Hellfired Hotspring [JT | Jak | Yoko]

[Yoko Kusanagi]

((Yoko is training for CTP))

SPOILER: Click to show

{Play This - H Y D R A T E - jinsang}

Jak Halcom. He was an interesting case, at least in terms of battle ability. When he released his full power, he became consumed in a bloodlust. Without letting the influence of hell sneak in, he was still an unrefined fighter. Those were the issues that Yoko had seen in him, and what she had offered to try to help him overcome. She had been impressed by the raw strength the man possessed, and to a lesser extent his speed. Sure, Yoko could help him a little bit with the mechanics of his punches and kicks to get a little more oomph out of those, but that wasn’t her focus on the trip. As much as she planned to work on those, it was also a chance to relax and get to know Jak better.

That had been her motivation for this trip out to the hot springs. If she was honest with herself though, she also kinda just wanted to get away from the city for a bit. Yeah, Yoko enjoyed her work and was satisfied by the fact that she fulfilled a higher purpose in her life, but the noise of Karakura town wasn’t the same as what she was used to anymore. Some fucked up part of her actually missed the solitude and loneliness of being stranded in the middle of the desert with nowhere to go. Really though, it was good to be back, but a trip like this where the stakes weren’t so high was what she needed to process all that had happened since she came back.

It had only been a day since she’d had the spar with Jak, and her body was still a bit sore from that. Stupid human bodies and their inability to be made of bullshit. She had offered Jak a ride if he needed one. Given that their destination was in the middle of absolutely nowhere, it made sense to not walk, and there weren’t even trains to exactly where they were headed. Yoko had picked one that wasn’t well known and was available on short notice. She had needed one that she could book the entire place out. As much as Yoko understood that part of her new role as the leader of the Emergency Response Team was to generate publicity, she also didn’t want to be in the limelight when working on training someone.

Whether Jak had opted to accompany her on the ride out or not didn’t change her actions much. Though, if he did, he’d have to ride on the back of her motorcycle, which probably meant holding onto her so that he didn’t fall off. She didn’t really care about that part, but it might seem a little awkward to the Nakabakki, given that they barely knew each other. Stuff like that had long since stopped bothering Yoko though. She saw herself as a soldier first, and a woman… more like 19th or so really. It simply wasn’t something that she factored into her day to day life very much. Accompanied for the ride or not, Yoko made her way out to the resort that she had booked out.

Once she arrived, she made her way inside and waved at a familiar face. ”Marvin! Ya scrawny bastard, how ya doing?” He was the only person here aside from the two members of Uzaki Enterprises, and was the owner of the resort the pair had come to. ”Oh look what raging cunt finally showed up to soak her tits at my house!” Both of them smiled from ear to ear. Clearly they were on good terms. A fist bump was exchanged before Marvin actually answered her question. ”Can’t complain about much. Running this place sure as shit beats digging holes in the sand and sewing your ass up.” More than just on good terms, it seemed that the two had quite a bit of history together.

Yoko would introduce the two of them. ”Jak. Marvin. Marvin. Jak.” She pointed a thumb at the old friend of hers. ”Marvin and I served in Afghanistan back on my first tour.” Her friend was quick to chime in. ”And after meeting this bitch I never wanted to reenlist!” A laugh was shared between them once more. ”But seriously though, the place is all yours for the week. Try not to break anything too much, and shoot me a text if you need me. You’ve still got my number right?” The question was answered with a quick nod and a brief ”I texted you yesterday fuckwad.” With introductions, if you could call them that, all taken care of, the Fullbringer swiped a key off the desk and made a way over to her temporary bedroom to toss her rucksack down.

She had dressed for the weather on this trip. A well insulated pair of black leggings covered her lower half, and the upper half was layered with a wife beater, navy sweater, and a light gray peacoat with just a touch of fur around the edges. Paired with a finely crafted set of black leather boots, Yoko was more than ready for the slight nip in the air that had set in this close to the nearby mountains. Given they were inside though, she tossed her coat off and into the room she was using. Though it had been covered by the jacket earlier, she now had the full length of her skin-tight black leggings on display. To her, they were simply worn for comfort. Jak might notice something else though. Hopefully his demonic heritage didn’t stem from an incubus.

Regardless, once her stuff was deposited in her room she returned to Jak and asked him. ”So, you like the place alright?

Imgur Album of reference images

SPOILER: Click to show

{Stats and Skills}
Strength - [400(800)] Points

Speed - [250(375)] Points

Spiritual Pressure - [300(150)] Points

Reiatsu Strength - [100(50)] Points

Light Aura - [60] Points

Dark Aura - [40] Points

Instinct - [165] Points

Senses [185] Points

Energy sensory - [0] Points

Healing Expertise - [0] Points


Total SP: [1400]

• [Martial Art: Kunlun] {3}
  
  
• [Weapon: Sword {3}
  
  
• [Pain Tolerance] {2}
  
  
• [Battle Analysis] {2}
  
  
• [Calm Mind] {2}
  
  
• [Anti-Stealth] {3}
  
  
• [Weapon:Guns] {1}
  
  

[Jak Halcom]

(CTP)

Jak held onto the woman driving the motorcycle lightly, as far as he was concerned. He had his left hand wrapped around her so that his right arm's heat and chains didn't make driving any harder than usual. Jak's attire didn't change much from his usual affair. He knew that they were going to a slightly colder area, but with his right arm, it made clothing rather limited without serious alterations. Like usual, he wore only a vest over his torso, but this one was heavier than his usual leather one. It was lined with soft fur. From what he didn't know, he just picked it after his little trip to Russia. He wore a pair of thick pants and black boots with his usual black finger less gloves. 

Jak did have a motorcycle of his own that he drove, but it was currently being worked on by an acquaintance, so he had to ride with Yoko. It was a little awkward at first. It wasn't the fact that he was holding on to a girl that was the problem, well not by itself. Jak had stopped caring what other people thought about him long ago, but he didn't know Yoko in any way other than reputation and first hand combat experience. He was not sure how comfortable she would be about it. Those worries would have been covered a short time after their trip began. At that point it was only the occasional pain in his ribs from their fight the other day.

With having one parent being a Mod Soul, and the other an Akki, Jak's body was naturally tougher than the average human's. Even though he took an incredible beating during their sparring match, he was able to get up and walking the next day with little difficulty. He ribs were still bothering him, but there was little he could do about them. A slight shiver would run down his spine as they neared the mountains, and the chill started to descend upon them. He was never a fan of the cold. He could take being in unbearable heat, but anything dipping below sixty degrees was enough for him to wish for warmer weather. She might have felt it, but it could also just be the rougher roads, which wasn't good for the ribs.

The reached the place soon enough, and Jak followed her inside quietly. He was a bit nervous still about the whole thing. He was friendly enough, but he wasn't really big on socializing. As much as he said that nothing people said bothered him, there were still times where he had attempted to socialize and live a, somewhat, normal life, only for that to be thrown in his face along with their jeers and ridicule. Jak had been a loner for a long time, and to have someone want to hang out like this was...different. Welcomed, but different. He adjusted his pack on his shoulder and followed her inside. It was noticeable
warmer to Jak's delight.

Jak saw who he assumed was the owner, being the only person around, and he and Yoko exchanged casual insult filled greetings like two action hero's greeting each other in a cheesy movie. It seemed that they were quite familiar with each other. Jak stayed silent. He did chuckle at their joking conversation, and nodded his greeting when Yoko introduced him. She explained that they were in Afghanistan together. It must have been one hell of a time, if she was the reason for him not reenlisting, but then again it could have just been friendly exaggeration...he hoped. Next stop was their rooms apparently. He waved quietly in farewell to Marvin before following Yoko once again. 

She opened the door to the room and threw her rucksack into the room. Her jacket soon following. Jak had to advert his eyes to keep from staring and blushing. Her leggings hugged her body tightly. He was sure that she had her reasons for wearing something like that casually, but it was more than a bit hard to not find the current view visually appealing. Her voice asking him how he liked the place snapped his mind back to what was going on. "Well not sure what to expect, but it has its own charm." He said with a slight shrug. He looked around slightly adjusting his bag again. "So...are we bunking together or am i staying in another room?" He asked a bit awkwardly. 

SPOILER: Click to show

{Stats and Skills}Strength - 400 + 50% = 600 Points

Speed - 250 Points

Spiritual Pressure - 225 - 25% = 169 Points

Reiatsu Strength - 400 + 50% = 600 Points

Light Aura - 50 Points

Dark Aura - 50 Points

Instinct - 140 - 25% = 105 Points

Senses - 135 Points

Energy sensory - 50 + 50% = 75 Points

Healing Expertise - 0 Points

Skills:

Street Fighting 2

Sword 1

Bleeding Resistance 2

Strength of Will 1

Pain Tolerance 2

Heat Resistance 1

Damage Recovery 1

Weapon Skill (Chain) 2

[Yoko Kusanagi]

Yoko couldn’t help but be a bit of a tease when asked if they were sharing a room. She had caught the hints of awkwardness that Jak had displayed, and found them rather endearing. Truth be told she expected him to be more… shall we say aggressive? Yes, she had expected a lot more of a fuckboi attitude from him frankly. His attire and bloodlust definitely gave him some gangster vibes, so the idea that he averted his gaze when she took off her coat was a welcome gentlemanly surprise. Like most of those before him, Jak still saw Yoko as a woman on at least some level. It couldn’t be helped. She’d just have to punish him for it by showing off her blatant disregard for giving a fuck.

”Well, there’s plenty of rooms around. This place normally is host to about a dozen families at a time. Or it would be if he could actually book guests.” She started off innocently enough, but that was just to lower his guard. ”If you’re worried about getting cold in the mountain air we could always share a bed though.” Her tone was as much of a sultry one as she could muster, though that was far from her strong suit. Jak was left to stew on that thought for a moment before she revealed it as a ruse. ”Nah, there’s extra blankets in the closet if you want though.”

Truth be told she probably wouldn’t mind sharing a bed with him. If he didn’t pull any moves, well it was hard for even her to resist a good cuddle. On the other hand, if he did try something, she probably wouldn’t stop him. Dude seemed like he could use a good lay. Long as he didn’t start dropping “girlfriend” then Yoko honestly didn’t give much of a damn. But she didn’t bring him out here to fuck him. She brought him out here to train him. That was where her mind was at, and that’s why she wanted some peace and quiet out in the middle of nowhere. Any suggestion of ulterior motives was nothing but an afterthought.

The young woman let out an uncharacteristic giggle to go with her tease. She saw why some girls enjoyed that kind of teasing. Though she still didn’t really see herself as “one of them,” the Fullbringer had come to understand their motivations more in the last few years. Though she didn’t really seek to emulate them, it was fun once in awhile. Rather than do as they might, and leave it at that though, she shared her true thoughts with her companion. ”Really though I don’t care if you want to share. Do whatever you’re comfortable with. It won’t bother me either way.” That was the truth, plain and simple. That was how she actually liked it.

Once Jak had indicated some kind of preference, Yoko chimed in with his instructions. ”First thing on the agenda is to get a good lay of the land. We’re going to be doing some calming exercises here. Nothing intense. Now calm is easier to find when you aren’t being surprised by everything, so the first thing to do is get a good feel for the area. Take some time to get your bearings. Tonight is just for settling in. Tomorrow, we train.” Yoko was quick to take her own advice. Unless Jak had a whole lot to say, then she’d wander off to explore the area. Her pace was no more than a casual stroll as she aimlessly meandered around the complex.

Though it seemed relaxed, her walk was quite purposeful. As a security expert, she memorized the grounds layout. Door locations. Windows. Lights. Length of open spaces. Possible chokepoints in case of an assault. To her, this was relaxing, but it was equally meticulous. Granted, it was also second nature. She noted ambush locations like most people would notice cracked windows. It took her no more than a quick glance at a room to sum up its defensive strengths and weaknesses. Though the task itself wasn’t troublesome, it did take her quite some time to complete. By the time she was done the sun had begun to set and it was time for her to get to work on the next task. Dinner.

With the layout of the place memorized, Yoko made her way over to the kitchen without much of an issue. Though she was certainly handy with a blade, she wasn’t exactly a five star chef. She knew how to cook for survival, not for art. Nevertheless, within a bit of time she had prepared some cooked fish, rice, and vegetables. It was a simple meal, but one that she doubted would be problematic either. That said, there was one question on her mind. Given she didn’t actually know where Jak was at that moment, she just bellowed out ”Oi, Jack, I don’t know if you need food or not, but dinner’s ready!” Though it could be mistaken as her not knowing if he was hungry, the truth was that she had no clue if his kind even ate people food or not.

[Jak Halcom]

He expected that the place could hold a fair number of people, he was rather surprised that it didn't at the moment. Sure she made a request to be alone, but the fact that the owner seemed to have trouble getting people to stay at the place was odd. He would think anywhere that toted hot springs were pretty popular. Well it was not Jak's place to say. ”If you’re worried about getting cold in the mountain air we could always share a bed though.” The tone in which she said it made him look at her with a slight blush coloring his cheeks. ”Nah, there’s extra blankets in the closet if you want though.”
It took a moment for the color of his face to return to normal. It still got a slight chuckle out of him though. She insisted she was fine sharing, or being separate. It depended on him. 

"I would feel bad if I kicked you in my sleep, I think separate rooms would be best." He was about to turn and head across the hall to put his own things away, when Yoko continued on giving her instructions. Today she just wanted him to relax and get to know the place. Seemed easy enough. Tomorrow their training would begin. Jak was a both apprehensive and looking forward to it at the same time. He got a taste of her strength the previous day. She was one of the few people that he knew could fight him toe to toe. Most people he knew preferred to fight at a distance. He didn't know how intense her training would be, but welcomed it none the less. 

Once she was done giving her instructions, Jak nodded and headed across the hall putting his bag on a table near the bed. After rolling his shoulders to get the stiffness out, he set off to explore the place. He had his hanging by his side. His red eyes took in enough of the place to ensure that he did not get lost or turned around. He was really just looking for the basics, entrance, exits, kitchen, stuff like that. Jak made his way outside into the cold mountain air. He figured that he might as well look around the immediate area surrounding the place as well. He made note of the plants growing around here. He took a few herbs with him putting them in his jacket pocket. 

He ran his own flower shop, when he wasn't risking his life for UE, so he knew his way around plants. Not just flowers, but he made a point to learn what he could about herbs, various ivy and vines. He knew which kinds of plants grew best in almost any kind of climate, and was starting to learn the utilities of plants and using them for cooking and medicinal purposes. It was still the bare basics at this point, but at least it was better than nothing. He would expand his exploration area by a few yards before heading back to the building. As the sun started to set, Jak looked up at the sky and wanted a better view of the sun set. He looked back to the building. Good enough. 

With a powerful push of his powerful legs, Jak propelled himself up onto the roof of the bathhouse, and made himself comfortable. It was chilly, but with his arm, and his natural toughness, he did not mind it. He looked out to the descending ball of fire turning red as it descended. The clouds and sky were turning various shades of oranges, yellows, and pinks. The few clouds also looked purple, as they floated across he sky. It was like something out of a painting. For a moment, he felt at peace. There were roid raging freaks trying to tear his head off. No masked monsters trying to eat everything in sight. It was just him, and a...friend? Close enough, friend training together.   

As he stared into the sunset, his mind wondered to Yoko. She was cute, hell gorgeous compared to who he knew. Jak still had to wonder though. What was her real interest in him? Was he just an under performing subordinate she is trying to whip in shape? Did she truly not care about his demon half? His face got serous again. Jak hadn't even shown Kazura his demon form when they met, but somehow, he was sure that Kazura knew about it. He was crafty like that. Yoko was the only one at UE, beside the other Nakkibakki, that he had ever released in front of. He had to be on guard. No matter what people say, no one truly wanted to associate with hell in any way. His mind flashed to all the people who tried to kill him just for his heritage.

Yoko's voice brought him back from his dark thoughts. She called out that dinner was ready. He leaped down from the roof and entered the kitchen through the most direct rout. He smiled politely taking his food. "Thanks." He could easily make something himself, but it would have been rude not to eat it since she made it. When it came down to it, there was still only one person that he could trust, and that was solely because he was part mod soul. 

[Yoko Kusanagi]

So be it. Seperate rooms didn’t bother her in the least, but she did get a kick out of the reason why Jak declined. He went for the innocent route. Oh well, she went on with her day without any of that really making a difference. When dinner was ready, she didn’t much know whether or not Jak had accepted out of politeness or hunger, but she didn’t dare to ask that question either. Something told her that would be a bit on the racist side of things. Oh well, the food was edible at least. Not her best cooked dish, but far from her worst either. Still, she was able to choke it down okay.

After Dinner, it was time for a shower, and in Yoko’s case a bit of meditation. While this was a training exercise for Jak, she had already mastered these techniques years back. The simple art of meditation was a large part of what she was here to teach him. Jak needed ways to calm himself if he wanted to achieve mastery in combat. He had plenty of speed and power, but now what he needed was finesse and control. If he wanted to achieve that, then he would need learn to keep his mind calm when he unleashed his inner demon. He was certainly a force to be reckoned with, and if he could learn to control it properly then Yoko wasn’t sure that she could stop him.

After a couple hours in meditation, Yoko allowed herself to drift off to sleep. In the morning she awoke nice and sharp at 0530. Part of her wanted to wake Jak up that early as well, but this wasn’t boot camp, and a lack of sleep wouldn’t do him any favors in mostly mental training. She took the first hour of the day to work through her workout routine. A quick run around the place… a few dozen times. Some bodyweight training as well, though a bit more extreme than most might try due to her physique. Things like one-finger handstand pushups. That was what she restorted to when she couldn’t just find things that weighed a few thousand pounds to pick up.

By 0630 she was back in the kitchen making breakfast. French Toast with scrambled eggs for this morning. Nothing too complex, but it was more than the black coffee and a bagel she might usually manage. She saw this as a vacation as much as anything else. There was time to enjoy the simple things in life while she was out here, and she wasn’t going to let those chances slip by. If Jak was up by that point then there would be some breakfast nice and warm for him. If not, some leftover French Toast would be left in the fridge for him that he could reheat. Eggs, on the other hand, reheated like crusty assholes, so there wouldn’t be any of those in leftovers.

After breakfast was dealt with, Yoko made her way out back to the small zen garden. This is why she had come here. Not for the hotspring itself, but for the garden. It was an ideal place for calm reflection. Once there, she waited for Jak to arrive at his own pace. Whether that was a minute or a few hours, she figured he would eventually come find her. Once he arrived, it was time for training to begin. ”For the beginning, we’re going to start with some basic breathing exercises. They’ll be boring as hell, but that’s kinda the point. Take a seat with your back upright and focus on your breathing. In-2-3-4-5-6-7-8. Out-2-3-4-5-6-7-8. Rinse and repeat. 10 minutes.”

She waited for a bit to make sure that Jak had actually started before continuing to provide direction. ”The important part is the breathing. Stray thoughts will come by. Acknowledge them. Let them happen. And then resume focus on your breathing.” Eventually the ten minutes would pass. For Yoko it was quick and easy, but Jak likely had it feel like an eternity. After the first bit of this was all taken care of, it was time for the most important part of this: reflection. ”So, this question is gonna seem super lame, but how are you feeling after that? We’re gonna base where we go from that, so answer honestly, even if your opinion is that it was the dumbest thing you’ve ever done.” Hopefully he was honest, as the fate of this training depended on it.

[Jak Halcom]

Jak picked at his food more than he ate it. His mind kept going back to Madagascar. His left hand went over his right wrist feeling the newly regrown wrist. It was not the first time he fought with a destroyed arm. Hell he used his chain to hold up his broken right arm to fire at some hollows in a cemetery once. Jak managed to put some food in his mouth. It wasn't the best he ever tasted, but at least it wasn't burnt. Could use some more spices. The meal was quiet. Jak was not really one to start a conversation. He didn't have an idea how to start one with Yoko. The most time they spent in the same place was fighting in back at HQ.

After dinner, Jak was still feeling restless. He had some energy that needed to be vented out. He went back out into the darkness lit only by the celestial bodies in the sky. He made sure to keep the place within sight as he looked around some more. He came a cross a large rock which was perfect for his purposes. He brought his fists up to eye height bouncing from one foot to the. He lunged forward punching at the boulder with his left had hitting it square on its solid face. A right hook followed the lunge, and a left under punch ended the combo before he pushed back on his front foot. The boulder held solidly, and the rough surface still irritated his knuckles. Jak ignored the pain. He came in for another quick combination.

Four strikes. Five then just two. He exhaled at each punch starting to add a few kicks into the mix. He would count to three minutes before stopping to rest a bit doing some ab work outs for another minute and a half. The first break was exclusively sit ups, and after another three minutes of kicking at the rock, he would plank for the minute and a half break. The cool mountain air kept Jak at a comfortable temperature while he worked himself up. It was getting late, and Jak's knuckles were starting to get bloody, and his shins were sore. He wanted to push himself for one more exercise. He attacked the rock with abandon for a minute straight. Punches, kicks, elbows, and knees were all thrown at the rock. 

By the time he returned to his room, he was panting. Sweat drenched his body, and blood covered his knuckles. He needed to shower first. He stepped into the shower and hissed as the water ran over his skinned shins and bloody knuckles. He forced himself to relax despite the pain, cleaning the wounded areas gently. Jak had a little trouble getting to sleep even after exiting the showing. It may have just been trying to sleep in a strange place, or he was still on guard for any sort of attack. He sat laid in bed with his arms over the covers to avoid irritating his knuckles. Eventually sleep found him allowing him the only time he can fully relax. 

The sun was already high in the sky when Jak woke up. It was about 10:30 maybe 11:00. The soreness was hitting him full force how. He groaned getting out of bed, forcing his legs to move heading to the bathroom. The shower was quick and cold. After he was semi presentable, Jak looked for Yoko to start training. He checked her room first only to find it empty. He wondered around the place finally coming across the zen garden maybe twenty minutes in his search. He had taped up his knuckles just in case the training was physical. Apparently his caution was not warranted yet. She just wanted him to breath. He was good at that. She went over the basic instructions though ten minutes seemed a bit long to him.

He kept his back straight and sat down taking slow deep breaths. At first it didn't seem so bad. He was able to focus on his breathing and started to relax a bit, but still kept his form. It felt like it was over, but Yoko still hasn't said anything. He was starting to have to focus on his deep breathing as time passed. It felt like time had slowed for him. Each minute felt like an hour. His body was starting to get tense. He couldn't just sit here vulnerable. He needed to fight. He needed to be active. On top of everything, his stomach started growling at him. As long as he is active, he can ignore his stomach and push on, but just sitting here doing nothing made it all the more apparent. 

Finally Yoko spoke again. "So, this question is gonna seem super lame, but how are you feeling after that? We’re gonna base where we go from that, so answer honestly, even if your opinion is that it was the dumbest thing you’ve ever done.” Jak took a moment to really think of how to put it. She was doing all this for his benefit after all. "Even if there was nothing going on, it still felt tense. Everything seemed to slow down, and it just made that feeling worse. Like i was just waiting for something to happen, only for it to never happen." He wasn't sure what all this would achieve in the end, but he was going to go along with it for the time being. 

[Yoko Kusanagi]

SPOILER: Click to show

{I forgot a reference image for the garden}

SPOILER: Click to show

{Music for this one - some random chillout mix}

Well Jak had actually managed to complete the breathing exercises, which was a good sign for sure. Yoko hadn’t been 100 percent sure that he was actually going to make it through all ten minutes without going nuts. From what she had observed of the other man, he wasn’t really wired right for calming exercises, but that’s exactly why they were doing them. He had the capability to maintain his composure that long, but that had been the easiest of the tasks that Yoko had planned for him. Over the years she’d been through a lot of different exercises, so she had a pretty wide range to pull from based on his strengths and weaknesses.

His mention of a feeling of tension wasn’t unusual. Apprehension and anxiety were fairly common among people in that kind of situation, especially with people who saw a lot of combat. Were Yoko a normal person, she might see that as a weakness that should be gently worked on in order to improve it. Yoko wasn’t normal, and that was not even close to what she did. Instead, her next bit went exactly the opposite direction from gentle. She had planned to push on that weakness and see if she could find his upper limit. In her mind, only once she knew his breaking points could she help him push further beyond.

”Yeah, that’s a fairly normal reaction. About what I expected to be honest, especially for the types who don’t like sitting still very much. So now, this is the part where I remind you what you signed up for. When it comes to training, I don’t do easy. We found your weak spot, and now we’re going to give it a nice push and see if we can break past your limits.” She watched Jak and waited to see if he offered some kind of protest. He could always back out at any point in this process with nothing more than some damage to his pride. Oh, and the respect that Yoko had for him would wane quite a bit, but she wouldn’t tell him that much.

Once she either got a protest or it was clear that she wasn’t getting one, Yoko explained the next exercise they were going to do, and why. ”Since you said you were feeling tense, this next exercise is going to let you loosen up a little. Go ahead and get a little stretch in before we get going, and return to a seated position when you’re done.” Yoko would give him a minute to get started on this before she explained the exercise in earnest. ”What we did first was mostly to help you relax and calm down. The goal here is the same, but we’re going to both ratchet up the difficulty and make this a bit more up your alley.”

Hopefully Yoko had begun to peak Jak’s interest a bit with that last part. ”For our next drill, your eyes need to stay closed the entire time. No buts about it. I want you to focus not on your breathing, but on the world around you. Listen closely.” Yoko jumped down off the rock she had been perched on. Her feet dug into the gravel that filled the zen garden with a satisfying chorus of noise as hundreds if not thousands of tiny rocks scraped against each other. ”That is the sound that will be key in this session. We’ll be at this for ten minutes straight again, but not just for you to listen to me play with some rocks.”

If Jak thought that was the case, then he was expecting to get off way too easily. ”I said I was going to play into your strengths a bit remember? As you sit there, I want you to focus on tracking my movements from the sound alone. When I get close, your goal is to tag me before I can tag you. I’ll be holding back on my speed a bunch to make it more fair. No more waiting for something to happen. I’ll be moving constantly. It’s not a matter of when something happens, but knowing when the crucial moment happens. The goal of this game…” Woops, minor slip. She was supposed to call it an exercise, but she couldn’t help herself as she planned to enjoy this quite a bit.

”The goal of this exercise is to practice adjusting to the ebb and flow of battle. To let the tension build within you like it was, and then to let it all out in a single burst of movement.” She had been fairly serious so far, as she had been explaining the method of her madness. But for just one moment she let herself flash a genuinely happy smile at her coworker. ”We’re gonna turn your weakness into a strength!” Though she didn’t tell Jak as much, she had some similar issues in the past, and her training with the monks had helped her overcome it. This had been one of the exercises she had been on the other end of back then.

A serious look washed back over Yoko’s face as she readied herself for the training session. Without even thinking about it, one of her feet brushed the path she had disrupted in the gravel back into the way it was moments ago. ”Whenever you’re ready, go ahead and close your eyes.” Once he was ready, the game began. Yoko would dart too and fro. Never at superhuman speed, and sometimes as slow as a crawl. She would try every movement and angle she had to try to catch him off guard. At her most drastic, she would even resort to jumping right over Jak and trying to bop him on the head. And if he made the mistake of cheating by opening his eyes, he would suddenly find that Yoko’s next tag had gone from playful to packing all of her strength behind it. Hopefully he followed her instructions well for his own benefit… but how would he fare in this scenario?

[Jak Halcom]

Jak got up and stretched while Yoko explained the next exercise. He knelt down on one foot extended his left leg all the way feeling the back of his legs start to loosen before he did the same to his right leg. Apparently now she wants him to track her using only sound? Well she was right that this was more up his ally, in the sense that it was more physical than the meditation, but this was not exactly what he was hoping for. He was was hoping for training focusing more on physical abilities, or maybe even fighting. Those things he could do. All this mental exercises were starting to frustrate him. He didn't understand any of it. How can he focus on this ebb and flow if he can't see?

He nodded and closed his eyes none the less. At first nothing seemed different other than darkness replacing the meditation garden he was standing in. This was pointless, he thought. How was this going to help him fight and win? He took a deep breath to try and calm himself. There was no point in questioning things now, he just had to focus. The sound of the crunching sand made his ears perk up. It was hard to pin point exactly where it was. Another crunch, and grinding of a dragging foot. It sounded like it was coming from his left. He coiled his legs and sprung swiping with his left arm wildly to cover as much area as he could to get her on one go. 

His hand felt nothing but the air against it. He missed. A low growl could be heard from his throat. The footsteps were behind him now. He quickly pivoted on one foot pushing off hard to dive at her. Again he felt nothing. How the hell was this fair? She claimed that she would hold her speed back, but how did he know that she was actually doing so. She was probably just laughing at him now flailing around like an idiot. The thought was getting him angrier. Again and again he swiped for her sometimes aiming low, once charging in full speed all for naught. With every miss his frustration grew. He tried one more time, and heard her jumping above him tagging him on the head.

"Ok that is not--" he said opening his eyes, and for his trouble, Yoko struck him full force sending him rolling through the sand and crashing into the wall behind him. A weak "ow" escaped him, as he tried to recover from the strike. His fist were balled. Now she was trying to make a fool out of him. His right hand moved to where she "tagged" him wincing slightly from the pain. He glared at her. He was starting to hate her at this point. He slowly started to get up. His legs were a bit wobbly from the unexpected hit, but he managed to straighten himself. He was ready for her to try and hit him again. She would not be so lucky next time. 

[Yoko Kusanagi]

”When did I say you could open your eyes, trainee?” She was truly disappointed that he’d earned himself that blow, but it was no one’s fault but his own. In the beginning of the exercise he had been inaccurate, but in at least the vague right direction. Towards the middle was easily his best showing, as he had only barely missed Yoko on several occasions. With each passing moment it had seemed like he had been getting closer and closer to success, but then got frustrated. There was his biggest weakness again. As soon as he got mad, his focused waned, and his strikes got less and less accurate. He had been so close too!

None of this had been lost on Yoko, who had been watching him the entire time. ”Let’s get some of that anger worked out of your system. Don’t pretend you don’t want to punch me right now or anything. It’s written all over your face. You’ll get what you want if you can take.” She didn’t give him time to think about her words. Instead she just kicked off from her spot at full speed. A punch was thrown right at his head, and this one didn’t have any of her strength held back at all. If Jak didn’t defend himself, then he’d find himself sent straight through the wall he was up against.

But Yoko didn’t stop there. As soon as the first punch was thrown, she vanished from in front of Jak and appeared at his side before she threw another blow. Again she vanished with the aid of Bringer Light, and again she threw another blow. This would continue again and again unless Jak could break the sequence, or until Yoko sent him flying. She didn’t expect to hit him though. He was pissed off, and while that did lend him some degree of strength, she was hopeful that he had even been somewhat paying attention. The attack sequence she used was far from random. It was an exact replay of the same maneuvers she had just performed, but this time neither of them was held back in any way whatsoever.

Would Jak be able to realize what she was getting at with this sequence? She had primed him for this part of the lesson already. Though she hoped he wouldn’t need it, he had already done the heavy lifting to defend himself here. He knew exactly what sound cues to listen for. He knew exactly what each of these attacks sounded like. Even if she moved too fast for him to follow with his eyes, he could still follow her attacks and stop them if he paid attention. But that was the question. Would Jak be able to figure that out, or was he too busy pouting like a child and screaming DIE DIE DIE in his head?

[Jak Halcom]

Her tone was pissing him off. He didn't take well to any authority figure at the best of times, and now he wasn't up to putting up with any kind of shit, perceived or otherwise. He spat at the ground in response to her rhetorical question. His ears were still ringing from the strike that she gave him. His teeth were tightly clenched, as well as his fists. They were shaking. He was more than angry now. He was down right furious. It always seems that whenever he takes a few steps forward, something, or someone, knocks him back even farther. His eyes never left Yoko's. Her cold, uncaring eyes. Why was he here? Was this for his benefit or hers?

”Let’s get some of that anger worked out of your system. Don’t pretend you don’t want to punch me right now or anything. It’s written all over your face. You’ll get what you want if you can take.” Jak tensed ready to fight. He will give her a punch alright. He will give her much more than that. Yoko pushed forward at him with all her strength and speed disappearing from his sight. He was already pushing off himself utilizing Caelumintro to move forward and to the side of Yoko. He could hear Yoko's fist swinging through the air where his head had been. With a flash of light, she was gone again. He heard the sound of her foot hitting the sand, and Jak braced for the impact. 

He managed to block the punch, but the force was still a lot for him to take head on. Pain shot through his arm causing Jak to clench his teeth tighter. She disappeared again. Instinct was the only thing that saved him from her next attack. He was pushed back farther. Jak knew that he could not take much more of this. Even if it wasn't conscience, Jak was starting to take in the lesson that Yoko was trying to give him. He was the type that didn't learn from lectures, and just practice would only let him understand so much. He was the type that learned best in the heat of battle, trail by fire. He needs practical application in the purest form. 

He braced himself readying for her next attack. He focused his energy into his right arm, which started to glow brighter. As her punch came in, Jak would use his left hand to push against the inside of her arm pushing the punch high and wide. It wouldn't stop it of course, just take most of the force from hitting square. At the same time, he would throw a right cross aiming right for her face. He wanted to put as much force as he could into the punch. He was going to giver her everything he could. "HELL-FIRE PUNCH!" He shouted just about making contact. Even if the munch itself missed, he doubted that she would escape the explosion that followed it. The detonation would consume them both hitting both of them with everything he had.