When Korra arrives for her second class, the previous group is already gone, except for the brown-haired girl.
She is talking with Chuang in heated words, and is visibly angry. When Korra steps through the door the girl throws her a glance and lowers her voice, but she and Chuang are speaking a language Korra doesn't understand. Chuang's expression is largely blank. The corners of his lips are turned down.
Their exchange is almost one-sided. The girl might be asking questions. Chuang answers in one or two words. He never looks Korra's way. After a few rounds of this, the girl barks something and hurries to gather her things. As she walks out she looks at neither Korra nor Chuang.
When Korra steps onto the floor she raises an eyebrow. "Is everything… okay, sir?"
Chuang throws up a hand. It is the most emotional gesture Korra has yet seen him make. "It doesn't concern you. Do not worry."
"I wasn't planning on it," she says under her breath. Then she bows, and he does the same.
"I did some thinking," he begins, "about how to best move forward with your lessons. I imagine you practice extensively on Air Temple Island, yes?"
Korra nods.
"Then conditioning is not a concern. I learned that much last time." Chuang folds his arms behind his back. "You are also proficient with your kicking techniques, and we don't need to work on your athleticism."
Korra nods again, and catches herself smirking.
"But." He raises a finger. "Your inside game is weak. You've trained bending your entire life – how to control it, how to exploit your environment, how to match it to your physical attributes – and the biggest advantage bending has over non-bending martial arts is range. If we were to bout now, no rules, you would shear my hair from my skull before I could take a single step." Now Chuang holds out a palm. "As a result, when an opponent gets close, you don't know how to handle it."
Korra's instinct is to deny his accusation, to assert her ability, but she knows it's true. She learned as much fighting Equalists in the streets. So she bites her tongue.
Chuang continues, "I have seen chi-blockers fight. They have a way of avoiding the attacks of undisciplined benders and closing fast, so that they take away your biggest advantage and employ their own. Accordingly, we will work on close quarters combat."
So they do. They begin practicing many of the techniques Chuang threw in their bouts. He teaches her the quick triple punches, how to strike without windup or warning, how to strike with two knuckles and not four to minimize the area of contact and maximize force. They strike the bags for an hour, two hours, until Korra's knuckles are raw. She isn't used to it. It's a rookie feeling that makes her realize just how much she relies on her bending. The urge to bend is strong, and she has to suppress it.
He teaches her the open palm strike meant to crack ribs and break jawbones, and they begin to intersperse them with the punches. Two punches to the face, palm to the ribs. Palm to the face, two punches to the gut. Punch to the face, two to the solar plexus.
At one point Korra asks him about the chakras, but Chuang shakes his head. "I don't know what those are."
"They're like… physical points of energy in the body. I don't really know either. I was never good at the spiritual stuff."
He shrugs. "Maybe they're important for bending. In physical martial arts, there are similar points that you can strike to impair your opponent."
"Like what you did during our first round?"
"Yes." He nods. "Like that."
They continue. She punches leather until her knuckles bleed, but she ignores the pain. Pain has never been an obstacle. It's what the pain represents – that's what bothers her. But she picks up the techniques fast because her muscles are used to hard work like this. Knowing this lightens her spirits and rekindles her confidence. Soon Chuang has her working face-to-face, punching at him and trying to get through his lightning blocks. Sometimes she does, but most of the time her fists are slapped away.
After some time they reverse roles and now he throws the strikes. She tries to stay rooted, but more than once her instincts take over and she steps back. For her, movement has always been the best defense.
"I agree," Chuang says, "but these chi-blockers are quick. You say you've fought them, so you know. They jump and they're on you in an instant." He snaps his fingers in her face. "You need to be ready for that, and you need to be able to fight close."
They work late into the evening, and it's midnight by the time they are through.
Afterwards Korra sits on the floor against the wall. She's sweating lightly but it wasn't a workout for her. The real workout was mental: training her mind and body to function in ways she isn't used to. She takes a few deep breaths, trying to clear her head. It's all mental. Tenzin would be proud – hah!
When Chuang brings her a water skin, Korra says, "Thank you, sir." She bends liquid out and shapes it into a ball before applying it to her bloodied knuckles. She hums a tune as she heals.
It takes her some time to realize Chuang is staring at her as she does so.
"You're a healer," he says.
"Yea. I learned from Katara." She tilts her head. "You've heard of her, right?"
Chuang nods. Korra resumes her healing. When she is done she takes a drink from the skin and stands. "Thank you, sir. Next class?"
But Chuang is already gone, slipping through the back door. He only says, "Yes," as he leaves.