~ Third Person Pov ~
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Cat turned to all that surrounded both him and Keiji saying, "I want NONE of you to interrupt this fight, if I feel that anyone one of ya' did... I don't think I need to explain myself, do I?"
The room got quiet after that, with Keiji himself being, surprised....
"Haha-"
Cat turned back to see whoever had dared try their luck and laughed, only in realizing that it was none other than his opponent himself, irritated, he questioned, "Oi, what the fuck are you giggling about...?"
"Hahaha~" Keiji quickly wiped the single tear falling from his eye before calming himself, "It's just that... I expected none of you bums to have any honor when it came to fighting... Consider me both baffled and extremely impressed."
Cat scoffed, "Stop mocking me before I change my damn mind."
Keiji waved him off casually, "I'm not mocking you, not at all actually. For this, I won't be breaking any of your bones. But I'll still knock your ass unconscious for the damages you've done..." Keiji stopped smiling completely, "When that happens, you can at least crawl back to your boss to tell him... I'm coming for him."
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...
"PPUFFF!!! HAHAHAHAAA!!!"
Someone in the crowd had completely lost it, laughter exploding out and filling the entire room... Keiji didn't even flinch, and Cat didn't take his eyes off him once... In fact, Cat had realized that the person in front of him wasn't joking, at all.
'This guy... He's not bluffing, I can tell. What's more, is that he's already taken out a few hundred of our guys already, who's got the right to say he won't continue with the rest of us...?' Cat thought, guarding himself more. While the others were laughing, only he had realized just how serious of a threat Keiji was...
"So... are you ready, Cat? I've got somewhere to be today." Keiji said.
Cat took in the tone, 'He-He's not saying this because he's cocky... This fucker actually believes he can fully defeat meand everyone here in a short amount of time too!'
"SHUT THE FUCK UP! ALL OF YOU!!!"
Cat's voice ripped through the air, loud and sharp, slicing through the laughter like a blade. The room froze. Conversations cut off mid-word. Even the most rowdy students quieted, the weight of his voice pressing down on them like a heavy fog.
Not a soul dared to interrupt now. But Keiji didn't so much as blink.
His eyes stayed locked on Cat, posture loose, steady—like he hadn't even noticed the shift in tension... If anything, the quiet only made the space between them feel even heavier, like something important was about to drop...
Cat, baton still in hand, stared him down with growing caution. The usual cocky gleam in his eye had dulled ever so slightly, replaced by something far more focused. Far more serious.
"I said I'd fight you," he muttered, mostly to himself. "Still, I didn't say I'd take it easy." Keiji didn't respond aloud. But in his head, thoughts churned.
'He's certainly better than the rest of these hoodlums. Pretty much low wasted movement, decent center of gravity… he's definitely trained. Finally, someone with a little backbone.'
He shifted his stance slightly, just enough to adjust for what was coming. Then Cat moved off, incredibly quick as well.
The baton jabbed forward like it was a coiled spring, aiming clean for Keiji's left shoulder. A needle even. But Keiji had stepped just out of range, head tilting sideways, the baton grazing empty air... His eyes had narrowed, tracking the next move before it even started.
Swish!
The baton swept low in a wide arc—meant to catch him off guard. But Keiji stepped in, not away. His hand shot up, palm slamming into Cat's wrist to kill the momentum, body low and tight. The counter wasn't flashy. But, it was definitely clean.
'He's pretty damnfast. Aggressive too... Somewhat predictable once he commits. Still, I can work with that.'
Cat flinched. Seeing the ease of Keiji's defense wasn't something he was used to, not at all. He quickly stepped back, putting a few feet between them, his baton up now in a more guarded stance...
Fwip! Fwip!!
"You... You really think you're ready for what's coming, huh?" he asked, eyes narrowing. "You think this is just some game you can clear with fists and threats?"
Fwip!
Keiji didn't say anything. Just rolled his shoulder once...
'It's not about thinking. I've already stepped into the fire... I can't leave this thing. Only question now… is how long you'll last with me.'
Cat tapped his baton against the ground twice. Sharp, metallic clicks echoed in the silence. His eyes never left Keiji... On the contrary, when Keiji looked down, he could see indentations in the concrete flooring, showing just how strong on an attack it was...
Keiji then looked up.
"Then come on, tough guy," he said. "Let's see if you're still standing when I'm done with you."
Keiji backed away, then he slowly started rolling up his sleeves...
"You know... I should be a bit more serious with this bout than this... If it's you, you might be able to take me at my full strength." He had already surmised that Cat was already in the superhuman-esq territory. Both Cat's speed and strength were tall tale signs of that at this point...
"Wh-What?"
Cat blinked. For a second, he wasn't sure if he'd even heard right. But, Keiji's tone hadn't changed. It was still eerily Calm. But there was a certain weight to the way he said it—Like he wasn't even bragging... just stating an absolute fact of the matter...
Keiji then finished rolling up his sleeves and stretched out both arms, fingers flexing open and closed like he was warming up a bit more...
'Superhuman, huh?' he thought, tilting his neck to the side until it cracked. "It somewhat explains why the system prompted. Still, it makes sense to me now... why he felt so, off. Why it wasn't just ego.'
The tension in the air thickened again, but this time for a different reason. Not fear. Not intimidation. Anticipation. Keiji's foot slid back, his posture relaxing...
"I'm gonna give it to you... You might be fast," he thought, 'and you've definitely got power... but if you're not sharper than me, you're gonna fall just like the rest of them did.'
Cat's stance shifted unconsciously when he heard that...
"Wh-Wha...?" he said again, barely above a whisper this time. The realization had finally caught up. He realized that this wasn't just some punk who'd gotten lucky in his fights up to this point. Keiji wasn't moving like someone bluffing his way through bouts.
He was the kind of person who only needed one chance. One opening. Keiji on the other hand, didn't say anything. He just kept staring at Cat...
And then—
He moved. A slight gust of wind forming from it even.
'He's coming in, fast!' Cat thought. Not expecting this kind of jump from just a moment ago.
Keiji's body moved like it was a machine, each motion was meticulous... He ducked under the next strike, the baton whipping past his ear, and with a sharp pivot, his fist crashed into Cat's side. The force behind it pushed the air from his lungs, but Cat recovered quickly, retreating just out of range.
Keiji didn't give him a chance to breathe. Another strike came, this time with a low, sweeping kick aimed at Cat's legs. Cat jumped back just in time, his feet barely touching the ground before he snapped his baton forward, aiming for Keiji's head.
But Keiji was already gone, rolling smoothly to the ground before springing back up.
'Damn it!' Cat's mind was in hurdles, his muscles already burning from the effort. This wasn't how he'd expected this to go, 'He's not just faster than before. He's fucking reading me like a damn book! Predicting my moves.'
Keiji smirked, though it was a quiet, and dangerous one. His eyes gleamed with a knowing sharpness, a predator who'd been sizing up his prey all along... "You're not bad, Cat. but, you're not good enough either...'
'Still, if I had met you on my first day... This fight would have gone much differently.' Keiji thought. But, he didn't dwell on it.
Cat's grip on his baton tightened. His teeth ground together in frustration. This wasn't just about speed or strength... It was his opponent's sheer levelheadedness... it was what made him so dangerous. He wasn't even relying on raw power. He was just, calculating, ensuring he was always staying one step ahead of himself.
"Fuck, you!" Cat roared, launching himself at Keiji with a flurry of relatively wild strikes, trying to overwhelm him. Each swing was faster than the last one, more aggressive as well, his anger was essentially fueling him now.
Keiji, however, practically danced around each of the attacks, with every dodge smooth and near effortless. It was almost as if the more Cat attacked, the more Keiji understood him—his rhythm, his tendencies, his growing weaknesses.
Then, in one fluid motion, Keiji ducked under another swing, his hand shooting out to grip Cat's wrist, like a vice. Before Cat could even process what truly happened, Keiji twisted his arm behind his back, forcing him to the ground with a swift, calculated movement.
Thud!
Cat's face hit the concrete, the force of the impact sending a jolt of pain through his skull. He growled, trying to break free, but Keiji was already kneeling on his back, the pressure on his arm was unrelenting...
He let the silence linger for a moment before speaking, ensuring his voice cold but steady...
"You know, Cat." he said, his words like ice... "You were never gonna win this fight... Hell, you never even stood a chance." Throughout this entire fight, Keiji hadn't even used a single skill, nor has he truly gone all out physically either. He was still holding back a great deal.
And of course, Keiji was disappointed.
"KRAHHG!!!"
Cat's breath came in ragged gasps, his body pinned down and immobile. His mind raced with frustration, but deep down, he knew Keiji was right. His pride, his strength... none of it had mattered against the one person who'd already figured him all out.
And now, Keiji's hand was on the back of his neck, pushing down with the intention to end it.
Keiji's eyes locked onto Cat's, "You know what to do when you wake up..." Before he could do or think of anything else, Cat felt his consciousness slipping away from him...
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END