Hiroto Vs. Takahashi

The headmistress of Kurohane Academy can’t contain the smile that spreads across her face. For more than she hated to admit it, she was a little worried after Kaoru lost his battle.

But then again, he was by far the weakest person in that branch of the dueling club. Not that it was any excuse to lose.

Katsuhito, however, was way stronger and had a very bright future ahead of him, so it was no surprise that he won his match.

Could he have done better?

Yes. But the blonde was willing to let it slide since the Delinquent King was a stronger opponent than some random girl nobody heard about.

Now, it was time the star of Kurohane Academy to go out into the field. “Hopefully he won’t screw this up.” She whispers, then sighs.

Truth be told, the woman just wanted to be done with this charade. She didn’t think it was necessary for a school as prestigious as hers to care for some insignificant small fry like Yumehara, but the rest of her family thought the opposite, that includes her stupid little brother.

Well, he better put his money where his mouth is and actually win his duel.

“I guess it’s time for Kanzaki to fight.” Comments the other headmistress, her old voice carrying a certain melancholy in it. “I still can’t believe that he took Umiko’s place in this challenge.” The elder closes her eyes. “How does that girl manage to convince people to do things for her is a mystery.”

The younger leader looks out towards the bench area of Yumehara and locks eyes on the brunet. “Oh yeah, I do remember him.” She leans back in her seat. “He was the one that jumped in last time.” Breaking through a barrier was no easy feat, even for one that was already weakened. “That was pretty impressive, but I didn’t take him for a fighter.”

“…” The eldest woman doesn’t reply, she just stares down at the blue-haired girl in the benches.

“Oh well, no matter.” Standing up, she dusts herself and walks up to the microphone right in front of their seats. “I’m sure Takahashi-kun can deal with whatever that club has in store.” She grabs the mic and prepares to announce the start of the next fight. “Now, for our final duel of the day! Kanzaki Hiroto Vs. Kurohane Takahashi!” Taking a deep breath, the woman shouts. “Are you ready? F-“

***

“-ight!”

At the starting line, both boys jump towards each other and go straight to business. Their fists clash against each other, causing the dust on the floor to burst off the ground.

Hiroto goes for a punch, but Takahashi dodges it, responding with one of his own that is blocked by the brunet. Next, the shorter boy jumps and goes for an axe kick, to which the taller teen defends with one arm, before swatting his opponent away.

Doing a flip before landing on the ground, the star-eyed boy wasted no time in going back into the offensive.

The two go blow for blow, matching each other’s movements in a way that felt completely different to what the other duos were doing. Even for an untrained eye, the rhythm those two had to their combat was unique and quite the sight to witness.

Each attack beautifully led to another in a battle flow that felt more like a dance, unlike your average street fight.

That duel was on a completely different level to the previous ones.

Hiroto pretty much took the leading role of this dangerous dance, with his smaller size and fast movement. He was guiding the battle with a style that combined the strengths of both his clubmates. It used elegant and quick strikes with his palms to create openings and a raw, beast-like offensive to capitalize on them.

While being mostly on the defensive, Takahashi had a similar style, but more brutal. With heavy strikes that were as strong as they were fast.

“He’s good.” The brunet whispers to himself, before noticing how redundant that statement felt. ‘Yeah, of course he is, but I can’t let that stop me!' Taking an offensive stance, the shorter teen starts to run towards his opponent. “Legs: Burst Divide!” He shouts as both of his legs get enveloped by a bright blue aura. “Haaah!” Hiroto goes for a high speed kick which makes Takahashi instinctively try and block it. “Heh, got you!” Instead of completing the kick, the Yumehara student simply landed on the ground and was in prime position for a follow-up.

‘A fake out!?' Being taken by surprise, the blond isn’t fast enough to react against a boosted shoulder bash, thanks to the other boy’s legs, and a palm strike against his gut. “Gaaah!”

After the attack, the brunet moves in and goes for a right-hand jab, but to his surprise it gets caught in Takahashi's hand. “Hu- ahhh!” The taller teen pulls Hiroto in and hits his stomach with a knee strike.

The shorter teen covers his stomach while spitting out saliva. The blond takes that opportunity to hit the back of his opponent’s head with a hammerblow.

But to Takahashi’s surprise, Hiroto had recovered enough to perceive what he was trying to do. He then uses his ability to back-dash away from the strike.

“Heh, you’re good.” States the blond while Hiroto takes a breather.

“Thanks. So are you.” With a chuckle, the brunet adds. “But coming from me, that doesn’t mean much, does it?”

For the first time since their meeting at the changing room, Takahashi’s stern expression softens. “Not bad for a no-name rookie, but-“ His own eyes start to glow in red. “-let’s see how you deal with this!” With increased speed, he moves in closer with a punch.

To the blond’s surprise, even with his boost, Hiroto was able to not just perceive the taller teen’s movement but also counter it using his own power-boosting ability.

Their fists clash once again, and this time it’s not just the dust that reacts, but the ground underneath them cracks a bit from the impact too.

***

To say the blonde headmistress was surprised would be an understatement. She was in utter shock.

A completely unknown individual was going blow for blow with a Kurohane.

Maybe she underestimated that puny school? Or maybe she overestimated her stupid brother.

“How did they get so strong?” Asks the blonde, while looking at the older woman sitting by her side.

“…” The elder doesn’t reply right away, she watches the battle for a couple of seconds before finally speaking up. “That, I do not know.” Her gaze moves away from the duel and into the benching area. “They certainly weren’t that powerful when we proposed this challenge.”

Clicking her tongue, the Kurohane Leader adjusts herself and goes back to watching the arena.

‘To have such growth in this short amount of time…’ Thinks the Yumehara Headmistress while staring at a specific person in the bench area.

***

“You go Hiroto! Kick his ass!” Umiko shouts while jumping from side to side and wildly swinging her arms around. She was trying her best to mimic what the cheerleaders on TV normally did. “Go! Go! Fight! F-I-G-H-T!”

“They are really going at it.” The fashionista comments and George nods.

Now with his boost, Takahashi has completely taken the offensive. His speed was nowhere near as fast as Katsuhito’s with his cloak, but that didn’t mean he was a pushover. Kayoko was sure that she wouldn’t be able to keep up with it.

Yet, Hiroto could.

By using his ability at the correct times, the brunet was able to properly block his opponent’s strikes and sometimes even sneak some attacks of his own.

“Kurohane Takahashi is no slouch, it’s truly impressive that Kanzaki can keep up with him.”  The blond man replies with his arms crossed. “But-“

“Kanzaki-kun can’t keep using his ability.”

“Yes. It’s not a problem for now, but soon enough.”

All that damage he was accumulating would catch up to him soon.

“Still, I believe he can win.” Kayoko says with a determined smile.

“… even if he doesn’t, you three should be very proud of what you accomplished.” The club advisor softens his expression. “What you managed to do today was impressive.”

“Thanks sensei, but that was mostly because of you.” Looking at her teacher, the teen chuckles. “It was really tough, but it was your training that put us up to speed.”

He smiles. “Heh, I barely did anything.” His gaze moves to the bluenette cheering right in front of them. “Umiko was the one that came up with everything, I just made some adjustments to save time.”

That was true. While George helped put them in the right direction, the blue-haired manager was the one who recognized their weaknesses and figured out how to deal with them.

She might not be much of a fighter herself, but Umiko’s analytical skills are top-totch.

“Go!” The bluenette shouts, not noticing that she was the topic of conversation. “Go! Hiroto!” Her loud cheers echo through the stadium. “Fight!”