-Hahaha, you little brat. – commented Hiyo Kure, shifting in his seat. Power is something highly regarded in the Kure clan, and only the strongest have a true voice or a real way to make their words count. It's the vote, and the way they solve everything is based on two principles.
-It's just a fight, Hiyo, and some training advice... I don't care about money, or things, cars, houses... it's not worth it. – said Kei, seeing all the members of Hiyo's gang around, watching the boy with curiosity.
-Okay! I'll do as you say. We're a bit skeptical, but the information you've given me is good. – said Hiyo, a fighter of expert class in the Kure clan ranking, barely reaching the acceptable rank, and that's why he's a member of a gang. Too arrogant to be a cop, and too weak to be a mercenary, he handles the dirty work for the family below the real leaders. But an expert class fighter is far above Kei, who barely qualifies as an upper-middle-class disciple. He can compete against very powerful people, but he only reaches the rank of an intermediate disciple. His master, Takemoto, has only trained him in endurance, strength, stances, and brief styles, with high pain tolerance and surpassing human limits, a more military than martial training.
-I can't wait any longer. – commented Kei, smiling, while all the gang's top ten fighters leaned against the wall behind Hiyo Kure, each handling something within the small and limited circle.
The arena was the usual one, a small ring in the shape of a wrestling ring. From there, many fighting styles were at dawn. The Kure clan's techniques are the refinement of thousands of fighting styles, each focused on one thing: being lethal.
Hiyo took a normal stance, adopting a slight boxing posture, calling Kei over with his hand. Seeing that he had a traditional stance and no gaps in his defense, he began to launch multiple attacks, each aimed at finding an important point to counter with his strength and breakthrough.
He threw two quick jabs, each seeking speed above all. Hiyo blocked them as if it were sparring practice, and unlike all the other punches, he knew very well that every punch thrown by Kei Kazama was enough to cause pain, even more than two punches could cause slight bruises on the body.
A fist aimed at Kei's forehead, intending to break with all the body's strength, threw off Kei's balance when it hit, but he managed to step back. The calculation was perfect and thus not far off, the fist stopped a few millimeters away. Kei responded with an elbow strike while preparing for a quick grab, and in the same way, a low kick followed by a series of targeted punches.
All were dodged by Hiyo, who used his hands to block some punches. The boy's progress was something he could see firsthand; he had the talent to go from zero to one. Kei smiled, but that only caused deep anger in Hiyo, who responded with a strong body punch. Kei took it, but it didn't hurt much; his ribs were harder than steel, and his strengthening training was incredible.
Being hit, he moved his hips and sent a quick jab to the face. As the jab nearly grazed Hiyo's ear, using an internal stance closer to Hiyo, he performed a quick one-two combo, repeating with hooks to the chin and a series of body punches. None hit the body, blocked by Hiyo's elbows, who felt the impact of these blows, though they were light jabs.
-You've improved. – commented Hiyo, wanting to finish with a strong punch, a strike combining three martial arts, aiming to break the opponent's nose.
Kei moved his head and received the punch with his forehead, a contrary move, a bit lower, intercepting with his head. It's said to be "blocking with the forehead" or "head interception," seeing the punch mid-flight and stopping it with the head. This requires a lot of coordination, as punches usually have less force mid-way when the body hasn't fully executed all its movements to load the punch with strength. However, it's dangerous because there could be obstacles like elbows, side punches, or weapon strikes.
Receiving the punch with his forehead surprised Hiyo, who felt his knuckles burn. The boy's head was heavy, and the move surprised him even more. To receive a patient strike from Kei, who held back all his power, and thus brushed Hiyo's cheek, causing his eyes to widen in surprise. The punch was quick, faster than any timed strike a novice would throw.
-You little shit. – commented Hiyo, throwing a fierce punch with all his strength that hit Kei in the chest, sending him two steps back. Even that surprised Hiyo, who saw Kei's resilience. The brat had spirit... Kei felt like the punches were gunshots, like a heavy steel ball.
Five minutes passed, and Kei Kazama was on the ground, sweating and covered in bruises. As Hiyo left, he declared that Kei wouldn't return to the gang until he completed his mission, and no one should approach him.
-You're and will always be trash, Kei. – commented Hiroshi, alongside the twins, who hadn't left anything to chance.
-Ha, idiot! You're a waste, Hiroshi. You're weaker in everything. Even now, Hiyo consults me on matters within the gang. I have a voice and vote. Your little joke of saddling me with a five-million contract is impossible for Runna, you damn bastard. – replied Kei.
Hiroshi said nothing, but the atmosphere was clear. He now saw Kei as someone dangerous, and suppressing his younger brother Kei was no joke. The debt in Kei's name and Hiyo's order to leave him alone made Hiroshi swallow hard. Lately, Hiroshi had also been looking for a martial arts club or a master, but only for the expert rank. He found a kickboxing club with a good instructor, but the problem was that they didn't accept punks, a rule he and his brothers had to adapt to.
-Brother, we shouldn't fight with the youngest. – commented Iji, the twin, seeing how everything escalated. He knew that it was forbidden to touch Runna, especially since she wasn't affiliated with the gang. Hurting her could break the family apart, and even the twins knew she was essential to their mother's life.
Kei left with some anger, seeing how Hiyo toyed with him. He wanted to withdraw Runna from school but was forbidden by Kei's warnings to the institution. He only did it to claim Kei's payments and spend them on something extra.
Leaving the gang's place, near his house, little Runna would be picked up by her mother. Now that Kei handled the tuition payments and weekly maintenance, his mother had time to pick up his sister from school. Near a rock by his house, he dedicated himself to softly hitting the stone, one punch after another. Each hit was precise, and the sound was marvelous, thanks to his bone-hardening training. Each punch was more aggressive, his training had to be twice as hard. With each hit, his bones had to grind, over and over, until he found real pain.
Each punch was thrown at a blinding speed, comparable to a semi-professional fighter. Only when his knuckles burned, red, and drops of blood escaped, did he breathe. Another loss against Hiyo Kure, but his fists were strong, three times stronger than normal bones. The growth of his fists was something that had to stand out.
-Damn Hiroshi. – sighed Kei, knowing he had to formulate a plan to change the rounds.
...