Chapter 131 - Cooperation

The referee walked between the two fighters, widening his stance as his eyes darted from one to the other. Shun spun his scythe around his neck before grabbing it in one hand and slamming the bottom onto the ground. Thong kept his eyes focused, watching each of Shun's movements.

Mike: Shun's speed, weapon, and techniques are above what Thong has. Even if he beat me, he doesn't have the experience to challenge someone like Shun…

Hugo: Dammit, you're making sense! Gerbil, what the hell is my student supposed to do?!

Gerald: You guys are freaking out too much. Though, you are supporting characters, so this makes sense.

Li: Can you stop comparing us to fictional characters…

Gerald: There's nothing to worry about. I've learned a lot of things watching Shun's match in the previous round. There are several factors Thong can take advantage of and I made sure to tell him all about them.

Mike: What the hell did you realize?

Referee: FIGHTERS! TAKE YOUR STANCES!!

The referee let out a mighty yell, bringing everyone's attention to the ring. Shun swung his scythe, pointing the blade towards Thong. Thong raised his arms, taking a defensive stance. He stared at Shun from between his arms, his eyes trembling as he noticed the aura that radiated from his opponent.

Thong's thoughts: Shun is strong… And his entire skill can turn battles around in a moment. Tico had plenty of experience and knowledge on this guy, so of course, he had a higher chance to beat him than I could…

Thong shook his head, gripping tightly onto the handles of the tonfas. Despite this being his first time using them in combat, he was no stranger to these weapons. His stance felt natural. As if this was something he was made to do. The referee raised his arm, his expression tensing up.

Referee: GET READYYYY!!

Shun and Thong's eyes focused on the other, their bodies preparing for the first strike. The referee swung his arm down at full speed, gritting his teeth as it swung.

Referee: BEGIIIIIIN!!!

Only a mere moment after the match began, Thong's eyes shot open. Everyone watched closely, seeing two pieces of wood flying into the air. Thong tracked them with his eyes before hearing the dull thud against the ground. He slowly turned around, seeing Shun turn back with a smug look on his face.

Shun: Looks like you didn't get my timing down.

Thong's arms came down, his body trembling as the realization settled in. Shun was much faster than he had anticipated. He wasn't there to watch Shun's match, only going off of word of mouth from his friends and Gerald.

Thong's thoughts: I thought Vector and Jason were fast… I saw Jason firsthand… But this is… too fast!

Gerald and Mike's eyebrows furrowed. They began to notice the hesitation and fear in Thong's body language. Shun closed his eyes, wearing a visible grin for all to see.

Shun's thoughts: I was hoping this would be interesting. But those tonfas were nothing but amusing. A real shame.

Hiroto and the others stood in the observation room, watching the match closely. Carrie bit her thumb's nail, staring directly at the match.

Carrie: Mike's boyfriend is going to get killed out there!

Simon: Yeah, no matter how you look at it, Thong is outmatched.

Yussuf: Yeah! I knew my bro would get to the next round without an issue.

Sudu: And with the condition he'll leave this round, he might even be able to beat your boss.

Yussuf: You think so!

Hiroto: Something isn't sitting right with me.

Magnus: What would that be?

Hiroto: Daymond mentioned having a specific interest in that one, right? Something about that boy that resonated with him, correct?

Magnus: That's what he said to a few of us, yeah.

Hiroto: If he intrigues Daymond that much, something tells me Shun is letting his guard down far too easily.

Yussuf: What do you mean…

Shun prepared his scythe once more. Thong's head was buried behind the cut tonfas, his guard tightly protecting his head. Shun could do nothing but let out a quick chuckle.

Shun's thoughts: I was really hoping you'd at least give me a good show, but I guess I was wrong. It was nice meeting you, Silent Point. I'll make your finish here real flashy.

Shun's legs tensed up, the feeling of lightning coursing through his veins. His head perked up as he widened his stance. He charged at Thong at full speed using Flash. Pulling back his scythe before using Flashpoint to twist his body at a rapid speed, aiming the scythe directly at Thong's midsection.

Shun's thoughts: Storm Kata - Supercell

Shun's scythe sliced through the air, everyone instinctively leaning forward as the match seemed to be over as quickly as it started. Mike shut his eyes, hearing the scythe connect. Gasps filled the ring as Mike gritted his teeth.

Gerald: Good job, alter.

Mike opened his eyes, wondering why Gerald sounded so calm. Thong's doom was as clear as day, yet there wasn't a single sound of doubt in Gerald's voice. He looked up at the match, his pupils dilating as he stared at the sight before him. Shun's expression was filled with shock. His scythe had clearly pierced something, but it was not his intended target. His scythe pierced through the wood of both tonfas, with the point of the scythe coming out the second. Thong's body stood entirely still until one hand let go of the tonfa and grabbed onto the top of his mask. He slowly pulled it down, revealing a large smile that grew on his face. Shun met Thong's gaze, noticing the burning deep-red eyes that stared back at him.

Minh: It was just as easy as the wise nut said it would be. You strong bastards are just full of yourselves.

Minh kicked Shun's stomach, sending The Hush flying back. His grip released from his weapon, leaving the scythe in Minh's tonfas. Minh pulled it up to look closely at the scythe.

Minh's thoughts: I won't lie… If I didn't get that timing right, I would have definitely died. My death was more than assured if I didn't catch it either, but grandpa sure knows how to beat timing into you.

Hiroto nodded his head, looking down at the match below.

Hiroto: Just as I thought. Thong is weak, but he had something up his sleeve.

Simon: He wasn't using the tonfas to block Shun's attacks but to steal his weapon?!

Magnus: It makes sense. Shun's capability for damage with the scythe is more than Thong would be able to handle.

Sudu: He used Shun's confidence against him. That boy isn't as weak as I presumed.

Angel: Of course he isn't. He was able to beat the best kicker I know!

Yussuf: I bet he'd lose to the best kicker I know.

Simon: Not now, Yussuf.

Shun stood back up, rubbing his stomach. He looked up to see Minh inspecting the scythe closely.

Shun's thoughts: That kick hurt, still, I'll be fine. But dammit, I let him get a fast one on me. Isn't that ironic?

Shun raised his hands, Minh finally shifting his attention. He lifted the scythe up for Shun to see.

Minh: You want this?

Zachary: Unbelievable! How was Thong able to get Shun's weapon away from him?!

Zenzo: He must've learned a thing or two from how Tico did it!

Shun got low, his gaze focusing as he tensed up his legs. With one huge burst of energy, he ran forward, directly for his scythe. Minh spun on his heel at the last moment, just nearly avoiding Shun's dash. Shun placed one hand on the ground as he slid, turning back around to see Minh still waving the scythe around.

Minh: You're supposed to outclass me, what's going on?

Shun gritted his teeth. He tried to think of why he was able to perfectly dodge the grab at the last second. Then a thought came into his mind: timing. He had made it clear that Shun had entirely outclassed him in terms of speed, so his only solution to that difference was timing.

Shun's thoughts: How closely was Thong watching my match to catch onto something like that?

Minh watched as Shun remained baffled at his simple solution. He slowly placed both hands onto the staff of the scythe before bringing it into the air. Wearing a vile smile on his face, bringing down the scythe onto Shun with great force. The scythe was mere centimeters away from Shun's neck before he tackled back, Minh's expression quickly changing.

Minh's thoughts: What the hell?!

Minh looked down, noticing Shun had grabbed him by the waist. His eyes flared as he brought the scythe up instinctively, every part of his body telling him to stab it into Shun. He couldn't tell why his body was giving him such impulses, but he felt no desire to regret them. Before swinging the scythe down, Minh let out a gag, his back slammed against the wall of the ring. Shun stood back up, grabbed onto the scythe, and began to pull it away from Minh. Minh quickly regained his composure, intensely keeping his grip on the scythe tight. They shuffled their feet as they attempted to wrestle the weapon away from each other.

Zachary: I can hardly believe my eyes! It's like these two are like children fighting over a toy!

Zenzo: Thong thinks it's his turn on the sharp weapon and Shun refuses to give him that turn!

Shun's thoughts: Shut up you idiots!

Minh: What's wrong, Shun? Scared of a few jokes?

Shun: Like hell I am!

Shun let go of the scythe, crouching as quickly as his body could let him. He placed both of his palms together before charging upward as quickly as he could.

Shun's thoughts: Thunder Kata - Jolt Strike

Shun's palms aimed directly at Minh's chin. Minh quickly bit down, feeling the palms connect with his jaw. He moved with the blow, feeling the impact weaken. His grip loosened, allowing Shun to quickly pull the scythe from his hands. Shun quickly used Flash to move away from Minh, who was left rubbing the bottom of his chin.

Minh's thoughts: I wanted to move the scythe in the way to block that, but he's fast!

Thong's thoughts: Timing isn't all we need! We need to know when to play defensive!

Minh's thoughts: Shut up!

Gerald frowned, looking at the match closely.

Gerald: I overestimated Thong's control over his other-self.

Mike: What?!

Gerald: If he doesn't find a way to cooperate, he'll have no chance to beat Shun. It's do or die for him now.

Hugo: And like hell is he dying now! My student doesn't scare me, so he isn't going to die!

Li: Is that how that works?