Later~
…
Ryu arrived at school earlier than usual that morning, the walk there feeling considerably different from the previous weeks.
His body felt lighter, stronger, and far more responsive than it had when he’d first arrived in this world, and the thought alone brought a faint smile to his face…
‘13.2…
I wonder just how much stronger that actually makes me…’ He hadn’t gotten the chance to properly test himself since his recovery, but there was one person who was apparently more than willing to help him find out…
As Ryu approached his classroom, he noticed Hiroki standing a short distance away with his arms folded.
The moment their eyes met, Hiroki’s expression became serious, far more so than Ryu had seen from him before…
‘Like I thought…
He’s serious about this.’ Ryu could tell immediately that Hiroki wasn’t treating their upcoming fight like another casual spar.
This time, it seemed as if he genuinely intended to test himself…
Ryu walked over, stopping in front of him: “Morning.”
“Yo!” Hiroki nodded, his eyes briefly scanning Ryu: “You finally feelin’ better?”
“Completely.” Ryu smiled: “…We can handle this after school.”
Hiroki nodded once: “Yeah…
And this time, I won’t be holding back.”
Ryu’s smile widened slightly: “Good.
I hope you don’t.”
…
The two stared at one another for another moment before eventually walking toward their respective classrooms.
Neither of them needed to say anything else.
They both knew exactly what was waiting for them after the final bell.
The school day itself passed relatively normally, with Ryu going through his classes and attempting to catch up on the material he’d missed.
He occasionally found himself thinking about the upcoming fight, wondering just how much Hiroki had improved during the week he’d been recovering.
What Ryu didn’t notice, however, was that someone had been following his movements throughout the day, keeping a reasonable distance behind him whenever he moved between classrooms.
Eventually, the final bell rang…
…
Ryu packed his belongings and made his way outside, where Hiroki was already waiting.
The two walked toward a secluded area behind the school before stopping several meters apart, the atmosphere between them noticeably different from their previous encounters.
Hiroki slowly raised his hands: “Ready?”
Ryu settled into his stance: “Always.”
Hiroki moved first.
His fist shot forward far faster than Ryu expected, forcing him to shift his head aside before immediately receiving another strike aimed toward his ribs.
Ryu twisted his torso and narrowly avoided it, only for Hiroki to follow with a low kick and another punch almost seamlessly.
‘Looks like he’s gotten even better…’ Ryu realized as he blocked the next strike, feeling the impact travel through his arms: ‘Way better.’
Hiroki wasn’t simply throwing combinations anymore.
His movements flowed naturally from one attack into the next, his footwork constantly adjusting his position while keeping Ryu under pressure.
Ryu found himself struggling to keep pace, forced to rely heavily on his instincts just to avoid being overwhelmed.
Then he felt it.
That familiar sensation…
Something stirred deep within him, a pressure that seemed to rise from somewhere beneath his conscious thoughts.
‘Overcome…’ Ryu’s eyes sharpened: ‘It’s activating.’ This chapter was copied from novelping.com without permission.
The sensation wasn’t nearly as violent as before, but it was unmistakable.
His body began adapting almost immediately, correcting his movements as he fought: ‘Wait…
Hiroki is weaker than me now, isn’t he?’
Ryu realized: ‘So why is Overcome activating?’ The answer became apparent almost immediately…
Hiroki was still more skilled…
Despite being physically inferior, Hiroki possessed years of experience and a level of technical ability that Ryu still hadn’t completely developed.
That difference was enough to give Overcome something to work with.
‘So, it doesn’t necessarily have to be a stronger opponent…’ Ryu thought as he blocked another combination: ‘It just needs something that I haven’t overcome yet…’
Hiroki continued attacking, unleashing one combination after another.
Ryu was forced to defend, counter, and adjust simultaneously, but something felt different compared to their previous fight.
He wasn’t experiencing that same enormous drain on his stamina.
He could feel himself getting tired, but his body wasn’t burning through its reserves at an alarming rate;
‘I’m adapting faster.’ Ryu’s movements gradually became even smoother.
His hands began responding without much conscious thought, while his feet moved naturally around Hiroki’s attacks.
He stopped relying exclusively on punches and started incorporating kicks as well, combining both into a rough but increasingly refined fighting style.
Hiroki’s eyes widened slightly: ‘He’s keeping up.’
The two exchanged several more blows, neither gaining a clear advantage.
Ryu’s technique continued evolving in real time, while Hiroki’s experience allowed him to compensate for Ryu’s rapidly improving capabilities…
‘He’s way different from before…’ Hiroki thought, narrowly slipping beneath a punch before countering: ‘He’s truly learning how to fight.’
Ryu suddenly stepped forward with a combination of his own, forcing Hiroki backward for the first time: ‘It seems I’m starting to catch up.’
The sensation continued pushing him, but the longer they fought, the less resistance he felt.
Eventually, Ryu realized something strange;
‘We’re even.’ Hiroki realized it too: ‘He’s on actually on my level of skill now…!’
For several moments, the two fought almost perfectly evenly.
Punches were blocked, kicks were avoided, counters were answered with counters, and neither could create enough distance to establish a decisive advantage.
Then, slowly, Ryu felt the sensation disappear.
The pressure inside his mind faded.
His body stopped changing.
Ryu blinked: ‘…That’s it?’
He could still fight, but that instinctive urge to overcome something was gone entirely: ‘It seems like I’ve gotten everything I can from him…’
Ryu lowered his hands slightly before looking at Hiroki: “I’m going all out now.”
Hiroki’s eyes narrowed: “What?”
Ryu swiftly moved.
His speed suddenly doubled…
Hiroki’s eyes widened as Ryu crossed the distance between them in an instant.
He barely managed to react, shifting his head backward as Ryu’s fist stopped just short of his chin.
The wind from the punch brushed against his face.
Hiroki slowly backed away, staring at the fist before breaking into a grin: “Damn…”
Ryu lowered his arm.
“I didn’t think I’d get outclassed this badly.” Hiroki laughed. Get faster updates on g.com.
Ryu smiled: “…I learned a lot from this fight.”
Hiroki laughed quietly: “Yeah…
I’m sure you have…”
He looked at Ryu for another moment, his expression becoming almost, thoughtful.
There was something different about him now.
It wasn’t simply his physical strength, or his improved technique.
There was a strange presence surrounding Ryu, something far more refined than before…
‘I’ve helped this guy grow again…’ Hiroki realized, almost amused by the thought.
He slightly shook his head before turning away: “Since I lost…
That means I’ll have to be back soon.
I’m gonna be increasing my training tenfold.”
Ryu chuckled: “Heh…
I’ll be waiting.” Even though they hadn’t known each other for long, a small rivalry had sparked between the two, which swiftly brew a mutual respect for the other…
Hiroki the walked off, and waved without looking back as he walked away…
Ryu watched him leave, a faint smile forming on his face: ‘I’m glad he hasn’t lost his grit.
Fighting him is ridiculously unfair for my ability, but at least he’s still willing to keep getting stronger…’
…
Until, Ryu felt a hand around his shoulder…
“Talk about a touching send-off…” The voice whispered in his ear.
Ryu immediately froze: ‘What the-!!’
He hadn’t sensed anyone approaching…!
Slowly, he turned his head…
A familiar tall figure was standing right beside him.
Ryu’s face immediately developed a sweat drop: “Kisame…
You’re back so soon.” It had been a week since he’s heard or seen him…
Kisame only smiled, his blue eyes carrying that same confident glint he’d seen before: “…So, you interested in a round two?”
‘Straight to the get-go huh…’ Ryu stared at him for several seconds, thinking about it.
He recalled his first encounter with Kisame, remembering it had been brutal, but he’d gained an incredible amount from it.
Now that he’d recovered and grown considerably stronger, there was only one way to find out how much of a difference those improvements had made…
“…Sure.” Kisame’s smile widened.
Ryu then raised a finger: “But, how about we go for an hour this time?”
Kisame paused.
With Ryu following up bt shading: “The same rules as last time.”
For a moment, Kisame simply stared at him before breaking into a grin: “Ha…!
Well…
You’ve got yourself a deal.”
.
.
.
End