V. Rising Tension: Rivalries Form
The momentum of the tournament shifted decisively after the first-round victories of the three -A students. Haru's chaotic flailings were laughed off as a lucky anomaly, Aiko's display earned grudging respect for technique, but it was Kai's calculated, almost effortless win that caused the most friction. It was insulting to those who had dedicated their short careers to pure, honest effort.
A figure detached himself from the ranks of Class -C competitors and walked towards the waiting area, his presence immediately dominating the space. This was Kenji Tsurugi, a young man whose frame seemed too large for a freshman, all taut, dense muscle and blunt energy. He moved with the grounded force of a boulder, carrying a reputation for absolute dedication and raw, unrefined power.
Kenji had witnessed Kai's match—the way Kai hadn't even broken a sweat, merely rerouting the kinetic energy of his opponent to secure a ring-out. Kenji didn't see strategy; he saw mockery.
He stopped directly in front of Kai, forcing the smaller boy to acknowledge his presence. Kai looked up, his expression remaining perfectly blank, cataloging Kenji's physical data: Mass: kilograms. Height: centimeters. Aura distribution: heavily concentrated in the skeletal and muscle structure, prioritizing durability and raw output. Mentality: high hostility, low patience.
"You," Kenji growled, his voice a deep rumble that carried just enough to turn nearby heads. "The one who plays games."
"I am Takasugi Kai," Kai replied, his tone clinical. "I was executing the required parameters to achieve victory. There was no game involved."
"Required parameters?" Kenji scoffed, planting his feet wide, a habit of a natural tank. "You think that little dance, that little trick of numbers, is what combat is about? You think you can calculate your way past someone who actually puts the work in?" His knuckles cracked as he balled his fists. "I saw you out there. You are strong. But you are lazy. You are afraid to use your own power."
Kai tilted his head, processing. "Fear is a sub-optimal emotional state that increases reaction time and decreases motor control. I am merely adhering to efficiency. Why waste effort when is sufficient?"
Kenji's face darkened with rage. "That's what I mean! You calculate, you dodge, you wait for the other guy to fail. You don't win; the other guy loses. When I face you, I will break that habit. I will hit you so hard, your little equation will shatter into dust."
Haru, ever the nervous defender, stepped forward, puffing up his chest. "Oh yeah? Well, my buddy Kai will crush you! He's the lazy genius! You'll never even touch him!"
Aiko pulled Haru back by the collar of his gi before he could escalate the verbal duel into a physical one. Her eyes, however, were fixed on Kenji, assessing the sincerity of his threat.
"Don't underestimate raw strength, Haru," Aiko warned, her voice low. "His Aura signature is purely focused on frontal impact. He is a wall. Kai's style relies on exploiting gaps and flaws, but what happens when there are none? What happens when his prediction is countered by sheer, overwhelming pressure?"
Kenji gave a grim, satisfied nod toward Aiko. "The girl gets it. You can plan all you want, but eventually, your strategy hits a limit. And that limit is me."
Tanaka, standing off to the side, watched the confrontation with a keen, unnerving intensity. He didn't intervene. He merely sipped his coffee and muttered a quiet observation that only the air around him could hear. "The real fight isn't fists vs. fists… it's will vs. approach."
VI. The Semifinals and Comedy Relief
The tension Kenji introduced was palpable, but the tournament schedule moved relentlessly forward, ushering in the semifinal matches that would determine who reached the final three elimination rounds.
Haru's Trial by Chaos
Haru's semifinal was a masterclass in accidental combat effectiveness. He was pitted against a bulky, straightforward brawler from Class -D who intended to steamroll him.
The fight began with Haru immediately panicking, his game plan dissolving into raw instinct. The brawler launched a series of heavy haymakers. Haru dodged the first one by flinching violently backwards, and the second one by tripping over his own feet, turning a potential knockout into a lucky, near-perfect duck.
"He's baiting him! He's using chaotic movement theory!" someone shouted from the stands, desperately trying to rationalize Haru's survival.
Haru's Aura, which was immense but completely uncontrolled, began to react violently to his panic. When the brawler tried to grab his gi, Haru wildly threw out his arm to push him away—a desperate, uncoordinated shove. The sheer, untamed power of his Aura flared in that momentary contact, making the shove feel less like a push and more like a cannon blast. The brawler was not hurt, but he was thrown entirely off his intended vector, stumbling back towards the edge.
Haru, seeing his opportunity, charged forward with a terrified yell that was meant to be a war cry but sounded more like a startled guinea pig. He closed the distance and accidentally performed the ultimate desperate move: he lunged forward for an ugly, chaotic headbutt-push, catching his opponent just above the chest.
The impact was weak, but the momentum, combined with the brawler's earlier disorientation, was too much. The brawler flew back, landed awkwardly, and signaled defeat by tapping the mat twice.
BEEP!
"Winner, Kido Haru!"
Haru scrambled backwards, covered in dust and disbelief, his heart pounding against his ribs. He had scraped through by sheer, terrifying luck and accidental force. He raised his fist, then promptly collapsed in a heap, hyperventilating.
Aiko's Surgical Strike
Aiko's semifinal followed immediately. Facing a girl known for her nimble, hit-and-run style, Aiko was patient. She moved only when she had to, her defensive form tight and unyielding.
She waited for her opponent to commit to a pattern. When the girl attempted her signature double-feint—a fast right followed by a quicker left—Aiko saw the -second delay in the pivot of the left foot.
In that microscopic window, Aiko launched forward, a blur of clean, efficient motion. Her strikes were precise: a quick chop to the wrist to disable the left hand, a focused jab to the solar plexus to halt breath, and a sharp, non-damaging tap just behind the knee to collapse the opponent's base.
The girl dropped to the mat in one smooth, defeated motion, completely dismantled. She hadn't been knocked out, but she had been neutralized, her body unable to comply with her will.
"Flawless control," commented Akari over the loudspeaker, her voice tinged with genuine admiration. "She's not relying on Aura; she's relying on physics and anatomy. That girl is going to be a problem next year."
Kai's Tense Calculation
Kai's semifinal was the most unnerving to watch. He faced a highly aggressive, fast striker named Minato who had vowed to move too quickly for Kai's "little thinking tricks."
Minato was a whirlwind, launching a continuous stream of swift, light punches intended to overwhelm Kai's ability to process the data. Kai didn't counter; he didn't block. He danced. He moved as little as possible, his head swaying just an inch to avoid a fist, his shoulder dipping centimeters to let a kick pass.
Minato grew furious, burning his Aura and energy on a target that continually shifted out of his range by fractions. His breathing became erratic, his movements sloppy.
Haru tried to "coach" Kai loudly from the sidelines but got shushed by Aiko, who clamped a hand over his mouth. "Silence! He's breaking his focus! Let Kai finish the calculation!"
Finally, Minato committed his most powerful technique, a spiraling Aura-enhanced fist that was slightly telegraphed.
Energy vector established. Momentum . Displacement . Flaw detected: meters of exposure on the left flank during rotation.
Kai took a single step out of the attack's path, pivoted on his heel, and with the flick of his wrist, nudged the side of Minato's ribcage. The pressure on his core caused Minato's Aura control to momentarily falter. He stumbled, missed his footing entirely, and fell to his knees in frustration.
BEEP!
"Winner, Takasugi Kai!"
The crowd groaned again, but the frustration was now laced with a sense of inevitability. The semifinals were over. Kai, Haru, and Aiko were the last students standing in their respective brackets, guaranteeing them a spot in the final round-robin to select the team.
VII. The Deciding Fights
The final segment was not a single match, but three separate duels to solidify the three representative spots and determine internal hierarchy. For Class -A, it was the moment of truth against Kenji.
Haru's Shock Victory
Haru's final match was against a student known for his excellent stamina. It was an ugly, drawn-out affair. Haru was too erratic to hit, and his opponent was too solid to move. Haru was exhausting himself, failing to activate his massive Aura reserves with control.
In a desperate, final attempt, Haru tried to mimic a comic-book move: a leaping roundhouse kick. It was slow and off-balance. His opponent grinned, moved to block the expected kick, and delivered a solid counter-punch to Haru's side.
What his opponent didn't account for was Haru's pure, uncontrolled momentum. The force of the counter-punch, combined with the failed kick, didn't send Haru down; it spun him violently. Haru, in the process of his uncontrolled spin, flailed his arm out and his hand connected—purely by chance—with the edge of his opponent's chin.
The opponent's head snapped back. He staggered, stunned, and, unable to regain his footing, tumbled out of the Ring.
Haru, dizzy from the spin and the punch he had received, collapsed on the Ring, confused but victorious.
"The champion by accidental chaos. The tournament is broken," Akari mumbled from the commentary box.
Aiko's Decisive Perfection
Aiko's final match was against a seasoned female fighter who used weaponized Aura projections. Aiko adapted instantly.
The opponent's strategy was to keep Aiko at bay with shimmering, sharp blades of energy. Aiko didn't dodge the blades; she calculated their angle and density and used rapid bursts of defensive Aura to deflect the edges, forcing the blades to slide harmlessly past her.
When the opponent paused to re-align her focus, Aiko saw her opportunity. She executed a complex triple-step lateral shift, using a sudden spike of Aura to enhance her initial acceleration. She closed the distance instantly, turning the projected blades into useless air.
She delivered a precise counter-strike, targeting the opponent's Aura core with a focused, minimal-impact palm strike that temporarily short-circuited the ability to project energy. The girl gasped, staggered, and conceded defeat. Aiko secured her spot with the respect of every upper-year student.
Kai vs. Kenji: Logic Meets Brute Force
This was the final and most anticipated duel. Kenji walked onto the Ring like a wall of granite, his Aura heavy, brown, and grounded.
Kenji charged straight forward, focusing all his Aura into a single, devastating right hook. Kai executed his usual sequence: step, pivot, tap. But this time, it failed.
Kenji's Aura was so dense, so tightly packed, that it created an internal inertial field that negated Kai's vector-change tap. The impact didn't send Kenji stumbling; it barely registered.
Kenji roared and followed up with a massive left uppercut.
Displacement failure! Counter-Aura saturation at . External force application is inadequate! Kai's mind screamed, his calculations buffering wildly.
For the first time in the tournament, Kai was forced to move beyond minimum effort. He had to block. He brought his forearm up, reinforcing it with a rapid, defensive Aura burst.
CRACK!
The impact was bone-shaking. Kai was shoved back three full paces, his arm stinging violently. He had successfully defended, but his system had been violently interrupted.
I cannot rely on their incompetence, Kai realized. He is strong enough to force competence. The equation changes. I must introduce a variable he cannot calculate: Intentional Force.
Kenji lunged again. Kai rooted his feet, dropped his center of gravity, and let Kenji come into his range.
In the instant before impact, Kai did two things: he perfectly predicted the -second window where Kenji would transfer his Aura from his shoulder to his core for stability, and he launched his own, carefully stored Aura into a focused, powerful straight punch—aimed at the single, exposed, non-reinforced section of Kenji's solar plexus.
It was the first truly offensive strike Kai had thrown. It was clean, fast, and delivered with all the calculated force he usually held back.
The punch landed. The sound was a sharp, focused thwack.
Kenji stopped dead, his eyes wide in genuine surprise. The focused shockwave of Aura pierced his defense, winded him, and stopped him cold. He staggered backward, clutching his ribs.
Kai took his chance. He followed up not with another power strike, but with a lightning-fast sweep that caught Kenji's ankle. The massive boy, off-balance and winded, crashed heavily onto the mat with a gasp.
BEEP!
"Winner... Takasugi Kai!"
Tanaka, watching from the tunnel, gave a quiet, satisfied nod. "Good. He finally stopped being lazy. He learned the value of a controlled commitment."
VIII. The -Year Team is Formed
The final buzzer sounded. Kai, Haru, and Aiko were called to the center of the main Ring.
Mr. Takeda, the commentator, roared. "We have our -year representatives! The official team for this year's trials is: Haru Kido! Aiko Satomi! And... Kai Takasugi!"
Haru threw his arm over Kai's shoulder. "We did it! We're the dream team!" he declared.
Aiko delivered a sharp, focused jab to Haru's side. "You won by tripping an opponent, Haru. Do not confuse accidental competence with skill."
Kai rubbed his sore forearm. "This is going to be troublesome," he muttered, the victory already dissolving into new, complex calculations.
Instructor Tanaka walked onto the Ring. "Don't celebrate yet," he commanded. "You've just been chosen. You passed the first hurdle."
He paused. "The real training begins tomorrow. We will drill the flaws you showed, the weaknesses you revealed, until you break, and then we will rebuild you."
Haru, reeling from the previous fights, went pale. His eyes rolled up into his head, his legs gave out, and the newly minted -year representative performed a final, dramatic, stress-induced faint right there on the platform.
Aiko caught him with a practiced groan, and Kai simply looked down at his unconscious friend and sighed, already calculating the most energy-efficient way to carry Haru off the Ring. The tournament had delivered its first set of sparks, but the fire was yet to truly begin.