Alex and the Champion ranked trainer, Lucas, squared off in the largest sparring ground at the center of the hall. It was just big enough for them to fight seriously without getting in the other trainers’ way or risking an out-of-bounds call due to limited space. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

A Champion ranked trainer among the students stepped up to act as referee for this particular battle. Any normal referee wouldn’t be able to keep up with the fight.

“Ready? Fight!”

Lucas charged forward, hands up in a tight guard protecting his head and chest as he rushed toward Alex. Taking a similar stance, Alex waited for Lucas to approach before suddenly kicking out with a Muay Thai front kick named a teep. With explosive power, he nailed Lucas right in the stomach, stopping his charge and even pushing him back. Alex then stepped to the side while keeping his distance from Lucas.

Lucas felt the power of that kick and immediately changed his strategy. Alex wasn’t like the other trainers who underestimated his speed. He would have to find a way to force his way through the distance and keep him within reach. He circled, matching Alex’s movements, and kept the fight near the center while inching forward.

“Is that all you can do? Run away?” Lucas taunted, a smirk tugging at his lips. “I thought we were having a fight.”

Alex didn’t slow, continuing to circle. “That’ll depend on whether you can actually get close.”

Then, with surprising speed, Lucas slid forward and immediately threw a combination of punches aimed at Alex’s head. Alex weaved his head past the double jab and ducked under the powerful right straight before sidestepping away, keeping his feet light as he hopped to the side.

Lucas turned and refocused, disappointed that Alex didn’t try to counter, but he realized he had the initiative, so he simply kept approaching while Alex bided his time. Lucas continued charging and would strike whenever Alex was close enough.

Meanwhile, Alex kept his distance and would occasionally fire off teeps to keep Lucas in check, ensuring that each time he charged, he would eat his own momentum with a strike to the stomach. They continued in this manner until finally Lucas had had enough. He charged forward while ducking his head, lowering his center of gravity.

Alex kicked out as usual to punish the charge, but Lucas was prepared. He lowered his left hand and knocked the kick aside before leading with a right hook from up close. Alex was on guard, though, and slipped toward Lucas’s right while countering with a right hook of his own, thrown from a much lower stance as he passed.

Lucas anticipated the dodge and tanked the attack before sliding to the right and chasing after Alex with a left hook swung from a cocked position. The left hook landed on Alex’s guard, followed by a right straight, then two left jabs, and another right hook, each attack thrown while Alex backed off and Lucas pursued.

Trapped in Lucas’s flurry, Alex decided to gain distance, and the best way to achieve that while being hounded was to fight back. He kept his guard up and forced his way through a left hook before striking out with his right knee right into Lucas’s unprotected stomach, sending him skidding back. But Lucas didn’t relent and slid forward again, his left hand ready to intercept another front kick, intending to keep their distance close.

That was when Alex targeted Lucas’s legs. He threw out a low kick while keeping his upper body in the exact same position, delivering it so stealthily that Lucas simply wasn’t able to see it coming. It landed right on the outer thigh, surprising Lucas as pain shot up his right leg. Still, he pushed forward and continued his assault on Alex’s guard, forcing Alex to back off as he continued the chase.

Alex now alternated between a combination of front kicks, knee strikes, and low kicks to throw Lucas back, while the latter had to play rock-paper-scissors each time he charged forward, suffering strikes to his stomach or outer thigh whenever he risked it. Their exchanges continued, with Alex blocking heavy blows with his arms while Lucas absorbed damage to his lower body. The pair gradually developed an understanding of each other’s fighting styles.

That was when Lucas decided to switch things up. He closed the distance, taking another painful blow to his outer thigh while throwing a familiar double jab, except on the second jab he opened his hand and grabbed Alex’s left arm, pulling while simultaneously throwing a right punch. Alex blocked the attack with his right hand but moved closer instead of backing away, pulling his left arm out to the side and opening Lucas’s right side to a surprise opening.

He grabbed Lucas’s incoming right fist and used both hands to lift himself while throwing an angled jumping knee strike, landing it on Lucas’s jaw from the left. The hit instantly destabilized Lucas, who didn’t see a strike with that much flexibility coming. He staggered back from the hit, making the mistake of letting go of Alex’s left hand, which immediately shot up into an uppercut, nailing Lucas in the jaw again just as Alex’s feet hit the floor.

Alex then pulled on Lucas’s right arm as he retreated and, with a hop, wrapped his legs in a flying armbar around Lucas’s right arm, beginning to pull to snap it at the joint. Lucas, feeling the strain, slammed Alex headfirst onto the ground out of pure instinct and managed to loosen the hold just enough to slip free while Alex scrambled to stand.

“Not bad,” Lucas said as he rubbed his chin, his right arm radiating pain from nearly being snapped.

“I could say the same about you,” Alex said, feeling the throb at the back of his head.

From that series of exchanges, Alex had easily managed to peg Lucas as a top-heavy fighter with surprisingly agile feet. He was a boxer through and through, with tight control over his fists, but he didn’t have much else going for him. The best strategy from this point on was either to ground him or continue striking his legs until they crumpled. He had a much better idea, though, one that would completely take Lucas by surprise.

Lucas, meanwhile, realized he had completely underestimated Alex. Alex wasn’t afraid of confrontation and could certainly take brutal hits. He even suspected Alex had the ability to engage him in a brutal fist fight without losing an inch of ground. Alex simply preferred the optimal method of taking him down which was to keep his distance.

All his confidence in this fight dwindled, since he simply couldn’t think of a way to bring Alex down. At the same time, he didn’t doubt that Alex knew exactly what his weaknesses were and how to exploit them.

Suddenly, Alex rushed forward, fists raised in a tight guard, surprising Lucas, who instinctively jabbed out with his left to stop the charge. Alex, however, saw the punch coming from a mile away and easily weaved past it, throwing a jab of his own that landed squarely on Lucas’s chin.

The hit staggered Lucas backward, and as he tried to retreat, he failed to notice a flying right knee aimed at his solar plexus, knocking the wind out of him and forcing him to double over, his head dropping straight into another knee strike. The impact rattled his brain further as his fists swung wildly in an attempt to fend Alex off, but Alex had already ducked low and swept his legs with a sweep.

The kick was so powerful that Lucas flipped rather than fell. Alex stayed low and rushed in behind him, grabbed his head, and locked his arm around Lucas’s neck from behind.

Without hesitation, he stood, holding Lucas in a suplex position before dropping his hips and bridging backward in a clean throw, driving him overhead and slamming him into the mat with force. The impact knocked the wind out of Lucas again, giving Alex ample time to shift. He turned, wrapped his arms around Lucas in a chokehold, and locked his legs around Lucas’s waist from behind. Finally, he squeezed while Lucas struggled.

He tried to rip Alex’s arms off, but they wouldn’t budge. He tried to slam his body into the mat, but it barely did any damage. He tried to wriggle free, but Alex’s legs were too tight. He was losing consciousness before he could even catch his breath. Finally, with defeat all but certain, he tapped on Alex’s arm, surrendering the fight.

“Winner! The, um…” the referee started before he realized he didn’t know who Alex even was.

“Alex Wattson,” an old, cheerful voice said from behind.

“Master Mustard!” all the students said with a bow.

“Now, now… do your job properly and finish the fight.”

“Oh, right! Um, winner, Alex Wattson,” the referee announced.

Alex had already let go of Lucas when he tapped out, so he stood and turned toward Mustard, who had an old man’s pleasant smile on his face.

“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Mustard,” Alex said.