Jin sat on the stool, breathing steady.
Sweat dripped from his chin to the canvas below, darkening a spot already stained by countless other fights. Mori dabbed at his face with a towel, methodical, calm. No rush. No panic.
Coach Kagawa leaned forward slightly.
"He'll step deeper this round," Kagawa said. "He knows you won't retreat."
Jin nodded. "He wants to catch me setting my feet."
"Yes," Kagawa replied. "So don't."
That was all.
Across the ring, Narumi listened to his own corner. Their voices were low, urgent.
"More to the body," one of them said. "Don't let him breathe in front of you."
Narumi wiped his mouth with his glove and stood before the bell rang.
He was already moving.
The second bell cut through the air.
Narumi advanced immediately—but it wasn't the same advance as before.
His steps were shorter now. More deliberate. He didn't jab right away. Instead, he feinted with his shoulders, twitching just enough to test Jin's reactions.
Jin noticed.
So he didn't give him one.
He stayed loose, sliding laterally, never settling long enough for Narumi to time him. When Narumi finally jabbed, Jin slipped just outside it instead of stepping in.
Narumi followed with a hook.
Jin blocked.
Then came the body shot.
It landed clean.
A dull thud echoed through Jin's ribs, forcing a sharp exhale. Narumi stayed close, trying to smother him, trying to make the ring small again.
Jin clinched briefly.
The referee separated them.
Narumi didn't look annoyed.
He looked satisfied.
Narumi increased the pressure halfway through the round.
No more probing.
He stepped in behind a double jab, cutting off Jin's left side, and fired a right straight that snapped Jin's guard back. Jin slid along the ropes, shoulders brushing canvas.
The crowd roared.
Narumi went to the body again.
Once. Twice.
Jin felt the burn spread, tight and deep. He pivoted, tried to slide out—but Narumi's foot was already there.
Good.
Too good.
Jin ducked under a hook and clinched again, arms tight, forehead pressed against Narumi's chest.
The referee pulled them apart once more.
From the corner, Coach Kagawa's voice was calm.
"Don't fight his rhythm."
Jin exhaled slowly.
Narumi noticed it then.
Jin wasn't backing up—but he wasn't countering immediately anymore either.
He was… shifting.
When Narumi pressed, Jin slid not away from pressure, but through it, stepping diagonally inside for a moment before disappearing to the opposite side. It wasn't flashy. It wasn't fast.
But it was unsettling.
Narumi threw a hook that cut air.
Jin was already gone.
The crowd murmured.
Narumi adjusted again, tightening his stance, compressing his punches. He stepped in with a jab and expected Jin to pivot out.
Instead, Jin stepped past him.
Their shoulders collided lightly.
Narumi turned sharply—
Too late.
A short right from Jin clipped his guard, followed by a tight left to the body. Not powerful. Precise.
Narumi answered immediately with a hook that grazed Jin's cheek.
Both men reset.
Breathing heavier now.
Eyes sharper.
The final minute of the round came fast.
Narumi surged, trying to reclaim momentum. Jin felt his legs slow slightly—not from fear, but fatigue. The body shots were adding up.
Narumi trapped him near the ropes again.
This time, Jin didn't wait.
He slid sideways at the last moment, feet crossing briefly—not retreating, but cutting through the narrow space Narumi had left open.
It was subtle.
Easy to miss.
But Coach Kagawa's eyes narrowed.
"There," he thought. "That step."
Narumi hesitated for half a second.
Jin used it.
A sharp jab snapped out, followed by a right that struck Narumi's guard solidly. The impact echoed.
The bell rang.
Round two ended with both men still standing, chests heaving, sweat flying as they separated.
Narumi returned to his corner slowly.
Jin walked back to his stool without rush.
Coach Kagawa didn't speak immediately.
He watched Jin's breathing settle.
Then he said, "You're not escaping him."
Jin nodded. "I know."
"You're rearranging him."
Jin looked up.
Kagawa's cane tapped once against the canvas.
"Next round," the coach said, "he'll feel it."
Across the ring, Narumi leaned forward, elbows on knees, breathing hard.
"That step," he thought. "What was that?"
The fight was changing.
END OF CHAPTER
Author's Note:
Special thanks to Tyson66667 for the Power Stones support! 🙏
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