Chapter 49

After a few moments of silence, May suddenly charged at Mingxia once again. She proceeded to throw a punch with her right hand, intent on a direct hit to Mingxia's nose. Reacting to May's punch, Mingxia tilted her head to the side, causing May's fist to completely bypass her face, ending up in the vicinity of her ear. May, surprised but not at all deterred proceeded to throw additional punches, attempting to land blows to Mingxia's ribcage; each one was dodged as easily as the last.

Eventually May decided to attempt to deliver a powerful high kick, emitting a subtle "hiya" as she did so. With no surprise, the kick was intercepted by Mingxia, who took hold of May's shin in a tight grip. Using May's weight against her, Mingxia proceeded to gracefully swing May through the air, eventually tossing her away in an upward trajectory.

After flying through the air for a few moments, May managed to regain her composure; after orienting herself, she managed to take hold of a low hanging tree branch, swinging around it as if she were a gymnast performing on the uneven bars. She eventually came to rest on the tree branch, catching her breath while leaning her hand on the woody trunk, simultaneously staring downward towards Mingxia's position.

Mingxia spared May no time to recover. The tall woman briefly waved her arms in small arcs, bringing them towards the center of her body; as she did so, she suddenly snapped her right forearm to a vertical position, wrapping her left hand around the area of her right elbow, while simultaneously extending her right index and middle finger, in a stance similar to a closed "peace sign". After briefly rotating her extended hand about her wrist, the silky haired woman rushed forward, kicking her foot off of the rough tree trunk and propelling herself up towards the tree branch. May observed with surprise as Mingxia gracefully landed directly in front of her, bringing her hand up towards her chin and performing a slight outward stabbing motion towards May's nose with her fingers; an action performed as Mingxia giggled in a teasing manner.

This of course caused the surprised May to hobble backward, nearly falling out of the tree. She eventually decided to use her backward momentum to her advantage, jumping out of the tree on her own accord, landing on the forest floor on her hands and knees. Mingxia too descended the tree, landing around ten feet from May, giggling sarcastically as she did so.

Once again, May charged toward Mingxia, unleashing a wild flurry of punches towards the slim woman that seemed to occur at lighting speed. Mingxia retaliated by blocking each and every one with her palm, exerting very minimal effort; so much so that she was able to provide a casual commentary as she did so.

"Come now Annamae," said Mingxia, "I know you've been trained better than this."

After a few more punches, Mingxia suddenly extended her right foot, delivering a swift but powerful kick to May's knee. This action caused May to cease punching, falling onto her knees as Mingxia placed her hands behind her back.

"You should really learn to guard your feet," said Mingxia in a bubbly manner, "It's not your fault really, it's always been oversight of your family's."

May growled once again.

"SHUT UP!" yelled May, at which point she rose to her feet attempting to punch Mingxia once again. Her punch was quickly intercepted by Mingxia, who caught her fist in her palm, trapping her hand in place as she closed her fingers around her fist.

After another growl, May proceeded to throw another punch with her opposite hand, which was quickly stopped in a similar manner. Almost immediately, Mingxia began to twist Mays wrists outward, as if she were engaging in a game of "mercy".

May once again dropped to her knees, writhing in the small amount of agony imposed by Mingxia's submission hold. As she continued applying pressure, Mingxia decided to chime in with a statement of her own.

"You are an absolute slave to your emotions," said Mingxia, "Blinded by sheer rage, you are attacking me without even thinking about the consequences of your actions. Take note of my demeanor. I am and have been continuously calm, my mind is clear and collected, completely devoid of any emotion whether positive or negative. You will not succeed under the pressures you will be faced with if you continue down the path you desire, unless you master the power of the mind over body...I could teach you that."

Mingxia continued to hold May for a few more moments, after which she proceeded to deliver another statement.

"But for now, please allow me to illustrate an additional point," said Mingxia as she released May, allowing her to fall to the forest floor on her hands and knees. Mingxia then jumped backwards, placing around fifteen feet between her and May.

"You have been so hung up on attempting to land a blow on me that you haven't been paying attention to any of the subtle moves I was making," said Mingxia, "Conversely, you have been wasting way too much energy executing unnecessary, redundant moves, and in doing so have been unfortunately telegraphing every one of your attacks."

May rose to her feet, staring at Mingxia with an angry expression.

"Don't you lecture me you criminal!" yelled May, "I refuse to accept any of your teachings!"

Mingxia giggled, placing her hand towards her mouth as she did so.

"I'm afraid it's much too late for that," said Mingxia, "Believe it or not, you have already learned a lot from me, albeit in an indirect manner."

"You talk too much!" yelled May, "You think playing mind games with me will affect my resolve, but you are nothing more than a big faker. You just rely on tricks to fight, and just so you know I have a few tricks up my sleeve as well."

"Do you now?" said Mingxia, "Then let's see them!"

Mingxia proceeded to adopt an unusually aggressive stance, bending her knees as she once again extended her right index and middle finger, maintaining the rest of her hand in her fist. She quickly snapped her hand upward, placing her right hand against her left chest, while again gripping her right elbow with her left hand.

After assuming this stance, Mingxia suddenly began dashing towards May at a rapid pace. Surprisingly, May was able to anticipate the sudden hand knife Mingxia decided to throw, ducking just before her hand made contact with her face. Sensing that she had the upper hand, May reached upward taking hold of Mingxia's forearm, while simultaneously twisting her body around her assailants. Wasting no time, May positioned herself behind Mingxia, taking hold of her opposite arm. She immediately began to twist the much taller Mingxia's arms, pressing them downward as she did so; a flawless of execution of the powerful "Bear Trap" maneuver that she had used to immobilize Marie earlier in the evening.

"Now I've got you," said May in an aggressive manner, "There's no way you will be able to get out of this one! It's finally time to take you to the police so they can put you where you belong."

After grimacing slightly for a few moments, Mingxia began to emit a small giggle.

"Annamae, if you don't mind me asking," said Mingxia in a calm manner, "Have you ever used this technique on anyone exceeding your height, perhaps your sister Annalee?"

May's eyes widened with surprise as she adopted an expression of distress.

"Wait, how the hell do you know Annalee?" asked May, "And how are you still able to speak, you should be almost completely paralyzed from the pain!"

"As I have told you before, I know many things," said Mingxia, "I will not go into the details of the former, but I will not hesitate to answer the latter."

Mingxia turned her head slightly to her right.

"If you had, you would realize that this maneuver loses all effect when the advantage of height is lost," said Mingxia, "The Bear Trap was designed to place pressure on the radial, median, and ulnar nerves, via hyper extension of the upper trapezius muscles. This of course only works if the practitioner is able to achieve proper leverage. As you can see, I am quite the tall woman, and thus do have the advantage of leverage in this situation."

May remained perfectly still, an expression of disbelief slowly appearing on her face. Mingxia, taking notice of May's demeanor decided to continue commenting.

"Surprised that I know about the Bear Trap Lock?" asked Mingxia, "By now you should know I know many things about you and your family. Your mother Tabitha, your father Rod, your sister Annalee, and even your Aunt Katie. The fact that you are a softball player, Marie's amazing skills with the piano, Annalee's award winning ballet performance and her fight with Little Tiffany Lindsay...oh yes, I know everything."

Mingxia slowly turned her head, adopting a somewhat sinister expression as she did so.

"I even know about Ed, Edd, and Eddy," said Mingxia.

At the sound of her boyfriend and friends names, May's face suddenly transformed into an even deeper state of shock, combined with a strong concentration of disbelief. In response, Mingxia emitted a small giggle, prior to continuing.

"But, that's a topic for another time," said Mingxia, "For now, allow me to exhibit one final surprise."

To May's sudden shock, Mingxia suddenly ducked downward, turning forward as she sprung herself into the air. This action seemed to "undo" May's bear trap hold, freeing Mingxia from May's clutches and allowing her to fly through the air. The small girl watched in silence as Mingxia performed a 180 degree spin, turning upside down as she did so.

As she passed over top of May, Mingxia placed both of her hands on May's shoulders, assuming a position similar to a gymnast vaulting over the horse. She remained in this position for a brief instant, after which she suddenly sprung off of her shoulders, turning her body downward while extending her leg outward; a maneuver instantly recognized by May as the "butterfly kick" she had previously used against Gianna back in New York City.

Within seconds, May found herself on the forest floor, having received a swift yet lackluster kick to the side of her head. Dazed and confused, the blonde girl could do nothing but remain face down as Mingxia approached her position. The mysterious woman kneeled down, took hold of both of May's ponytails in a cartoonish fashion, and proceeded to lift her into the air, bringing her face to her eye level.

"I must admit, you have been a most interesting challenge," said Mingxia, "Your skills are quite impressive, however you currently lack self discipline as well as a strong defensive fighting style. With a bit of training, these issues will be easily rectified. On a positive note, you show a strong sense of virtue and determination...very admirable traits indeed."

Mingxia smiled, bringing the still stunned May slightly closer to her as she did so.

"It's such a shame that this has to end here," said Mingxia, "But such is fate."

May remained still for a few moments, after which she finally regained her senses. She suddenly brought her foot backwards, and proceeded to initiate a kick towards Mingxia's face. Without hesitation, Mingxia intercepted Mays shin with the palm of her other hand, a smile adorning her face as her eyes slowly traveled downward towards May's foot.

The two women remained silent for a few moments, at which point a familiar voice rang through the air from a distance.

"YO KNUCKLE HEADS!" yelled the voice of Lee, "TIME TO QUIT THE KUNG FU AND COME GET SOME KUNG POW!"

Upon hearing the sound of Lee's voice, May suddenly began to yell at the top of her lungs.

"LEE HELP, WE'RE BE..."

May was unable to complete her statement, as Mingxia suddenly thrust her fist into May's gut, knocking not only the wind out of the small girl, but also her consciousness. The blonde girl proceeded to fall completely limp, at which point Mingxia released her grip on her ponytails, allowing May to fall towards the ground, but not before catching her in her arms.

"Well, that's my cue!" said Mingxia in a bubbly manner, dashing towards the equally unconscious Marie as she did so, "It would be such a shame if I got caught now, wouldn't it?"

As Mingxia approached Marie, she placed May down on the ground beside her, keeping her propped up in a seated position for the time being. As she did so, she began speaking in a calm voice.

"I truly enjoyed fighting you Annamae," said Mingxia as she gazed upon May, "Your athletic prowess is amazing, and with a little bit discipline and mind training, you will no doubt make a perfect addition to the cause."

At that moment, Mingxia retrieved her staff (still sheaved) from the ground. She proceeded to quickly tie its strap around May's body, mounting it on her back while simultaneously scribbling something on it's case with a pen.

"It's time to test your trust and integrity," said Mingxia, "Let this guide you to your destiny, just as it has guided me. It will be our little secret."

After securing her staff to May's back, Mingxia slowly lowered the girl to a supine position.

"I can only hope that I manage to finally end this horrific fourteen year saga...and even if I cannot, I promise I will somehow take you under my wing and teach you everything I know..."

Mingxia emitted a seemingly sarcastic giggle, at which point she turned her attention towards Marie.

"It was amazing to finally meet you again, even if it was just for a few minutes," said Mingxia, "I most definitely look forward to seeing you again, hopefully sooner than later."

At that moment, Mingxia lifted her hands, placing them together palm-to-palm. After briefly rubbing them together, the mysterious woman slowly closed her eyes, placing her hands on Marie and May, both in the vicinity of their trapezius muscles. After a few seconds, she delivered a brief tight squeeze, causing both girls to jump slightly, albeit still asleep.

"Good luck girls," said Mingxia, "I'll be seeing you again soon!"

With another short giggle, Mingxia dashed away from the girls position, disappearing in to the trees just as Lee and Lindsay entered the clearing through some brush on the opposite side. As the girls approached Marie and May, Lee shook her head side to side.

"Ah geez, look at this," said Lee, "Taking a nap in the middle of the damn forest, and here I thought I'd seen everything."

Lee took a few steps towards Marie.

"Hey nimrod!" yelled Lee, "Wake up."

At that moment, Marie suddenly opened her eyes, quickly rising to a seated position. The black-haired girl proceeded to gaze around the woods as if she were searching for someone. At the same time, May arose from her sleeping position in a much more subdued manner, stretching her arms as she too adopted a seated position.

After becoming accustomed to her surroundings, Marie took hold of her neck.

"Geez, what happened." said Marie, "I feel like I got hit by a truck!"

"Tell me about it," said May as she rose to a standing position, her green dress now stained with mud, "I can barely move a muscle!"

"Youse too must have really tired yourself training," said Lee as she took sight of May's dress, "Next time, why don't you idiots change into something you don't want to ruin before ya's rough house?"

"Sorry, I guess we didn't even realize we were fighting that hard," said Marie as she stood up, "I don't even remember falling asleep."

"Me neither," said May, "But I did have the craziest dream. I was..."

"We can talk about it later, spaz," said Lee, "Right now, the only thing on my mind is dinner, so let's get a move on."

The four girls proceeded to make their way across the small field, disappearing into the tree as they made their way back to Rodeeia's house for dinner.