Hey everyone, and welcome to this chapter. This chapter will be about character progression and development. It'll cover a lot of dialogue and only a small amount of fight scenes, so keep that in mind. Hope you enjoy it.
Disclaimer: The following is a non-profit fan-based parody. History's Strongest Disciple Kenichi is owned by Funimation and Syun Matsuena. Please support the official release.
"Shirou" Regular speech.
"Shirou" Thoughts.
SEIKUKEN Attack names.
(Shirou) Words said previously.
[Shirou] Words said in unison.
The Eight Deadly Fists
—…
Things started in the middle of the night. This night was anything but peaceful or quiet as a brawl between opposing gangs of Delinquents was taking place in the middle of the public park.
That said, this turned out to be less of a brawl and more of a one-sided beating, which wasn't surprising considering one of the gangs was a team of Ragnarok goons led by Kisara.
Kisara leaped forth and landed a powerful kick on the leading member of the other gang, knocking him down and standing tall as her group's victory was all but decided.
On her side, Kisara and her team were practically untouched and ready to keep going, but the other side was the opposite. Their members were beaten on the ground and looked like they were honestly regretting starting this fight at all.
"Not so mouthy anymore, are you?" Kisara taunted while looking down at them. "Another gang who bragged they could take down Ragnarok gets crushed into little pieces." She belittled them before turning to her grunts. "Sweep up the rest of this trash."
On her command, the members of her team gladly rushed in and surrounded their beaten enemies before proceeding to beat them up even further just for the pure fun of it.
While that was happening, Kisara left them to it and walked away. As she walked off into the night, the sound of her malevolent laughter was drowned out by the sounds of the beating that echoed throughout the park.
The following day at Ryozanpaku, the Masters were inside the Dojo, either training or simply passing the time with menial activities.
While sitting by the door, Akisame spoke out. "Pardon the interruption, but after giving it much thought, I think it's time for Shirou and Kenichi to start training in the advanced techniques. What about the rest of you, well?"
Kensei chimed in while reading a girly magazine. "It's harsh, some of the most severe training known to man, but I agree it's time."
"Hmph!" Sakaki grunted while doing one-handed handstand push-ups. "Don't know, could be dangerous!" He then flipped and stood straight up. "The punk might be ready, but Kenichi's not made of steel. If we rush his training, it won't be good for his body; he might die."
"Yes, but if we take our time when we train him, Apachai is sure Kenichi can survive anything life throws at him." Apachai proclaimed while aiming kicks and ping-pong balls in the air. "Plus, there's a reason why he almost drops dead! You guys, you push him too hard!"
"Like you're one to talk, pal!" Sakaki commented.
"Excuse me… Masters, but!" Kenichi breathed tiredly as he joined the conversation. "Could… Could you please not talk about me like I'm not here…! Or at the very least leave out the part about me dropping dead…!"
As it turned out, Kenichi was right outside next to the porch where Akisame was sitting a few inches away. He was currently in his training gi doing push-ups while his legs were doing the splits, and his feet were balanced on two small logs—Complete with Shigure sitting on his back for added weight.
"My apologies." Akisame addressed him. "I was about to ask your opinion, too."
"His opinion on what?" Shirou asked after approaching them.
Similar to how Kenichi was doing strength training, Shirou was in the forest area of Ryozanpaku doing his. His training was finding a tall tree and doing pull-ups on one of the branches while large rocks were tied to his legs, and he had to keep going until he ran out of strength or until the branch broke—Whichever came first.
After being done with that, he returned to the Dojo to join the conversation.
"Have you finished your training?" Akisame asked for confirmation.
"If you mean: Did the branch break, causing me to fall from a tree with rocks tied to my body? Then yes." Shirou answered, obviously fed up with Akisame right now. "Now, what were you talking about a second ago?"
"We simply felt that the two of you were ready for advanced-technique training and wanted to hear your opinions on the matter." Akisame informed him.
"Advanced techniques?" Shirou repeated, sounding intrigued.
"Yes, I must forewarn you both that it's intensive training—You ready for it?" Akisame asked them.
"It's really hard?!" Kenichi didn't like the sound of that.
"Of course." Akisame answered with an ominous glow in his eyes.
Kenichi hoisted his body up to get Shigure off his back as he stood up straight and addressed Akisame. "Can it wait just a little longer?" He requested.
Akisame chuckled lightheartedly. "Well, how much time do you need? …Til tomorrow?"
Kenichi's face went blank at the oddly impatient manner in which Akisame was acting right now. Even the other Masters could see how eager the Judo Master was being.
"Akisame's really anxious to start his training." Kensei thought.
"Hope you survive it, kid." Sakaki thought forebodingly.
Akisame then turned to Shirou. "How about you? Do you also need some time before you're ready to start?"
Shirou shook his head. "No, tomorrow's good with me. I wanna start as soon as I can."
"Huuuuuh?!" Kenichi cried out in shock.
"I figured." Sakaki shrugged with a smirk.
"Not surprising in the least." Kensei smiled as he went back to his magazine.
"Wonderful." Akisame smiled excitedly. "I'll pick out which techniques you can start with, and we'll begin first thing tomorrow."
Shirou nodded with eagerness while Kenichi nervously tugged at his sleeve. "Hey, are you sure about this? I mean, don't you think you're being a little too hasty?"
"What are you talking about?" Shirou dismissed his concern while wearing a look of determination. "If anything, I've been waiting for this."
Kenichi backed away a bit, a little surprised by his current mood. If Kenichi didn't know any better, it looked less like he was preparing for training and more like he was readying himself for a fight.
The next day, Shirou was at school walking along outside the school building, and beside him was Takeda. Right now, Takeda was in light training clothes, and the two of them had just departed from the school's Boxing club, of which Takeda had just become a member.
"So you're all ready to join, right?" Shirou asked him.
"Yep." Takeda answered while lightly stretching his shoulder. "My arm feels great, and I can't wait to get busy in the Boxing club."
Shirou nodded but then changed the subject. "What about Ragnarok? Heard anything about them?"
"Hmm…" Takeda hummed before answering. "It seems that Ragnarok is very busy nowadays with some internal matters. My old boss, Kisara, got promoted… And I think even Tsuji doesn't have the luxury to get distracted."
"Promoted? I'll have to ask Niijima about that." Shirou thought, focusing on the part about Kisara. "Either way, you should tell Kenichi how you're doing."
"Yeah, I was actually planning on doing that. Where is he right now anyway?" Takeda asked.
Kenichi was actually pretty close by. He was also at school, watering the plants outside the Gardening club's greenhouse alongside his fellow club member, Izumi. But Kenichi couldn't focus on gardening all that much as his mind kept wandering back to what Akisame had said the day before.
"Advanced techniques, huh?" Kenichi thought without much confidence.
"Are you okay?" Izumi noticed how quiet he was and got his attention.
"Oh, ah?" Kenichi only just noticed her and waved his hand to alleviate her concerns. "Yeah, I'm fine. I'll water over here."
Izumi nodded at his suggestion. "Sure."
As Kenichi went over to another area of plants to water, Izumi also had something on her mind and felt like now would be a good time to ask about it.
"Kenichi…" Izumi started nervously. "I notice you're with Miu a lot."
"Huh? Oh, well, you know…" Kenichi blushed and avoided giving a straight response.
"Are you two…" Izumi finally prepared to ask what was on her mind.
"Huh?" Kenichi didn't know what she was about to ask, but before she could finish.
"Hey! Kenichi!"
Their conversation was interrupted when Kenichi heard Takeda's voice and looked at him, alongside Shirou, walking up to him.
"How're you doing, man?" Takeda greeted him.
"Oh hey, you guys." Kenichi happily welcomed their arrival while Izumi pouted at being interrupted. "Is your arm still getting better?"
"Yeah, it's recovering pretty quickly." Takeda assured him while holding up his left arm. "So much, in fact, that I joined the school's Boxing club."
"You should have seen it. All of the club members were all nervous and sweaty when they saw a former member of Ragnarok saying he wanted to join." Shirou remembered the amusing incident. "I think one of the guys wanted to run away."
"I took it as a compliment." Takeda rebuffed his amusement. "It means I have a reputation."
"Not to rain on your parade or anything, but has anyone from Ragnarok come after you?" Kenichi asked curiously.
"Oh, you're worried about that too?" Takeda placed a hand under his chin. "No worries, rumor has it they've been busy with some organizational changes. I guess they have other things to worry about."
"Well, that's good." Kenichi smiled with relief. "So, I guess you're okay for the time being then, but if anything happens…." Kenichi then froze up and spoke with a nervous, robotic-like tone. "I've…got your… I've got your back, man."
Shirou sighed at his behavior. "Right words, wrong attitude."
Takeda was flattened nonetheless and tapped Kenichi's shoulder. "Thanks, but I can take care of myself, really." He gave him a thumbs-up. "But it means a lot to me that you offered, though."
"I get that you want to handle this one on your own, but don't forget that Kisara is my target." Shirou reminded him with seriousness. "I had to fight and beat the rest of you to get to her. The last thing I need is for someone else to take her first."
"Well, I'll try, but it's not really up to me." Takeda shrugged good-naturedly. "Now, there's something I wanted to ask you." Takeda faced Kenichi. "Tell me, is it true?"
"Uh, is what true?" Kenichi asked, not knowing what he meant.
"This guy says he beat a shark in the water barehanded." Takeda pointed to Shirou. "Tell me, is it true, or did he make that up?"
"Why would I make something like that up, Takeda? What would be the benefit?" Shirou questioned him.
"I know you're a crazy strong guy, man, but there's no way anyone can just believe that." Takeda argued back.
"You actually told him about that?" Kenichi asked wide-eyed.
"It happened to come up in conversation." Shirou reasoned. "Now, tell him it's true."
"Well… Yeah, it is a true story." Kenichi uncomfortably confirmed it. "Miu and I were there too."
"Well damn, how about that." Takeda now believed it happened but couldn't believe it in a different way. He had a look of being impressed and thrown off while looking at Shirou. "You gotta be the craziest guy I know."
"You should have figured that out a while ago." Shirou replied with a prideful tone.
"Ha, my friend, the shark wrestler, that's gonna be in my head the whole time I'm running." Takeda then turned away and ran out the school gate to do some roadwork. "See ya later, guys! And say hello to that strong-armed hottie girlfriend of yours for me!"
Kenichi watched him go. "Good luck."
Izumi, who had seemed to have been forgotten since the conversation started, felt that now she could try asking again. Even though they weren't alone, she didn't mind as long as she could ask.
"Ahem…" She coughed to get his attention before asking while watering a flowerbed. "So then, are you and Miu…"
"Huh?" Kenichi looked at her with the same reaction as before.
"Hey, Izumi." This time, Shirou interrupted her by turning his attention to the spot she was watering. "You might want to look down."
As it turned out, hiding in the plants and currently being dowsed by the watering can for the flowerbed was Niijima, who was apparently hiding there the whole time. "That's cold."
With that, Niijima burst out from the row of greenery. His sudden appearance shocked both Kenichi and Izumi—So much so that Izumi shrieked and hid behind Kenichi.
"Hey, quit trying to scare me like that!" Kenichi angrily reprimanded him. "What were you doing in there anyway?"
Niijima climbed out of the flowerbed. "Sometimes I have to hide in strange places if I wanna get the inside scoop."
"Go do it someplace else, okay?" Kenichi sarcastically told him with annoyance.
Niijima turned away from him with a huff. "You're colder than that water."
Izumi calmed down and was now really upset. "Ugh… Another person getting in the way…"
"Moving onto the important stuff, do you got any new information for me?" Shirou didn't waste time asking.
"As a matter of fact, I do." Niijima told him with a mischievous smile. "Get this. Kisara Nanjo's getting promoted. She's joining the Seven Deadly Fists."
Shirou's eyes widened. "That lines up with what Takeda told me." He thought before closing his fist. "I guess she got what she wanted in the end."
"Wait, Kisara Nanjo?" Kenichi asked, surprised for a different reason. "You mean the girl from Ragnarok that Takeda used to work for?"
"Oh, she's more than just that. Here, let me enlighten you." Niijima told him as he typed on his PDA. "Kisara Nanjo—A female executive member of Ragnarok who's steadily risen from its ranks. She's also a 2nd Year here."
"We know that much already." Shirou told him.
Kenichi nodded with a frown. "Yeah, she's also the one who's been sending all those Ragnarok goons after us."
"Well, here are some additional facts: She's skilled in Tae-Kwon-Do, and in Ragnarok, she's known as Valkyrie because she makes the fighters she defeats into her underlings." Niijima informed them.
"Valkyrie?" Kenichi repeated that name. "You mean like the Goddess of Norse mythology, the one who guides the souls of dead warriors?"
"Haha, so you do know something? Too bad it's useless geek trivia." Niijima said jokingly as he kept typing on his PDA. "Oh man, I knew Kisara was ambitious, but I thought she'd make it into the Seven Deadly Fists as fast as she has."
"The Seven Deadly Fists, what's that?" Kenichi asked, unaware.
"Don't tell me you haven't heard of them?" Niijima was honestly baffled by how uninformed Kenichi was. "What have you been living inside a cave these past couple of years?"
"The Seven Deadly Fists, like the name suggests, they're the top seven members of Ragnarok." Shirou explained it to him. "Executive members like Kisara control the grunts and act on their own, but these guys control the whole gang of Ragnarok itself. They're the Strongest members and command the most authority. The fact that they let you join them is a huge deal."
"Ha, couldn't have said it better myself. I'm glad at least one of you can keep up with the times." Niijima gave him an offhanded compliment.
"How did you know all that?" Kenichi asked curiously.
"This happened before you showed up, but the day we first confronted Kisara in her base, she said that the reason she wanted me to join her was that she wanted to join the Seven Deadly Fists." Shirou informed him. "She thought that getting strong members and boasting her rank over the other executives would let her cinch the position."
"That's why she wanted you?" Kenichi was unaware of that fact until now.
"Yeah, but it's not like it really matters now." Shirou pointed out. "She got the rank even without Takeda or me, for that matter."
"That goes to show how much of a threat Kisara has become. It's even been acknowledged by the Seven Deadly Fists." Niijima added on. "But, I guess they'll be the Eight Deadly Fists once Kisara joins."
Kenichi started trembling, unable to hide the fact that he was intimidated. "Wow… They sound… Pretty scary."
"They are!" Niijima got so annoyed with him that he knocked the watering can out of his hands. "And it's on you guys that they're getting scarier! The only reason Kisara's becoming a fist is that neither of you has defeated her yet!"
"You make it sound like I haven't been trying." Shirou didn't appreciate Niijima's attitude. "I've been busy knocking out every Delinquent blocking me from her and am only now in a position to fight Kisara. How's it my fault she happened to get promoted first?"
"Well, you'll probably end up fighting her soon enough, one way or another." Niijima went back to his PDA. "I just hope this doesn't derail my plan too much."
"What do you mean, your plan?" Kenichi asked, trying to peak at his PDA.
"Don't worry about it. Besides, I have more news." Niijima pushed him away, hiding what was written on his screen. "Namely Tsuji, he's been vying to become the Eighth Deadly Fist for a while, but Kisara just snatched that spot from right under him. He's totally devastated. Furthermore, I continued to spread bad rumors about him. About this and about that… As a result, his goons have begun to desert him, and the Tsuji gang is a step away from ruin."
Kenichi cringed when he heard how underhanded and sleazy that was. "Ugh… Rotten bastard."
"But I already defeated Tsuji." Shirou reminded him. "So, what's he got to do with this situation?"
"A whole lot, in fact." Niijima told him knowingly. "Ragnarok has assigned someone to punish Takeda. Guess who it is? Tsuji."
"Huh?" Kenichi was surprised while Shirou narrowed his eyes.
"Get it? If you don't do this, your pal Takeda could get banged up, and it's bye-bye Boxing career again." Niijima then wore an evil, manipulative grin. "You've gotta stop Tsuji, and I'm willing to help!"
"We can't let Takeda get hurt again." Kenichi thought urgently. "I have to help him however I can."
"Just don't lose, okay? Of course, I don't need to worry about you losing to someone you've already beaten once before. I can't be too careful, as it would really screw up my plan." Niijima told Shirou while still being vague. "I'm gonna go collect some more data on the Fists that'll really help you, buddy. While I'm doing that, you go work on your skills." He instructed him while doing the hand sign of a popular character from a TV show.
"Now I have a pretty good idea about what planet you're from, Doctor Spock." Kenichi named the reference.
"His name's Mister Spock." Niijima corrected him while walking away.
"Why are we suddenly talking about Star Track?" Shirou asked with half-lidded eyes.
Once he was gone, Izumi wanted to try her luck one more time, but this time, she was interrupted before she could even say a word.
"Hey, you guys!" Miu called out to them from a distance as she ran over to them. "The Gymnastics club is all done. Let's go home together!"
"Oh, sure thing, Miu!" Kenichi waved back at her.
"Considering home is the Dojo, there's not really an alternative." Shirou muttered under his breath.
"She came to pick him up?!" Izumi was taken aback by Miu's sudden arrival.
"Well, Izumi, I'll see you tomorrow." Kenichi told her before they departed.
"Yeah…" Izumi just watched them go before she clutched onto her skirt with one hand and bit into the thumbnail of her other hand. "Can't lose to her."
Outside of school, a standoff was taking place in a small, empty loft in a suburban neighborhood. The one standing there with brash confidence was the newly appointed member of the Eight Deadly Fists—Kisara Nanjo.
Standing across from her was another influential member of Ragnarok who disapproved of her promotion—Shinnosuke Tsuji. Beside him were the only two remaining members of his gang, one who had a cap and one who wore shades.
"You're becoming the Eighth Deadly Fist?" Tsuji scoffed at the notion. "Yeah, right, don't make me laugh. In case you didn't know, Ragnarok only makes Fists out of its most powerful members, sweet cheeks."
"I guess…" Kisara returned his disdain with her as she smugly stared her nose down at him. "That's why they chose me instead of you."
"No way!" Tsuji glared hatefully at her.
Kisara fixed her hat and smirked at him. "But anyway, it looks like your troops have decreased a lot." She noticed sarcastically. "If you were waiting for me to walk into your ambush, your numbers are a bit pathetic…"
"We're the personal guard of Captain Tsuji!" The one with shades proudly declared.
"All the other bastards deserted us for other gangs! All because of the spies that you've sent!" The one with the cap angrily accused her.
"You really think I'd do something so petty?" Kisara let out a tired sigh. "They would never believe me anyways…"
"Enough talk!" Tsuji silenced them before he smirked dangerously. "I got an idea. Why don't you and I fight it out to see who's more worthy of the position?" He challenged her warningly. "But I'm not gonna go easy on ya just 'cause you're a girl."
"Who asked you to?" Kisara was obviously triggered by those words as her eyes became much sharper. "Bring it on."
Kisara got into a fighting position, and so did Tsuji. A fight was about to begin.
Later that day, after leaving the school grounds, the trio were walking along the sidewalk and made their way to Ryozanpaku. While they walked, Miu noticed that Kenichi had a different expression than usual.
"You seem different, confident, tougher even?" Miu evaluated his gaze.
"Yeah, I guess it's because of all the stuff I went through on Fuurinji Island." Kenichi reasoned happily.
"I don't see why it would, considering all you did back there was whine about not being about to swim and run away whenever someone brought up training." Shirou reminded him of the actual events.
Kenichi's confidence took a bit of a hit, but he didn't let it bring him down completely. "Well, I still beat a shark. That's something to feel good about."
"Hey, I beat a shark, my Dad beat a shark, Haruto beat a shark. At best, you fought a shark. Those don't equal the same thing." Shirou indelicately corrected him.
Now Kenichi's confidence took a bigger hit, and he slumped his head down. Miu salvaged the situation before it got any worse. "Even so, saying you fought a shark isn't something just anyone can say they've done. That's a story you'll tell your grandkids one day."
Kenichi immediately recovered and smiled. "Yeah, never in a million years did I ever think I'd fight a shark." He held his head high. "I should thank that shark for helping me work up my courage. Now I feel like I can take on anybody."
Suddenly, Shirou came to a halt and stopped walking, which got Kenichi and Miu's attention as they stopped as well and wondered what was wrong.
"Hey, what happened? Why'd you stop?" Kenichi asked curiously.
Shirou pointed his finger forward. "Take a look."
They both looked to see a sight that caused them to gasp in surprise. In front of them were the two remaining members of Tsuji's gang walking out of a nearby loft, but what shocked them was what they were carrying.
Being held up and carried by shoulders was the beaten and unconscious form of Tsuji. His two grunts had expressions filled with concern as they held him up. Tsuji's face and body were messed up. He looked almost as bad as he did after fighting Shirou.
Anyone looking at them could tell what this meant—Tsuji had just lost a fight badly, and the two of them were retreating with him.
"Tsuji…?" Kenichi breathed out, trying to make sense of what he was seeing. "What happened to him?"
"Well, obviously, he got pretty beaten up." Miu stated the obvious.
"That's not what I meant." Kenichi kept his gaze on the form of Tsuji, which was getting smaller from the growing distance between them. "I don't get it. Tsuji's so strong he even gave Shirou a hard time. Who could have done that to him?"
Shirou didn't say anything and just started walking again as he made his way toward the loft that Tsuji and his gang just walked out of.
"Hey, where are you going?" Kenichi asked him.
Shirou ignored him and continued to advance forward. All he was interested in was seeing who was in there because they were the one responsible for defeating Tsuji, and Shirou already had a pretty good idea as to who it was.
As he turned and walked into the loft, Shirou smirked when he saw that it was indeed who he was expecting to see. "I had a feeling it was you."
Kisara stood in the center of the empty open space and was dusting off her shirt. She wasn't unscathed after that fight, as her clothes were dusty and she had a bit of dirt around her face.
It didn't take long for her to notice that she wasn't alone as she looked up and saw Shirou approach before he stood before her. Seeing him caused her to smirk back at him.
"Well, well, we meet again." Kisara addressed him confidently.
"Long time no see." Shirou remained confident as Kenichi and Miu arrived and saw for themselves that it was Kisara.
"Ah, it's… Kisara Nanjo?" Kenichi was surprised to see her again under these circumstances.
"I see that you're both still together, and you two came further than I was expecting." Kisara said as though she was evaluating Shirou and Kenichi. "I suppose I should congratulate you on taking down Takeda's three-man army."
"If we're talking about congratulations, I should be offering them to you, considering your recent promotion to the Eight Deadly Fists." Shirou told her with his hands casually in his pockets. "I guess you didn't need my help after all."
"So it would seem, it's a shame since I was really hoping you'd join me, but now that I have the title, there's isn't much point anymore." Kisara gave him a sharp gaze. "So now, that means I have to crush you."
"Well, out works out. We agreed that if I defeated your Takedown Trio, you'd fight me one-on-one." Shirou reminded her, returning her gaze with his own. "Even has changed. I kept my end of the agreement, so now I can fight you."
"That sounds just fine to me. After all, I've been wanting to fight you for a while now." Kisara accepted provocatively.
Their words and conversations may have appeared casual at first, but Kenichi and Miu could feel it—From the moment they started, there was tension in the air, and it only kept increasing as they went on until right now when it was ready to blow.
Shirou kept his hands in his pockets while Kisara got into her fighting stance with her dominant leg in front. Miu's eyes were focused on Kisara's stance, especially her legs.
"The way her pants are cut and those defined quadriceps are dead giveaways, her specialty must be kicking, and the way she holds her stance to her advantage like that, she's no amateur. She's a skilled fighter." Miu accurately deduced before advising Shirou. "She's a lot more powerful than she looks. Don't let your guard down, understand?"
"Niijima already gave me info on her. Don't worry. I know what I'm up against." Shirou reassured her, not taking his eyes off Kisara.
Oddly enough, Kenichi seemed to be the only one who was not pressured by the situation. "You don't need to take this so seriously. I mean, she's a girl, remember."
Hearing those words caused Kisara to sneer at him. "Yeah, do you have a problem with that?"
"Well, sorta?" Kenichi nervously blurted.
Shirou groaned at him, fed up. "Could you not act like a caveman right now?"
"Don't call me that!" Kenichi was unhappy with his attitude. "It's just that one of my rules in life is that a guy should never hit a girl."
"And that's what makes you a caveman." Shirou practically spat on his statement.
"Doesn't that make it sound like I'm not a girl since you try to hit me in our sparring sessions?" Miu wore a smile that didn't do a good job of hiding how unhappy she sounded.
"But, with you, I know you won't let me get a punch in." Kenichi tried to defend himself.
"Oh, so you admit you've at least been trying to hit me?" Miu narrowed her eyes at him.
Kenichi raised his hands in surrender. "No, not really. I'm not trying to hit you. Just touch you."
"Touch me, where?" Miu frowned at him.
"Um… On your shoulders?" Kenichi truly felt trapped right now.
Shirou had the face of someone who couldn't believe they were even having this conversation as they went on. "I really gotta start walking home alone."
Kisara had just about enough of this and made the first move. She swung out her left leg and threw a sharp, looping high kick, not at Shirou, but at Kenichi.
The result was that her kick only gazed at him, but the edge of her kick was so sharp that even with only a gaze, the bandaid beneath Kenichi's eye was cut right down the middle as though it was sliced by a knife.
"Refusing to fight a girl is sexist. It's stupid crap like that that pisses me off." Kisara told him with venom in her voice. "If you think I'm anything like all those guys you fought before, you're gonna be in for a rude awakening."
While Kenichi saw his bandaid fall to the ground, Shirou stepped forward and narrowed his gaze at Kisara. "Hey, your opponent is me. Leave him out of this."
"Hmph, fine, I'm still pissed, but I'm not done with you either." Kisara got back in her stance. "Let's get started."
Shirou looked over her with his eyes as though he was sizing her. After a while, he just sighed and let out a resigned sigh. "Hey, Kisara…" He then looked at her with a disappointed expression. "Let's not do this, not yet, at least."
"Huh?" Kisara was thrown off by his suggestion, and so were Kenichi and Miu, but then she glared at him. "What's the deal? What are you like, your friend? Can't fight a girl?"
"Don't get it twisted, gender doesn't mean shit to me in a fight, but the way I see it, fighting you right now wouldn't be worth it." Shirou clarified before he elaborated. "I mean, not when you aren't at your best."
Kisara was a little taken aback by what he had just said when Kenichi asked. "Not at her best. What do you mean?"
"It shouldn't be hard to figure out. I mean, she did just fight Tsuji." He reminded them. "And while she may have won that fight, it wasn't without issues. She's tough, but even she's gotta be feeling fatigued after that." Shirou explained to them. "I'd say she'd be a step slower than usual if we fought right now."
"That does make sense now that I think about it." Miu pieced his logic together.
"So what?" Kisara didn't deny it but didn't seem to care. "You think I can't fight you just because I'm a little winded? I can fight whenever and wherever I need to, and I certainly don't need you making excuses for me."
"That's not the issue here. The point is that if you're not at your very best, I'm not interested in fighting you at all." Shirou told her bluntly.
That made Kisara stop for a moment. "You, what?"
"What I want right now is to fight Kisara Nanjo—The Eighth Deadly Fist—In her best condition because that way, I know I'll have beaten because I was the stronger fighter without question." Shirou continued, completely serious. "I couldn't care less about fighting any version of you that isn't your 100%."
Kisara looked at him as though she was having trouble believing he was serious. "Are you honestly telling me you won't fight me if I'm not at my best? You have to be the first Delinquent I've seen who'd take that kind of approach, or are you really that naive?"
"If you ask me, you're the weird one here. It's true; cornering a tough opponent when they're not at their best is rare and would make crushing them a lot easier. Not many would pass up an opportunity like that." Shirou conceded on that point. "But, that kind of victory wouldn't satisfy me. What point is there in a win that I can't even enjoy? I wanna feel good when I win." He explained passionately. "After all, isn't that why we're Delinquents in the first place? So we can do what we enjoy, however we like it?"
Kenichi and Miu may not be Delinquents, but Kisara certainly was, and that was why she could find both meaning and understanding in his words, enough that she couldn't argue with him and let out a small laugh.
"Well, you got me there. Honestly, you're more of a simple guy than I thought." Kisara confessed, more relaxed than before. "But I don't really hate that type of simplicity."
Kenichi felt a familiar atmosphere in the current situation. Right now, the vibe between the two of them was similar to the one created between Shirou and Tsuji before they thought, which made Kenichi deadpan. "I noticed a trend. Why does he seem to be surprisingly good at finding common ground with our enemies?"
"Well, lucky for you, this actually works out. There's somewhere else I need to be, so I guess you're off the hook for now." Kisara informed him before she walked past them and started to leave. "But not for long. I'll be seeing you and your buddy, Takeda, soon enough, and we'll settle things once and for all."
Kenichi stepped forward and confronted her. "Why are you and your gang hassling him?! Why can't you just leave him alone?!" He demanded.
Kisara stopped and smiled threateningly at him with sharp eyes. "Maybe I'll consider it if you defeat me."
With that final ultimatum, she walked out of the loft and left the three of them. Shirou calmly watched her depart while Kenichi looked worried.
"What do I do?" Kenichi asked himself while filled with concern. "I don't want to fight a girl, but now it seems like I have no other choice?"
"Quit being so vain." Shirou told him, annoyed that he was still talking like that. "For one thing, the one who's going to fight her will be me, and even if you could fight her, you're just gonna lose."
"I'm afraid he's right, Kenichi." Miu informed him forebodingly. "Even if you agree to fight her, she'll beat you. There's no possible way you can win."
"What?" Kenichi was surprised that she felt that sure about it.
"I mean, at least in your current state, she's much more powerful and much more experienced." Miu reasoned with him. "I'd say you at least need to be strong enough to score a point against me; otherwise, you won't be able to lay a finger on her."
"Seriously, to you, landing one hit on you is equivalent to beating Kisara?" Shirou thought while giving her exasperated expression. "I was wrong. She's the one who's vain."
Kenichi looked at Shirou, still feeling worried. "Shirou, be honest. Do you think you can beat her?"
"Well, personally, I've never met someone I didn't think I could beat." Shirou answered, leaning his chin upward. "But she wasn't wrong when she said she wasn't like any of the others. It'd be in our best interest to get stronger before anything else, especially since we have the opportunity."
Kenichi cringed and put on a painful smile. "So, there's only one way to get stronger… Advanced technique training?"
Shirou clearly didn't have a problem with that. "The sooner we get started, the better."
Night had fallen once again, and this time, something was taking place in a quiet part of town. Right now, at a large, open, and empty patch of land, a gang of Delinquents had gathered for the purpose of starting a brawl. The gang consisted of 50 members, some of whom carried weapons, with the leader standing in front of them being a large, muscular Delinquent.
The location they were in wasn't completely empty, though. A few feet away from them was a large concrete bridge connected to an overground train railroad. Unbeknownst to the gang of Delinquents, Niijima had arrived to secretly watch the events that would take place tonight and was hiding behind one of the bridge's sanctions.
The leader of the Delinquents suddenly noticed the presence of an outsider and looked toward the bridge. "Hey, you! Come out of there!"
Niijima became nervous and believed he had been caught, but instead, someone else had stepped out and confronted the gang of Delinquents, having been hiding behind a different sanction of the bridge. This time, the one who appeared was none other than Kisara. Unlike earlier today, she was wearing black leather gloves that had golden insignia of the Roman numeral number eight (VII).
The gang leader tilted his head back with skepticism. "What the heck? There's only one of you."
"No…" Someone else stepped out to join her. "There are eight of us."
Upon his words, more of them stepped out from the shadows until their numbers totaled eight. The one who spoke appeared to be the leader as he stood in the front, but his appearance, as well as the appearance of most of them, were hidden under the shroud of the night and the shadows, so they appeared to resemble silhouettes. One thing that Niijima noticed was that each of them wore gloves like Kisara's, but they each had a different number, counting from eight to one.
"They have numbered insignias on their gloves. Only the toughest Ragnarok members wear those!" Niijima thought with both fear and realization. "Those guys must be… The Eight Deadly Fists."
"Do you think this is some kind of joke!?" The Delinquent leader yelled, insulted by their small amount of number. "I thought we were finally gonna settle the score!? I brought 50 guys, and you only brought eight?! Mismatched odds are fine with us. It's your funeral!"
"We just to be fair, we should even the odds so you'll only fight three of us for now." The leader of the Fists decided stoically.
"Say what?!" The Delinquent only felt further insulted.
"You'll be fighting our newest member, The Eighth Fist—Valkyrie." He declared as Kisara stepped forward. "The Sixth Fist—Hermit. And the Fourth Fist—Loki."
All three of them stepped forward, and now that Loki and Hermit stepped out of the shadows, their appearances were revealed.
Hermit wears a dark hood and cloak with armbands and leather boots. Under his cloak, he wore a skintight blackish-purple shirt that hugged his well-defined upper body muscles and baggy pants that were the same color as his shirt, along with leather gloves. The symbols on his gloves are that of the Roman numeral number six (VI).
Loki is a tall, muscular young man with light blue hair that sticks up in the front and has combed in the back. He wears a long dark trench coat with dark gloves that have golden insignia shaped in the Roman numeral for the number four (IV) and a skin-tight fighting outfit. He's well known for always wearing his bug-like goggles.
"I sincerely hope your men can handle it." The leader of the Fists said, though his tone suggests that he doubted it.
"Once we're done with them, we'll take care of you!" The Delinquent leader yelled unintimidated before he turned to his gang. "Come on! Let's destroy 'em!"
The whole gang roared widely before they charged at the three Ragnarok members set up to face them. Niijima kept hiding as he watched the battle take place and trembled at what he saw.
"3 against 50?" He thought, almost unable to believe it.
What transpired could hardly even be called a fight. Despite there only being three of them, they effortlessly and ruthlessly decimated their enemies. The more that joined the battle, the more victims there were as the night was filled with the echoing, pain-filled wails of the Delinquents who were being slaughtered by the Eight Fists of Ragnarok.
In virtually no time at all, it was settled. The night went quiet, and the ground was covered with the defeated bodies of the enemy gang. None were conscious by this point.
Now, Niijima looked like he had just witnessed a nightmare. "Oh man, they took down 50 guys without even breaking a sweat! And that was only three of the eight."
With their business settled, the Eight Deadly Fists departed and left the scene, leaving behind their beaten opponents and Niijima, who was never discovered in the end.
The next morning, the residents of Ryozanpaku Dojo all gathered around the dining table after Miu had informed them that breakfast was ready.
Kenichi sat in his usual spot and ate nervously while the Masters conversed while they ate.
"Well, it's today, this afternoon. Shirou will begin the advanced training." Akisame reminded them.
Kensei nodded pleasantly. "Yes, I'm looking forward to it."
"Speaking of which, what do you say about starting the advanced training this afternoon as well, Kenichi?" Sakaki suggested.
As if he didn't even hear him, Kenichi put down his chopsticks after finishing his food faster than everyone else. "Thanks for the food, Masters. I don't want to be late for school." He then got up and headed for the door. "Miu, we've gotta go."
"What, no, we don't?" Miu argued, not in any rush. "We still have time."
Kenichi didn't acknowledge her response or even wait for her as he swiftly walked out the door and departed in order to escape the whole situation.
"Tch…" Sakaki clicked his tongue in annoyance at Kenichi's attitude. "Guess that's no."
"I thought Kenichi conquered his fears on the Island. After all that he's been through, why is he scared of a new type of training?" Akisame wondered.
"You know, we could just force him to do it?" Sakaki suggested impatiently.
"Remember what happened the last time we tried that?" Hayato pointed out, swaying away from that approach. "It would just make him fear the training even more. Let's just give him some time. He's proven to be the type to come around eventually."
"I suppose that's all we can." Akisame accepted that reasoning. "For now, let's just be content with training Shirou."
"Ha, if Kenichi doesn't come around soon, I'll gonna have to train the punk twice as hard." Sakaki said enthusiastically.
"I doubt he'd have a problem with that." Kensei commented.
Later that day, at the school, the bell had already rung, and class let out, but Kenichi remained seated at his desk as his mind kept wandering back to recent events.
(Yeah, it's recovering pretty quickly.) Takeda assured him while holding up his left arm. (So much, in fact, that I joined the school's Boxing club.)
(That goes to show how much of a threat Kisara has become; it's even been acknowledged by the Seven Deadly Fists.) Niijima added on. (But I guess they'll be the Eight Deadly Fists once Kisara joins.)
Kisara informed him before she walked past them and started to leave. (But not for long; I'll be seeing you and your buddy, Takeda, soon enough, and we'll settle things once and for all.)
(I'm afraid he's right, Kenichi.) Miu informed him forebodingly. (Even if you agree to fight her, she'll beat you. There's no possible way you can win.)
(Well, personally, I've never met someone I didn't think I could beat.) Shirou answered, leaning his chin upward. (But she wasn't wrong when she said she wasn't like any of the others. It'd be in our best interest to get stronger before anything else, especially since we have the opportunity.)
Kenichi was so lost that he didn't even notice Miu standing beside his desk with a worried look on his face.
After school was over, the two of them met up with Shirou, and they headed back to the Dojo. Along the way, Kenichi let out a tired and depressed sigh.
"What's the matter?" Miu finally asked. "You can tell us something's bothering you, isn't it?"
"Which isn't hard to pick up on, considering something always seems to be bothering you." Shirou noted.
"It's just the training for the advanced techniques." Kenichi confessed reluctantly. "I'm really worried about it."
"You are?" Miu found that odd. "That's strange; usually, people are happy when they progress from one level to the next. The training is tough, but you shouldn't be scared of it."
"Or let me guess. You got freaked out because the Masters were talking about death and how you may not survive again?" Shirou guessed based on his history.
"They did spook me, but it's not that." Kenichi let out a nervous laugh before sighing again. "Honestly, it's not just the actual training. Something else scares me even more than that."
"What?" Miu asked.
Kenichi answered her question with a question. "You guys know I'm not the best student?"
A bead of sweat dropped from Miu's brow. "Well, I guess."
"I'm pretty sure everyone knows that." Shirou told him tiredly.
Kenichi stopped walking, and so did they. "Even though I've been training like mad for weeks… If the Masters taught me the advanced techniques and I still didn't improve… Well, I'd be letting them down again, and they'd be incredibly disappointed in me." Kenichi lowered his head in melancholy. "And I just don't think I could live with myself if that happened."
Miu wanted to say something to him, but Shirou beat her to it. "Sometimes I'm amazed at how stupid the things you say are."
"Huh?" Kenichi clearly didn't expect that response.
"You're afraid to try it because you're worried about disappointing others?" Shirou summarized. "Would you listen to yourself for once? You always do this. You always look for something or another to worry about and needlessly stress out about it."
"That's not what I'm doing." Kenichi tried to argue.
"Then tell me something, how long do you plan on putting this off?" Shirou questioned him. "Are you just going to keep avoiding the advanced training until you think you're ready? And how long do you plan on waiting? Weeks, months, are just long enough until they stop asking about it?"
Kenichi remained quiet. He couldn't answer that question simply because he didn't have an answer. He knew he was just running from his problems again but just didn't know how to face this issue, but saying that would just be another excuse.
Shirou didn't wait for a response and continued. "You seriously need to look at it from a different angle. Think about it. They're always telling you that you don't have talent and stuff, and yet, they decided that you should do this training. Why else would they decide that unless they knew without a doubt that you're ready?"
Kenichi looked up at him when he heard that. "You think so?"
"Right now, the only one who doesn't think you can do it is you." Shirou informed him. "And personally, those feelings of self-doubt hold you back more than any lack of talent. Someone who believes he'll fail before he even starts will never taste success."
Those words seemed to have an effect on Kenichi as his expression seemed to change. While he still didn't seem confident, he appeared to be less worried than before, and he stopped staring at the ground with dismay.
Kenichi hesitated a bit before he asked. "Um, Shirou… What about you? Do you think I'm ready?"
"That's not the question you should be asking." Shirou told him before turning away. "The only person who you should care if they told you that you're truly ready or not is yourself, 'cause that's the opinion you should most value."
After finishing those words, Shirou started walking again, and the other two followed him. Kenichi's nerves seemed to loosen up after that conversation, and he looked more like his usual self.
Miu smiled when she saw Kenichi cheer up a bit from Shirou's words. "I should have figured. Shirou always knows what to say to lift him up."
"Hey, there, pal." Niijima suddenly sprung out from behind a telephone pole. "What's up?"
Neither Shirou nor Miu was surprised by his appearance, but Kenichi was greatly startled. "Uwaa! Would you stop jumping out on me like that?"
"What brings you here?" Shirou asked business as usual.
"I just felt like I should tell you that Tsuji is down the road ahead of you." Niijima casually informed him.
"Wait, Tsuji's down there?" Kenichi looked ahead, not expecting that.
"What's he want?" Shirou asked while raising a brow.
"Who can say? All I know is that he's waiting for you since he knows this is your usual route." Niijima answered with his usual evil grin. "Maybe he's still pissed about losing the other day and wants to let out some frustration, or maybe he just wants to avenge the defeat you handed him. Either way, he's itching for a fight."
"You good for nothing, alien freak! You did this, didn't you!?" Kenichi angrily accused him while grabbing Niijima by his collar. "You told Tsuji this was our usual route, didn't you?!"
"You say that like it's a bad thing!" Niijima let out a diabolical laugh while Kenichi shook him.
Shirou just sighed and continued walking. "Let's go."
Kenichi stopped and looked at him. "Wait, where are you going?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Shirou said without turning around. "If he's there, I'm not just going to keep him waiting."
"What, you're actually going?" Kenichi asked, following after him. "Why would you do that? This is just Niijima trying to manipulate you."
"If he were capable of that, we wouldn't have this discussion. I'm not doing this for him." Shirou informed him. "Regardless of the time or place, I won't back down when I'm challenged, especially by someone I've fought before."
"But I don't get why you'd want to." Kenichi still hoped to convince him. "If you've already beaten once before, what point is there in fighting him again."
Shirou didn't heed his concerns and just kept walking. "That's exactly what I plan on finding out."
Kenichi stayed right behind him, and Miu walked behind the two of them to see how the situation would turn out as well. Niijima went as well but did so while sneaking around in an attempt to stay hidden.
After walking for a short while, the trio arrived at the same loft where Tsuji confronted Kisara the day before. Like then, he was with his two guards and looked ready for a fight. Kenichi and Miu stayed behind Shirou as he walked up to Tsuji.
Tsuji smirked disdainfully at him. "You finally showed up. I was getting bored of waiting."
"Well, I'm here now." Shirou frowned at him. "Now spill it. What do you want from me?"
"Isn't it obvious? I want to destroy you." Tsuji pointed his finger at him. "Once I beat you, everything will start going my way again."
Shirou picked up on that remark and raised a brow. "What?"
"Everything started going sour after that day I lost to you. Nearly my whole gang abandon me—Except for these two guys." Tsuji referred to his remaining two guards. "I got shafted from being one of the Deadly Fists, and worst of all is what happened with Kisara."
Shirou narrowed his eyes at him. "And… You think beating me is somehow going to fix all that?"
"Hell yeah." Tsuji cracked his knuckles to prepare for a fight. "After I beat you, I'll recruit a new gang and build my numbers back up. Then I'll challenge Kisara for real and take her spot as a Fist for myself. Just wait and see."
While Tsuji seemed determined and ready for a fight, Shirou just looked to be increasingly disinterested, and the way he looked at Tsuji was different. It was almost as though—He was disappointed in him.
Oddly enough, to everyone present, Shirou didn't respond with words. Instead, he turned around and started to walk away. "Come on, we're leaving."
.
.
.
[Huh?] All five of them expressed their confusion.
Shirou walked past Kenichi and Miu. "Let's go. We're gonna be late for training."
"Wait, you're just leaving? Just like that?!" Kenichi fully expressed his astonishment at his decision.
"Isn't that what you wanted?" Shirou pointed out.
"Well… I mean, yeah, but I still don't get it!" Kenichi's confusion came from how out-of-character Shirou was being.
"Just what are you trying to pull, you bastard?!" Tsuji yelled with anger. "I just called you out, and you're going to just walk away?!"
"I did originally come here for a fight, but I was mistaken. I must have confused you for someone else." Shirou said dispassionately, looking back at him with complete boredom. "The guy I remember fighting was a man much stronger than you. He didn't act as weak as your being now."
"…W…Weak?" Tsuji stopped—While some of the others didn't understand the meaning of those words, they made Tsuji ponder.
"Actually, I just thought of a better idea." Shirou offhandedly noted before looking at Kenichi. "Kenichi, you fight him."
"W…What?!" Kenichi was caught off guard by that sudden suggestion. "What are you talking about?!"
"Don't get so stressed out. I wouldn't tell you to do it if I didn't know you could pull it off." Shirou attempted to calm him down. "Consider it an opportunity to see how much stronger you've gotten."
"He's right. You should do it." Miu added, agreeing with him. "After all the training you've done, this'll be a good way to test your progress."
"B-But…" Kenichi was still nervous about fighting him. "Isn't this a bit extreme just to see my progress? I mean, this is Tsuji we're talking about."
"Listen, if not for yourself, do it for Takeda." Shirou told him with a serious expression.
Kenichi stopped being nervous at the mention of their friend. "Takeda?"
"Remember, Tsuji is supposed to be the guy in charge of his beating." Shirou reminded him of that detail. "You said you wanted to protect him. Well, this is your chance."
Kenichi gulped and closed his fists as he looked down. "He's right. I don't want Takeda to get hurt again, and I promised I'd help him. Even if I'm not strong enough to stop Kisara, I can at least do this much for him." Steeling his resolve, Kenichi looked up. "All right, I'll do it."
Shirou nodded, glad that he had come to a decision before he looked over at Tsuji. "Hear that? If you still want a fight, you'll have to fight my friend here."
Tsuji narrowed his eyes at him but kept his composure. "Fine, but after I beat him, you have to agree to accept my challenge." He demanded.
"If you win, I'll take you on anytime." Shirou replied confidently.
"Then it's a deal." Tsuji was satisfied as he walked forward to confront Kenichi. "This ain't your day, kid. You've just been sent out to be killed."
Kenichi walked forward to face him as well. "You're wrong. I'll be you and protect my friend." He declared with determination.
The two of them stopped after they met in the middle, and both of them locked their gazes on each other, ready to begin at the drop of a hat. Kenichi fixed his posture and got into a Karate stance while Tsuji raised his arms and was prepared to strike.
The fight started in an instant. Tsuji made the first move by throwing a straight punch at Kenichi's head, but Kenichi responded by deflecting his punch with a palm strike.
Now, with an opportunity to strike back, Kenichi threw his own straight punch at Tsuji. But Tsuji was able to see the line of his attack and crossed his arms over his chest to block it.
"What are you trying to do with those lame punches?" Tsuji confidently held his ground. "Bring it on—!"
WHAM!
As it turned out, Tsuji underestimated the weight behind Kenichi's punch, which easily tore through his guard like a battering ram and smashed into his face. Kenichi's punch knocked Tsuji off his feet and sent him flying back before he hit the ground hard and stayed down.
Miu looked on in joy and amazement while Shirou looked pleased, as though he was hoping for this outcome. Tsuji's two guards were dumbfounded and ran to him in concern.
Meanwhile, Kenichi remained standing there with his arm stretched out, marveling at what he had just done and trying to figure out how he had done it.
"I… Knocked him out?" Kenichi questioned himself.
Miu approached him and looked over his outstretched arm. "That explains why they feel you're ready for advanced training." She felt the definition of his muscles.
"What do you mean?" Kenichi asked curiously.
"That Kung Fu move you just did, that proves you can take what you learned from your training and put it to use." Miu went on to explain. "And you thought you hadn't improved at all, but you obviously have. That's why the Masters suggested you begin advanced training. They could see you were ready for it."
"I didn't really even think about that punch. I just did it." Kenichi confessed, still trying to process all this. "I guess my training is paying off."
"Well, you can't exactly take all the credit for this one." Shirou noted as he turned his attention to Tsuji. "True, you have gotten stronger, but it's also true that he's gotten weaker."
"Weaker?" Kenichi repeated.
Before either of them could ask what he meant by that, Shirou approached the fallen Delinquent. Tsuji finally started to wake up as his vision began to unblur, and he could make out the faces of his two gang members.
"Tsuji, ah damn." The one with shades gasped.
"Are you alright, man?" The one with the cap asked.
Tsuji fully opened his eyes and sat up. "W-What just happened?" He asked before he quickly realized it for himself. "Ah, I get it. I lost…" He lowered his head in defeat. "Fair and square. Well, I guess that settles it then." He looked away from his guards, no longer able to face them. "You two get outta here and join another gang. You don't wanna ruin your street cred by being seen with me."
"No, we can't leave." The one with shades argued emotionally.
"We don't want to join another gang. We'll stick with you." The one with the cap insisted.
"A gang with no members whose leader has been defeated three times?" Tsuji asked in self-depreciation. "We used to be feared and respected, but now look at us. We're nothing but one big joke. As of this moment, this gang is no more." He said decidedly. "A man's worth is determined by the number of men under his command. I used to have many, but now I have nothing."
Tsuji was about to walk away in defeat, but before he could leave, Shirou stood in front of his path.
"I was right. You have gotten weaker."
"Huh?" Tsuji was caught off guard by that sudden remark.
"I figured already, but you're different from before." Shirou went on. "You're hardly like the guy I fought before."
"What are you trying to say?" Tsuji still didn't understand.
"Do you remember what you said before our fight?" Shirou didn't wait for him to answer. "You said that a man's greatest desire in his life is freedom. Everything you do is about being free, or have you forgotten?"
"Of course I haven't!" Tsuji loudly insisted. "How could I?"
"Because you're acting like it." Shirou pointed out. "I get that you wanted to reach the top of Ragnarok, but just listen to yourself—You want a lot of followers, you want to join the Eight Deadly Fists, you want more street cred. When did you become a man who was so insecure that he demanded validation from others?" He questioned him.
"…?" Tsuji paused. It was as though he didn't even notice it until that moment, and now, he didn't know what to say.
Kenichi also reacted as he suddenly thought back to what Shirou had told him earlier.
(The only person who you should care if they told you that you're truly ready or not is yourself, 'cause that's the opinion you should most value.)
"I felt it when we fought. Your fists were heavy, so much so that I was seeing stars every time I got hit. Those were the punches of a guy who truly knew he was strong and didn't care about what anyone else had to say about it. So where did all your confidence go?" Shirou continued, holding up his own fist. "A guy who only feels strong through titles or because others say so—The weight behind the fists of a man like that are light, that's why you lost."
"My fists are light…?" Tsuji looked at his hands. He processed Shirou's words, being defeated by Kisara and then Kenichi, losing his gang and his confidence. After letting it all replay in his mind, he gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. "Yeah, you're right… You're totally right." He admitted with frustration. "What the hell happened to me? When did I become a pansy who cared about what everyone else thought of me?"
"Tsuji…?" His remaining gang member with the cap reached out with concern.
"Are you okay?" The other asked, also concerned.
"SCREW IT ALL!"
Tsuji's sudden outburst made everyone except Shirou jump as he started them. But he was done as he shouted with more spirit and emotion than before.
"To Hell with Kisara, the Eight Deadly Fists, and all of Ragnarok! To Hell with all of them!" Tsuji yelled violently. "I don't need anyone to tell me where I stand! I'll reach the top my own way and kick the ass of anyone who tries to stop! That's the kinda man Shinnosuke Tsuji is!"
[Yeah!] Both of his henchmen happily encouraged that statement.
"It looks like he's back in good spirits." Miu noticed pleasantly.
"I don't think that's a good thing." Kenichi muttered, not seeing the upside to this outcome.
"Well, I suppose it works out for me either way." Niijima commented, suddenly beside Kenichi.
"Ah! I told you to cut that out!" Kenichi shrieked after suddenly noticing Nijima's presence.
Tsuji then went back to face Shirou. "Listen, punk, we'll put it off for now, but I'll be back after a while, and when I see you again, we'll settle things for real."
Shirou looked perfectly fine with that arrangement. "Sounds good to me. Just make sure you come back stronger than ever."
"You better believe I will." Tsuji gave him a confident smirk.
"We'll go with you." The one with shades told him.
"Yeah, if you're gonna head out, then so will we." The one with the cap added.
Tsuji was surprised by their words. "What? You still wanna stick with me?"
"Yeah, come on, yo. We go wherever you go, man." The one with shades said emotionally.
"Hell yeah, the three of us are a team, no matter what." The one with the cap said earnestly.
"You guys…" Tsuji did his best to hold back his tears before he turned away. "All right, we'll do it. We're a new independent gang from this day forth. That means we break off our ties with Ragnarok!"
"Yeah!" The with the cap accepted that decision.
"Sounds good to me. Let's do it." The one with shades agreed.
With that settled, the three of them started walking away and were ready to leave, but just before they exited the loft, Tsuji turned back to them.
"Hey, Tsukiharu." Tsuji started.
"What?" Shirou replied.
"That friend of yours, the boxer guy, I'm guessing you already heard that he's getting his farewell beating pretty soon." Tsuji brought up.
Shirou narrowed his eyes at that statement. "I have."
"Hey!" Kenichi immediately reacted to that topic and stepped forward. "When is it, do you know?"
"I don't know the exact date, but I was supposed to head up the whole thing, but obviously, that's not the case anymore." Tsuji said before he went on to explain. "All I know is that Kisara will be there, along with a witness from the Eight Deadly Fists."
"One of the Eight Deadly Fists?" Kenichi repeated.
"Which one?" Shirou questioned him.
"The Sixth Fist—The one they call Hermit." Tsuji answered, sounding cautious, just mentioning him. "I'd watch out for him. He's bad news. See ya around."
Once he was finished passing on that information, Tsuji and the two with him finally left, but the others didn't watch them go as they noticed Niijima had started trembling in fear after hearing that name.
"Did… He say, Hermit?" Niijima sounded as though he was hoping that he just misheard him.
"Do you know anything about him?" Kenichi asked, wondering what was wrong.
"Uh Huh, I saw him fight a whole gang." Niijima looked spooked just remembering it. "It was pretty intense. Only three of the eight fists fought, but they took down 50 men in like 30 seconds."
This information clearly intimidated Kenichi, and it was as though he was only now coming to terms with the enormous threat they were up against. Shirou didn't seem intimidated, but that wasn't to say he took this information lightly.
"It's not like beating a whole gang alone is beyond the realm of possibility, but the individual skills of this Hermit guy is the bigger problem." Shirou evaluated the situation. "He's two ranks above Kisara and has been a Fist for much longer than her. I can already tell this'll be an uphill battle."
"So, what's the plan?" Miu asked them.
"I already know what I'm going to do." Shirou responded before looking at Kenichi. "So, what's yours?"
Kenichi didn't answer, but he had already come to a decision as he tightly closed his fists and raised his head.
With all that taken care of, the three of them finally arrived at the Dojo as Miu announced their arrival. When they arrived, Kenichi went to Akisame, and the other two went with him.
"Welcome back." Akisame greeted them, looking over at Shirou. "Shirou, now that you're here, we can begin the advanced training."
"Before that, Kenichi has something he needs to say." Shirou told him.
"Oh, what's that?" Akisame asked him.
"Master Koetsuji." Kenichi addressed him seriously. "I've decided, starting today, I also want to begin training for the advanced techniques."
Akisame could see the change in his eyes. There was no fear in Kenichi's gaze, only fire. He had the fiery will of a Martial Artist who wanted to walk down the harsh road to become stronger than his current self.
Seeing that made Akisame smile. "I don't know what happened, but that look in your eyes is completely different from the one this morning. So, shall we get started then?"
[Yes.] Both Disciples said together.
—…
And that's the chapter.
First of all, I changed a few things in this chapter. This time, no one interrupted Kisara and Tsuji when they were about to fight like in the canon, and Kisara proved she was stronger by beating him. I know some of you might have wanted to see it, but considering all that really mattered was the outcome, it felt gratuitous to write the actual fight.
Now, at the end of the chapter, it happened like the original with Kenichi one-shotting Tsuji, but the reason for that this time was more than helping Kenichi realize how much stronger he's become. It was an eye-opening experience for Tsuji; mental and psychological baggage can affect a person's ability to perform and weigh them down. It can even make them appear weaker than they really are, and that's what Tsuji was going through.
Helping him realize that was the key to helping him move forward, and now Tsuji will be able to grow much stronger. And yes, he will be gone for a while, like in the canon, but I assure you that Tsuji will return much sooner than he originally did and will stay in this version.
Anyway, thanks for reading. Hope you enjoyed. If you want more, leave a review. If you liked the story, click the follow/favorite button. If you want an earlier release, feel free to become a patron, and as always, have an awesome day.