Chapter XXXIV – Natural Talent

With a deep breath and the inability to move, as Irene still laid on top of Arthur, he opened his eyes realizing that last night wasn’t a dream. For the first time in a while, he woke up in a place other than his bed.

Carefully turning his head towards her, he noticed that she had gotten more comfortable. Her leg straddled his making them intertwined while holding him tightly with her left arm, peacefully resting on his shoulder.

He found her sleepy face to be overly cute if not outright beautiful. She looked relaxed and blissful. Part of him wanted to get up since the sun was out, but at the same time, he didn’t want to wake her up nor break apart this moment.

Just a few more minutes. . .

Arthur closed his eyes and leaned his head against hers before drifting back to sleep.

Yawning deeply, Irene unintentionally pressed down on Arthur’s body harder, shaking him awake. Opening his eyes again, he saw Irene gazing at him. Realizing that she woke him up, Irene understood that there was no way to make excuses for their current situation, so she decided to just play it cool.

“Good morning,” she whispered while hardly keeping her head up. “Sleep well?”

She carefully pulled her leg away from him, but still held her hand on his chest. He could tell that she wanted nothing more than to collapse back down and keep on sleeping but was trying her hardest not to showcase her bad habits.

“Slept peacefully,” he commented, as that was some of the best sleep he had in a while. Though, maybe not the most comfortable. “What time is it anyway? We’re supposed to meet the others.”

The lighting in the room looked suspiciously different than a few minutes ago, or so Arthur thought. Irene yawned again, pressing down his chest and using him to turn around. She laid back down, resting her head on his shoulder while reaching for his phone which was closer. Yawning as well, Arthur looked up relaxed capable of falling asleep within seconds.

“Shit!” Irene yelled out sitting up in shock.

She managed to snap Arthur out of his mellow mood as he glanced towards her. “What’s wrong?”

“We’re gonna be late! It’s almost noon and we’re supposed to meet up in like twenty minutes. If we leave now, we might make it on time.”

“Oh well. . . They might as well wait up a bit,” Arthur remained chill about the whole situation, but soon found himself grunting in pain as he sat up, clicking his tongue in annoyance.

“You OK?” Irene asked, worriedly turning towards him.

“I just feel a little sore. . .” he explained while trying to move his arm around.

“Sorry, it must’ve been uncomfortable sleeping like that,” she looked at him apologetically.

“I’ll be fine, don’t worry about it.”

Irene made room for Arthur to get up. As there was little time left, they needed to leave right away. Approaching the mirror in the hallway, Irene realized she looked like a mess, having light bags under her eyes and her hair going wild. Though she easily fixed it by tying it into a ponytail, something that Arthur didn’t get to see often but really liked the look of.

“How are you gonna fight with a stiff shoulder? Just move the spar for another day. . .” she insisted as she looked over at Arthur who was still dressed the same as last night. “Even your clothes aren’t properly fitted for it. . .”

He couldn’t help but laugh finding her worry to be nothing short of sweet.

“Thank you,” he said approaching her before taking a look at the mess he was in as well. “Real life never lets you choose the perfect fighting conditions. This spar between Tjay and me is a lot more than just a simple bet. Regardless that we’re friends, we both have something we wish to prove. Once that’s over we’ll be closer than ever, and will have gained newfound respect for one another.”

“Still. . .” she mumbled looking down. “Don’t overdo it. OK?”

Arthur turned to her with a smile. “Alright.”

“I’ll go wash my teeth first, then I suggest you do the same,” she said opening the door to the bathroom.

“But I don’t have my toothbrush with me,” he watched her as she started brushing her teeth, keeping quiet until she was done.

Once she finally spat out for the first time, she turned to him and shook her head. “Obviously, but you can use mine. You skipped out on it last night as well. Sharing once won’t kill us,” she chuckled.

“I guess. . .” he mumbled approaching her slowly.

Cleaning up the brush, and pouring water in a glass for herself, she handed it over to Arthur. It felt strange, but at the same time fun every time Arthur would look into the mirror and see the two of them standing next to each other.

“If you’re overly cautious, you don’t have to. . .” Irene turned and began to massage his shoulder firmly to try and relax the muscles a bit. She was surprisingly skilled at it, as Arthur sighed in relief even if he did feel a bit of pain with every move she made. She watched Arthur sigh before proceeding with it anyway, despite her words. Once he was almost done, she tapped him on the back and proceeded out to the hallway. “Please hurry, I hate being late.”

Few minutes had gone by, and the two finally finished getting ready. Irene took the time to get changed as well, appearing in a sports outfit for the first time, with the addition of a pink hoodie.

“Quite the outfit,” Arthur commented while putting on his shoes.

“These clothes are surprisingly comfortable,” she explained looking at the mirror. “If you’re interested, a light jog might be a good warmup.”

“Sounds good to me,” Arthur said as the two left the apartment.

It was a bit further away than Arthur expected, and surprisingly there was a lot of traffic on the way, but the two did eventually reach the outskirts of the park that they were supposed to meet at.

The sun was out, and the day was hottest by far since Arthur reincarnated.

“Phew. . . It’s been a while since I ran like this. You really like the pick up the pace whenever we’re forced to slow down,” Irene said stretching her back as she took a deep breath.

“Oh? You could’ve just told me to slow down,” Arthur said walking into the park.

The sound of children laughing, dogs barking, and people chatting surrounded them, filling up the place with life. All the flowers that bloomed had their floral scent fill the air, serving as nutrition for the soul itself with its caressingly sweet smell.

“It’s so tranquil here,” Irene whispered with a winsome smile, and her eyes appeared to be almost glowing. “Don’t you sometimes wish that moments like these would never end?”

“I know exactly what you mean. . .”

“Hey!” a loud yell came from their left flank, making them turn towards it as Tjay, Max, and Sophie came into sight.

It was Max’s voice, but Arthur couldn’t help but wonder where the rest were.

“How’s your shoulder?” Irene asked on the way to them, assuming Arthur wished to keep it a secret.

“A bit better, but still sore. Wouldn’t mind another massage if I’m being honest,” Arthur chuckled imagining it.

“Win the fight and you got it.”

He turned to her expecting she was joking, but her eyes were telling the truth.

“Now you’re just edging me to win mercilessly.”

“Had I known it was so easy to motivate you, I would’ve done it much sooner,” she smirked.

Finally, after approaching the rest Arthur noticed that Max was having a hard time with a running nose. Tjay on the other hand looked a bit down, and Sophie kept eyeing the two awfully curious.

“What’s wrong Max?” Arthur asked.

“I forgot my meds. . . I’m allergic as shit to life, and by that I mean pollen. . .”

Arthur wasn’t expecting that at all, as his comment made him chuckle.

“Where the rest at?” Irene asked before looking confused at Sophie who after staring for so long averted her gaze, blushing slightly.

“Nabi is a no-show, and Don hasn’t replied,” Tjay explained.

“Ari had other family obligations she had to take care of,” Sophie explained approaching Irene to give her a welcoming hug.

“What about me?” Arthur asked jokingly as the two embraced.

Sophie looked over Irene’s shoulder and pointed her tongue at him.

“No need to be jealous Art,” Irene teased.

“That’s right. It’s your fault for not answering my call last night,” Sophie played along.

“You little. . .” Arthur sighed with a smirk.

Max looked into the distance while sniffing his snot back, pointing behind Arthur’s back. “Don’s coming. . .”

“Is that also Nabi behind him?” Sophie pointed out squinting her eyes.

“Nabi’s coming?” Tjay asked looking up hopeful. “You’re right, it is. . .”

Tjay sighed, but Arthur could tell that he was beginning to feel much better. It was unfortunate that Arthur wasn’t ready to throw the fight, otherwise, he would’ve allowed Tjay to woo her.

Don stopped, turning and waiting on Nabi. Probably because she called out to him. Approaching the group, Irene and Sophie waved to them, while Max collapsed onto a bench right by them, fighting for his survival.

“Hey guys,” Don said while Nabi simply nodded.

She was obviously still out of it, but she refused to skip out on group gatherings because of Tjay.

“How you feeling Don?” Sophie asked with a compassionate smile.

Don has been having stomach troubles lately and had skipped school for a few days.

“I’m surviving. Wasn’t initially gonna show up, but I was told that it might be good for me to leave the house. You know, get a bit of fresh air and such.”

“Well, it’s good to see you,” Irene spoke up.

“I thought you weren’t gonna show,” Tjay mumbled to Nabi.

She looked at him, but then turned towards Arthur. “Good luck Art.”

“Thanks,” Arthur said warily.

“I deserve that. . .” Tjay mumbled smiling for the first time while cracking his knuckles. “Ready to do this?”

It was almost as if a fire was lit inside him, making Arthur wonder just how infatuated he was with Nabi. There was no point in denying it any longer.

Nabi sighed glancing at Max as she looked through her handbag. Taking out a small box of meds, she approached him. “Take it. . .”

“Huh?” Max mumbled, clearly a bit dizzy.

“Claritin. It’ll help.”

“Thanks,” he said taking the pill and swallowing it without water.

“I had water you know. . .” she mentioned sitting down next to him.

“Blah, I’m used to it. As a kid, I was very impatient while waiting on water, so I started swallowing smaller pills like that without any.”

“Well, it should kick in soon. Hopefully, it helps.”

“Thanks. It’s just annoying, but I’ll survive,” he said pushing himself up as to walk towards Tjay and Arthur. “Alright you two. If we’re gonna watch you fight without interfering, we must set some ground rules. It’s a spar after all.”

“Fine by me,” Arthur said while Tjay nodded.

Sophie sat down next to Nabi. She looked a little bit worried. Even though it was supposed to be friendly, it’s not like she’s used to the idea of her brother fighting.

“So we’ll go with the following,” Max took the initiative, having already thought about it the night before. "No hits to the head or dirty fighting. If I call the fight over, you two stop right away. If someone taps out, you also stop immediately. If you fall to the ground more than twice while the other is still standing, you automatically lose. Also, no punching while someone’s on the ground. You’re allowed only to grapple. And finally, if it’s not safe to continue or if someone else is exposed to the fight, such as a dog running by or kids, you’ll stop immediately. Sounds good?” Arthur and Tjay nod. “The rest of you have anything to add?” Everyone stayed quiet, satisfied with Max’s solution. “Good. Then when you’re ready we’ll start this shit show. . .”

It was hard to believe that the two would end up fighting. They harbored no animosity towards each other, but the eagerness to fight one another wouldn’t disperse otherwise. Not like Tjay would’ve acted out had Arthur refused, but his willingness to go along with it was even more surprising than Tjay’s desire.

Stepping few paces away from one another while stepping onto the grass, they both smiled. Nabi and Sophie turned with their legs underneath the backrest, leaning down on the wooden beams.

“It’ll be fine,” Irene whispered while walking past Sophie, sitting down on the ground with her legs crossed.

Max leaned against a tree that was beside Arthur and Tjay, crossing his arm and glancing back and forth between the two. “Ready?”

Arthur rotated his shoulder a bit, giving Max a nod. Tjay cracked his fingers one last time before bending his knees slightly and extending his right foot forward, an unorthodox fighting stance. Meanwhile, Arthur took no stance at all.

“Ready,” Tjay said with a grin.

Don sat down next to Nabi, surprisingly focused. It was almost as if he was trying to learn how to muster the same confidence the two carried.

Nabi glanced towards him and whispered, “You don’t have to be like those two. . .”

“No, but there’s still lots to learn from them,” Don said sounding surprisingly mature and manly while accepting his flaws.

“Alright, on the count of three,” Max extended his hand forward holding three fingers up.

“Go Oppa!” Sophie cheered, making Irene smile confidently.

There was no way he could afford to let himself lose in front of all his friends.

“Three.”

Arthur took a deep breath.

“Two.”

Slowly he exhaled.

“One. . .”

Tjay bent his knees slightly more, looking as if he was going to dash right away. His posture was quite telling.

“Begin!” Max called out, and as soon as he said it, Tjay took the initiative.

Stepping into range, Tjay mustered a lot of his strength, leaping into the air and throwing a flying kick. Arthur initially planned to block it, but something felt off about it, making him dodge to the side. Tjay flew past him but recovered easily while turning to face Arthur.

Was that Qi?

He wasn’t sure, but he felt it for a brief moment. Looking at Tjay, it didn’t seem like it flowed through him.

“It didn’t look like you were gonna dodge that one,” Tjay said. “Afraid?”

He was clearly taunting, but Arthur had his guard up.

Tjay was surprisingly quick, and if his blows were empowered by Qi then his brute strength which was already naturally high would’ve made sure he won most fights.

Rushing towards Arthur, he threw a couple of jabs and a crescent kick that would surprise even some experienced fighters. His snap and accuracy were impressive, but dodgeable nonetheless.

Arthur sensed no Qi empowering his strikes but still felt uneasy knowing that the initial one potentially did. Due to the difference in fitness, Arthur deemed it too dangerous to lash out yet, but it did leave him wondering how good Tjay’s conditioning was.

“Why is Oppa only dodging?”

“Probably cuz his opponent is swinging around like a monkey,” Nabi said as the memory of Tjay’s words still vexed her.

“He’s grasping Tjay’s ability,” Irene gave her insight. “I’m surprised if I’m being honest.”

The two kept up the pace. Tjay threw countless punches, but Arthur annoyingly dodged everything, even shoulder rolling to the side to avoid a low kick that he simply didn’t wish to block. It looked as if they were watching a choreographed fight.

“Why’s that?” Sophie asked Irene.

“Even if Tjay’s attacks are relentless and lack technique, though not all of them do, it would still be hard to dodge so fluidly and remain calm about it. . . It’s almost as if he can see them all coming.”

“You know a lot about fighting?” Sophie asked looking towards Irene.

“I’ve just watched a lot of it with my dad.”

“I see. . .” Sophie mumbled reverting her attention to the two.

I sense no Qi. . . Could I have been mistaken?

Arthur stood his ground, but Tjay stepped into range and threw an extremely fast overhand strike while gritting his teeth. Arthur planned to parry it but was knocked back even through his guard, as the power behind it was too much to handle with his sore shoulder.

That hurt like hell. . .

Arthur’s whole left side ached, even though he blocked the hit.

There’s no doubt about it. That one had Qi empowering it.

Since he remained on high alert, Arthur was able to notice it being channeled.

“Come on dude,” Tjay kept taunting. “You gonna keep dodging all day? I thought you knew how to fight. You’re making us look bad in front of the girls.”

“Don’t listen to him Art!” Nabi yelled out, agitating Tjay a bit.

It was last second, but I’m sure of it now. I don’t think anyone has taught him how to properly use it though.

The two walked in a circle for a bit while looking for an opening.

He probably has no idea he’s even using it considering how wild it is. However, one doesn’t just instinctively channel it, so there must’ve been someone teaching him without him knowing.

Tjay took the initiative again and threw a few punches, but Arthur once again dodged. However this time, at the end of Tjay’s combination, Arthur stepped into him and shoved him backward, creating quite a bit of distance. His goal was to give him time to analyze how to proceed.

If this was just a normal fight I would’ve gone all out, but it’s not. I should test if he knows how to block Qi strikes.

“Come on!” Tjay became frustrated not being able to land a hit in after what felt like a few agonizing minutes.

He stepped into range once more, but before he could throw a punch, Arthur already threw a counter kick to his shin, empowered by Qi. While he did react to it, the strike still staggered him as he stepped back in pain. It wasn’t a lot of Qi, nor was he using his full power.

”Woah!” Sophie was awed.

“That’s quite the kick. . .” Tjay said grinning, regaining his posture. “One of the strongest I’ve received yet.”

His reaction isn’t telling. . . Maybe he didn’t react in time because he didn’t expect me to utilize Qi as well. I should test once more.

This time Arthur went on the offensive. Stepping slowly into range, he threw a feint that Tjay managed to foresee. However, the follow-up punch, empowered by Qi, was heading straight for Tjay’s stomach. Unsurprising to Arthur, Tjay went to block it. But at the last second he decided against it, dodging backward and almost losing his balance.

That was unexpected.

“That felt dangerous. . .” Tjay stated as he took up his stance again.

Could it be his instincts that told him not to take the blow? Impressive. Regardless of what I think of him, his fighting sense is sharp. He wasn’t using Qi to block either. So it’s safe to assume that he is subconsciously utilizing it on strikes that he pours his emotion into. If someone is teaching him how to use Qi, and he learns proper technique, Tjay will become dangerously strong compared to others I’ve seen.

Arthur rushed him, throwing a roundhouse kick. However, this time he refrained from using Qi. Tjay blocked and attempted to grapple his leg, but Arthur bounced his leg off of Tjay’s guard and stepping into it, threw a follow-up turning back kick which landed straight on Tjay’s chest. The power of it knocked him back once again and left him out of breath for a second.

“You’re quick. . .” Tjay gritted his teeth.

It’s dangerous to let him hit me with Qi strikes. Even if I can block them, I haven’t really bothered cultivating much so my supply of it is relatively low. Besides, I don’t know how much shock my body can handle. I should end this quickly. . .

The girls were amazed by the display, while Don was shocked to recognize some of the moves Arthur threw due to games.

“Did Arthur train martial arts?” Don asked Sophie.

“Not to my knowledge. . .”

I can’t risk injuring him with serious strikes, so the best way to deal with this is-

Tjay approached him, throwing a straight punch again. Arthur noticed that it wasn’t empowered, thus grabbed his wrist and placed his leg between Tjay’s, throwing him over the shoulder. Once prone, Arthur took a step back from Tjay.

Knockdowns. . . I just need three of them.

Max wasn’t impressed, considering he saw Arthur fight Jeon Sung-Ho and his posse.

Tjay got back up. He took a deep breath and took a wide stance.

What’s he doing?

Arthur wondered as his stance made no sense. However, his question was soon answered as Tjay attempted to tackle him.

While his reaction time was quick, he wasn’t as fast-footed to completely get out of the way. Instead, he chose to let Tjay succeed his tackle, but not before he raised his foot to the point where the sole of his shoe was resting on Tjay’s stomach. As they hit the ground, he empowered himself and used Tjay’s forward momentum to throw him off.

Tjay landed on his back but ended up shoulder rolling to his feet while Arthur did a kick-up to recover.

It was hard to call it a knockdown, but Tjay didn’t care much for a point, unlike Arthur.

I don’t want to let him take me down to the ground in these clothes. They’re already pretty restricting.

Didn’t help that his shoulder was hurting.

Arthur moved in closer, throwing a strike at Tjay which he easily dodged. However, the purpose of that strike was to grapple on return, as Arthur grabbed Tjay by the shoulder and the collar of his shirt before placing his foot behind him and throwing him onto the ground. It was clear that Tjay wasn’t a grappler.

“That’s two,” Arthur said taking a step back.

Tjay got back up and slammed himself on the chest. It was clear that he was excited.

He’ll probably protest this victory, but it’s a victory nonetheless.

Tjay approached carefully. He was wary about being thrown again. The crowd remained quiet, but some people walking around couldn’t help but glance towards Arthur and Tjay.

Arthur wasn’t going to let this go on, so he stepped in and threw a low kick. Tjay dodged out of the way, but with his sloppy footwork, Arthur channeled his Qi followed up with a drive-through kick that intended to shove him prone rather than injure him. Trying to block it was pointless as his balance was off and the power behind it was immense.

Tjay hit the ground for the third time.

“The winner is Arthur!” Max yelled out as the rest cheered. “No fucking surprise. . .” he mumbled to himself.

Arthur approached Tjay, half expecting him to complain, but gave him a hand to get back up regardless. “Good fight.”

Tjay sighed before grabbing Arthur’s hand. Once he got back on his feet he smiled and grabbed Arthur by the shoulders. “That was fucking awesome!”

Not what I was expecting. . .

“Nobody ever managed to dodge all of my hits. Man, it’s so infuriating not being able to land a single hit in! Where’d you learn how to fight?”

His question left Arthur in an awkward situation as the rest approached wondering the same.

“Seems I’ve always known how to fight. The memory of it stayed with me, the same way I remembered Korean and English.”

His answer removed suspicion, but everyone wondered why he hid it, or how he learned it. However, they weren’t going to get answers from him since he had no recollection of his past.

“Damn, imagine if Arthur decided to retaliate against those who bullied him in the past. School would’ve been so much different by now,” Max said as Tjay nodded, considering the possibility. “You were so angry in the past as well. Must’ve taken quite a bit of restraint not to bash their heads in. . .”

“Regardless, you’ve gained my respect,” Tjay said.

“Not like you need it,” Nabi threw a punch out but felt guilty about it right away. “Sorry. . .”

Tjay let it slide, but the awkwardness between them intensified.

“Well, well, well. . . It seems I’ve won my bet,” Irene chuckled. “Tjay, I’ll be sure to send you your weekend tasks.”

“Oh no. . .” Tjay sighed.

“Don’t forget about the other half of the bet. . . I expect you to behave,” Arthur pointed out.

The rest started laughing at the idea of a behaved Tjay.

“Fine! But if I do this properly, I want a rematch one day.”

“You’ll do it regardless cuz you lost the fight. However, if you behave and do it diligently, I might consider a rematch one day.”

“Good enough for me I guess.”

“Congrats on winning,” Irene said as she tapped Arthur on the shoulder gently.

“Oppa was awesome!” Sophie was by far the most excited.

“Well, I’m off you guys. . .” Nabi mentioned. “Was fun to see, but we got homework so I gotta leave early.”

“I should probably go rest as well,” Don mentioned.

“Fine, I’ll go with you to make sure you’re alright,” Tjay said.

“You just wanna crash at his place and play video games all day, don’t you?” Max exposed him.

“Nuh-uh!” Tjay protested, but it was obvious.

“Don’t worry I’ll ruin his fun,” Irene grinned. “Anyway. . . Max, you heading home?”

“Ye, why?”

“I’m supposed to meet Iseul once we’re done here, so I was thinking we could go together.”

“Sure.”

“Sophie, wanna come with?” Irene asked. “We are gonna go shopping.”

“Ah, I already told Ari that I’d meet her at her place at three.”

“Why don’t the two of you join us then? Nabi, you’re free to join us if you find the time.”

“Maybe later,” Nabi answered.

“I’ll ask Ari once we meet up, and then you can message me where you’re at if that’s OK with you.”

“Sure. Let’s go Max.”

“Ye, ye. . .” he mumbled as his nose finally settled down.

As everyone went their own way, Arthur sighed relieved.

“So. . .” Sophie mumbled. “You and Irene?”

“Stop. Nothing happened,” he glanced towards her shaking his head.

“Mm-hmm. . .”

Chapter End.

Thank you for reading.