Nearly an hour had passed since the fight began, with the first thirty minutes being spent in a constant back-and-forth between the two.
Kisame had gradually increased both his speed and strength as he’d tested Ryu, expecting the boy to eventually reach his limit based on the very first strike, yet somehow, Ryu simply refused to stay down…
‘We’ve been going at it for quite a while now…’ Kisame thought, his eyes narrowing as Ryu rushed toward him again: ‘Yet…
this Ryu kid…
He just won’t stand down…’
Kisame must have had already knocked Ryu down several times throughout the entire fight, but every single time, Ryu just got back up.
What surprised him even more was the fact that Ryu never seemed to return to the fight exactly the same way he had before…
Each time Ryu stood, there was a little more finesse in his movements, his reactions became slightly sharper, and the mistakes he’d made before seemed to disappear: ‘Its as if he’s learning and growing while fighting me…’
It wasn’t just in reference to his physical capabilities either.
Kisame had watched Ryu’s fighting style change dramatically since they’d started…
At first, the boy had reminded him of a rookie boxer, but after watching him for this long, Kisame couldn’t even call what Ryu did boxing anymore…
There was no proper technical foundation behind it, yet somehow, Ryu had developed something that was uniquely his own: ‘It’s rough…
Honest…
yet somehow, smooth.’ Kisame concluded.
Right before narrowly avoiding another punch, before countering with a kick: ‘It’s like his essence is a constantly growing fist…’
There was a deceptive complexity hidden beneath Ryu’s seemingly simple movements.
He didn’t possess the polished technique of an experienced fighter, however, his instincts compensated for it in ways Kisame had rarely seen, if ever…
Even more concerning was how much faster Ryu had become since Kisame decided to increase his own pace: ‘He’s been getting faster this entire time…’ Kisame realized, his expression becoming slightly annoyed: ‘And I’ve been doing this for quite a while already.’
At this point, it was beginning to get a little…
boring…
And Kisame hated a sloppy fight…
Suddenly, he increased his speed even further, his body shooting forward as he closed the distance between his opponent…
His movement was so sudden that Ryu’s eyes barely caught the initial motion, but Kisame expected to find himself behind him in the next instant.
Instead, something completely unexpected happened.
As Kisame shifted around Ryu’s blind spot, he realized that Ryu’s head had already turned, his eyes following him: ‘…What!!?’
Kisame struck immediately, but Ryu’s body reacted before he could fully process what was happening.
Instead of raising his arms to block, Ryu lifted his leg and intercepted Kisame’s attack with a kick of his own.
The impact forced both of them apart, leaving Kisame staring at him with genuine surprise…
‘No way…
Not only did he see me…’ Kisame’s eyes widened as he looked at Ryu’s raised leg: ‘He…
he’s even using kicks?’
Kisame backed away several steps, studying him carefully as Ryu lowered his leg.
Ryu gave a tired smile: “Damn it!
I really wanted to catch you by surprise with that last one.
I’ve been holding back a bit, and I figured I’d try using one of your kicks.”
Kisame stared at him, his expression becoming more skeptical as he processed the words…
“Were you holding back since the start…?” Kisame asked Ryu.
‘Was he holding back from the start?’ The thought crossed Kisame’s mind, but he immediately dismissed it.
That couldn’t be right.
He’d been steadily increasing his strength and speed throughout the fight, and Ryu had been pushed harder each time.
Still, Kisame couldn’t deny that the boy’s movements had become far too adaptable to simply be coincidence…
“Haha…
Somethin’ like that.” Ryu answered his original question rather vaguely, when Kisame questioned him further, not bothering to explain what he meant…
Kisame scratched his cheek before sighing, his expression becoming slightly more serious: “Well, I’m getting a little tired of this…
Oh…
I won’t be able to keep that agreement we made about not knocking you out.”
Ryu raised his guard again, though his breathing was noticeably heavier than before: “Honestly, I doubt you can even pull it of at this point either.”
Kisame then smiled, saying: “How about this…
I’ll tell you where I’m going to hit next?”
Kisame then pointed toward the lower left side of Ryu’s chin: “Right here.”
Ryu stared at the spot he’d pointed toward before looking back at Kisame: ‘Is he seriously telling me where he’s going to strike?
Is this guy stupid…?’
Ryu’s eyes widened as he instinctively searched for him, but there was nothing.
No movement, no warning, nothing he could properly see.
Then, without warning, his entire perspective shifted violently in the opposite direction: ‘No way…
He actually…
did…
it!?’ Darkness had immediately swallowed his vision, as his body dropped toward the ground…
Thud~!
Kisame remained standing over him for a moment, staring down at the unconscious Ryu with an unreadable expression: “I don’t know how you lasted as long as you did, but…” He paused briefly before turning away: “I’ll remember you.”
With that, Kisame walked away, leaving Ryu where he had fallen…
…
Ryu slowly opened his eyes some time later, blinking as he stared upward.
For a moment, he had no idea where he was or what had happened, but the dull ache beneath his chin quickly reminded him…
“…Ha!
He’s got me damn good.” He rubbed his chin with a sense of admiration.
Ryu slowly sat up, continually rubbing the lower part of his chin.
Thankfully, the pain wasn’t particularly severe, more like a small, while ever persistent irritation that refused to disappear…
He glanced around and noticed that barely any time seemed to have passed: ‘Ten minutes?
Twenty?
Maybe thirty at most…’ He wasn’t entirely sure, but apparently Kisame hadn’t left him there for very long…
‘Anyways…
let’s see what I got today…
Status…’ The familiar translucent screen appeared before him, and Ryu immediately noticed the changes…
…
_____
[Name: Ryu Takane
Age: 17
Height: 175.2
Weight: 65.4 kg » ???
Health: 33%
Stamina: 31%
Condition: Quite Injured & Very Exhausted
Physicality: 4.6 » 5.8 » ???
Abilities:
-Overcome – Lvl (MAX): ??????
-Pain Tolerance – Lvl 18 » 27
-Willpower – Lvl 18 » 28
-Enhanced Stamina – Lvl 16 » 29
-Bone Toughness – Lvl 15 » 27
-Muscle Quality – Lvl 15 » 27
-Blunt Force Resistance – Lvl 15 » 26
-Recovery – Lvl 4 » 6
-Combat Instincts – Lvl 12 » 25
-Enhanced Perception – Lvl 1 » 8: Increases how fast the user processes information.
-Enhanced Dynamic Vision – Lvl 1 » 8: Increases the user’s ability to detect objects in motion.
-Enhanced Reflexes – Lvl 1 » 9: Increases the user’s natural reflexes.
-Enhanced Dexterity – Lvl 1 » 6: Increases the user’s flexibility, and hand to eye coordination.
-Incomplete MMA – Lvl 1 » 8: Increases the user’s hand, and kick based skills.]
_____
….
Ryu stared at the screen in disbelief once more…
His passive abilities had exploded once more, gaining several levels in a single fight.
Yet just like before, his physical measurements had reverted into question marks;
‘So, whenever I grow too much in a single sitting…
Those numbers, just…
disappear?’
He couldn’t figure out why, but at least he’d learned something else.
The abilities he’d gained from this fight weren’t simply stronger versions of his previous ones.
They were entirely new skills as well!
‘Enhanced Perception, Enhanced Dynamic Vision, Faster Reflexes, Enhanced Dexterity…’ Ryu thought, scrolling through the information in his head: ‘And Incomplete MMA…’
He gained what could be considered a wellpool of abilities from fighting Kisame.
Abilities he needed to actually…
‘Any who…’ He noticed that his previous Hand to Hand Combat skill was gone entirely, now replaced by the new Incomplete MMA ability: ‘…If I think happened truly happend…
then, this change actually makes a lot of sense.’
At some point during the fight, he’d begun understanding how Kisame’s kicks had worked.
He’d watched his movements, adapted to them, and eventually managed to use one himself from.tbat understanding…
It had only been enough to surprise Kisame once, but apparently, that brief experience had been enough for Overcome to recognize it as something new: ‘Strikes and kicks…’
Ryu looked at his hand, slowly clenching his fist before wincing slightly.
His hand wasn’t broken, thankfully, but even that simple movement felt difficult: ‘I really need to stop getting into fights like this.’
He sighed, remembering that he’d only just recovered from his previous battle before immediately throwing himself into another one.
Still, there was something else he noticed…
The familiar sensation from Overcome was still there, but it felt different now.
It wasn’t nearly as difficult to resist as before.
Ryu could still feel that urge constantly sitting somewhere in the back of his mind…
Like an itch that never completely disappeared, but he was beginning to recognize it before it could overwhelm him.
Especially in his earlier fight: ‘I think I’ve gotten better at controlling it…’
That alone was reassuring.
He’d been badly pushed throughout the fight, yet he hadn’t completely lost himself like he had during his previous battles.
Even now, he remained conscious of everything he’d done…
Ryu then noticed his stomach beginning to growl: ‘…looks like ‘m hungry.’
It wasn’t the almost desperate hunger he’d experienced before, but it was still considerably stronger than normal: ‘That two-week power nap must’ve done something to my body.
Maybe it changed enough to handle Overcome better…?
I’m not nearly as wrecked as I should be.’
Ryu slowly got to his feet, dusting himself off before looking in the direction of home.
He was exhausted, injured, and hungry, but at least he could still move…
The same thing couldn’t be said for him last time, despite technically getting a worse beating this time;
‘Anyways…
I think that’s enough fighting for now…’ He started walking home, deciding that he was going to spend the next few days doing something considerably less dangerous.
Studying.
After reaching home, Ryu grabbed something to eat before sitting down with his schoolwork.
He spent roughly half an hour going through the notes he’d missed, trying to get himself caught up before his concentration finally began slipping…
Once he was satisfied with what he’d managed to accomplish, he closed his books, and leaned back in his chair;
‘Alright, Ryu!
No more fights until I’m completely recovered.’ He thought, gathering his bearings.
Ryu then rubbed his sore chin, already regretting how quickly he’d broken that rule he’d made for himself…
‘Seriously…
I just got back to school…!’ For once, Ryu decided that surviving his normal school life was going to be more than simple…
.
.
.
End