"Whoa!" Melanie exclaimed. "That was sneaky!"
"I didn't see that coming either," Clara added.
"Not bad," Hailey acknowledged with grudging respect. "But can you handle this?"
She launched into a complex combination. A series of punches followed by a spinning kick.
Noah remembered it too, and managed to avoid most of the strikes. Though one glancing blow caught his shoulder.
"Ow," Noah said, rubbing his shoulder. "I remember that one. You always loved the flashy moves."
"They work, don't they?" Hailey replied with a satisfied grin.
"Show off," Noah accused playfully.
"Guilty as charged," Hailey admitted.
The junior trainees watched in amazement. Their instructor displayed a level of skill that went far beyond their regular training sessions.
But they also noticed something else. She was smiling, really smiling, for the first time all morning.
"Look how happy she is," Emma observed quietly.
"It's like she's a completely different person," Sarah agreed.
