Debt of Combat

Blue Elephant makes good on paying her debt

[Author's Note: This story is the conclusion to one of the events that occurred in the story Declaration of War.]

Forty miles north of his hometown, Jackie Cheng sat in the back of a sports bar, eating an early dinner. Despite his teachings to his students on purity of body, mind, and spirit, he felt content to drown his sorrow in a bottle of spirits. However, he couldn't get himself to order anything stronger than a cola. It was just as well, because he'll need all his facilities for what was coming up.

Earlier that day, he received a call from his sister, Julie. In tears, she explained how this woman who called herself Blue Elephant, came by and challenged her to a combat duel with the dojo itself as the main prize. After she won and obtained control of the dojo, this intruder said she was going to travel upstate and settle matters with him. Julie then started to ask Jackie a few difficult questions, but the Chinese-American cut her off, telling her that he'll make things right, and hung up.

As he finished his meal, Jackie thought back to the first time the two have met. After his father died, Jackie took over operations of the Cheng's Dynasty Chinese Boxing Academy. Two years later, a bald-headed woman, Asian American in appearance, and wearing only a black one-piece swimsuit, challenged him to a duel in front of his most advanced class with the winner to either obtain or retain control of the dojo. Jackie laughed at this oddball, and agreed to the challenge. She told him she was from the Daughters of Athena, which Jackie dismissed as one of those religious cults like the Moonies or Hari Krishna, wasn't it? Didn't they shave their heads bald in that group?

His initial plan wasn't to hurt her, but to embarrass and humiliate her for making such a foolish challenge. As they faced off, Jackie realized that this woman was more than adequately skilled, she was very good. She had an unusual fighting stance of almost sitting on her knees, then shooting up like a coiled spring to land a powerful blow or kick. It was a style that his father never taught him.

A knife hand to the solar plexus followed by a leg sweep ended the first closely fought battle. Blue Elephant (it wasn't until the second encounter he found out why she carried that name) held her stomach, bowed and said, "I'll be back, two years from this date," as she staggered out of the dojo.

Two years came and went like quicksilver, but not without Jackie finding our a little more about this mysterious organization called the Daughters of Athena. It turned out this group wasn't a religious organization at all, but a women's group with many agendas, one of them appearing to be a takeover of the local dojos, in which they partially succeeded. He was rather amazed at the training all their members received; an intensive year of weight training and the practice of a martial art of their choice. After that year, the average member was equivalent to a green, blue, or brown belt in most fighting disciplines. Any longer than that, they would truly be a force to be reckoned with. But the Daughters of Athena, or DOA, was in decline. Their numbers appeared to be shrinking and they were not as prominent as they once were. Then almost overnight, they seemed to disappear almost entirely. That news made Jackie relax, until during a long break between the afternoon and evening classes at his dojo, he heard the door open.

"Remember me? I said I'd be back," Blue Elephant said as she walked through the door.

Unlike the last time, she was a little more discrete. She wore a lightweight blue duster over her one-piece swimsuit, which was a royal blue instead of the classic black from the previous time. She wore blue fingernail and toenail polish that was glossy to the point of reflecting the indoor lights. Her slender body was more buff from their last encounter, and she still had the same shaved head. If she'd let her hair grow out, she'd be quite attractive, Jackie thought to himself. Pity.

Going for a more diplomatic approach this time, Jackie said, "Why are you called "Blue Elephant?' You're much too attractive to be named after a pachyderm."

"Thank you," Blue Elephant said, acknowledging the compliment. "I admit, that name can be a little misleading, but the name has nothing to do with looks."

"Oh?"

"During my training, I've worked on making my hands and especially my feet as tough as the proverbial elephant. Of course, not wearing shoes for a few years helps in that department as well."

Almost by reflex, Jackie glanced down at his opponent's feet. They were beautifully manicured, not the rough, unattractive peds he expected to see. Blue Elephant noticed his gaze.

"What? Just because I don't wear shoes doesn't mean I don't take care of my feet. Cumbersome things, shoes are," she said. She added with a laugh, "I've been without them for so long, I've forgotten what my shoe size is."

"Look, you don't need to do this," Jackie said. "Your group is in decline, it's almost disappeared."

"My group may be in decline, but I'm not," Blue Elephant said, taking a fighting stance. "My skills and power has improved since we last fought."

"How long do you want to persist doing this? Would it be wiser to live in peace like the brothers and sisters we are?"

Blue Elephant put her hands on her hips. "Look, I know what you're trying to do, so let's take care of a few things," she said. "First off, my ancestry isn't Chinese, it's Korean, so you can spare me the "ethnic pride' speech. Second, I plan on doing this until I win, which will be today. If not, at least you'll have two more years to improve your skills. And third, the reason I'm doing this in the first place is because you're a lousy teacher and I believe I can do better. If the DOA is gone tomorrow, I'll still be here to take care of this travesty."

Jackie was astounded and offended. "I've had dozens of men and women come through these doors and earn their belts," he said.

"And I can beat every one of them. I beat a few, as a matter of fact."

"How can you say how good or bad I am? You've never been to any of my classes."

"Yes I have."

"No you haven't; don't you think I would've noticed a bald-headed woman with no shoes in my dojo?"

"Yes, but not a bald-headed woman wearing a wig and thick socks."

"Why would you do that?"

"I originally planned to take classes under your father to finish earning my black belt, but then his health started failing, so he allowed you to teach his classes. Boy, what a mistake that was! You're supposed to be teaching students the fine art of kung fu, not fancy moves to stuntmen from the movie Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. But it was your first time, so I let pass. During the other times I've visited, there hasn't been much improvement. And then, there are stories of the way you treat the female students."

"I have heard enough!" Jackie exploded. "You come here and insult my teaching and my honor and my dojo. Prepare yourself."

"Oh, I'm prepared. Let's do it," Blue Elephant said.

And they fought once again. Jackie realized Blue Elephant's skills have indeed improved; so much so, it was all he could do to hold off her attacks. Her hands and feet were as tough as she said. Finally she faked a punch that left him wide open for one of her roundhouse kicks. Jackie saw his error, but realized he couldn't do anything about it. However, in that split second before she delivered that kick, a portion of the mat they dueled on, normally sealed together with Velcro, was unsecured. Blue Elephant's anchor foot tripped over the uneven section of mat, causing her to lose her balance. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Jackie fired a quick side kick to her chest, sending her flying before she landed on her back. Jackie stood, breathing heavy as he watched his defeated foe sit up.

Blue Elephant slammed the mat with her fist. "I lost because they didn't fasten the mats right. Stupid equipment malfunction! I had you, I had you!" She said.

"A true warrior never blames the surrounding conditions for his failure," Jackie said.

Blue Elephant glared at Jackie. "I had you, and we both knew it. If it wasn't for your student's negligence, it would be you lying on this mat instead of me," she said.

Jackie knew she was right, but instead of addressing the issue, he turned his back. "Our battle is over. Leave my dojo," he said.

Blue Elephant stood up. "Oh, I'll leave your dojo, for now," she said. "But rest assured, in two years I will be back, and I will check the place to make sure this won't happen again. As for you, you better practice your moves some more, especially that weak left punch you always lead with. While you're at it, you may want to work on that paunch," she pointed at his belly, "as well. If not, then I guess it'll be time to get those ownership papers ready. I will own this dojo." She grabbed her coat and went out the door.

During the next two years, Jackie took nothing for granted. He practiced his technique and worked on his conditioning. Remembering what Blue Elephant said, he worked on not making his punches so obvious, and finally, he centered more of his workouts on his stomach to get rid of that "paunch." Whenever visitors dropped in his classes, particularly female visitors, he paid extra close attention to see if they were Blue Elephant in disguise. They were not. He started to wonder again if maybe she gave up and went on to other things, but that was the mistake he made last time. He decided to stay alert.

In the next two-year period, Jackie decided to expand the family business. He journeyed further upstate to establish another dojo in a location where it wasn't so competitive. When his father trained him, he also trained his younger sister as well; but when his father's health worsened, Jackie took over in the training of his sister. He told her about his business venture, and said she can teach at the new dojo. Julie eagerly agreed.

He noticed over the last few months that the DOA, who seemingly vanished from the public (but because of his last duel, Jackie knew better), had made a reemergence. This was made very clear to Jackie when his friend, John Brown lost his karate dojo to a woman named "Destiny" [See Encounter #1 for details ' author]. While he was told by the students of that dojo that it was just a "business transaction," he knew better. John and he used to discuss their duels. Now he hasn't been able to talk to John alone or even go have lunch with him without Destiny being nearby. He also noticed an increasing number of bald-headed women out in public, boldly unashamed of their shaved scalps.

The biggest word of warning came when it was several days before the duel was to take place. Jackie was taking a walk to a nearby park to practice when a car pulled up. A woman with sunglasses and a scarf around her head poked her head out the window.

"Hey Jackie, don't forget to have your lease papers for the dojo ready!" She said, then drove off, laughing.

Jackie felt ill. He did not want to lose the dojo his father started, yet he had no desire to take on Blue Elephant again. This was all because of a stupid wager he made from an unsuspecting rival. If he used his brains instead of his ego, he wouldn't be in this mess. After giving the matter some thought, he came up with an idea.

He called up his sister, and told her that he would give her the honor of managing her father's dojo while he would take over operations at the newer one. Julie was pleased, even though she thought it was quite sudden. Jackie thought the idea would work out pretty good; Blue Elephant planned on dueling him for the dojo, and that can't be done if he's not there, and the dojo is run by somebody else. At the same time, he'll be rid of a longtime thorn in his side.

He couldn't have been more wrong.

Now here he was, sitting in a bar, eating a greasy dinner after hearing the news from his sister about how a strange woman came by and defeated her in some duel that made this woman the new owner of the dojo. Furthermore, she was headed his way to settle her score with him. It didn't look like things could get any worse.

If she's coming after me, she'll have to find me, he thought. No one knows I'm here.

As if in answer to his unspoken statement, the front door to the bar swung open. An attractive woman came in ' nothing unusual about that ' except this woman looked as out of place in the joint as he did. She was tall, around 5'10," with short black hair that had blue highlights in it. Her facial features were clearly oriental, but were partially hidden by the blue-tinted sunglasses she wore. She also wore a blue trench coat, which Jackie thought was strange, since it was warm outside. Outside of that, nothing else registered with Jackie until he glanced down. The woman had large bare feet, with blue toenails.

Oh no, she found me, he thought.

The woman walked to Jackie's table and stood in front of him, her fists placed on her hips.

"Hi Jackie," Blue Elephant said. "As a martial arts teacher, you're supposed to be teaching the purity of body and mind. What are you doing in this dive? Eating greasy food, breathing all this cigarette smoke; what kind of example is that?"

"What do you care?" Jackie said.

"Yeah, you're right, I don't," she said as she pulled up a chair and sat down.

"You're not bald!" He said.

"Over the years I realized I like my hair, so I decided to keep it. Besides, it keeps me warm when it's cold."

"How did you find me?"

"I saw your car. Next time you try to hide from someone, pick a larger town."

Before Jackie could argue, a waitress appeared, and asked Blue Elephant for her order.

"Do you carry sweet tea?" Blue Elephant asked.

The waitress nodded.

"Good, I'll have a large glass with a large slice of lemon, thanks."

They waited until the waitress left, then Jackie said, "I was not hiding from you."

"You could've fooled me," the female martial artist said. "No sooner that I remind you of our duel, you suddenly appoint your sister as teacher of the dojo, while you flee a few miles up north to teach classes here at the new dojo. It sure looked like it to me."

The waitress returned with her drink.

"Thanks. This will be all."

After the waitress left, Jackie said, "Well it shouldn't matter anymore, you got what you wanted; you now own a dojo, my sister is out of a job, my-"

"Hey wait a minute," she interrupted, "Your sister isn't out of a job, and I don't have what I want."

"What?"

"Your little sister still works at the dojo, under new management, of course, as my assistant teacher. After our duel, we had a nice talk about all that's been going on between us for the last few years. Needless to say, she's not very happy with you right now." Blue Elephant sipped her tea.

"You beat her, then give her a job? What madness is this?" Jackie asked.

"It's not madness. Your sister has good moves, better than yours. She just needs proper instruction, that's all," she smiled after her barb at Jackie. "Contrary to what you told her, I'm not as cruel and heartless as you made me sound. I would never do that to her. You however, I would throw out on the street."

"So you won the dojo, it's yours now. What business is it of mine now?"

"I fought your sister for the dojo because it was part of our original wager. However, you and I have a debt, a debt of combat. That match I fought in should have been between us, not some uninvolved first party. You had no right dragging your sister into this. I took no joy in defeating her. But I will have bigger joy in beating you for pulling this nonsense."

Jackie finished his meal and washed it down with a glass of water. "Well dream on, sister, because there will be no duel," he said.

Blue Elephant halted her process of taking another sip of tea. "What do you mean?" She asked.

"You originally challenged me because I was not teaching my classes as well as my father, and you thought you could do better. Well right now, you own the dojo, so you can now teach your classes the way you want to. I'm not around to bother anything; heck, I'm not in the same city. There is no more reason to fight, so you can go and have a nice life." Jackie leaned back in his seat and folded his hands.

"Nice point, except it was our fight, and you offered your sister as the sacrificial lamb. You barely gave her a warning. "Beware of the bald-headed woman,' indeed! What did you think, that I'd shrug my shoulders and go away when I saw your sister at the place? If you sold the place, that would be a different matter, but you didn't. That was your name I saw on those papers. Again, how dare you throw your sister in the middle of our fight?"

"Hey, you just said my sister is working for you now, so she's taken care of. I'll go ahead and do the formality of transferring my name to you on those papers, so everybody's happy."

The sound of Blue Elephant's fist hitting the table startled Jackie, and drew the attention of two nearby tables for a moment. She leaned forward, her eyes blazing at Jackie.

"You are missing the point, Jackie. I challenged you. This was not some deal where we have our seconds represent us; this was to be personal combat between you and me. The dojo is a nice prize, but it wasn't all about the dojo. This was also about a matter of honor, which apparently you know nothing about," she said.

"A matter of honor?" He said.

"When I saw that you were teaching your classes in a way that dishonored your father's memory, instead of flat out telling you the job you did was lousy, I decided to challenge you in the vain attempt that you would get the hint and become better. I figured ownership of the dojo would provide the proper incentive. But you appear to be as thickheaded as you are ineffectual as a teacher. Not only have you not improved, but you have ran from me."

"And you didn't want the dojo?"

"Not at first, the second time sounded pretty tempting, and we would've discussed some terms if I won, but this third time, it needs to be in better hands. I want the school to rise back to its former status as a school of great honor."

"Honor, eh?" Jackie said skeptically. "Was this to prove that you're the better fighter? Okay Blue Elephant, you're the better fighter. You happy now?"

"Before today, I would've accepted that, but not now. Now, I desire to see your broken, bleeding, defeated body at my feet. This duel has become a little more personal when you pulled that stunt with your sister."

"Well the duel ends now. My dojo is not close enough to the old one for neither my teaching methods nor anything else to matter to you. You just take good care of my sister."

Blue Elephant shook her head. "Let me explain this in words that you'll understand; you will fight me. If it's not tonight, then it will be sometime in the middle of a class. If not then, the next time will be when you leave your dojo or after you leave your home. There may be a knock on your door one day, and instead of a guest, it'll be me. You can be sure I will not be as gracious on the street as I am on the dojo floor; others can attest to that. But sooner or later, one way or the other, at a dojo or when you leave a restaurant with your date, you will fight me."

"I get the message. You can stop posturing now, you're drawing attention," Jackie said.

"I have not raised my voice, and other than hit the table have I done anything to raise attention," Blue Elephant said. "It's probably the soles of my feet, they're probably quite black by now. That always draws attention."

Seeing Jackie's expression, she continued. "What? You don't wear shoes, you walk on the ground and floors like this, your soles get dirty; it's a fact of life."

Jackie sighed. "And what happens after you beat me, you going to make me your boy toy like your friend Destiny did with John Brown?"

"Don't flatter yourself. The reason Destiny challenged John is because she had the hots for him for years. But like you, he was very arrogant, and thought he was what God sent to women, among other things. She realized the only way to knock some sense into him was to literally knock some sense into him. She saw something redeemable in that arrogant sot, I don't know what. You should see him now; he's a changed man. I'll tell him you said hello. With us, it's entirely different; they were for the reasons I gave you. After I beat you, I'll leave you for someone else to pick up. Besides, I already have a boyfriend."

Jackie sighed again. "I don't know why I'm still talking to you. You've said what you needed to say, now go and leave me in peace," he said.

Blue Elephant got up, laid some money plus a tip on the table, and stretched slightly. "That's fine, I need some fresh air anyway. I understand your last class, a review class for your black belts, ends early tonight. I'll be there fifteen minutes after it's over. Farewell."

On her way out, a man tried to catch her attention.

"Excuse me, Miss? Hello?" He said.

"Hmmm?" Blue Elephant said. She turned and saw a table with three young men and a woman. They appeared to be college students out for a few drinks after classes.

"Excuse me ma'am, but I couldn't help overhearing. Did that dude call you a "Blue Elephant?'" The man who caught her attention said.

"You don't look like a "blue elephant,'" the second person, a tall brown-haired man who could be mistaken for Clark Kent said.

"Oh, that's my nickname," Blue Elephant laughed. "It doesn't have anything to do with my looks."

"Why would you want to be called that?" a woman, a young Hispanic lady with long hair said.

"I received that name because my hands and feet are as tough as elephant's skin," Blue Elephant said matter-of-factly. "Oh, and blue is my favorite color."

"So what you're saying is that your hands and feet are as tough as shoe leather?" The third man said, a handsome Hispanic with a buzz type haircut. He sounded a little skeptical.

"That's right. Would you like a demonstration?"

All four agreed.

Blue Elephant reached over and took a brown beer bottle. "Is this empty?" When the four students nodded their agreement, she motioned to a nearby waitress. "You'll need to get a broom and dust pan, this may get a little messy."

The neighboring tables, sensing something was going on, halted their conversations and looked over to see what was going on. Even those sitting on stools by the bar intensely watching a sporting event on TV turned around for a moment.

Blue Elephant laid the beer bottle on its side, then suddenly stomped her bare right foot on it, crushing the bottle. She ground her foot on the remains, smashing any sizable pieces to dust. Then in a move more for show than it was for function, she lifted up her foot in a way where everyone could see her sole, and brushed any loose glass off her foot. She received a small round of applause.

"How did you do that?" The first man said.

"I've done exercises to harden my hands and feet. That, and not wearing shoes for ten years," Blue Elephant said as she smiled and waved heading out the door.

Jackie, who saw the whole spectacle from his table, didn't need to see a demonstration of the hardness of his foe's soles; he felt them firsthand I their previous two duels. He laid down the money for his meal plus his tip, and left out the back exit. He didn't want to run the risk of possibly being asked twenty questions about Blue Elephant and her "parlor trick." He arrived at his car, found himself looking around to see if he was being watched, then got in, started it up, and pulled out of the parking lot, heading for his dojo.

Jackie played off the meeting more coolly than he felt. He felt bad about losing the dojo, and felt horrible that his sister got involved. His plan was meant to prevent or at least postpone the duel, not bring in a new participant. Yet he suspected Blue Elephant figured that, and carried through with her original plan to send a message. Now that the "message" was received, what could he do? He had no desire to take on Blue Elephant again. He had to grudgingly admit, her skills had greatly improved, and a third duel would not be as close a fight as before. Worse yet, she knew it.

He now had a few hours left to play with; time to teach his last class of the day, and time to try to come up with something before Blue Elephant darkened his doorstep.

-----

The sullen mood that Jackie had when he taught his final class of the evening was not unnoticed by his oldest and closest students. Five students who helped him start the new school, stayed behind after class was over (which Jackie ended ten minutes early) to find out what was the matter.

"Teacher, you look troubled. What's wrong?" Dennis, one of his students said.

Jackie looked at Dennis and his four other students. All of them were around when the first duel started. Realizing that, he went ahead and told them of his oncoming battle with Blue Elephant. The students looked at Jackie, then looked at each other. After a long moment, Dennis spoke again.

"We will fight for you, teacher," Dennis said.

"Yeah!" Responded Toby, another student. "No bald woman is going to mess with our sensei!" The others voiced their agreement.

"Students, you don't need to do this," Jackie said. "The duel is between her and I."

"You are our sensei, our teacher," Joseph, another student said. "You have taught us everything we know. You have challenged us and encouraged us. For all you have done for us, let us at least attempt to pay you back in kind by teaching this trespasser a lesson she won't forget."

"This will give us a chance to practice our new moves," Tim, another student spoke. "She won't be able to keep up with that."

"Let us fight for you, teacher. Let us send a message for her and that cult or whatever it is she belongs to," Stuart, the last student said.

"I am honored, my pupils," Jackie said. "I appreciate your devotion to me and this school; however, the duel is still between her and I."

"She insulted you and insulted this school, in turn insulting us!" Dennis said. "I've longed to pay her back."

As the teachers and students argued, they almost didn't notice the front door of the dojo opening. When Jackie looked in that direction, he glanced at his watch. Fifteen minutes past the hour. Blue Elephant had arrived.

Blue Elephant walked into the dojo, saying nothing to Jackie or his students who watched her in stunned silence. She stopped walking as her bare soles touched the mat. She gave the mat and surrounding area a careful glance.

"Good, your students assembled the mat properly," she said at last. She noticed the five students. "So Jackie, is this your cheering section, or are they here to carry you off after I'm through with you?" She laughed.

"We are his oldest students," Dennis said, jumping in before Jackie could speak. "We remember when you first came as a bald-headed harpy challenging our teacher to fight in the middle of our class."

"Yes, I remember you now. I believe you cheered the loudest when I was defeated the first time. I think you also said something that wasn't too kind to my gender as well that day."

"You are not fighting our sensei today," Joseph said. "It's either us or nobody at all."

"So are these students fighting your battle for you, Jackie?" Blue Elephant said, ignoring the threatening step forward that Joseph made.

"No, it is our fight," Jackie said.

"Oh, I get it. The loyalty of students to their teacher, I understand that. Boys, I admire your devotion to your sensei, but this duel is between him and I, so either move out of my way, or I go through you, okay?"

"Your dueling ends tonight," Joseph said. "You interrupting our classes to challenge our teacher so you can try to win our dojo. You insult all of us."

Blue Elephant took off her sunglasses. "Oh he didn't tell you? I won control of that dojo earlier today. The only reason I'm here is because he owes me a fight since this is our scheduled day."

The shocked students looked at each other, then looked at Jackie.

"Is this true, sensei?" Stuart said in a hushed voice.

Jackie bowed his head.

Blue Elephant took off her trench coat, revealing a blue bikini top and blue denim Capri-like pants that extended to mid-calf, where they flared. On the right pant leg, there was a red swirl design that extended from top to bottom. Her blue fingernail and toenail polish contrasted with her light golden skin.

"Julie had fought well to the end before she fell to me. She will be an excellent fighter one day," she said. "One day she'll surpass her teacher. For now though, she is one of my students."

Tim shook his head. "You can't do that," he said in denial.

"My dear sir, I already have, and I have the papers to prove it."

The students murmured to each other, and made quick glances at Jackie, who still had his head bowed in shame.

Dennis blurted in anger, "That's our dojo! Give it back, you witch!"

"Perhaps your teacher shouldn't have made wagers he couldn't keep," Blue Elephant said. "But enough of this! I have tolerated your behavior this long because of your loyalty to your teacher. Now Jackie and I have a debt of combat that must be paid by myself and him alone, so stand aside."

"You had no right to take our dojo," Stuart said. "We've spent a good part of our lives training there."

"Jackie, you need to put a leash on your students before I do it myself," she said. She started walking towards Jackie, but Dennis stood in her way, despite Jackie's protests.

"If you want to fight sensei, you first need to go through me," he said.

"That's fine, I can use a warm-up exercise anyway. Prepare yourself," Blue Elephant said.

The face-off was a study of contrasts. The five students along with Jackie were dressed in classic Kung Fu garb: black long-sleeved tunics, black trousers, white socks and black slippers with rubber soles, as opposed to Blue Elephant's more radical outfit of blue bikini top, blue denim Capri pants, and only the toughened bare soles of her size 12 feet serving as her "footwear." Dennis posed in an upright pose, while Blue Elephant got in her more unorthodox stance of crouching down almost to her knees. They faced each other for a moment of silence, and then almost as if they heard a silent bell, they attacked.

Dennis threw a downward punch that Blue Elephant parried. The female martial artist, not wanting to waste any time, sprang straight up, twisting her body counterclockwise, performing a Shin Fung Tui or Tornado Kick. The sole of Blue Elephant's right foot collided with Dennis' jaw. As Blue Elephant landed back on her feet, Dennis went flying off his. Two of the other students instinctively jumped out of the way of the human missile, whose flight ended by bouncing off the dojo wall, then landed face down on the mat.

As the other students saw Dennis' still form, Jackie knew with grim recognition what just happened. That was one of his opponent's favorite moves. She almost nailed him with that kick a few times in their last two duels.

"Don't worry, he is only unconscious, though I could've shattered his jaw or broke his neck if I didn't pull my kick," Blue Elephant said. "I have spent years honing my feet to be deadly weapons. They're not to be taken lightly. My score to settle is only between your teacher and I, so I ask for the last time to stand back, and do not interfere."

Jackie, not wanting to see any more of his students humbled and defeated, stepped forward to face Blue Elephant, only to find Joseph blocking his way.

"Joseph, please," Jackie said.

"When you challenge our instructor, you challenge our school; in short, you challenge us," Joseph said, ignoring Jackie's warning.

"Is that how you feel?" Blue Elephant asked. Joseph nodded.

"Very well, so be it," she said.

Joseph threw a straight right punch toward the female fighter's chest. With amazing speed, Blue Elephant caught his hand at the wrist in a tight grip, and then delivered a left claw to his collarbone. Joseph didn't have long to suffer from the bone-crushing pain from either blow, or anything else, however; the woman warrior delivered a forward right kick to his chin, knocking him out.

The remaining three students didn't ponder on the fact that two of their number was defeated. They didn't ponder the orders given by their teacher to back off. They didn't even ponder who would take the woman on next; they all attacked at once.

Contrary to how it appears, it takes some skill to attack as a group effectively, especially when the target in question is an advanced martial artist. When the men weren't busy trying to stay out of each other's way, they were busy with little success avoiding the kicks and punches of their supposed victim. All this resulted in creating a rather untouched, and very angry Blue Elephant.

"JACKIE, COME AND FACE ME!" She bellowed while delivering a back fist to Toby's nose, making it bleed. A chop to the neck sent him to the mat.

Blue Elephant didn't waste any time with the next attacker either. She grabbed Tim and spun him around, receiving a knockout punch from an unsuspecting Stuart.

As Blue Elephant dropped Tim to the mat, Stuart, throwing all caution to the wind, as well as what lessons he's been taught, ran and attempted to leap on top of her. She threw herself to the mat, back first, resting on her elbows and her left foot. She extended her right leg, her stiffened toes aimed toward Stuart's solar plexus. While he was airborne, Stuart saw what was coming, but realized he was unable to stop it.

He was impaled as her toes hit his chest. He dropped to the ground where he curled up in a fetal position, gasping for breath. Blue Elephant rose from the mat, and slowly stalked toward Jackie, her eyes ablaze.

"Those were your oldest and best students? Pathetic," she said. "All those years, and all they learned to do is make fancy moves that mean nothing. I know people who took self-defense classes who can fight better than that! In the time since we first fought, I've worked to turn myself into a living weapon. I've hardened my hands and especially my feet for that purpose. I worked on my techniques in a number of disciplines: Wing Chun, Eagle Claw, and San Shou, along with others. But I also took the time to learn the beauty of the art; the poetry that flows with each move. To see you take something so beautiful and turn it into flashy garbage makes my blood boil. Your father would be spinning in his grave if he knew what you've done."

"Enough with my father!" Jackie said. "He's dead now and his era died with him. Things are different now; times have changed. Can't you except that?"

"Oh yes, I can accept that times have changed, and not always for the good. Well I think it's time for me to make some changes as well, starting with your head."

Blue Elephant then leapt at Jackie, delivering a series of flying kicks that were so fast and furious, it was all Jackie could do to duck and jump out of the way. He knew if one of those kicks made contact, the results could be very painful. As he desperately looked for an opening to strike back, out of the corner of his eye he saw a staff and a spear hanging on the dojo wall for display. For a brief instant, he considered grabbing the staff and using it, but he changed his mind. Blue Elephant however, saw where he looked.

"If you grab it, you better know how to use it," she growled.

"I'm not going to use anything," he said.

"Good, it would only make your beating worse."

Jackie took advantage of the momentary lull in combat to launch a forward right punch point blank at Blue Elephant's chin. The blow should stun her long enough for a finishing move. At least he thought it was point blank. Blue Elephant's left hand came from nowhere and caught his fist moments before it made contact.

Jackie glanced at his captured fist in shock. But before he could attempt to perform another move, Blue Elephant jumped up, still holding on to Jackie's hand, wrapping her left leg around his back and her right leg around his neck, in what looked like a flying leg scissors. She twisted her body counterclockwise, throwing Jackie down to the dojo floor, the back of his head and neck landing first.

The impact stunned Jackie for a moment. When he looked up, he saw Blue Elephant standing over him with an evil grin. Before he could try anything, the next sight he saw was the large calloused foot of Blue Elephant headed toward his face. Jackie closed his eyes and braced for impact. At the very least, he expected a broken nose, perhaps a black eye or two, or maybe a broken cheekbone with loose or missing teeth. And that's not counting the splitting headache that would follow.

A few seconds later, Jackie realized the final blow hadn't come yet. He opened his eyes and saw that Blue Elephant's foot was still there, only an inch away from his face. Seeing that he reopened his eyes, the feminine martial arts master flexed her big toe and tapped Jackie lightly on his nose.

Jackie could've sworn he heard her say, "Honk!"

"This duel is now ended," Blue Elephant said.

Jackie slowly rose to his feet. "That's it? You, you're not going to finish me off?" He said.

"What did you think this was, a fight to the death?" Blue Elephant said. "I operated under the rules we always followed in our duels. I came here to finish our duel and defeat you. Your sister and your "master' students," she waved her hand toward the scattered, wounded, and groaning disciples on the mat, "was an unexpected and unwanted bonus. I could've went for major damage, and believe me, I was tempted, but that wouldn't sit well with your sister."

"With my sister. So you two are bosom buddies now, eh?"

Blue Elephant laughed as she walked over to her trench coat, picked it up, and returned to Jackie, who was still sitting on the floor.

"You know what the most ironic, no the funniest thing about this is? If you knew the answer, this didn't have to happen at all," she said.

"What?"

"None of this nonsense would've occurred if you knew the answer."

"The answer? What are you talking about?"

"Many years ago, a grandmaster of the art walked into a dojo one day and challenged the sensei there to a duel to see who the better man was. The grandmaster said if he won, he would also gain control of the dojo.

"The students stepped back and prepared to watch the battle. But instead, the sensei bowed to the grandmaster and said, "There will be no duel; I proclaim you as the better man, because even though I am a teacher, I still have a lot to learn, and I can learn something from everyone.'

"The grandmaster responded, "No, you are the better man because of your humility and knowing that all decisions do not have to be decided by way of battle.' And then he left the dojo."

"What kind of foolish story is that? It proves nothing! I'm not in the mood for fairy tales," Jackie said, growing annoyed.

"That "fairy tale' as you call it, was told by your father as he always tells it to his first-time students. Do you not remember when he told you that story, or were you sick that day?"

"Yeah, I vaguely remember it, so what?"

Blue Elephant looked at him the way a schoolteacher would look at an uncomprehending child.

"It was a true story," she said.

"And how would you know this if you weren't there?"

"Because it was my sensei who challenged your father that day. After he taught me all he knew, he told me to seek out your dad to learn more, because he said he is "the better man.'"

Jackie was speechless.

"When I came over, I received only a few lessons from him before he became really ill. Then you took over, and well, we won't go over that again. Then the DOA found me, finished my training, and the rest, as they say, is history," she said.

"So all this could've been prevented if, if I responded to your challenge the right way?" Jackie said.

"Yes, if you answered my challenge correctly, I would've been your most dedicated student. You see, there's more to learning and teaching a martial art than just learning the moves; there's also the philosophy and self-discipline that comes with it. When I first challenged you, instead of responding with humility, you responded with pride. That's where the duel was; not in skill, but in attitude."

"So all this could've been prevented," Jackie repeated.

"Yep, all the stuff, including the loss of your dojo, could've been prevented," Blue Elephant said as she pulled some papers from one of the pockets of her trench coat. "Speaking of which, I need you to sign your title and ownership of that said dojo over to me. Just sign in these spaces please."

Jackie signed the documents, his mind in a fog. The answer was there all the time; how could he be so stupid?

"I got to get back to the dojo and set things up for tomorrow. I'll see you later, Jackie," Blue Elephant said as she motioned toward his students. "I think your students may need some first aid and some reeducation."

Jackie, feeling like a total disgrace to his father, sister, and fellow martial art instructors in general, silently watched Blue Elephant leave the dojo and head to her car. After she pulled out of the parking lot, he slowly turned and started administering aid to his students.

For comments, suggestions or story ideas, send e-mail to shrewsberry@juno.com.