Chapter 271 - 271. Muscle Memory

"Didn't Sammy watch and learn the throws a little? It would be perfect to catch Art's hand and throw him when he tires oi block." Jackson had remembered Sammy watching the throws and also knew that Asher and Art had shown her some before. 

"Yeah, but when she gets annoyed all logic is out the window. Art blocked her over and over and at this point, she is just frustrated she can't land a hit on him." Louis just tossed his hands in the air exasperated. He hated when Sammy got this way. 

Art suddenly lowered his level instead of blocking and caught Sammy's arm. He lifted her easily and flipped her through the air. The only difference he made to the throw was that he slowed her down as she was about to hit the ground. Sammy had been too flustered and shocked with the sudden throw that she had not been able to use her super power to soften her fall. 

"And that is that. I knew Art would win. But using the throw that Sammy has been learning is rough…" Louis was ready for the next match and sent the recording of the sparring match to their group. 

"Jackson and Louis are next." Cara listed this off while looking at the two. She wanted to see how this one would go in particular. Jackson was new just like Louis but Louis was a little more sneaky when it came to strategy. However, Jackson had the size and reflexes to counter any trickiness that Louis attempted. 

"What? Louis might zap me… Can we reconsider?" Jackson realized that he was at a great risk for being zapped by Louis in this battle. 

"I double wrapped my hands today. Unless you really try to get a shock you should be fine." Louis was slightly frustrated that Jackson was so afraid of this. "I also burned off a lot of my lighting before I came so you should be fine." 

"I think this will be a weird match. Jackson might crush Louis if he goes all out but he is too timid. Louis can't help if any lightning escapes his control so he could accidentally shock Jackson. But the real question is who has the better control over their body weight?" Asher had the idea that it would come down to balance. 

"Do you think that it will end up with who can knock who down in a throw competition?" Jane wasn't sure if this was exactly what Asher was saying but she could see that the two were not very comfortable in their stances and that the match would be slightly sloppy. 

"Louis will win for sure. Jackson is always saying he can't get a handle on his body. And he is bigger so Louis can just push him over and watch him fall." Laura was a staunch supporter of Louis in this match which made more sense than anything else. 

"Phew, that was a good blocking practice." Art was using a small towel to wipe the sweat from his head, "I bet that Jackson will use what I showed him today and that Louis will easily dodge most of the time until they both just ignore thinking and try and throw each other. They only have so many moves and we have focused on throws lately." 

"I agree with Art. The two look very much like they are nervous and that means they will do whatever is on their mind the most." Cara nodded along as she spoke. 

"Guess you're right, there Jackson goes with a straight punch and a boxers' stance." Asher watched as Jackson started to move in in the same stance that Art had been showing him. The straight punch was a little poorly timed since Jackson was too far from Louis to make contact but this was expected since he was new to the moves.

Louis on the other hand was focusing on dodging. He was a little skeptical of Jacksons' larger stature and knew that if he rushed in he could take a big hit knocking him out before the match even started. 

Jackson attempted another straight punch but followed it up with a jab, "Oh! He learned my jab too. I didn't mean to teach him that." Art was surprised to see that Jackson had picked up the way he jabbed in a combo. 

"Well, you have used it a lot in those combos. I feel like he must have seen it enough to copy it. I guess Jackson will be a pretty decent boxer if he keeps this up." Asher was not expecting Jackson to start picking up others' moves so soon. It usually would take more time to get used to the basics before they could learn things from just watching. 

"It would be better if he practiced it. Louis is still dodging." Sammy was sure that Louis was going to dodge the next move and was proven right. 

Louis ducked under the straight punch and kicked out at Jacksons' legs. The hit was not very strong since Louise retreated immediately and lost some power. However, it hit the side of the knee and Jackson moved back a little off balance. Louis saw this and rushed in to try and take advantage of the situation. 

Jackson started to panic and forgot about the stance. Instead, he did his best to stabilize himself and sent out a rushed punch to Louis. The only problem with this was that Louis was still more aware of the situation. 

Louis dodged the punch and gave Jackson a hard tackle completely knocking him down. With Jackson on the ground and Louis trying to figure out how to pin him the match ended. "Louis needs to learn some hold huh?" Asher looked at Cara and Jane who he knew had learned a few more than even he had. 

"Yes, if Louis had some he could subdue an opponent more easily. He has the strategy to think on his feet. I'm not sure everyone would have been able to take Jackson down when he was in a rush like that." Cara responded matter of factly before announcing the next match, "Asher and Jane, good luck." 

The two were the best out of everyone other than Cara at martial arts. They had been the two that seemed to train the most. The only reason Art wasn't on the exact same level as them was the fact that he had been focusing on more body training than martial arts lately. However, Art would need it come his super powers further development. 

"Don't think I am going easy on you. I will crush you with one hand." Jane was psyched up from watching the others and wanted to test herself again. 

"On hand? You think I will let you even use your hands? I will take you down before you lift them." Asher wasn't a spoil sport and rebutted her trash talking in an instant. The two stared at each other while falling in to their stances. 

Asher looked at Jane who was crouch almost like a sprinter but similar to an animal. It was intimidating knowing that in a second she could burst forward with a huge amount of force and speed. 

On the other hand, Jane was looking at Asher and his strange slack armed sway that came with his rag doll style. She knew that every hit she landed could come back to get hir since he used momentum to attack. She also knew that he would have more luck no matter what and could slip in to the perfect counter to any move she used, it was simply due to his super power he couldn't turn off. 

The two didn't wait long. Jane darted off to the side trying to get close and take Asher's blind side down. However, Asher was able to easily twist and follow her with his foot work. The two had constantly battled it out in foot work tag and there was no way he would let her get him so easily. 

Even when Jane would try her feints Asher would see right through them. The two were so used to their tricks that it would come down to moves and skills. Asher decided that being passive would not get him anywhere and decided to through out a tentative punch. 

The right hook was easily ducked under by Jane and let her have a chance to throw an equal punch. This one did manage to hit but Asher used it as momentum to turn on his heels and kick at the back of Janes' legs. The move would normally have taken out someone but Jane had seen it before and jumped at the last second to dodge it. 

The two ended up face to face waiting for the next move. Neither wanted to get too close since they were both able to use many throws to take each other down. The tension was building as they dodged and blocked constant kicks and punches like they were nothing. Asher was standing his ground more than usual instead of spinning with the hits and attempting to send the attacks back at Jane. The others were all trying to figure out why.