→ Izoshira's Training

[sol]

→ TRAINING →

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taijutsu arc i: introduction to tensora →
a flashback arc in which Izoshira receives tutelage in the art of Tensora from his master, Mitsuhito Saneda

• → Sky: Ready Stance (learned)
• → Sky: Basic Blocks (learned)
• → Sky: Whirling Technqiue (learned)
• → Sky: Basic Strikes (0/10)

[sol]

RESERVED.

[sol]

RESERVED.

[sol]

→ Sky: Ready Stance

SPOILER: Click to show

Sky: Ready Stance
Rank: "E"
Skill: TaiJutsu
Effect: The user holds the polearm in a standard ready position for Sora Ryuu (Sky Method).
Special: ---
Drawback: ---
Description: The user stands with their right side facing the opponent. The user will crouch with their legs spread apart with both feet pointing to the left. One hand grips the end of the polearm while the other grips the middle. The polearm should point towards the opponent's neck.
Limit: Must learn from a Master of Tensora (天空 Heavenly Sky)

Some years ago, in a sprawling forest of the Land of Grass

Izoshira had never tasted air so fresh. Beneath the forest canopy, it was dark and cool; the trunks of massive trees rose all around them, and through the dense cover of their leaves only stray shafts of sunlight made it to the underbrush below. Izoshira and Saneda made their camp under the shelter of massive, gnarled roots. Izoshira's mentor had deemed it appropriate to stop and spend a few days enjoying the wildlife. Months had passed since they left the Land of Stone behind them, but Izoshira had not yet grown used to the older man's company. He had spoken to him in brief bursts back at the palace, and it was well known in his father's court that Saneda was an eccentric man, but also a very wise one. Izo had often listened in to the warrior poet's conversations with his mother over a steaming cup of tea.

Izoshira still didn't quite understand the monk's big hang up on philosophy and zen and everything, but he had expected his departure from the castle to be a lot more painful than it was, and he had Saneda to thank for that. When his new guardian returned from the nearby stream where he'd gone to fill their waterskins only to throw a long stick at Izoshira's feet, the boy did not really understand what he was supposed to do with it. The wood had been carefully shaved off with a blade, the end whittled down to a sharp point. It had even been crudely smoothed so that Izoshira could grip it without filling his hands with splinters.

He hefted it with both hands, trying to get a feel for its weight. After considering the weapon - the first he had ever held in his hands - he looked up at Saneda. He opened his mouth, ready for a slew of questions, but just closed it again as he saw that his retainer was in a combat ready stance, his own spear gripped in both hands. Its wicked-looking tip was pointed straight at Izo's neck.

"Today," Saneda said in a breath, "you will learn to defend yourself. Imitate my stance."

Izo just stared at him confusedly, until the monk took a single step forward and thrust his spear towards him. Izoshira yelped and leapt to the side, but the sharp edge shaved off a lock of brown hair.

"You could have killed me!" he yelped.

"I promised your mother I would protect you. If you are unfit and unwilling to defend yourself, then I shall slay you to spare you an even worse fate."

Though his words felt like iron on his shoulders, Izoshira sensed that his retainer was just trying to rile him up and get him motivated. Still, as he felt the rivulet of warm blood trickling from the shallow cut above his ear, he couldn't play around. Observing his mentor, he copied his position: right flank exposed to the enemy, feet spread and knees bent, toes perpendicular with his body. His fingers curled around the wood near the shaft's end with one hand, while the other rested in its center. He even mimicked Saneda's bloodlust, lining the tip of the spear with the man's neck.

"Not bad," Saneda said with a curt nod of acknowledgment. "But I'm afraid we're just beginning…"

[Beltran]

Learned

[sol]

→ Sky: Basic Blocks

SPOILER: Click to show

Sky: Basic Blocks
Rank: "D"
Skill: TaiJutsu
Effect: The user learns the basic blocks of the Sora Ryuu (Sky Method) stance.
Special: ---
Drawback: ---
Description: After getting in the Sky: Ready Stance, the user will learn all of the basic point down (blade tip pointing down) and point up (blade tip pointing up) blocks as well as parries (against stabs) and pole blocks (against mid-range attacks).
Limit: Must learn from a Master of Tensora (天空 Heavenly Sky), Must know Sky: Ready Stance.

Sweat poured off Izoshira's body. He'd long since thrown his heavy cloak aside when he realized it would only be a burden. His upper body stung from an assortment of new cuts and bruises he'd earned when he had not been able to keep up with Saneda's speed and power, but his heart burned with pride every time he was able to evade one of his strikes. Nonetheless, he felt a little disheartened: even after an hour of nonstop practice, the rhythm of Saneda's breathing continued easy and unbroken. Any time Izoshira so much as tried to return with an attack of his own the taller, stronger man swatted him away like a fly.

They had come to a stopping point, each considering the other from just outside the reach of their spears. Izoshira was panting, his arms quivering as he struggled to hold his weapon. His muscles felt like they'd begun to cramp lifetimes ago, yet Saneda continued his onslaught ruthlessly. The older man's suntanned skin was barely damp with sweat, the only visible sign of his effort whatsoever. Yet a glimmer in the warrior's eye told Izoshira that he was pleased with his disciple's progress.

Of course, no sooner had the thought formed in his mind than the butt of Saneda's spear closed the gap between them faster than Izo's eyes could follow. The thrust caught him squarely between the eyes, slamming his head back. As his feet went out from under him and Izoshira tumbled to the floor in an unconscious heap, he just barely heard the words, "How many lives do you have to lose that you allow yourself to become distracted in a duel, Ashigaru Izoshira?"

His last thoughts were Go screw yourself, you pompous ass philosophizing bastard.

Hours later, he awoke to the smell of stew and the sound of a crackling fire. He lay not on a patch of dirt but on his futon. His head throbbed horribly and as he touched his tender skin he felt a painful welt rising between his eyes where Saneda had jabbed him.

"You've made excellent progress, boy," Saneda called to him over the fire as he ripped off a piece of bread for himself. "But I'm going to drill you to your very limits. Have a bowl of stew." He indicated a bowl resting between Izoshira and the fire. "You'll need your strength, come morning."

Pushing himself up on his elbows, Izoshira asked him, "When will we leave the Grass Country?"

"When you strike me with your spear."

Izoshira slurped up his stew, realizing for the first time how hungry he was, and quickly drifted off to sleep. For a time, Saneda watched the boy as he dreamed. The truth was that Saneda himself had drilled for nearly a week to achieve the same prowess Izoshira did in an afternoon's work. Mitsuhito Saneda could not call himself a prodigy, but he had been no slouch student. He wondered just what heights Izoshira might reach, given proper time and care… and with the thought still fresh in his mind, kicked some dirt over the fire to quell its dying embers and slipped into his futon.

Morning

The two traced a familiar circle around the firepit. Izoshira knew what movement he had to make, it was just a question of forcing his body to react. The bruises on his battered body told the story of what would happen otherwise. He recognized the telltale twitch of muscles in Saneda's arms, the way he settled his weight onto the ground and eased himself into a striking motion. As his instructor leapt forward, ready to bring his spear down on his apprentice, Izoshira let instinct take over. The first swing was towards his head; he caught the blow on his own spear, tip heavenward, and pushed it away.

Saneda brought the weapon over his head with an effortless flourish and struck again, this time at Izoshira's midriff, but the boy caught the second attack, this time with his hands firmly gripping the wooden shaft and the blade of his weapon pressed against the dirt. He slid it up from its resting position, hoping for a counterattack, but he had no such luck. Taking a quick step back, Saneda once more thrust his spear forward, this time in a stabbing motion that would have gutted Izoshira if he didn't react in time, but he cleanly parried the attack and stepped back out of Saneda's range.

It was obvious that his master was holding back. It would have taken only an instant for Saneda to sweep Izoshira off his feet and bury the head of his polearm in the soft flesh of his throat, if he wished… yet, the training regime he enforced was a far cry from easy, so Izo was surprised to see Saneda plant his spear in the ground. He dropped his guard, thinking the training was over, but as soon as he slipped out of a ready stance the monk's hands formed the familiar shapes of handseals.

Until then, Izo hadn't seen his guardian perform any such techniques, but it didn't surprise him that he might know them. When the warrior monk's chest contorted impossibly to contain the air he forced into his lungs with one mighty breath, however, it was self-preservation alone that brought his spear between him and the projectile of compressed air which his master spat at him. The concentrated gust threw him on his back like a ragdoll, despite the fact that his spear had absorbed most of the impact.

It hadn't survived the ordeal; in his hands Izo held two splintered shafts. Propping himself up, he saw the philosophizing bastard staring at him with an amused smile, pushing a lock of dark hair away from his face. Izo still hadn't managed to alter Saneda's breathing throughout any of their spars.

"You've learned to defend yourself decently," his retainer said, and Izo would have invented the praise in his tone even if it hadn't been there in the first place. "But as you can see, there are many powers in this world which you do not yet understand… but I'd say you've done well, for a day's work. Go wash your face." He hooked a thumb over his shoulder, indicating the stream a short walk from their camp. "You look like you just fought a war with that little toy."

[Father 'Suke]

+10, in the future please at the end of your posts put the designation for how much TP you require to learn the technique. In this case it would've been "0/10"

[sol]

→ Sky: Whirling Technique

SPOILER: Click to show

Sky: Whirling Technique
Rank: "E"
Skill: TaiJutsu
Effect: The user learns how to spin their polearm rapidly which is the basis for Sora Ryuu (Sky Method) techniques.
Special: ---
Drawback: Rather useless if performed slowly which tends to happen with heavy polearms.
Description: After using one of the Sora Ryuu (Sky Method) stances the user will learn how to whirl their polearm in a 4 basic 2 handed whirling technique, which is diagonal up/down left, diagonal up/down right. The user will also learn the advanced 1 handed whirling techniques, which diagonal up/down left, diagonal up/down right, over the wrist/neck/leg/arm spins, transfers, and finger spins.
Limit: Must learn from a Master of Tensora (天空 Heavenly Sky), Must know Sky: Ready Stance.

"Control is everything. The spear is an extension of your arm. It is a part of you. Move as if it is a part of you!"

Even as he said the words, Mitsuhito Saneda's weapon was a whirlwind of movement around his body, crossing over his shoulders and twirling in his hands so quickly it blurred in Izo's vision. It played across his fingers, appearing to bend like a serpent's body, hissing as it cut the air only to stop a hairsbreadth from Izoshira's cheek. Saneda's words had been inspiring, the first few times he repeated them. Now Izo was afraid they'd invade his dreams later that night.

"Control is everything. If you cannot control your weapon, you are not fit to wield it." Again, he spun the spear around himself, sliding it along the muscles of his back and bringing it cleanly around his body for a fluid strike at the empty air. "The spear is an extension of your arm. It is a part of you. Move as if it is a part of you!"

Hefting the new wooden polearm he had carved from a long walking stick, Izo tried to imitate his master's movements, but at best he achieved a clumsy caricature of Saneda's grace. Yet, compared to the threat of having Saneda wail on him, this proved a simple challenge. Repetition after repetition increased the speed with which Izo manipulated his spear. He twirled it diagonally with both hands, then repeated the motions with one of his arms behind his back. A simple flourish couldn't get in the way of his training. He balanced the weight of the wooden shaft across his wrist, twirling it and grasping it firmly with his other hand. Sliding his hand down the length of the spear to heft it by its blunt end, he swung it out in a sudden attack even as Saneda opened his mouth to repeat his lecture.

Naturally, the monk caught it easily on the tip of his own weapon. Izoshira didn't stop there, however, pulling the spear back and spinning it around his body. For a moment, it almost looked effortless as he twirled the weapon around before gripping it, bringing it down in an overhead strike. Saneda parried it with the middle of his own weapon's shaft, then kicked Izoshira in the gut, swatting his weapon away and pivoting into a full turn. He swept Izoshira's legs out from under him, bringing the spear back over his shoulder to slam its blunt end into his student's stomach.

"Hmm," Saneda began. "Control is everything, and it is a quality you yet lack… however, you are getting closer. Even the greatest warriors were once helpless children. The question is whether or not you will achieve your greatness."

Izoshira opened his mouth to retort, but in a flash Saneda pressed the spear against his chin, holding his mouth shut. "Remember, my apprentice. Control is everything."

0/5

[Father 'Suke]

+5

[sol]

→ Sky: Basic Strikes

SPOILER: Click to show

Sky: Basic Strikes
Rank: "D"
Skill: TaiJutsu
Effect: The user attacks at one of the 4 gates of Martial Arts.
Special: ---
Drawback: ---
Description: The user will slash at one of the 4 gates of Martial Arts which are located at the upper and lower left side and the upper and lower right side while pivoting with the strike to exert forward force.
Limit: Must learn from a Master of Tensora (天空 Heavenly Sky), Must know Sky: Ready Stance.

Personally, Izoshira thought that training would be easier if his mentor presented himself as a training dummy. The crude mannequin, made with sticks with grass bound to them by twine, did little to inspire bloodlust in the boy. Still, he was ecstatic that his master had conceded to the idea that Izoshira had already spent enough time learning how to be beaten upon. For that reason, despite how ridiculous his target looked, Izo did his best to get angry as he assumed a ready stance.

The tip of his spear weaved menacingly through the air as Izoshira focused all his meager killing intent on the grass doll. Saneda sat on a stone behind him, meditating beneath the colossal roots of the tree they had transformed into their home. Muscles tensed, Izoshira readied himself, waiting only for the command to attack.

And he continued waiting. And continued. The sun traced its burning arc across the vault of the heavens, yet beneath the thick forest canopy, the air remained cool and humid. In that state, open to the world around him, Izoshira felt the tremor of every footstep in the high grass to his left; the song of every bird whose chirping carried on the light breeze… but for all their prettiness, they didn't do much for the cramping sensation in his arms and legs. Izoshira distracted himself by letting his mind wander, pooling around familiar stones in his psyche: his birth, the face of his father, the sights and things he'd seen since he left his home.

In the middle of these daydreams, a few words shook him back to reality, "Integrate yourself in the world around you. Let the breeze carry your strikes, let the earth steady your feet. Now, upper gates."

Izoshira hesitated for a second as all the knowledge drilled into him over the course of the last few days bubbled back up to the forefront of his thoughts. After a moment, his spear struck what roughly corresponded to the mannequin's shoulders. His muscles welcomed the chance to stretch.

"Too slow. Were you distracted, boy? How many lives do you have to lose, Ashigaru Izoshira?"

"Yeah, yeah," Izo snapped back, "I get the picture already."

Saneda arched an eyebrow and Izo winced, then silently assumed the ready stance once more.

"Faster now. Upper gates." Even Izoshira was pleased with the speed with which his arm moved as he once more slashed at the training dummy. His contentment evaporated as the grizzled monk grunted and said, "Too slow. Control is everything, boy. The spear is an extension of your arm, Izoshira. Lower gates."

This time is spear buried itself in what would have been his opponent's lower flanks, but he instantly felt dissatisfied with the speed of his own strike. Without being prompted, he repeated the movement. And again. And again, this time switching to the upper gates.

After a time, the rest of the world faded into the background: all that remained was Izoshira and the battered training dummy, becoming progressively more decrepit as Izoshira continued his onslaught. Again and again, the boy threw himself at the mannequin, his spear gradually increasing in speed and weaving ever more complex patterns.

"Enough, boy," Saneda said after a time. It was nearing sunset, and the clearing was bathed in warm orange light. "I believe that dummy's gotten a good taste of your prowess..." All that remained of the ruined dummy were a few blades of grass and wood splinters, but seeing his handiwork, Izoshira couldn't help but feel a surge of pride.

0/10

[Father 'Suke]

+10