Work Text:
"Are you sure this is necessary?"
"Yes. Stilettos are fine weapons, and as you are the only one in the tribe who wears them, you must know how to wield them in combat." Knuckles paced around Maddie. "First, you must be able to take them off quickly. In a real battle you only have seconds to react, so you must use those seconds wisely." He pulled out a stopwatch. "Remove your shoes, as quickly as you can."
Maddie frowned lightly, but crouched and reached down to take her left stiletto off. She loved her pink stilettos, but that damn buckle was always so stubborn. She unlatched it, loosened the strap, and slipped the shoe off.
Knuckles clicked the timer. "12 seconds. Much too slow. Do it again."
She put her shoe back on and tightened the strap. She gestured for Knuckles to start the stopwatch, then undid the stubborn buckle, loosened the strap, and slipped her shoe off.
"12 seconds. Again."
She put her shoe back on, then tried to deal with that damn buckle again. That thing was stubborn, getting stuck in the strap. That time, it took 11 seconds.
"Again."
11 seconds.
"Again."
12 seconds.
"Again."
11 seconds.
"Again."
10 seconds.
"Again."
9 seconds.
"Again."
8 seconds.
"Again."
On and on Maddie went, slowly chipping away at her time. Eventually, she was able to do it in 3 seconds.
"Excellent. Do it again."
Maddie took a deep breath, trying to hold back her frustration. "Why do I need to do it again?"
"We must ensure that it was not a fluke."
Okay, fair point. So she did it again. And again. And again. Relief flooded her when Knuckles nodded approvingly and moved onto the next lesson.
Knuckles moved a training dummy onto the porch. It was tied to a wooden beam and marked with various organs and body parts, from the spleen to the temple to even the intercostal spaces. A crooked angry face had been drawn on in blue marker, courtesy of Sonic.
"Now, you must learn to throw your stiletto. If you do it correctly, you can kill your opponent in a single strike."
That statement made Maddie shift uncomfortably. Still, she kept her cool. "I thought this was a self defense class."
"It is. And there are times when you cannot defend yourself non-lethally."
"Well, I'd prefer to stick to non-lethal combat if I can help it."
Knuckles hummed shortly. "I have been trained primarily in lethal combat, but I suppose I can make an exception. But I will be open to teach you the lethal maneuvers when you are ready."
"I don't think I'll ever be ready to kill anyone."
Knuckles pressed his lips into a thoughtful line as he turned to the dummy. "I would like you to aim for the face or the abdomen. Another day, I will have you aim for the intercostal spaces."
"To hit the lungs?"
"Exactly. But you must improve your aim first."
She nodded, deciding to aim for the face, pulling back and throwing the heel. It spun end over end, stabbing the dummy in the cheek.
Knuckles nodded approvingly. "Excellent, Pretzel Woman."
Maddie smiled, grabbing the heel out of the dummy. "What next?"
"I would like you to aim for specific organs."
Maddie hummed, stepping back and aiming for the stomach. She threw her heel, and it hit. Not the direct center, but still a hit. Knuckles pulled it out and threw it at Maddie, who caught it in midair.
"Good. Again."
This time, she aimed at one of the marked pressure points. Again, not a direct hit, but still a hit. She continued to aim for various non vital organs and pressure points, her aim gradually improving with each hit.
Knuckles eventually gave a satisfied nod. "Excellent. Now, put it back on."
"Why? Are we done?"
"No. I would like to teach you to fight with the shoes still on."
"Wait, like, fight you?"
"Yes. I will be fine."
Maddie frowned thoughtfully, uncomfortably. She really didn't like the idea of fighting her kid with a potentially deadly weapon, even if he said he would be fine. She walked over to the dummy and pulled her shoe out. It would need a new coat of paint. Good thing she just got a new set of acrylics. She slipped the shoe back on and pulled the strap through the buckle.
"Alright, how are we doing this?"
Knuckles smiled and he drew closer. "I will put you in various locks. You will use your shoes to get out of them."
Alright. Sounded easy enough. She nodded.
Knuckles darted forward, looping his arms around her midsection and pinning her arms to her sides. Her back pressed against him. She tested the strength of his pin and found she couldn't move her upper body at all, nor could she pull away from him. On instinct, she slammed her heel down on his foot, and he let go.
Knuckles looped around the front, tackling her to the ground and pinning her by her wrists. She lifted her feet, and kicked him in the gut. He let himself be knocked backwards, landing on his feet. "Next time, aim for your opponent's groin."
She blinked. "What?"
"Traditionally, the groin is the weakest spot."
She knew that of course, but she didn’t know how to feel about kicking her son in the groin.
They went on from there, with Knuckles putting Maddie in various incapacitating positions and her kicking her way out of them. From against the wall to pressed against his chest. With each successful escape, his approval grew from a simple nod, to a bright, proud smile.
"Excellent, Pretzel Woman! You are a very fast learner."
Maddie smiled. "Thanks, Knuckles."
He nodded firmly. "Perhaps someday you will be ready to learn the lethal maneuvers."
Maddie felt a twinge of discomfort, but she couldn't ignore the excited glow in her son's eyes. "Someday, but not today."
He nodded in understanding, those stars still in his eyes. "You all seem very...uncomfortable with lethal combat."
"Well, most people around here train in non lethal self defense, and definitely don't dip into lethal combat. We aren't really all that comfortable with...killing people."
Knuckles nodded sagely. "I see.” He glanced at the house. “I believe we should eat well to celebrate a successful training session.”
Maddie smiled. “Yeah, I think that’s a good idea.”