Arthur is back for more (2)

Turns out I am right about what's inside the drink Edward handed to me. The moment I lift a barbell after drinking it my arm starts to burn. Lifting and lowering the pair of small barbells becomes a task akin to lifting a boulder the size of my own body.

Arthur next to me is lifting a barbell with double the weight as if it weighs nothing. This is ridiculous! I don't need to be that pathetic compared to him.

I want to frown really badly but I need to keep that awed expression plastered on my face. Making Arthur dislike me now would make all the suffering I'm going through pointless.

The weight lifting continues until my arms feel like jello and I can't even feel my fingers anymore. Without mercy, Edward orders us to do squats. His specific wording is to do so until we drop.

And drop I do. After another half hour of squatting my body weight up and down, I can't stand anymore. My arms have recovered a bit and I have regained the feeling in my fingers. And this training isn't even halfway through.

You evidently focused on one specific set of muscles and you seem to be exercising it an awful lot. Isn't that right, Navi?

<...>

Seems even you take a while to figure out a joke made at your expense.

I didn't call you that. I only insinuated something. The fact that you blew up over it like this says much more than my insinuation.

Too bad you already did then.

Maybe I should swap my drink with Arthur's?

I thought Arthur was here to learn the enhancement series skills?

"Get in the ring. Both of you attack me. Whoever gets a hit can take a thirty-second break."

Edward announces the proceedings and leaps into the boxing ring with ease. I move to climb into the ring after him but Arthur remains where he is.

"Trainer, what about weapons. I need to have a sword!"

"This isn't weapon training. Come at me barehanded."

Grudgingly Arthur enters the ring and positions himself in front of Edward. Since Edward announced this as somewhat of a team fight I walk behind him so that Arthur and I can go for a pincer attack.

Edward slightly angles his head and eyes me with a clever glint in his eyes. It feels like he's complimenting me for my positioning while simultaneously telling me it will be useless against him.

It might be useless but I'll try it anyway. I rush towards Edward's back while Arthur is still hesitating and attempt to grapple him. My current stamina is crap so the only strategy I can think of is to pin him down. Mind you I have zero knowledge of how to do so but I reckon tackling and grabbing him might work.

As I arrive behind him I stretch out my arms in an effort to grab him as hard as I can. Edward keeps his eyes on Arthur so I might be able to at least get ahold of him. The moment I think I have him he dives under my left arm swings around me and slightly shoves me. My momentum carries me forward while my legs aren't where they should be so I fall face-first onto the boxing ring floor.

I feel a slight weight land on my back. Edward is standing on my back still facing Arthur. I have been demoted to nothing but an elevated platform for him to stand on.

I can see that Arthur is intimidated by how fast I kissed the floor after going for Edward's back. His hand moves to his side where usually a sword would hang but grasps only thin air.

"You shouldn't rely too much on your weapon. If you lose it during a fight no enemy will give you the time to retrieve it. You'll die before you reach it."

Arthur wears a face of disgust as if the mere thought of losing his weapon was preposterous. However, something in his expression tells me that he lost his sword before and it didn't end well for him.

Since Edward is standing on my back talking to Arthur I attempt another sneak attack. I push my arms below myself and flip over onto my belly.

Edward doesn't lose his balance as I had imagined. Instead of keeping his balance, he jumps up and lands on my chest. As he lands with much more force than last time the air is pushed out of my lungs.

Arthur finally decides to make himself useful and charges at Edward with a shrill scream. Nice war cry you got going there, bud.

Unlike me who tried to tackle Edward, Arthur tries to kick him. Edward is a short old man so despite Arthur's inexperience in kicking his foot still reaches for Edward's face.

However, before the immaculate and sporty shoe that Arthur is wearing can impact Edward's face he grabs it. Arthur struggles to pull free his foot but Edward holds on without much effort.

"This is a training session to enhance your constitution so I apologize but you will have to suffer a bit now. Try to endure and fight back."