Once or twice, he ducked as Xela swung a hand or two at him, only to thrust himself up and beat at the targets again. Eventually, after going at it for a few minutes, Osmond backpedaled and let out a breath.
"That's enough, that's enough," he panted as he waved a hand at her in defeat. "Give me a minute or two, Xe. Needa break."
Smoothing a hand through his damp locks, Osmond pulled at his shirt repeatedly to let a steady air flow through, but when even that wasn't enough to cool him off, he slipped it off fully. Catching sight of his back, Xela whistled appreciatively.
"Damn, Os," she said. "If I knew our training was gonna do such work, I would have you take your shirt off more often."
The officer choked on the water he gulped down with ferocity and looked at his trainer with heated cheeks. "S-shut up," he stammered. "Let's... L-let's just get back to it, okay? C'mon."
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Posted: Sun Jun 14, 2015 12:37 pm
Zinnia entered the boxing studio nervously, wearing the clothing that she had saved up for and bought for the occasion. She was wearing tennis shoes, comfortable sweatpants, and a low-side tank top and sports bra combo. She had even broken her years-long habit of keeping her long hair in pigtails, instead tying it into a messy bun and stuffing it into a beanie. At the very least, she would look ready to learn how to defend herself.
Her recent run-in with Walpurgis and his partner had reminded her that Team Rocket was still a very real threat in her life. Her pokemon were all willing to train and fight to defend her, but what had she done to learn to defend herself? What would she do if all of her pokemon fainted? She knew that she was putting herself and her friends in danger simply by not knowing how to fight. She had to be able to defend herself in a pinch, and where better to learn how than in a boxing ring? She was nervous, but ready for anything.
However, she wasn't sure how one signed up for boxing classes. When she entered the studio, she saw people training with jump ropes, punching bags, speed bags, weights, and other tools that she did not know the name of. Most of the people in the room were men, and all were well-muscled. Zinnia froze, feeling nervous. Where was she supposed to begin? Who was she meant to talk to?
The boxing ring caught her eye; two people were fighting, and by the sound of the orders the woman was barking, she could be an instructor. Zinnia made her way slowly toward the ring. When she finally reached the edge, she coughed lightly and said, "Um... Excuse me...?"
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Posted: Sun Jun 14, 2015 12:48 pm
When training began, Xela put all of her thought into it, but Osmond's intuition to react to any sound or voice near him -- an outcome of years on the force -- caused him to jerk his chin over his shoulder to glance at Zin just as he was swinging another punch at his trainer. The redhead bounced out of the way of the incoming fist going to make contact with her right cheek, slamming down hard onto the ring's floor rump first. When the officer had realized what he did and jerked back around to question Xela of her well-being, he was given a sharp shout in reply.
"Damn it, pay attention, Os!" she said to him. "You could've knocked me dead!"
"Agh, s-sorry about that, Xe," he replied, bending at the waist and offering her his hand. As he hefted her up, he cocked his chin to the girl outside the ring. "Seems you got someone there," he said.
Xela pursed her lips. "Take five, then," she said. "I'll talk to her."
"Right, right..."
Walking over and leaning forward onto the ropes that extended around all four sides of it, Xela tilted her head down at Zin. "Hey, can I help you?" she asked. "Are you looking for someone?"
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Posted: Sun Jun 14, 2015 12:55 pm
The fifteen-year-old's eyes followed Osmund, locked onto his naked, chiseled chest and stomach. When she realized that someone else was talking to her, she blushed deeply and stammered, "U-um! I was actually hoping to find a trainer who could teach me how to fight!" She fidgeted and had to concentrate to keep her eyes on Xela's face, and not on her tight sports bra. She wasn't used to being so nervous-- and certainly not used to being so close to scantily-clad, athletic adults.
"I don't have a lot of money," she admitted, "But maybe... I-- we-- maybe... could work something out?"
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Posted: Sun Jun 14, 2015 1:02 pm
Xela pursed her lips to the side. Just as she was about to go on a spiel about freebies and how she made a living, Osmond strided forward and laid a hand on her shoulder. He could read from her expression alone what she was thinking.
"Give her a break, Xe," he said. "She's just a kid."
"But--"
He rolled his eyes. "Then I'll cover it. How's that sound?"
"Os, you're going to put yourself on the streets with that kind of attitude," Xela said.
The officer let out a sigh. "If that's the way you're gonna be, how about I teach her then? I've learned enough from you."
His trainer rolled her shoulders, shrugging his hand off in the process. "Do what you want," she said. "It's your time, not mine." With that, the woman walked off.
Osmond looked down to the fidgety teen and smiled. "Hey," he called. "What's your name?"
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Posted: Sun Jun 14, 2015 1:13 pm
Zinnia beamed when Osmund came to his generous conclusion. "I'm Zin Hayes!" she said brightly, her nervousness seeming to vanish at this confirmation that she wasn't going to be unceremoniously kicked out of the facility. "Thank you very much!" she reached a hand up for him to shake. "You're... Os, right?" she guessed, remembering what Xela had called him.
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Posted: Sun Jun 14, 2015 1:26 pm
Osmond clasped her hand in his and gave it a firm shake. "Nice to meet you, Zin" he said. Beckoning her up with a scoop of his hand, he added, "Os works, but my full name is Osmond. Doesn't matter to me. So, you know anything about boxing?"
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Posted: Sun Jun 14, 2015 1:34 pm
Zinnia clambered into the ring clumsily before standing straight again. She racked her brain at Osmond's question. "Well... You punch people," she concluded lamely. "I've never boxed before," she admitted.
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Posted: Sun Jun 14, 2015 1:38 pm
Osmond gave a small chuckle at her obviousness. "Well, yes," he said. "That's the start of it, but there's more to it too. Like, err, keeping an eye on your opponent's movements and stuff. Yea, I guess. But we'll get to that later. For now, let's just test your strength. Xela!"
The woman cocked her head at him. "What?"
"Could I borrow your mitts?"
The redhead flicked the two target mitts over to Osmond like a pair of frisbees. Landing at his heel, he bent at the waist, and slipped both one over his left hand.
Erecting an index finger at it, Osmond said, "Ball a fist and give me a good hit there. As hard as you can."
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Posted: Sun Jun 14, 2015 1:50 pm
Zinnia nodded. She made a fist-- she at least knew how to do that much properly-- and drew her right arm back at the shoulder and elbow. She snapped it forward with all her might, slamming her knuckles into Osmond's mitt. She dropped her hand and shook it out, muttering, "Ow." She had expected the mitt to be softer.
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Posted: Tue Jun 16, 2015 12:13 pm
Osmond hummed, staring into the circle target in the middle of the mitt. "Well, I guess you could, err, punch out a stick or something if someone threw one at you," the officer said with a small chuckle. "But it won't be hard to set up a regime for you. Well, that kinda depends. What are exactly are you looking for? Taking on a bully or something?"
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Posted: Tue Jun 16, 2015 12:28 pm
Zinnia blushed as Osmond noted how weak she was, but nodded. "Yes, a... bully," she said. It wasn't exactly a lie; Team Rocket was an organization of bullies. Walpurgis had certainly hassled her enough to qualify as a bully.
"How..." Zinnia began, trying to sound nonchalant, "How would someone hypothetically defend themselves against someone with a knife? Hypothetically." She scratched the back of her head and looked away. She knew that Walpurgis used them; she wanted to know whether it was possible for her to stand a chance against him, if things got serious.
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Posted: Tue Jun 16, 2015 12:38 pm
Osmond eyed Zinnia suspiciously. "That's a... That's a worrisome question, hypothetical or not." Slipping the mitt off his hand, he dropped it down on the floor beside its partner and scratched the back of his neck. "Well, if this bully is taking things -- like money or something -- just give in. Your wallet isn't worth your life. But if a person is attacking to harm or even kill, then protect your chest."
The officer dropped down to a boxing stance with his arms level to his chest. "First step, always be on the defense. An attacker with a knife is likely going to come lunging or slashing at you first, so protect yourself and keep your distance. Always keep distance. Sometimes it is best just to play it safe and see if you can escape instead. If not, prepare to start swinging."
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Posted: Tue Jun 16, 2015 12:51 pm
Zinnia nodded seriously and did her best to mimic Osmond's pose. She considered his words; Osmond said to give it up if she was being robbed, but Walpurgis wanted to steal Shadow, which was the same as kidnapping and Zin would never allow it. That meant she was supposed to run, if able, but so long as Walpurgis had that mewtwo, there was no escape. Their only option was to fight. She knew then that she was making the right decision, learning to fight.
"Got it," she said to her new mentor. She was determined to learn how to protect her friends as soon as possible, no matter what it took.
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Posted: Wed Jun 17, 2015 4:36 pm
"So, for now, we're just going to get a few moves in, okay?" Osmond told the teen. "Some quick a easy maneuvers for now; we can start throwing punches next time. Okay, basic things to keep in mind: This pose is always your go-to pose. Keep your back hunched and your form low. This isn't to make yourself look small, it's to give you some leverage and defense. Hands always at your chest so you can protect it and your middle. Got that?"
He glanced down to her feet and touched one hand to each of her heels. "Keep your left heel in line with your right toes. This creates a grounded stance. Left hand under your cheek, right under your chin. Chin down at all times. Got that too?"
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