396 Routine Becomes Reality
"Ninety-nine!"
"Hundred!"
"Eyhup!" Kili yelled as she did a kip up on the pull-up bar, planted her foot on it, and seamlessly transitioned into a backflip and a steady landing.
"That's five more than yesterday, right?" Kili asked Rianna, who was struggling hard to stop her eyes from popping out of her sockets. "Prog-Progressive overload, right?"
Rianna coughed loudly and affirmed with a wavering voice, "Yeah! Good job. You've hit a new personal best. For the next set, why don't we add some weight since you can support your body well enough."
"That's too fast, isn't it?" Shay-Hade chimed in. "Is she ready for weights?"
"She started with just ten garbage pull-up reps and pushed it all the way to a perfect hundred in four weeks. It's the same with the push-up, free-squat, dips, and overhead presses! There's nothing more to gain with just raising the reps just so that she can reach saturation. It's a waste of time."
"Am I doing good?" Kili inquired worriedly, as she noticed the two adults talking animately on the side.
"A hero does good," Rianna responded while tapping the kid's forehead, "You're doing well. Very well."
"So, what's next?" Kili prompted.
"What did I tell you? Thirty seconds of rest between each set to let the muscle recover and your motor neurons prepare themselves for the upcoming load," Rianna orated.
"But I'm perfectly fine and ready for the next set-" Kili started, but was immediately silenced with a low growl.
"Stick to the process," Rianna reiterated. "If you deviate, then you lose everything!"
Kili flinched at Rianna's forceful retort. She then nodded with a resolute expression and started to stretch her back muscles, awaiting the time to start her next set.
"Do you really have to be so strict?" Shay-Hade whispered.
"You weren't here, so you missed it," Rianna said.
____
"Rules and regularity," Jean declared as she rapped the blackboard behind her which had the two words written in all capital and bold typeface.
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Rianna snapped back. She was sitting on a seat that was way too small for her size. "And why are we in this tiny classroom?"
"This was the only one available on short notice! The kindergarteners from the village finish early," Jean answered. "Now focus!"
"There's literally only two words to focus on!" Rianna argued. "Get on with it."
"Actions have consequences," Jean started. "That is a known fact. But how do you know that action A has consequence A? What if it was consequence B from an action B that occurred some time back?"
Rianna raised a hand and said, "You lost me."
"I just started!" Jean exclaimed.
"Try again," Rianna dismissed with an annoyed growl.
Jean took a long breath in to calm down the bubbling anger and let it all out in one long exhale. "When you were young, were you ever told not to swim after eating?"
"Yeah, or else you'd get cramps," Rianna responded.
"I bet you did it anyway, right?" Jean asked rhetorically. "You ended up getting cramps and realised that, 'Hey, maybe rules are there for a reason?'"
"The point is that rules exist for a reason. If the reason is based on sound logic with measurable results, then following it becomes a habit. Inculcating a habit transitions into a point of regularity. How many times have you heard the phrase, 'It's been like this for a long time...'?" Jean emphasised. "When a rule becomes a point of regularity, it is followed without question. But to do that, you have to get over the primary hump of verification. Fortunately, for kids, all it takes is a single, undeniable, instance of verification compared to teens and adults who are far more observant and capable of detecting deviations."
"So what you're saying is that I need to define the workout plan as a rule. I allow it to show its results, and then once they become visible, Kili will automatically adopt the rules as points of regularity," Rianna summarised.
"Exactly! But the most important point is that you need to show progress," Jean highlighted. "Progress is key. If Kili's physique needs to take over, she needs to believe that whatever she is doing is actually leading to improvements. No amount of lip service can replace the importance of displaying tangible results."
"Once the belief takes hold, then her physique should take over," Rianna continued, finishing Jean's thought.
"So you only have one shot at this. Plan properly and execute thoroughly," Jean instructed.
"You know, I didn't think you would be a part of this 'scheme'," Rianna stated. "It's all a bit manipulative, isn't it? Doesn't come across as your style."
"I do it because it is necessary," Jean responded. "Her physique paints her as a target - a very desirable one at that. I am willing to go to any extent to protect her. I myself am incapable of causing harm - all the more reason for her to become stronger. You should know better than anyone just how horrible this world can be."
"In that, I agree with you," Rianna answered with a hum.
____
"Very duplicitous of you," Shay-Hade commented.
"I am not lying to Kili," Rianna challenged. "You yourself witnessed just how explosively her body has evolved over the last month. The first month was used to convince the girl that her body was growing and developing. Once she realised that, then her physique slowly took over, resulting in this. What's so wrong with that?"
"Nothing good comes quickly and easily," Shay-Hade said, as though he were narrating a phrase from memory. "My father once found a Salah'ddin in the desert in one of his hunts. For your information, the Salah'ddin is known to be the meadow of the desert because of how useful it is. The large herbivore is capable of travelling long distances without water or sustenance, just like a camel. It can tunnel into the desert sand, making it able to travel very quickly. Even the males produce milk, which is nutritious and long-lasting. It lives for a very long time as a magical beast, but upon its demise, its meat is densely packed with nutrients. The Salah'ddin is a solitary creature, and extremely territorial. Yet this one just conveniently followed my father the moment it laid eyes on him."
Shay-Hade paused and then said, "So, my father killed it. His hunting group cursed him for his actions, but the moment the creature took its last breath, it dissipated into dense black smoke and viscous liquid. It was a Mimick! He had saved the hunting party and quite possibly the entire village from a gruesome end."
"My father always says, 'Nothing good comes quickly and easily'," Shay-Hade reiterated. "There are consequences to power gained too quickly."
"But Kili is working for it, how is this a freebie?" Rianna reasoned.
"Even the most gifted of mages cannot celebrate the level of success the girl has displayed in this short time frame," Shay-Hade reminded. "It may all be going well now, but what about in the immediate or distant future?"
"What could possibly go wrong?"
Shay-Hade shook his head solemnly and said, "Do you wish to know so badly that you are willing to place the girl's future on the line? You have everything to lose and nothing to gain from testing your luck here."
"We could just ask Marie, you know?" Rianna suggested.
"I don't need a seer to tell me the consequences of my actions. I believe I am capable enough to deduce them on my own. I hope you are equally as wise," Shay-Hade teach."
17:07
pointed out and walked away. "Now if you will excuse me, I have a combat class to teach."
Rianna let out a mirthful snort as she saw her companion prance away with an upbeat skip in his step. Although the man expressed distaste at his growing number of students, it was clear that he was enjoying every moment of it.
"Kili!" Rianna called out. "Over here!"
"Is something wrong? Was my form incorrect?" Kili rattled worriedly.
"No, no," Rianna interjected. "What have I told you is the most important thing to build strength?"
"Rest and nutrition," Kili answered promptly.
"That's right! By feeding our body with the right nutrients, and letting it rest to rebuild itself, we grow stronger," Rianna expounded. "Recently, our workout has been ramping up quite significantly. I think it is time to implement the first cooldown phase."
"What's that?"
"We are going to take a rest for three whole weeks. No intense workouts, just proper rest," Rianna declared.
"B-But that's going to kill all of my gains!" Kili yelled in shock.
"Your body has grown accustomed to its new state," Rianna corrected. "You will notice that the moment you return to your regular routine, any lost gains will recover very quickly. But you will also notice that the dip in your strength will be negligible, trust me."
Kili's expression remained uncertain for a microsecond before it returned to normal. She did trust Rianna, she had no reason to distrust her, after all. Everything Rianna had told her had come true, so maybe she was right this time as well.
"Will we still be holding combat lessons?" Kili probed.
"Yes, but only evasive manoeuvres. Nobody conditioning," Rianna emphasised.
____
"What are you doing?" Shay-Hade snapped as he noticed a peculiar scene at the usual training spot. A group of five Sect Members were grouping up to take down Markus, who was standing alone at the centre.
"Sparring," Markus answered.
"A single Foundation Establishment realm mage against a battery of cannon fodder isn't really a fair match-up," Shay-Hade scoffed. "You should fight someone your own size."
"Revian is busy teaching others, Shuri isn't interested in sparring and neither is Marie. Yohn is still growing accustomed to his new senses. I had little choice."
"You have me, don't you?" Shay-Hade rebutted as he proceeded to take off his coat, revealing an array of crisp lines emphasising every muscle of his tall ebony frame. "I'll limit my strength, so go crazy."
Markus nodded with a resolute expression and rushed to his instructor.
A fist flew towards Shay-Hade's head, which was dodged with an effortless tilt. Markus transitioned the punch into an elbow uppercut of his other arm, which was side-stepped. Markus chained it into a spin and elbow roundhouse with his first arm, which was also dodged.
"You're telegraphing your attacks! Even my grandmother can see these coming from yesterday."
Markus ignored the egging comments and continued his onslaught of punches, kicks, elbow jabs and knee strikes, which were all dodged or blocked by SHay-Hade. The fight continued for a minute, unchanging. Suddenly, Shay-Hade's brows dipped in confusion.
A move to dodge, which was successful, was delayed by a fraction of a second. It happened again, and again. And with each passing second, the fraction grew larger, until a punch landed on Shay-Hade's ribs.
"If you're planning to use magic, you should have told me," Shay-Hade said with a savage growl.
He let out a booming battlecry, before the ground he was standing on shattered violently and he disappeared... only to reappear again a centimetre away from Markus' face with a meteorite fist hurtling towards his ribs.
Markus braced for impact, but it did not occur as the man's fist stopped a fraction of a millimetre away from making contact.
Markus swallowed a mouthful of saliva and said, "I was trying to integrate my magic into my fighting style."
"Learn how to walk first, boy!" Shay-Hade responded. "Now back in line and take me through the fifteenth Form again. Your execution was sloppy, abysmal, absolute garbage!"
"YES SIR!" Markus yelled and rushed back. He then let out a long breath to focus himself and started to move through the routine slowly, pausing at each segment of the Form.
"Practise with your entire attention focused on your actions. The only thing you should have in your mind is your body. Everything MUST be under control. No mistake! No hesitation!" Shay-Hade vocalised enthusiastically. He then snapped at the group of members gawking at him and said, "What are you idiots looking at? You want me to move your arms for you or something- Get the hell moving! Form three, NOW!"
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