Crane Quests: John Smith Edition

A couple weeks passed, with John training day in and day out to improve his abilities. He trained everything he could. Thousands of push-ups, sit-ups, squats, lunges, lifts, and more to beef up his already tremendous strength. Hours on end of flying around, trying to become just as agile in the air as he was on the ground. He spent a good chunk of his time trying to improve his ki's effectiveness. It still wasn't much, but it definitely helped. Now he could interchangeably use his ki and his fists, which would definitely help in any battle. John ran dozens, if not hundreds, of miles over the two week time period. He pushed himself to run a mile further each day, helping increase his endurance and agility. As the two weeks came to an end, John physically felt better than ever before. He was stronger, he had more endurance, and he was ready to go. Now he just needed to challenge Mercenary Tao.

The sun was high in the sky, sending its hot rays upon the Crane School complex. Out in the garden, Master Shen had a class in session, and today seemed to be flight training. John left his room and closed the door behind him, looking down into the garden as he did. Shen noticed his star student and interrupted class just to say something, "Class, behind you is one of the best students here. John, are you still undergoing your intensive training?"

John clenched one of his fists, but quickly released it as he asked, "Where is Mercenary Tao?"

Shen raised his eyebrows, surprised to see somebody was actually seeking out his younger brother, "Oh, do you believe you are finally ready to defeat him?"

The students all looked up at John with wide eyes and awe. Clearly they had heard a lot about him, whether it be from other students or with their own eyes, and they all respected him. It was strange having fans who didn't bother him all the time. Some started whispering to each other, wondering why the guy seemed so uninterested, "Yes," John answered, hopping down from the balcony and into the garden. Everybody stepped back, giving John some space to fight. And he was going to fight. John told himself before he left his room that he would not lose again, no matter how much pain his body was in at the end of it.

Master Shen ran to fetch his brother, and after a few minutes, the two returned to the garden. John, who was back in his hoodie and sweatpants, was stretching. He didn't want to pull a muscle or something during his battle because, well, that would make him lose. Tao smiled at his rival, bowing even as he entered the garden, "Ah, so you challenge me once again. Let's see what you're made of, Mr. Smith."

Tao got in his fighting stance, so John followed suit. He had his hood popped up and pulled tight around his head, which basically showed that John meant business. To start the fight off, John and Tao walked around in a circle, keeping their eyes locked with one another, as fighters tend to do. John took a step in and feigned a punch, pulling back to see Tao react as if he had actually thrown his punch. Mercenary Tao smiled, "Well done, Johnathan. I didn't expec-"

John threw another fake punch, which once again made Tao react, "This is how you fight somebody who knows your gimmick, John. I am more than impress-" John had jumped into the air, and it looked like he was about to flip over Mercenary Tao, so the man turned around with an elbow, but John wasn't there. He looked up to see John floating above him, using his ability of flight to his advantage. Mercenary Tao couldn't help but laugh in amazement. This ordinary person, John Smith, had gone from a pathetic, predictable fighter on the battlefield to a dynamic threat who could attack at any time. He floated back to where he was standing and got back in his fighting stance. It was time to finish things.

Tao also returned to his fighting stance, waiting for his moment to strike. John took a deep breath, exhaled, and threw his punch. Except this time, it wasn't a fake, he actually threw the punch. He over extended, even, sending himself stumbling across the garden. Tao did not stop him because this time, when John threw his punch, Mercenary Tao expected another fake. So, instead of reacting to John's punch, he reacted to what he expected the man to do. Tao had leaped forward to where John was standing, so when he came up empty with his attack, he was more than surprised. Mercenary Tao turned around to see John Smith pointing his index finger at him. Then the hero said one word,

"Dodonpa."

An orange beam was unleashed from John's finger, which flew forward and pierced through his opponent's chest. Mercenary Tao looked down at his chest, saw the hole that had been made, saw the blood trickling out, and gasped. Then he crumpled over on the ground, unconscious. John had done it. He had defeated his greatest rival yet: Mercenary Tao.