The Dragonling [Leon]

[Cain]

"Cain, I want you to find man there named Leon. He will give you further instructions on your first task there in California. Don't worry. He studies in 259, and he's not that hard to find."

A simple message left upon Cain's table, the junior's hazel eyes catching it immediately as he entered the room. He sighed. Personally, he disliked how Chrynos left him messages. It almost felt like a violation upon his privacy, how the man could slip in notes into his apartment like that. And Cain knew that it was done by another employee of the company too. Then again, he really could not complain, for this apartment itself belonged to Ma-Ta Development. Cain did not have any grounds to file a complaint from. He put down his bag of groceries, having come back from attempting once more in replenishing his refridgerator's contents.

It was a Sunday, though, so Cain doubted he'd be able to find the man in 259 now. Leon. Why did his name sound so familiar? Cain re-read the note once more, though could not pin down the familiarity that lingered around the mere name of his contact. Ah, well, he'd have his answer tomorrow, so he might as well just sleep it off for now. Coming upon that decision, he crumpled up the piece of paper, before tossing it into the fire-place. Quick disposal, that was how Cain had been taught to operate. And fire was the easiest and most convenient way of destroying something to beyond recognition, especially something like paper.

The next morning was a school day, of course, and Cain would proceed to school in an attire he had been donning quite a while the past week. A dark gray shirt under a black unzipped vest and a pair of dark blue denim jeans, finishing it up with a pair of high-cut blue sneakers, the jeans tucked into the mouth of the shoe. He had his back up slung over solely on his right shoulder, his blue hair combed as it usually was, with bangs, but spiked backwards and his side burns combed downwards. His hazel eyes, though looking more orange than the proclaimed color, darted around, looking for someone that would strike him as 'Leon'.

It was at that moment that he figured this was going to be quite harder than it looked. He sighed, scratching the back of his head in slight frustration. Great, what was he to do now? He sighed, before succumbing to the inevitable choice of action now. He walked over to the nearest male then, ignoring the glances of many upon the sight of his navy-blue hair. He was born with that kind of hair, or at least, close to it. After being able to get the necessary purchasing power, Cain deepened the hue of his hair to make the blue more obvious. He approached a blonde then, giving his shoulder a gentle prod, before giving a hospital smile.

"Uhm, sorry to disturb you, but do you happen to know a Leon?"

Little did the junior know, though, that this man was the one himself. Leon Sudeki, the Lightning Dragon. And of course, being the bit of a control-freak Chrynos was, the Storm Dragon had already briefed Leon upon what he was asking from the blonde. And he was also told how to recognise Cain, for Leon was told that Cain would look for him. Quote Chrynos, 'He's the one with the blue hair.'

[Mr. Kaar]

Nudge? The hell...

"Uhm, sorry to disturb you, but do you happen to know a Leon?"

Leon would blink a few times looking at the kid who approached him. It took those old eyes hidden behind the sunglasses a minute to actually realize what was going on. But once he did the look of surprise would leave his face and would be replaced by intrigue.

"So.... You're Cain."

Being the usually silent person he was, rarely speaking more than a few statements that only seemed to be riddles or indirect. Leon would turn completely to face the person and extend his hand, though he wasn't wearing his gloves at the moment, they where stowed away in the coat he was wearing. The shoulder pieces holding light blue streaks leading to the back of the coat that had the insignia of a dragon designed in a lightning inspired fashion.

His hand would have a scar in the palm and on the back of the hand from when a railroad spike had been rammed through both hands. He would wait for the boys reply before Leon would take a step back.

"Before we get any further I want you to hit me in the most damaging way you have in your arsenal."

Leon was a very simple man when it came to fighting and he believed he would understand MUCH more if the kid would only just. Attack. It was something one would have known had they been one to fight him, or even heard about him. The Lightning Dragon. He was the best at picking apart a persons whole fighting style from one attack. And thus making easy judgements as to the persons actual way of life.

[Cain]

"So.... You're Cain."

Cain's eyes widened for a brief moment, before furrowing. How did this man know his name? Cain had barely made a reputation for himself in these four walls, so how could his name known to a stranger? Much less, a stranger who looked a lot older than most of the people here. Was he even a student? Had Chrynos gotten his information wrong when he said that Leon still studied here? Nah, couldn't be. Unless... Unless Cain was really, really lucky, and this man here in front of him was Leon. Well, what other possible reason could there be, right? Cain decided to stick with that assumption.

The man took out his hand, the limb adorned with scars Cain could only presume came from battle. If so, then he must have a lot of great battles under his belt. Cain gave a respectful smile. He took the hand and gave a firm squeeze, shaking it. He was not a weakling, nor was he a coward, even when facing a stronger opponent. He cared not about the results, after all, as long as it did not involve him not being able to fight anymore. He despised long-term injuries. What mattered to him in combat was the process; the adrenaline, thrill and challenges one is offered during a fight. These were the things that made Cain love fighting. It was his drug.

"Yeah, I am."
"Before we get any further I want you to hit me in the most damaging way you have in your arsenal."

What? Cain looked at him for a moment, realising then that he was serious. He looked at the man's body, before turning back to his shades. He stood about 2 inches taller than he was, and was a lot wider in comparison to him. Of course, such obvious advantages were things that Cain could easily turn into his advantages. Being smaller meant he had a lot more movement in shorter time, as long as they had the same speed. And being the quick devil that Cain was, it was not that hard, really. He gave a crisp nod, before taking a right step back, his right arm already reeling backwards.

He had been given a chance for an open strike, so he was going to take it efficiently. Among the torso, one of the most damaging places to hit was the lower ribs, for they were considerably sensitive and easy to fracture as compared to other ribs. It was Cain's best shot then. At that, he slid forward with his left leg, adding momentum to the forward drive of his right hook, his body twisting by the waist to add even more power to it. Cain's punches were naturally average in strength, but he had the ability to use his speed and flexibility to make his attacks more lethal. At that, his fist found Leon's torso.

[Mr. Kaar]

Leon's smile widened when he watched the boy's movements, he was laying everything he had intot he strike, good. From the pivot of his heel, to the final impact, every joint and every muscle was put into it. Speed, momentum, power. It was a style Leon himself was VERY familier with. And it made him realize there was a good reason why this one should be taught the ways. Leon would grunt apon the impact as he soaked in the strike.

"Good... I also noticed you had scanned what I mite use against you simply by the way I am. Good. You didn;t rely on just power and added your momentum as well as speed intot he attack, also good. You also didn;t hesitate as long as I thougth you would have."

Leon would close his eyes, hidden behind those shades. Thinking on the motions of the boy as they played back in his head, slowly picking it apart.

"Your move was fluid, your attributes show promise..."

Leon would look at the kid now, as a half smile appeared on his face.

"I am Leon Sudeki, The Lightning Dragon."

With that Leon;s knees would bend quickly before he would flicker, to be standing behind Cain, looking away.

"You have some catching up to do... Let me show you how."

Leon would bend low and spin around aiming to throw a right hook that would be aimed passed Cain, as if it where possible for it to go through him, it was more to add damage, and in case he moved. Leon would straighten into the punch pushing more of his body into the attack, the spin would add momentum, but Leon wouldn;t use his Qi, not yet. He wanted to see what kind of metal the boy's will was made of.

[Cain]

And his strike found home, as the larger fighter took in the strike, surprising Cain indeed. Hell, that must have been just a poke to the larger male. And Cain had felt just how hard and toned his body had been. And he thought he was fit. This guy was beyond belief. Cain looked up at Leon, as he pulled his fist back, knowing that the task had been done and there was no point in sending another strike. Cain already knew what it was for. Leon was testing him. For what, though, Cain was unsure. Though, he had a couple of possibilities in mind. Was Cain supposed to learn from Leon?

However, his following words surprised Cain. The junior's eyes widened. In just one punch, Leon pretty much deciphered how Cain fought? And that had not been such a well-developed punch too. It had been more natural than planned by the blue-haired fighter. His speed, his power, his movement, it seemed that Leon had depicted it all. Was he really human? Or did he have just that much experience? The mere thought of it both frightened and excited Cain. If this was the result of 259, then Cain was definitely going to spend a lot of time here.

"I am Leon Sudeki, the Lightning Dragon."

Cain's eyes widened. A Dragon? Wasn't Chrynos a Dragon too? Yes, Chrynos was the Storm Dragon, if Cain remembered correctly. However, his attention was diverted to Leon instead of Chrynos as the larger male suddenly disappeared from his sight. Cain's eyes once more widened. The speed. It awed the speed-based striker. And in 552, he was one of the fastest, scratch that, he was the fastest fighter then. And soon enough, he figured out where he was, considering the shadow that loomed over him from behind. However, he found himself unable to move.

"You have some catching up to do... Let me show you how."

And before he knew it, he felt a large thick object smack at him from his right, throwing the smaller male off his feet, the very air being knocked out of his lungs as he was literally thrown to the side by the heavy hook. Cain had always been proud of being a blur when moving at top speed, but he never thought he could move this fast, as he found the locker almost immediately upon impact, his body creating a deep dent into it, his back being the one that was at the bottom of the metallic crater. A cough escaped his lips, his head dropping as he stayed standing, his body shaking from the force still.

However, the vibration changed into something else. He was shivering. Shivering in excitement. He had never felt so much excitement, so much adrenaline before. He raised his head, looking up at Leon. Then, he pulled himself out of the crater, his feet finding the ground as he staggered to the left at first, before regaining his balance, the floor finding not the privilege of meeting his face. His arms, which had been hanging lifelessly by his side, came up, putting up a shaky defence against Leon. However, as weak as his body look, his face spoke different, as upon it was an expression of excitement, of confidence. Seeing now Leon's power, Cain just had to match himself against the Dragon.

[Mr. Kaar]

"Have you found that inner energy?"

Leon watched the boy, taking a few steps forward. He was asking if the boy had found his power, every fighter had it running within them. Every person had the means to unlock it. They just had to be pushed to that point. Had the boy reached that point before? Had he been pushed to the point of unlocking his Qi? Leon wondered alot of things, but he would make sure.

Leon would burst forward now bringing his left arm up to smash the forearm against the boys chest to smash him back into the lockers, and hold him there. Shades would stare at the boy's eyes with a smile. The darkness of the sunglasses preventing view of his eyes.

"Can you feel it? In the back of your head, swimming around your core, begging to be unleashed... There is power within you. I'll give you the means to unlock it."

Leon was always teaching, always training. He would help this boy unlock his power, he would push this boy, wait for him to push back. It may not be in this fight, but Leon would help him reach it, and teach him to master it. He wondered how would it manifest? How would it form? How would the boy use it? But he would not make the same mistake twice, after this fight Leon would start the teaching process.

[Cain]

"Have you found that inner energy?"

Inner energy? The dazed junior glanced up at the History teacher, his eyes squinted with effort as he attempted to stay on his feet, balanced and strong. Inner energy? What was the blonde talking about? Cain looked at the ground for a moment. Wait, was he talking about Qi? Cain's eyes shot wide open, glancing back up at the larger and bigger fighter. He was talking about Qi, huh? Cain gritted his teeth. He thought back then on his time in 552, before Point Hope, when he had actually unleashed a version of his Qi. A deadlier and more lethal version, of which he could manipulate wind pressure to create sharp blades out of wind to slice open his opponents. The Qi, however, only lasted for a short moment, after which it disappeared, prompting Cain to move back to the US, specifically San Francisco.

And after that, was history.

Cain was about to answer, when Leon suddenly flickered towards him, the fighter unable to do anything else other than admire the sheer display of great speed. Then, he would feel that great force once more coming down upon his chest, throwing him back into the all-too familiar feel of cold steel. Cain let out a loud grunt upon impact, his head fazing once more as he felt his very body being compressed under the two forces. Blood was starting to make its way up his throat, Cain could feel it. However, the determined fighter swallowed it back down, his hazel hues simply staring into the abyss that was Leon's shades.

"Can you feel it? In the back of your head, swimming around your core, begging to be unleashed... There is power within you. I'll give you the means to unlock it."

The means? Was he trying to force Cain's Qi out? Well, it was not use. Cain had tried many times, using many different training regimes and understanding many concepts about Qi but never once succeeded in regaining the deadly force that was his Qi. His Sapphire Aura simply refused to show itself anymore. However, Cain knew that without it, he could still be a force to be reckoned with, as his self-defence instincts kicked in, the junior reaching forward, his hands grabbing Leon's collars. His right leg came up to his chest at the same time, as he snapped it forward into Leon's stomach.

"I lost that energy many months ago, but I will not be any less a fighter without it!"

[Mr. Kaar]

Leon hadn't expected to be pushed back so abruptly by the kick that came at his stomach, his feet sliding. Leon adjusted his shades as he stood there.

"Very well."

It was something to be done, a legitamet hit landing like that. Cain had recovered so quickly, yet it was Leon's own fault for lingering, he used to be so much more vicious, but... It seemed the years had softened him, a family had softened him...

"I'll train you to be a Dragon. It will be my last step."

Leon would approach the boy. Not in a fighting stance, Leon considered this fight over as it was. The boy had showed him everything he needed to know. He knew how to force power into an attack even without much of it to show. He knew how to fight, that much was obviouse he just lacked the attributes to back himself up. His skill far outmatched his bodies limits.

"I'm going to show you the unbound version of limits you used to believe in, and I'm going to get you there."

Leon would extend his hand for a hand shake.

"I have met you in battle, there fore, I know you better than any conversation could give me. Also, just by knowing me, or being my pupil will attract more fights than you can even dream of being able to stand."

Leon's smile would grow.

[Cain]

It worked? Cain was surprised, to be honest, as his other foot found the ground, every pressure being applied upon his body relieving themselves then, allowing Cain to finally take a breather as the Sophomore propped himself instinctively against the wall behind him. He coughed briefly, recognising a faint coppery taste on his tongue then. He let out a soft chuckle, before spitting the blood in his mouth to the side, letting it stain the tiled floor red. If a proper analogy was to be used here, Cain felt as if he had been hit not by one truck, but by two. And the kick that Cain had sent was able to move the Dragon back a bit, though for how long?

However, just as Cain was about to reprepare himself for a fight, Leon called it over, the Junior looking at him then, confused. However, trusting the Dragon, Cain relaxed himself then. His body, however, stayed tense, sweat beading his forehead and his shoulders rising and sinking in a quick pace. He had never been thrown around so easily like that and in a way, it enthrilled the man. It showed him just how weak he was and thus, how much he could improve in. And plus, it seemed here, with Leon's next few words, that he was going to be training under Leon. The smile on his face just grew wider.

"I'm going to show you the unbound version of limits you used to believe in, and I'm going to get you there."

This man really knew how to talk Cain's language, as every word he spoke only made Cain's heard beat faster. Unbound limits. That was truly a feature that Cain wanted to attain. Unbound limits. To know that you can always be improving. It was a great perspective to have, for it was only then that you would keep giving it your all and be able to live life to your fullest. As Leon extended his hand for a handshake, Cain glanced at it for a moment.

"I have met you in battle, there fore, I know you better than any conversation could give me. Also, just by knowing me, or being my pupil will attract more fights than you can even dream of being able to stand."

Leon grinned. And so did Cain, as the young Junior reached forward, clutching the Dragon's hand in his, looking up at his new mentor, looking ever so excited. Everything that Leon had mentioned, were things that attracted the adrenaline junkie he was shaking hands with.

"And I will welcome those challenges without hesitation."