The course syllabus wasn’t going to complete itself, so today, Ash went up earlier than usual to finish his exercise and breakfast before heading to the arena to prepare. His old sparring partner, Red, soon joined him afterward.

The arriving campers would see Red doing some warm-up stretching while Ash, who already finished his warm-up, was juggling three peaches which he promptly wrapped up as soon as he became the center of attention. “Hey there, gal pal. It’s me, ya boy.” Today Ash wore a green jumpsuit which he rolled the trousers up to his knees and a pair of sandals. Muramasa and Sarutobi were strapped on his back instead of his hip as usual. Red walked away from him toward the sword racks. “Today, we’re gonna learn and practice how to use a one-handed sword effectively. That guy’s Red, and he’s going to carry me through this session. Smile and wave, Red! Red says hello.” He didn’t, of course, and instead tossed Ash a xiphos which the boy snatched from the air casually. Since today they were going to cover some fundamentals, Ash figured it would be best to use the weapon that most campers were familiar with.

“Alright, I’m gonna talk about this first. Hands.” Ash raised his sword hand up for all to observe. He decided to use his left hand today. “How you wield your sword can affect the damage you put behind it. It’s not just about the gain, no. Here, take a look at my hand.”

The grip, of course, seemed normal to the more experienced campers, but Ash emphasized his point by moved closer and made sure everyone saw his thumb. “You’ll see I apply some pressure into the sword with my thumb here and my palm on the other side, like a pincer. Don’t put your thumb on top of other fingers. I do this to make sure the...What’s its name again? The edge alignment, right, is as steady as possible. It’s easy for the sword to lose its edge alignment the moment you land your hit and you only nick your target when you should be able to cut them all the way down. Also, to keep your precision if your hand gets...wet." His usual smirk became even more punchable. "Attacking or defending with your edge alignment off can weaken your grip and will get yourself disarmed.”

“Your free hand. Either you keep it out of harm’s way and ready to grab or you put it behind your back and keep it there.” Ash and Red turned around and faced each other. The boy assumed his posture naturally as breathing and his free hand relaxed at the side of his body. Red, however, put his hand behind his back and his xiphos positioned at the high guard. “When you see a fencer keeps their free hand behind their back. It’s not them being ‘Oh yes, I have the power of gods and anime on my side, and I can beat you with one hand behind my back.’ Only noobs have that kind of mentality. They put their hand there so their fingers won’t get a yakuza makeover. Alright, get a grip, and we’ll move on.” Red rolled his eyes but Ash ignored him.

“To become better at this, improve your footwork should be your first step. Moving around your target while keeping your footwork at its pace. Your enemy will do the same so keep that in mind.” Suddenly, Red lunged. Ash deflected his first flurry without problems before sidestepped to the right and cut back at Red who hopped back effortlessly. “Instead of going only back and forth like I had demonstrated in the previous lessons, you should train yourself to move in all directions and not breaking the flow of your footwork. Moving to the side offers you a better angle at attacking even when your opponent isn’t making an obvious opening. If you been in a fistfight before, you’ll see what I mean. Fly...like an angel.”

Two boys started to circle each other, changing their posture when it was appropriate. Then they flew at each other again. Not only the sword that clashed and sparks that flew, but both swordmen’s movement also was relentless and flowing. While Red’s style was clockwork-precise and methodical, Ash’s style was fluid and dance-like. The bout went on for almost a minute. Shit, it's really been a while, isn't it?

Grinning, Ash surged ahead with a daring vertical slash, but instead of dodging, Red thrust forward. Steel screamed as Ash’s sword was caught by the handguard of Red’s. The boy jerked his head out of the way in time. He swiftly moved side wat and cut at Red who narrowly deflected the hit. Once they knew that should be enough, the two temporarily disengaged. The smile didn't leave Ash's face even for a heartbeat.

“See that thrust? That’s the stuff. Red almost got me.” Ash touched the small red gaze on his cheekbone out of curiosity. Yep, I’m bleeding. “Apart from protecting your fingers, the handguard can also use to tangle with your enemy’s weapon. Also works against a spear’s shaft, but I suggest you practice first. If you are paying attention, you should see me attempt to move and strike at the same time.” Ash and Red then take turns to demonstrate the side-moving attack at various directions and striking angles albeit at a slow speed that be could easily track by the less experienced campers. The demonstration covered both the attacks on the sword arm and vital areas such as chest, neck, and head.

“As for the slicing, since you only have one hand, you might do this for an extra kick from your sword.” With a nod from Red, Ash slashed at him which he deflected it. He couldn’t quite get enough to how sparks burst from each ‘real’ hit. “The moment you are about to land a hit, snap your wrist at the direction you are cutting. Remember what I told you about the grip. Practice makes your body get used to that kind of stunt. In other words, reduce the pain of the muscles sore. We don't have enough ice packs for everyone, yo. Witness.” Again, Ash repeated the same technique at a much slower pace a few more times to let the audience commit it to their memory.

With that, both Ash and Red sheathed their blades before the quiet partner went to make sure the equipment was ready for the camper to use. “Okay, the objective today is for you to get comfortable in your movements.” He paused, looking over at Red until he raised a thumb up from behind the row of inactive automata. “Some of us already had the training, so this might be a good time to test your stamina. Moving around too much will tire you out, and stand your ground too firmly will make you a sitting duck. Automata and training dummies are free to use if you prefer. Otherwise, get yourself a live target---I mean training partner. Enjoy!”

With that, Ash pulled a juicy peach out of his pocket and started biting.