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Lucario's dark-blue figure blurred forward, his aura flaring like wind-tossed flame.
The bone spike on his wrist glimmered with cold silver light as he thrust for Kael's chest.
Kael's crimson eyes flashed.
He canceled [Focus Energy] mid-cast without hesitation he'd expected the interruption.
In a duel between trained fighters, no one would stand idly by and let the other charge with power.
The entire setup had been a feint.
Lucario closed the distance, the air crackling around his rush. Kael could see the subtle ripple of fur shifting in the gusts that trailed him.
Then Kael moved.
His palm glowed with deep red-orange energy, the hallmark of [Karate Chop], and he swung it toward Lucario's head.
"[Knock Off]!"
The strike, however, veered off slightly too wide, almost clumsy.
Lucario's ears twitched. A lesser opponent might have fallen for it, but Lucario's instincts were razor-honed.
He recognized the feint, didn't bother to dodge, and instead drove his steel-coated fist straight into Kael's midsection.
Shhhkk!
The spike pierced through hardened muscle with sickening ease.
A spray of hot crimson splattered the floor.
Lucario's eyes softened regret flickering behind the precision. "The match is over."
But then he noticed something odd.
The Machop before him wasn't grimacing.
He wasn't even wincing.
He was smiling.
And that smile was sharp.
Kael's eyes ignited crimson light flooding them as his mouth opened, exhaling a wave of invisible force that rippled through the air like a psychic scream.
[Scary Face] enhanced by ghost energy.
Lucario froze. For a split second, even his iron will faltered. A phantom shadow swept across his mind, dredging primal fear from the depths of instinct.
Kael's "missed" strike snapped down, his clawed hand hooking behind Lucario's shoulder.
"Got you."
He twisted his body, locked Lucario's arm, and in one fluid motion heaved the Aura Pokémon over his shoulder.
"Seismic Toss!"
"Wha—!?"
Haus's eyes went wide. His arms, crossed tightly against his chest, dropped to his sides as he took a step forward, disbelief mixing with exhilaration.
Kael roared, his voice booming through the dojo like thunder.
The wooden floor quaked as he spun, every muscle igniting in explosive synchronization.
Lucario's body flipped through the air and then—
CRASH!
The impact split the floorboards. Shards of wood and dust spiraled outward in a cloud of chaos.
---
Kael's breath hitched. His vision swam.
I… did it…
That was the last thought before pain surged from his abdomen, darkness rushing in to claim his senses. He fell backward and didn't move.
Silence settled again.
Haus exhaled, stepping forward with a grin half-shocked, half-proud.
"Well, I'll be damned…"
Lucario was already sitting upright, unharmed dusting off his fur with a faint smile.
A bruise, perhaps. Nothing more.
But the surprise hadn't faded from his orange eyes.
That tiny Machop, bleeding, trembling, half-conscious, had still thrown him, using sheer timing and technique.
"Impressive," Lucario murmured softly. "Truly impressive."
His tail twitched behind him—fast, rhythmic, betraying excitement his face did not show.
Haus knelt beside Kael, immediately applying first aid to the wound.
He didn't even glance at Lucario; the Aura Pokémon could handle himself.
The boy on the floor, though—
He was something worth protecting.
Even with the odds stacked against him, Kael had chosen not to yield.
He'd read the flow of battle, created his own opening, and struck with all his will.
That—Haus thought was the essence of fighting spirit.
The room was a wreck: walls cracked, floorboards shattered, the air thick with dust and splinters.
And yet, hanging high on the far wall, the calligraphy scroll remained untouched.
One word.
Bold, black, unwavering:
Heart
It swayed gently in the breeze, the lone symbol left unbroken amid the chaos, watching over master, Pokémon, and the fallen fighter alike.
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