Broken Hero

Chapter 17

Eclipse makes her way towards their gym, heading towards one of the private training rooms. Ever since the fire, people had at least stopped avoiding her. Civilians no longer looked at her like she was going to steal their wallets and yelled for her when they needed help. The guards no longer gave her dirty looks as she came and went, and the students didn’t automatically get out of her way when she walked by. Anna had been taking time to stop and say hi, though she wouldn’t stay around for long. Her friend, Azura, would usually hang around with her, but her other friends still seemed distrustful of Eclipse.

Eclipse opens the door to the training room, looking at Warfalcon. “You need some help?”

“Not me,” Warfalcon smirks, causing her to eye him suspiciously. “Volt is having a hard time with the way the other instructors teach hand-to-hand combat, so I thought you might have some pointers.”

She looks at Anna, who looks away sheepishly, “I didn’t know he was going to ask you. I can...”

“No, it’s OK.” Eclipse gives her a small smile.

She hesitates, looking between Eclipse and Warfalcon. “Are you sure?”

“Positive.” Warfalcon leaves them alone as Eclipse stretches a bit. “Do you have any hand wraps or gloves?”

Anna shakes her head as Eclipse reaches into her pocket dimension and pulls out her gloves as well as a spare pair. “These should fit you, but you should get some of your own when you have a chance.”

She tosses them to her. Anna catches them and slips them on. “I get why you’re wearing them, since you don’t want to accidentally hurt me, but why am I wearing them?”

"They don't just protect me; they protect you, too. I don’t want you to injure your hands.” Eclipse explains. “Alright, go ahead and get into your stance. We’ll spar for a bit so I can see what you need help with.”

Anna raises her hands as they both get into a stance, and Eclipse motions for her to begin.

She lets Anna throw a few punches before catching her wrist. “Freeze for a second.”

“Is something wrong?” Anna asks as she gives her a confused look.

Eclipse shakes her head, “Well, not really. I just want you to notice how you're standing. You’re trying to reach with your punches, and it's taking you off balance.”

She gently pushes her shoulder to prove her point. “When you punch, keep your back heel on the ground. Otherwise, you’ll lose your balance and your power. Let’s try that again.”

Eclipse moves back into her fighting stance and blocks her punches. “Much better. Now let’s try something else. Keep moving by bouncing on the balls of your feet. This will keep you limber, which makes it easier to move, harder for opponents to predict your moves, and helps your balance.”

“Out of curiosity, why don’t you do that?” Anna frowns.

Eclipse smiles back, “It doesn’t work for my style. My abilities make up for those things. However, you’re smaller and more agile. It’ll work more to your advantage. Just try it.”

Anna sucks on her cheek as she moves on her feet. “Like this?”

“Good. Now let’s try that again. Add some kicks this time.” Eclipse steps back as Anna does as she instructed.

Anna’s movements seem quicker and more stable. Eclipse smiles to herself, happy with the improvement. She loses her concentration for a second, and Anna’s fist connects with her chin.

“I’m so sorry! Are you OK?” Anna gasps.

“I’m fine. It was my fault for not paying attention.” Eclipse rubs her jaw, giving her a reassuring smile.

Anna smiles in relief before grinning cockily. “Careful, I might surpass you.”

Eclipse raised an eyebrow, and before she could stop herself, she has pinned Anna to the wall with a grin. “Careful, princess, don’t get too cocky.”

Anna’s face turned bright red, and so did Eclipse’s as she realized what she had done.

She takes a step back, gulping. “Let’s go one more time.”