Shizaki ran at him with a nervous, cautious glance, yet with powerful speed.
I gotta get close to him...and test him to see what he's capable of!
The distance closed between them where Shizaki was just a few steps away from his opponent.
He pulled his arm back to deliver a powerful surge of wind pressure.
But with a single motion of his arm extending towards him, Ari met the attack.
He casually pointed to the ground.
And in an instant, a burst of air from above hit Shizaki with extreme force as his body collapsed with a swift bang.
"-Khhaaakk!!!"
Astonishment rang out from the onlookers as they watched with excitement and surprise.
Shizaki tried to get up, but couldn't. It felt like a countless stack of bricks lay on top of him. However, instead of bricks, it was air.
He could envision it clearly. Air in the form of a flattened wall had slammed into him on his back and pummeled him straight into the dirt, as it then lay on top of him. He tried to push hard against this force to get up, his arms slowly raising his body against this other form of wind, but his strength failed him as he fell back down. He struggled to raise his head to look at Ari.
And sure enough, he was looking back at him with a teasing smile.
"So, you have an Affinity of Wind too, huh? But is it as strong as my [Gravitational Air], I wonder?"
"[Gravitational.....Air...]"
"Although it is possible to break free from it, it would take an enormous amount of body strength and willpower, so in order to save your strength, I'll release you. I need you in top condition, after all. You shouldn't be done so easily, right?"
As he pulled back his arm, the barrier of wind instantly from pressing down on Shizaki's body. Groaning and breathing heavily, he stood up, feeling a bit irritated.
Ari took three steps backward.
"Let's try this again. Begin!"
Take two.
What now?
Judging by the name that he had given his Skill, the power moved in the direction of gravity against an opponent, thus, always downward. In that case...
Shizaki once again made a dash toward him. But this time, he quickly fired a continuous stream of wind at him.
It was hardly powerful, but since Ari had given the command that a clean strike should be done, he did not specify whether it had to be from a physical attack or from his Affinity.
In an effort of defence, Ari once again stretched his arm forward and pointed to the ground. [Turbulence] rattled against the downward force of [Gravitational Air] as the latter simply was too strong to be pushed back. A perfect barrier had been formed.
However, Shizaki was expecting this to happen.
Ensuring that air blasts continued emanating from his left palm while advancing forward, he would force Ari to use his Skill for a defensive maneuver.
He was now in striking distance.
I can strike without his power affecting me! Please forgive me for this, Ari-sensei!
Shizaki leapt over the wall of the air barrier and leaned back.
Pulling his left leg back, he let a powerful kick fly, aiming for Ari's head.
Ari instantly recalled his right arm and guarded his face just in time, blocking a kick that would have surely finished what Shizaki aimed to do.
Not bad at all.
In his mind, he silently admired the effort.
Biting his lip, Shizaki had a feeling that he would fail the attempt, but he did not waver.
Not yet!
Bending his leg and pressing it hard against Ari's arm that blocked the attack while being in mid-air, he sprung his body upwards and over Ari's figure with its force in an incredible half-somersault flip, landing in a stooping position behind Ari.
"What?!"
Completely caught off guard, Ari flung his right arm behind him in an attempt to activate [Gravitational Air], but before he could point, Shizaki unleashed a spinning kick to the arm and spun around to face his opponent with eyes of determination and shouted with a taunting tone.
"Don't look down on me!"
Seeing an opportunity, he lunged forward, letting a strong punch fly to the gut, but Ari barely managed to sidestep the attack, cooly giving Shizaki's back a light tap with his palm while pointing down as he was in midair.
Bang! A terrifying force slammed Shizaki back onto the ground as he let out a yelp of slight pain and frustration.
"Your movement is not bad. But you reaaallly gotta remember that your opponent can have a reaction time faster than you can attack."
"I swear...."
"Hmm?"
He couldn't see Shizaki's face, but he soon turned his face around to face him. And what he saw made him step back a little.
An immensely agitated Shizaki faced him with not a hint of fear.
"I'm gonna take you down. Watch me."
Ari responded with a smile as a bead of sweat trickled down from his forehead, and he responded.
"....Entertain me."
The white light from the eyes of Daizen Shizaki was fading after he had been hit pretty strongly by Ari's [Gravitational Wind], but it immediately came back to life as Shizaki tried his best to shift his body away from the air barrier. Getting close to the edge, he pushed forward and forward, and he eventually crawled out from the wind of gravity.
Getting up while dusting off the dirt from his clothes, he narrowed his eyes as he tried to analyze a way through against the opponent standing in front of him.
Should he try again with forcing Ari to use his power as defence and attack physically? He would probably just be wasting his time. His strikes were not bad, per se, but Ari could dodge or block faster than he could attack.
Simply staying back would not work either, though, as his opponent was on the defensive and refused to attack or counterattack.
I must find an opening....somehow!
He had barely any options, but Shizaki prepared to go again.
But just as he was about to run, he noticed a familiar movement from Ari.
Ari once again stepped back, not by one, but by three.
Caught off guard, Shizaki hesitated.
Why did...?
Shaking his head, he discarded his thoughts and tried to focus. He sprung into action once again.
If anything, Ari was obviously trying to create more distance between them, but why?
Was he cautious of how quick he was able to get close to him? Maybe, but he always had the power to stop Shizaki in his tracks.
Unless...
The reaction time based on his speed.
That's it.
Ari determined the perfect time to activate his Affinity against him due to estimating his time of getting close to his body.
Therefore, if he was somehow able to defy his estimation of speed…
Shizaki once again closed the distance, close enough where Ari could counter with his Skill.
Waiting anxiously, Shizaki curled his hand into a fist and prepared to let a strike fly. Ari anticipated the punch with eagerness.
Why would he try such a risky move?
He stretched out his hand as Shizaki was just a few steps away from him. This is where his power would activate.
But as Shizaki waited for his signal, Shizaki's let out a blast of wind from the left of his body, redirecting himself into a different direction with a push of force right as Ari pointed to the ground.
Bam! The force of [Gravitational Air] just barely missed Shizaki's body and slammed into the ground as he now flew to the right side of Ari.
Quickly lashing out another burst of wind, Shizaki aimed at the vulnerable opposition. Ari lunged away just as [Turbulence] activated, doing a front roll and getting up quickly.
"Close...!"
Another attempt had failed, and once again, Ari stepped back, one, two, three, four, five huge steps away.
Now picking up sweat, Shizaki started to think once again.
What can I do to go faster than his reaction time and catch him off guard, while landing a perfect blow?
Something fast enough that could beat the speed of his reflexes, something that could even beat the speed of his [Gravitational Air] defence system.
He couldn't think of anything.
Wincing in desperation to find a solution, Shizaki stalled and Ari chuckled.
"Already done?"
"...No....of course not..."
Among the crowd of onlookers, Kamazaki, Yukino, King and Aya all seemed tense, with Kamazaki being the clear spokesperson of their thoughts.
"He's not getting anywhere! S-Shit, this Ari guy is good...although Shizaki-kun has been incredible, it all amounts to nothing..."
Aya looked on in silence but her slight facial expression showed that she too was concerned.
Of course, even if someone failed trying to fulfill the instructor's commands, there was still a chance that they could pass the Selection based on their performance and skill. However, that was still a risky path that nobody would want to take as everyone would obviously desire to pass the instruction provided to them.
The figure of Daizen Shizaki stood still. He could not advance. Overthinking wouldn't do any good, but neither would charging in without any clear plan. He bit his lip, and the light from his eyes faded as he stopped activating his Skill.
Everything was falling apart once again, but he just had to keep going. If he stopped here and gave up, what would he have traveled for, or fought for? It would amount to nothing.
He had to fulfill the expectations of those who believed in him, who supported him, who trusted in him to keep moving forward.
Therefore…
"I will not falter!!!"
He screamed this out in annoyance, and Ari responded with the same tone.
"Good! So try me, and give it your best shot!!!"
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(Chapter 27: Turbulence vs Gravitational Wind.)