I wake up fairly early, I pick up my phone and check the time, it's 8:45, I open up the bank app to check how much i have so far. I’ve saved up about 2,500 credits so far. The game unit costs a hefty 5000 credits. So much that the average family can't afford to have one straight away though it’d go down later on. I gotta get in there early if I want a head start.

I eat some breakfast and get dressed getting ready to head out. There's a martial arts centre about 15 minutes by bus from where I live right now. Which is fairly run down apartment on the quieter part of town. I have to go through the ‘red light district’ of the city I live in to get to my job.

I go down to the local martial centre, it takes me two stops on the bus to get there. I get of the bus and sit down. I sit in a seat in an isolated corner of the bus, it's fairly empty due to it being so early that most people won't be using it but after the rush to work or school.

I get off the bus after the ride and approach the entrance to the centre and a group of men in the yard of the centre are practicing sword stances in navy blue uniforms. I don't really know how to describe the sword techniques but I think it looks quite efficient, they aren’t wasting any movements on excess actions. At least from i can tell anyway. All of them are quite burly.

I didn't want to waste anymore time watching them practice so i decided to enter the centre and sign up for a martial arts course of my choosing, i'm hoping to pick up a sword technique to use with my character. Obviously someone who can use a sword would do better than someone who can’t.

I approach the man at the counter the guy standing at the counter was massive. Definitely at least a heads taller than the practitioner's training out at the front he's even broader too. He looks about 27 and has a stubble. His facial structure is rugged and his eyebrows are bushy. He has black hair kinda like a mix of Guile and Lt. Surge which almost makes me burst out laughing.

“Hi boss, you lookin’ to join our humble dojo? A membership’ll be 35 credits a month and you can join one of the classes the instructors teach and use the gym as you please. Whadda ya say?”

To be honest his speech caught me off guard because it’s exactly as you would expect from a guy who looks like that. I almost burst out laughing again and I think he can tell from my face.

“Uh yeah, I wanted a membership and I was wondering if you have any instructors that teach practical swordsmanship martial arts. Nothing like kendo that's more about stances and sparring.” I say as i transfer the credits over to the register that’s in front of him.

“No problem boss’” he smiles after the payment comes through. “I have the perfect art for you, though i should say now. It’s not what i’d call for the feint of heart, If you have any regrets i’d back out now if i were you kid.”

“Ah, sorry. No can do friend, I don’t particularly enjoy ‘defeat’ not that i’ve ever had to suffer it before. So, do your job and bring me to the class. Please.” I smile at him.

“You got it, kid. My names Ajax Swan” He smiles back.

Jesus christ he’s a walking stereotype i swear i’ll fucking lose it.

He leads me to a room towards the back of the facility that seems more worn down than the rest of the centre. He doesn’t say anything the entire walk.

We enter the room and he flicks on a light, the room is somewhat old and not the same sleekness and futuristic feel the rest of the centre has.

He throws me a stick and says;

“You just have to hit my body using it then you can start learning how to wield the sword.”

It takes me a moment to process what he’s just said and exclaim

“Wait, you're the teacher of this class?”

He looks at me with an evil grin and says;

“Yeah kid, you got a problem? Didn’cha say about not ever suffering ‘defeat’ or somethin’ like that?”

He readies into a stance.

“Isn’t that a little unfair”

He brushes me off with a laugh and says

“No worries, I won’t hit ya that hard!”

Over the next couple hours i get beaten black and blue and never even get a chance of swinging the stick anywhere near him. He either deflects the stick or dodges it. I notice all of the stances he uses are with one hand but i'm grabbing the stick with two. I tired doing what he did but the stick just got knocked out of my hand.

He finally says “not too shabby for your first day kid. You gotta come back every day from now on if ya wanna keep up with me though. Go get some rest and somethin’ to eat. You gotta be wiped out eh?

“That’s an understatement, couldn’t you have gone a bit easier on me?”

“Goin’ easy? That's the same as quittin’! No way, kid.”

I sigh

“well then fine, i'll be back tomorrow”

He pats my shoulder and says

“that's the spirit kid, now go get some rest. We’ll be doing this again everyday from now on or until you’ve given up”

I glare at him and exclaim “I don't give up”

I say that as i leave the Martial arts centre

I take the bus back home. It started raining.

After i get back in it's only about 4 but it takes me an hour to shower and change.

I eat another pizza today though i should start eating better if i’m doing martial arts.

I suddenly feel exhausted and decide to go to bed early. Especially if i’m going back tomorrow. I’m not sure if my body will hold up.