Many Issues, and Approach of Darkness
Because of how Holly ended up with Hermit, training increased for Kenichi while Holly has a break while recovering from injury.
Because of how she, his senior by a year ended up, he trained longer than she did as she said his muscles are well-trained and his Iron Palm and Iron Shirt are far better than hers which gave her a hard time in defeating him. A challenge Kensei took on.
'Judging by the battle stance he took, his favorite seems to be Hika-Ken but since he knows chinese kenpo, let's safely assume he knows easy ones for kids his age.' said Kensei. 'For disciples of our world, its physical conditioning at a young age, and only learn techniques when at least, 13. Depending on him, he either knows Hika-Ken and its sister art Hakkyokuken, and at least, one or two more arts and its easy-level techniques. And I know what to drill Ken-chan on as Hika-Ken is far more dangerous than its sister art and Holly experienced how much it hurts.' he said as the Ryouzanpaku tenants glanced at Holly who got her patchings replaced.
'How dangerous?' Miu asked him.
'If Hakkyokuken aims for knock-out with our eight extremities of elbows, fists, knees and feet, Hika-Ken with its spear-hands, and using arms and legs like a whip, and felling the opponent without a chance of Counterattack.' Kensei explained. 'It is surely a fist of strength. If not for Holly insisting she gets conditioned first, her injuries would be worser than today.'
It took a week for Holly to recover enough to go to school.
But upon return, she was prepared for the EXTREMELY AWKWARD atmosphere...and the Spanish Inquisition.
Her image in middle school to those who knew her, is that she's comes off as naive and clueless which is at odds with her perfect academic score(and her real dark and gloomy personality that she conceals) and tended to be spacey if only because she's still tired from training. But in regards to socializing, she really was clueless due to her limited experiences with her peers and she got somewhat-better upon leaving the Magical World and British Society. But due to training herself more and isolating herself away from her peers, she's still understandably lacking.
When she came, her classmates stared, wide-eyed.
On their desks were the school newspaper about her fight.
'Oh, the monthly paper came out.' was all she could say and the fight from last week was on the front page.
'Holly-san, are you really well enough to come back to school?!' her Class Representative asked worriedly.
'Ah, I'm OK.' said Holly while reading the newspaper. 'My Master used acupuncture on me to numb the pain a bit since too much absence from school is bad~' said Holly good-naturedly while inwardly sweatdropping at the article.
- the fight between Potter-san of Year 3 and this man she called
'Sixth Fist Codename Hermit' was as good...scratch that, way
better than those chinese kung-fu movies! Its also scary as you
can hear how hard they hit each other by the sounds of their
strikes alone.
Its brutal! Its like watching Dragon Ball in real-life action!
And according to the teachers, she barely avoided suspension
because she was the one attacked first by a personal visit, and
Hermit instigating the fight. Had Potter-san started the fight,
she would have been suspended. According to her Master Koetsuji
Akisame who's in charge of physical conditioning in the dojo she
goes to, she spent a year 'forging' her body to reach the peak of
physical strength a female martial artist can hope to have at her
age before actually learning how to fight from her second Master,
the guy she learned Jeet Kune Do from. If not for that, she wouldn't
even win against Hermit who was far stronger than her.
Given her level of Martial Arts, its way impossible for her to com-
pete in sports for tournaments for us teenagers as her training can
really break bones of those who didn't train like she and Hermit have
and they'd rather avoid a lawsuit if they could help it, and will only
fight with those who are 'of their Martial Arts world'. They're the
kind who really fight for the sake of fighting and showing who's better,
not for winning a trophy and certification in tournaments. They fight
for who is the better martial artist, and whose style was better to
obtain the much-desired title of Grandmaster.
She was said to be of 'great talent' that combined with her work
ethic in training as she is extremely hard on herself, she would be
an Expert-Class by the time she finishes High School, and a Master
as soon as she hits 20. Most aren't that lucky as most reach Expert
Class in mid-twenties and reach Masterhood much later in life.
Next page was the hierarchy of martial artists of their world at that.
Did Akisame give an interview, Holly wondered.
Her school was torn into two factions. Those wary of her in fear of angering someone like her and those amazed by her since the Hierarchy System was very accurate. There's even a comparison between a 'martial artist' and 'sportsman martial artist'. So the school's martial arts clubs weren't too happy that she who only got a year of training, was far superior than they who have three years to work their way to captaincy of their clubs.
But not even they can deny her superiority since they witnessed how superior.
Their fights were compared to the fights in Dragon Ball anime, only, they can't fly.
But when the end of the year came, December...an all-out attack on Shinpaku Rengou and her began.
She was just glad that attacks come to her school so she could avoid Suspension...and she was attacked by Freya's Valkyrie Team. All of them uniformed and wearing white and blue, save for the one wearing pink who is clearly the leader. One wielded a staff, a pair of tri-bladed Sai, a pair of tessen, a flail, a naginata, a whip and a nunchaku.
The students panicked because those are REAL weapons and quickly backed away.
'Heh, I was warned of this.' Holly smirked as she prepared herself. 'So, to get to Freya I must go through her Valkyries huh?'
'By order of Ragnarok, you will be crushed!' and they all jumped on her.
Holly shook her head in bemusement.
'Sadly, you chose the wrong target.' she sighed as she jumped up...and used even the bodies of the Valkyries to her advantage as she made quick work of them using acrobatics and sharp strikes, knocking them out. 'I'm a Jeet Kune Do Practitioner, I'm your worst opponent possible! I trained against all forms of criminal and martial arts weapons assault because Jeet Kune Do is made to be an Anti-Criminal Assault Martial Arts Style made be learned to avoid being an assault victim by some lowlife hoodlum! You're essentially the thing I fight against!' she cried as all eight bodies fell unconscious. 'Not to mention, those weapons are real, don't treat them as toys not to mention carrying those is illegal...I'll be glad to see how you worm your way out of this one to your parents.' she deadpanned with a flat expression, glancing at the weapons as she speed-dialed the police on her one hand. 'Hello, this is the police station right? You see...'
Little did she know her speech spread like wildfire to her school...that, and Ragnarok was finished that day.
And she was asked the next day who her Master was.
And so...
'Kensei-sensei...no usual antics, OK?' Holly loomed over Kensei warningly as she showed him a list of interested students. 'Most of these who want to come here are all girls and convinced their parents to come here for a 10000 yen monthly afterschool activity!'
'10000 a month?! And you got forty people in this list!' Miu cried, seeing the list. 'That's like, 400000 yen a month! What's going on?!'
'Well...what I said when Freya's Valkyries attacked me in school affected the students there who may have been...uhm...you know...' she said awkwardly as the others also paused in her silence because its very obvious why they got students all of a sudden. 'Sooo they asked me if there's room for more in the dojo.'
'Ohoho! Of course we have room!' Hayato laughed jovially. 'We have a lot of room here!' and how, since its just them in there! Although boarding is another question entirely...
'What did you...exactly say?' Shigure asked her. Holly repeated verbatim what she said about herself.
'Wow, you said that? No wonder we got incoming students!' Sakaki exclaimed.
'So really, no taking photos, hide your porn, no skirt-flipping, no butt-slapping, no groping, no peeking...because there's a blonde demon behind you.' Holly pointed out as behind Kensei, Miu's dark aura was flaring, and at him.
'I won't I won't!'
Miu will gladly get money somehow by legal means due to ahem, them being in perpetual poverty...until Holly came along. She pays them two million yen a month, she indirectly got Akisame a job, provided he doesn't scare away the students(he says he'd start teaching in Spring), and now Kensei got a job with students that pay 400000 yen a month in total. So yes, paying the bills and filling everyone's appetites has never been so easy when before, well...
Miu really didn't want to think about it. Ever.
She stocked up on so much rice, and stuff with long shelf-lives so all she needs to buy, are perishable goods used within the day, and she could actually afford to buy healthier(but just-as-pricey) things to eat, and buy new clothes for a change, ordering everyone to buy new clothes with a 100000 yen budget, and purchase new necessities for the house, and new tatami mats. She endured old things for years, and only when Holly arrived that things around the house became brand new over time.
'Looks like things will liven up around here a little.' said Akisame thoughtfully. 'We'll get busy making training tools, Kensei.'
'Yes yes...looks like the dojo will be a lot more livelier...'
For Holly who hasn't seen much of Kenichi's battles against Ragnarok yet got into a few battles herself...little did she know that things will get much tougher from here on.
xxx
'Hey sensei...' said Holly while training under Shigure in weapons.
'Hm?'
'Miu-chan and Kenichi-san went out on a bodyguard job right? How come I didn't get to go?'
Sakaki took Kenichi and Miu out on a bodyguard mission to protect a client from an old friend of his who's out to assassinate the man.
'Because...you are in danger...by yourself alone.' Holly looked taken aback by Shigure's words. 'You are...the kind who won't...hesitate to even hurt...yourself over your...beliefs. Training alone...and your fight with...Hermit...shows that.' she said. 'Value and...love yourself more.' Shigure told her kindly. 'Once you do...we can let you...go out on jobs.'
'Love myself more?' she croaked out incredulously. Shigure nodded.
'Yes. That and...take care of yourself more...if you get hurt...people who care for you...will worry.' Shigure told her.
Holly looked somber.
'I...I don't know what that is.' she said, utterly dumbstruck and stunned by the very idea. 'All I know is surviving is enough. My life taught me that. I don't know things people my age know because...I wasn't taught that, didn't get the chance to know it since I was denied when I was a kid. Surviving and avoiding things I hate because nobody cared about me for twelve years of my life...is all I know.' said Holly morosely. 'Meeting everyone here...was the first time people actually cared for me and I'm still getting used to it.' she said as she glumly looked at the sky with dead, glassy eyes that disturbed Shigure. 'People concerned about my well-being? My safety? I never had any of that for twelve years. I had to do everything and get everything done myself. For twelve years, adults are unreliable and useless to me. I never had anyone to rely on or come to, to tell me that I should love myself more.'
The Dursleys are one thing, the Wizarding World is another as she broke down in the Japanese Ministry of Magic's International Relations Division, the Foreign Asylum Office and asked to be hidden from anyone from Magical and Muggle Britain bar goblins through a liaison as the bank recommended she do so. The shock that the famed Girl-Who-Lived in Britain actually had a horrible life failed by people around her made her flee Britain, avoid places she'd obviously be looked for and be dragged back against her will back into a life of misery again, made the officials have sympathy for her and agreed to hide her, on terms that they have to inform the Muggle Asylum Office(is that what's it called?) and do a little editing for the normal people, and the British DMLE's Director who's very by-the-book(and highly exasperated with her stupid superiors) to avoid an international incident and file everything in order so Japan wouldn't be accused of kidnapping a country's VIP.
That was after getting a copy of her memories.
Holly met Madam Bones who came to Japan alone and talked with the woman who promised that she will keep where she is hidden, and bring her relatives to justice.
And she got a Daily Prophet about that, too, giving her closure about one half of the cause that caused her grief, but still working on Hogwarts about that matter as clearly, their children are NOT disciplined nor given moral character training in Hogwarts.
That, and she has to send monthly reports of her activities to the Asylum Office to keep them, and Madam Bones updated about her welfare as she sends Hedwig every midnight to fly to deliver her reports.
'That's...bad...' Shigure shook her head, but gave the girl a comforting hug. 'But you have that...here in Ryouzanpaku. Everyone is...here. You're not alone...anymore.'
Holly broke down crying.
xxx
'Hey, she's not eating?' Apachai asked as someone was missing in mealtimes.
Holly didn't show up for dinner.
'She has...a lot to...think about.' said Shigure softly. 'She...opened up a bit.' she explained what happened during the afternoon that cut training short.
'Wow...' Kenichi croaked. 'I can only imagine what she went through and I have no idea which one among them could be accurate.'
'Its a miracle she still thinks of doing the right thing even if its through pragmatism.' said Hayato. 'She's in danger from herself more than those after her we realize as a result.'
'But what can we do grandpa?' Miu croaked out. 'What do you see?'
But it was Akisame who replied.
'She is the result of her upbringing and environment. Until now, nobody listened to, saw her situation, understood and cared for her. Living here changed that but she's still getting used to the idea.' said Akisame. 'That and combined with her pragmatism and lack of care for herself just to get the job done is also reason why we can't send her out yet. For all we know she's willing to sacrifice a limb to get a job done or be a willing meat shield and we can't have that. She needs to learn to love herself more. Especially now that...she's getting stronger.'
Since Ragnarok ended, all of them trained harder even though Kenichi still runs when things get tough.
Cue a Russian Visitor one day...when she's playing on her Nintendo Console in her room playing Super Mario, she merely blinked.
'Uh, who are you?'
'...are you this dojo's disciple?' he asked. 'We are under orders to defeat a dojo and take their sign.'
'Huh? Oh, yes I am.' came the casual reply.
Cue Russian Soldier jumping on her, which is a bad mistake, as she took him down with hardly any trouble as he is a middle-class.
But she acknowledged how developed his body was and noted she'd get in trouble if she got caught, recognizing his attempts at grappling her and he's a soldier...
She tied him up and dragged him, nevermind the stairs, further adding to his misery, then on the dojo grounds towards the dojo with Shigure cutting up one guy's boots because he did a social faux pas in Japan. She said something, but Holly couldn't hear it, but whatever it was, got Sakaki laughing while drunk.
'Uhm, is this yours?' she asked, showing the guy she tied up whose half of his face showed soil dirtying his cheeks.
His priceless expression said it all.
'You one of the disciples here?' he demanded.
'Uhm, yes.'
'Then! I demand a fair and square fight!' he demanded. 'I am Boris Ivanov of Yomi! I have come here under Yami's orders to take control of this dojo!'
'What?! Yami?!' Sakaki yelped as Shigure gasped.
Holly really wondered who Yami is that got her usually casual and goofy masters extremely alert and wary.
'You're in quite a fix...' said Akisame, sneaking up on the soldier who quickly back-flipped away. He was carrying two soldiers and Apachai carried one...and Kensei also has one.
'Sensei, we got challengers~what do we do?' Holly asked the Masters. 'And is there a Yami Dojo in some western country? Their Japanese is kinda bad but Sakaki-sensei and Shigure-sensei's reactions are kinda weird.' the soldier was quiet, but took note on how she complained about his lack of fluency which could be bad in future jobs. She's a westerner herself, but speaks like a native. And she definitely was not told about Yami or Yomi. Definitely clueless!
'Ahahahaha, no such thing!' said Akisame cheerfully. 'For now leave the guy you caught here and go back to your room. We'll handle international matters.'
'OK.' and Holly dropped her cargo and walked away.
'Hey! You won't fight?!' Boris sputtered indignantly.
'Master's orders.' Holly shrugged in English. 'And unless they clear International Incident issues to give me the go sign, I cannot fight you. You're a foreigner who came here after all. Rules to follow. If they call me to fight you, then OK. Ciao ciao.' and she left.
Boris twitched at the other Masters...who settled down to talk to him.
Ten minutes later, she was called.
It happens that Kenichi and Miu arrived at the same time with her and Shigure.
'Ah, you're back from running.' Holly remarked as Kenichi looked sheepish.
'Well, he's back for good!' said Miu cheerfully as they opened the door.
'Well?!' the foreigner demanded.
'I'm allowed to fight you, Boris Ivanov.' said Holly. 'However, originally, the plan was a fight until defeat but because our third guy also came, we'll fight you at thirty minutes per person and then one hour break from between. Two wins, you win. One win only, you lose.'
'Fine with me!'
'What's going on?!' Kenichi sputtered out at her, and at the Masters.
'Dojo Yaburi.' said Holly as Kenichi and Miu gasped. 'But this guy clearly has no idea what kind of dojo he got into. Ah well.' she and Boris positioned themselves at each other and did the clasped fist salute. Her left hand wrapping around her right fist before positioning herself into her battle stance with both fighters emitting their auras, both of Sei Ki.
'O-Oi Kensei, you taught her about 'that' already?!' Sakaki gasped out.
'Hey, she did it accidentally some weeks back I had to tell her about it and teach her formally before she ends up using it wrong by accident and gravely injure herself!' Kensei sputtered defensively.
'Accidentally?' Akisame croaked incredulously.
'This turned out to be her greatest genius that her becoming a Grandmaster at Shigure's age isn't so far-fetched at all from our predictions.' said Kensei. 'She may be a high-class disciple in her martial art and physical performance, but when it comes to Ki with her Ki being a Sei-type, she's already an Expert-Class in it when the Elder and I maintained careful watch.'
'Holy shit...' Sakaki gawked at him incredulously, and at Holly. 'Expert-Class in Sei Ki in a matter of weeks?!'
This got the other Masters and Boris stunned in shock. Most High-Class Disciples could barely tap into their Ki thus obliged to use it at all times in sparring no matter what to further train and hone it to grow. Yet this person...is an Expert-Class in Ki?! And its no joke! She's emitting a massive, very-polished aura by herself!
'Miu-san, both of them are emitting an aura...' Kenichi noted nervously. But Holly was far stronger than the challenger in regards.
'Well...there are two types of Ki.' said Miu. 'Sei-type and Dou-type. A Sei-type martial artist hides his intention to fight, instead focusing on sensing his/her environment, then releases it quickly in response to danger.' she explained. 'Their aura, because this type of martial artist fights not with power or anger, but with talent, skills, and wit, literally feels nothing even though the power of their Ki can be felt. As for Dou-types, they his/her anger to exceed his/her limits. As such, they tend to be aggressive in combat, and very rarely strays from the offensive. At some cases, they are even bestial and make their Ki explode. Its because they fight with rage, and can hardly control themselves when fighting. This person, Holly-chan and you are Sei-type. But I'm not trained in mine yet so I have no idea...'
'Oh...'
The two fighters lunged at each other, and Holly recognized attempts to grapple her to break her, so she was avoiding it if at all possible as she fought him.
She was also using Ki to enhance her own body's performance, and only did enough to win.
'...10 minutes.' Shigure spoke. 'Holly wins. One hour break.' she declared. 'Then its Kenichi's turn.'
'Oh, really?! OK!' Kenichi cried as he psyched himself up. He had seen what Boris can do, he just gotta be careful...when his turn came and he won...Boris acknowledged his loss.
'What are your names?' Boris asked them.
'Shirahama Kenichi.' said Kenichi.
'Holly Potter.' said Holly. Boris reached into his pocket and threw something at them. A small, white gold badge with the kanji 'Ice'.
'I'll kill you and take that emblem back!' he declared. 'That's a Yomi-style challenge!'
For the masters, this was bad as its now an all-out war and its begun that their students are in danger. As Holly is an orphan with no school friends to worry about, she has no worries of hostage situations...unlike Kenichi who has family and friends.
Hours later, Yami learned just what kind of disciples Ryouzanpaku has.