A little Spar...

~ 3rd Person Pov, an hour later at the park ~

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The park was mostly empty—just a few streetlights casting long shadows over the pavement. The perfect spot.

Ryan stood a few feet away, rolling his shoulders, stretching his arms like he was warming up for a championship match. He looked loose, confident—because why wouldn't he be? The last time they did this, he wiped the floor with Ethan.

"Ready to get your ass handed to you on a platter?" Ryan smirked.

Ethan shook out his arms, bouncing on his feet slightly. His body felt oddly, great—To him, it's if he was spring-loaded; Sharp, like an engine purring under the hood... He wasn't sure how else to explain it, but his muscles already knew what was coming...

He looked forward while stretching, smirking right back, "You talk like you've already won."

Ryan cracked his neck. "I have already won. This is really just a formality."

'Cocky bastard.'

Ethan exhaled, steadying himself. A week ago, he wouldn't have stood a chance. But now? Now he moved better. He reacted faster. He had spent every night training—calisthenics, stretching, footwork, shadowboxing in his apartment like an idiot. Watching fights, studying every movement frame by frame. He knew he was better than before.

The real question was—by how much?

"Same rules?" Ethan asked.

Ryan nodded. "No headshots, no full-force strikes. Just skill."

Ethan rolled his shoulders. This was his test.

"Alright," he said, settling into a stance. "Let's go."

Ryan didn't waste any time.

He lunged first, testing the waters with a quick jab toward Ethan's ribs. A feint—bait for a reaction.

Ethan didn't fall for it. He pivoted back, letting Ryan's hand sweep through empty air.

Ryan grinned. "Oh? You have been practicing."

Ethan didn't respond. No point in doing it either. He already saw the next move coming before Ryan even committed to it. The way how his weight had shifted—he was about to throw a real punch.

He stepped in, aiming low. A quick hook toward Ethan's midsection.

Ethan moved in response. His body reacting faster than his mind, sidestepping, arm coming up—deflecting, redirecting, countering. Clean. Precise.

Ryan's eyes flickered with surprise...

He recovered near instantly, rolling with the momentum, but Ethan could see the gears turning in his head. Realizing what Ethan did wasn't luck.

Ryan reset, circling around him.

"Damn, okay..." he muttered, shaking out his arms. "Where the hell did this come from?"

Ethan didn't answer. He just moved.

This time, he pressed forward, testing Ryan. A quick step-in, a feint of his own. Ryan's eyes tracked it, but Ethan saw the exact moment he realized it was bait—he didn't flinch, and didn't bite the bait. Instead, he fully committed on countering it.

'Fast.'

Before Ethan could think to fully pull back, Ryan slid in with a brutal leg sweep. He tried to adjust, but Ryan was already capitalizing—shoulder-checking him just enough to throw him off balance.

Ethan stumbled back, barely catching himself before he hit the ground.

Ryan grinned. "Not bad. But I'm still faster."

Ethan exhaled sharply, shaking out his limbs. His heart pounded—not from exhaustion, but from excitement.

'Why the hell am I so excited?' Ethan brushed the thought off before it could stick...

Just a week ago, he wouldn't have lasted thirty seconds in a scuffle. Now, he was genuinely holding his own.

Seeing that he's distracted, Ryan moved again—faster this time. He wasn't holding back anymore.

Good.

A quick jab—light, testing, just to gauge Ethan's reaction. He barely had to think. His body tilted just out of range, the punch whiffing past his ribs.

Ryan grinned. "Oh! That was a close one, huh?"

Ethan stayed silent, watching. Ryan was analyzing him now. Adjusting. He mow knew that Ethan wasn't exactly the same as before...

Ryan shifted his posture, feinted left, before finally committing with his right—a clean, fast hook toward Ethan's ribs.

'I... I see it.' Ethan thought. Not just the punch, but the moment before it happened—the way Ryan's stance tensed up, the slight twitch in his fingers. Ethan's body moved before he could even fully process it, twisting just enough to make the fist glance off his side instead of landing clean.

Ryan's eyes widened for half a second.

Yeah, he didn't like that one.

But he recovered instantly, rolling back on his heels, resetting his stance. "Damn," he muttered. "Where the hell did this come from?"

Ethan smirked, shifting his weight a little more, "I just watched some videos and practiced a bit."

Ryan snorted at that, "Bullshit."

Then he moved in. Fast.

He stepped in, pivoting, throwing a low kick toward Ethan's calf. Ethan hopped back just in time, barely avoiding the sweep, but Ryan was already following up with a quick shoulder feint—no real power behind it, just enough to throw his balance off.

'Shit—'

Ryan capitalized instantly, twisting into his space and sweeping his leg hard. Causing Ethan to hit the pavement.

"Argh!!" He grumbled.

The impact jolted up his spine, and for a second, his vision spotted white. Ryan stepped back, hands on his hips. "Not bad. But it looks like you're still thinking too much."

Ethan groaned, pushing himself up, shaking off the sting as much as he could. "And you're still using cheap shots."

"Hey, if it works, it works." Ryan rolled his shoulders, seeing that his friend wasn't too happy, "C'mon man. You're keeping up way better than last time. Let's see if you can actually take a round off me."

Ethan exhaled, shaking out his limbs. His heart pounded—not from exhaustion, but from exhilaration.

Because he felt it.

That wasn't just muscle memory. That wasn't just practice anymore either. He was gonna make sure that Ryan had to work for that takedown.

And because of what Ryan had said earlier, essentially meant that Ethan was getting even closer.

Ethan got back into his stance, shaking out his arms, stretching his shoulders. His back still ached from the fall, but he couldn't afford to dwell on it. If he stopped moving, if he let himself think too much, Ryan would take advantage of it.

Ryan smiled, barely out of breath; "Hey? You good?"

Ethan blew out a sharp breath. "Yeah. Just needed a second to process how much of a cheap bastard you are."

Ryan laughed. "Hey, man. You did walk into that one. I just took the opportunity."

Ethan didn't argue. it was true, and He had. He just overcommitted, and got too eager.

But he noted to himself that he wouldn't make that mistake twice... 'It's time to change my pacing a bit. At the rate I'm going, this isn't going to work out...'

Ethan quickly shifted into a more grounded stance. He knew Ryan was stronger, but now Ethan was starting to see the the slight gaps in his Defense. He figured that Ryan was moving on pure instinct that's probably backed by years of experience.

He clenched his fists; 'Like hell I'm gonna just quit here...' Ethan wasn't going to count himself out just yet... He had been studying and practicing without break. Breaking down hundreds of movements, watching hours of footage, training alone until his muscles had burned.

He knew Ryan's rhythm now.

'It's time to push him back.' Ethan thought, moving off first, throwing a quick jab—not to land it, just to gauge Ryan's reaction. He leaned just out of reach, reading it immediately. Ethan knew he would...

That's why he didn't stop.

He pivoted, shifting his weight, snapping a low kick toward Ryan's shin. Ryan sidestepped just in time, but Ethan saw him stumble for half a second. He was off balance.

Ethan didn't hesitate.

He lunged, aiming to sweep Ryan's leg—

"What the!?"

Ryan quickly twisted mid-motion, avoiding the attack completely, and before Ethan could even react, he grabbed his arm and yanked him forward.

Now, he's wondering if he was too obvious.

'Damn it!'

He barely managed to twist with the momentum, landing in a rough crouch instead of flat on his back. His knee scraped against the pavement, stinging, but he forced himself up before Ryan could capitalize.

Ethan winced, 'Tch! That hurt like crap!'

Ryan on the other hand started whistling, taking a step back. "Damn… That was a little close."

On the other side, Ethan huffed, shaking out his arms, "Being close doesn't count for shit."

"Nope." Ryan grinned. "But~ it does mean you're finally worth my time."

And he didn't even wait. Ryan had pushed forward, pressing the attack again. A jab. A step-in feint. A low kick with clear intent to test Ethan's stance.

But Ethan was keeping up now...

But before they could continue the match, Ryan stepped back gaining some distance, smiling; "Actually... Let's stop here for tonight."

'Huh?'

Not being too happy about it, Ethan obliged, "Alright... I needed the break anyway." 

'Just when I thought I was going to win a match. Anyway, I can challenge him in a months time again...' Ethan thought, sitting down.

...

Ryan's smile had completely faded; he quietly sat beside his friend with seriousness in his eyes. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but... You've got some serious potential."

A little caught off-guard, Ethan shrugged, "That, came out of nowhere... What even gave you that impression?"

"Dude... Do you honestly think what you did just a minute earlier was, normal? I've been practicing for years. Even if those were in my free time, improving and honing myself. But, if you and me had similar specs. I would've definitely been put down."

"And what makes you think you didn't just suck?" Ethan joked.

However, Ryan didn't budge... "I'm serious. You've got talent, and it ain't normal either... If you could do what you did today in just a week and few days, give or take... Hear me out. Imagine what you would do in a few years?"

Ethan, froze... Processing what he had been told, even he couldn't find much fault in his own friend's line of thinking either; 'He's, right... I had a feeling—No, I knew there was something up with me, my body. How fast I was learning was kind of surprising, even to myself. I guess, I just needed someone else to confirm it...'

Ethan rubbed the back of his head a few times, before finally responding, "I get you, really. I do... And I think you're right. But, I don't really have the resources to even, 'go-pro'. Plus, what makes you think anyone will even take me on and train me? Tournaments don't even seem to be just human focused anymore either... And we both I'd likely get my ass handed to me by someone with actual abilities."

"Hold on there... Who said anything about this needing to be, official?" Ryan smiled.

Ethan sighed, "Dude... You can-NOT be serious..."

Ryan jumped up, shouting, "We're going underground baby!!!"

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END