His heart was bouncing so hard that Thomas thought it would explode. He stood, hot and sweaty, his blade pointed towards his opponent. One hit. One hit would decide everything. Years of training had prepared him for this moment - the moment when he would carry China to an Olympic victory and have his name in the hall of fame. Thirty seconds were left on the clock - a lifetime when one was reacting to the 2nd fastest thing in the Olympics.473Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvrO73XSxEH
“EN GARDE!” he tightened his grasp of his epee’s handle. 473Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq8vYiDgXhW
“READY?” the referee screamed.473Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkOi2reSJnc
“FENCE!”.
Several years earlier…473Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2zQeoRvXqv
Thomas’s heart had skipped a beat when he got the invitation. He had jumped for joy, screamed so loudly that the orphanage caretaker had sprinted from across the building but none of that mattered now. As the Chinese National Academy of Sport came into view, his heart began to race and an indescribable electric feeling coursed through his veins. This was his chance - his chance to have his name in the hall of fame.473Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjJDhXQWR8U
“I don’t know what you’re smiling at, you’re the weakest one in this class. you’re right-handed and you’re shorter than all of us”473Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbgBKoAiFg4
Turning to glare daggers at the blonde girl sitting next to him, Thomas was on the edge of an amazing retort when she cut him off.473Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi3ueOCBOWb
“Everyone knows that you only placed 4th in the invitation tournament because of luck. You have shit skills and reflexes.”473Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdB03xDf3PF
It was true. He had gotten lucky. Thomas had gone into the tournament knowing that he lacked the reflexes or skill of any of his competitors. Instead, he had watched every duel of his competitors, analyzed their duelling styles - he didn’t have to react to his opponent if he knew what they were going to do. Of course, that could only bring him so far. Once he got to the seasoned veterans, he had lost every duel due to poor technique. Fencing was physical chess - it was tough to play if you didn’t master the physical part.473Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0pvS1fIONK
“Well, what makes you think you’ll win then?” Thomas challenged. She looked like he had slapped her. It was almost as if she had never been questioned about her abilities before.473Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgKdU7O8vap
“Oh, just the fact that my mum was an Olympic fencer and I’ve practised since I could walk. I’m taller than almost everyone and unlike you, I’m left-handed and I know how to fence”473Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkQcY0v5mzp
Thomas was about to issue a witty retort when the bus carrying the sixteen man class screeched to a halt.
Everyone stampeded their way off the bus in the rush to reach the Academy, high on excitement. This was it. He was finally here. The chance that he had been waiting for had come. Waiting for them was a man dressed in a red and yellow Chinese Olympic Fencing Team jacket, towering over the two men that stood next to him. His blonde hair and distinctive sword scar meant that he needed no introduction - he was disgraced French Olympic champion Louis Flessel. 473Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEDzhvQG5E4
“First of all, I’m Louis Flessel. I’ve been where you all are. Some of you think you were the best at your club, your school, or even your province. None of that matters now. Here, you will be tested against the best in the country for a chance at representing China on the international stage. Your schedule will be physically and mentally demanding. You will have no freedom. Everyone will learn to fight with at least two different weapons. We will teach you how to use those weapons like an Olympian. But first, I wanna see what you can do. Everyone, drop your bags and go into the equipment room. You have until I blow my whistle to get your gear on, grab a weapon and come back”473Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPzQdxQ6XOX
Everyone took a moment to digest Louis’s words and his accent before immediately surging towards the armoury, however, the girl who he sat next to on the bus went to her bag and pulled out a beautiful customized set of gear and began putting it on.473Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO48lKTozqm
“Elizabeth! I ordered you to use equipment from the armoury” Louis screamed, his accent making his anger sound all the scarier. Everyone stopped and turned around to watch.473Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYmjfbQY53M
“But this is Olympic quality FIE Gear!” the girl whose name was Elizabeth protested, utterly appalled.473Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp6ZeJO0p7x
“When I give an order, I expect it followed. Now go to the armoury and grab the gear!”473Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9GSduRVOI6
Elizabeth hurled her chest protector at the ground, steaming in fury and making Thomas giggle, prompting her to give him a vicious glare.473Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡycrEuJah2k
The armoury was easily the best fencing armoury Thomas had ever seen. Row upon row of Olympic grade swords of various types and grips could be found, along with workstations to maintain them and a series of amour racks kept both Olympic grade and non-Olympic grade armour. Remembering his size, Thomas hurriedly grabbed his gear but as he was about to put on his jacket, a familiar antagonizing voice mocked him from behind. “Wow, you wear chest protectors? Aren’t you a little bitch?”473Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEohdYoKzSx
Before Thomas could get a chance to issue his own retort, another man jumped in to defend him.473Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlUoSH7hzDU
“Stop being an arsehole. He can wear whatever he likes as long as its within the rules”473Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNmVVc6Ty0D
He turned around to face him, ignoring an indignant Elizabeth. “I’m Joshua Shen but my friends call me Josh”473Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuilqdyuHmS
Thomas eagerly shook his hand while replying “Thomas Chang. You can call me Tom”473Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpsVgBs5s7j
They both fumbled to do up their backzips before enlisting each other’s help.473Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxyctg6q1lf
“I hate backzips” Thomas groaned as Josh zipped up his backzip.473Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLFwBXCMeNP
“Same. First time I’ve ever had to use one” Joshua agreed.473Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgfVkZ6Iceo
Rushing outside just moments before Louis blew his whistle, Thomas noted that a lot of them hadn’t zipped up their backzips.473Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7fnyoruuSz
“Right. Before we get started I see some of you can’t do up backzips. No backzip means no shoulder flexibility which means you can’t infight”473Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDAJoo3ylKH
“Infight?” Thomas wondered aloud.473Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsun2KaQqIS
“When you duel closer to an opponent than at slash/stab length” Louis explained, raising his eyebrow at Thomas’s lack of knowledge.473Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHNtqBmSR8N
“To fix the issue of flexibility, everyone here who failed to do a backzip will be expected to attend Saturday morning yoga lessons”473Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc2d4usCLAC
A collective groan erupted from nearly a quarter of the class. Thomas had personally wished to sleep in.473Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTF8TqSnDjV
Giving them a shush, Louis bellowed “Everyone form up on the pistes. Bout details are on the electronic screens on the wall”.
It turned out that only six of the sixteen man class practised Thomas’s weapon of choice, Epee. Fortunately, Elizabeth was one of them. He looked forward to showing off his skills and beating her. The look on her face if he did so would make his day. Thomas chose to start last, last hoping to size up his opponents and ignoring Elizabeth’s taunts that proclaimed him as being scared to get on the piste. He slowly watched as each competitor duelled, noting the length of their lunges, their reactions to various attacks and their attacking combinations. His first opponent was Elizabeth and both of them couldn’t suppress their feral grins as they put on their masks, each eager to prove their dominance over the other. They started off slow with Elizabeth probing his defence, trying to judge his reactions but Thomas knew what she was up to. He didn’t need to reciprocate because he knew what she was going to do. She had used the same opening in most of her matches so far. As soon as she moved to beat his blade away to break his guard, Thomas dodged and lunged forwards, expecting her to dodge but instead, the scoreboard lit up. At the same time, he felt the familiar but painful sensation of having a blade thrust onto his arm. Glancing at the scoreboard, Thomas’s eyebrows shot into his forehead when he saw that only his light had lit up. He couldn’t suppress the smug look that erupted across his face. Elizabeth’s reaction was fascinating. She pulled up her mask and flurry of emotions washed over her face. A look of pure shock and denial graced her features, followed by outrage before her face settled on a deep scowl that made Thomas giggle uncontrollably which only deepened her scowl. When the duel resumed, Elizabeth immediately pressed the offensive, driving forward with rage-enhanced speed and strength. Thomas retreated, giving up a quarter of the piste before suddenly switching directions and moving forward, bashing Elizabeth’s blade to the side and stepping into her guard. By the time Elizabeth realized what was happening, her sword was already past his body and all Thomas had to do was pull his arm back for an easy hit. At the last moment, Elizabeth tried a brutal desperate flick, her blade whipping around to hit Thomas in a most unnatural manner. It was for naught however, the scoreboard had already gone off from Thomas’s blade. 2-0. He could taste her steaming fury and the desperation.
“HALT!” Louis shouted in his French accent.473Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu72BECxmVl
What could he possibly want?473Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD7fBQtqkhs
“Thomas, come with me”473Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4tgctbbt6w
Returning Elizabeth’s triumphant look with a glare, Thomas obediently followed Louis to the armoury where they could talk without being disturbed by the sounds of blades clashing and scoreboards screaming, a wave of panic and confusion swept over Thomas, despite his efforts to suppress it.473Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh1pB4RCAQe
“Relax. You’re not in trouble”473Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUKenunFAko
Thomas felt his shoulders relax and he involuntarily let out a breath that he had been holding in.473Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbVvB41kY4H
“I looked at your rankings at the invitational tournament. 4th place. Very impressive”473Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ69mzPAjAKY
A sense of warmth spread through him at the praise. “Thank you coach”473Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcmbp6gpvrt
“I expected you to have all the technical skills perfected. What I saw today was the opposite.”473Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDQ2SxKqFjv
Thomas’s heart dropped off a cliff, a sense of vertigo enveloped him.473Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBr4P3JJuYM
“Did you win by predicting your opponents?”473Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCHtdRRyrgg
Thomas replied with a silent nod. Was that wrong?473Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsK06kLKJEH
“Do you know what we teach here?”473Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡILFMWU3fr2
Thomas didn't respond.473Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ69PyKhGztT
“We teach fencing strategy. Most of our pupils come here with their physical technique perfected but they cannot play the mental game. Perfect reflexes but no mental skills. Fencing is physical chess and they cannot play the chess part of it. That’s where you come in. You predict your opponents, study them so much that it compensates for your lack of technical skill. I like this. The ability to strategize in a duel is something that separates top-tier fencers from amateurs. You have learned the hard part. Now you need to learn the easy part: technique and this is why you are probably the most interesting pupil I have ever had.”
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