“No.”
Leah looked at him.
“Why?”
“Because this is a martial arts gym, not an action movie.”
A few students laughed.
Leah did not.
“I don’t mean full sparring.”
Daniel waited.
“Then what do you mean?”
Leah pointed to the center mat.
“Control drill.”
“Rules?”
“No strikes.”
“No submissions.”
“Light contact.”
“Three attackers.”
“One defender.”
“Ninety seconds.”
“Goal?”
“They touch both my shoulders at the same time.”
Marcus frowned.
“That’s it?”
“Yes.”
“And your goal?”
“Don’t let them.”
Derek smiled.
“That sounds worse for you.”
Leah shrugged.
“Maybe.”
Daniel studied her.
That changed everything.
She had not asked to fight three people.
She had asked for a positioning problem.
Different.
Still unusual.
He asked,
“Why?”
Leah looked at the three black belts.
“Because they called me easy.”
Marcus smiled.
“That’s a reason?”
“No.”
She looked at Daniel.
“That’s the excuse.”
Now everyone was listening.
Daniel asked,
“What’s the reason?”
Leah smiled faintly.
“I want to see if they work together.”
The three black belts stopped smiling.
That was not what they expected.
Marcus said,
“We do.”
Leah looked at him.
“You think you do.”
Derek laughed.
Owen said,
“She’s baiting us.”
Leah nodded.
“Yes.”
Daniel almost smiled.
Then became serious.
“Shoulder touch only?”
“Yes.”
“No grabbing clothing?”
“Okay.”
“No trapping someone against the wall.”
“Okay.”
“No speed beyond technical.”
Marcus groaned.
“Technical?”
Daniel looked at him.
“Yes.”
“This is going to be boring.”
Leah said,
“Then it should be easy.”
The room reacted.
Marcus smiled again.
“Fine.”
Daniel set the rules.
Three attackers started on one side.
Leah in the center.
They could move.
Angle.
Coordinate.
Touch.
No takedowns.
No holding.
No blocking with both arms.
No collisions.
If Daniel said stop, everything stopped.
The goal was not to beat Leah.
The goal was to coordinate well enough to place two simultaneous shoulder touches.
Simple.
Everyone understood.
That simplicity made the challenge interesting.
Daniel set ninety seconds.
“Ready?”
The three black belts nodded.
Leah nodded.
“Go.”
Marcus moved first.
Of course.
Fast.
Direct.
Leah stepped away.
Derek moved left.
Owen moved right.
Good.
For three seconds, it looked easy.
Then Marcus rushed too early.
Leah turned so Owen blocked Derek’s line.
Not physically.
Positionally.
Derek had to go around him.
Marcus reached.
Leah pivoted.
His hand touched one shoulder.
Not two.
No score.
Reset continued.
Marcus laughed.
“Okay.”
Leah moved.
Always just enough.
Never sprinting.
She kept one person between herself and another.
Derek saw it first.
“She’s using us as screens.”
Owen nodded.
“Then stop stacking.”
Good.
They spread.
Leah changed direction.
Marcus tried to cut.
Derek waited.
Owen held center.
Better.
Now Leah had fewer exits.
Twenty seconds.
Marcus touched left shoulder.
Derek almost touched right.
Almost.
Leah turned.
Derek’s hand missed.
Marcus said,
“Again.”
They reset while moving.
Daniel watched.
The room became quiet.
Not because Leah looked magical.
Because the three black belts looked worse together than they did alone.
Too much confidence.
Too little communication.
Marcus chased openings.
Derek waited too long.
Owen tried to control space but assumed the others would read him.
They did not.
Leah kept making them choose.
Who goes?
Who holds?
Who cuts?
Who waits?