The arena trembled with excitement as Mizue and Daichi stepped into the ring. Friends, sparring partners, training rivals — everyone knew these two had pushed each other for months in ways no clan prodigy could. Now, under the eyes of the village, only one would walk away as champion.
They bumped fists before stepping back. No words, no trash talk. They didn't need it.
The referee's hand dropped. "Begin!"
Neither rushed. Both circled, eyes sharp.
Daichi thought, She knows my swings, my pace, even my bad habits. If I go straight at her, she'll break me down.
Mizue thought, He's stronger, tougher. If I let him build momentum, I'll drown. I have to cut him apart early.
Daichi lunged first, launching a heavy hook aimed at her ribs. Mizue slid inside, redirecting his elbow and snapping a jab into his cheek. Daichi grunted, unfazed, but she was already flowing to the side.
She followed with her classic feint jab. Daichi didn't flinch. Instead, he dropped low and rammed his shoulder into her chest, blasting her back across the ring.
The crowd roared.
Mizue steadied herself, smiling through the sting. So, he's learning too.
Daichi surged forward, fists like hammers. Mizue slipped between them, letting his blows graze her arms and shoulders while landing crisp counters — a liver jab, a sharp kick to his thigh, a palm strike under his chin.
Daichi gritted his teeth. Every time he pressed, Mizue punished him with precision.
But Mizue wasn't unscathed. Daichi's raw power bruised her guard, and each block rattled her bones.
"Not bad," Daichi panted, smiling.
"Not enough," Mizue shot back, dashing in with a sudden elbow strike.
Daichi caught it on his forearm, then swung wildly — but Mizue ducked, twisted behind him, and landed a quick nerve strike to the back of his shoulder, numbing his arm for a moment.
Daichi staggered, and the crowd gasped. Mizue pressed, peppering him with fast jabs and low kicks, keeping him off-balance.
⸻
Daichi stumbled near the edge of the ring, Mizue stalking him like a hunter. Everyone thought she had control.
But Daichi's eyes narrowed. She thinks she's reading me… so I'll give her something to read.
He threw a tired, sloppy-looking punch — exactly the kind Mizue had punished a hundred times before in training. She smirked, slipping inside to counter with her palm strike to his ribs.
But this time, Daichi had been waiting.
As her arm extended, he clamped his free hand around her wrist, yanking her forward. In that instant, he twisted his weight and slammed his forehead into hers with a sickening crack.
Mizue reeled, stunned. Daichi roared, hooking her leg with his foot and sweeping her balance completely out.
⸻
Mizue crashed down, dazed. Daichi loomed over her, raising his fist — but instead of striking, he stepped back, forcing her to scramble up fast. She rushed him, desperate to regain control.
That's when Daichi sprang his trap.
He shifted his stance subtly, leaving an opening at his ribs — bait. Mizue took it, launching a jab. Daichi absorbed it with a grunt, then pivoted his whole body into a counter-uppercut. His fist smashed under her chin, snapping her head back.
Before she could recover, Daichi followed with his own version of Mizue's precision flow — a kick to her ankle, a liver shot, and a brutal hook to the jaw.
Mizue crumpled, knocked flat onto the dirt.
The referee raised his hand. "Winner: Daichi!"
⸻
The arena exploded in cheers. Daichi stood over his friend, chest heaving, then reached down to pull her up. Mizue smiled weakly, wiping blood from her lip.
"You… you baited me," she admitted, shaking her head.
Daichi grinned, pride swelling. "Guess all your lectures about feints finally rubbed off."
They laughed, battered but proud, arms over each other's shoulders as they left the ring.
Two civilians had defied every expectation — and Daichi, the brawler once seen as reckless, proved he could win not just with power, but with tactics as sharp as Mizue's own.
With the general classes tournament over, it was time to move on to the elite classes tournament. Kanzo began to build the bracket, picking names at random, and the first fight was...
To be Continued…