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Post by Zuyuri on Jul 17, 2017 20:47:17 GMT
The training yard was, not surprisingly, empty. Shadow had gotten Yang's message the other day, and gave her the code to enter the training yard. She had asked that she could get help with getting back on her feet. The arm Adrien got her was probably coming into play, and he was excited to see how well it fit her and how well she was able to use it in a fight. Apparently Ralph was part of it, too. Shadow had sent an invite to the training yard to Ralph, explaining that it was important to Yang, and that, well...
The confession was out; after losing Maria, there was no question Shadow viewed Yang as a daughter, and like any parental figure, he wanted to ensure she was both happy and could take care of herself.
He took some practice hits on a dummy while waiting. His fists connected with the rubber bit by bit, and he sidestepped and countered when need be. His shoulder was at the point where the bone bruising had healed, which meant he could finally go full force. He took one more swing before stepping back and panting. The gate opened, and he inclined his head to greet whoever came first.
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Post by neverlandlostgirl on Jul 19, 2017 4:47:29 GMT
"Hey Shadow! First to arrive, as always."
Around the doorway edged the large bulk of Ralph, one massive hand raised in greeting while the other carried a large duffle bag. The Giant was wearing a red muscle-shirt with the arms torn off and a huge pair of black workout pants that managed to fit his frame. He walked over to where Shadow had been practicing on the dummy, a grin on his face but a slight tension held in his shoulders.
It had been a long time since he had been on BPD property and coming to the training grounds had given him fierce mixed feelings. However, he reminded himself that the whole point of him being here was to help Yang recover her physical strength and regain her confidence in whatever way he could. That and Shadow was also here.
It had been too long since he had seen his friend and ex-partner. His grin grew larger as he moved to stand next to the dummy that Shadow had been practicing his moves on. With the smile still in place, he jerked his thumb towards the faceless humanoid shape before speaking.
"Man, you must have learned some self-restraint since I last saw you. Otherwise that dummy would be in several pieces by now!"
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Post by angelofmusic1992 on Jul 19, 2017 15:17:25 GMT
Yang curled her arm for the billionth time since this morning, feeling the way the arm connected to her nerves. It was an odd feeling, where the metal met the flesh, but she felt like it was something she'd get used to over time. She was already marveling at how natural it felt. For a prosthetic arm that was made out of metal, it was surprisingly light. Maybe that was whatever magic was involved in making it. Spells these days had a way of making prosthetic limbs that nobody had ever seen before. Yang had looked some up out of boredom some time ago, and had been surprised at the various styles, and even combat features. She felt like she wasn't about to upgrade her arm so it could shoot a missle though. As long as it could channel her fire powers, it was fine enough by her. As she approached the police station, she got mixed feelings. For a long time, coming here had meant that she was in trouble. But now, she was here to get herself out of trouble, in a sense. By the time she punched in the code for the training yard and went inside, Ralph and Shadow were already there. She figured having two sets of eyes watching her would be better to start off with, and both of them seemed to have an understanding of the metal and physical progress she had to make. "Hey guys," she said, giving a little wave with her right hand.
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Post by Zuyuri on Jul 19, 2017 17:20:09 GMT
"And you arrive second, as always," Shadow said with a shake of his head and the trace of a smile appearing.
It was like old times, in a sense. Since the two of them had been partnered before Ralph left, they would always meet in the training grounds. Friendly competition, just to get the respected speed and strength a tune up if lack of coffee or bad rest had gotten to them. Even on non training days they chose to meet up here. That red and black workout combo Ralph wore made him chuckle, too. Was this their team colors?
Ralph gestured to the dummy Shadow had practiced on earlier, and the hedgehog crossed his arms with a huff. Yes, back in his rookie days, that thing would have been in burning shreds.
"Yeah, well, without Bat Boobs constantly trying to get into my nonexistent pants, it's a discipline I had to practice."
The talk ended when the gate opened again. Metal arm flexed, and seeming surprised as Shadow was at how seemlessly it moved, was Yang. She looked better than she had looked for several days. Well, having a boyfriend who made sure you got rest and an army of friends ensuring you ate regularly tended to do that.
"Perfect timing," he waved back.
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Post by neverlandlostgirl on Jul 21, 2017 6:30:07 GMT
Ralph chuckled at Shadow's own retort before lightly bumping him with a fist the size of a dinner plate. In that instant it felt just like old times to the Giant, that he and Shadow were still partners in the early days of the Others Unit and he still held some hope that the BPD would bring justice to those who needed it the most.
However, the illusion fell apart when the door to the training yard opened once more and Yang stepped through. Ralph looked at the young woman, his eyes landing on the prosthetic arm that she waved with as she approached. Now he was no expert on artificial limbs, but one glance at the one she was wearing was enough to tell Ralph that it was probably the most advanced and recent model to be created.
He managed to stop himself from whistling at the craftsmanship of the piece but was glad to know nonetheless that someone was taking care of Yang even if she wasn't the type who liked to be taken care of.
"Glad to see you could make it, kid."
Ralph smirked before dropping his large duffle bag to the side and turning to face the woman, his large arms crossed loosely over his chest.
"If you'd kept us waiting too long, Shadow and I might have burned down the whole place."
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Post by angelofmusic1992 on Jul 21, 2017 15:05:44 GMT
Yang was almost surprised at how at ease Shadow looked when he was around Ralph. He knew the two guys were friends, but she felt like she only saw him this relaxed around Sunshine. It looked like he and Ralph went further back than she had thought. Still, if they worked well together, then that was better for her. Her own bag was smaller than Ralph's duffel bag, which seemed to be almost as big as he was. She hadn't brought much besides some Gatorade and a few granola bars. She figured whatever training she needed to do would be intense. She gave a wry smile at Ralph's comment. "I think I'm the only one who needs to worry about burning anything down," she said. She'd have to be careful with whatever fire attacks she used. The last thing she wanted was to give Ralph or Shadow a nasty burn. She wondered if it would be safer to just stick with regular moves and she could add the fire stuff on her own time.
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Post by Zuyuri on Jul 21, 2017 17:16:59 GMT
The wry smile was begrudgingly copied by Shadow. He had burned the building, by accident because 'rage-induced fire by a demon who took my memories' was a really horrible cause for alarm. He hadn't told Ralph about his little blowout session, but the less he thought about how people got hurt because of his anger, the better. "She's got you there, Ralph, was all he would really say about the joke. Ralph seemed impressed by the mechanical arm, and well, Shadow felt his furred chest puff a little. Adrien, him, and Sunshine had worked hard to get that money to buy that arm, and seeing Yang wear it, well, it was one step forward.
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Post by neverlandlostgirl on Jul 25, 2017 5:45:27 GMT
Well, at least she's able to joke around. That's a good sign in the right direction.
The careful thought passed through Ralph's mind as he watched Yang come forward. Compared to the last time he had spoken with her, she seemed far less tense and more like the woman he had first run into not so long ago. Still, the mechanical arm she wore was probably nothing compared to the mental scars she was still recovering from and those might take years to heal from. Yet she had started the journey to recovery on her own initiative and the proof of that could be seen in the fact that she had come here today.
"Hey, I might not have much in the way of firepower but never underestimate good old muscle."
Ralph grinned widely as he pointed at one of his massive biceps before heading over to the wall and dropping his duffle bag. He hadn't shown the contents to anyone, not even Shadow, but thought that his former partner would approve of the idea he had to help Yang on her recovery. However, that would have to wait for the moment. First, they had to get their bodies ready and then decide on the best course of training for the young woman.
"I take it you're ready to get started?"
As he turned back to the pair, he cracked his large knuckles in anticipation. It had been too long since he had worked out with anyone and he relished the chance to show his stuff while also helping someone else. |
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Post by angelofmusic1992 on Jul 25, 2017 16:41:53 GMT
Yang enjoyed the little back and forth between her and Ralph. She felt like it was a good sign if she was able to relax a bit and just joke around. Or maybe that was to cover up any nervousness she was feeling. She hadn't done any fighting in a long time, and she was a little worried about how behind she was. Sure, she had pulled out some moves when saving Rhona, but that was in the stress of the moment. Adrenaline could make people pull all kinds of crazy stuff that they weren't capable of doing later. As she stretched her arms over her head, trying to loosen up her muscles, she had to remind herself that it was okay to not be perfect right now. If she was, she'd be a cop already. Ralph and Shadow were going to help her get there. When Ralph asked if she was ready, she nodded. "Yeah. Let's get this going," she said, rolling her shoulders back.
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Post by Zuyuri on Jul 25, 2017 17:50:50 GMT
Shadow was, in his own way, involved with the joke retorts. He had folded his arms and would make silent "pfts" in response to one another's jokes. It was one of the rare times he felt at ease when at the department. The other time had been when he and Sunshine were at their desks joking with one another while studying cases. In a way, it was like having both of them in the training grounds with him.
As Ralph cracked his knuckles and Yang stretched, he tapped the toe of his jet skates and pulled at one of the wrist guards holding his inhibitor rings to secure the metal. The last thing he needed was for those to fall and all three of them getting full blast of his unleashed power.
"We should keep things simple today," he suggested. "That way we can get you back to your normal fighting habits and we can get an idea how strong your new toy is,"
He set one foot back, bending low at the knee and an even enough space between both feet. His fists fell to his sides, ready to either block or throw.
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Post by neverlandlostgirl on Jul 26, 2017 7:40:23 GMT
Ralph rolled his arms in their sockets and nodded in agreement with Shadow's words. Things would have to start out slow and simple so that they could get a good idea of what Yang needed help with. They also needed to see how her artificial limb would handle. No point in pushing themselves too hard on the first day.
"Let's see what you've got, Blondie."
With that said, the Giant took up his own position on the mat so that they formed a triangle, his arms held in a defensive position that protected his upper body.
"Try out a few basic moves on us. Lets see how much you remember."
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Post by angelofmusic1992 on Jul 26, 2017 15:08:41 GMT
Yang let out a breath, trying to loosen things up. That old twisting in her gut was still there, but it wasn't as bad as before. Finally succeeding in a fight had diminished some of the bad stuff she used to feel. She didn't feel like she was about to have a flashback triggered or something, so that was nice. If anything, the feeling she had in her stomach was similar to when her dad had first taught her how to fight. Her nervousness at doing something totally new had made her adrenaline kick in for a while. Once she had gotten used to it, and was even good at it, the adrenaline came from her excitement. She hoped she could get to that someday. She wanted fighting to make her feel excited, not nervous. She let out another breath, trying to clear her mind. She couldn't be worried about stuff like that. It would just distract her. She made a mental note not to try anything to fancy before she headed towards Shadow first. Her leg shot out in a kick before her fists moved in, darting in and out. Feeling like she was getting into a rhythm, her leg swung around to meet Ralph, and she gave out a few more punches. Her new arm felt the same weight as her other one, which she considered a good thing, although she knew her opponents would probably be able to feel the difference. A metal fist wasn't exactly the same as one made out of flesh and bone.
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Post by Zuyuri on Jul 26, 2017 22:09:00 GMT
Shadow focused on turning down the adrenaline. This fight was not meant to be intense such as going up against a demon or the hoardes of hell he had literally plowed through when Disparion tried, again, to turn him onto his side. The mistake Disparion made was showing him Yang's accident, and this came full circle to why he was here. Yang took a few quick breatsh before charging at him with a kick first. Shadow ducked to avoid her kick and used one arm to block both of her fists incoming. He swung with the left fist, following the strange back and forth of her weight. Whenever the metal fist hit his defenses, Shadow did take notice that the weight was slightly heavier on that side. Not much, really, but a subtle change.
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Post by angelofmusic1992 on Aug 2, 2017 17:57:25 GMT
Yang could feel herself getting into a groove, going with the flow of what was happening around her. Any nervousness she felt came from the fight at hand, not past battles that had left scars. She felt like that was an important distinction to make. Even veteran cops could feel anxious when hunting down a criminal or saving a hostage. The important thing thing was that they kept their fears under control so they could do their job effectively. That was what Yang wanted to achieve. Making her fears go away completely may never happen, just like some scars never faded. But just because they were there didn't mean she couldn't go on with her life. Her fist swung towards Shadow before her foot followed.
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Post by Zuyuri on Aug 3, 2017 17:54:07 GMT
"Okay. Offense is looking good," Shadow commented as he dodged the punch. He wasn't so lucky when it came to the kick. Her foot had nailed him directly near the left lobe. She also had a mean strength to it because he was sent somersaulting back. Benefits of the hedgehog side was curling into a ball protected him from getting bruised from impacts. He unrolled from the recovery, dusting himself off
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