I dashed forward, adapting to the close-quarters environment, making sure not to hit anything that might be on the ground—a stray shoe, a discarded water bottle, anything could trip me up. I threw a snap jab to her face, focusing on power. She guarded it with her forearm, her muscles absorbing much of the damage. Her eyes narrowed, concentration etched across her features. I aggressively front-kicked her, aiming to break through her defenses. She guarded yet again, her feet dragging across the floor as she took my full power, the sound of her sneakers scuffing against the hardwood echoing in the confined space. Allison did not attack; she was just defending, her body a fortress. I did not give her any moment of reprieve, throwing a few more punches to try and break through. She blocked each with a great guard, showing her expertise. She's better at boxing than I expected? How about this, then? I ducked down, aiming for a liver blow. This is the punch that brings down giants!
She blocked my punch, wrapping her fingers around my hand with a monster's grip. Her hold was unyielding as I tried to shake her off, her fingers pressing into my skin like iron clamps. She looked directly into my eyes, her voice steady and probing, "So you never loved me?" I felt a surge of anger. With a swift motion, I palm-struck her wrist, the impact forcing her to release my hand. I stepped back, the distance between us offering a brief moment of respite. My voice erupted with true hatred, "I never even thought of you as human!" The words hung in the air, charged with venom. She followed my movements, her eyes never leaving mine, a predator stalking its prey.
In my haste, I made a fatal error, backing up against the couch's armrest and nearly tripping. She saw her opening and fired a heavy haymaker aimed at my ear. It's slow! Let me block! I raised my guard to my ear just in time to intercept the blow. The impact was tremendous, reverberating through my arm and shoulder, but I managed to block it successfully. The force of her punch cascaded me across the welcome mat rug, my body rag dolling uncontrollably. Skidding across the ground, I scrambled to get up as quickly as possible, my movements frantic and pained. My bones.. they're waning. Could she have fractured them?
Allison monologued, "Want to know why I don't try and go get a weapon?" Her voice was steady, almost casual, as if we were discussing something trivial. I stood silent, staring her down, my breath coming in short, labored bursts. Her blow had shaken me to my core, and I decided to let her monologue, buying myself precious moments to recover. She gave off an ominous warning, "My fists do more damage than any weapon." There was a chilling confidence in her words. Allison started to get into the fight, shifting back and forth in a boxing rhythm, her feet gliding across the floor with practiced ease.
If I try and outpower her, I'll lose. I'll focus on quick attacks to weaken her, slowly but surely. I tensed my left arm, trying to make it forget the pain, pushing the discomfort to the back of my mind. Allison charged in, positioning herself right in front of me. Her eyes were locked onto mine, ready to strike. She threw a right straight, a powerful punch aimed directly at my face. I weaved to the side, her fist crashing through the wall behind me with a thunderous crack, debris scattering around us. The momentary shock on her face was my opportunity. I threw a quick jab to her face, which landed with a satisfying thud. Allison swiped her hand, creating a whooshing sound as it cut through the air, nearly hitting me. I ducked under, my body moving on instinct, and fired a rapid three-punch combo to her stomach. Each punch landed with a solid impact, and I saw her grimace, her face contorting in pain. She finally unstuck her hand from the wall, pulling it free with a grunt.
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I raised myself up high, trying to muster every ounce of strength I had left. Allison threw a heavy jab, which I head rolled to the side, taking minimal damage. As I rolled my head, I threw off a punch as well, aiming for her exposed side. But Allison, with her swift reflexes, also head rolled, dodging the impact with ease. We're both around the same level in boxing. I need to start using other martial arts. I fired off a roundhouse, the same one I used on Tony before. But Allison was ready; she caught my leg, tightening her grip painfully around it. Damn it, that hurts! I grimaced, feeling the pressure and strain in my leg, while Allison smiled with a cold, predatory grin. "Take it!" she taunted, her voice dripping with confidence. With alarming strength, she raised me into the ceiling.
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Hashigana Style: Twisting Escape
- If an enemy grabs your leg, twist your body and fire off a spinning kick to leap off and escape.
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I twisted my leg, gathering all the force I could muster. With my free leg, I fired off a deadly stamp to her chest. The impact was solid, and she let go of my leg, stumbling backward and giving me the distance I desperately needed. I flipped backward, landing on the ground perfectly, a move I had trained for many times. It was one of my best techniques, and it had just saved me. Suddenly a fist materialized was in front of me. What?
Allison uppercut me in the chin, and I felt a sharp pain as I bit my tongue, spitting out blood. My body flew upward, ricocheting off the ceiling before crashing back down onto my back, the impact adding to my already excruciating pain. I lay dazed for a moment, my vision blurry and my mind struggling to process what had just happened. That was.. her, right? That didn't feel like any of her previous punches did... Wait! That was her left hand. I shot up, my eyes scanning the area frantically. Where is she?! Out of the corner of my eye, I saw another fist coming at me. This time, I was ready. I countered, facing her head-on. I threw a heavy haymaker, which clashed with hers, and I felt my bones crack under the force. My arm was forced back by her blow, and then I spotted it. It's her fist! Callouses! The 'quality' of her left fist is different! Allison didn't press her attack, instead shaking her hand, a slight smirk playing on her lips. "You have some pretty good power. It pales in comparison to mine, though." I've only heard of this in fiction, but could it be?! She did partial training! She trained her left fist against something hard, and it has high resistance.
She's much stronger than Jordan. Her boxing is high level, she has immense power—more so than Oren's—and her left fist is nearly impossible to break. She's taken some pain, but I'm in much worse shape. That uppercut has rattled me. Allison cracked her knuckles, her expression cold and determined. "Time to finish this, Jake." I lowered my center of gravity, raising both my forearms to guard my face. "My name isn't Jake. It's Damon." Allison smirked, "Well, no matter. You're still going to die." I steadied my breath, trying to push the pain to the back of my mind. "I haven't shown you everything yet.." I need to use it. It's time to use the Secret Techniques of the Hashigana Style.