A Lewd Cultivator in Brockton Bay 13: Training (for May) (Patreon)

A Lewd Cultivator in Brockton Bay
Chapter 13: Training (for May)

-VB-

“Don’t pull your punches, Amy,” I instructed her as I took her right jab into my palm without a flinch. To the role of a professional boxing coach that I had donned to help train Amy, this kind of spar was nothing. “It’s better to sweat now then to bleed later.” It felt great to share this kind of training with someone.

Sweaty and sexy Amy dressed in only a tight tank top didn’t feel so great. “You keep saying that!” she growled and punched forward with her fist with all her might for a single straight punch. This fist hit the same palm again, and I again felt nothing. My body was just that hard. “I don’t even feel strong!” 

I raised an eyebrow before throwing a casual jab her way, and she dodged.

From the side, Victoria Dallon whistled in appreciation. “Damn, sis. That’s a pretty fast punch, and you dodged it just like that,” she said and snapped her finger at the end. 

Amy blushed and grumbled underneath her breath to Vicky and my snickering. 

The truth of the matter was that Amy had a very good progression rate. Even though it’s only been a week since her “conversion,” she was well on her way to achieving her first breakthrough. 

Part of me wondered if this was the norm for breakthroughs or if Amy was influenced by my energy to achieve such a thing. I did give her a lot of my energy to open her channels, so it was possible that enough of it remained in her to bolster her own progression.

It also helped Amy that Vicky and I were willing to push her physically. 

From Amy’s perspective, the previous week had been a double entendre of physical exercise, one that took place in my bedroom and in the basement.

Her breakfasts also helped in that I used many ingredients that were traditionally known for possessing a lot of energy, not just calories. Even then, if I had to calculate the calories alone, then I would have to say that Amy was eating as much as a soldier would. 

It was just how hard I pushed her. 

Amy, however, didn’t complain aside from a few quips like the one she just threw at me. As she had confessed to me, she was tired of being just the healer, of staying in the sidelines, of waiting and being weak.

She took to the training with gusto, but it didn’t mean it wasn’t hard.

“Alright, we’re stopping here today,” I said as I took a step back without a single drop of sweat on me. 

Amy finally stopped and fell backward on her bum, making her boobs jiggle deliciously, and groaned in exhaustion. She didn’t even talk, just sat there gasping for breath.

“My turn!” Vicky said as she “bunny-hopped” to the training mat. Amy waved her in before crawling away on all her fours. Dramatic. 

Vicky stood where Amy stood mere seconds ago and took a boxing stance. She twisted her body to the right, narrowing the target her body made, and then she bounced her feet in place.

I already knew that Vicky was a capable fighter who had been trained.

Unfortunately, I beat her trainer with relative ease even before my latest breakthrough.

“Powers?”

She paused before grinning. “Out of bounds loses?”

“Sure.”

My basement was big enough for a bit of a tumble.

I glanced at Amy, and made sure that she was far away enough from the padded floors. 

“Give us a signal, Ames!” Vicky shouted.

“Go,” my girlfriend grunted without preamble. 

Vicky was in my face in a second, and I was already dodging. 

I spun vertically, delivering a powerful spin kick to her sternum. I heard her shield shatter mutely, and Vicky came down to the ground with wide eyes. 

“Hot damn,” she mumbled. “I didn’t know you were that strong,” she said. Then she engaged me again, flying. 

‘Her shield’s recharge is invisible,’ I noted mentally before dodging again.

But this time, Vicky tried an aerial maneuver of her own in which she lashed out with a hit-and-run punch as she flew by. I took the hit to my palm and skidded back, making grooves in the padded floor. 

With a vicious I didn’t expect, Vicky charged me. It wasn’t, however, a charge intended to down an enemy in one clean hit. 

It was a glancing shot meant to distract. To prolong the fight.

‘I mean, a spar like this wouldn’t be fun if we all went down in one hit,’ I thought in agreement with her action even as I intentionally stood in the path of her charge - much to her surprise - and delivered my fastest knee strike to her abdomen as she passed above me. 

She’d learned from my last attack and had her guard up. Regardless, my attack shattered her shield again, and she landed in a roll. 

Outside of the padded ground.

She looked down and groaned. “Damn it,” she grumbled as she stood up and then huffed. “No one’s beaten me like that before.”

I grinned. “You haven’t met a Brute capable of proper martial arts, then.”

She waved me away irritably. “Whatever.”

I paused. “Is something wrong?”

She didn’t answer, just heading over to Amy’s side and sitting down. “...Yeah.”

“What’s wrong?” Amy asked as she put her hand on her sister’s exposed arm. She frowned. “I don’t see anything wrong but your stress levels are high.”

“They would be fucking high,” Vicky growled, though it wasn’t directed at anyone here. “Because I’m fucking stuck doing nothing while people from outside of the goddamn city comes to fight on behalf of my sister!” 

Ah.

“The Empire’s not going to be playing easy in this conflict, Victoria,” I said firmly. “And I think I showed you exactly how easily your weakness, once discovered, could be put to stop you.” I frowned. “If the likes of Victor were especially smart enough, then all he needs to do is double tap you with a pistol. With his known skills, that would be easy enough.” 

Unsaid were the words that lack of information on Victoria’s weakness and Unwritten Rules probably kept the man from doing exactly that. 

Unfortunately, the Unwritten Rules were being thrown out of the window right now, and chaotic battlefields were the prime locations to get hit from multiple directions. 

Vicky froze before deflating. “I know.”

“I’m just happy you’re with us,” Amy said, trying to soothe her sister.

“Alright, let’s go at it again then, Vicky,” I said. “This time, no powers. Just skills.”

She looked up at me for a moment before sardonic grinning. “You realize I can’t exactly turn my power off, right?”

“Then it’s a good thing that I can take a hit or two,” I replied with a vicious grin. “Don’t be surprised if I down you more than you down me.”

“Oh, you’re on! I’m going to show you what hero-ing for years got me!”

Amy sighed in exasperation. “I’m surrounded by meatheads.”

“And proud of it!” I cackled.

To my surprise, Vicky downed me first, but I made up for that by winning more bouts in the end.

However, as Vicky flew home after the training session, I couldn’t help but feel that disaster would soon come to me, much sooner than the expected May Leviathan attack.

… For the first time since I arrived in this reality in this body, I went to the lowest basement floor, and then went a floor lower, hidden from any casual observer.

And I found the power armor - one that I hadn't even checked up on after choosing the option in the CYOA - hidden within that layer and readied it for the troubles to come.

(It was a smart move because I got attacked two days after).