A/N: Shi Sei Kai Kan is a type of karate that was created by Patricia Briggs for the Mercy Thompson series, although I have heard of a couple of types similar to it. So, it ain't real, but when modified some it seemed eminently suitable for Jim.
Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. Move!
Jim danced forward a step, lunging towards a virtual enemy and knifing them in the neck – coincidentally, that was the first way he had ever taken a life back on Tarsus IV – his knife disappearing back into his booth sheath as soon as he was done with it, in a move so practiced and swift that it was almost invisible.
Then he danced back, waiting for the telltale, nearly-silent whoosh that signaled another enemy in the simulation room. Spock was watching him, but that didn't mean that Jim was going to show off. In fact, what it meant was that Jim had to actually try, not just play around and beat every virtual enemy with ridiculous ease. To that end, he had upped the difficulty of the opponents, as well as allowed for groups of people. Even when he was shitfaced he could take on a small group – although that night before he joined Starfleet he had been holding back because if he'd taken those thugs seriously he would have killed every last one of them – but when he was sober…
Well, one of his favored styles of fighting – a form of karate called Shi Sei Kai Kan – was geared towards taking down multiple opponents, both armed and unarmed. Not just taking them down, but taking them down and making sure they didn't get back up again. On Tarsus IV that had meant killing them, but when he'd gone back into lessons in San Francisco it had meant a bone-breaking style.
Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. Whoosh.
Jim pushed himself into the air, twisting around into a backflip to avoid the lunge of the opponent behind him and landing behind it. Then he grabbed it around the throat and launched it back over his shoulder, the opponent dissipating once it hit the ground, as his move would have broken the spine. Next would probably be a group.
Watch. See. Plan.
Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. Whoosh.
Five people around him. Dodge to the right, grab opponent's arm, break the elbow, dislocate the shoulder. Disabled. Dance to the left, slam his shoulder into a chest and throw across the room – that one would be back, keep an eye out for it. Lunge forward, break the wrist with the weapon before it can be used, break the arm trying to grapple with him, two breaths, kick and break the kneecap. Disabled. Twist to the side, avoid the lunge, brush opponent away so it looks like he is barely using any effort to redirect the enemy. Normally that would make the enemy mad but this was just a fighting simulation not a training simulation (fighting simulations need to be more comprehensive will talk to Commander Giotto about that, back to the fight now, focus Jim), tumble to the ground and roll away from the enemy.
Look around, spot the enemy (north-northwest, ten paces; west, seven paces; east, twenty paces why is that guy so far away, which one is he, never mind isn't important focus on what is Jim, not what should be), rush towards the first one. Tumble, slide, twist, kick out. Broken kneecap, disabled. Rushed from the side, twist to break the grip on him, grab the shirt, fling across the room (this is the same one I threw earlier finish him don't just keep throwing him Jim, you don't have the choice to be merciful in a fighting simulation), follow behind. Knife out, stab in the underarm, enemy is bleeding out, sheathe the knife, now for the last one.
The last one found him. Leap away before he can grab hold, flip behind him, grab his head, twist, broken neck, done.
Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. Whoosh.
Two people, take them on barehanded this time, no knife, phaser, or katana. Lunge forward, tackle the first opponent (keep your senses extended, don't let the other one catch you unaware, remember to always expect the unexpected), dislocate arm, other arm twisted to grab his throat, break elbow, done. Other opponent behind him, hands on chest of disabled opponent, propel into the air, flip, twist, look around, rush forward. Shoulder into stomach, flip enemy over body, done. Do not wait for enemy to get up on their own (always expect the worst, never let your enemy take you by surprise, never underestimate your opponent even if they are nowhere near as competent as you are, never corner your opponent, a cornered person is desperate, desperation drives people harder than they can go on their own), grab the arms, twist them behind the back, yank them out of their sockets. Disabled.
Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. Whoosh.
Katana! Do not be caught unaware, grab your own, push the extend button, done, just in time, enemy here, and block. Dance back, rush forward, lunge, blocked. Dance to the side, kick out (always fight dirty Jim, your enemy won't be expecting tricks and you can use that to your advantage, always keep your enemy on their toes, never give an inch unless it is necessary to make them think they can win against you) lunge, got the side, not enough to disable or kill but will weaken opponent. Dodge, block, trip enemy, good, back once more. Lunge to the side, blocked, slide, lunge straight, blocked, block, lunge, block, lunge (dammit Jim you tripped over your own feet catch yourself before you finish falling) handstand, push into the air, flip behind enemy, now's your chance, lunge, got him!
Katana away. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. Whoosh.
Spock could not stop himself from being completely and wholly astonished at the spectacle that he was currently watching. Jim had taken on ten opponents already and was still going strong. He was clearly in some sort of trance as he fought, his breathing deep and even, always using exactly as much force as was needed and never doing an iota more work than was necessary. The entire time he had been twisting, turning, flipping, tumbling; mixing up his clearly well-practiced and oft-used acrobatic moves with more standard moves in ways that somehow turned him into a graceful fighting (and killing) machine.
Now he was up against four enemies. What will he do now?
He flipped over the mob attacking him and began methodically disabling them one after another. A broken leg here, two broken arms there, broken kneecap, oh that enemy got back up again; now what would Jim do? He broke the other kneecap and danced to the side to avoid getting knifed in the stomach, before twisting around, sliding behind his enemy, breaking the arm with the weapon and dislocating the other arm.
'This is utterly astonishing.' Spock wondered exactly how many teachers Jim had had. He also wondered how much effort it was taking Jim to only disable so often. He could easily just kill the opponents and get it over with – and to begin with, in the training simulations that Jim made mandatory for all crew members that might go on away missions after talking to Commander Giotto, he had done that, not stopping at disabling his opponents when he couldn't keep them from beginning fights, but their Security Chief had given Jim several public dressing downs over that, and it seemed he was taking those to heart.
The next opponent was a martial artist, and Jim correspondingly slid into a ready stance and began attacking. This time it was not a fight to disable or kill as rapidly as possible, this time he was – well, not really showing off, but showing what he was capable of doing. Blocking, attacking, redirecting, flipping, tumbling, twisting, dodging. Then it became a full frontal assault and ended with a broken neck for his enemy.
Another single enemy, this one with a spear. Amazingly, Jim managed to counter the reach the spear gave his enemy, knocking the weapon aside and subduing the enemy with a burst of phaser fire.
After an hour and a half had passed, the simulation was over. Jim had fought and beaten exactly thirty seven opponents during this time, and when he finally finished, he was only just beginning to breathe more heavily. When he exited from the shower room, Spock approached him and asked incredulously, "Exactly how long can you fight before tiring yourself out, Jim?"
His friend and Captain gave him a sideways look and shrugged, "I was in the middle of a mob for five hours once, and I was kinda tired out by then, but I'll admit, except for once when I was way beyond drunk – the night Pike recruited me for Starfleet, in fact – I've never been overextended, and that time I only was overextended because I let myself take a beating. My first fighting lessons came with a guy who was a professional martial artist and he taught me how to naturally slide into a trance state where I observed and examined everything going on around me, and while I'm in that state I'm pretty tireless.
"Honestly, if you keep breathing evenly and use the minimum amount of effort it takes to make each movement you use, fighting becomes pretty easy and kind of fun. Part of the reason I got beat up so badly before Pike found me was because my opponents were weaker than I was and I couldn't actually fight them all out or somebody would have been severely hurt, and it wouldn't have been me. Back then I didn't have the restraint that I have now."
Spock raised his eyebrow eloquently. Jim laughed and grinned at him, sending him a friendly wink. "Exactly, my good Vulcan. The choice was get beaten up or turn the bar into a slaughterhouse, so I chose getting beaten up. Cupcake and his cronies weren't worth getting arrested over."
That caused Spock to suppress a smirk, which made Jim glance at him warily, "What's so funny?"
"Just that the man you call "Cupcake" and five of his contemporaries from the Security forces were watching you fight. When they left, they were trying to decide who would be asking Security Chief Giotto to see if you would be available to spar with them. I do believe that they were rather impressed, just as I was."
Then he made a thoughtful noise and added on, "Well, more than simply "rather" impressed. What you managed was nothing short of astonishing. I should like to spar against you some time. I assume you were taught how to fight against opponents who are stronger than you are?"
Jim nodded. "Yeah. It was one of the first things I ever learned, as I was just a scrawny ten year old when I began learning how to fight on Tarsus IV. Those lessons saved my skin more times than I can count."
That made sense. "Well, it seems to me like now would be a good time to eat." Before Jim's stomach started attacking his spine in protest for being empty when its owner had expended so much energy.
Jim laughed, "Good idea! Let's head out then."