"How do you know everything about everyone?" Grayson asked incredulously.
"I already asked him and didn't get an answer," Bruce's calm voice sounded. "I don't think he'll honor you with such an honor."
"Yeah, you're a mysterious person, Alex," said Nightwing, taking off his mask.
"Thanks, I'm trying."
"Dick will be training you today," Batman said, as if cutting the conversation short.
"Yeah, whatever you say, bore!" I said as I walked onto the training field, starting to warm up my body to prepare for another beating. My senses told me that today, I'd get more than usual. I wonder why I have that feeling… As I was lost in thought, my teacher for the day pulled out his batons.
"Hey, hey, you can't be serious?!"
"This evening, I will teach you how to confront an armed opponent. Let's begin!"
"What did I do to you?!" Of course, he didn't let me complain, and soon I realized one thing: the pain from the sticks is far worse than from fists.
Although, in my opinion, it was obvious. But damn! What's wrong with this sadist?! Well, just wait, soon you'll dance to my tune. Rising to my feet, I rushed at him again, delivering a series of various blows, which he skillfully avoided and blocked with his weapon.
I take it back, he won't be dancing… Damn it, his fighting skills are around 80 points. He's better than Barbara, but that's to be expected. Batman started training him when he was only 12 years old. And all this time he's been tempered in battles with criminals, always on the brink of life and death. And how am I supposed to fight him?!
Besides, I don't think he holds back at all in a fight with me. After going through another round of beatings, I gave him a hard look.
"Hey, Dick, don't you think you're going a little overboard with your sticks?!" I said in an offended tone.
"No, I don't think so."
"When did I manage to annoy you?"
"What makes you think you've annoyed me?"
"I think Bruce has already told you that I have a pretty strong intuition. That's exactly what it's screaming at me about!"
"In that case, maybe you should try to guess what it is yourself?" he said, spinning his short clubs.
"I'm ready to make a guess. It's all about Barbara, right?"
"Well, I must say, your intuition is really amazing. Yes, that's right. The other day, I tried to ask her out again, and she refused. It would have been fine, it wasn't the first time, but I also have a kind of intuition, and I felt that this time, everything was different from before. In the past, she refused me, but not as abruptly as now. I always thought that sooner or later, she would give me a chance. But now, when I met her again, I didn't find myself in her heart. It means that her heart was occupied by someone else. I'm not saying that she fell in love, no... Rather, she became interested in someone else, while completely displacing me."
"Well, I didn't know."
"I have a question for you. Do you intend to win Barbara's love?" Grayson asked, pointing his weapon at me.
"Yes," I said without hesitation.
"In that case, choose a weapon…"
"Weapons," he pointed to the stacks of various combat tools.
"You won't defeat an opponent stronger than you, especially when you are unarmed. But if you have your own weapon, which will be like an extension of your arms and legs, you can get a chance. A small one, but a chance. Now choose."
I glanced at the wide range of various weapons. There were spears, sabers, axes, knives, nunchucks... I didn't think too long and chose a sword, or rather, a katana! To be honest, I have another small dream. Em, I don't know which one this is in a row, but it doesn't matter. I want to collect swords made from a variety of materials. Vibranium, Adamantium, Uru… And, as a cherry on top, forge a sword that combines their best characteristics.
Fortunately, I have an inventory, so there will be no problems with storing them. Just imagine what a cool sight it will be. I am in battle, using a variety of blades, changing them at my discretion. Well, that's for the future, but for now, I need to focus on the present.
"Katana? I didn't expect it, I thought you'd choose a Bo staff, but it's not for me to judge. The katana is primarily a cutting weapon, sometimes a piercing one, allowing for both two-handed and one-handed grips. Attack."
Well, round two? Let's go! When I swung the sword, my hand trembled for a second, and that moment was enough for Nightwing to take advantage of it. He knocked the weapon out of my hands and rather brutally laid me on the hard floor of the cave.
"The longitudinal axis of the sword during an attack should not go to the target at a right angle, but along its plane, delivering cutting blows. Therefore, when you move the katana, think not about the blows you can make with it, but about cuts. After all, these blades have a curved shape for a reason," he began to explain to me, looking at my prostrate body from top to bottom.
I tried to attack a few more times, but my hand constantly trembled when I tried to make a cut.
"It's fear," Dick said quietly. "You're afraid to use this sword, aren't you? You're afraid you'll accidentally kill me. Listen, if you've chosen a katana, be prepared to unleash its full potential. If you don't want to kill anyone with it, learn to control this weapon properly."
The beating continued for another half hour, and soon I simply didn't have the strength to get up. My whole body was in terrible pain. This is the first time I've felt so bad. And the only ray of light in all this is the inscription looming under my eyes.
This is the first time I've leveled up so quickly. So it's true that real combat allows you to develop much faster. I've already thought about it. A life-or-death fight gives you invaluable experience.
A flower grown in a greenhouse will never survive the harsh weather of the outside world. Yeah, I just went through a fight where my life was on the line. Yeah, I know, maybe I'm overdoing it a bit, but believe me, when I fought Nightwing, I had exactly that feeling. And Batman just stood there quietly watching me get killed. But I'm so tired and feel so terrible right now that I just don't want to think about it.
"Hey, Alex, what's Barbara been up to these days?" Dick asked in a calm voice, as if he were talking to an old friend.
"Our company will soon be releasing its first mobile game. This is an extremely important step for us, as it will decide the future development of the company. As the CEO of Alritex Mobile, a division that develops mobile games, she needs to try to do everything possible to ensure that nothing gets out of control. That's why she's been extremely busy these past few days," I explained in the same friendly tone, without expressing a drop of resentment.
Thank you for reading, hope you enjoyed the chapter.
Do consider leaving a review and some power stones. Need that extra boost you know.....