“Coach Winters are you sure you will spar with me? I have no experience yet.” Asher wanted to find a way to get out of this but everywhere he looked the other students were still with their own partners completely immersed and focused.

“So what? Your body should have some instinct to it as long as you have more brain cells than that kid from before. Now get in a stance!” Coach Winters raised her hands ready to block any attacks that came.

Asher bent his knees and copied a popular boxing stance he had seen on television. He knew that he should never cross his legs and to remain on the balls of his feet. Other than those two things he was completely in the dark.

He took some steps forward getting closer to coach Winters who was bouncing foot to foot. Her actions showed that she was well seasoned in this kind of fight. Asher threw out his left fist as quickly as he could aiming for her face. His fist hit nothing but air and instead he found that coach Winters had sidestepped the attack and took another step inwards. She was right up in his face now, he was unable to pull back his fist in time. She arched her arm out and stuck her leg behind him tripping him on his butt and holding his back to the mat.

“Get back up, the fight isn’t over until you subdue your opponent!” She was already back bouncing side to side looking for her next opening. Asher felt embarrassed being so easily taken down. He had never fought before, all he knew how to do was get beaten up and left in an alley or behind the school to crawl home.

He decided to use some of the tricks the bullies he had in his other world had always used. He pretended to ready his foot for a kick but instead stomped it down making a loud noise and punched out with his right fist. Again it only hit air, but coach Winters seemed little happier with his actions and did not take him down again. “Better, use your head, if you are in a real battle it is not about strength but your mental capacity.”

With this she started to move in a complicated foot pattern keeping Asher spinning in place to keep up with her. He had no chance to even react to her the way things were going. “Ugh stop moving!” Asher thrust out in annoyance trying to stop her. The result was a firm push forcing him to stumble back.

“Really? I barely did anything and you are already getting annoyed? The second you lose your cool I win!” Coach Winters pushed in to take him down again, she was using the same strategy as before to back trip Asher. This time however Asher wanted to counter it. He reached out to grab her arm but was unable to step away from her leg.

Asher had still been recovering from the beginning push from a few moments ago and completely lost his balance. He fell dragging coach Winters down too. He did not release her arm and as the two fell the unprepared coach Winters landed face first on the mat. Asher was on his side still holding coach Winters’s arm which was now bent behind her back. “You thought you could lie to me and say you lack experience!? Get ready to run, your little stunt has just put the entire class on laps for the rest of the class. Listen up everyone owes me ten laps right now!”

“What? Now wait I just slipped and fell-” The glare for coach Winters was enough to silence him. He joined the rest who had jumped in to a running line immediately after hearing the angry roar of coach Winters.

“Asher, how did you do that? Do you practice martial arts at home?” Jane had seen what happened and was very impressed by his obvious skills. Or at least what looked to her to be skills.

“No it was bad luck, I slipped and fell and she ended up like that.” Asher tried to explain but seeing that everyone was looking at him fairly impressed he stopped talking.

Jane got a little closer and whispered in his ear while they ran, “If it was any kind of luck it was good luck. Coach Winters looks pretty happy with you now, you might be her favorite student now.” Asher followed Jane’s gaze and saw that coach Winters had an evil smile on her face while watching him run.

“I may be her favorite in one way…” Asher kept up his running while thoughts of torture ran through his mind, he was definitely going to have a tough time in this class.

With every student covered in sweat and breathing heavily the ten laps around the school had been completed. “You should all get up early and do your own training! If you are serious about this then you should train your bodies. I can only teach you technique. Next class, we will start with how to fall properly. You will all be falling plenty.” Coach Winters left them with that terrifying thought.

“Well isn’t she great, she already cares about us so much that she will show us how to fall without getting hurt.” Jane believed every word coach Winters had just said in the most positive light. The other students just looked at her like she had just spouted the world’s craziest conspiracy theory.

The class went to change and clean up, they all had two more periods left in the day. The unfortunate Art showed up just before the bell would ring to change. He walked a little funny making the male students say a silent prayer for his manhood.

“You look a little better Art!.” Asher went up to him after they had changed to see how he was.

“Ha! I am fit as a fiddle.” Art tried to stand a little taller and wince bending his knees back a little. He was not as fit as he tried to show.