CRACK.
Fish's body slammed into the wall, concrete spiderwebbing from the impact.
Dust exploded outward.
For three seconds, nobody moved.
Sora stood in his follow-through position—leg extended, heel still forward, breathing ragged—barely able to process what just happened.
I... hit him...
His last ounce of mantra had been poured into his cells—just to reinforce them enough to affect Fish's insane durability.
And it worked.
Fish pushed himself off the wall casually, brushing dust from his shoulders.
He grinned—wide.
"You learnt it."
He stepped forward, rolling his shoulders once.
"Now learn how to perfect it."
Fish dropped into stance.
Not the casual, shifting forms he'd been using before.
This time—pure Taekwondo.
Weight on the balls of his feet. Hands raised in guard. Hips loose, ready to rotate.
Sora's eyes widened.
"He's... limiting himself?"
Fish's grin widened.
"Come on, kid. Show me what you learned."
Sora forced his trembling legs to move, dropping into the same stance—mimicking what he'd seen, what his body had absorbed through pain and observation.
Left foot forward. Right foot back. Hands up.
His mantra was gone—completely spent—but his body still responded.Barely though
Fish didn't wait.
He stepped forward and threw a low roundhouse kick—shin aimed at Sora's lead leg—
Sora lifted his leg, checking the kick with his shin—
CRACK.
The impact rattled his bones, but he held.
Fish transitioned immediately—high roundhouse to the head—
Sora ducked, felt the wind from the kick whistle past—
Countered with his own side kick—
Fish sidestepped—minimal movement—and delivered a front kick to Sora's chest—
BOOM.
Sora was sent skidding backward, gasping, but forced himself to stay upright.
Fish came in again—spinning hook kick—
Sora raised his guard, blocked with both forearms—
The impact rattled him, but he held firm.
He countered—roundhouse kick aimed at Fish's ribs—
Fish lifted his knee, blocking with his shin—
CRACK.
Then immediately countered with a back kick—heel driving toward Sora's stomach—
Sora twisted desperately, the kick grazing his side instead of connecting fully—
He retaliated—axe kick—leg raising high, heel descending—
Fish stepped back, the kick missing by inches, cratering the floor where he'd been standing.
"Better!" Fish called out, grinning. "But your chamber's too slow!"
He demonstrated—axe kick so fast Sora barely saw the setup—
Sora raised both arms to block—
BOOM.
The impact drove him to one knee, but he pushed back up immediately.
Again.
He threw another side kick—
Fish caught it—not with his hands, but by stepping into it, shin blocking Sora's shin mid-extension—
Then delivered a roundhouse to Sora's supporting leg—
Sora's leg buckled, and he dropped—
But rolled, came up, and threw a desperate spinning back kick—
CRACK.
It connected—just barely—glancing off Fish's shoulder.
Fish's grin widened.
"There you go!"
He stepped in—flying knee—
Sora crossed his arms to block—
BOOM.
He was launched backward, tumbling across the floor.
Sora forced himself upright, gasping, vision swimming.
Every muscle screamed. Every breath burned.
But his stance—He dropped into position again.
Left foot forward. Right foot back. Hands raised.
And threw a front kick—
Fish sidestepped, grabbed Sora's ankle mid-extension, and casually adjusted Sora's hip rotation with his other hand.
"Like this," Fish said, repositioning Sora's entire stance in half a second.
Then released him.
Sora stumbled, caught himself—
And froze.
His stance had changed.
His weight distribution felt more balanced. His hips aligned differently. His guard tighter.
"When did he—"
He looked at Fish.
Fish was already ten meters away, back in his own stance, grinning.
"Too slow to notice, huh?"
Sora's eyes widened.
He corrected my form... while I was mid-attack... and I didn't even see him move...
Fish cracked his neck.
"Again."
They clashed.
Roundhouse met roundhouse—shins colliding—
CRACK.
Sora's leg buckled, but he pivoted, threw a hook kick—
Fish ducked under it, swept Sora's supporting leg—
Sora hit the ground hard, rolled, came up—
Threw a side kick from the ground—
Fish blocked with his shin, stepped in, delivered a front kick to Sora's chest—
BOOM.
Sora was sent tumbling backward.He forced himself up again.
Slower this time.Breathing harder.
Legs shaking but still standing.
Fish walked toward him casually.
"You're learning fast," he said. "Your form's getting cleaner. Timing's improving."
He stopped in front of Sora.
"But you're done, kid. No mantra left. Stamina's shot. You can barely stand."
Sora's fist clenched.
"I can... still fight..."
Fish tilted his head.
"Yeah?"
He dropped into stance again.
"Prove it."
Sora lunged—roundhouse kick—
Fish blocked, countered with a spinning back kick—
Sora ducked, threw a low kick—
Fish checked it, delivered an axe kick—
Sora sidestepped—barely—and threw a side kick—
CRACK.
It connected—glancing blow to Fish's ribs.
Fish grinned wider.
"Nice!"
He stepped in—flying knee—
Sora crossed his arms—
BOOM.
He was launched backward, crashing into a support pillar.
Concrete cracked.
Sora slumped against it, gasping, barely conscious.
Fish walked toward him slowly.
"That's enough, kid. You did good."
He stopped in front of Sora, looking down.
"You actually—"
He paused because Sora was smiling.
Fish blinked.
"Huh."
Sora's eyes were half-closed, body barely holding itself upright against the pillar.
But that smile remained.
Fish stared at him for a moment.
Then grinned wider.
"You're enjoying this, aren't you?"
Sora didn't answer.
Just kept smiling.
Fish laughed—loud, genuine.
"You're insane, kid."
He turned, walking away casually, hands in his pockets.
"But I like you."
Sora's vision finally gave out, darkness creeping in at the edges.
But even as consciousness slipped away—
That smile remained.