“Alright, today is the big day: Novice Kombat Day!” Coach Thompson boomed.
“Keep fighting unless I call a hit. If I declare a point, you will break off and assume a ready position until I tell you to resume. Three points will win the match and your AI will determine your XP awards, if any, after the match. As this is a novice rank combat, there will be no aggressive attempts toward damaging your opponent, a touch will suffice. A point will also be surrendered if a fighter leaves the ring. We will have a series of bouts in double elimination so you will be able to spar with at least two different opponents.”
“I understand that this exercise may not be everyone’s cup of tea. Does anyone not wish to participate?” Coach Thompson asked.
His question was met with silence. “Good. Occasionally we have students who are too afraid to participate or are morally opposed to physical conflict. I always recommend full participation. With most of the population having greatly amplified personal capabilities, physical altercations can become much more devastating. On balance, augmentations also provide a host of defensive capabilities. With quality body designs and AI assistance, physical conflicts are generally won no longer by natural genetics or skill but rather by familiarity with your augmentations and strategy. Therefore we emphasize spar training, so you understand that the playing field truly is level. Size, age, skill, and sex no longer define our abilities. Augmentations and your ability to use them are now the only crucial factor to resolving most modern problems.”
“Motivation is key so I will provide a suitable reward. As your training progresses, you will unlock new skills and stats. Some of the training and quests to do this require great or sustained effort. I will provide the winner of today’s miniature tourney with a short list of skills in the next tier and allow you to pick one which I will unlock for you, potentially saving you significant time and effort.” Said the coach.
Max was astounded, this would vastly advance his training. Looking around the room, the class ranged in expression from thoughtful to avaricious. It looked like everyone had a newfound determination to try even harder to win at all costs.
“That’s the spirit!”, the coach yelled. “Now let’s begin…. the first round will be Tyler and Max.”
Max sighed and thought to himself, darn it, I should have thought to assign my free stat point, no time now. Best to dive right in, at least I don’t have to face Charlie right away. Both Max and Tyler stood in the center ring. Tyler with fists together performed a quick bow and assumed a guard position with narrowed eyes.
Max realized maybe he should be getting some more formal fighting training as he tried his best to copy Tyler’s bow and stance. He hadn’t seen Tyler spar with Tatemono, but Max suspected what he had learned was more advanced than Max’s lessons.
“Begin!” The coach announced.
Both Max and Tyler began to move, their bodies slowly getting attuned to their augments as the duel began. Tyler made the first move, leaping forward for a punch. However, Max was able to counter, dodging out of the way just in time. The two began a dance of dodge, thrust, and parry as they jockeyed for position.
It became clear that Tyler’s augmentations far outmatched Max’s, as his limbs seemed to move faster, and his guard was more effective. Additionally, Tyler had superior martial arts training, his moves were precise and efficient. Tyler moved in and brushed Max’s attempt at a guard position away and followed with a fully powered front kick directed into Max’s solar plexus.
Max collapsed as the coach cried out “Point to Tyler! Back! Get to the starting position.”
Max's healing skill enabled him to resume his position with only a slight delay. He didn’t think he would be able to use leap effectively and stay in the ring. After a moment to center himself, Max thought, maybe a distraction can help me to get past his guard.
Max assumed a defensive position; Tyler threw punches and kicks without much effort to score a point. Instead, he used it to batter and bruise Max’s arms as Max tried to defect them. Max could sense that Tyler was almost done playing around and would soon go for a point strike.
[Trainer! place a call to Tyler!]
[Trainer: placing call now…]
Max waited a fraction of a second when Tyler’s eyes lost focus for just a second, then he acted. Max exploded with a flurry of strikes and kicks, even with the poor form he managed to push through Tyler’s arm blocks and land a punch to his ribs.
“Point to Max! Tie 1 to 1.” The coach called, “return to the start position”
Tyler’s expression was icy cold. He was flexing his fists as he assumed the start position. When the coach said to begin, Max was immediately overtaken as Tyler leaped the distance with a double step and spinning side kick knocking Max into the ground.
“Point to Tyler! 2 to 1. Back to the start position!”, Coach yelled.
Max realized if he didn’t score next it would be his first loss. He got into the start position and prepared to try a leap-empowered kick to catch Tyler.
As the coach shouted to begin, Max sprang forward. Unfortunately, Tyler must have read his intention in his stance as he twisted to the side and grabbed Max’s foot. As Max hit the ground, his muscles locked as amps of electricity coursed into him. With Max stunned on the ground, Tyler threw himself on top using his body weight to drive an elbow into Max’s back.
Tyler took the opportunity to hiss into Max’s ear, too low for anyone else to hear. “Go back to your kennel dog boy!”
“Final point! Tyler wins the first match. Watch the contact! Next time it will cost you a point instead of getting you one.”, Coach said.
Max groaned as his muscles unlocked and the notifications rolled in.
[Quest: Ready to Rumble 1/5, no progress]
[Strength +1, Agility +2, Endurance +2, Vitality +1, Intelligence +1]
[Healing skill +1, Healing reaches level 5]
[Strike skill +1, Strike reaches level 3]
[New Skill unlocked. Resist Shock 1 – augmentations protect your body from environmental damages]
[New Quest unlocked: Grudge Match: an opponent has proven to be superior. Grow your skills to overcome your opponent. Victory in a grudge match x10 normal XP]
“Ok, next partners to the ring. Charles and Leah!” Coach announced.
The match between Charlie and Leah went about as Max thought it might. Charlie manages to quickly string two points together without too much effort. Leah seemed confused at the start but by the end of the second point she had started to deflect some strikes. Max was no expert, but the moves looked like formal blocking moves.
The biggest surprise of the second bout was when a mannequin from the corner of the room charged into Charlie from behind and pushed him out of the ring, getting Leah her first point. Max had felt a brief pulse in his new sense, he suspected Leah had the Access skill as well and had used it brilliantly to pull a mannequin into the fight. The coach didn’t even raise an eyebrow as the mannequin assumed a starting position in front of Leah for the next engagement. Unfortunately for Leah, Charlie made good use of his aikido skills and took the mannequin’s next charge and flipped it directly into Leah, removing them both from the ring and getting his victory point.
Next up was Marc against the winner of the first match, Tyler. Tyler was on fire, trading strikes and blocks with Marc in a flurry. Marc acquitted himself well, trying to close the gap, and attempted to use wrestling moves to pin Tyler for a point. Max saw Marc stiffen as Tyler reversed a wrestling hold and struck Marc in the back for the win. Max knew that Marc must have gotten a taste of Tyler’s shocking grasp. Tyler quickly finished the fight with two more quick points against the disoriented Marc.
In the last match of the morning, Sasha fought the winner of the second bout, Charlie. Sasha revealed a new skill at the start of the fight. She shouted with her opening strike with a focus and decibel level that was boosted by her augmentation. The stunning shout threw Charlie such that she got an easy hit. The trick did not work the second time as Charlie just shrugged it off, with a spin kick. Sasha followed with another unique attack, this time a strobing flash from her eyes. Max wasn’t sure if Charlie had the skill to fight blind, but he unerringly deflected Sasha’s next strikes and countered with his victory point.
“All right, class. Let’s break for lunch. Unfortunately, the kitchen is closed on Fridays here at the academy building but there are a few restaurants within walking distance. Don’t fill up too much, we will complete our elimination rounds in 1 & 1/2 hours.” Said the coach.
Tyler looked over the class with disdain and settled upon Marc and Sasha and said to them, “You two have potential. Why don’t we go to lunch, and I can give you some pointers? “
As they left together, Max looked over to Charlie and Leah. Charlie had an amused look, but Leah’s face was completely blank. Max said, “Would you like to eat together? There’s a small diner around the corner that’s not bad.”
Leah smiled and said, “OK, let’s go.”
As the group started to dig into their meals, Max congratulated Charlie for his good showing so far.
“You’re a natural at this. You said you were sixth Dan in a martial art?
Charlie swallowed his bite of food and nodded. “Yes, I grew up in a dojo. However, my dad was strict. He taught me only traditional aikido moves and was not amused with me augmenting anything.”
Leah cut in, “From what I saw of your two fights, your moves were excellent, but you don’t seem to be using your new stats to your advantage. If you can adapt and combine the moves you already know but use your body's greater power, you would have finished us both much quicker.”
Charlie looked thoughtful for a moment, “I don’t mean to pry, but it seemed like you found your center in our match.”
Leah smiled, “Yes, I did. I had mentioned earlier to Max, I lost a lot of my memory in an accident. This exercise brought some back just now. My Sifu, my neighbor…I remember him now. And I’m remembering some of my earlier training.” She looked excited and happy for the first time since class began.
Max followed up, “So do you have an Access skill too, from the meditation quest? Pulling that mannequin into the fight was awesome! I wish I had thought of that. And the coach let it slide. I’m guessing unless he says something is forbidden, he’ll allow any skill.”
Leah nodded, “Yes, I have the Access skill. I unlocked it very early after class and I’ve been using it non-stop.”
Charlie looked surprised, “Huh, that's interesting. I got the awareness of nearby electronics with the meditation quest but didn’t think to try to use them, other than become aware of devices nearby. That’s how I sensed you approaching me in the park, by the way, Max.”
Max nodded, “Yeah, I figured you had some kind of awareness, Charlie. Is that what you used against Sasha?”
Charlie shook his head, “No, that's just me using my ordinary senses. However, the fight did trigger a notification about a novice sensorium skill. I’ll need to explore that soon.”
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Max got a serious look, “Charlie, you need to be ready for Tyler. He has a sort of shocking touch. I have an idea to counter it, but we need to act fast. When he attacked me with it, I got a resistance skill. If we can get to a matter compiler real fast, maybe we can fabricate a taser and you can build up a resistance skill against him.”
With a twinkle in his eye, Charlie looked up and around “Waiter…. we need a matter compiler for a school project, would you happen to have one in the back?”
The group smiled, maybe the afternoon sparring session would be surprising for the undefeated Tyler.
The small group returned to the classroom feeling energized and excited to continue the sparring. After their quick meal, they had gained access to the restaurant’s compiler and made a taser, a sonic stunner, and a strobe flasher. They took turns blasting each other in the back of the diner until they all had gained resistance skills to help them against Tyler and Sasha’s skill attacks.
Max called up his status.
[Name: Max E. Mitchell Level: Novice 2 (750/1000 XP)]
[Body Design Model: Custom – Canis Familiarus Uplift Free Stats: 10]
[Strength: 7 Agility: 9 Endurance: 9 Vitality: 11]
[Perception: 9 Intelligence: 3 Will: 5 Energy: 28 Regen: 16/min]
[Basic Skills – HUD, Map, Health Monitor, Telephony, Translation, Music, Record]
[Physical Skill – Stamina: 3 Leaping: 2 Healing: 5 Strike: 3 Ballistics: 2]
[Resistance Skills – Resist Shock: 4 Resist Sonic: 3 Resist Light: 3]
[Sense Skills - Scent: 8]
[Mental Skills - AI Assist: 2 Access: 2 Dream Learning: 2]
And then he called up the class AI, Tatemono Rei to see the status of the sparring bracket.
[Utopia Augmentation Cohort 19 – Novice Kombat]
[Organizer: Coach Thompson Type: Double Elimination]
[Round 1 Round 2 Semifinal Final ]
[--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ]
[Max Marc Tyler ? ]
[Tyler (winner) Tyler (winner) Charlie ? ]
[ ]
[Leah Sasha ]
[Charlie (winner) Charlie (winner) ]
[---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ]
[Losers Round 1 Losers Round 2 Losers Round 3 ]
[---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ]
[Sasha ? ? ]
[Max ? ? ]
[ ]
[Marc ? ]
[Leah ? ]
[----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ]
Max realized he was up against Sasha and hesitated again. Maybe he could hold off a little longer to place his free stats. He had new resistances that he hoped would counter Sasha’s attacks and her physical abilities didn’t seem any better than Max's.
The coach strolled in as all the students took their places along the walls of the classroom dojo. He had a steel-insulated coffee mug from which he slurped his last ounces of a beverage. He looked slightly embarrassed by the noise and took the mug between both hands and crushed it into a steel ball slightly smaller than a shot put and then casually tossed it into the corner. It landed perfectly into the trash bin with a swish and thud as the weight hit the bottom of the bin. Max grinned, he hadn’t had an opportunity to flex his Ballistic skill yet, but he would be ready.
Max and his friends were lined up on one side of the room and Tyler and his group were on the other side. If the coach noticed the divided group, he didn’t show it. He clapped his hands and spread them out.
“Welcome back to class. Time to resume the next match. Next up is the first match between the first-round losses. Max versus Sasha. Step up.”, the coach boomed.
Sasha stepped up straight and confident, her eyes focused with determination and her fists clenched. Despite being slightly smaller in height and build than Max, she radiated a fierce energy that he had been feeling for the past few days.
Sasha led with her sonic scream just like she had with Charlie. Max was prepared for it and managed to resist being stunned. He did, however, pretend to be disoriented far more than he was. Sasha jumped forward to deliver a strike and walked directly into a front kick from Max.
“Point for Max! Take positions! Begin”. The coach said.
Sasha was enraged to be tricked and came out fast against Max. After a series of strikes that were blocked, she tried to use her strobe skill against Max. As before, Max was able to anticipate the strobe and looked away in time to avoid it. He wheeled around with a back fist hoping to connect. Sasha, expecting him to be stunned, did not duck in time. Despite seeing the strike coming and she got clipped on the side of her head.
“Point for Max! Take your positions…. Begin!”, said the coach.
Max took control of the fight and started to push attacks upon Sasha’s guard. As he worked her defenses, up and down, he was ready to try and push through her guard for a finishing strike.
[
Max ignored the expected distraction and delivered his finisher without hesitation. He smiled grimly, exposing his canines, across the ring to Tyler’s frowning face. Sasha looked ready to cry as she went to the sidelines.
I guess we weren’t the only ones sharing strategy, Max thought as Couch Thompson called the match.
“Nice fight! Max will advance to the next fight. Sasha, that is your second loss, and you are now an observer. Next up, Marc and Leah!” the coach boomed.
As Max took up his position outside the ring, he allowed the fight notification to roll in.
[Quest: Ready to Rumble – 2/5 complete, Defeat 5 Novice opponents. 100 XP awarded]
[Agility +1, Endurance +1, Intelligence +1]
[Skill: Strike +1, Strike reaches 4]
[Skill: Resist Sonic +1, Resist Sonic reaches 4]
[Skill: Resist Light +1, Resist Light reaches 4]
Leah and Marc took their positions to the right, bowed, and assumed guard positions.
Marc charged Leah with an eye out for the mannequins. Max assumed he was trying to close to grapple distance and was wary of a sparring mannequin’s potential to enter the ring. Leah surprised him by pivoting backward, her left hand grappling his right and her right circling into his armpit to lever him along her pivot. His change turned into a sprawling dive out of the ring and the loss of a point.
Max’s eyebrow rose, I guess she is recovering her memories. That was a sweet move.
Marc was more cautious now and moved in very slowly. Max waited for Leah’s access skill to pulse indicating Leah was calling a mannequin, but he was surprised that the pulse came from Tyler on the sidelines. The mannequin stood still and did not move. Marc quickly tied Leah up in a grapple while she was distracted and pinned her for a point.
The coach called the point. With Leah’s ace card neutralized, Marc managed to overpower her Wing Chun with a slower advance and grappling moves. The coach called the match for Marc and dismissed Leah.
“Good job Leah, but you are now an observer. The next match will be Max versus Marc. 5 minutes for Marc to recover and then we will begin.” The coach said.
Max thought furiously, his telephony distraction wouldn’t work, and Max did not want to attempt to wrestle with Marc. Tyler was spoiling any attempts at using the mannequin. Max needed a new technique to win, he wasn’t sure if his leap skill would be enough to win against Marc.
I need to slow him down from closing and if he does close, I need to avoid him overpowering me, Max thought. He wasn’t sure if his strength stat was superior or if Marc’s was, but he was ready to drop all 10 points on strength if needed.
[Trainer, can I get Access adjust the floor of the Academy’s Kombat ring?], Max queried.
[Trainer: Tatemono Reí informs me that smart matter of the ring floor is not restricted or currently being accessed, your ability to access it is not inhibited.]
[Thank you, Trainer. Does my smart matter clothes include any items that might inhibit Marc’s grappling techniques?]
[Your smart matter wardrobe includes a wide selection. To inhibit grappling techniques unpowered plate is recommended, aka Stormtrooper regalia, there is a variant called the Tarrasque Trooper that includes spiked protrusions on the armor that the artificer promotes as effective versus various close combat martial arts. Superior advanced powered armor types are available but will require more time and energy to activate.]
The time ticked down until the next match, I can’t keep counting on tricks to get me past fights, thought Max, I am going to need to get some training immediately. I bet Bo can give me some direction. I wish I had thought to ask earlier. And I need to find Miyamoto as soon as possible.
“Ok, rest time is up.”, Coach Thompson said. “Positions.”
You can do this, he thought. He crouched low and released a low growl. Time to see what I’ve got. The match began and Marc closed in aggressively. Max backed away, drawing Marc through the center of the ring. With each step Marc took, Max stepped back, shifting to the side, and bracing for impact. Marc was just about to commit to a charging attack when the floor under his feet got super sticky. In the second he took his eye off Max to look down, Max leaped into a side heel kick high into Marc’s chest. Marc landed hard on his back with his feet still stuck to the ground.
“Point Max!”, Coach Thompson cried. He had a little grin as he understood the trick Max had played.
Max returned the floor to normal matt surface and returned to his start position.
“Nicely done Max. Take your positions, begin!”. Coach Thompson called.
The match started and Marc was not going to be taken by surprise again. This time, he shifted his stance to low and on guard as Max advanced, using a combination of kicks and strikes to keep Marc outside. Marc began a carefully calculated advance, moving forward in small and unpredictable steps, refusing to commit to a charge. Finally, Max made a strike that was slightly too slow, and Marc grabbed it and pulled him in.
Max was in trouble as Marc quickly converted the arm hold into a headlock. Max triggered the Stormtrooper Tarrasque wardrobe change. The spikes grew quickly and threw Marc off. Max, who was ready for it, swept Marc’s legs, forcing him to fall outside of the ring.
“Point Max!”, the coach said, “but switch back to a Gi and keep it. I didn’t specify at the start, but I’ll say it now - the uniform is a Gi and only a Gi for this competition. No wardrobe changes or it will cost you a point.”
Max bowed to Coach Thompson and returned to the starting position as he adjusted his wardrobe back to a Gi. His bag of tricks was empty, and he still needed another point.
“Positions and begin!” Shouted the coach.
Marc immediately rushed in with a determination that Max had not expected. Max thought he saw Marc's strategy and switched his stance, expecting to be able to deflect the force of Marc's attack and turn it into something else. Marc tackled Max and grappled his arm. Marc’s angry face filled Max’s vision.
“Goddamn cheater. Get out of this one if you can.” Marc swore.
Max was pinned and as the coach called the point, with a final flex Marc twisted Max’s arm. It snapped like a branch with a loud wet crack. Max rolled away in agony. Despite the pain, he still managed to rise to a standing position. Coach Thompson was livid, he disqualified Marc for use of excessive force. Max stoically held his arm straight as his healing skill knitted the bones back together.
Coach Thompson came close and seeing Max’s arm straighten, whispered: “It seems you may have seen some things in the last couple of days to be able to heal up such a bad break that fast, do you think that you can continue?”
“I’ll be ready, sir,” Max said tightly. With a slight hesitation, Coach Thompson dismissed Max to the side and declared Max the winner.
“Next match center of the ring. Tyler and Charlie,” the coach said.
Max watched from the sidelines as his arm continued to heal, knowing that he would face whoever lost the next match. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, preparing himself mentally and pushing the pain away. No matter what, he would need to be ready. He was sure of one thing; his next match would be the last one today and he was determined to win it.
He called up his notifications.
[Quest: Ready to Rumble – 2/5 complete, no progress spar incomplete]
[Intelligence +1, Will +1]
[Body Skill: Healing +1, Healing reaches 6]
[New Skill Unlocked: Unbreakable 1 – Augmented reinforcement of bone structures]
[Mind Skill: AI Assist +1, AI Assist reaches 4, Access +1, Access reaches 4]
Charlie took his spot in the ring and bowed. Tyler did the same with a serious expression.
“And Begin!”
Charlie flowed forward with long steps which gave the impression of languid motion but covered the distance in less than a blink. Tyler shot forth a front kick to intercept Charlie, but Charlie faded to the side. He ended up holding Tyler’s leg and pushed it directly into Tyler’s body. Before Tyler could reset himself or strike with a punch, Charlie pivoted around bringing Tyler over his hip in a full body take down, launching Tyler out of the ring.
“First point to Charlie! Back to starting positions!”
Tyler set himself in an open-handed guard and Charlie did the same.
“And begin!” the coach called.
This time Tyler was on the offensive. He rushed in with a fast combination of punches, kicks, and even a spinning back fist. Even though Charlie blocked and stepped away from most of the attacks, Tyler was still pressing forward.
Suddenly Tyler shifted in a way that felt familiar to Max, as it had in the first match. One of Tyler’s blocks lingered with hand-to-arm contact. Charlie briefly froze. Tyler brought his arm around for an overhead hammer with a victorious smirk only to be surprised with a lightning-fast jab of a light palm heel to his forehead. The blow was a light contact, but it was enough for the point. Max knew Tyler had tried to shock Charlie, but with his trained resistance it did not have even close to its full effect.
“Two to zero, favoring Charlie! Start positions…….and begin.”, the coach called as his students found their place and were ready.
Tyler had a black look and snuck a venomous glance over to Max. Tyler was slowly shaking his head. He was supposed to be the victor here, not some collection of misfits. He had another skill, bought by his father for emergencies. His father had eyes and ears all over town. He could not allow a defeat; his father would know.
Tyler and Charlie engaged in a series of strikes and blocks. Max saw something had sprayed briefly from Tyler’s mouth into Charlie's eyes.
Did he spit? Max wondered.
Almost immediately Charlie tried to disengage, hands coming to eyes, with a scream of pain. Tyler struck without mercy with a rising kick to Charlie’s unprotected groin. Charlie dropped like a sack of potatoes, moaning in pain.
The coach screamed ending the match and he sent Tyler to kneel outside the ring. He crouched over Charlie’s form and brought his hands to both sides of Charlie’s head whispering to him. Slowly Charlie’s screams subsided, and his breathing returned to normal.
“Tyler, that last kick was completely uncalled for. More troubling was that skill you used. It could not have been obtained at this stage of your training. Expert stage poison skills only occur in Mastery stages.” Coach Thompson ground out with great care.
“You must have bypassed the training modules to enable it. It gives me no pleasure to say this, but you are disqualified from this tourney and this class. You are dismissed!"
“My father will see about that!”, Tyler shouted and stormed out of the room.
Max looked at the Coach, who had a swelling and twitching vein at his temple. Coach Thompson settled himself and looked over at Max.
“Max, Charlie will recover but he’s in no shape to continue today. As such you are today's victor, you can check with your Trainer AI for the bonus skill. I would rather today to have ended on a happier note, but class is dismissed. Have a safe weekend everyone. Monday’s class will focus on a less martial subject.”
The stunned class slowly left the building, Max and Leah helped Charlie to the Autopod stop.