Power Up

Chapter 3 ~ Strength

Magnum took a full-strength swing from Jack's bat on his right shoulder and a powered-up punch from Ash on his left without flinching. Magnum moved both arms at once, quickly separating them to their respective sides and sending Jack and Ash flying to the warehouse's walls. They recovered as soon as they had fallen and charged again at Magnum. Before they could reach him, Magnum seemed to vanish into thin air. Ash felt a rush of air go past him and shifted his power into his back right as Magnum kicked him forward. Ash flew face-first toward Jack, so he flipped forward while moving power into his feet and legs, putting his feet on the ground and slowing down while sliding at Jack. Jack hopped to the side and threw his bat at Magnum, who held out a gloved hand, stopping the bat and letting it fall to the ground. Hoping to defend himself before Magnum's next attack, Jack pulled the bat to him with both hands. Before he could catch it, however, Ash jumped in front of him and caught the bat.

"Let me try something," Ash spoke before Jack had the chance to complain.

Magnum casually walked in the direction of the two boys and said, "Be careful you don't damage his bat. I could never use weapons without spending a lot on making them more durable." Was he seriously strong enough to break a bat just by using it himself? After seeing what he's capable of today, that didn't come as much of a surprise.

Once Magnum was close enough, Ash leaped at him, slamming the bat downward onto his right shoulder. A thud could be heard from one end of the warehouse to the other. After a moment of pause, Magnum swiftly grabbed the bat and tossed it to the side, Ash still holding onto it.

"I have to admit, I felt that one, though I'm surprised that bat is still in shape." After landing on his feet, Ash looked down at the bat, which appeared to be the same as before. "An impact hard enough to feel through this coat should have at least put a dent in that bat."

Magnum jogged to Ash, who spun around while swinging the bat. Ash poured power into the bat and his hands while Magnum threw a punch. The bat and fist collided with a loud crack, but neither moved.

After a moment of silence, Magnum dropped his fist to his side and said, "Now that's interesting. Very impressive, Ash. In that short amount of time, you managed to hypothesize what you could do with your Flair and put that thought into action. Now tell me, what did you do?"

"Just as you say. After you commented on the bat not being damaged, I figured my Flair must have kept it intact, so I focused on powering up the bat to protect myself."

"Very interesting," Magnum says before turning toward Jack, "You have any surprise tricks like that?"

"Ash saw me pull myself to the ceiling earlier, but that's about it," Jack responded.

"That is interesting. In most fights, you two would make a good duo. Ash is very aggressive and Jack sits back to defend. You both fight very differently, but you complement each other. The more you think, the more you can assist one another in combat, but you're still both competent fighters without the other." Magnum's words inspired Ash and Jack. "Of course, you'd both play more defensive or aggressive based on the situation, but you each tend to lean one way more than the other."

"Can we practice more?" Ash asked.

"Yes, I want to see you two use each other's strengths more. Show me." Magnum returned to where he originally started and waited for Ash and Jack to be ready. Without anyone saying anything, the two boys ran straight for Magnum.

Before reaching Magnum, Jack threw his bat, which Magnum deflected. When Jack pulled the bat back, Ash jumped in front and caught it again. Without explanation, Ash whipped the bat at Magnum, sending it flying way faster than Jack ever had before. Magnum put his arms up to block his face, and the bat thudded against them and slightly bounced off without any damage. Jack pulled the bat back again and caught it himself this time. When Magnum lowered his arms, Ash was already directly in front of him. Instead of simply fighting back as he had before, Magnum fought defensively, blocking and smacking away the punches Ash launched at him. Instead of constantly moving the power in his arms, Ash kept them both equally powered up, though it probably made his punches a little weaker than ordinarily possible. However, after a couple more punches, Ash moved the power from his arms all into his right leg as he roundhouse kicked Magnum's left side. Magnum flinched a little and took a step back. He raised his right foot and kicked it straight forward, launching Ash back toward Jack. Luckily, Ash realized what Magnum was doing before he did it, so he powered up his midsection to protect himself. Jack dodged Ash once again, but Magnum instantly appeared in front of him while Ash flew past them.