Joana stepped forward to stop him.

She's fast! the recruits thought, watching.

Kay dodged her hand.

"He shouldn't have done that!" Lena said, watching.

Joana stepped forward, determined to grab Kay by the shoulder. With a quick movement, Kay dodged, avoiding her touch.

Joana, determined, advanced towards Kay and tried to grab him by the shoulder. He dodged quickly, sliding to the side, his eyes fixed on her.

Joana lunged with a quick punch. Kay barely managed to dodge, feeling the pressure of the blow pass by his side. Adrenaline ran through his veins, and he realized he needed to concentrate. Joana, noticing his evasion, tried a kick in his direction.

Kay crouched, Joana's leg passing over his head. The fight was intense; every move Joana made was precise and fast. He was having trouble keeping up with her, but he wasn't going to give up.

He dodged and dodged, but with each attack from Joana, the pressure increased. The fast pace began to wear him down, and he soon found himself in trouble.

A quick punch from Joana caught Kay by surprise. He didn't have time to react and ended up taking the blow to the face, making him stagger back and fall to the ground.

"Kay!" Mira exclaimed, running towards him with concern.

Joana stopped attacking, looking at her hand with a confused expression.

Kay slowly recovered, raising her head to look at Mira.

"I'm fine, it was just a punch," Kay replied, forcing a smile as she stood up. "I'll keep walking."

Mira looked at him, still worried.

Kay asked for another cup of coffee, and Mira promptly handed it to him.

"Now I'm awake! Let's start over!" Kay said, standing up with determination.

Joana smiled, but there was irritation in her eyes. "That blow... you moved your head to reduce the impact, didn't you?" — she exclaimed, crossing her arms.

— Strange, my body feels like it's burning. I think I worked harder in training than I thought, but since this isn't training, I'll join you! — Kay replied, trying to sound confident, but her lack of motivation was starting to show.

Joana's irritation only grew.

— "I wouldn’t let that happen!" commented Lena with a mischievous smile.

— "Shut up! She’s going to get even angrier at him!" warned Ryuji, observing the scene with a restrained smile.

— "If that’s what you want, you can use me to wake the kid up!" said Joana, stepping back with a challenging look.

Kay, determined, followed Joana.

— "Don’t worry, Mira, we’re just warming up!" he said, trying to reassure her.

— "Be careful!" Mira warned, concern evident in her voice.

— "I will!" Kay replied, but a feeling of discouragement began to grow within him. "This person seems to prefer close combat; maybe I’ll learn more from her!" he thought, trying to motivate himself.

The soldiers, noticing the commotion, began to gather around the area, leaving space for the two to fight. The atmosphere was tense, and everyone was eager to see what would happen next.

Joana took her position, her movements fluid and agile, while Kay watched her with a mixture of curiosity and apprehension. As soon as she moved forward, her feet seemed to glide across the floor, performing a series of spins and high kicks that Kay hadn’t anticipated.

Kay quickly dodged, but the incredible speed of Joana’s attacks left him confused. She spun with elegant grace, attempting a side strike, but he barely avoided it. The air around them vibrated, and the group of soldiers watched with anticipation.

Kay took a deep breath, trying to focus. "I need to keep up with her pace," he thought as she attacked again with a high kick that narrowly missed his face. He crouched down, evading the blow, but the surprise left him hesitant.

Joana showed no mercy; she attacked in a series of quick movements, alternating between kicks and punches. Kay dodged once more, his mind struggling to process her attack patterns. "She’s fast, really fast!" he reflected, trying to find an opening.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

The battle intensified. Joana leaped into the air, spinning before delivering a kick that Kay only managed to avoid by stepping aside. He was starting to feel the pressure. Joana was on a level he hadn’t encountered before, and with every move she made, his confidence seemed to waver.

— "You need to be faster!" Joana shouted, with a provocative smile.

A quick and precise punch almost hit him in the stomach, and he leaned back, slipping into a defensive position. Joana accelerated even more, her movements becoming a blur. Kay struggled to keep up.

— "Your style is interesting, but I’ve already figured out how it works!" said Kay, smiling challengingly.

— "Then try to stop me!" Joana responded, intensifying her attacks.

She continued attacking with a series of rapid blows, but Kay began to predict her movements, dodging easily. His confidence grew as he adapted to the frantic pace.

Then, in an unexpected move, Joana placed her hands on the ground and spun her foot, attempting a low strike. Kay, quick on his feet, saw the opportunity and swept her arm out from under her, making her fall to the ground.

— "If you have another style, you’d better use it because this one won’t work anymore!" Kay said, looking to learn more from the fight, though his words sounded like a provocation to those around them.

Joana, getting up with agility, smiled slightly, accepting the challenge. With a fluid movement, she switched from capoeira to kung fu, her feet firmly planted on the ground, arms ready for a new series of attacks.

— "Let’s see if you can handle this!" Joana exclaimed, her eyes gleaming with determination.

Her movements became more direct and powerful, with low kicks and firm punches that sought to hit Kay more strategically. Each blow was precise and powerful, challenging Kay to adapt quickly.

“I’m sorry, but I already know this style!” said Kay, skillfully dodging her punches.

He moved with grace, observing Joana’s every move, who seemed surprised by his agility. The fight became a dance, with both trying to anticipate each other’s movements. But Kay, focused, began to counterattack.

At a decisive moment, he dodged her punch and quickly placed his fist on Joana’s forehead, stopping her attack. She was surprised, her eyes wide, realizing that she had been caught. The audience around her fell silent, waiting for her reaction.

“Well, it looks like you got me!” said Joana, laughing as she raised her hands in surrender, admitting defeat.

“Good fight!” — Kay exclaimed, extending his hand to help her up.

Joana accepted his hand and stood up, still with a smile on her face.

— You've really improved. I can't wait to see how you'll do in a real fight! — she said, her eyes full of respect.

Mira, worried during the fight, approached Kay, relieved to see that he was okay.

— Is it over? — she asked, trying to hide the concern in her voice.

— Yes! — Kay replied, satisfied.

— What's going on? — one of the scientists exclaimed as she approached.

— I was training a recruit. What happened? — Joana replied, with a worried expression.

— Their suits have arrived. I need you to train the new recruits so we can prepare a suitable weapon! — the scientist explained, her voice full of urgency.

The recruits, upon hearing the news, were excited, their faces lit up with expectation.

— Put on your suits! Let's start your training! — Yan ordered, his authority evident.

“Okay!” — the recruits shouted, running quickly towards the armory.

“I'll ask, are you going to participate?” — Yan asked, looking at Kay.

“Excessive training is not good for me. That's why I follow an exercise routine!” — Kay replied, shaking her head.

“You should have just said that!” — Yan said, turning her back and walking away.

“I need to talk to you later!” — Ryuji announced, addressing the leaders.

“Tell me now, I'll be busy later!” — Lena replied, without looking away.

“Later!” Ryuji insisted, walking away.

“Rough!” — Lena muttered, continuing on her way.

“You don't need to train, but you have to get used to the suit. At least put it on!” — Joana said to Kay.

“Okay!” — he replied, heading towards the armory.

— He accepted it quite easily! — Joana observed, one eyebrow raised in surprise.

— He had fun thanks to you. That's why he became more receptive to your order, but that only applies to the first one! — Mira said, crossing her arms.

— Then I should order him to obey me without question! — Joana teased, smiling mischievously.

— That's not exactly how... — Mira began, but was interrupted.

— I know, I was just joking! Now go get changed! — Joana insisted.

— Okay! — Mira confirmed, moving away.

— He adapted so easily to the style honed over the years in my country. It's frustrating, but this boy has potential! — Joana thought, watching Kay leave.

The recruits returned wearing their uniforms, the atmosphere around them charged with expectation and excitement.

— Let's start with a warm-up. You must have noticed something peculiar during the recruitment — Yan explained. — Simply put, it's like trying to catch something, but your hand goes right through it without you noticing. The suit amplifies your instincts and speed, so your movements will feel different. You need to get used to this new strength. To start, take a walk on the track and gradually increase your speed as you gain confidence in controlling the power!

Kay looked at his suit carefully. So that's why I ended up going right past the flag. If you think about our normal speed, but a little faster, it should be easier to get used to, he thought.

— You can go! — Yan announced, releasing everyone for training.

If I skip the evening training, I can focus on this one, Kay thought, determined, following the other recruits.

— Are you going to participate too? — Mira asked, surprised.

— Yes, I'm not training tonight! — he replied, convinced.

— You train a lot for a lazy person! — Kratos observed.

— You have to stay in shape! — Kay said, joking.

— See if you don't fall behind! — Kratos teased.

— Sure thing! — Kay replied with a smile.

They had barely started when Ravena took off, running full speed ahead.

“There’s always one who gets carried away!” commented one of the veteran soldiers, shaking his head.

“You’ll stumble in no time, you’ll see!” muttered another veteran, with a smile.

A few minutes passed, and most of the soldiers were already impressed with the recruits’ performance.

“What kind of rookies are these?” exclaimed the veterans, surprised to see them running with such skill.

However, while everyone was showing progress, Kay stood out... by falling behind.