Chapter 40: Chapter 040 - Say-So
I arrive at our training grounds on the fifth day, my shoes shuffling through the dust. It's annoying how there is no visible increase in my strength, but I am tired—my emotions are dog-tired.
"Should we continue from where we left off?" Saitama asks this time. "Let's finish this quickly so we can go home."
I heave a deep sigh. He is still faster, stronger, and now, I don't know if I will ever get close to his strength. And so I trudge through, sweat rolling down my face. Why is it too hot already?!
"Come on, Fubuki! Faster!"
I make an audible groan. The heat has become unbearable, even here in the mountains.
"What's taking you so long?!"
"Don't rush me!" I scream back.
I face him, and he is smiling. "Today, I want you to run this path all throughout the morning. Every time you return to this spot, you will increase the speed of your running."
My eyebrows rise. "Ah! You just want me to do this alone, so you can have the entire day free!"
"Yes! Last night I discover a waterfall not far from here, so I plan to play around."
My eyebrows rise all the more. "You just admitted that you want to play around!"
"Give me a break, Fubuki," he says, exasperated. "We've been on this for four days."
"I paid you for five days!"
"Small details."
"It's not!" I complain. "And besides, why were you looking for a waterfall in the middle of the night?!"
Saitama looks away and I frown.
"See you during lunch then!" he says, ignoring my question.
"Saita—" But he's already gone. That jerk!
With nothing else to do, and with my mentor escaping, I obey. I run at a steady pace, my legs pushing me to go faster every time I reach a single spot. It's hot and tiring, and my muscles are screaming at me. Still, I push on, determined to show him off while he is playing around!
So, I continue, my frustration serving as a driving force to continue running at increased speeds. At least, for the first time, he thought of a training plan by himself.
Finally, after a couple of laps, Saitama shows himself.
"Heeya! Any lunch?"
My blood rises in annoyance again. I pause and catch my breath, glaring at him. "Now, you're here for lunch after playing around!" I accuse.
"I can't help it. There's no food in the waterfalls."
"You should be helping me with my training!"
"What's so bad about taking a dip in some cool water? Besides, this heat is killing me."
"You liar!"
He ignores me and sits down under a tree. "This place is great. Sit down here, Fubuki," he says, tapping the seat beside him.
I sit beside him and pull out some food from my bag.
"Until what time are we going to train?" he asks.
I groan. "You mean for me to train alone?"
He chuckles. "Come on, Fubuki. Don't be so hard on yourself."
I roll my eyes. "You are the one making this hard for me!" I hiss at him.
"At least your stamina has improved a lot since we started training."
I raise an eyebrow. "Is that all you're going to say?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, why haven't you taught me any new moves or techniques? Ain't that the point of training?!"
Saitama sighs. "Fubuki, you need to understand that mastering the basics is more important than learning new moves," he says, acting as if a true mentor, with his hands under his chin, as if in contemplation.
"You are just making excuses!"
Saitama looks at me calmly. "Fubuki, the basics serve as the foundation for everything else. Once you have mastered the basics, then we can move on to more advanced techniques."
I sigh in frustration. "Fine. Then teach me the basics properly."
Saitama nods. "Alright. Let's start with your stance."
He stands up and demonstrates an awkward fighting stance–which I mimic. He then proceeds to correct my posture and positioning until it is spot-on.
"I feel like an idiot," I comment.
"Good. Now, let's move on to some footwork drills."
I follow Saitama's lead as he starts teaching me some of his basic footwork drills. I feel silly as time goes on, but I keep my head held high. Besides, Saitama is a very strong fighter. Is this weird posture what makes him strong?
And soon, I feel my body moving instinctively, my feet moving in response to his cues without conscious thought.
Saitama smiles at me. "Good job, Fubuki. You are starting to develop your muscle memory."
"This feels weird."
"It's fine, it's fine. Now, stay like that while I go freshen up."
"Hey! Where the heck are you going?!"
By then, Saitama is already running away from me. I groan in annoyance. But with nothing to do, I keep on practicing while waiting for him.
As I stand there, lost in thought, I suddenly hear the sound of footsteps approaching. I turn to see Saitama's disciple, Genos, walking towards me with a serious expression on his face.
"Fubuki," he says, stopping in front of me. "Where is Saitama-sensei?"
"He said he will freshen up at a nearby waterfall," I answer.
He turns to leave, but then pauses. After a while, he turns towards me and asks, "Pardon my asking, but what are you doing?"
"Practicing."
"Practicing what?"
"My posture and stance when fighting, what else?!"
"I thought you were practicing some contortionist act."
I raise an eyebrow, surprised by his comment. "What makes you think that?"
He merely shrugs. "It just looks like it from where I'm standing."
I can feel my face turning red in embarrassment. Here I am, trying to improve my fighting skills, and this guy thinks I look like a circus performer!
"Hey, it's not what it looks like," I say defensively. "Saitama says it's the basic, for both posture and stance!"
"Saitama-sensei taught you that?"
"Who else? You think I will make up something this weird?"
"Ah! I remember where I saw this! It's from an anime about a contortionist! After learning of his family's death, he vowed to avenge them. All his moves are as weird as what you are doing now."
I stand up straight, feeling the blood boil in my veins, and at the top of my lungs, I scream, "Saitama!"
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