"...This is what I was waiting for, though…It's time for the 'real match' to begin!" Chimon smiled.
He stayed quiet, holding his fists up with a small smile as he watched the boxer twice his size go back into a compact stance.
I'll show you the rampage of "The Ogre", Chimon thought.
With a burst of speed, Chimon vanished from the eyes of the spectators, though he managed to keep track of him as his golden eyes darted around.
From the right, he thought.
He leaned back to avoid a haymaker swung towards his head from the right, feeling a release of air pressure squeeze past him.
Again, Chimon used flashy footwork that hardly fit the burly man's musclebound build as it granted him a nimble approach, closing in on the young man again.
SWOOSH.
Like a cannon sounding off, that straight punch bore a hole through the wind, forcing him to pivot away.
Though it seemed by the calm expression plastered on the sweaty former champion's face that he expected the swift opponent of his to evade that as he closed in again, staying low as he boxed him in immediately.
"Bullet Punches."
"--!"
Those golden eyes of his saw it: a storm of black bullets propelling towards him from in front.
It was a display of speed far beyond what the boxer had showed him before–right then, he realized:
This guy was actually showing some restraint during sparring? That's scary, he thought with a smile.
He immediately shifted his stance, taking a more open, broad approach as he put his palms forward and began swiftly moving them in the path of the incoming blows.
"Heavenly Daigo Style: Adaptive Wall."
Each bullet-like punch that came his way, he met them halfway with calculated movements of his hands, redirecting the mighty blows and deflecting them away.
"--"
By the time the barrage from Chimon came to an end, both of the fighters were caked in sweat, with not a single blow managing to pierce his skillful counter, but damage was still down.
Hissss.
Exuding from his hands, steam poured off of his bruised and cut-up hands from having to redirect so many fierce blows.
"Very few have stopped my "Bullet Punches" before–good job," Chimon complimented him.
"Praise me after I win," he replied with a smirk, holding his bruised hands up.
"Let's end this quickly, then!"
Again, the swarmer-style boxer rushed in, charging at him like a raging bull as an aura of steel-like strength surrounded the former champion.
He released a quick jab, forcing Chimon to weave through it before he spun around, seamlessly transitioning into a spinning kick aimed right for the boxer's liver.
"A faint?!" Ishikawa noticed.
"He used the jab to give himself enough space to transfer into a kick!" Tadashi called out.
It wasn't just any kick, either.
"Heavenly Daigo Style: Pin-Point Moon."
One of the foundational aspects of the "Heavenly Daigo Style" was Taekwondo, being one of the basis for striking arts.
The kick was made to be easy to transition into, allowing him to slam the toes of his shoe straight against the burly man's liver in a devastating blow.
"Ghh–!" Chimon winced.
Falling to a knee, Chimon clenched his teeth as his eyes went bloodshot from the strain placed on his body from the critical strike.
"A liver shot"--it's one of the most deadly blows in combat sports. It's often overlooked, but a well-placed blow to the liver can cause an opponent to shut down on the spot.
In the case of a difference in sizes and builds, focusing on hitting an opponent's liver is a good strategy.
"Ghh…"
"Boss!"
–Before the referee for the casual match could go over and check on the knelt man, Chimon raised his glove for the referee to stop.
"...I'm fine…"
Picking himself up to his feet, Chimon huffed, sweating profusely as he seemed hardly able to stand.
He was surprised that the former professional boxer could manage even that, however. Raising his hands again, he focused.
I kicked him hard right in the liver. There's no doubt I hit it. Chimon is just…one hell of a guy, he thought.
Chimon breathed in such a hefty breath that his chest puffed out before he reared his left fist back, focusing his icy-blue eyes on his opponent as his once slicked-back, dark hair had become messy and unkempt.
This is my ultimate knockout blow, Touma. I'm giving it to you–"Ogre's Club", Chimon thought.
He could feel the dense fighting spirit around the man, building up and concentrating around his left fist before suddenly–
Chimon was right in front of him, sailing that fist forward that filled his vision with utter black, feeling a storm born in its wake.
It was only by his composed mindset and his reflexes that he managed to avoid being knocked out cold, flipping himself forward and avoiding the glove while at the same time spinning into a devastating ax kick aimed for the top of the man's head.
"Heavenly Daigo Style: Mountain Splitter."
THUDDDD.
The resulting impact of his heel against the top of Chimon's skull was an immediate knockout, releasing a shock wave that rippled across the ring and against the ropes, brushing the hair of the spectators.
He landed on his feet with a smile, breathing out and wiping the sweat from his chin as he looked down at the unconscious boxer.
"Thanks for that, Chimon. Now…I definitely feel like I'm in top shape," he said with a triumphant smile.
Before he could properly feel his own victory, he was swarmed by his two friends, who glomped him.
"That was amazing–like, super amazing, Daigo!" Ishikawa said, hugging him.
"Truly spectacular!" Tadashi joined in.
He winced a bit with a half-cocked smile, "...I get it, but do you mind not squeezing me so hard? He got a few good blows in on my chest."
They let go of him, sharing in a laugh as he looked down, seeing Chimon come to as he picked himself up, rejecting the towel from the referee.
"Damn, kid…" Chimon smiled, bleeding down from his scalp.
"Sorry, I might've overdid it a bit," he apologized.
Chimon stood up, slapping him on the back with a boisterous laugh, "Hell no! That was just what I wanted from you! Now I'm sure of it–you're going to kick ass in the Celestial Fist!"
"Heh…" He chuckled a bit.
It was a bit awkward to have the man he had just viscerally knocked out be so cheerful around him, but that was just the kind of man Chimon was.
After half an hour had passed, Chimon sat with the three at the recreational area of the gym, holding an ice pack on top of his head while sitting in a bucket of ice.
He did exactly the same–resting in a bucket of ice as well.
"That can't be comfortable…" Ishikawa muttered, looking at the two men who bathed in the very essence of cold.
Tadashi adjusted his lenses, "It's an invaluable tool for them at the moment. After exhausting and battering their bodies, the ice will help cool them down and sooth the healing process."
"That's exactly right! Five points to four-eyes over there!" Chimon said with a smile, resting his muscular arms on the sides of the large bucket.
"Four eyes…?" Tadashi mumbled in disbelief.
"Pffft!" Ishikawa had to stop herself from laughing at the immediate nickname given.
It was a surprisingly pleasant experience to bathe in ice, especially because of how hot his body had become from the thrills of the fight.
"Ahh…" He let out a relaxed sigh.
Chimon looked at him, gulping down a bottle of water, "So, Touma–did our skirmish teach you anything?"
He sat there quietly for a moment before nodding, looking at his bruised hands with a small smile before looking up at the boisterous man.
"I can't mess around anymore. I didn't want to rely on the Heavenly Daigo Style, but…what right would I have to try and win the Celestial Fist if I didn't? Everybody else has trained their whole lives for this, giving it everything they have…If I tried winning while holding back, I'd be trampling on the fighting spirit itself," he said.
"That's right! You can't expect to match the best-of-the-best if you're going into it with half-baked martial arts," Chimon told him, "...Do you want the truth, Touma?"
The sudden steer of seriousness in the tone of the former boxing champion made him silently nod as the other two in the room listened in.
Chimon's eyes seemed begrudged to bring up what he was about to say, but he did so anyway:
"When I joined the Celestial Fist…the truth is, I was trampled in the very first round," Chimon admitted.
It was a surprise to him, and he could definitely see a hefty cloud of regret looming over the usually energetic man.
Ishikawa frowned a bit before smiling brightly, "But…it's amazing just to make it to the tournament, isn't it?!"
"That's right," Tadashi added, "Many spend their entire lives dedicated to the way of a fighter, yet never even get the chance to participate in the Celestial Fist. Just reaching it etches oneself into history."
Still, Chimon simply shook his head with further regret as he looked up, bathed in the plentiful ice cubes, "That's not what I meant."
"--?"
They all looked at him with confused expressions at what it was that they could've missed from his simple words, but what befell from the boxer's lips made his stomach drop.
"I was eliminated in the first round…of the qualifiers," Chimon told them.