The arena announcer's voice echoed through the venue, crackling from the speakers, "Octagon, pair 312. A pair of 31 is preparing." The call signaled Anthony's upcoming bout against Kenji.
"You ready?" Kaito asked, handing Anthony a mouthguard.
"Absolutely," Anthony replied, inserting the mouthpiece firmly between his teeth.
Anthony stepped into the octagon, where Kenji, a stout man in his thirties, awaited in the opposite corner. They locked eyes briefly, sizing each other up.
At the referee's invitation, they met at the center, exchanging a brief fist bump before retreating to their corners. The gong reverberated, initiating the fight.
Maintaining distance initially, the fighters exchanged light punches. However, Kenji pressed forward, asserting control of the center.
Kaito observed Anthony's focused attention on Kenji's hands—no surprise, given his reputation for devastating hand strikes. Kenji, well aware of his opponent's caution, closed the distance, intensifying the confrontation.
Launching a series of strikes, Kenji aimed to capitalize on Anthony's perceived fear of his hand strikes. Anthony defended skillfully, countering with a direct punch during a brief opening in Kenji's assault.
For the next 30 seconds, the fighters maintained parity. Growing in confidence, Anthony closed the distance, engaging Kenji in a flurry of punches. His direct hits began to find their mark. Dodging a straight right kick, he responded with two accurate punches to Kenji's body and head, followed by a quick combination of punches that effectively blocked a counter punch to the head and landed a leg kick to Kenji's exposed side. Anthony seized control, pressuring Kenji who struggled to defend against the relentless assault.
As Anthony continued to dominate, Kenji retreated, attempting to evade and block the incoming punches.
Finding his rhythm, Anthony noticed that Kenji was having trouble defending himself. He threw a combination of three straight punches and two hooks, but Kenji managed to dodge the last one with a counter punch to the body. With a quick movement of the same hand, Kenji threw a punch to Anthony's head that sent him staggering backward. Despite his attempts to block the blow, its power was incredible and Anthony's legs gave out.
Capitalizing on the moment, Kenji delivered two powerful blows to Anthony's now-open head, causing him to collapse. The crowd gasped as Anthony fell, the fight ending in a knockout victory for Kenji.
With a satisfied smile, Kenji stood over Anthony momentarily before exiting the ring. Kaito observed with disapproval; it was evident that Kenji possessed little restraint in his punching power, seeking a knockout with intent rather than chance. Kaito had always harbored reservations about sparring partners who prioritized aggression over control.
'That punch—he blocked it but still fell...' Kaito thought to himself. 'If it weren't for that abnormally powerful punch, Anthony could have won.'
"Damn, that guy didn't hold back at all against the kid," remarked the man standing to Kaito's right.
Kaito turned to him and asked, "Does he always fight like that?"
"Yeah, he comes here looking for a tough fight," the man replied.
"I see," Kaito acknowledged.
"That kid is your friend, right?" the man inquired.
"Yeah."
"Why didn't he back out of the fight? It was clear how it would end."
"He didn't see it that way..." Kaito responded calmly.
"Understood..."
Kaito harbored reservations about this fight as well. Facing someone who sought out sparring matches to beat opponents and clearly utilized a quirk to enhance his punches was not an ideal scenario. However, Anthony had made his choice, and Kaito respected that decision, opting not to interfere with his friend's determination to face the challenge.
"But is it acceptable for someone to come to sparring just to knock others out?" Kaito asked.
"Well, no, but he's Arata's brother—the organizer—and he doesn't want to bar him from coming here. Plus, he doesn't show up more than once in 2 months," the man explained.
"I guess we just had bad luck, ha," Kaito replied with a smile, trying to keep the conversation light.
Observing the referee guide Anthony out of the Octagon, Kaito walked over to them. "You okay?"
"Not great, but I'll live," Anthony replied with relief.
"He needs to go to the locker room to rest and recover, and for today the sport is over," instructed the referee.
"Yeah, sure," Kaito agreed, supporting his friend as they headed toward the locker room.
Anthony walked over to his locker, retrieved his clothes, and began to change.
"Do you want me to order you a cab?" Kaito asked.
"You're not coming with me?" Anthony inquired.
"No, I want to spar with someone."
"Him?" Anthony questioned.
"Yeah," Kaito confirmed.
"You shouldn't, his punches... He's too..."
Kaito remained calm and assured, "I can handle it. Don't worry. I know how to win."
"Um... okay, suit yourself. Well yeah, order a car."
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"Okay," replied Kaito.
Kaito waited for Anthony to change and escorted him out, and then he returned to the arena. He intended to meet Kenji and spar with him, realizing that he was losing too much in physical performance and that using the quirk with which he had knocked out his friend, he should not expect to win. But unlike his friend, Kaito had a strong quirk, the use of which is not easy to recognize and with which he has a chance to win. In addition, this would be a great chance to try out the quirk against such a tough opponent, as he would be facing much more dangerous and powerful opponents when he joined UA.
Scanning the arena, Kaito quickly spotted his target—a man sitting on a bench, engrossed in his phone and sipping water. As Kaito approached, the man looked up and spoke first, "It's you. I'm sorry, truly sorry about what happened to your friend."
Kaito recognized the insincerity but brushed it aside, "It's fine. I'm here for another reason. I want to spar with you."
"Hahaha, are you serious, kid? You saw what I did to your friend?" the man asked incredulously.
"Yeah, and I'm still up for it," Kaito replied calmly.
"Look, I already apologized."
"I'm stronger than him. If I lose, I'll give you $200," Kaito proposed confidently.
"Huh, alright, kid. Have it your way."
"Pair number 199 in the octagon," Kaito announced, then excused himself from the man.
Kaito had taken note of his pair number just before their conversation began, indicating that his fight was eight pairs away.
For the remaining time, Kaito sat on his phone, watching a show until seven minutes before his fight. Then he started his warm-up routine—stretching his muscles and engaging in light cardio. Soon, the announcement blared from the speakers, "Octagon, pair 412 is up next. Pair 199, get ready."
Kaito grabbed his gear and approached the octagon, where two young men in their twenties were engaged in combat. One towered over the other, sporting four eyes with large green pupils, while his opponent had a small tail. Kaito observed their fight until a curious young man approached him.
"Are you in the next pair?" the boy asked.
"Yes," Kaito replied calmly.
"You really want to fight the dude who took down your buddy?" the boy asked, his tone filled with concern.
"Indeed," Kaito responded, his composure unwavering.
"You best rethink this. He'll straight-up wreck you just like he did to your friend."
"We'll see," Kaito said, determined.
The arena froze in anticipation as the gong sounded, signaling the end of the bout, the next pair was Kenji versus Kaito. The audience assumed and feared that the boy would repeat his friend's fate. The announcer's voice broke through the tense atmosphere.
"Octagon. Pair 199. Pair 24 is preparing," echoed, giving the start of the next exciting bout.
Kaito, fully equipped and full of determination, entered the octagon, taking his corner opposite a confident Kenji. Anticipation was in the air, each fighter embodying a different facet of fight strategy.
The referee called the competitors to the center, where they exchanged short phrases of sportsmanship - fists, and then dispersed to their corners, ready to fight. The atmosphere was filled with anticipation of an intense fight.
As the fight began, both fighters cautiously assessed each other's defenses, looking for weaknesses. Kaito, known for his evasive style, unlike Anthony, displayed exceptional reflexes and agility. He strategically maneuvered in the center, taking advantage of open spaces for accurate punches aimed at Kenji's head.
In the first few minutes of the fight, Kaito's defense was impregnable; he read Kenji's movements effortlessly. His unique abilities, enhanced by his quirk, forced his opponent to defend despite his physical mismatch. Kenji was forced to reorganize his approach, adapting to Kaito's unexpected prowess.
While Kaito usually used his quirk to improve his cognitive ability and speed, he made the strategic decision to strengthen his physical power for this high-stakes bout. A month of hard training had honed his quirk control, though there was room for improvement. Still, his abilities proved to be more than sufficient to fight a normal human.
As the fight progressed, Kaito became more aggressive, unleashing a continuous barrage of punches and well-timed kicks at Kenji's vulnerable spots. Each strike was executed with precision and purpose, emphasizing Kaito's determination to dominate the octagon.
The audience watched in awe as the momentum of the fight suddenly shifted in Kaito's favor. The teenager's skill and resilience surpassed all expectations, turning him into a force to be reckoned with. The unfolding spectacle mesmerized the spectators, who witnessed an astonishing display of skill and determination.
In the arena, the cheers and sighs of the crowd reflected the dramatic course of the fight. The atmosphere was filled with energy as Kaito's dominance became more and more apparent. Kenji, once confident, now struggled to keep up with his relentless opponent.