(Entry #47)
I have found the man Master Matsuda talked about, Chu Chin Li. He was a renowned master martial artist and could teach me a lot, as well as acupuncture. I am interested in seeing whether he already expects me. I think Master Matsuda contacted him. How he did that... I do not know.
Well, let's see how it goes.
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(Entry #48)
I was indeed expected. I asked him how, and he said that some things are not to be answered...
It was probably pigeon mail.
I was asked to do basic training but he found out very quickly that my muscles are not for showing off. So we thankfully skipped that part of the training. Jumping from teacher to teacher can be exhausting, as I always have to re-establish myself. But I don't care about that.
I'm here to grow stronger, and that's what I'll do. No matter what it takes, no matter how deep I need to dig into the dirt and shit, I will succeed.
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(Entry #52)
I was introduced to acupuncture today. Master Chin Li used multiple needles and inserted them all over my body. It was an exercise in getting used to the pain and regaining control over the body, even in the worst pain. Master Chin Li blocked multiple important muscle groups to make it harder. It was painful at first, but I managed to use Master Matsuda's training, which he had been feeding me over the past few days, and make it through.
"The pain ... has it subsided?" Chin Li asked.
"Should it have subsided?"
"That is not the answer I am looking for."
"It doesn't hurt anymore, and I can use any muscle I wish. Is that good?"
"It seems that you understand. Had you still been in pain, it would not have been a problem with your body but..."
"... but understanding. I understand, though."
"Do you know Confucius, my son?" Chin Li asked me.
"Why do you ask?"
"Because you seem to follow his saying: I hear, and I forget. I see, and I remember. I do, and I understand."
"I guess it is somewhat accurate. Only... I don't forget."
"So it would seem."
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(Entry #53)
I have almost no time to write in my diary. It has been two weeks since the 52nd entry. Master Chin Li has a lot to teach, a lot for me to do, and he knows many martial arts. I am forced to go through all sorts of weapons at the moment. Thankfully, I pick up new things instantly and can gain experience by sparring with the other students.
Chinese Triads, as well as the Red Army, have students here, from what I managed to gather. Chin Lin appears to be under surveillance and is seeking a successor. He must believe that that is me, but I have no such interest.
I enjoy using the Katana, but I already knew that. Master Matsuda taught me a lot, but you should never stop learning, never stagnate. Master Chin Lin has different styles from Master Matsuda and teaches them to his students. Some are more suited for different weapons, but I ... well, I get to learn them all.
One that I like is the Sai. The sai is a traditional Okinawan melee weapon used for stabbing, striking and disarming opponents. It is primarily used in ninjutsu and kobudō. Kobudō is a collective term for Japanese traditional techniques involving armour, blades, firearms, and combat and horse riding.
I like to spin around the Sais and just take my mind off things, not that that's possible. If I close my eyes, I hear two shots and feel warm blood on my hands.
Not very relaxing. But almost all of the weapons help me in that regard and keep me sharp. I am demolishing all my sparing partners, unleashing my anger on them. Although I know that they are trying to hurt me or even maim me, it only serves to make it real.
Joke's on them, I'm into that shit... ok for real though. I like the little real-life situations more than the simulated ones. It doesn't get my blood pumping. I'll see where this leads.
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(Entry #58)
I mastered the art of acupuncture... is what I would like to say. But Master Chin Lin said he wasn't a doctor, so there was still more I could learn. I guess I could also start my own research on the matter. It has been a very interesting part of my training.
Acupuncture is a hidden gem, in my opinion. What comes to mind is the absolutely bonkers martial art called 'Hokuto Shin Ken' (Big Dipper God Fist), an ancient Chinese martial art dating back 1,800 years.
Sadly, I am not sure whether I could learn this technique, since it is purely theoretical right now. But with acupuncture, I think there could be a way to replicate it or create something similar. I might need Chi for that, though. I guess I'll stop by in Japan to meet O-sensei... or is he in America, like Richard Dragon?
I guess I'll see when the time comes.
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(Entry #65)
"You wish to speak to me, Master?" I said as I entered Master Chin Lin's study. I say 'study,' but it was just a small room he had to himself, with various weapons on the wall and a chair.
"Yes, my son. You are my dearest pupil, and yet I sense a great ambivalence in your heart. The 'Way' is no mere discipline to be studied and sampled. It is a philosophy of life. It requires absolute submission. There is nothing more I can teach you ... until you choose between this world ... and the one you left."
"I never tried to fool you, master. I just never told you about my goals. To this day, you don't know much about me ... and that is good. It would be disrespectful otherwise."
"Why would it be disrespectful?"
"Because you, as well as I, know the choice I would make when you confront me the way you just did."
"... It is more shameful to distrust our friends than to be deceived by them," Chin Lin said.
"True ... but that only applies ... if we were friends. I wish you all the best, Master Chu Chin Lin."
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(Entry #66)
I think that was a successful time I spent under Chu Chin Lin. I always said that I was only there to study and learn. I was never interested in taking over his school. Submission is not something I do.
(Entry #66)
I think that was a successful time I spent under Chu Chin Lin. I always said that I was only there to study and learn. I was never interested in taking over his school. Submission is not something I do.
Four weeks have passed. Four weeks since I left Master Chu Chin Lin and travelled west, to France. All I know is that I want to STOP CRIMINALS. Prevent VICTIMS from happening. And to do that, I need to be THE BEST... AT EVERYTHING.
But to be the best, I first need to find the best and learn from them. So far, I have been rather successful, I would say. My learning capacity is out of this world, my skills grow daily, and I gain the experience needed to face the dangers of this world. I have decided to take a break from martial arts and look for something just as important, which has led me here to Paris.
On my way here, I found and defeated the world's best fencer. Not a very special man, in my opinion and now... I know what to do next. But I have trouble finding the person I'm looking for. How do you find the best in the world when most times they don't want to be found?
I feel a bit stuck. Finding answers, finding resources. It used to be as easy as asking Alfred... or mom and dad... I mi--...
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(Entry #67)
I feel awkward in Paris during the day, out of place moving among everyone. But the nights... the nights are all mine.
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(Entry #68)
Okay, apparently not. I caught a burglar named Gray Shadow attempting to steal something. She moved silently and gracefully. I tried to stop her, but couldn't do it well. She is rather nimble, and on the chase across the rooftops, her experience and knowledge of Paris trumped my youthful strength and martial arts.
Just like the fights back in Gotham, I tried to deliver the first blow, but wasn't really taken seriously. She managed to leave me behind without trouble, or so it seemed. No matter, I'll find her.
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(Entry #69)
Gray Shadow used to be a mainstay story in the French press. But they soon dropped off. The assumption was she'd stopped. But really, she just got better at being spotted.
I took the time to go to a public cafe and enjoy some coffee and orange juice. When I sat down to read my newspaper, she was there, dressed in a long green coat, a sun hat, and glasses.
"I must say, your accent is surprisingly better today," she said in French.
I looked at her and didn't respond, simply taking a sip of coffee.
"Did I shame you? Did you really spend the rest of your night practising it? That's adorable," she said.
She had made fun of my French the night before, saying that my accent hadn't been quite there yet. But appearances were important. I was playing the part of the green teenager who was all alone in the world and looking for help. If you give people a sign of weakness, they will jump to that, as everyone wants to be on top.
"Can I help you, Gray Shadow?" I asked her.
"Oh? Not surprised to see me?" she smiled and sat down.
I didn't answer her, but I truly wasn't. Anyone who asked around and gathered information as openly as I would gain attention, especially from a world-class burglar like her. It was inevitable that she would approach me.
"..."
"Truly delightful. First, my name is Lucie, not 'Gray Shadow'. And of course, you can tell the police that you saw a... refined older woman climbing in windows last night. Maybe, just maybe, they'll search her exquisite apartment and find... nothing because of course she's not an amateur."
"..."
"What is it, dear? Are you reaching for your phone to record me?" she asked, catching me in the act.
She pulled out my phone and showed it to me.
"How did you..."
Damn, she is good.
"Tell me, what were you up to last night? You're clearly no thief. Are you a young American vigilante, setting out to deliver justice to the old world?"
"I'm--"
"That's it, isn't it? You're going to go catch the foundling, that dastardly murderer ravaging Paris! He's in all the papers... perhaps... perhaps the papers should be your first suspect!"
"I'm not a vigilante. Only because I'm not ready."
"I see. So, jumping from rooftops and these books... will make you ready?" she asked.
"No, it'll take more--"
I stopped talking, asking myself why I was even explaining myself to her.
"... until I can stop people like you."
...
"You know, I only steal from the rich."
"And give it to the poor?"
"Of course."
"Not all of it, though. That jacket is a Belveaux, 2'000$. The glasses are Ferris Rays, 1'500$. You're not a saint," I said.
"Who is?"
...
"You are a fascinating, beautiful young man. With a fire that could heat a city. If you want to learn how to stop me... I'll gladly show you. Ten o'clock tonight."
"Where?"
"I'll text you. After all... I have your number," she said and then just disappeared in the crowd.
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(Entry #70)
Honestly, Lucie is quite impressive. She has kept her word and started teaching me. She told me that there should be no environment I can't move through without detection. And no person I can't detect. She explained that to catch thieves, I must become one. With her guiding my 'stomping hooves', I would reach that.
When I asked her why she was helping me, she said that if I ended up as a 'good guy' and skilled, as she suspected, then I might catch all of her competition.
She was right, of course. Up to this point, I had already started to learn from the best, and that meant learning from the best criminals if necessary. How far am I willing to go? I haven't been asked to commit a crime yet, but that may very well happen at some point.
After they died, I swore to my parents that I would spend my life stopping criminals. So can I become one? For even a second? To do what I want to do, won't I have to be a criminal?
I'll be committing violence, breaking in, trespassing. A cop without a badge is a criminal. Mother, Father... what will I have to sacrifice to keep my promise? Can I do this?
.
(Entry #72)
I have been studying and training under Lucie. Lucie Chesson is her name, as I have found out. She is an interesting woman, but if you get to the bottom of things, it stops being that way. My skill at reading people has been further refined, and through her teachings, I have begun to apply it in practice.
I am 100% certain that Lucie is reading my diary.
- How clever you are Bruce ❤️ -
After the training, we applied what we learned to a real-world application. We broke into Chateau Marchand, bypassing the security systems and finding the hidden safe. According to Lucie, the mansion belonged to Hubert Glonet, the CEO of Sunrise Oil. Incidentally, one of the world's biggest polluters of the oceans. Not that that made it okay to steal a four-million-dollar jewellery box.
We were almost caught, or rather, I was.
The police showed up, and as we were fleeing, I was shot in the leg. But as I was about to be caught, Lucie showed up and saved me.
Growing up with limitless money, I always found it hard to imagine the lengths people go to get it. I know I should be mad at Lucie for what she does, but... I'm not. It's wrong, but whatever I end up doing, wherever this road takes me... cat burglars of the wealthy will be low on my list of who to catch.
As amusing as the day had been, it wasn't the most bothersome part as it turned out. We were surprised by a man named Henry Ducard. A skilled assassin wanted in many countries with a talent in 'manhunting'.
.
(Entry #74)
Ducard decided to let Lucie and me go after realising that the box we stole contained the teeth of a victim in the current killing spree from the serial killer. So, unknowingly, we figured out that Globet was the serial killer I had been looking for. We set up a trap for Globet, but things got a bit messy and out of hand.
I figured out who the last victim of Globet was supposed to be, but arrived too late to stop the murder. During our fight, I couldn't bring myself to kill him, and so Lucie took that part out of my hands. She understood I wasn't ready yet... And maybe I'll never be.
I left Paris that evening, looking for my next teacher. This has been a shitshow.
.
(Entry #75)
Right now, I am going to North Korea. I am interested in finding the Dojang of Master Kirigi. And if my information is correct, I will find him on Paektu Mountain in North Korea. So that's where I'll head.