Shin was shocked. 'Is he pointing at me?' he thought, his bewilderment showing on his face clearly. It seemed clear that he was the target though, because everyone else had cleared a space around him. 'This is bananas. I just saw him break a 1 foot thick slab of concrete with a punch.' Shin was already walking to the ring though. He didn't like being the centre of attention, but he didn't back down once he was committed either.
"As part of my visit to the Academies, I like to have a friendly practice match with promising students" Damien said in a loud clear voice. He had the look of a likeable politician, even though his muscles looked all soldier after he'd removed his dress jacket. "Remember, here you are learning the skills to make you good citizens and, potentially, soldiers in the future. Your learning doesn't end here though, the Military can show you the full potential of the human species." Damien loved this part of his visits, to get out of the stuffy jacket and be physical. He was hardly a top class example of what the Military was capable of producing, but his strength was nearly twice that of an old human. Only the Military, with the permission of the Lord Gertand, could unlock certain potentials in the most worthy. If he trained hard, strived his best, and impressed his own superiors, he would be promoted to further growth.
"Thank you Lieutenant. I didn't participate today, so I hope you will not hold my performance against the Academy," Shin said, with a deep bow.
He didn't notice, but Mimi had slipped into the ring, and taking her place as the ref, said "Hajime!"
Shin didn't want to appear fearful, but he knew he shouldn't rush in on someone this strong, so he settled into a flexible ready stance, hands up.
Damien seemed to not be taking the match seriously, still standing straight and smiling. In the next moment though, he flashed across the difference separating them and delivered a heavy punch to Shin's midsection. Shin's feet left the floor briefly, but he regained his footing and didn't fall. 'What the heck was that,' Shin thought, fighting for breath, his eyes almost bulging out of his head.
By all rights, that punch should have been enough to knock him out, there was no air left in his lungs. He didn't see Damien move again, he couldn't really see properly at this point, but his body was flying into action.
---
'Oh no!' Mimi thought. Shin was hit hard, she could hear the sound so clearly. She knew that he might not take this fight too seriously, but she was amazed at the Lieutenant's speed! 'Is this what is possible for me?' she wondered.
---
'Maybe I was expecting too much' Damien thought. Though really, he knew he'd moved too fast for a student to react. He hadn't been given any particular speed enhancements, but explosive speed came from strength, and he has strength to spare.
Still, a second later, he was impressed that the kid was still standing. Of course, he'd pulled his punch a lot. This Shin was a tough teenager. One more light blow should take him down, and make Damien's point.
As Damien moved in Shin's blind spot, he aimed an excruciatingly light blow at the back of his head. As his chop was about to make contact, his arm was hit away hard. Shin had spun incredibly fast, his arm leading in an offensive block. More surprising to Damien, was the spinning kick that caught the back of his own neck and knocked him to the floor.
---
"Eeek!" was, maybe, the girly-est noise Mimi had ever made. She couldn't help herself though. She had watched in fear as the Lieutenant almost hit Shin the second time. Surprise didn't even cover the feeling when she saw Shin go from wheezing wreck directly into a spinning somersault that ended with a kick. That it made the Lieutenant take a knee on the mat almost didn't register for her. 'Is Shin a genius?' she thought, but then ran over to the combatants.
---
Shin felt his foot connect with the back of the Lieutenant's neck. 'Nice,' he thought as he landed. He tried to stand up, but fell over sideways instead, the mat and his face meeting not too gently. 'Huh, I guess that first hit was exactly as bad as I thought it was' a little smile played across his lips and then his eyes closed.
---
Damien was shocked. Not that the kick injured him, but that it was even launched successfully at all. The speed that Shin executed that attack was preternatural... Damien wasn't sure if that was a small s Super power... but he'd need to figure it out. Soon.
He stood up, not really hurt, but he felt it. He saw Shin passed out on the floor. "Well General, it looks like you do have a talented class this year!"
--------
"Shin, please wake up."
He tried to open his eyes, but couldn't see anything. Then he realized a hand was in his face. "Uh, I'm trying to, but someone is holding me down," Shin said, a little dramatically. He was in pain still, but it seemed much more bearable compared to when he was attacked.
Mimi jumped a little, and pulled her hand away quickly. "Oh! You're awake. I was just checking if you had a fever. As the class head, I need to ensure all the student's are safe and healthy," she said, a pretty blush rising in her cheeks.
"So it is just your duty as a Corporal keeping you by my sick bed... not your guilt for volun-ordering me into that tournament?"
She hit him, but there was laughter in her eyes. Shin didn't spend much time thinking about girls, but, just then, his heart skipped a beat. 'She really is beautiful when she smiles,' he thought.
"That isn't the only reason I'm here. As soon as you came to, I am supposed to bring you to the General," she said, her face a little more serious than just a moment before.
"Wait, what?" Shin looked more surprised at this than when he was picked to fight the lieutenant.