Jeane finished his stretches quickly as he waited for zeke to get done with changing into his gym clothes.
The hole in the wall gym was dirty and had few patrons currently which was perfect as zeke was a fugitive. Jeane looked outside the dirty windows and to see a few passerbys but they all looked more like bums and poor people then the normal company jeane kept.
Zeke trotted toward the boy holding a half-eaten candy bar in his hand and a can of cheap beer. The boy frowned at his mentors obvious weakness for liquor.
“Hey brother, got myself some protein booster.” he smoke with a mouthful of candy.
Jeane cringed but chose to not say anything about his mentors unprofessionalism. The boy then scanned the gym floor. They had been using this gym for the last three weeks and jeane was familiar with the heavy bag, the speed bag, and the boxing ring in the center.
“Alright brother, it’s time to do a new extreme strength training routine that will make you a dynamo of muscle.” zeke exclaimed in an extravagant manner.
Jeane cracked his neck. He had noticed that his body had toned itself from his former pasty weakling build and he had started packing on muscle. Not enough to be huge but enough to be noticable. The boy had also cut out most sweets in his diet to help his training.
“why strength training specifically, zeke.” Jeane asked, when he started his training he wouldnt dare question zeke when he was trying to help him or any adult for that manner. But now that he knew what kinda person Zeke was… he had his doubts on his competence.
“well brother, we’ve establised your powers are gravity based.”
‘That is correct.”
“Gravity works off weight doesn’t it.”
“It affects weight yes.”
“Well if we build up your strength and muscles you’ll be able to better control your powers and up you power output tenfold.”
were does he get his measurements. I highly doubt he will give me his work out plan. The boy shook his head. He would be lying if he said zeke’s training didn’t provide results but he just wished zeke was a better mentor… someone more like the guys in the comics.
“let’s get this started Zeke.”
Zeke laughed and nodded his head. “Alright brother, let’s start this nice and easy. One hundred push-ups go!”
the boy paused with a raised eyebrow. “Excuse me?”
zeke pointed finger guns. “Come on brother, you want to get stronger don’tcha. Then you gotta put in the hours.”
“One hundred push-ups seems a little excessive.” jeane rubbed the back of his neck.
Zeke slapped the boys arm with a playful chuckle. “Come on Brother, you doubt yourself now and you’ll never be as great as your supposed to be.”
Jeane gulped. “Okay.”
The boy fell down face first then slammed his arm on the ground and pointed his toes against the dirty floor. The boy lifted himself up and down repeatedly. He started off strong getting well into the double digits for his push ups.
But, complications started when he got close to forty. He felt his muscles strain as his arms began to shook.
“Doing great brother. You’re doing awesome.” Zeke cheered on, trying his best to sound motivating while finishing his beer. “Oop, need a refill and I’m getting kinda hungry, brb, keep up the good work.”
Irritated jeane continued as best he could. The boy fell on his face. Growling to himself.
The boy couldn’t move his body, it hurt to even breath but the boy rolled onto his back hardly able to breath.
The boy began trying to draw strength from the gravity around him to heal himself. The boy breathed in and out slowly then felt the pain ease.
The boy rolled himself back to his belly then slowly supported himself get up. The boy rolled his shouldered and by the time he was back to feet zeke was coming in from the vending machine with six cans of beer and a grocery bag full of snacks.
Jeane gave him an offended look. “seriously?”
Zeke was chewing what jeane assumed to be a candy bar by the brown goop on his lips. “What?” he asked his mouth full. “You gotta carboload. You want some?”
Jeane rolled his eyes and then took a seat on the work out bench.
“So how was your first hundred push-ups?” Zeke asked excited.
“I got to fifty then my body gave out on me.”
“Huh, that doesn’t seem right. Alright we’ll work up to 100. now I’d like you to do 100 sit ups. Take a five minute break and then get to it.” zeke instructed, popping the tag of his beer can and then took a sip.
Jeane grumbled to himself, lowering to the ground on his back and then doing his situps. His body was still sore from the push-ups but he did it up to 30 sit ups before his back started to sprain, the boy jumped up and then rubbed his sore back.
“Yo, you okay brother?” zeke asked finishing his current sip.
Jeane shook his head. “this work out is unrealistic zeke. What the hell are you putting me through.”
Zeke put his beer down then went to check on jeane. “Here, began channeling your source to heal and I’ll get a couple heat packs from the machine.” the man walked away leaving jeane feeling sick.
This guy Is gonna kill me. Did I make a mistake in choosing him to train me. Jeane liked zeke but he seemed more cartoony the more time he spent with him.
Jeane sat down on the workout bench and began channeling. The boy breathed in and out then focused on his sore back.
Once again jeane felt himself grow better but now he felt lighter in the area. He decided to test it by jumping. When he did he jumped and hovered in the air for a second before slowly descending like this was the moon.
Okay the amount of gravity that I can draw from Is limited. If I draw too much then we turn the area into the moon or worse. The boy did a few more bounces before the gravity adjusted. He sighed thanking god that this change wasnt permanent.
Zeke finally did come with three heats packs, another can of beer and a candy bar.
Why does he eat so much. How can he eat so much and how isn’t he shitfaced if he drink so much.
“alright brother let’s get these pads on your back and arms.” he instructed pressing the pads to jeanes back while the boy held one to his arms. The heat eased him easily and felt relaxing.
The boy cricked his neck and after he was feeling better.
“What next?” He asked wanting to actually get something done today.
“One kilometer run around the gym… come on, now… let’s go, woo!” the man exclaimed, but jeane had had enough.
The boy just looked at the cheering zeke and shook his head.
“What’s with the look kid? Come on we got muscle to build.”
“Look zeke,” Jeane began, trying to be patient through his irritation. “Where exactly did you get this work out plan from?”
The man scratched his head as if thinking. “Oh yeah brother, I got it from an… anime.”
Breaking glass echoed in Jeane’s head.
“an anime… an anime!” Jeane leapt to his feet. Lunging at the man and grabbing him by the collar. “You put me through all that and it isn’t even a real work-out plan!”
Zeke backed away slowly raising his hands defensively.
The boy was furious, his nostrils flared at how foolish zeke was.
“I’m sorry jeane, I thought you could handle it.”
“what makes you think you know what I can handle!?” he exclaimed walking past zeke to the locker room.
“Where you going brother?”
“I’m grabbing my clothes and then going home. You’re an idiot and you don’t know how to train anyone. Good-bye zeke.” Jeane entered the locker room and the rank smell of beer hit his nostrils, bridging his nose, jeane powered through to his locker.
as soon as the man was out of sight, Jeane realized how harsh he was. The boy would have to apoligize if he saw zeke agai.
A knock on the lockers and jeane turned his head to see zeke sheepishly standing in the entrance.
“Look zeke, I’m sorry for what I said, it was uncalled for.”
“No I’m sorry, you’re right. I don’t know how to train conduits. But understand that I do want you to be the hero you were meant to be… but I can’t do it like this.”
“If I look up actual work-out plans. Will you help me follow them and promise not to do anything ridiculous again.”
Zeke nodded his head, “Scouts honor.”
“Then let’s go we have work to do? By the way I’d like one of your candy bars, if you don’t mind.”
A wide smile came easily to zeke as he slapped the boys arm, “You got it brother, how’s about after the sess we have a couple brewskis.”
“I’m 16 zeke.”
Zeke flushed, “Oh that’s role, my bad kid.”
Both men walked arm in arm out of the locker room, laughing as their friendship became renewed.