I walked to my spot, locking eyes with Tokuma, who was standing there with that smug grin plastered on his face. Seriously, how does one face scream "punch me" so loudly? Every time I looked at those pale Hyuuga eyes and that crappy little smirk, I felt an undeniable urge to kick his face.
"Alright, boys, make the sparring sign and remember, this is just a friendly match." Bekkou-sensei said, clearly unaware of the storm brewing in my head.
I raised my hand, two fingers up, forming half the ram seal. My actions were mirrored by Tokuma.
"Begin!"
Tokuma immediately got into that textbook Hyuuga stance—left hand and foot forward, palm open, all "look at me, I'm fancy." Meanwhile, I went for something simple: arms loose at my sides, standing sideways, bouncing lightly on my place.
See, Taekwondo's all about speed and agility. No point pretending to be a Hyuuga knockoff when I could just focus on what I'm good at: dodging like my life depended on it and kicking like a mule.
"What's that? Can't even form a proper stance? Pathetic!" Tokuma said with his annoying voice.
It made sense for him to think that since my stance was so simple it looked like I wasn't in a combat position. However, this relaxed stance was ideal for this fight. I had no intention of getting hit by a Juuken strike; I didn't want to find out how much that would hurt.
My left leg was slightly behind with my foot pointing outward, my torso turned sideways to reduce the target area Tokuma could attack, and the light bouncing on my feet kept my body in constant motion to dodge any attacks. Of course, I wasn't going to explain this to that idiot.
"Nah, you're just so bad I don't even need to bother." I answered him with a smile on my face.
"You little—! I'll show you the power of the Hyuuga clan!" Tokuma shouted angrily.
With those words, Tokuma lunged at me, his hands open and ready to strike. A few centimeters before reaching me, he pivoted on his feet, moving his body to the right, and aimed a direct strike at my chest.
I reacted purely on reflex, tilting my body to the left, narrowly dodging his attack. Spotting an opening, I threw a sidekick, but he blocked it with his forearm. Okay, fine, so he wasn't completely useless.
'He's faster than I thought.'
I admitted to myself, pulling back to create some distance. But hey, not that fast.
I took a deep breath, keeping my eyes on my opponent. At that moment, I remembered something my taekwondo instructor had told me in my previous life:
'Half the fight is breathing. Breathe right, and you'll outlast them.'
I kept mentally repeating those words since the fight began, focusing on maintaining a steady rhythm of breathing. I stared at Tokuma, waiting for his next move, and widened my eyes slightly as he lunged at me again.
I tilted my body to the right, barely dodging another open-handed strike, but I didn't have time to counterattack as another strike came at me, forcing me to back away.
So yeah, my taekwondo instructor was great. And great advice—if you're not currently dodging a barrage of attacks from a mad Hyuuga.
Tokuma was relentless, strike after strike, pushing me closer to the edge of the arena. I couldn't think, couldn't counter, couldn't do anything but dodge and silently scream in my head.
'Crap, crap, crap… I'm gonna lose!'
That was all that went through my head while I dodged with all my might. Honestly, it was hard to even think when a direct strike was coming right at my face.
"Unlike you, I'm a Hyuuga! You should've known better than to even try fighting me!" he crowed, clearly loving his moment.
And yeah, okay, he had me against the ropes—or, well, the chalk lines. If I stepped out, it was game over. But no way was I letting Mr. Superior Smirk take this win.
'This… This can't go on… I have to do something now.'
I looked at Tokuma with determination, managing to take a brief breath before dodging another strike aimed at my shoulder. But this time, I didn't just lean to the side.
I spun on my heel and launched a back kick right into his chest. It landed perfectly, sending him stumbling back. Finally, some breathing room.
'That back kick was good, but I need to attack.'
I took a deep breath and, for the first time in the fight, I charged. I jumped to deliver a kick at his right-side ribs. Tokuma blocked my kick with his forearm, but surprise, idiot! Unlike my first kick at the start of the match, this one was followed by another kick to his left-side ribs.
The smug look on his face vanished faster than free snacks at a party, replaced by a delicious grimace of pain. And wow, I enjoyed seeing that.
"Oh, what's wrong, Tokuma? That hurt?" I asked, unable to resist rubbing it in.
He tried to hit me again, but it was a lazy attempt. I dodged and countered with another back kick, making him stagger even more. His face was a mix of rage and humiliation, and honestly, it was the chef's kiss and it made me laugh lightly.
"What're you laughing at?!" he barked. "You think these lucky hits will save you? I'll show you your place!" Tokuma exclaimed, running toward me.
Ah, yes. Nothing like unbridled rage to throw off your opponent's game. Tokuma came at me full steam, clearly ready to end me. But I had other plans. As a good classmate, I should help him calm down, and that's exactly what I did.
When I saw Tokuma initiating a strike aimed at my face, I was ready. As he extended his arm to strike, I spun my body, dodging his attack, and delivered a spinning hook kick straight to his face. Boom. Down he went, lights out.
"Sleep tight, Tokuma-san! Maybe dream about dodging next time," I said, flashing the smuggest grin possible as I casually strolled away, feeling like the king of the ring.
"The winner is Hoshino Kenshin!" Bekkou-sensei announced, crouching over Tokuma like he was checking if the guy still had a pulse.
And that, my friends, is how you turn a Hyuuga prodigy into a Hyuuga pancake.
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So, guys, seriously, I'm planning to post the next chapter on Sunday because, you know, I deserve to relax a bit. BUT if you comment and send me some power stones—let's say, 10?—I'll speed things up and drop the chapter on Saturday! So, come on, leave your comments, send those awesome power stones, and maybe you'll get an early treat!