The Ends Justify the Means, The Training of the Body is Almost Finished [WIP] [Taijutsu S-SS, STR A0-A3, END A0-A3]

Plans change, and you have to adapt to that. His entire schedule was thrown off, between the emergency at the center, the longer than anticipated wait before they left for vacation, and the hatching of his newest buddy Roku; he was stuck sitting at home with nothing to do but watch tv or train. He was almost afraid that if he grabbed a few more quick missions, something else would go nuts; so he'd crossed that off his list. Oh well, he didn't need the money, nor did he need the numbers to pad his dossier any. So there really wasn't much to do; his vacation time had kicked in at the center, so that was out. Oh, he could go in and help out around the pens and such, but that was boring, and unless someone called out and left a spot in a field team open, he couldn't head out and have any real fun.

So while Artemis was gone doing whatever she was doing during the day, he'd settled himself outside in his training room once more. He was merely sitting in one of the nice wooden chairs that he kept outside for days where the weather was glorious and he wanted to relax. He'd moved one into the shade the overhanging roof of the converted shed gave and was lounging for a while. He was watching Coen train, and had Roku sitting on a little pillow on his lap. Roku was thoroughly enjoying the attention he was being given, Karu was gently rubbing the little boy's back the way one would a dog or a cat; Roku appeared human enough, but he was far from it. His little horns had grown a bit even over the course of the handful of days since he had hatched; and he was already picking up new words and ways of communicating. He was up to four words; 'Daddy,' "Roku,' 'Coen,' and 'Food.' So, he knew his own name, his 'brother's' name, had a name for his 'father', and could say when he was hungry. Not bad, for being four days old.

Coen had taken to Roku instantly; he'd been just as anxious to see what was going to hatch from the egg as Karu had been; and when Karu brought little Roku into the house that day Coen had about exploded for joy. He'd gone into a fervor of dotting over the baby, playing with him and bonding instantly. It was adorable, really; and it had been enough to get both of them into the kitchen making a feast of various foods and foodstuffs for that night's dinner; they had to see what Roku would eat; thankfully Roku seemed to eat all the same foods and such as them, had shown no allergies or sensitivities, and about the only difference between him and them was that he seemed to like meat far more than any of them. Not a bad thing, he kept plenty of fresh and dried meats on hand, so he could easily add some extra small meat dishes and the like to the communal dinner he made whenever he was home. Roommates or not, he did this; he and Coen preferred to have a lot of small dishes instead of one or two large servings of one thing.

"Dad! I finished!"

He was running Coen through endurance training, making him do the things that most academy students knew all too well, running laps and doing jumping jacks and all those annoying exercises that made the kids hate physical training. However, it was good for the growing kangaroo; he didn't get to spend the time running and moving around like he would if he was living out on the plains like he would have if he'd lived a normal life. Coen never complained about being stuck inside all the time if he wasn't on a mission. He'd had him doing basic jumping for a while. It wasn't like he couldn't spend an almost unlimited time jumping given how his legs worked; but he needed to learn control. Efficiency. Things he didn't have just yet.

"How do you feel, son?"

"Good! I could do this for days.~"

"I don't doubt that. Alright, so you've warmed up your legs, now we're going to work on your timing. You need to learn to pace better, it will help your speed and control. Things you need, if you want to get stronger."

"Okay. So what do I need to do?"

"Remember how I taught you to use a jump rope?"

"Oooooh.~ I can do that. So I just need to jump over the rope?"

"You need to pace as long as you can. You're going to jump in reps; groups of jumps. I want you to start with reps of 50."

"Okay.~"

Coen walked over toward where Karu was sitting with Roku, taking a moment to reach down and pat the baby on the head ("Coen! Coen!") affectionately before moving into the storage room to grab a jump rope. Karukaya had invested in specially sized ropes specifically for Coen to use to train, or hell, to play, if he wanted. Coen was moving beyond being a child now, well into what was considered teenage years for a kangaroo. They'd established that Coen's abnormal growth was only abnormal for non-ninja kangaroos; they'd found enough information on the wild herds to piece together that he was perfectly on track. They'd also found out that the ninja 'roos lived MUCH longer than normal 'roos; normal red kangaroo's lived maybe 25 years if they where lucky in the wild, they'd been reported at closer to 30 in captivity; but the red ninja kangaroo herds where reporting easily double that; meaning that Coen would likely live as long as Karu would; if they both made it to a ripe old age, anyway. Karukaya and Coen meeting when they did was almost... fate, really; much earlier and Karu would have outlived Coen significantly, much later and the reverse would have happened. Not something either of them wanted to think about, let alone face.

Coen returned with his special jump rope and moved back to the spot he'd been jumping on; it was a spot of freshly turned, and therefore soft, dirt. That way he wasn't leaping on something rock hard and risking damaging the pads on his paws, but it wasn't so soft that it didn't help build on his endurance. He unraveled the coiled rope and made sure that it was straight and there where no knots. He checked the grips to make sure they where solid and not cracking, and that there was nothing on them that would make them slippery. His paws didn't sweat like human hands would, so he didn't need to worry about them turning slick so long as they weren't to start with. Finding them in perfect condition, he flipped the rope out so that it was laying on the ground in front of his feet. He'd learned early on that in order to work around his long feet and oddly shaped legs that he needed to start his reps with a high jump that would allow for the rope to get up to speed while he was in the air. It was essentially the same concept as a triple jump; where you timed your jumps so that the rope made three revolutions around the body between each time your feet hit the ground. That was enough to get the rope moving at the right speed, and he could easily adjust the power of the jump so that he was bouncing at a faster pace, versus hanging in the air longer.

"Starting!"

Coen shifted his weight so that he was evenly balanced and pushed himself down toward the ground; he was stretching the rubbery ligaments in his legs to build power; and leaped into the air, using his arms to get the rope spinning around his body until it was up to proper speed and once more before falling to the ground and essentially bouncing on the spot so that he was back in the air in time for the rope to cross underneath him.

Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass.

Aaaand that was fifty. "Done!"

"I never said stop. Fifty reps of fifty jumps."

"Yessir.~"

Coen shifted his weight so that he was evenly balanced and pushed himself down toward the ground; he was stretching the rubbery ligaments in his legs to build power; and leaped into the air, using his arms to get the rope spinning around his body until it was up to proper speed and once more before falling to the ground and essentially bouncing on the spot so that he was back in the air in time for the rope to cross underneath him.

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Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass. Bounce, leap, rope pass.

You got the picture. He kept that up for the solid number given, fifty reps of fifty each; giving him a total of twenty-five hundred jumps in a row. Coen wasn't even out of breath when he was finished, so Karu didn't give him any downtime. He didn't need to say much, just give him the next number set to work with.

"Triple jumps, same rep count."

"Yessir!"

This time, instead of timing his jumps so that he was bouncing after every rotation of the rope, he was going for a longer time in the air, with the rope moving at the same speed. It was harder to time in the end, because if his timing was off by even a millisecond, he'd end up catching the rope on his head or feet, and break the rhythm.

Into the air he went, and sent the rope spinning around him.

Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin.

Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin.

Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin. Bounce, leap, rope spin-spin-spin.

Aaaand on and on and on until he'd finished that set of reps. Alright, that was enough of that. "Alright, enough jumping, son. Put the rope away."

"Kay!"

Coen moved from his spot and back into the training room storage; coiling the rope around his arm as he walked and placing it back in it's storage spot when he reached it. Coming back out, he stopped at the small ice chest that held the cool water and juices for them to use for hydration and such while they where outside; they where mostly for Roku, who didn't seem to favor the heat quiet as much as Karu and Coen did. He hadn't shown any signs of having any sort of chakra abilities; but he was also far too young to be showing them off, so it didn't mean much. A baby like him needed to not be pushed very hard, and Karukaya was very much the type to spoil a child; as he'd shown with Coen. Once wouldn't have been surprised if Coen had turned out to be a lazy brat, but the exact opposite had happened; he was a hard working, well behaved young man that carried his own weight and then some, and was a pleasure to be around; with a bright attitude and a sharp mind. To say Karu was proud was an understatement, really.

"On to the next exercise.~"

WC: 6550

END A0-A3 6550/5100

1450 Remaining

"On to the next exercise.~" Karu lifted Roku up so that the baby was sitting on the little pillow now before lifting the entire pillow off his lap and placing it on the small table side the chair. Once Roku was settled, he lifted himself up out of the chair and to his feet, lifting his arms high above his head and reaching for the sky in a long stretch that sent his entire spine cracking and popping back into place. Not that he'd done anything that would have set him out of place; but settling bones and muscles while relaxing tended to slip out of place in weird ways. Letting his arms descend, he shifted and twisted at the hip to stretch the muscles that didn't pull out before.

"Daddy?"

"It's okay, little Roku. Daddy's going to train now. Brother Coen will be done soon, he can sit with you then."

"Nuuuuh."

"Patience, dear. I'll be back soon." Karu patted Roku on the head and moved off toward where Coen was standing and waiting. He moved passed the big 'roo and toward the training dummies he'd set up before Coen had started his endurance training. It was set up for Karu's use, not Coen's; so it was the slightly smaller dummies that where sized better for Karu.

"Alright Coen, you're running laps now. Let's see, you made it to fifteen thousand last time, so push it to twenty five thousand this time."

"Yessir.~" Coen jumped in place a few times before shifting his weight to push himself into a run; taking off toward the far end of the yard and then moving into a a solid jogging pace around the edge of the compound. He'd be at that for a good hour, if not more; he'd basically just been told to run a good twenty miles or so; and with the point of the training pacing versus pure speed, he'd be moving slower than an outright sprint.

In the meantime, Karu was going to get his training for the day started. He was going to work on the concept of the 'one inch punch'. It was all fine and dandy if you had the room to pull your arm back and build up momentum. You could be the strongest person in the world that way, you could use momentum and gravity to boost the power of your muscles all you wanted that way. However, what where you to do if you only had say, three inches? Your opponent has you pinned against a solid wall and you can't throw a punch normally. How do you hit then? With no room to build up power, you can't fight back. The point of this training was to fix that handicap.

It was supremely simple in theory, and even simpler to train. You merely set up a solid, flat object; usually a board or a wall, press your fingertips to it, and curl them up into a fist as you punch. Simple.

Well, yes and no.

It was a massively difficult skill to master; taking massive amount of endurance and training. You could spend half your life working on this skill and not master it; and doing it wrong would destroy your hands beyond repair.

He wasn't all that worried.

Moving toward a specific dummy, it was literally just a board cut out to be a silhouette of a human body that was normally used for target practice, he checked it over one last time before he got started. He'd modified it a bit so that it was more stable than it would normally be; special weights in the base and a layer of metal behind the wood to keep it together. There was a space between the wood and metal layers; it would allow the wood to crack and splinter inward in a way that would be obvious when and if he was able to break it. He had three of those dummies set up, so he could move between them if he needed to.

Alright, now to begin.

He flattened his right hand and placed his fingertips against the center of the dummy's chest, near where the heart would be marked. It was the thickest spot of the board, and the best to train on. He took a few moments to gently curl his fingers and place his knuckles against the wood; he was running through the motions in his mind, and taking a moment to get slightly more familiar with the motions in practice. He did this for a few minutes until he was satisfied that he had it down, then actually got to work.

Fingers touching the wood; palm flat and level. He inhaled deeply, then pushed his knuckles to the wood as hard as he could, fingers curling and creating a solid fist the instant before impact. That... hurt like a bitch. Holy fuck that hurt. He sure as hell didn't have weak fingers, and his knuckles where solid and large in the way a martial artists hands where; his fighting style had plenty of punching style and technique in it, so there was no reason for that to hurt so much. It was more proof that he wasn't done training his body; he had to work on his endurance so that he could handle the damage he did to his own body as a result of his own attacks.

Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start.

Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start.

Okay, that was enough blood. The skin on his knuckles was split and oozing blood, so now would be a good time to treat the wounds and bandage them. He wasn't going to stop the training, he was just going to take a short break to make sure he didn't cause more harm than needed. Leaning against the side of the ice chest was his medical kit; he retrieved it and set it on the table next to a whimpering Roku. The baby wasn't happy to see Karukaya's blood and wounded hand like that; and Karu didn't blame him. "It's okay, little one. I'll be fine. Look, I'm treating the wound right now.~" He pulled the bottle of sterile water from the kit and used it to rinse the wound, pressing a pad of antibiotic infused gauze to the wound until it stuck. He took the bottle of iodine and poured some over it before grabbing some medical tape and taping it down. Now that the wound was clean and dressed, he made sure that he put the kit back in order and closed it up before placing it back against the chest. He grabbed the roll of his training bandages and began wrapping it around his hand. He was only going to wrap the hand he was training with at the moment; there was no point in even trying to wrap the other at this point; the injured training hand was already stiff and hard to move, so it would be next to impossible to do it; and Coen wasn't even a quarter done with his laps. He finished wrapping the hand and moved to the still unhappy looking Roku, patting his head with his uninjured hand. "I know it looks bad, but it'll be okay. Trust me, little one?"

"Daaaaaaddy!~"

"I know, I know. Remember though, we're going on vacation soon; so I'll have plenty of time to rest and heal. Cheer up, Roku.~"

"Hmmph!"

"How about I make you some cookies for dinner? Will that make you happy again?"

"Daddy!"

Yep, that was a yes. Alright, back to work. He smiled at the little boy and moved back to the training dummy, resuming his stance and getting back to work.

Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start.

Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start.

Holy gods that hurt. There was also the problem of the board having cracked and splintered finally; although that was as much from the sheer number of strikes as it was from the power of a singular punch. He'd need to move on to another dummy now, to see just how much he'd actually progressed.

WC: 5660

5660 + 1450 = 7110 / 5100 STR A0-A3

2010 Remaining.

Moving to the second dummy, he took the time to check it much as he had the first; this one had the same modifications as the first; the extra weight at the base, the added layer of metal for support of the punches. It was all but and identical copy; only this one actually had the bulls-eye markings and zoning outlines of a target dummy. He'd re-purposed it; it was originally exactly what it looked like, a training target; hell, it even had marks and scuffs from being used as one; but nothing major enough to risk the integrity of the wood. It was solid enough to use for this.

He spent a few moments curling and releasing his fingers; they where growing extremely stiff from the swelling and the damage to his joints; they where partially dislocated from the impacts, and that was making this harder. It wasn't going to stop him, he'd gone a lot farther with much worse injuries. Once he was ready, he resumed where he left off.

Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start.

Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start.

Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start.

Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start. Repeat. Fingers placed on the wood, palm flat and level. Brace the body. Tighten the muscles, and launch into a punch. Curl fingers into a proper fist the moment before impact. Release the fist, and return to start.

And another ruined dummy. Yaaaaay. This time it cracked in a long break down a seam in the wood grain. It wasn't his doing; the stress of the impacts wasn't enough to break or splinter the wood on it's own; but a weakness, a defect, had ended the usefulness of the dummy early. Sad, really.

His pulled his hand back and looked at his knuckles; the blood was starting to soak through the bandages now, but they where still in good shape. They where starting to fray, barely; so they where good to keep going on for a while longer. He figured he'd take a quick break; he was feeling thirsty, and wanted some water; so he moved back to the little spot where he'd set up the chair and ice chest and table, and Roku was sitting on his little pillow on the table. The little boy had calmed down, and was busy investigating a brilliantly colored butterfly that had landed on the edge of the table near by. He wasn't reaching for it, merely watching it curiously. Karu walked over and took a knee beside the table and the chest on the floor. Lifted the lid off the chest and shoved his injured hand into the ice with a deep sigh of relief. Oh, that felt so good. The cold ice was numbing in the best ways, and it would help reduce the swelling some. "Ah, better. You like the butterfly, Roku?"

"Pwetty!"

New word? Epic.

"Yes, it is. It's very pretty."

He reached into the ice with his good hand and retrieved a bottle of water, using his teeth to hold the top while he twisted it open, and poured a good portion of the bottle down his throat before the cold got to be too much. He sighed happily and placed the bottle down on the table; that water was definitely a good idea. Roku sat up on his pillow and crawled across it, reaching for the water bottle with his little hands and making a little squeaking noise. "Thirsty?"

Roku nodded and reached for the bottle again; it was almost bigger than he was so that wasn't going to work well. Karu had that covered, though; there was a tiny little cup, like one you'd see in a child's doll house; it was perfect for Roku to use for drinking. Hell, they where using modified tea cups for his soup and rice bowls; so this wasn't even that strange in context. Karu reached for the cup and set it down before picking the bottle back up and pouring a bit into it. He placed the bottle back down and picked the cup up to hand it to Roku, who took it happily and began to sip the cold water. He never taken a bottle; he'd instantly picked up how to use a cup and all that, just from watching Coen eating a snack. It was amazing how fast Roku picked up certain concepts versus others; it seemed like he was literally an infant when it came to most things; but he picked up life skills pretty quickly. He could already walk pretty well, and feed himself; but he couldn't speak more than (now) five words, dress himself really (although he loved to try and stick flowers onto the little yakuta he wore, and into his hair), and things like that. He had shown a strange little skill, though; he'd taken a bunch of the leftover straw and a punch of paper, and made a 'nest' for himself; it was strangely shaped, but Roku loved it, so that was all Karukaya needed to know. Said nest was currently sitting on the table beside Karu's bed; Roku tended to sleep in it a lot of the time; although there where plenty of nights that Karu woke up to Roku curled up on his chest, or on the pillow above his head.

Once Roku was done drinking, Karu finished off the last of the bottle of water and pulled his hand free of the ice water; closing the chest up and staring at his hand. He flexed his fingers as best he could, managing to keep from wincing from the dulled pain radiating from his damaged knuckles. Hurts like a bitch, but shit, he'd still done worse.

He had a feeling, though; something he wanted to test.

So he moved back to the area with the dummies and to the last of them; it was the least modified of them all. This one only had the extra weights at the base, to keep it stable during the impacts. Otherwise, it was basic and unchanged; only the layer of wood, and nothing else.

He moved to stand in front of it and placed his fingers to the wood. Inhaling deeply, he took a moment to center himself and focus; inhale, exhale; inhale, exhale. Focus, forget the pain. It's not there. Your hand is perfectly intact; nothing to worry about. He repeated this mantra until the pain faded, and he had convinced himself, or his body anyway, that he was perfectly intact. He could manifest his full strength this way, without the limiters in his mind activating to protect him from harm.

Palm flat.

Inhale.

Tighten muscles, prepare for the punch.

Exhale.

There is no pain.

Inhale.

Focus.

Exhale.

Inhale.

Exhale.

And...

PUNCH!

He punched the dummy with all his might and all but cackled when the wood splintered and cracked in half like it was wet rice paper being torn. Oh, that was glorious. He'd been holding himself back without realizing it, his subconscious protecting his body from further harm; basically sabotaging himself in the process. Made perfect sense once he realized it; this was a training that was meant to worked on over weeks and months and years; not minutes and hours. If he'd done it the 'normal' way, he would have stopped long ago and gotten no where near this far. He also wouldn't be looking at needing his knuckles stitched up. Eh, nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Coen would be finishing up soon, and he was about ready to call it a day himself. Oh, he could go farther, work on his fire or something like that, but he didn't feel up to it really. There was no point in pushing if his heart wasn't in it. He grabbed the broken dummy and dragged it off; moving it past the training room and toward the little area near a side gate where he stored his trash cans between pick ups. It was also a stop for brush pick up, and where he could leave large broken training items and have them hauled away when he call for it. It was a ninja luxury that he paid for out of sheer convenience; and because he went through a massive amount of training gears it was just easier to have someone haul it off every other week, versus having to rent a cart or something and haul it off himself. He returned to get the other two broken dummies and dragged them off. Once that was done; he returned to the little sitting area he'd set up and dropped into his chair. He got himself nice and comfortable, lifting the top off the ice chest once again and shove his hand back in. "Aaaaah.~~~"

Roku was still on the pillow on the table; but he wasn't going to have any of that. He crawled off the pillow and stood up, reaching over to grab the pillow and drag it along with him. He made it as far as the edge of the table before stopping; reaching for Karu with his empty hand and making an almost urgent whimpering noise. He wanted back on Karu's lap, he wanted it badly. Karu shifted and lifted the little one up with his good hand, bringing him and the pillow over and onto his lap. Roku made sure that the pillow landed on Karu's lap first, so that when he was placed down, he was sitting on it once more. He smiled now, happy that he was back where he wanted to be. Roku pointed over at Karu's injured hand, head tilting curiously; he was asking in his own way if Karu was going to be okay.

"My hand will heal up just fine, son. It's just swollen at this point; I've done worse to myself when I train. I'll be fine, really."

Coen was coming around for another lap; Karu had actually managed to loose count of what number he was on. Calling out to the kangaroo, "Coen! What're you up to now?"

Without missing a beat, Coen called back, "Ten to go, Dad.~"

"Keep it up, then.~"

"Always!"

Around and around he goes, when he stops, nobody knows. That was stuck in Karu's mind as he watched Coen jog around the yard those last ten times. Sometime around lap four, he'd started petting Roku once more; this time the little boy was sitting cross legged on the pad instead of laying, and Karu was scratching at the scalp between his horn and through his thick hair. Roku's blonde hair was super thick for his age; it was only hanging to his neck at the moment, but it was growing quickly every day. Karu liked to play with Roku's hair, really; it was silky soft and it made Roku happy, so that was all the motivation he needed.

Coen finished his laps and trotted up to where Karu was sitting with Roku; flopping over and laying on his side on the soft grass beside them. "Breeeeaaaaak. Bored with training."

"S'alright, son. You've done well. We'll pick this up again tomorrow, kay?"

"Fiiiiiiine. Snack time?"

"Nah, dinner. The stew should be ready by now."

"Yeeeessssss.~"

WC: 6211

6211 + 2010 = 8221/8000 Taijutsu S-SS