A tall, broad man stepped onto a raised platform. "Marines!"
Everyone present pulled together, going silent as they waited for their next orders.
"Is everyone ready for hand to hand combat training?" There were cheers.
Behind him, instructors stepped up to the platform.
One of the instructors was a slim, brunette female in a tank top and cargo pants. Her pants were neatly tucked into the top of a pair of combat boots. Her hair was braided down her back. She had her hands wrapped and seemed to stand with her shoulders squared, ready for a fight.
"I thought this was a class, not a night in the red light." One of the Marines shouted.
The instructor laughed. "You mean her?"
A few of the men nodded.
"Anyone who can take her down, gets pushed to the top of the class." The instructor laughed.
"Anyone tries to kiss me," She called to the instructor. "I'm breaking bones."
The Instructor laughed some more. "Deal."
The Marines shifted, some of them taking offense while some of them took this as a challenge.
In the back of the room, one Marine remained indifferent.
The instructors split off into pairs.
"This is going to be simple." One of the instructors started. "I'm Gunnery Sergeant Jason Felix." He turned to the girl, "Lance Corporal Dylan Devreaux."
"What's she even doing here?" Called a Marine in the back row.
"Some girl isn't going to teach me something I don't already know." Shouted another, "Not dressed at least."
The instructors looked at each other. The male nodded and the Corporal jumped off of the instruction platform.
Marines between the outburst and the girl separated.
One of them looked down the extra inches to the girl. "Is this the part where you take off your clothes and teach us something?" He chuckled, looking at his buddies.
She chuckled, looking up at him.
He nodded at his buddy like this was some joke he suddenly understood.
The Corporal kept her face straight, but her fist lashed out and his him straight on the throat.
The Marine dropped like a sack of flour.
All of the people surrounding him suddenly stopped laughing.
Behind her the instructor held in a laugh. "True, Corporal Devreaux is smaller than all of you."
The girl glanced at the remaining Marines, none of them moved towards her. She turned around and went back back to stand by Felix.
"She is faster than most of you." He reached out a hand, pulling her back onto the stage. "She's also specialized in combat training for a majority of her career, anybody else her claiming that?"
She sat down on the platform, checking that her hand wraps were tight enough.
"If you are all done trying to show off, we'll get down to business."
She stood up. "Felix and I will demonstrate the moves for you. You are welcome to go over the moves with each other, or wait until we are available to go over it with you."
The guy who got the throat punch finally stood up.
"You are prohibited to go full-strength until an instructor observes it at half speed." Felix commanded. "Injuring each other is against rules. We will kick you from our course and push for disciplinary action."
"We know you hate each other." Devreaux added. "Save it for the locker rooms. We are not wasting our time to measure 'em."
"We can do it later." One of them called to her. "You might be surprised."
She smiled. "I don't like to be disappointed, Lance Corporal."
"Let's go Dev." GySgt Felix turned, tapping her arm.
The ran through one move, then another two, all at partial speed.
"Start trying them on your own." Felix ordered.
The other half of the room continued to repeat moves while their students looked blank.
Felix and Devreaux split to observe.
One Marine in the center of the class executed the first move, his partner shouting as he stumbled.
"Fuck."
Felix looked at Devreaux who nodded and headed in that direction.
"Do it again." She snapped.
"Why so he can actually break my wrist this time?" Shouted the one.
Devreaux looked at the other Marine. "What strength was that?"
"Half, like you said." He stated plainly.
She nodded. "Do it again, same way."
They repeated the move, with the same result.
"Fuck," He turned to her. "I fucking told you!"
"Name." She asked.
The wounded man sighed, "Donald."
She faced the other. "Name, Corporal."
"John Grimm." Barked the young, well-build Marine with dark hair.
She smirked, looking back at Donald. "You partnered with a guy named Grimm?" She snook her head. "Today isn't your lucky day."
"Your execution if perfect, Grimm. Donald, you try."
The pair got into position and did as she commanded.
She nodded. "Grimm." She stepped closer to him, so only he heard her. "Give resistance."
Grimm looked up from her braid at Donald, then gave a single nod.
"Again." She stepped out of the way.
Felix caught up with her. "Everyone else is done."
She nodded, watching them.
Donald had the scenario going, then suddenly Grimm resisted. Donald fumbled, then tried again.
Grimm's eyes glanced at Devreaux.
A small smile tugged at her lips, then it was her turn to nodd.
Grimm turned the tables, still in position with Donald, he parried and got the upper hand, moving Donald into the victim position of the third move.
"Son of a -"
"Corporal." Felix stepped up. "We said half-strength." He glanced over at Devreaux.
Devreaux danced around in front of him. "That was his half-strength." She mumbled. "I've watched him run through the moves half a dozen times."
Felix looked at the three of them. "Rotate, before you get someone hurt." He told her, "Everyone else, Corporal got the idea, combine your moves."
"Donald!" Devreaux waved at a nearby pair. "Try a new dance card."
"This is bullshit, he's not doing half anything!" Donald argued. "You dance, bitch."
Everyone on their side of the gym stopped.
Devreaux looked at Donald, then at Grimm who remained indifferent. She chuckled. "No holding back, Grimm."
He nodded.
Donald stepped out of her way.
"Full strength, I wanna see what you've got." She grinned, getting into start position.
"Why does he get to wrestle the girl?" Snapped someone close by.
"Because his other partner was crying like one." She answered.
Felix stepped over to observe them.
The two went through the moves full-strength and full-speed. First in order that they had been taught, then Dylan parried and twisted, temporarily gaining the dominant part of the move, only to be quickly overtaken by Grimm due to his larger size.
Devreaux again tried to regain control of the fight, succeeding for roughly a minute, nearly having him in a position to tap out. Then he reached around her, again using his larger stature to regain control.
She ground her teeth, adjusting into a move that they hadn't yet instructed the class. Getting her arm around over the top of his shoulders, she prepared to get in a position that allowed her control access to his neck, giving her a chance to win.
Grimm managed to get a grip on her belt, pulling her down roughly so that she didn't have a grip on his shoulders.
She drug her nails down his back as he pulled her down. Her nails caught the back of his neck as he used momentum to propel her to the ground.
She landed hard, catching herself on her elbows.
"Break!" Felix shouted.
Dylan ignored him, landing her boot on John's inner thigh, she grinned as he stumbled down to a knee.
Tossing her other leg over his shoulder, she leaned in to grab ahold of his neck, which would have enabled her to hold him down and punch him with her free hand, but he twisted.
Rolling over, he tossed his head back hard into her lower abdomen. Rolling back onto his feet, he pressed most of his upper body weight into her leg, starting with his shoulder in the muscle and tissue of her upper thigh, then rolling his ribs against her knee and shin.
Felix stepped so close he nearly caught Devreaux's braid under his boot. "Break!"
Not letting it get to her, she managed to get her feet underneath her and aimed to put her shoulder into Grimm's stomach and force him against the wall behind him.
John saw her just in time, leaning and wrapping his hands around her thighs. Pivoting on his foot, he ducked his head behind her torso, he body slammed her into the wall, roughly two feet above where she intended to put him.
"BREAK IT UP!" Felix shouted as the other instructors came over to provide backup.
A/N sorry I didn't provide more fight details, I don't do martial arts or anything and I knew if I found specific terms it would be super technical and I'd go down a rabbit hole and not write the chapter.
Also, I'm not a Marine, so I tried to steer clear of incorrect stuffs, but I do know alot of the Army stuff, so I'm apologizing in advance for putting things in wrong or missing stuff.