Chapter 154 - 154. Speed
"You and your team finally showed up? I thought you would all be here before anyone else." Garnet was standing at the edge of the field and looking at the large group of paired up campers sparring or waiting to spar.
"Where did all these people come from?" Asher was looking at them as they noticed him and his friends show up.
"The campers you sparred with yesterday started passing around the word that you would take on challenges if they taunted you. Now they think you are going to give them a bunch of easy points." Garnet said this like it was the most expected thing in the world.
"Well, maybe we should go somewhere elseā¦" Asher was feeling the pressure of the eyes on him.
"No backing out now. We have plenty of points sitting out there just waiting for us." Jane was eager to try out some of her new moves. She was still apprehensive of the moves she practiced that used her nails so she had already decided to keep that in her back pocket. But using her ability to freeze someone in their place was fair game.
Art was already heading to the weights to put some on his wrists and legs. He had found instructions on how to properly apply them for the best use on the app and was going to follow it a tee.
"I am really low voltage right now. I should get in a few matches before my body charges up." Louis was trying to think of the safest way to spar and learn. Garnet gave him an approving nod since she had also made sure he was at a safe lightning level.
"Maybe I will try to use some wind. It feels pretty happy today." Sammy was getting some good feelings from the soft breeze coming through the camp.
"Can you really make the wind strong enough to push someone back already?" Asher's question made Sammy a little bashful, but her strategy was different than what the others were thinking.
"I want to try and use it to push me faster. If it can give me a little boost I can hit as hard as you. I don't have much muscle." Sammy tried to flex her arm bit only proved she was delicate like the air around her.
"A good idea, let me see it." Garnet had become interested at hearing this and pointed out a group of the more novice fighters around. "They are a little hesitant over there and should be at your level. Good luck." Garnet gave Sammy a nudge and let her find someone to challenge by herself.
With the sudden push Sammy was showing a little nervousness but she also was showing excitement. This was her first sparring match and she wasn't sure how it would go. But having Asher, Jane, and Art all help her the day before she had more confidence than she would have had otherwise.
"How in the world is Laura already over there starting a match?' Art had noticed that Kaura had disappeared while he was grabbing the ankle and arm weights he wanted to wear. She had made her way across the field and taunted a larger and definitely slower, boy in to a match.
"Can we all agree that we should call her the hummingbird style?" Louis could only imagine her as a speedy little hummingbird as she seemed to flit around her opponent.
"That's a good name for it. You have a knack for this. You can be in charge of naming styles from now on." Garnet's approval only made Louis a little more embarrassed by this but the others all held their thumbs up in approval. "Actually, I like it so much you can have a point."
The reason Garnet deemed it worth the point wasn't the actual naming, but the recognition of a developing style. This showed that Louis had an eye for picking out the tendencies someone would use most often. For Laura, this was the speed she had to confuse her opponent.
Laura stumbled a few times while moving but it was very minimal and didn't interrupt her flow of battle. 'She is more focused today than yesterday. I wonder if it is because her friends are here watching.'
"Come on Laura! You've got this!" Asher shouted out while the match went on. This made Laura slide a little as she stopped but her face held a strong smile. Her next movement had almost no flaws and she landed three consecutive hits to the same spot on her opponents' arm. This might have been a worthless attack if it was one punch, but the three did some decent damage.
"She can't hit hard, and most likely won't be able to with her metabolism burning all her nutrition. But those multiple hits are rough. It's like getting whiplash from the sudden change in force.' Garnet's analysis surprised everyone who was watching the opponent grab at their arm in pain. They had just thought that Laura was stronger than they thought.
"In theory can't we just work on speed then and use a lot of different hits from different angles? I could just learn boxing." Jackson was thinking of the strategy that was working for Laura and how it could work with him.
"I would not recommend that for you. You are larger and slower. If you come up against someone as fast or faster than you, then you will always lose. It will come down to you being too weak to win in a battle of muscle." Garbet was speaking from first hand experience. She had seen too many people focusing on speed meet an equal in speed but lose out in strength.
"That means we should try to be balanced. I think you could use speed training though, you are more strength right now." Asher was already thinking he would prefer to be more balanced than anything. Jackson couldn't argue this point. He could easily keep up with people due to his bodys' stamina, but in a sprint, he easily lost.