Ka-Chi.

There, soon he'd be able to invade that corner and capture the territory needed to gain victory. Hikaru seemed to be quieting down again, as if waiting for something to happen. Well, he'd just have to show him then.

Ka-Chi.

Thinking back to his conversation last Thursday with Kuwabara, Ichiryu couldn't help but laugh to himself. His words though on this boy, cryptic yet filled with warning. He'd spoken with conviction and ire, offering that he be on guard as his slumping ways might leave him vulnerable to this young player. Having laughed it off some, thanking his colleague for the sound advice, Kuwabara had said something truly strange. 'If you aren't careful to read ahead against that boy then you'll likely be dead by the time you see it coming.'

Ka-Chi.

Glancing up at his opponent for a moment, Ichiryi then returned his eyes to the board, hiding his face behind his fan. Who had Kuwabara thought he was? He was a former Kisei; of course he would read ahead. This boy, though talented in his own right, was not at the level to stay in this league long. Kuwabara must have been trying to get under his skin so that he wouldn't be the only player to lose to this boy.

Ka-Chi.

Heh, this would be easy enough. It was a bit forceful, but he'd be able to build a pair of eyes with this shape. And now that Hikaru had allowed it he'd…

Ka-Chi.

Ichiryu had been reaching for his teacup when Hikaru's move came down. Having turned to take notice of the move, there was a sudden noise as the teacup dropped from Ichiryu's hand, his entire attention returned to the board. A cut there? At first glance it hadn't made sense, but then he'd begun to read ahead and then… It just couldn't be possible. That had been a mistake, it had to be, and yet… the ponnuki, who gave their opponent a ponnuki in the center of the board like that just to…

Raising his eyes, anger filling his quickly reddening face, Ichiryu stared at his opponent whose eyes were scanning the board unconcerned, as if that move had been just like any other. But it hadn't been just any move. Had he planned it from all the way back then? No, there was no way a boy this young, this green, could have seen this far ahead. That would be… exactly what Kuwabara had warned him about, that this boy could read ahead with amazing skill. No, it couldn't have been that, it had to be luck, or an opportunity gained only now. After all, that move would have required that he himself not see it coming, that he…

Gasping as his face reddened even deeper, Ichiryu's eyes returned to the board. It didn't seem possible, and yet it was right there in front of him. He'd been coaxed into thinking that his opponent was weak, led on only to be blindsided by this. Though it was a narrow one, Hikaru now held the lead. If he couldn't connect through the center then he'd need to form eye pairs to save them, or else the game would be over shortly. He'd have to focus now and change his plans for everything. This was not going to be easy.

Ka-Chi.

Ka-Chi.

Watching the game progress, Akira knew it by now: he knew that Hikaru had all but caught up to him. All that really remained was for Hikaru to defeat him in battle, to overcome that last hurdle and stand next to him, side by side on the eternal road of Go that they both walked. Hikaru!

###

Bursting out through the entrance to the game room and colliding with a hapless young pro who happened to be walking through the hallway at that moment, a furiously steaming bald figure clamored down the hallway, trying his best to avoid being seen by anyone else and failing poorly at it. As eyes turned to cast their gaze on the fast moving figure as he made a dash into the elevator, another figure emerged from the room.

Looking down the hallway where Ichiryu had run, Serizawa recalled another scene much like it. That scene had occurred after Ichiryu's first defeat at the hands of Akira Toya. The two games had been similar in that the difference in the game had been decided by a match of reading ahead. At that time Akira Toya had seen beyond Ichiryu, and today it had been Hikaru Shindo who had done it. It must have been difficult, falling at the hands of two young pros like that, back to back no less. Not to mention losing by two and a half points.