Scrap Metal Philosophy 20 (Patreon)

Scrap Metal Philosophy

Chapter 20

-VB-

Taylor gasped like a drowning pig as she tried to stand up.

Training never stopped despite the fact that she became a recognized independent hero. If anything, then her training got even more intense than before.

Before she became a cape, he just made her run, sit-up, push-up, and all of those other muscle and cardio exercises.

Now, he was actively trying to punch her while completely armored up.

“You’re slowing down,” Alan told her in an almost dead voice as he zoomed right up to her with his fist already half-way to striking her in the stomach, again.

She rolled left and out of the way of the air shrieking punch. She knew that it was technically “harmless,” because the metal fists had something called inertia absorbers, but it didn’t change the fact that the first time she got hit by one of those, she skidded across a dozen yards!

She didn’t want to get hit and end rolling like a ragdoll!

Ducking and weaving, she did everything she could even as her body screamed at her for training for three hours without stopping. She winced when one of his fists sailed against her cheeks, cutting a line into her mask. She rolled away from that, because falling and rolling was the only thing currently ingrained in her body. She was too tired to think, too tired to move, and falling and rolling was the least “tiresome” thing she was doing.

He spun around and she tried to dodge.

CRACK!

She finally got hit. She gagged as she felt spit just get kicked out of her mouth even though she got hit in her stomach! She flew away, bouncing on the raw concrete ground, leaving smudges of blood behind her where her bones hit the ground with skin between the two.

When she didn’t get up, Alan took two steps toward her.

“Heroes die when they stop moving, Taylor,” he hissed through his helmet’s voice modulator. “Are you a dead hero, Taylor? Are you going to watch your dad die in front of you?”

She gritted her teeth as Alan tried to use Dad against her. She slammed her hand down on the ground and pushed up. Her arm trembled like they never did before and she rose up only an inch at a time.

“Bleed now so you will not see blood later,” he demanded. “So get up or regret watching someone die later.”

“aaarrRRRGGGHHH!!!!” she screamed as she pushed herself up to her knees.

And then collapsed backward.

She could barely stay awake, and she looked up at Alan who stood looming over her.

“Good enough, I suppose. Still, get up and stretch those legs.”

Asshole.

-VB-

Taylor whimpered as Dad pressed a patch on her back and the self-sticking patch applied a cool feeling across where it touched.

But it smelled so strongly of herbs and pine! She was nearly gagging at how strong it was!

“This is some good stuff your mom used to use back in the day,” Dad said with a hum, and she stopped reacting to the smell. “The smell might be a little strong, but it definitely cools your muscles and helps with aches, and you look like you need it.”

Dad had convinced her to do so, and she supposed that it was helping something.

She had a bunch of these patches on her already: one each on her thighs, one each on her shoulder blades, and three put together running down her mid to lower back.

“He’s really running you to the ground, huh?”

“Yeah,” she said before wincing as she rose up.

On top of this, she needed to patrol today and tomorrow as well around the Docks.

“But he’s not wrong to do this. On top of that, you asked for it.”

She did. She asked him to train her, and he was training her as if he was training her to become a soldier.

“If that bitch Miss Militia went through this, then you too can get through this!”

She hated it when he made sense because he’d use it that against her to make her run herself ragged.

“It is not just about fighting! It is about fighting well, fighting tactically, and fighting logically!”

Which meant she had to react faster, strike harder, endure more, and run longer than anyone her size should be able to without power.

“Don’t sit still when you are done exercising! Walk around, stretch those muscles, and never let them bunch up! You will regret it if you do!”

She gritted her teeth and walked around the living room because she knew that he was right. She stretched her legs, reached for her toes, and moved her body even as it screeched in pain.

It was a slog every day, but she’d get through it because that’s what it meant to be a hero.

“Don’t forget to do your homework.”

Damn it.

-VB-

A/N: because it makes no sense for Taylor to be competent if she doesn't train, and you bet I'd train anyone I consider my apprentice. None of my employees leave my business without at least knowing how to properly do their jobs.