"3…2…1…Begin!"
As soon as the signal was given, Zoro charged forward and swung his shinai in a powerful vertical slash.
Cain, whose focus was on Zoro's shinai from the beginning, didn't move forward but instead raised his shinai horizontally above his head to block the strike.
But he underestimated the power contained within that strike. He forgot that his physique is no match for Zoro right now as he only started training a week ago.
As their shinai collided, Cain found his stance faltering due to the impact and fell on his butt with Zoro's shinai pointed at his neck.
The match ended as soon as it began. Silence reigned for about a couple of seconds before Johnny and Yosaku burst into laughter.
"Haha! Looks like you're down, Cain!" Johnny laughed.
"I don't think I need to announce the winner, hahaha!", said Yosaku.
Cain sat there with his cheeks burning red with embarrassment as they continued laughing. Damn!...After saying those cheesy lines, I lost in a single strike. A single fucking strike! This is so embarrassing!
"Quit laughing, you two! It was just a fluke! I only lost because my body is not yet physically strong as I only started training a week ago. Zoro, I want a rematch!" Cain shouted trying to hide his embarrassment and turned towards Zoro, asking for a rematch.
"You wanna lose again? Fine by me." said Zoro with a smirk, already declaring his victory.
"Who wanna lose again?! I will beat you this time!" retorted Cain and got in his stance again.
"Are you sure you want to fight again? You can't win against Zoro." asked Johnny.
"You just start the countdown!" roared Cain, already back in his stance. Zoro also raised his shinai, ready for another round.
"Alright, alright!" Johnny relented, chuckling. "Don't get so worked up!"
Cain took a deep breath and quickly analyzed the previous fight. Defending his strikes by blocking won't work much as I don't have the required physical strength. I need to evade or parry and then look for an opportunity to attack.
Johnny started the countdown again.
"3…2…1…Begin!"
Zoro charged forward with another powerful swing, though this time from a slightly different angle. Cain followed his plan, retreating a little bit, just enough to let Zoro's swing pass by his chest. But Zoro didn't stop his attack there, launching a series of rapid strikes that forced Cain to evade.
Cain's reflexes, one of his natural strengths, took over as he dodged Zoro's rapid attacks. His focus narrowed entirely on avoiding each swing, sidestepping and ducking as Zoro's shinai whipped through the air.
After missing five strikes, Zoro got annoyed and asked unhappily, "Are you going to keep running away?"
There it is! The opportunity to counterattack!
Cain just smirked as he found an opportunity, just as Zoro's shinai passed his body, and was still mid-swing, he switched from retreating to advancing in a sudden burst of speed, aiming to thrust his shinai towards Zoro's abdomen. The unexpected maneuver caught Zoro off-guard for an instant.
As the thrust was coming in, Zoro, who was surprised by Cain's sudden change in momentum, quickly focused on the incoming thrust and easily connected his previous attack with the new one. He immediately swung upward to intercept Cain's shinai. The force disarmed Cain, sending his shinai flying and leaving Zoro's shinai once again at his neck.
Cain, who lost his shinai, looked at his empty hand and then at the shinai for a couple of seconds and sighed.
I lost again…sigh. No worry, I will challenge him again tomorrow!
Johnny, finally snapping back to reality, announced Zoro as the winner. But both Johnny and Yosaku didn't dare to laugh this time.
When Cain showed his insanely quick reflexes, not only Zoro, but Johnny and Yosaku were also surprised. By the time they came back to their senses, the spar was already over.
"Wow! That was amazing!" Yosaku said, clapping Cain on the shoulder
"Yeah! It was so cool! The way you just changed your speed and direction so fast, no beginner can do that!" exclaimed Johnny.
Zoro also nodded and said, "Yeah! It also caught me off-guard. But no matter what, I am still stronger than you!"
Listening to their words, Cain just smiled a little and said, "I guess, I am just more agile. And Zoro! Don't think I will lose next time!"
They bickered and joked, forming a bond born from shared passion for swordsmanship and the thrill of rivalry. After parting ways, Cain returned to his room.
After dinner, Cain sat straight in his room and started analyzing his spar against Zoro, noting areas where he could improve. He also thought about the other possible ways the spar could have gone.
Still, he was somewhat satisfied with the spar result. I was able to evade a few strikes from Dojo's strongest student and counterattack. I guess, it's good progress, considering it only took a week.
After the spar analysis, he started his image training taking Koushirou as his imaginary opponent, running through various techniques, counter-moves, and strategies.
~~~~~~~~
Days turned into weeks and weeks turned into months, a year passed away.
Cain continued his training starting from each morning before dawn and till the night. He completed rigorous physical exercises to make his body stronger, his body slowly but steadily adapted to the strain, his muscles growing firmer, his stamina building.
At night, Cain continued with image training, often envisioning scenarios from his spars with Zoro and Koushirou.
It became a daily routine at this point, sharpening his mental resilience alongside his physical endurance. And in between, he sparred with Zoro and also Koushirou, each match pushing him to his limits.
Whether it be attack, defense, body movement or strategy, he grew strong in all aspects.
Initially, he lost most of the spars within a minute of starting, but as time went, he got better and better.
Over time, he began to anticipate Zoro's movements, managing to evade and counter more effectively.
Cain saw his skills deepen. His sword swings grew more precise, his footwork steadier. Even Koushirou noticed his progress, sometimes challenging Cain himself in sparring sessions, offering pointers and words of encouragement.
Cain felt proud of how far he had come, his position in the dojo gradually rising to nearly match Zoro's.
By the end of the year, Cain's training had paid off. In his recent spars with Zoro, he could now hold his own, sometimes even managing to force the match into a draw.
Zoro, spurred on by Cain's progress, pushed himself even harder. As a result, both boys grew stronger, surpassing the skills Zoro had displayed at this age in the original timeline.
Koushirou often watched their matches with a quiet pride, observing Cain's growing talent and determination.
One evening, after a particularly grueling sparring session, Cain returned to his room, exhausted. I have made great progress with swordsmanship and overall strength in this past year. But I have started to stagnate a little now.
Reflecting on the progress he had made, Cain realized that dojo training alone was no longer enough to challenge him. If I really want to push my limits… maybe it's time I face real danger. The mountains behind the village are rumored to have some pretty fierce animals.
It's decided! I will go and fight those animals in the back mountain!