Angel Grove Juice Bar. A Strange name for a Self-Defense Gym, but for anyone born in the '90s there was no mistaking what it really was. And it seemed the owner was a fan of the Power Rangers and unmotivated to ever change the name.

The Ranger stepped into the gym on a sunny day and went to a locker to deposit. It was his first time back into any gym since returning stateside after nearly three years traveling from the Middle East to Africa and back. He needed to get his mind back into the correct though patterns, he couldn't run around brandishing a rifle anymore. Back he must go to hand-to-hand combat to address most hostile situations.

He was wearing more loose fitting clothing, but no a gi. He hated gis with a passion. They gave people something to hold they otherwise wouldn't have. Training against and with something closer to plainclothes but not restrictive was what he liked.

He then took off his shoes before stepping out onto the mat to do a bit of stretching. Not that it would do a whole lot, his musculature limited what he could actually do as far as mobility was concerned.

The plan for the afternoon was to see if the instructor was teaching anything he had never seen before, but that turned out to be a bust. Most of it was the common self defense techniques shown to beginners. This meant his goal would likely be to find someone to spar with, either to sharpen his skills or to teach.

With that in mind, it wasn't long before the instructor asked for people to split off into sparring pairs and he would move around and assist.

Max shut his locker and let out a sigh. Taking a self defense class seemed a little lame. His experience in CLASS training with his powers and his attempts to self train himself on Tai Chi had seemed more than sufficient to defend himself. That was until he found himself in a skirmish against a local crime gang alongside Q and nearly died. Now it seemed like a bit of formal training could assist.

He entered the gym wearing black sweat pants and a white tank top. He was tall and lanky, but all of the muscle on his lean frame was hard, flexible, and strong. Years of dance and conditioning himself to augmented gravity had made him what he was.

The class was mostly boring. The instructor showed off some basic moves that Max was familiar with. There were a few throws that Max thought looked interesting but found little use for. He didn't need to worry about countering heavy weights, he could just make his enemy weightless.

They were instructed to pair off and spar and Max scanned the room. The crowd was a strange assortment. A group of forty something women probably here to learn how to protect themselves to feel safe at night. A couple of high school boys whom Max assumed probably just wanted to learn how to stave off bullies. Good for them.

He spotted a man with brown hair whom seemed not to fit in. He too looked like he was alone and Max approached him.

"Partner up?" He asked,"I think I signed up for the wrong class, this stuff is a bit slow."

As often happened people generally gave Ranger a wide berth when finding partners. Quite understandable, people who are rookies probably don't want to pit themselves against someone who looks like they could be in the UFC. That generally being the case there was one man who approached him. He was a hair taller than the Ranger and lean.

"Partner up?" The man asked,"I think I signed up for the wrong class, this stuff is a bit slow."

"Sure," The Ranger began with a slight chuckle, "Y' do sometimes find an instructor who stumbled across a novel technique."

He around the mat so that they would have a large enough clear space and extended his hand "Michael."

Then he brought up his hands, ready to fight. He didn't make fists, he didn't want to hurt the kid with strikes. He kept his hands open ready to take hold of his sparring partner. "Y' got much experience?"

The man agreed to partner up and they settled in a comfortable pace apart and away from the rest of the class. The man offered his name as Michael and extended his hand in a greeting.

"Max" He replied shaking Michael's hand.

He saw Michael raise his hands in a ready stance and Max analyzed his partner. His palms were open for grappling and his weight was distributed well. He obviously knew what he was doing. Max raises his hands up in a ready stance and opened his hands into open palms as he placed one foot slightly in front of the other.

"Y' got much experience?"

Max gave a small shrug in response.

"Mostly self taught. Learned a bit of this and bit of that. Picked up some stuff from street fights. You" He asked.

He shifted his weight and thrust an open palm strike with his left hand. It was a feint and he quickly pulled his arm back and sent a quick jab from his right at the last moment.

Always good to test an opponents reflex time when starting a fight.

The man, Max, claimed he was self-taught and what he knew was mostly street fighting. ”Military.” Ranger replied. ”An’ years of Jijitsu an’ MMA training. Among others” He decided he would see what Max could do. This would not take long as the other man quickly began their spar with an open palm strike.Ranger raised his left to block but it was a feint, as soon as the arm went back Ranger acted on instinct.

Twisting at the hips, Ranger moved so the strike would pass his chest. He used his right arm to go for a pin on Max’s right arm while his left traveled to Max’s shoulder. This would pin Max’s elbow against his chest and allow him to apply leverage for a submission.

For now the Ranger intended to operate catch and release. Go for the grab, apply enough leverage to show he had him, then release. Test how the man responded. He did not want to ger into a strike fight with the man, last thing he needed was his power to amplify a strike while sparring.

"Y're quick. "

Michael told Max his experience, it was impressive. For a moment Max regretted picking him as a partner, how was a street punk like him suppose to keep with with a trained military killer? Instead he decided to think of it as a learning experience.

And learn he did. His feint seemed successful up in til Michael twisted out of the way and Max felt a hand clamping on his arm and shoulder. His arm was thrust inward to his body at a weird angle and he felt pressure on it. His arm stung in protest and Max used his free hand to tap his thigh twice to submit.

They broke apart and Max looked at Michael. Michael commented on Max's speed and the young mutant smiled.

"Thanks, though your quick too. That arm lock move was impressive. I'll have to remember that one." He replied.

He brought his hands back up and looked at Michael. The man was playing it smart and safe, reacting to Max's hits and grappling him for submissions. Max would need to change tactics.

He rushed Michael brining his right arm back ad if to strike. Once in range he ducked down and went in with his left arm springing out at the man's midrif. Get an arm around him, swing around behind him to take him off balance and take his legs out with a sweeping kick. That was the name of this game. Now just to see if it would work.

”Punches ‘re useful, but they are better at distractin’’ than actually stoppin’ someone. If you can get an arm like that and hold it ‘cross y’re chest you can break it at the elbow with y’re free arm. “

The Ranger brought his hands back up. Again Max initiated. He came for a punch, went low, went for a grab with the other arm. Ranger just widened his base for stability, grabbed the man with both arms after he caught his waist, and went to the mat on top of Max.

Now he wanted to pivot around, hold Max’s wrist in both hands, Max’s shoulder between his legs. This would allow him to raise his chest forcing his elbow to bend backwards. Any attempt to fight his movements always met by a punch.

The ground game is where Ranger had most people beat. Most people had no idea how to fight on the ground, and those that did couldn’t match his sheer strength no matter how good their guard.

His attempt to drop Michael was once again turned on him. The man fell backwards too soon bringing himself and Max to the mat. Max thought that was it but Micheal had other plans and before he knew it Max found himself in some kind of modified arm bar.

The move was a submission technique. Micheal could apply pressure to Max's arm while bracing against his shoulder and put all the tension on Max's elbow. Breaking out would require escaping his grasp but even as Max twisted his wrist he felt the man's hands on him like a vice grip. A normal man would be forced to submit.

Luckily Max wasn't normal. He used his free arm and grabbed his own shoulder and sent a surge of power onto the man holding him. Michael might have strength and leverage but Max made him weightless and that made him easy to move.

Max rolled to his knees pulling the now light Micheal up and over, swinging him like a club. He thrust his arm down hurling the man attached to him's face at the mat below.

The Ranger had max and was waiting for the tap out. Instead the Ranger suddenly became weightless. Not only this but Max was able to swing him about like he was a bat made out of the tube at the center of a roll of wrapping paper.

Due to the surprise of being suddenly weightless in a spar at a dojo, the Ranger relaxed his grip and was thrown to the mat. So Max was a mutant. Max also didn't like Ranger forcing him to tap out.

"That was... Unexpected." He sat up "I think this just got more interestin."

Standing up the Ranger tried to puzzle out what Max's power might be exactly. If nothing else he could make objects weightless. Without weight the Ranger can't exert much force with strikes. He should still be able to hang on to him if he can get a good purchase, friction just requires a force. Normally that force is gravity, but in this case it could be replaced by his grip. He'll need to be careful though if he didn't watch it his power could shatter one of Max's bones.

"I'll start this time."

With that the Ranger moved at Max. He moved like he was going to strike Max's solar plexus, even turning his hips but at the last second shot the back of his hand up to Max's neck for a brachial stun, his power accelerating his movements.

"I think this just got more interestin

The remark and the twinkle in Rangers eyes told Max he was busted. As impressive as the counter had probably looked it had given away that he had abilities. Michael didn't seem offended by Max's powers, or disgusted as a normal person might be, he seemed intrigued. That made Max nervous, if facing a mutant didn't put you off guard you had some tricks up your sleeve.

Michael offered to take the assault this time and Max felt a bead of nervous sweat trickle down his temple. The man came at him fast and Max saw the strike headed for his solar plexus and brought his arm up to break the attack. In an impossibly quick turn Michael instead sent his attack upward to Max's neck.

Instinct took over. Max couldn't out speed a man this quick straight out, but his powers were as quick as thought. Gravity changed, pulling Max straight back and he felt his bare feet leave the mat as he slid back. Michael's fingertips brushed the young mutants neck as he flew back.

Next Max's legs curled up and he thrust both of them out in a horizontal drop kick from his partially airborne position.

Max dodged. And not only did Max dodge, he flew away From Ranger's strike at his neck. What should have been a solid strike to brachial plexus in Max's neck became a quick brush across the skin. The Ranger saw Max pulling his legs up and lash out in a drop kick.

In a snap decision the Ranger maintained his forward momentum but no longer was his speed being boosted. He reached to take hold of Max's feet as they came in. This would ordinarily be an incredibly dangerous thing to do, but he had felt himself become weightless and now Max was flying. Clearly he was affecting gravity. While his mass should remain the same, thus the force of his kick remain the same, it meant Ranger could more readily hold him in place.

Holding Max's legs in place with nothing behind him to act against would turn the energy from a kick into him straightening himself. The Ranger hoped this would leave him in the perfect position to throw Max by his feet. Worst thing was his weight returned, but Ranger's power would let him hold Max by his feet without breaking a sweat.

Michael adjusted quickly to Max's dodge. Things would have been so much easier if the guy wasn't so freaking fast. There was a buzzing in Max's ears as the now familiar sensation within him spread through his mind.

Ever since his return to life Max had been experiencing moments of intense response. Call it adrenaline or instinct but now whenever he found himself corner, or in battle his mind sharpened it's focus to a razors edge.

Micheal grabbed Max's feet. The young mutant felt his momentum carrying him backward so instead of allowing himself to fall he changed gravity, doubling it and aiming it straight at Michael.

He pulled himself up as he went. His knees rising up towards Michael's chest. He felt pain in his feet where the man had him held but Max had a dancers flexibility. As he rose up he pulled his arm back and threw an open handed punch at the man's head.

As the Ranger held Max, suspended in the air by his feet, Max's wight suddenly doubled. There was a moment where the Ranger's shoulders screamed in protest before his torso visibly increased in size as his power compensated for the change in weight.

Max then attempted to pull himself up to strike Ranger. This fight now involved powers and the Ranger planned to show why that was a mistake on Max's part.

Before Max's punch could land, the Ranger swung Max bodily, by his feet, up and over his head. Centrifugal force pulling Max's upper body back away from the Ranger. On the other side Ranger brought Max down, face first into the mat and then let go.

"Unless you can get a lot heavier, that ain't gunna work."

Max felt like he had him, up until the man's chest inflated like a balloon. He swung Max around and alarm bells started ringing in Max's ears. He had used his powers first, but now that he knew he was up against another mutant he could rely on that. What could the guy do? From the way he Rag dolled Max he assumed super strength.

Unfortunatly the whiplash wasn't the actual attack and Max found himself heading quickly to the mat. Gravity was pulling him towards Michael but the man was as strong as an ox and seemed unconcerned with the extra weight. As he flew downward Max doubled gravity on Michael and the dancer's body smashed into the mat.

His head was spinning and he felt himself being released by Michael. His body ached all over and he felt the sudden urge to just stay down.

"Unless you can get a lot heavier, that ain't gunna work."

Max pulled himself up and faced the man. He saw the instructor coming over to check on him after his heavy hit. Max threw out an arm.

"Back off. I'm fine." He called to the teacher.

He pulled his focus back on Michael.

"So you have some moves too. I'm impressed that really rung my bell. I'll tell you I can't get heavier, but you just did. Alot heavier." He replied.

Max took a fighting stance. Michael had grown when he used his power. And with double gravity increasing in size meant a significant increase in weight. Max might be able to slow him down. He lowered gravity on himself and took a step the side.

"Keep up." He said.

He rushed Michael, trying to stay out of his grasp and circle him. He hoped to find and opening or tire the man out.

The Ranger's felt like he had a second him sitting on his shoulders. His power responded by giving him more strength, which added more weight. This cycle continued until an equilibrium was reached. As his mass increased to meet the demand of his new weight he gained more strength relative to the mass he gained. The problem was this made him so bulky he would be slowed down some. Nothing major for now, but it could pose a problem.

In addition to mass increase the energy demand went up in his body. His lungs increased their efficiency and his VO2 max. This change would buy him a little more time before his muscles became oxygen starved.

"So you have some moves too. I'm impressed that really rung my bell. I'll tell you I can't get heavier, but you just did. A lot heavier."

The Ranger smiled and took a fighting stance. Now it would be like a heavyweight fighting a strawweight. Max would have the mobility but if Ranger got one good strike in or a grab it would be game over for Max. Ranger just had to fight smart.

"Keep up."

Max rushed the Ranger.

Hands up, one blocking his head the other his core, the Ranger pivoted to keep Max in sight. Name of the game was block anything too fast to grab unless it was going for a major muscle group. At this point a hit to a major muscle likely wouldn't hurt due to the density of the muscle. He would fight back with shin kicks. In his current state if he were to kick anything else on Max he might just shatter it. That and shin kicks over time debilitated the opponent.