Stealth Strike

Kevin wiped the sweat from his brow as he stepped back from the sparring match, his breathing steady. Tson was pushing himself up from the mat, shaking his head.

"Damn," Tson muttered. "You're not holding back."

Kevin smirked. "Why would I? If you want to run a superhero agency, you can't afford to lose every fight."

Tson rolled his shoulders and exhaled sharply. "I wasn't expecting you to be that fast. And by the way, that wasn't me—that was Grayson."

But no one seemed to care. They went on like business as usual.

Across the room, Grayson stood up, laughing. "You mind if I join?"

Tson, still out of breath, looked at him tiredly. "Be my guest," he said, wiping his face with a hand.

Grayson teleported to the center of the mat with a pop. Kevin smiled, ready to take on the next challenge.

The fight started quickly. Kevin landed a punch, and Grayson attempted to block it with his prosthetic arm. Suddenly, a voice interrupted:

"Nexus emergency activation."

Kevin glanced down as the suit formed around him, silver liquid metal flowing smoothly over his body, solidifying into sleek, armored plates.

"Whoa," Grayson said, eyes widening as he saw the suit fully activate. It was sleek and metallic, with a streamlined design that balanced form and function. The silver and black color scheme looked futuristic and imposing.

Grayson pulled his hand back, pointing at Kevin. "Nexus, right?"

Kevin laughed. "Tson sucks at naming things. I'm dropping the 'Nexus' name. Call me Ghost Shade."

"System name change: Ghost Shade."

The voice echoed in Kevin's mind. It startled him, as he'd always preferred to forget it was there. But now, it had changed his name without asking.

Tson shrugged. "Whatever. You don't even need a hero name yet. That's something for after the academy."

Kevin grinned, looking over his new suit. "I'm just amazed by how it looks," he said. Then, taunting Grayson, he added, "Now it's your turn, Rampage."

Grayson raised an eyebrow. "Oh hell nah. I go by 'The Sleuth' now." He paused, then added, "Wait—did your suit just upgrade? And did it really just change your system name?"

Kevin laughed. "Yeah, looks like it. And you just got a whole new identity too. What, are you a computer now?"

Grayson grinned. "Somewhat. I changed it as soon as I filled out the application. How else do you think I was going to apply for my hero license under the name 'Rampage'?" He scoffed. "Give me a break with that."

With that, he teleported again, this time aiming for Kevin's pressure points, trying to incapacitate him with speed and precision. Grayson had learned a lot more than Tson during their training.

Kevin was highly skilled and knew that charging in headfirst against him wouldn't work. No matter how strong or skilled someone was, pressure points would always do the trick. You can't train your way around them; they're part of human vulnerability.

Grayson smacked his hand over his eyes and the lower part of his face, then took a moment to analyze the pressure points. These were areas where the nervous system is concentrated or where the body's tissues are especially sensitive to pressure. In martial arts, targeting these points could incapacitate an opponent.

The suit's internal system hummed as it analyzed Grayson's movements, mapping out his potential strikes. It identified the vulnerable areas of Kevin's body: a blow to the solar plexus could steal his breath, while a hit to the brachial plexus would cripple his arm. The radial nerve in the elbow was another target that could paralyze his hand or forearm with the right strike. The knee joint, already a weak point in martial arts, could be destabilized with a precise hit. A strike to the liver would bring waves of pain and nausea, while targeting the groin area would send sharp pain through him. The Achilles tendon at the back of his ankle was another pressure point, ready to hinder his movement. Finally, a hit just below the ribs could cause enough pain to leave him incapacitated. The suit adjusted, prepared for whatever Grayson would throw at him.

Grayson had a plan to make use of them. He teleported forward, aiming for Kevin's temple. But Kevin blocked the strike, so Grayson shifted tactics, aiming for Kevin's lower back near the kidneys. The blow landed hard.

"Oooh," Kevin grunted, stepping back. Despite his suit, the pain shot through him, and for a moment, it took all his strength to stay on his feet. But he didn't collapse. He'd trained for this kind of pain.

Kevin quickly recovered, taking his fighting stance. Grayson came at him again. This time, Kevin tried to punch, but Grayson kicked his knee joint. The impact nearly took Kevin off balance, leaving his leg almost useless.

Kevin winced, realizing Grayson was playing dirty. Moves like that weren't allowed in martial arts tournaments because they could seriously injure someone. But they weren't in the ring anymore.

Grayson's way of fighting was unconventional, but Kevin couldn't deny the effectiveness.

Snickering, Kevin said, "That fighting style— I like it. Not my style, but I like it."

Grayson teleported once more, this time aiming for Kevin's groin. The thought of the pain he could inflict was enough to trigger Kevin's suit to activate its integrated IL system. The moment Grayson's foot neared, Kevin's body became ghostly, allowing Grayson's strike to phase right through without causing any harm.

Frustrated, Grayson adjusted his approach, targeting different pressure points one after another. However, Kevin's experience in combat gave him the reflexes needed to activate the IL system at just the right moment, making Grayson's strikes miss each time. When Grayson tried to capitalize on the missed hits, Kevin attempted to pin him down, but Grayson teleported away before he could be caught, evading every move with precision.

Grayson stopped for a moment, then teleported again, aiming for Kevin's temple with a quick, natural strike. Kevin activated his IL system, expecting the blow, but instead, Grayson feinted, launching a powerful strike from the opposite side. The punch landed hard, sending Kevin crashing to the ground with his head throbbing.

Grayson laughed. "How'd you like that? Remember, supercomputer, you need to be careful. You've got five seconds to activate and reactivate it."