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TheOneAndOnlyCactus — The Joy of Sparring
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Published: 2020-05-31 21:48:28 +0000 UTC; Views: 1133; Favourites: 23; Downloads: 1
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Description
On a cold Saturday evening, Cactus was packing up the equipment in his Dojo after a long, gruelling day of practice. As usual, his protégé, Ruff was there to give him a hand. When the two were cleaning up the place, they were also discussing about anything and everything. This time around, as the two just returned from the Shaolin Mountains, their talk was about what happened there.Ruff: So, in the end, how do you think martial arts helped ?
Cactus: I think... a change of scenery was necessary for me at that point. I needed something different to rekindle the fire in me and also made me get better. That's why I'm glad I actually heard of Rosie beforehand.
Ruff: Wait, you did? You never told me that.
Cactus: Well... truth be told, before I went up here, I just treated that first encounter as a pleasant, but ultimately not that important scrap. It's only in hindsight that I started to appreciate it
Ruff: So... how was it?
Cactus sat down on the edge of the ring in the middle of the room and Ruff followed him, placing down the equipment he had in his hands in order to listen tell what the hedgehog had to say
Cactus: Alright so. Remember when last year I was away for almost an entire week? That was because I heard of a fighting tournament that was held on the other side of the country. When I got there, some pretender tried to impress the folks around him by turning me into his practice dummy before the event. I promptly knocked him out with the classic Kibisu Gaeshi. In the middle of the crowd that was cheering for this street fight, I yelled at the bloke "That's why I'm the King of Brawlers!". And that's where Rosie entered the scene. My guess is that she wanted to see if I could talk the talk and walk the walk or if I was just being an arrogant prick. But when she heard I was a trainer too, it seemed like there was a spark in her eyes and she wanted to spar for a while, as a true test before the tournament. So we fought for a short while and...
Ruff: And...?
Cactus: I got my ass kicked... OK I'm exaggerating. But still Jeez I never felt like such a fool before early on the fight. She was dodging everything I threw at her. Hell even when I tried to throw her she had a counter. And meanwhile she was hitting kicks after kicks. But then I remembered the last time that scenario happened to me. I was acting like a brawler, but she was a fighter. I needed to focus and be more disciplined, and stop just attacking recklessly. So, that's what I did. As the fight went on, I got the hang of things and delivered some good hits. Granted she also did but as a spar, that was a good one.
Ruff: OK but like, why didn't that left that much of an impact on you immediately afterwards?
Cactus: Well... it was a good spar sure but. Ruff, I'm near 30. Good spars, I had tons of them. And I seemingly went through one very similar in my teens. So... yeah at first it didn't seem like a big deal. The tournament came and went, I returned home and life went just about normally, until like I told you, I started to get bored and I discovered what she was up to, and decided to go up there. Figured a good way to get my mojo back was to complete my formations in Judo and Karate, though I was not passionate about them at that point.
Ruff: At that point, did you think you were gonna meet her again?
Cactus: That was a thought I had sure, but I didn't expect it and that sure wasn't stuck in my head like "Oooh I need that return match!" No I just went on with my business, but naturally, I began to get more attached to the martial arts I was doing. I really enjoyed myself a whole lot more than I was expecting. But you know me, I'm an explorer. So whenever I had free time, I just wondered around the mountains. That's where I met her for the second time, in the least likely place I could have thought of.
Ruff: Let me guess, the cave
Cactus: Wait you went there too?
Ruff: Yeah for a sparring with Quentin, Mickey and Sally
Cactus: YOU MET SAL.... Anyway, as I was saying. Yeah we met in the cave. And I was damn sure surprise to know that it was a Dojo. After a little talk where I explained to her my reasons for being here, she was eager to see how I improved, and well, I was eager too, not just to see how I was doing but also how good was she now.
Ruff: Result?
Cactus: Well, switching up your style like that is tough man. Sure I was there and I was hitting, but I was also spending a lot of time trying to put away my natural instincts and truly showcase what I learned. And... I don't recall if she was impressed or not, but I sure recall her loving my enthusiasm and even the kiais I was letting out. That wasn't a good spar, that was a great one. And I was rarely any happier after getting a tooth knocked out.
Ruff laughed at that last remark before saying
Ruff: That's truly you man, so, you enjoyed that time spent getting introduced to her feet?
Cactus: Hey, she got a taste out of my fists too. But yeah, I loved it. And I felt like I grew, not just as a fighter, but as a person period during them. That's why I would say she was one of the more important person I met, despite how brief those encounters were.
Ruff: And hey man, it really shows. I feel like you changed up your style of practice a bit ever since we came back
Cactus: I was always try to incorporate what I learn so that my students learn too. But hey, someday they'll learn out to clean up the gym like you are
Cactus says as he gets up, with Ruff chuckling behind him as he jumps off the ring. Both get back to work, as the Cactus Dungeon still needed to be cleaned up.
And there you go, hope you like both the drawings and the little story
RosietheEchidna
