Training
Fortunately or not, I was born in a post-war era of peace, but Gotham City still has many problems to solve, not as many as the Gotham I knew on the other Earth, but still many problems.
My parents have given me a privileged life over the past seven years, but they have also made sure to teach me important values such as justice, honesty, and empathy. They could not imagine that I had already learned all of this and more by living every day with the greatest heroes in history.
From a very young age, I began to learn about the workings of this new world on my own, sneaking off to the castle library in search of encyclopedias. And since my mother was always the one to find me there after I disappeared, it didn't take long for my father, the King of Gotham, to find out. He was astonished and began to teach me personally how to deal with political issues through his stories.
When I was four years old, he also began taking me to meetings and teaching me how to be a good leader, how to treat people with respect, and how to help those in need.
Of course, I already knew how to speak and knew many words, subjects, and sciences that even the smartest people in this castle couldn't process, but I always tried to act like a normal kid my age so that no one would suspect me. After all, if I suddenly started telling everyone that in my past life I was a masked hero with a private fighter jet, everyone would think I'm crazy. So I made sure to listen and remember everything that people said to me in this reality, especially my parents, and not to talk too much about what I knew.
My mother tried to teach me about literature and art, something I was only interested in in my past life to maintain the role of Bruce Wayne for society, and I began to enjoy spending hours with her reading books and learning about different things.
As I grew up, I began to show my father more interest in defending the city. So my father promised me that when I turned twelve, when I started to become a man, I could start learning fighting techniques and how to use weapons, and he always stressed the importance of avoiding violence and finding peaceful solutions, which is why he liked to see me in his library.
Mentally, however, I had to disagree with him. I knew a version of Gotham that had completely failed, and I didn't want this Gotham to become that.
Also, I started having a nightmare more and more often where I lost my parents when I was eight years old, which was exactly what happened in my other life. The scene of them falling and looking at me in horror still haunts me vividly after all these years. I can't let that happen.
And before I know it, I'm already seven years old. In recent months, I have begun to sneak out of the castle more often, not to play with other children, but to train.
Normally, I could do this on my own, but I know that the best way for me to get stronger now is to deal with opponents who are stronger than me. So I sneak into the Gotham Knights' Quarters when no one is watching.
Some time ago, I convinced a boy from the quarters to help me with my training. He is tall, strong, and much older than me at sixteen, but he is not very smart, and since I have not yet appeared in public, he just thinks I am a nobleman.
At first he underestimated me, but I quickly convinced him that it was a bad idea while I was getting used to this small and weak body.
However, especially today, he is more annoying than usual. His movements with the wooden stick are stiffer and heavier, making my work a little more difficult.
I don't know if this boy is trying to prove that I have an inflated ego because I have defeated him several times, or if he really wants to test my physical abilities. Either way, the smug smile on his face as he stares at me is deeply disturbing.
Holding the wooden sword that Alfred gave me for my last birthday, I walk over to Leonardo, who is waiting for me and asking at the same time:
"Do you know how to strengthen your muscles, genius? You're still too skinny," he asked, emphasizing the word 'genius'.
I focus my gaze on Leonardo, who is five meters away from me, reminding me of the fights I had during my hard training on Earth-1.
I have full knowledge of eighteen different fighting styles and used to fight the villains there with a peculiar mixture of boxing, capoeira, jiu-jitsu, judo, kung fu, muay thai and taekwondo. However, because of my limited body, I still cannot use practically anything. Therefore, all I can do is learn to defend myself with this wooden sword while developing this body.
While facing Leonardo, I concentrated on the position he had taken and used the special footwork technique I developed by mixing fencing and Muay Thai concepts, and thus advanced quickly with both hands holding the wooden sword.
Leonardo is ready to block my horizontal swing, but I feint and execute a spinning blow to his left ankle, reinforcing my wooden sword with the last moment of rotation.
I know I am at a disadvantage in physical strength against a veteran like him, so I take it easy.
Leonardo falls with my attack, but is able to recover quickly and immediately tries to knock me down with a circular sweep of his legs. I jump back to dodge, and as he charges at me like a bull, I quickly pick up a rock from the ground and throw it at him, spinning it in the air like one of my batarangs.
The rock hits him right in the middle of his forehead and knocks him back. Fortunately, the stone is so small that it only scratches his forehead, and as he lies in the low, green grass, Leonardo begins to laugh.
"Hahaha! You're really talented. Are you sure you want to be a knight? You might even become a general."
...
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