Chapter 13: Donkey

After class.

Ren Takeda and Yumi Fuyuzora arrived at Muteki Dojo, holding hands. As they stepped inside, Yumi quickly pulled her hand away.

Ren glanced at her, "What's wrong, Yumi?"

She sighed, "It's nothing, but if Grandpa Genzou sees us like this, he might get mad and chase you around the dojo, claiming it's part of your training."

Ren smirked, "So what? It's not like I'm scared of him."

Just as he reached for her hand again, they heard Sho-sensei's calm voice, "Oh, here you are, Ren."

Yumi dashed away, leaving Ren scratching his head before he turned to Sho with a smile, "Yeah, sensei, let's start today's training."

"Follow me," Sho replied, leading him inside.

In the training hall, Ren noticed a stone dummy about his height, wearing a gi on its upper half.

"What's this thing?" Ren asked.

"It's my special training tool," Sho explained.

Curious, Ren grabbed the dummy by its collar, shifted his leg to unbalance it, lifted it above his head, and slammed it down hard.

"Hah, it's heavy, but that was easy," Ren said with a smug grin.

Sho glanced at Ren, then at the statue, "It's heavy because it's made of stone, but if it was easy, take a closer look."

Ren's eyes widened when he saw cracks spiderwebbing across the dummy.

"You used too much strength. If that had been a real opponent, they'd be in the hospital now," Sho said calmly.

Ren swallowed nervously, "What? I didn't even use that much force."

Sho shook his head, "You think you didn't, but your body says otherwise."

Sho lifted the dummy and set it upright again. "I'll show you how to throw without relying on brute strength. First, find your opponent's center of mass, usually around the belly button. By applying force at the right points, you can throw them without needing much power."

As he spoke, Sho positioned his hand near the dummy's center, tapped its leg with his foot, and guided its head with his other hand.

The dummy spun gracefully in the air five times before landing on its feet, unharmed.

Sho turned to Ren, "I know you can do this, but your goal is to do it without breaking the dummy. If you can't, you'll follow my training to learn control."

"Understood, sensei," Ren replied.

Following Sho's instructions carefully, Ren managed to spin the dummy three times before it landed standing.

"How's that, sensei?" Ren asked, grinning.

Sho walked up to the dummy and gently tapped its head with a finger, causing it to fall apart.

"Looks like you did well enough," Sho said.

Ren stood there confused, "I used the least strength possible. How did it still break?"

Sho sighed, "Take a tire, head to Gyoen Park, and run laps while dragging Batu on it."

Ren's eyes widened, "Wait, Batu-sensei? You know he weighs over a hundred kilos, right?"

"One hundred twenty, to be exact," Sho corrected him calmly. "That's your punishment for breaking my dummy. Now go."

Ren didn't argue and went to find Batu.

Meanwhile, Ryoga approached Sho, "Why'd you let the dummy break?"

Sho replied, "Ren needs to learn that uncontrolled strength can hurt others, especially in a fight."

Ryoga crossed his arms, "True, but did you notice? He pulled off a technique even experienced fighters take years to learn, and he did it on his first try."

Sho's eyes softened, "Yes, Ren is the most naturally gifted student I've ever seen."

Elsewhere, Ren found Batu and shouted, "Batu-sensei, I need your help!"

Batu appeared suddenly, "Yes, Ren! What do you need me for?"

Ren scratched his head, "Could you sit on this tire so I can drag you to Gyoen Park for training?"

Batu grinned, "Oh, you want to take me for a stroll around town? Sure I will help!"

Batu sat on the tire happily, and Ren began running while dragging him, thinking, "I'm stronger than I used to be, but here I am, dragging a 120-kilo man around like a donkey... damn it!"

After several exhausting laps around Gyoen Park, Ren returned to Muteki Dojo, panting heavily.

"Huff... huff... I never thought running could be this tiring," Ren gasped.

Sho nodded, "Good. Feel that exhaustion, and don't worry about your strength. We'll figure out a way to help you control it."

Ren smiled, despite his fatigue. "Thank you, sensei."