Hanzo's Master
"Master?" The voice belonging to Hanzo Shimada said, stunned at seeing his master again after so many years.
"G'day, Hanzo. How are the Dragons?" Sniper asked, chuckling at the Overwatch members' shocked expressions.
"The Dragons are sated and well, master." Hanzo said, slightly bowing.
"Good. Good. We can't let those dragons go hungry, can we?"
"Of course not, master."
"Wait. Hanzo. This is the guy who taught you how to use the bow?" asked, curious and shocked.
"Well, yes and no. The Shimada clan taught me the very basics of how to wield a bow and arrow. But it was Mr. Mundy who helped me master it." Hanzo answered.
"Did you also train Genji?" Lucio asked.
"I thought about it. I even offered to train him. But those blokes paid me extra to keep quiet. They even took me and Hanzo away so we could train." Sniper answered.
"How long did it take you to master the bow, Hanzo?" Brigitte asked, curious.
"One does not ever truly master a weapon. Every day and every encounter, you learn something new." Hanzo cryptically answered. The other Overwatch members simply turned toward Sniper.
"He was one of my fastest learning pupils, at least with the bow. It took him about four, almost five years to master it." Sniper answered.
"Ah." The Overwatch members, minus Hanzo, said.
"Still, that's impressive to master such a weapon in such a short amount of time." Pharah said.
"Especially one that requires a lot of finesse." Symmetra added.
"Which makes achieving all my victories all the more satisfying." Hanzo said, with the others agreeing.
"How long has it been since you two have seen each other?" Mercy asked, curious.
"A long time."
"About fifteen years, give or take, since we last saw each other." Sniper added. "A lot more if you're talking about when I last taught him."
"Wow. That's a long time." Lucio said.
"Yes. It has." Hanzo agreed.
"Eh. Not really." Sniper said, confusing the others.
"You know, I just remembered something." said.
"What is it, you little ankle biter?" Sniper asked, laughing at 's pouting expression while also remembering the times he slowed down another twitchy hooligan.
"I remember seeing some old geezer movies where the student manages to beat their master. How about we see if that is true here?"
"Wait. Do you even have your bow, Sniper?" Brigitte asked.
"Yup. I never leave home without my sniper rifle or bow." Sniper answered, reaching into his duffle bag and pulling out his Fortified Compound.
"That's not the bow you used when you taught me. What happened to it?" Hanzo asked, curious.
"It was already pretty old when I used it to teach you. And no amount of care can stop it from aging. After a few years, I got rid of it since it was about to fall apart in my hands."
"Make sense." Hanzo said, recalling the bow and how it had lots of tape and glue to keep it together.
"Do you have any special arrows, Sniper?" Pharah asked.
"No. Why?" Sniper asked, confused and curious.
"Hanzo has a sonic arrow, which reveals enemy positions. He also has Storm Arrows and Scatter Arrows, which lets him shoot multiple arrows in quick succession." Symmetra answered.
"Thus giving him an unfair advantage." Pharah said.
"Maybe for others, but not for me." Sniper said.
"Why?" Mercy asked, curious.
"Because I have years of experience over him with the bow. And skill always beats luck and fancy gadgets." Sniper confidently answered.
"Confident one aren't you." Pharah said, chuckling, causing Sniper to shrug.
"Eh, when you have been through what I have been through, you grow more confident with your skills."
"But not cocky, right?" Brigitte asked, glancing at and recalling some of the things she said while on the battlefield or playing games.
"Oh, no. Well... initially, yes. But so does everyone. Luckily, something happened that knocked some sense into me." Sniper said, recalling the times the Soldier used his rocket jumper to smack him with his Market Gardener. He initially thought Soldier would be an easy target, but Soldier proved him wrong quickly. And there were times his arrows had a return to sender sticker on them.
"Anyway. Care to see if Hanzo can finally surpass you after all these years or show him that you still know a thing or two? We are at the training range, after all." asked, excited and eager to see some action between Hanzo and Sniper.
"I am always ready for a challenge. What about you, master?" Hanzo asked.
"Eh, why not? I could always use some practice to keep my skills sharp." Sniper answered.
"YES!" cheered.
She then ran to the control panel for the shooting range. Typing in the command, had the previous targets, terrain, and obstacles disappear before having new ones that she thought would make the match more exciting come onto the field. However, unlike the previous ones, had the new targets have additional armor, which would force Hanzo and Sniper to do headshots if they wanted to save arrows and get through them quickly.
"Do you wish for me to create any additional obstacles?" Symmetra asked. Hanzo and Sniper looked at each other for a moment before shaking their heads.
"Nah. Just having the targets go in and out of cover will be enough." Sniper answered.
"Very well."
"Done." said, getting everyone's attention.
"Alright. So, what's the objective here? Score as many points in a time limit? Take out all targets? What?" Sniper asked.
"There are twenty targets going in and out of cover. You just need to take them out as quickly as possible. I also made it so they can take a lot of damage. But I also made them more vulnerable to damage from headshots."
"Simple enough." Hanzo said. "Would you like to go first, master, or should I?"
"You go ahead, Hanzo. I still need to prepare my quiver and arrows." Sniper answered.
"Very well."
Stepping up to behind the counter, Hanzo breathed out before readying himself. then hit the start button, with a countdown time appearing overhead. Once it reached zero, Hanzo immediately began firing off his arrows in quick succession, with each shot being a headshot. However, after the sixth target was destroyed, Hanzo changed to his Sonic Arrow to reveal the targets' positions. With their spots revealed, Hanzo moved to a better position before swapping to his Storm Arrows and firing everyone, with only a single arrow missing.
Seeing that some of the targets huddled up in a spot when they headed into cover, Hanzo pulled out a Scatter Arrow and fired it at the floor before his targets. The arrow bounced off the floor and split into six different arrows, with five of them taking out more targets while the sixth damaged one. With only five targets remaining, Hanzo moved to a better position before taking out the last ones with headshots.
"And Hanzo comes out with a time of two minutes and seventeen seconds." said while having some drones come to sweep away the destroyed targets before having new ones take their place.
"Well, you certainly have come a long way, Hanzo. I still remember when it took you roughly ten minutes to line up and take out just six targets." Sniper said, impressed.
"Wait. Ten minutes just to take out six targets?" Lucio asked, surprised.
"You got to remember, this isn't like any fancy weapon that shoots something that explodes. With the bow, it's either a hit or a complete miss. Plus, you have to predict where an enemy will be while taking into account any that could change the path of your arrow, like the wind speed and weather."
"What about the Coriolis effect?" Brigitte asked, curious.
"Nope. Well, for Hazno, anyway. His bow lacks the range for it to even matter. You need to be at least close to roughly a kilometer and a half for it to start to make a difference."
"And at most, with all factors in my favor, my bow would reach half a kilometer." Hanzo added.
"So, wouldn't a sniper rifle just be better at the point?" asked.
"At longer ranges, yeah. But they can also be loud while the bow is silent. Plus, unlike the sniper rifle, you can use the bow in close quarters when someone tries to rush you." Sniper explained, remembering when Scout and Spy got in close. And it was only because he was using the Huntsman that he wasn't sent back to the respawn room. But it didn't always work since airblast exists.
"True." said as the drones finished setting up the shooting range. "Anyway. Ready to begin?"
"Yup."
Stepping up to the counter, Sniper pulled out an arrow from his quiver and readied himself. The countdown time soon appeared and began ticking down. Once it hit zero, Sniper let go of the string, causing the arrow to fly across the field and hit a target that had just gone into cover by going through the hole in the wall. Pulling out another, Sniper began firing all his arrows as fast as he could, only slowing down for the more challenging shots. Yet, even with the shots that forced Hanzo to move to a different spot, Sniper managed to do them without moving.
"Okay. How is he shooting the targets through such narrow openings?" Brigitte asked.
"I don't know. But that is impressive." Lucio said, amazed at what he saw. While he wasn't as fast as Hanzo, it was clear that Sniper hadn't lost his skills since they last met.
"It's clear now where Hanzo and Widowmaker got their skills from." Pharah said as Sniper had yet to miss a single shot.
"And just imagine how much better Mr. Mundy would be if he upgraded his bow and sniper rifle." Symmetra said.
"But that begs the question. Where did he get these skills?" asked, curious. Even though she prided herself on her skills as both a gamer and Mek pilot, knew no one started off as a professional/expert. They all typically start at the same place, and that's with someone teaching them. So someone must have taught Sniper how to use the bow and sniper rifle.
"But also, why did he learn these skills? Was it because of a hobby or a job? And if it was a job, then what kind?" Pharah asked, racking her mind for all job positions he recalled that could possibly use some of Sniper's skills.
"But on the subject of his skills, do you think he might be willing to teach us?" Brigitte asked, curious.
"Maybe. But we can ask him all our questions after I give him a medical check-up." Mercy said.
"And that's the last one." Sniper said, getting everyone's attention.
"Three minutes and fifty-two seconds. Not bad since you don't have arrows like Hanzo." said, going to the console and having some drones sweep up the destroyed targets before shutting down the range.
"So, I would say you tied with Hanzo." Brigitte said.
"Nah. Hanzo got me. Even if I had fancy arrows like him, he would have still beat me by a few seconds." Sniper said before turning to Hanzo. "Congrats, Hanzo. You finally beat me."
"Thank you, master. But I could not have done it without your help." Hanzo said, bowing.
"Well, this was nice. But now that this is over, I would like to perform my check-up on you." Mercy said.
"Alright, doc. Lead the way." Sniper said, chuckling.
"Follow me then." Mercy said. Nodding, Sniper followed Mercy out of the shooting range and to her office.
"Even after all these years, he has not lost his touch." Hanzo said, smiling at the memories of his master teaching him.
"Hanzo." said, getting his attention.
"Yes, Hana?" Hanzo asked, turning to her.
"When did Sniper start training you?"
"I would say I was about fourteen when he first started training me."
"Wow. A long time ago." Lucio said.
"Indeed."
"Do you know what kind of job Mr. Mundy did that required such skill?" Symmetra asked.
"That is not for me to disclose, even if I knew the answer. If you want to know more about my master, you'll have to ask him yourself after Mercy is done with him."
"Perhaps we can ask over lunch? It is nearing two, and he might be getting a little hungry after being suddenly invited here by Lena." Pharah said, with the others agreeing. They then left the training room.
One Hour Later
"SOMBRA! REVIENS ICI POUR QUE JE PUISSE TE REMBOURSER CE MERVEILLEUX CADEAU QUE TU M'AS FAIT ! AVEC CE KUKRI!" Widowmaker shouted as she chased after Sombra through the cafeteria.
"¡COMO EL INFIERNO VOY A PARAR!" Sombra shouted as she desperately tried to get her tech to work while simultaneously not trying to vomit from getting coved in piss earlier.
"WIDOWMAKER! ¡PARA! ¡NO TE ATREVAS A MATAR A SOMBRA! ¡QUE DIOS ME DE FUERZAS ANTES DE QUE LOS PONGA A LOS DOS A DOS METROS BAJO TIERRA!" Reaper shouted as he chased after them, wondering how he got in this position.
"I'm getting too old for this." Soldier 76 thought as he chased after them to help Reaper, knowing his friend would need his help.
"Here they are, Mr. Mundy." Zenyatta said as he and Genji showed Sniper where the others were having food.
"Sniper. And thanks." Sniper said as he sat down with his Vegemite Toast.
"You are quite welcome, Sniper." Zenyatta said before leaving. However, while he left, Genji sat down beside Hana and across from Sniper.
"How did your check-up with Mercy go, Sniper?" Lucio asked, curious.
"It was something. Let's just say Mercy is having a field day after discovering what's inside me. Now, she's racing around her office, trying to create something that will work with my body." Sniper answered.
"So, is it really true that you were the one who taught my brother how to wield the bow?" Genji asked, curious.
"Yup. The Shimada clan sought me out and gave me an offer I could not refuse."
"Like?" Lucio asked, already knowing the answer.
"Well, first, they tried to force me to teach Hanzo. But another bloke I used to work with stopped them. Then they offered a couple million Australian dollars to train him. And they threw a couple more to keep quiet about the whole thing."
"Wow. Talk about a good friend who saved you." Brigitte said.
"Yup. That snake was something."
"You know, not a lot of people would work with a group that threatened them." Symmetra said.
"Yeah. But then again, it was the only way to get them to leave me alone. Plus, their threats were pretty weak compared to someone else I used to indirectly work for."
"But speaking of working for. Where did you get your skills with the bow and sniper rifle? And what kind of work did you do?" Pharah asked.
"Well, let's just say my upbringing wasn't the greatest for... many reasons. There were a lot of bullies and people who would love more than anything to fight until one was bloody and missing teeth. But fighting them was practically a death sentence since they were so much stronger than me. So, I cheated. Instead of going up to them with my fist, I decided to go the distance route. I fought back from range with slingshots and anything else I could throw. I got good at it, real good. Eventually, I started training myself with my sniper rifle before moving on to the bow when I needed some more silent, up-close kills. Then, once I got older, I got contracted to be a mercenary. At first, I was hesitant. But then I realized it was a good way to make money while making this world slightly safer with every kill. And that's all there is to it."
"Huh. I was not expecting that." said.
"And while the job of a mercenary is a barbaric one, it can be helpful... on occasion." Symmetra said, slightly uncomfortable with all the chaos and blood that comes with being a mercenary.
"And while some might prefer up close, attacking from range is almost never a bad option." Pharah added.
"But I have to ask. Who were your usual targets?" Lucio asked, curious.
"Poachers, corrupt politicians, pedophiles, you name it. Basically, the worst people that others wouldn't bat an eye if they were gone." Sniper answered.
"Well, while not my... preferred way of making the world a safer place, it is still effective. So, the world and many people in it owe you a thanks, Sniper." Symmetra said.
"Don't mention it. Just doing my job and getting paid."
"Do you think you can teach some of us how to use a bow or sniper rifle?" Brigitte asked, curious. "I mean, we won't reach Hanzo's and Widowmake's skill level with them. But it would be nice to know how to use them."
"You'll have to ask the blokes in charge first. Plus, we'll have to keep it under wraps because I am a more well-known mercenary. Even though you already have some, we all know the government won't hesitate to use anything to shut this place down again."
"That is, unfortunately, true." Hanzo said.
"But outside of that, I don't see why not. Just keep in mind, it's not that easy learning these two weapons. And you'll probably rage a lot like Hanzo did when I taught him."
"Wait. My brother raged before? That's so unlike him." A new voice said. Turning to it, they saw Kiriko walking over to them with a curious look on their face. "You have to tell me them."
"Oh, hello, Kiriko." Sniper said, surprising the young Overwatch member. "Didn't expect to see you here."
"Wait. Who are you, and how do you know my name?" Kiriko cautiously asked.
"Kiriko. This is Mr. Mundy. But he goes by the name of Sniper. He is the one the Shimada clan hired to teach me how to wield the bow." Hanzo explained.
"Really?" Kiriko asked, surprised.
"Yup. And while we did train outside of your family's territory, I occasionally saw you and Genji. I think you were only a few years old the last time I saw you." Sniper added.
"Wow. You're old."
"Kiriko!" Genji and Hanzo warned, sounding like the older brothers they were to her.
"Eh, don't worry about it. I might not look like it, but I am an old geezer." Sniper said, chuckling.
"Alright." Kiriko said, sitting beside Hanzo. "But is it true that Hanzo raged when learning how to use the bow?"
"Oh, yes. Lots of times. The thing that gave Hanzo the hardest time was the combination of the weather/wind and predicting an enemy's path. Since arrows can be more affected by things than bullets, it took him a long time to get the hang of it."
"I even remember you having me stand and move about on ice while trying to take out some moving targets you set up." Hanzo said, slightly annoyed.
"Yup. It might seem redundant at first until you realize you are not always going to have the greatest of places to set up your shots."
"Can you tell us some of the stories that caused him to lose his self-control?" Genji asked, eyeing his brother, who rolled his eyes.
"Let me think." Sniper said, racking his head for answers before remembering a training session. "I got one."
"What is it?" Brigitte asked, curious.
"You know how Hanzo can climb walls easily?"
"Yes." The Overwatch members answered.
"No, master. Please do not tell this story." Hanzo said, trying to keep a straight face when he realized what story Sniper remembered.
"Well, as I said, you always have to start somewhere. And rarely is someone good right off the back. But Hanzo was having some trouble. So, the blokes who hired me asked if I could have him climb some walls during our sessions. And seeing no harm in it, I agreed."
"So, what happened?" asked.
"Well, this particular session was about trying to hit targets while moving."
"That doesn't seem too hard." Lucio said. "I do that all the time."
"That's the thing. The targets were also moving in a different direction. While Hanzo moved left and right, the targets moved up and down, so he had to do the calculations quickly; otherwise, he would risk missing his shots. And the high winds and low visibility from the snowstorm didn't help either."
"Talk about pushing your skills to the extreme." Brigitte said.
"Although, it might seem a bit much, to be honest." Symmetra said.
"I thought the same. But then I realized that by only pushing one's skill and abilities to the limit and breaking through, can they reach their full potential." Hanzo said.
"Yup. Hanzo hated it, but it made him a better shot. Yet, he did rage hundreds of times. I think he even broke six-"
"Nine, actually." Hanzo interrupted Sniper while scratching the back of his head. He then coughed to clear his throat. "I hid the first three before you noticed."
"Alright, nine bows during that one session. And it took him about several hours to complete that one session since he had to hit all targets in one round."
"I wish I could have seen you brother." Genji said.
"Like the time Kiriko and I saw you trip over your own sword during practice." Hanzo said with a smirk, causing everyone at the table to laugh while Genji hid his face.
"Yeah. That sure sounds like Genji." said, wiping a tear from her eye.
"I wish I could have seen that." Brigitte said, laughing.
"It was one time." Genji said, sounding embarrassed.
"Once we enough." Kiriko said.
"But what about the wall climbing part?" Symmetra asked, curious.
"What did you do to help Hanzo there?" Pharah asked.
"Right. At the time, Hanzo could only climb about two meters before falling back down to the floor. So, they had me have Hanzo climb up a wall a few times before each of our breaks. However, that changed after Hanzo slipped on some ice on the platform he was on. Keep in mind that we were training on an outpost that was elevated. On three sides of it was a smooth roll down a hill. But on the final side was a semi-steep drop with the wall being rocks." Sniper said.
"That sounds dangerous." Symmetra said.
"Not that much. We weren't that high up. It was only about a six-meter drop. And there was about half a meter of snow to cushion his fall."
"So, how did you train him?" Brigitte asked.
"Well, as Hanzo was shooting his shots, I was pondering how I could better help him than just by having him climb a simple, straight wooden gate. But I got the idea when Hanzo slipped on some ice. And because of his momentum, he fell off the platform and over the side of the outpost. Luckily, he caught himself on the wall, with me helping him up. However, after that, I realized how I could help him."
"How?" Kiriko asked, curious.
"Well, one of the sessions I had to teach him was situational awareness. He might have keen hearing, but paying attention to the environment itself was something else. So, I had him resume doing the same thing but slightly faster. And if he didn't pay attention, the same thing would happen, and he would have to climb back up himself."
"That sounds needlessly dangerous." Symmetra said.
"What if he got tired and fell?" Brigitte asked, worried.
"I doubt the Shimada clan would have been happy if you let Hanzo get hurt like that." said.
"Eh, don't get your knickers in a twist. I had put a safety harness on Hanzo before doing that. That way, if he got tired, he could let go while I pulled him up. And then we could take a break." Sniper said with Hanzo nodding.
"Is this true, Hanzo?" Pharah asked.
"Yes. It was brutal. But Sniper was fair and always took precautions. And he never pushed me to the point where I couldn't take it anymore." Hanzo answered.
"That's good." Kiriko said.
"So, what other stories do you have?" Brigitte asked.
"And do you have any of Genji?" asked, curious, causing Sniper to chuckle.
"Let me see." Sniper said. However, before he could recall any of his sessions training Hanzo, another voice cut in.
"You can tell them another time. Right now, you're coming back with me to my office. My machines are ready to continue with your medical check-up." Mercy said as she approached the table.
"Sure thing, doc." Sniper said, standing up. "See you around."
"So he really taught you everything you know about the bow, Hanzo?" Kiriko asked after Sniper left.
"The Shimada clan taught me the basics. Everything else Sniper taught me or helped me hone in." Hanzo answered.
"Do you know if he taught anyone else?"
"Yes. He also taught Widowmaker how to use the Sniper Rifle." Brigitte answered.
"Really?"
"Yup. But get this. Sniper is also Widowmaker's 14th ex-boyfriend." said.
"No. Really?"
"Yup."
"You have to tell me everything you know."
"Well, there's not much we know since we just learned he existed today." began, causing the others to sigh. Yet, the others knew it was fruitless to try and get them to stop. So, they focused on their food. But they did wonder why they heard Mercy scream about a Mega Baboon's heart.
Two Hours Later
"And remember to take these blood thinners, blood purifier pills, and blood pressure pills. And don't forget to write down anything you notice or feel that is out of the ordinary." Mercy said as she, Sniper, and a few others walked to the Orca.
"Alright. Sure doc. I'll send you everything." Sniper said, slightly annoyed. But in the back of his mind, he wondered what Mercy would say if she found his blood wasn't entirely his.
"It was good to see you again, master." Hanzo said, bowing after they reached the Orca.
"Same, Hanzo."
"It was nice meeting you, Sniper." Brigitte said.
"Likewise."
"Hopefully, we can see each other again." Pharah said.
"And you can tell us more embarrassing stories about my brother." Kiriko added.
"We'll see. But try and give me a heads-up next time. Those two were lucky I was free today. But I might not be next time."
"Will do."
"I'll set a reminder for them should they want to contact you again." Symmetra added.
"That reminds me. Don't you want to say goodbye to Widowmaker?" asked.
"Yeah. But she's probably busy-"
"GET BACK HERE!" Widowmaker suddenly shouted.
"NO! STAY AWAY! I'M SORRY!" Sombra shouted as she burst through the group, desperately trying to escape Widowmaker's wrath. Thankfully for her, Brigitte and Pharah reacted quickly and grabbed Widowmaker before she could maim Sombra.
"WIDOWMAKER! CALM DOWN!" Reaper shouted as he and Soldier 76 arrived, panting and wondering how Widowmaker and Sombra managed to outrun them for so long.
"I really am getting too old for this." Soldier 76 said.
"Quit your whining, Jack." Reaper said as they caught their breath.
"Oh, you are so lucky they were here." Widowmaker growled.
"Amélie. Calm down. I'm sure she learned her lesson." Sniper said.
"Fine." Widowmaker said, calming down as Brigitte and Pharah let her go. "But I'm watching you."
"Only because you short-circuited my gear with the jar of piss. Ugh, I'm so going to need a disinfectant shower for the rest of the week while I repair everything." Sombra said, sounding annoyed. "It's going to be so much harder sneaking around and hacking things now until I get my gear up and running again."
"It wouldn't be if you had kept practicing my lessons." A new voice said as everyone heard a decloaking sound. And once the figure was fully visible again, Sniper chuckled while Sombra smiled.
"G'day, Snake."
"TÍO!"
Notes:
Sequel to Widowmaker's 14th ex-boyfriend
Next up: Sombra's Uncle. Meet the Spy!
Side Note: These stories were based off comments I saw in a YouTube video. And Spy being Sombra's uncle will be explained in the next story.
And the ages of the mercs will be explained down the road.
Widowmaker rough translation:
SOMBRA! GET BACK HERE SO I CAN PAY YOU BACK FOR THIS WONDERFUL GIFT YOU GAVE ME! WITH THIS KUKRI!
Reaper rough Translation:
WIDOWMAKER! STOP! DON'T YOU DARE KILL SOMBRA! GOD GIVE ME STRENGTH BEFORE I PUT BOTH OF THEM SIX FEET UNDER!
SOMBRA rough TRANSLATION:
LIKE HELL, I'M GOING TO STOP!