Chapter 376 - 376. Unique Counters

Asher let the punch hit him and propel his body back in to the next dummy coming at him. The sudden change in position was too fast for the dummy to change its'  motions. Therefore, Asher had the upper hand as he used the momentum to twist and throw the dummy right off the platform. It fell in to multiple pieces when it hit the ground as it was designed to do. 

"Is that a counter? I don't think that's a counter." The worried voice of Jackson was the only thing they could hear over their own awe. None of them had expected the force of the dummies punch to be used in such a way. 

"It's a counter. Not directly back at the one that hit him. But instead at the one that was going to hit him. That's a lesson in fighting multiple opponents for you. Use their actions against them so that they are fighting each other too." Garnet was fairly impressed. She wanted to take this moment to explain things since this was the lesson she had been trying to teach them through their actions. Such a lesson was a perfect melding of their minds and bodies. 

Asher didn't take long to turn and charge at the other two dummies. It was unusual for him to do so. The group was shocked to see him being so foolish until he turned his momentum in to a spin. The spin came with a jumbo in to the air and a flying kick. It was plain to see but not a counter. Coach Winters was about to shout about this when she watched the dummies dodging and starting to lash out with punches. 

The flying kick had baited the two dummies in ti moving and punching at Asher together. Quickly changing his form, Asher reached out his hands to grab the two incoming fists while he was still in the air. The sudden added weight to the dummies caused them to fall off balance and slam their heads in to each other. Not only had Asher baited them, but he had also taken their attacks and countered each other perfectly. It was a flow of battle that seemed to only happen as Asher let himself move freely without thinking at all. 

"Level four!" Coach Winters and Garnet shouted in unison causing the pair to glare at each other but spark an evil glint in both of their eyes. They both had knowledge on what the fourth level of this challenge would be and they had hoped someone would get to it. If not they were more than ready to show it to the group as a learning experience. 

There was a change in the platforms and the dummies that were still together were brought up to the third platform. Meanwhile, a large dummy was dropped from the ceiling where the dummies were stored to charge and be out of the way. The design was simple and efficient for the gym. But if a student looked up too long they would always feel a little on edge. 

"He needs to beat all of those and that giant one?! That's impossible!" Jane was sure that this was a trick to make sure that they would fail. For the first time, she was looking at coach Winters and Garnet as if they were hidden villains. 

"The training will be harder. We have you locked in for all day. We still have plenty more to do. Use your brains and try to figure out how you would beat them. Asher already showed you how to counter and counter using your opponents against each other." The scoffing attitude from coach Winters threw all of them in to turmoil. 

After a deep breath, Cara realized that the two were just trying to push their buttons. It was intentional to make the group uncomfortable and on edge so that when they moved on to further training they would have to strengthen their minds and resolve. "He needs to use the big one to take out the smaller ones." Her calm words were like water to a flame. It stopped the raging chaos that was starting to boil in everyone. 

"Like those storied about fighting giants. Tangle up their legs and let them fall on to an army to win a war." Laura made the connection between the myths she had seen in historical fiction classes. 

"Wait, so basically he has to spend the entire time baiting the biggest danger to beat the smaller ones without him attacking them. Then he needs t somehow beat the single large dummy? That sounds sooo easy." Louis was sarcastic but had regained his calm mind as well. 

"Well, at least some of you can think and figure it out. Remember that after him you will have to go up there too." Garnet looked over the group and held the gaze of those who had not tried this challenge yet. 

"Bring it ooonnnn!!!!!" Asher's yell brought everyone back to focus on him. He was loudly taunting the dummies to attack him. He knew that they probably couldn't hear but his energy was high and he felt that yelling was the only way to spur himself even further than he already was. 

The large dummy swung its hammer like fists at him. They were much slower than the others but as they collided with the ground the platform shuddered. The regular sized dummies were pushed off balance and so was Asher. This didn't last long though since Asher was able to easily twist and turn to right himself. He was used to the shaky stance he preferred. Even though he would slip and fall he would always end up in a position he could fight in. 

The nearest dummy lifted a leg and tried to kick Asher. Unfortunately, Asher was ready and caught they kick. He spun backward using a wrestling move he had learned from the elite home gym app. This force caused the dummy to spin and fly in to the large dummy. The reaction was not what anyone would be happy to have happen to them. The large dummy brutally slapped the small dummy away and it flew in to three other dummies. Just like that Asher was left with two regular dummies and the large dummy. Which were all moving at him together. 

The flow of the battle was still escalating as the large dummy closed in. This time, Asher let it get close. He knew that the large dummy had limited flexibility and his goal was to abuse that weakens. Jackson had a similar weakness due to his larger muscles. Therefore, Asher knew that getting too close to a larger enemy was the best solution. They wouldn't be able to properly strike with all their force and he could push them off balance. 

The change in level and slide forward was a traditional duck walk that Art and Asher had joked around with. But here, it had practical applications. Asher found himself just about right under the larger dummy. The two smaller ignored his position and tried to attack him. The larger dummy attempted to strike downward at him. The mix of these left the larger dummy unable to move and Asher with the perfect chance to give it a push backward. 

The loud crash of the large dummy hitting the ground was matched by Asher falling back and laying down on the platform. He was breathing heavier than he had in a very long time. He felt his body was on fire. "I would say that took you nearly half an hour from start to finish. I thought it would be faster than that but you spent a lot of time dancing around and letting things line up. If you were less reactive and more active, you would have better times." Garnet analyzed the challenge efficiently and focused on the largest weakness that Asher had displayed. 

"Cara, since you seemed to have a few ideas, put them to the test here. I expect you to match your brother if not surpass him. I know you have already taken on the advanced combat class." Coach Winters knew well that Cara had been n the advanced class and passed with high marks. The fact that she was also able to resist the slight provocation from the two of them was even more reason to push her to show off her real skills. 

"You got this Cara." Asher made it back down to the group and promptly chugged a whole bottle of water before laying back down to recover. 

"Just watch and learn if you can lift your head. You need to be able to get through the rest of the training after this. I hope you didn't go all out." Cara stuck her tongue out at Asher which prompted him to do the same. The memories he had of this life and world were much better than his previous life. He had all but lost the past memories at this point.. All that was left was a powerful bond with his family he had always yearned for.