After about twenty minutes of riding, they came to a stop outside a small building with glass double doors in the middle and long rows of windows on either side. A large sign above the entrance read: Rose Dragon Dojo - Gentle Yet Fierce. This was the school the boys had trained in since they were quite young, which primarily taught Karate but also integrated various other forms and styles into a mixed martial arts approach.
As they entered, they waved to a man setting up mats on the floor. His long dark hair was pulled into a ponytail, a short beard lining his face, which had brown eyes and medium honey skin. He was barefoot and clad in a solid black training gi, featuring the Dojo logo - a curved serpentine dragon composed of pink rose petals - on the upper arms and back. His belt was a deep crimson with several black and white stripes on the ends.
“Morning guys!” Koga greeted the two teens in a light Japanese accent. He was the brother of Hikari Miyazoko-Dane, and had remained extremely close to her son Mallory and widower Nathaniel since her death years ago. He was very protective of the family.
The three of them started discussing some new students that would be arriving soon when they heard a loud whine from the corner. They grinned and looked over to see a meaty black and white Siberian Husky laying on a cushion with his head raised, seemingly annoyed that they weren’t paying attention to him.
He had striking, bright green eyes that were virtually unheard of for his breed, which Koga had said was a side-effect of intensive genetic engineering. A group of cruel breeders were trying to modify Huskies for dogfighting rings, but he had been discarded as a young pup due to his kind nature and was rescued by Koga. He named him Yasashī Kemono, which meant ‘gentle beast’ in Japanese.
“I think Yasa is upset you haven’t said good morning to him yet,” the older martial artist said with a smirk. The dog gave a quick howl in confirmation, causing them all to laugh.
“Aww!” Mallory said as he rushed over to pet the big furball.
“We’re sorry, buddy!” Emmett added, heading over to him as well. The Husky was quite happy then to be getting attention, tail wagging excitedly.
The teens went to the locker room to change into their white student gis. Their belts were brown with several black stripes, each one representing a specific art or style they had gained proficiency in. Koga’s ranking system started with pure Karate and used a typical color belt progression, but once a student reached a brown belt, they began branching out into other styles, earning black stripes for each. To earn a first dan black belt, the Dojo required one to be at least sixteen years old with a working knowledge of all styles in their curriculum.
Once the class began, Koga gave a brief overview to the new students that had joined that day. “Here at the Rose Dragon, you will learn to be gentle, yet fierce. You will begin with a foundational knowledge of Karate, but eventually you will thread in other styles. We categorize these into five states based on classical elements.”
He moved into a low, heavy stance, feet placed firmly on the floor and spread out. “This is Earth State. Strong and immovable like a boulder.”
He then began moving and swaying like a skilled dancer. “This is Water State. Flowing and adaptive like liquid. In the words of Bruce Lee, ‘be the water.’”
Switching to a rapid display of punches, kicks, and elbow jabs to the air, he continued. “This is Fire State. Aggressive and ferocious like a raging inferno.”
Koga shifted effortlessly into a series of acrobatic flips and jumps. “This is Air State. Light and nimble like the wind. And finally,” he dropped into a meditative position. “This is Void State. Still and clear of mind. To truly succeed, you must master all the styles we teach under these five states and learn to shift between them at will.”
After returning to his feet, he continued. “These skills will help you learn self-discipline and self-defense, but you must never be the aggressor in a conflict. Only when threatened with imminent bodily harm to yourself or others should you ever engage in open combat outside an official martial arts event. Abusing the knowledge you gain from us is grounds for expulsion.”
Over the course of the class, Mallory was finding it hard to keep his head clear and kept seeing those snake eyes in his mind. Koga noticed this and pulled him aside during a break.
“What’s wrong, Mal?” he asked, concerned. “You’re usually so focused.”
“Sorry Unk,” the boy facepalmed. “I had this strange nightmare last night that I just can’t shake. It was more vivid than anything I’ve experienced before.” He explained the dream in detail, and was a bit taken aback when Koga’s eyes widened at the mention of the serpent woman. “What? Does that mean something?”
“No, it’s just interesting, that’s all,” he quickly dismissed the teen’s worry, waving it off. Mallory didn’t quite buy that. His uncle seemed on edge the rest of the lesson, and was quick to shoo everyone out of the Dojo when it was over.
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