Seijirou lay flat on his back, the white sand of the courtyard biting into his skin.
He stared up at the vast, indifferent blue of the mountain sky, his lungs burning and his vision swimming with dark spots.
The sequence of events was a blur of high-speed violence. The moment Retsu had declared the start of the spar, she had vanished from his sight.
He hadn't even seen her move, he had only felt the sudden, vacuum-like displacement of air as she reappeared in his blind spot.
Before he can even react, a sharp, precise strike had connected with the back of his neck, and the next thing he knew, he was tasting grit and staring at the ground.
He had forced himself up, the silver mist of his newly awakened Ki flickering around his fists.
He felt faster and stronger than he ever had in his life.
He lunged at her, throwing a flurry of punches that should have been too fast for a human to track.
