Chapter 22: Student Competition

Over time, the number of students taking part in Ki Jung’s Aikido training grows. For the first month, Min Joon is her only student. She believes this to be due to her doing nothing but throwing him to the mat over and over for the first week. Why would any student change Masters for that? This doesn’t bother her at all. She feels it was an excellent starting point. She has one student who she is able to focus on. This focus allows his training to be much better and more focused.

At the end of the first month, Ki Jung tests Min Joon’s skills and knowledge. Though this was not in line with the world she came from, in this world, she is the one and only Master of Aikido. Thus Min Joon advances from being sixth Kyu to fifth Kyu under Ki Jung in just 30 days.

The following week, Master Lee receives requests from three students to transfer to her Aikido classes. One of them is the young woman, Phong Ahn, who gave her the tour on her initial visit. When asked why she wanted to learn Aikido, her response was that having watched the way it moved and flowed it spoke to her. The style she was currently learning didn’t feel like it was right for her, but she didn’t have a better choice.

The other two new students were a boy and girl, each prepubescent. For them, it was the idea of something new and interesting. This was good enough for Master Lee, but she told them she would demand a lot from them. They did not quite scoff, but they were already used to such demands. There were days ahead of them that would make them rethink their ability to perform up to Master Lee’s requirements.

Over the next two months, Master Lee brought her three new students up to speed and they all tested and earned their Fifth Kyu standings. She had Min Joon assist with their training based on the fact that teaching increases understanding. The first half of those classes were focused on the newer students. The second was focused on teaching Min Joon the new moves he needed to learn, perform, and understand to test up to Fourth Kyu.

At the end of her third month, Master Lee still only had a total of four students. Others might scoff at her lack of students, but she was delighted. She knew that she would be gaining more students once others saw how those under her guidance and teachings performed in comparison to others.

When Min Joon passed the testing for Fourth Kyu, Master Lee was ready to show off her student’s abilities in a limited competition. To show how her arts compared to the traditional arts taught at Jade Academy, Master Lee sets up a contest between Min Joon and one of Master Chen’s students of like rank. The match is to be be held after school hours on the last day of the school week following Min Jung’s advancement to Fourth Kyu.

When the day of the match arrives, the seats are once again filled to capacity. Students, faculty, family, and friends are all there. Only the Governor and his entourage are absent, this time. Everyone wants to see how a student of Master Lee’s will stand up to one of Master Chen’s. The agreement is that the match would be between comparable ranks, but Master Chen has decided to cheat, again. He has not gotten over the way he had been beaten in his contest with Master Lee. He fully intends to get even by destroying her student.

Master Chen’s student, Peng Chanming, is in the fourth rank of his style, but could have advanced to the fifth rank at any time. Instead, Master Chen has held him back from testing. He teaches the young man, on the side, the skills he would have been learning if he had taken and passed his test. Thus, student Peng is ranked as a fourth level practitioner but is trained to the fifth level.

The match is to be three rounds of three minutes sans weapons. Only the physical body was to be used. Betting is going on, just like it had been when Masters Lee and Chen had entered the ring. Those (few) who are in the know were betting heavily on Peng to win. Others were making simple bets. Some bet on Min Joon to win, others on a draw. Still, the majority bet on Peng. They just did not have confidence in the new style of fighting, even if the young woman had beaten Master Chen so thoroughly. This was a student of a new form instructed by a teacher they have no background to look at.

Ki Jung places a 10 gold bet on brother Min Joon to tie. She would be happy to lose the bet should he win, but she is confident that he would not outright lose. She doesn’t inform him of this bet. Doing so might place too much pressure on him. Master Chen places a bet of 50 gold on his student to win. He believes that his deceptive actions will carry the day and earn him some money and put that bitch in her place. The odds are Peng to win 2:1, Pak to win 15:1, and a tie at 12:1. After the trouncing the bookies took in the previous match, they were not going to be so bold with the odds this time.

The two combatants are introduced, and the forms are observed, as required. Then, the match begins with Peng rushing at Pak while brandishing his fists in combination with a loud roar in a typical attempt at intimidation. Pak simply stands his ground and allows Peng to come to him, as he had been taught. Aikido is about turning the opponent’s energy against them. To do that, accepting the attack is better than attacking at this point. Thus, when Peng reaches Pak, he had built up a good head of steam, much like a charging bull. He expects Pak to come at him, not just stand there like a dumb animal. This throws off his attack a little, but not his speed. Thus, when Pak simply grabs his wrist and in a smooth motion causes him to flip with a resounding thud, it is a huge surprise.

In each corner, the Masters stand watching. Master Chen is not happy with what he sees, while Master Lee hides a slight smile behind her hand. He had performed the movement flawlessly. All those hours of one on one training are paying off already. She does not expect it to be so easy from here on out, but little brother has already made a significant impact on those watching.

Anyone looking at Master Chen can see his jaw and fists tightly clenched, the knuckles of his fist turning white. They know it would be bad to be on the receiving end of his anger. Looking at Master Lee, on the other hand, they see a young woman, composed and at ease, if not smiling.

The throw was not the end of it, however. As soon as Peng hit the ground, Pak was on him. Twisting Peng’s wrist up to the middle of his back. Round one ends with his submission, which further infuriates Master Chen. That worthless idoio should not have submitted! How dare that little shit embarrass Master Chen! He wants to demolish the impudent piece of trash.

The scene in Peng’s corner is not pleasant. While Master Chen isn’t screaming, he does get in Peng’s face and growls at him, berating him for giving up. He doesn’t care that fighting on “might have” caused a broken wrist, or dislocated shoulder, or any other problem. At least that would have been honorable in Master Chen’s eyes.