The crowd falls still—like the arena itself is holding its breath—as Kaizo Nekodaira and Arashi Kaze step into the center of the stage.

  The two fighters had some respect for each other, since seeing each other’s.

  They bow.

  Kaze: “Good luck.”

  Kaizo: “Yeah… you too.”

  The referee’s hand drops.

  Match… START.

  A compressed burst of wind detonates beneath Kaze’s feet—

  FWOOOM—

  launching him forward like a missile.

  WHAM!

  Kaizo manages to deflect the wind-boosted punch, but his forearm vibrates painfully. He exhales sharply.

  Kaizo (annoyed): “Owww… fast and annoying. Great.”

  Kaizo (thinking): So this is a Horizon. Yeah… this might get ugly.

  He closes his eyes for a split second—activating the Speed DNA Set.

  Max Speed × Cheetah × Peregrine Falcon — Speed Set: RELEASE.

  Kaizo: “Yuei.”

  He disappears.

  Kaze’s eyes widen—just in time for Kaizo to reappear directly in front of him.

  CLANG!

  Their clash detonates a shockwave of dust and flickering air pressure.

  Then the arena turns chaotic.

  Bursts of wind blast randomly across the grass field..

  Circles of dust exploding across the floor.

  Flashes of motion that look like camera shutters firing too fast to register.

  The audience can’t follow any of it—just bursts of impact popping across the battlefield like strobe lights.

  Two blurs moving at unreal speeds.

  Spectators’ Corner

  Yumi (wide-eyed): “Wait… Kaizo’s faster now?! That wasn’t even his top speed?!”

  Kagari (leaning forward, intrigued): “Hmmm… he’s got more to him than I thought. But that white flicker on his arms and legs… no idea what that is.”

  Shirogane: “Me neither. Some kind of gadget? Or… enhancement drug? He’s been doing that the whole tournament.”

  Ayame turns, looking at Kagari in mild surprise.

  Ayame (suprised): “I can understand Shirogane and Yumi not knowing, but you, Flame Goddess? That’s surprising.”

  The three look at her expectantly.

  Ayame: “What he’s using is called Zenshin. It’s been a long time since I used it so I don’t remember everything about it… but I do know Kaizo’s father taught him the basics.”

  Kagari (tilts head): “Zenshin? Never heard of it.”

  Ayame (calm): “It’s nothing like a Horizon, gadget, or drug. It’s a revolutionized combat system — one that lets the user fight at a level beyond normal human limits. It was created a long time ago… for people like you, Flame Goddess. Though, that was ages ago.”

  She gestures toward the white energy flickers as Kaizo slips under an attack and drives a palm strike into Kaze’s ribs.

  [Ayame’s voiceover begins, over stylized visuals.]

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  Ayame: “There are three main stages — or methods.”

  Visual: A lone silhouette training in silence, each movement sharp and deliberate, faint white light tracing its form.

  Ayame: “Kensei — the offensive state; that white energy that covers his arms and legs. Pure body mastery. Strength, speed, breathing, balance… everything pushed to the edge. It amplifies the user’s trained attributes and makes it their greatest strength. It’s ‘practice makes perfect’… made literal.”

  Visual: A figure stands still, the air around them shimmering. A punch lands — but the impact fizzles into harmless sparks over a greyed-out section of their chest.

  Ayame: “Kakushin — a defensive state. A moment where confidence, instinct, and purpose align. When executed perfectly… you can nullify incoming damage entirely. Few can use it well, even though it can turn the tide of a fight.”

  Visual: A dimly lit room. A figure walks calmly, tilting and shifting just enough to avoid dozens of flying projectiles that whip past their face and body.

  Ayame (thinking): “And then… Meikai. I don’t even fully remember what it was. I’m pretty sure it boosts your awareness from what I remember and Kaizo said it’s about feeling your opponent’s movements through certain… sensations… Yeah, you’ll just have to ask him….”

  Back in the stands, Shirogane leans forward.

  Shirogane (quietly): “That’s… not any martial art I’ve seen.”

  Ayame (annoyed): “Didn’t you hear me? I said enhanced fighting method. Where did you hear ‘martial art’?”

  Yumi hugs Infinity tighter, still staring at Kaizo.

  Yumi: “He… learned that? By himself…?”

  Infinity (intrigued, thinking to himself): “Some things are starting to male a bit more sense. I really have to look into his memories. (Yawns) When I feel like it…”

  Ayame (nodding): “Yeah, he’s put in a ton of effort over the years…”

  Kagari watches the fight now in silence, her earlier smirk replaced with a calculating look.

  Kagari (to herself): “…Interesting…”

  Back towards the battlefield, Kaze sends wind slashes slicing at Kaizo, but they miss—every time. Kaizo’s photographic memory helped him realize the motion that activates the technique. Meikai helps him determine the timing of the wind, though it’s still quite difficult to dodge.

  A brief stare-down halts the chaos, as Kaizo and Kaze have a brief conversation.

  Kaze (panting): “Hey.. between you and me, I can’t afford to lose here. This is for me to take the next step into a better role and time in the spotlight. The school I’m at is trying to keep me tied down there, but I have a goal: I’m going to her school, and I have to impress to make sure she accepts me.”

  Kaizo (panting slightly): “Fucking hell… quite a mouth you got on ya. What are you even talking about?”

  Kaze: “Ah, forget it…”

  (Infinity snickers to himself.)

  They clash once again, the collision between the wind boosted punches and Kensei sends small shockwaves through the air, another detonation of wind and speed. Both fighters are breathing heavier, the fatigue from precious matches catching up to them. The tension is palpable, and it looks as if this last encounter will do it.

  Kaizo suddenly stops moving, takes a deep breath, closes his eyes, and calms his heartbeat. He was waiting, listening and preparing to use Yokan.

  The crowd murmurs.

  Yumi (nervous): “Kaizo?! What are you doing?!”

  Infinity (still lounging): “...He’s cooking.”

  Kaze rushes in—believing Kaizo has dropped his guard. Wind coils around him like a drill. Kaizo was still waiting however, waiting for him to get closer towards him .

  Kaizo (internally):

  “I think if I can time this right…”

  In the IR, however, Kaizo unexpectedly sees a vision. A shadow-like outline of Kaze bursts toward him in slow motion.

  “Well, this is new,” Kaizo mutters to himself, because of course he does.

  Just as the shadow closes in, Kaizo’s eyes flash open—he vanishes upward.

  WHAM!!

  Kaizo’s palm SLAMS down on Kaze’s head from above like a diving eagle. He was exactly where Kaizo had envisioned the dark, shadowy version of him to be.

  A huge dust cloud forms and forms around the area.

  The arena is silent in anticipation, wondering what just happened. Then, suddenly, there are cheers and mixed reactions from the crowd.

  The unique reactions from the crowd:

  Kagari: smirks, not clapping but clearly impressed.

  Infinity: “Eww, you're weird.”

  Ayame (adjusts her shades): “Told you he’d win.”

  The referee raises her hand, eyes still wide. “Winner… Kaizo Nekodaira!!”

  Kaizo raises one eyebrow. Then shrugs to the crowd.

  Kaizo (4th wall breaking): “So… Can I go home now?”

  Ayame sits beside Shirogane, both watching the arena.

  Ayame: “Guess he’s back to his old ways again.”

  Shirogane: “Hmph. Your nephew’s something else. But you and I both know… it's not over yet.”

  Ayame (sighing): “Yeah, sadly…”

  Suddenly, the crowd hushes as the announcer speaks:

  “The male bracket has concluded! Now, per tradition... the previous Apex Bracket champion and this year’s female champion may decide: will she challenge the winner and extend the bracket for the ultimate prize?”

  Kagari (cockly): “Tch… Is that even a question?”

  Kagari Akari — the Sun Empress — jumps down from the reserved school section of the crowd, without giving it a second thought.

  Kagari (shouting): “The real final... starts now, Kaizo...”

  Kaizo wipes sweat from his neck, and stares straight at us.

  Kaizo (sighs, thinks): "Ah. This is some BS."

  Yokan (予感 – “Premonition”)

  A focused Meikai technique where the user clears their mind, closes their eyes, and relies entirely on instinct to detect subtle cues from their opponent. With enough focus, the user can predict and react to incoming attacks with near-perfect timing, making it seem as if they anticipated the move before it happened. Though not true foresight, the precision of this technique makes it an elite countermeasure in close combat.