"Let me show you," he said, voice low but clear. "the secret technique of Baritsu."
He stepped forward. Slowly and deliberate.
Then he sped up, fast.
The corkscrew fingers shot out in a precise, spiraling thrust aimed at my collarbone.
I felt the intent before the hand arrived. I twisted my torso just enough to let the thrust slide past, my arm rising to meet his wrist. Not to block. To guide like before.
He anticipated it though and pulled back, he then spun his wrist while trying to trap my forearm in a Baritsu wrist lock.
I didn't resist the spin. I stepped into it. I then turned my entire body with the motion. His lock turned into a spiral he couldn't finish. He had to release or risk his own arm.
He released.
Stepping back half a pace with his eyes narrowing.
"Very good." he murmured.
Then he came again, faster. The corkscrew fingers lashed out twice in quick succession, aiming for pressure points along my arm and neck.
I moved with each strike, turning my shoulders and letting his hands pass by as mine caught and nudged his forearms off line, sending the force away from me.
He stumbled on the third attempt, his own momentum pulling him off-balance even when I didn't push back.
The crowd was roaring, but it felt distant to Mokichi.
Mokichi then reset. Breathing heavier with sweat dripping heavily. "This won't do at all." Then he stopped completely.
Mokichi stood still for the first time since the bell rang.
Not frozen or backing away, he just stopped.
His chest rose and fell in slow, heavy breaths. Sweat ran down his temples, cutting through the thin line of blood at his lip. His fingers were still curled from the technique, but they weren't moving anymore. His stance stayed low and tight, elbows in, but the pressure behind it had eased. Not gone. Just held back.
The arena felt it. The noise dropped from a roar to a restless buzz as people leaned forward, waiting for something.
He exhaled deeply through his nose.
"This won't do at all." he said quietly to himself.
His fingers loosened. Slowly.
The shape of the technique faded as his hands opened, palms down, then lowered to his sides.
He looked at me properly this time. His eyes were now steady and calm once again. The gentleness was still there, but something else sat beside it now. Not anger. Not fear. But-
Pure utter Respect and Acknowledgement.
"You're not fighting me anymore." he said. "You're letting me fight myself."
I stayed where I was. still the same loose stance and weight shifting naturally.
He finally understands what i was doing.
The crowd murmured, unsure at what's happening. The chants had died out too. Everyone could feel it, that the fight is losing momentum and excitement.
Mokichi took a step back. Then another, putting distance between us.
He raised his hands again. Not a guard. Not a threat. Open. Relaxed. Almost matching mine.
Mokichi exhaled slowly through his nose and looked down at his open hands, like he was seeing them properly for the first time. He stayed there for a second, then lifted his gaze back to me. Calm, but tired. A small smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.
"You know." he said quietly. "I started doing this for money. To get stronger. To protect my sister."
He paused, eyes drifting past me.
"Elena. She's the reason I keep stepping into rings like this. Every win, every bruise, every walk back out of here is supposed to mean no one can touch her. That she's safe."
His eyes look at the blindfold again, where my eyes should be. His voice didn't shake, but it softened.
"But you're not even trying in fighting me. You're just letting me crash into myself over and over." He gave a small shrug, almost amused at his own words.
"So tell me," he said, tilting his head a little. "Why do you fight?"
The question sat there. No edge to it. No challenge. Just a tired man asking something honest.
I stayed still. Felt the ache in my ribs, the sting on my cheek, the dull burn left over from every redirected impact.
Then I answered, plain and easy.
"Because it's fun."
The words landed between us.
Mokichi blinked once, then laughed.
"Fun," he repeated, shaking his head. "After all that... that's your answer?"
I shrugged.
"Yeah. Pretty much."
I rolled my neck once, feeling the blindfold shift against my skin.
"Everything else people talk about. Money. Power. Protection. Proving something. That's just noise to me. Fighting someone who can actually push back, who doesn't fold right away... that's the only part that still feels something, something exciting."
I faced him again.
"So yeah. I fight because it's fun."
He studied me for a moment. Then he smiled, properly this time. Not in a polite way nor the fake smile he always plastered since we met. Just pureness.
"I envy that," he said.
He straightened his body and rolling his shoulders.
"Then give me one more round of it."
He raised his hands again. Open and loose. No formal guard. Almost matching mine.
"Come on, King of the Beginning," he said. "Show me how much fun you can have."
I smiled under the blindfold.
"Hao."
I stepped forward.
And the circle began again.
He came with me this time not in an attack but in matching the flow of my aikido.
His hands met mine, palm to palm.
There's no force, no push, just contact. Like a mirror.
We turned together, two halves of the same spiral.
This was no longer a contest of strength.
It was a synchronization.
Any slight mistake, then anyone who cannot follow the flow will be pushed out of the water.
The crowd went dead silent.
No chants and shouting.Just watching the beautiful dance before their eyes.
Mokichi's breathing matched mine now.
In.Out.In.Out.
Baritsu had always been about control.
But control meant nothing once both fighters shared the same center.
We circled once.
Twice.
Then he tried to break the flow, slightly twisting his wrist, trying to reverse the spiral.
I let him, i stepped deeper into the flow. Turned harder to match.
The moment he chose resistance, the balance collapsed.
His own reversal folded back on him.
He stumbled at only half a step but it was enough.
I released contact. The flow of momentum launching him to the fence of the arena.
He caught himself on the fence.
The arena exhaled, releasing the breathe they didn't notice that they were holding.
Mokichi pushed off the fence, blood flowing out of his back, soaking his keikogi.
Straightening himself.
He looked up at me and smiled.
"Well fought." he said quietly.
Then he raised one hand slowly.
"I yield."
The words hung there.
The referee blinked, looking from him to me.
He looked at the referee.
"I yield."
For a split second, the arena was silent.
Then it exploded.
"Winner: Ying Zheng!"
The sound crashed in all at once. Shouts, cheers and shock roaring from the whole arena.
"YING ZHENG!" "YING ZHENG!"
I stayed where I was, breathing steady. Blood still running from my cheek, my ribs throbbing, and my blindfold still stayed on.
I nodded once and touched Mokichi's shoulder to show respect.
Then as I stood to leave, he spoke.
"Well fought." he said. "King of the Beginning, may you find the excitement you're looking for."
I nodded.
"Hao."
Then I turned and walked out.
Roberta was waiting in the tunnel, cloth already in hand. She pressed it to the cut on my cheek without a word. Her fingers lingered a second longer than needed.
"Master…"
I let out a easy breath. "It's a decent fight or rather dance I guess. Heh." I let out a small breathe of amusement.
She nodded. Her blue eyes flicked over my face, not just checking for cuts and bruises. She lingered a second longer than necessary, fingers brushing my skin with quiet efficiency. It always felt like more than duty to her.
"Master," she said again in a low voice. "You bled more than necessary."
I let out a short breath as the adrenaline drained away. The amusement faded with it. My ribs throbbed with every inhale, and the burn from the redirects lingered in my nerves. No real damage, but it felt convincing enough.
"Yeah." I said. "He got a few in."
She folded the cloth neatly and tucked it away. Her hand hovered near my shoulder, hesitated, then dropped.
"The papers are ready. Sentory's board signed off on it, with full recognition for the gym and official affiliation. They will push Heavenly Sunrise hard for the next year. With no restrictions, they're putting their weight behind you."
I pushed off the wall and started down the tunnel. The crowd was distant now, muffled by concrete.
"I see." I said and continued our walk.
She fell into step beside me, posture straight. The maid outfit fit her in that way that was professional and still impossible not to notice. Her dark purple hair swayed with each step, the low pigtails brushing her back.
The elevator doors slid open. I stepped in with her following, I then hit the button for the garage. The doors closed right after.
The ride down was quiet. Just the hum of the elevator and the soft drip of blood from my cheek hitting the floor.
"You didn't take off your blindfold again." she said.
It wasn't a question.
"Didn't need to."
She watched me for a moment but said nothing.
The doors opened and I saw that the car was already waiting for us. The driver opened the door without a word.
I slid in, Roberta followed. The door shut and the car pulled away.
I leaned back, eyes closed beneath the blindfold, letting the ache settle.
"The sponsorship offer is on your desk." she said. "They want a meeting tomorrow for the full terms of the deal."
"Sure." A brief pause.
"Master… you could have ended it sooner."
I cracked one eye open and looked at her. "Where's the fun in that? Besides, it's my first time battling someone using Baritsu, it'd be a shame to not experience it fully."
She didn't smile or frown. Just watched me with those sharp blue eyes, her canines catching the streetlight as we passed.
"You're impossible." she said quietly.
I smirked. "Yeah. I know."
The car kept moving.
Finally I asked something that's been on my mind. "So, what are you here for?" She looked at me for a moment to measure her answer.
"Miss Houngo Hina has been Kidnapped."
==========
AN: Man, I don't feel good about the ending and the fight, I know what i'm missing after re reading some fighting fics but I could'nt do it rn. I'll try with the next fight scenes. Anyways, I feel like I over extended the fight just for the sake of it, so what're your thought's on it?
Is it good enough or Boring?
Word Count: 1,856