Both Kisame and Ryu stood opposite each other, the distance between them giving them just enough room to move.
The atmosphere had changed completely from their first encounter…
Ryu wasn’t the same skinny, inexperienced fighter Kisame had knocked unconscious before, and Kisame could tell immediately…
‘Ever since our little scuffle, his aura has changed quite a bit…
Is the ugly duckling finally growing up?
💕’ Kisame pondered with a fondly growing curiousity.
Ryu then slowly raised his hands, settling into his stance as his eyes remained fixed on Kisame: “Ready?”
Kisame only rolled his shoulders, a confident grin spreading across his face: “I’ve been ready.”
‘Srill, it’s obvious that he’s different…’ Kisame observed, studying Ryu’s posture: ‘The last time we fought, his movements were quite rough, almost instinctive.
Now…
there’s much more structure to them.’
Ryu took a slow breath, trying to calm himself before the fight began: ‘An hour.
That’s all I’ve got to work with.’ He remembered exactly what had happened the last time he’d fought Kisame.
The overwhelming speed, and the kicks he couldn’t properly see, and that single attack that had knocked him unconscious: ‘This time, I’m not lettin’ myself get caught like that again.’ Ryu thought resolutely.
Neither of them had moved for a few seconds…
Then Kisame humbly smiled: “Let’s see just how much you’ve changed.” He then stepped forward…
Ryu’s eyes narrowed as Kisame suddenly accelerated, his body shooting forward with frightening speeds.
Ryu immediately shifted his weight, barely avoiding the first kick as it swept past his face.
‘Fast!!!’
Ryu countered with a punch aimed toward Kisame’s ribs, but Kisame twisted away effortlessly, using the momentum to launch another kick toward Ryu’s side…
Ryu raised his arm…
THUD!!!!
The sheer impact alone forced him backward several steps…
His eyes widened slightly: ‘That damned kick of his still stings a bit…’ Even with his new constitution being over twice as strong, Ryu could feel the sensation in his bones.
Even if not nearly to the same extent as last time.
Kisame on the other hand, grinned: “Oh ho…
Not bad…
I don’t know what happened, but it seems like you got quite a bit stronger yourself…”
Ryu swiftly steadied himself, his expression becoming much more focused: ‘Come on…’ He chided himself.
And then he felt his call being answered…
The sensation of Overcome had began stirring somewhere deep inside him…
Ryu’s eyes sharpened…
Ryu’s eyes sharpened as that familiar sensation began stirring somewhere deep inside him.
It wasn’t overwhelming this time, nor did it feel like something trying to seize control of his body.
Instead, it was almost as though something inside him had simply woken up, quietly observing the obstacle standing in front of him…
‘There it is…’ Ryu stepped forward, throwing a quick combination toward Kisame’s torso.
Kisame blocked the first strike, slipped past the second, and immediately retaliated with a kick.
Ryu managed to evade it this time, pivoting around the attack before sending a kick of his own toward Kisame’s side.
Kisame narrowly avoided it: ‘like I predicted…
He’s already getting faster.’
Kisame’s expression became more interested as Ryu continued attacking.
Every few exchanges, Kisame found himself having to subtly increase his own speed, strength, and precision just to maintain the advantage he’d started with.
It wasn’t a massive difference at first, but it was noticeable enough to make him wonder just how far this could go…
‘Every time I match his pace, he somehow catches up again, and even exceeds it to some capacity…’ Kisame observed.
Ryu continued moving, his punches becoming less frequent as the fight stretched on.
He wasn’t anywhere near Kisame’s level with them, but his movements were surprisingly competent considering how recently he’d started using them.
Kisame blocked another kick before countering with one of his own: “You’re getting pretty good with those.”
Ryu barely managed to move his head away from the incoming strike: “Well…
I’ve still got a long way to go.”
“Obviously.” Kisame added, grinning: “You’re nowhere near me.” However, Kisame then thinks: ‘But…
he’s learning frighteningly fast.’
Kisame watched Ryu’s movements carefully.
His kicks were still rough around the edges, but there was something strange about how quickly he was adapting to them.
His hand-to-hand combat was even more impressive.
‘Like I thought…
It’s not really boxing…’ Kisame had been enough fights to tell that much.
Just like he understood in their previous battle, there was clearly no formal foundation behind Ryu’s movements.
He wasn’t following a conventional style, yet his form remained surprisingly clean.
Every movement seemed to serve a purpose, with very little unnecessary motion.
‘It’s almost formless.’ Kisame narrowly slipped past another strike, his eyes narrowing as Ryu immediately adjusted his stance and attacked again;
‘Its as if he’s a series of an optimized collection of movements, rather than an actual style.’ That realization made Kisame smile;
‘Interesting.’ He suddenly increased his pace once more…
Ryu’s eyes widened as Kisame’s movements accelerated, forcing him to defend against a rapid series of attacks.
He blocked one, avoided another, then barely managed to shift away from a kick that passed directly beside his head.
‘He’s getting even faster again!’ Ryu’s body responded almost instinctively, his movements becoming sharper as Overcome continued working beneath the surface.
He could feel himself changing with every exchange, slowly adapting to the increasing pressure…
Kisame noticed it immediately: ‘So that’s how it works…’
He didn’t know exactly what was happening to Ryu, but he could see the results.
The longer the fight continued, the better Ryu became…
‘If I push him further…’ Kisame’s grin widened.
Ryu on the other hand, then felt a slight chill down his spine…
‘How far can he actually grow?’ Kisame was genuinely curious if this.
In fact, the thought alone excited him.
He then increased his pace once more…
Ryu immediately found himself under another relentless onslaught, his arms constantly moving as he defended himself against Kisame’s attacks.
It reminded him of their first encounter, except this time, he could actually follow what was happening.
Barely.
‘This is insane…!’ Ryu had blocked another kick, his arms trembling from the impact.
He immediately retaliated, forcing Kisame to move backward before launching another combination.
The fight continued.
Minutes passed.
Then more…
Ryu’s breathing gradually became heavier as his body began reaching its limits.
His movements were still improving, but the effort required to keep up was becoming increasingly demanding.
‘How long has this been going on…?’ His legs trembled slightly beneath him: ‘An hour…?’ He began to wonder…
Ryu’s vision remained focused on Kisame, but his body was beginning to protest.
Ryu then clenched his fists: ‘If I push any further than this, I might end up missing another week…
maybe more.’
The thought alone made him reconsider continuing.
Then Kisame disappeared.
Ryu’s eyes widened: ‘A-Again!?’ He thought he reached he level to at least perceive the guy…
Was it because he was tired?
Irrespective of his thoughts, he barely had time to react before Kisame’s extended leg rose sharply toward his chin.
THUD!
Ryu’s head snapped upward as the force of the strike knocked him off balance.
His feet stumbled beneath him, and he struggled to remain standing.
Kisame lowered his leg and looked at him calmly: “That’s enough.”
Ryu struggled to catch his breath: “An hour has gone by.”
Ryu didn’t answer.
He simply stood there, breathing heavily as his exhausted body attempted to keep itself upright…
Kisame looked him over before continuing: “…Meet me here again once you’ve recovered, got it?”
Ryu begrudgingly gave a faint nod…
Kisame only smiled before turning around and walking away…
“…”
Ryu watched him leave for several seconds: ‘…Thank God.’
His legs finally gave out.
He collapsed onto the ground, completely exhausted: ‘That could’ve gotten dangerous if it lasted any longer…’
Ryu remained on the ground for a while, staring toward the sky as he tried to regain his breath.
Despite everything, there was a strange sense of satisfaction in finally understanding the gap between himself and Kisame;
‘This is ridiculous.’
Hiroki was already far beyond what Ryu considered a normal human, especially considering his physical abilities and boxing talent.
But Kisame?: ‘He’s leagues above someone like Hiroki.’
Ryu couldn’t even properly compare them anymore.
It made no sense to.
Kisame seemed to exist on an entirely different levelnthan the rest, possessing speed and physical ability that made even Hiroki look ordinary by comparison…
‘Its almost like Kisame’s is a superhuman among superhumans.’ The thought made Ryu laugh rather weakly: ‘Talk about a jump in difficulty…’ He complained.
He then recalled the fight, thinking: ‘Seriously…
that kid feels like some kind of final boss.’ He quickly shook his head, still smiling despite his exhaustion.
Regardless, there was at least one positive thing he could take away from this battle.
‘My endurance has gotten way better.’ Ryu slowly flexed his fingers.
His entire body was exhausted, yet, he hadn’t reached the same catastrophic state as he did before.
His stamina had held up considerably better, while his Pain Tolerance, and Willpower had allowed him to continue functioning despite the accumulated strain;
‘I’m tired as all hell, but I’m still conscious, and I can still move…’
That alone was a massive improvementcin his eyes.
Ryu slowly pushed himself upright, dusting himself off before standing fully.
His legs wobbled slightly, but they held.
‘Still…’ He carefully looked toward the road leading home: ‘I’ve got a heck of a long walk ahead of me…’
.
.
.
End