Oxford made no attempt to make the first move. Instead he stood stoically, awaiting Spaz's advance. His gaze was slightly shifted towards the ground, giving the illusion he was not focused on his opponent. Instead, it appeared as if he was plotting a strategy of sorts.
Spaz, who waited a few short moments to analyze the situation, decided the fight had been started, and that he was clear to engage. A single kick launched him forward, his fist slamming into the man's pelvis. Oxford stood unwaveringly, unaffected by the hit. He continued to look downward, this time into Spaz's black eyes.
Spaz, motivated to win the encounter, continued to unleash punch after punch against Oxford's impressive build. Each hit he landed, his fist nearly bounced back off of his bare skin. Not so much as a bruise was left.
"C'mon, Oxford. Fight back. Don't be a punching bag."
"Right."
Oxford slammed his fist into Spaz's stomach, making him fall to his knees instantly. Wide eyed and shocked, Spaz struggled to catch his breath as blood began to drip from his mouth.
"That hit...I don't think I've ever hurt so much. And to think...that was no where close to his full ability. I don't think I could take another one of those. Damn it. How do I fight this? My attacks have no effect on him. I'll guess I'll just have to draw this out as long as possible." Spaz planned, slowly rising.
Oxford was quick to react, swinging his leg low to crush his ribs. With a barrel roll to the side, Spaz narrowly dodged the advance, pulling his vulnerable leg.
The force caused Oxford to stumble, giving Spaz a slight window to strike. Following up, Keith swung with great force at Oxford's lower abdomen, which must've been a softer spot on his body.
The hut landed to Spaz's surprise, and even more shocking, it had a slight effect on the brooding figure. Oxford coughed loudly, stepping back as he grabbed the area with his hand.
"A solid blow, Keith. But you'll need to do much more."
Oxford waited for Spaz to rise on his legs again, then swiftly landing a solid blow to his chest again. Spaz tapped out then and there, his breath knocked out in one swoop.
"That's all I needed to see. Good job, Spaz."
Keith, who quickly regained his strength, noticed the final hit didn't hurt much at all. Oxford intentionally minimized the shock of the strike to simply take his breath and encourage a tap out. His tactic had worked perfectly.
"Are you sure that was good enough, Master? I didn't even get you close to a knockout."
"The goal of this fight wasn't to knock me out. It was to land a single genuine hit I couldn't predict or react to. At first, your technique was to hit as hard as you could. But after that, you realized to fight smarter and focus on tactical moves like the one you just performed. I expected you to draw on the fight and try for a knockout. But you targeted a vulnerable point in a smart and quick way. That was more than enough. I just wanted to know if you could use your head just as well as your fists." Oxford said cheerfully, helping his student up.
"Can't say I'm not impressed. Spaz definitely has potential." Takeshi noted.
"He's alright. Nowhere near the amount of potential I had when I first joined." Akemi responded, a prideful tone in her voice.
"Hmm, is that jealousy I sense?" Takeshi jabbed, raising an eyebrow comically.
"No. I'm just stating some facts. Now, if we're done here, I'd like to treat myself to some tea." Akemi barged out.
As the silver hair girl left, a man in formal clothing entered the room in her place, stepping before the rest of Squad four.
"Captain Tanaka. Co-Captain Cunningham. I hope your morning is going well." Charlemagne spoke.
"It is. I'm teaching my pupil a few things." Oxford started, walking over towards the suited man with straight, tall posture.
"I'm glad to hear. I bring some news. Our monthly whole guild trip to Bount City is tomorrow. We'll be gone the whole day, of course." Charlemagne explained.
"Sounds...fun?" Takeshi squealed.
"Not really. These business trips are always complicated. Everyone has to disguise themselves, even amongst fellow criminals. And even so, keeping track of an entire guild is another beast. I do despise it. But alas, it's essential to our operation. We've yet to miss a day in three years." Charlemagne went on.
"Hold on, Charlie. You're forgetting something." Squad Captain Freed spoke up, entering the arena.
"Freddie. Good to see you as always." Takeshi said brightly, extending his prosthetic outward.
"Morning, Tanaka. Charlemagne has already told you the news, but there's a bit more to it."
"Which would be…?"
"I'm suggesting a little event for us squad captains tomorrow. A fun little way to keep our skills in check and our competition running."
Takeshi, intrigued by the proposition, crossed his arms with a delighted expression.
"You have my attention. Go on."
"Well, I already ran it by Maddox and Charlemagne. We're clear for a captain's duel tournament."
"A captain's duel tournament? Care to elaborate?" Oxford stepped into the conversation, joined by the rest of Squad four.
"Yes. It's rather simple, really. We have all five squads compete in an arena match. Each squad is represented by their Captain and Co-Captain. The winner receives an entire week off chore duties."
"Sounds real fun. I'm in." Takeshi nodded.
"Great. You were the last captain to accept the request. We'll begin the tournament tomorrow at noon. Be here early with your squad." Freed explained.
"Sure thing. See you guys then."
Freed and Charlemagne left the arena, now only accompanied by the members of squad four.
"So, Oxford. This means you and I will be participating tomorrow. What do you think? We got this?" Takeshi asked.
"I am more than confident in our abilities. However, I think it wouldn't hurt to train a bit. I do have full intentions of winning this friendly competition." Oxford declared.
"Right. Well, you guys are free to go. Oxford and I will be training in here today." Takeshi ordered, reaching for the sword at his hip.
"I'll be off. See you around." Cutter announced, leaving the room.
"Heh, I think I'm gonna go rest...that adrenaline really took a lot out of me." Maxwell noted, nervously rubbing the back of his head with a warm smile.
"Right. You go do that. I'll go meet up with my squad and see what's going on down there." Spaz trotted off. Just as they departed, Oxford and Takeshi were already hard at work. The swordsman had already taken off his peacoat, revealing a tight white shirt on his chest, showing his protruding muscle underneath. The left sleeve was cut off for his prosthetic, the silver chrome finish shining in the light. Oxford had promptly removed his shirt. The two were now in fighting position.
"Alright. Don't hold back, Ox!"
"You got it."
A furious battle unraveled itself. Deciding to quickly flee the danger zone, Maxwell drifted out of the arena.
The rest of the day seemed to drift by quickly.