How the hell do I get us out of this mess?

Yuha took a few steps into the clearing and came to a stop but a few feet from Garou and his hostage.

Now don't get him wrong, he didn't care about the princess' safety because he was some goody two shoes. No, rather it had more to do with the fact that her harm, or Tatsu forbid death, would bring with it a whole new host of problems for Yuha to deal with.

And the dark-skinned beauty's terrified pleading blue eyes had nothing to do with it!

"-my -ord?"

He squashed his instinctive urge to twitch or meet the girl's eyes, opting instead to scowl at Garou and settle into a familiar stance for them both.

"Flex you- w-ngs if you can hear m-"

The girl's voice seemed to be coming in clearer. Kisha adjusting whatever form of telepathy she was using to work with Yuha's mind at a remarkable rate.

He obliged her and snarled, setting into the stance fully, one foot forward, both arms up, ready to intercept, and, of course, he flared his wings.

"Let the girl go. She has little to do with this."

Hope entered Kisha's eyes.

"Oho? Are you sure? Don't you perhaps wish to make a run for it? You might escape, and don't worry, no one will lay the blame for a monster's death on you~"

"-my lord! Please—"

"The only monster I see is the one holding an innocent girl hostage, Garou," he hissed with narrowed eyes and for a moment so fleeting he wasn't sure whether he imagined it, a smile flashed across Garou's face.

Yuha decided to throw caution to the wind, headless of what activating his powers in front of the fighting genius might mean and pumped his kaio-ken up to stage seven along with the customary half Roshi.

"Hmf! Rather presumptuous of you to believe you can defeat me, junior," Garou said with a scoff and an eye-roll. "Despite whatever our 'master' might have told you about me, you have no idea what—"

"T-thank you, my king!"

Bullshit powers activate!

"That's where you are wrong."

"Oho?"

"Bang sensei? He told me nothing."

Garou arched an eyebrow. "Then—"

"I was curious and decided to find out why such a kind and wise man had but one pupil when he clearly knew his stuff."

"My king! If you can distract him—"

What do you think I'm trying to do woman?

"Imagine my surprise when I found out the man's sadness was all thanks to an arrogant brat that lusted for power."

Garou snarled.

Yeah, pot calling the kettle black here, but it does seem to be working.

"So, if you are indeed the 'master' of 'water stream rock smashing fist'?" he flashed Garou with Cell's trademarked arrogant smirk and made a beckoning gesture. "Then stop cowering behind a hostage and face me, you coward."

"I can lend you a helping hand—"

"Eep!"

Kisha's mental connection cut just as Garou flung her to the side and her feet left the dirt.

"Arrogant junior!" Garou snarled and yet, on his face, a bloodthirsty smile shone as he slid into his own combat stance. "Hooooh!" and took a deep breath before exploding forward. The white-haired man's right hand descending into an almost shining karate chop, one that Yuha hastened to deflect, as well as the followup rising knee, and then, he opened his mouth and with a distant ape like roar, blasted a ki-beam straight into Garou's wide eyed and rapidly approaching forehead.

"Gkh!" Startling the man, who hastened to divert the worst of it and, in the brief haze of smoke, taking advantage of the momentary surprise, Yuha's own knee rose and the red aura all around him blazed like a red bonfire and every cell in his body cried out in agony and white danced at the corners of his vision as he pushed kaio-ken all the way to stage eleven for less than a heartbeat.

"Argh!" causing Garou to cry out in agony as Yuha's knee buried itself in the man's steel like abs, doubling the youth over and shooting him backwards, straight into the waiting embrace of a poor tree which let out a whimpering cry as it exploded into tiny bits.

Before at last, Garou, in a rolling tangle of limbs, buried himself into the bark of the tree behind, creating a large indentation before being hidden from view by the first tree's falling leaves and branches.

"M-My king! You've won!" Kisha cried, gazing at him in wonder. While her right hand remained curiously extended in front of her, palm closed as if to grip a sword, and yet, curiously inverted, the thumb and grip facing the earth, as if the sword was pointing downwards. Or rather…

Yuha's eyes fell on the earth in front of the girl's feet and right below her extended limb where the earth rippled in small circles, the ripples seeming to come faster and faster as if something ancient was beginning to stir and awake from sleep.

"Don't!" he said, watching as the girl was about to retract her limb. "Keep doing whatever it is you're doing, this isn't over yet!" he said and with a kick, jumped a few feet in front of the girl, sinking into Bang's combat stance yet again.

"Hmf," a familiar voice said. "Smarter than you look," Garou said and the broken branches and leaves obscuring him from view scattered with but a kick from the man as the youth stepped into view, patting down his clothes and creaking his neck left and right.

"Also more competent than I was expecting," he said and grinned. "But, you're still green, rookie. That was a lucky hit. Don't get conceited on me now!" he roared and jumped forth once more, only this time, Yuha was truly on the defensive.

"Gkh!" for the youth spoke the truth after all. Their previous short exchange serving as but a test, and, finding Yuha passable , Garou was now taking him somewhat serious.

Blows sleeping past Yuha's defenses as they danced across the clearing, Garou seeing through his attempts to move them away from the princess and letting him do so with a smirk. But, for each step moved away a dozen blows hammered into Yuha's hide. Blows, which with his incomplete mastery of Bang's art, he failed to deflect and divert.

But, cruel and harsh as his methods were. Yuha saw, that at least in some deep part of his, Garou was indeed trying to teach him, for the moves he was seeing…

Still, merely witnessing advanced moves…and experiencing them would be of little help if he couldn't hang in there until either the man was satisfied, help arrived, or he somehow beat him.

So, it was time to bust open the rest of his bag of tricks.

And while he was no master of the water fist?

Yuha grinned, and watching the punch aimed at his face close in, ducked.

"What the—"

And, falling into a handstand, kicked backwards, his sole slamming into the wide-eyed Garou's chin as Yuha jumped backwards, settling into the turtle school stance.

"What's wrong?" he asked, cheeky grin in place as Garou rubbed his chin, eyeing him with interest and spitting a globule of blood off to the side.

"That's not the old fart's style."

"No. No, it isn't," he said, answering the implied question.

Garou stared.

"…interesting."

And then Garou jumped forward again. "Very interesting! Show me more, 'hero'!" he shouted with a maddened cackle, and their dance started anew. Only now, with Yuha using a mix of a dozen different styles, Bang's own included, could just about hang with Garou's mastery of one.

He just might be able to win this! After all, his stamina, even if not yet endless, was far greater than that of a gifted, but at the end of the day still mortal human!

Kisha, the wounds and bruises upon her form, courtesy of the man with demon like horns for hair, could but stare.

Eyes wide.

As her future King battled against a human which had no right to be as strong as he was.

The white-haired man, this…'Garou' stronger than many of her race, stronger than the now gone elite cadre of her father. Stronger…stronger than her, as much as it hurt to admit it, or at the very least more skilled.

Each of the man's blows feeling like the hammers of wind her cousin was so fond of using, and, coupled with his irritating technique, one that her King showed some skill in, made it so she was unable to land a retaliatory hit.

And yet her King fought on still. For the pride of both of their people, for justice! And…

Her cheeks felt hot.

And to protect her.

S-so! The least she could do as Perfect Zero fought and bought her time was do her part!

For the keen eyed hero and his sharp battle instincts had been right, Garou, despite her King's mighty blow, a blow that would have pasted her lesser brothers and sisters, stood unharmed and fought on.

Mama is gonna have a tough fight on her hands…

The thought came unbidden, but it was true nonetheless. For none of them expected this man, this hero, to be so strong.

A-and, if he wins? What then? He's in an overworlder! Our customs are not his own, so, w-will he abandon us?

Her heart clenched, but she firmed her will and continued to perform her duty.

The ancient one's awakening being both taxing and time consuming. Their legion like voice at last, reached her ears.

[Inheritor…Recognized…Decision…start]

From the fertile earth, a darkened, almost rusty silver hilt emerged. One that started to let out a soft golden glow.

She cast one last glance at the fight and the tremendous blows being exchanged.

But from the looks of things, my aid might not even be needed.

For indeed, her King seemed to be driving back this…'Garou', more and more blows landing on the youth as he gritted his teeth and his muscles bulged, seemingly straining to the limit.

Still, best be safe.

She closed her eyes and focused on her task at hand, and, as a precaution, now that her feet touched the ground once more, she cast her mind through the loam.

Yuha could feel his grin stretching wide enough to almost hurt as their fight continued.

Blow after blow smashing against each other's forms, with some diverted, most slipping through. Most of Yuha's blows, that is.

The ape roared in his mind at the fact that, at last, he was facing a worthy foe. And for once, it wasn't a deadly fight or one with the stake of the world at hand. It could turn that way, yes. But for now, his saiyan instincts relished in this simple fight.

"Gkh!" Garou grunted as another of Yuha's punches slipped through, followed by a kick to the youth's ribs. Garou's pupils dilated and the capillaries in his eyes burst, coloring the pupils red. "Why can't I…"

Yuha, his guard still up, nonetheless did not let go of this opportunity and approached the immobile and seemingly defeated youth.

And promptly punched him square in the solar plexus, sending Garou skidding backwards, digging a trench on the ground.

For even if, by the looks of it, the boy no longer had any fight within him, Yuha did not intend to let his guard drop. But also, given that the young man held potential and there was a chance he could be redeemed, he also wasn't all that keen on killing him.

"What's wrong?" he asked, still on guard as the youth remained on the ground. "That mad that you can no longer use me as your punching bag, 'senpai'?"

Garou remained on the ground and then groaned, and, rose to his feet before bending over, grasping at his sides and screaming.

Yuha barely had the time to widen his eyes before a pressure erupted from the youth, flattening the earth and the grass around him as Garou's muscles bulged even further, his skin, the portions visible through the cuts in his black shirt, popping open in places, blood dripping out as the Garou roared.

Shit! This ain't good!

He had no idea what was happening, but he wasn't Goku, and wasn't about to let his enemy power up!

Sadly, he failed to make it in time.

With his punch mere inches from Garou's face, an albedo aura erupted around the white-haired man's body, one that blasted Yuha backwards.

"Gkh!" causing him to come to a rolling stop followed by quickly jumping to his feet.

Only to find a panting Garou, his muscles no longer grotesquely bulging, and a happy grin on the sweating youth's face.

"Finally," the man said, panting as he stood up and slid into a combat stance once more, but this time.

Fuck.

The feeling, the power radiating from Garou was unmistakable. As was the blazing aura around him.

How the fuck did he…

For Garou had somehow managed to unlock his Ki by his lonesome.

So, it wasn't that I was winning our previous bout, or at least, not that alone. The fucker was busy analyzing me and trying to unlock his Ki. That explains his slowed movements and his grunts of pain. For this ain't Charanko. No way would he cry out from mere punches and kicks.

"Let's try this again, shall we, junior?"

Fuck! This just went from bad to worse!

Cuha accidentally speedruning Kisha's route by being all royal, honorable, regal and shit.

Cuha once he realizes it. "Fuuuu-"