Vortex Vexation

The ocean was a perfect place to train. Not only was it free of many of the distractions that could be found on land, it required more of your senses. The predators moved almost silent to the human ear, requiring a an attention to the most subtle of tremors, the faintest of energy signals. The water itself grew heavier the further down you went, and breath was a constant concern. Even with near mastery of one's own body, breath control had its limits. Kohi had often opted to dive deep beneath the waves, at first using them as a sort of alternative form of weight training -- and then adding his own weights into the equation. It was a strategy that had yielded clear results, and one that allowed him to cut loose. To train without concern for the well-being of others.

Unfortunately, things would be different today. He had been underwater for nearly four minutes, a lengthy duration for an Earthling of his relative strength. For most of that time, he had been diving straight down, swimming with all the might he could muster into the depths. When he finally moved to return to the surface, he was almost out of breath. It wasn't a real concern: a burst of energy could send him shooting out of the water like a bullet, and a well-timed kiai could send the water spiralling in every direction. He opted for the latter.

He aimed his hand upwards as he paddled, releasing a sudden surge of ki in the form of pure force. Even weighed down, it was enough to blast the water away for what must have been hundreds of metres. While the sudden expulsion of water allowed him to claim his much-needed breath in time, it also sent massive waves spiraling in every which direction. Ordinarily, they would pose little threat, with only vacant islands for dozens of kilometres. But not only were the waves rather more formidable than usual, courtesy of just how far down he was when he released the kiai, but a ship of whalers had opted to ply their bloody craft in restricted waters today -- deadly close to a now massive tidal wave that threatened to consume the ship.

Where the water was rushing back in, a vortex was quickly beginning to form, ensuring that any other ships that had the mishap of taking a cruise this far off of the coast of the Southern Tropics would be placed into swift danger. Kohi leapt from the water, but made no move to stop the progress of the wave. Even if he had wanted to -- he was weighed down, on the wrong side, and had just expelled a massive amount of his own energy. It might have been easier if he could fly...

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