Chapter 63: CHAPTER 58
If you want to read up to 20 chapters ahead go to https://www.patreón.com/cornbringer
Discord invite: https://discord.gg/XHduApz
Enjoy!
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[Rachel Roth POV]
With David training in France, I decided to focus on my training with Black Canary in order to improve my hand-to-hand combat skills. Long story short, I sucked at it, but I had to start somewhere, and Black Canary was the best teacher I could have asked for.
It was a real struggle to become proficient in another form of combat when all my life I had used my powers to fight. But, as hard as it was, I understood the benefits of learning what Black Canary was trying to teach me.
I didn't like it.
But I understood the value behind the teachings.
I knew that this training would be beneficial for me in the long run, even if it didn't feel like it at the moment. And so, I was pushing myself out of my comfort zone because of it, I had yet to see any improvements, but I still kept my hopes high.
"Don't drop your guard," Black Canary said, landing a hit on my stomach.
Soon after, I collapsed to the ground, clutching my stomach in pain as I tried to catch my breath. Her punch had hurt more than I cared to admit. "What... guard?" I scoffed; when it came to hand-to-hand combat, I had the defenses of an unvaccinated child.
...
David is corrupting me with his jokes.
"I'm sorry it hurt, but that's how you learn; after all, nobody enjoys the pain... almost nobody," Dinah chuckled.
I nodded, still trying to catch my breath. "I know."
"Good, now get up. We're not done yet."
I groaned but did as she said, getting back on my feet and into position. This time, however, I was determined to not let her hit me again, but alas, my determination would soon prove to be meaningless in the face of my total lack of skill, with Black Canary sweeping me off my feet, in the most literal meaning of the sense.
"Ouch," I muttered softly, my face flat on the floor. yet again.
"Let's continue again," Black Canary said.
I groaned in response, not trusting myself to say anything else. I was quite literally starting to get a headache from all the falling into the floor, that and I was pretty sure I had a concussion or two; I might be exaggerating, though.
"Let's stop for today," Black Canary chuckled, helping me get up.
I nodded with a faint smile, grateful for the reprieve. "Thank you."
"Don't worry. You'll get better with time and practice," Black Canary said encouragingly.
I nodded, though I wasn't so sure. This was already proving to be harder than I thought, but be that as it may, I was determined not to give up, no matter how much it hurt or how unbelievably bad I was it.
"Take the day off tomorrow," Black Canary reminded me, and I was about to protest, but she cut me off. "You've been working too hard, and you need rest."
I wanted to argue, but I knew she was right, so I simply nodded and bid her farewell before opening a portal back to my place. While not particularly happy with my progress, I had to admit that, in a way, I was looking forward to the day off, if only to rest my aching body.
Maybe I should call David and see how he's doing.
I chuckled to myself for the briefest of moments, imagining his reaction about the events of my training today. It was sure to be a hilariously one-sided conversation.
"Tomorrow," I muttered with a sigh, deciding against calling him, not wanting to trouble him while he was training. Instead, settling for a hot shower and an early night's sleep in the hopes that tomorrow my body wouldn't ache.
I knew I was probably asking too much.
But I was allowed to dream.
Using my magic to take my clothes off, throwing them into the washer, as I stepped into the shower, letting hot water soothe my aching muscles as I stood there motionless, letting it wash over me, eyes closed, trying to clear my mind.
Hot showers really had magical properties.
Letting the water relax me, I stayed in, washing my body thoroughly until the water started to cool, where I then reluctantly got out, wrapping myself in a towel as I went to my room, where I summoned the pajamas David had bought for me.
Pajama ready, I got into bed, burying myself in the blankets as I tried to will myself to sleep.
Alas, my mind wouldn't shut off.
Maybe a book would do.
Getting up, I went over to my small collection of two hundred books for the night and picked one out before crawling back into bed, getting comfortable as I opened the book, letting myself get lost in the story.
It was a riveting story about two souls fighting for control.
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[Batman POV]
David was making fast progress with the training I had set for him. His skills sharpening at an alarming rate; in less than two months, he had finished two of the challenges I had originally allocated six months for him to complete.
I had to admit, I was impressed.
But I was also concerned.
The rate at which he was improving was far beyond what I had anticipated. Part of the reason I had him train outside the country was not only so that he could learn from others, but to have him experience the world outside the cage he made for himself.
His impressively fast progress was messing with that part of my plan.
I needed to find a way to slow him down or at least give him a challenge that would take him longer to complete.
But what could I do?
I needed something that would push him to his limits, something that would force him to think outside the box.
Unfortunately, I had nothing right now.
However.
Master Kirigi was bound to buy me some time to think on something.
Chapter 64: AUTHOR NOTE.
I'm taking the day off to deal with some stuff that need to be done today, I'll be back with two chapters tomorrow to compensate.
I hope you can all understand, with Love Corn.
For all of those wondering when Marvel restarts updates, it's the 15, if everything continues the way it's goin, if not, 17-18, but so far I going good, so I don't foresee any delays as of the moment.
Chapter 65: CHAPTER 59
If you want to read up to 20 chapters ahead go to https://www.patreón.com/cornbringer
Discord invite: https://discord.gg/XHduApz
Enjoy!
Double chap moved to tomorrow.
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[David Lance POV]
After finishing my training with Grey Shadow, I was soon tasked by Batman to track someone known as Kirigi.
Who after weeks of thorough research, I had managed to find; that he currently resided in North Korea, being one of the most wanted men in the eyes of the North Korean totalitarian government for his liberal views of the government.
By using the data I had managed to acquire in my earlier research, I had managed to narrow down my search to a singular place in North Korea, Mount Paektu.
Now the question was... How to enter the country without getting in their sights?
North Korea, while not the most powerful country in the world by a wide margin, was one of the most heavily guarded countries when it came to borders for more than obvious reasons, making it nigh impossible to infiltrate without being caught for the average person.
Thankfully, I wasn't average by any means of the word.
But even with that in mind and in my favor, I had to remember that North Korea was still a rather dangerous place to be, and I didn't mean it in the way that they could hurt me, no, more from a political point of view, as my presence alone in the eyes of their government could create an international disaster.
But as concerning as the possibility of an international disaster was, I was more than certain that I could avoid them for as long as it was necessary.
The first part of my plan was simple. All I had to do was arrive in South Korea as if I were an average tourist. Then, I would steal a small boat from the coast of South Korea using it to cross the DMZ (De-Militarized Zone) that separated the two countries while using a radar jammer to be as invisible as possible.
After that, it was all a matter of making my way to Mount Paektu undetected. From there, all I had to do was find Kirigi.
Of course, to enact this plan of mine, I first had to leave France.
"Sir, your taxi is here," One of the hotel employers of the hotel I was staying at said, interrupting my train of thoughts.
I simply nodded at him in response before making my way towards the door, backpack in hand. Handing the driver a note saying to take me to the airport.
Two hours later, and one flight ticket bought.
I arrived at the airport and went through the check-in process quickly and without incident before making my way to the gate. Once there, I found a seat and sat down, waiting for boarding to begin.
I already had a hotel booked in South Korea; one Oliver was paying for. It was only fair; Bruce was already paying for my first class ticket.
Now, all I had to do was wait for my flight to be called, which according to my ticket, would leave in forty-five minutes.
Seeing I had some time to burn, I simply sat back on my chair, closing my eyes, letting out a deep breath as I entered into a state of meditation by inhaling slowly before exhaling just as slowly, following step by step what Rachel had taught me.
In the process, calming my mind, as well preparing myself for the mission at hand.
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After what felt like minutes, I opened my eyes as the unintelligible announcement that boarding was now open for first-class passengers came over the loudspeaker in the airport.
Grabbing my backpack, I stood up and made my way towards the line that had already started to form, boarding soon after I had arrived, finding my seat with little trouble.
The flight itself was uneventful, long, but uneventful, and so, before I knew it, we were landing in South Korea; where I was directed to customs, where they checked all my papers were in order; from there, I made my way outside, where I hailed a cab and made my way to the hotel.
An hour or so later, thanks to traffic, I arrived at the hotel, where I paid the driver before grabbing my backpack and making my way into the building.
Upon entering, I immediately noticed the lobby was fairly empty, but considering it was rather late, it wasn't all that surprising.
Making my way to the desk, I handed over my reservation information to the woman behind it, who simply smiled warmly as I approached her, promptly taking the information I was giving her before quickly typing away on her computer and handing me a keycard.
"Your room is on the third floor, number three-twenty-one. Enjoy your stay, Mr. Smith," The woman said in almost perfect English.
I smiled at her before making my way toward the elevators, finding one already open at the lobby level. Happy I didn't have to wait, I entered the elevator, quickly hitting the button for the third floor.
A few moments later, after the doors of the elevator had closed, they opened into my floor, and I stepped out into the hallway, finding my room with little trouble.
Inserting the keycard into the door, I waited for a second or two for the little light to turn green before pushing open the door and stepping into my room.
Making my way into the room, I placed my backpack down onto one of the chairs at a small table near the window before making my way towards the bathroom.
I was somewhat tired from the long trip and wanted a long bath before going to sleep.
Turning on the water, I started undressing before stepping into the tub, enjoying the feeling of hot water relaxing my muscles. Closing my eyes, I leaned back against the tub, letting out a deep breath as I did so; I had to admit, it felt good to finally be here.
I honestly had no idea how people could sleep on planes. Even in first class, the best kind of class to fly, long trips were super uncomfortable when it came to sleeping or resting in any meaning of the way.
I guess I wasn't built for that kind of rest.
Weekly Power Status
200+ Power
Ranking 
3 Power
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