Part-92

  "Alright, James," Ryan cpped him on the shoulder, his voice surprisingly gentle. "Don't get disced. Judo takes time and practice. Brute strength only take you so far." He saw the deje in James' eyes and decided to offer some encement. "How about we try something a little different tomorrow?"

  James perked up, a flicker of hope rekindled. "What do you have in mind?"

  "You've been goio-head with me," Ryan expined. "Why not try someone closer to your current skill level? Zia here," he gestured towards a boy with a mop of bck hair, "would be a good oppoo practice the De Ashi Barai on."

  James cast a hesitant g Zia, then checked his internal stat dispy. Zia's biats stood at a respectable 92, only slightly higher than James' own 83.3. Maybe, James thought, this could be a ce to finally experiehe success he craved.

  The day, James stood opposite Zia, his nerves buzzing with anticipation. He recalled Ryan's instrus, fog on the footwork, the hip movement, the precise timing. He lunged, exeg the De Ashi Barai. This time, it felt different. There was a smootho his movements, a newfound awareness of his body's position. With a satisfying thud, Zia found himself sprawled o.

  Relief washed over James, followed by a surge of exhiration. He'd do! He'd thrown someone using proper Judo teique. The feeling was emp, a stark trast to the brute force tactics he'd relied on before.

  The following days were a blur of intense practibsp; James drilled the De Ashi Barai relentlessly, each attempt building on the one before. Here's a breakdown of his throws against Zia:

  * Attempts 1-3: These were rough attempts. James struggled with the timing and coordination required for the throw. His footwork was sloppy, and his hip movement cked power. Zia easily defended against James' attempts, sometimes even reversing the throw and nding James o.

  * Attempts 4-7: James started to get the hang of it. His movements became more fluid, and he began to anticipate Zia's reas. He nded a couple of close calls but wasn't yet able to fully execute the throw.

  * Attempts 8-10: With newfound fidence, James focused on perfeg the details. His footwork was sharp, his hip movement explosive, and his timing impeccable. Finally, on his tenth attempt, he successfully threw Zia with a textbook De Ashi Barai. The feeling of aplishment was exhirating, a testament to his hard work and dedication.

  **[Mission 15-18: ( Mission 1): Success!]**

  **[Mission 15-18: ( Mission 2): Throw Judo pyers 100 times using a sihrow teique]**

  A wave of relief washed over James. He'd pleted the first step of the mission, the reward hidden from view but undoubtedly valuable.

  James sank bato the mat, a wave of aplishment washing over him. "Finally," he muttered, wiping the sweat from his brow, "I've do."

  Beside him, Zia, ever cheerful, sat up with a grin. "Looks like you've finally shaken off that self-doubt, huh?"

  He was somewhat fused by Zia’s attitude.