Hey everyone, and welcome to this chapter. This chapter will be entirely fight-based, with only a bit of dialogue here and there, so keep that in mind as you read it. 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.

A New Alliance Is Born

—…

The sun had set entirely, and it was now the dead of night. In the middle of this darkness, Kenichi ran as fast as he could in hopes of reaching the spot where the fighting was taking place before it was too late to save Takeda.

While running, Kenichi thought to himself. "He's somewhere along this rail line. But that's still a lot of ground to cover. Where… Where could he be? Takeda!"

"Kenichi!" He stopped when he heard Miu call out his name.

Kenichi looked up to see Miu standing on top of one of the phone towers above the railway and pointing in a direction.

"I found them! They're right over there!" Miu told him from above.

Kenichi just looked baffled at seeing her up so high. "Miu, how did you manage to get all the way up there?"

"They're in that alleyway!" Miu ignored him and continued. "You could easily run right by it if you didn't know where to look."

Miu then jumped off of the phone tower, much to the horror of Kenichi, as it looked like she was going to fall a big distance. However, with her grace and midair body control, Miu kicked her feet off of the tower while falling to use it as a foothold and leaped towards a nearby street lamp. She did the same thing and leaped off of that as well. She was now close enough to the ground where she could land safely, which she did, right next to Kenichi.

Kenichi just looked at her, speechless. "You'd think I'd be used to stuff like this by now, but I still can't get over it."

"We gotta hurry!" Miu ran off.

Urgency returned to Kenichi's face. "She's right, or else." He took off as well. "Hang in there, Takeda. Just a little longer." As he caught up to Miu, Kenichi asked. "Hey, did you see Shirou there while you were up there?"

"No." Miu shook her head. "But he left before us, so he might be closer than we are."

"I hope so." Kenichi said, looking concerned. "Shirou, I hope you make it. We can't do this without you."

Meanwhile, in the alleyway, the fighting was still as intense as when they started. Takeda and Ukita were still surrounded by members of Kisara's gang and still taking them out, one after another.

Takeda's lightning-fast punches knocked away any opponent in front of him, and if someone tried attacking him from behind, Ukita would move in and throw them away like a rag doll.

It wasn't long before all their enemies were beaten and on the ground, while Takeda and Ukita were just a bit winded but still ready for another round.

"…huff… huff… That was pretty weak." Takeda smirked while trying to catch his breath. "Are you guys done?"

"Impressive." Now, Kisara stepped forward. "Takeda The Puncher—Ukita The Thrower. Those cheap punks were no match for the likes of you, were they?" She never stopped sounding confident. "But, I can take both of you on."

Takeda smiled at her. "Call me old fashioned, but it's against my principles to fight a woman." He raised his fists. "Though I don't have a choice."

"Stand back." Ukita moved past him before he charged at Kisara. "Let me handle this broad!"

Ukita grabbed her by the front of her shirt and gripped hard before he threw her at the nearby brick wall. Unfortunately, Kisara repositioned her body in midair so her feet hit the wall first. She then kicked off against it like a springboard.

Both Takeda and Ukita were shocked as she counterattacked. "Eat this!"

With the added speed and momentum she gained from leaping off of the wall, Kisara hit Ukita with a long jump kick that nailed him right in the center of his face. The strength behind her kick was so great that it bloodied his nose, broke his sunglasses, and knocked him off his feet.

"Ukita!" Takeda watched as his friend collapsed to the ground.

Now, Kisara turned her attention to Takeda. "Okay, next."

Takeda lost his cool and stepped in to hit her with a straight right punch. However, Kisara responded by raising her leg and blocking his fist with the sole of her boot. Takeda was shocked at how easily she stopped his punch cold.

"Legs are much stronger than arms, about 3x as strong." Kisara informed him.

She then stepped back and threw a spinning roundhouse kick at his head. Takeda dodged it by ducking under her kick.

"She's fast." Takeda thought as he barely avoided her kick. "Real fast."

But Kisara wasn't done as even though her kick had missed, she showed off her dexterity by changing the direction of her leg in the middle of her attack and repositioning it above Takeda's head before she brought it down for a follow-up attack.

AX KICK!

The weight behind her kick was like a jackhammer. Takeda felt his brain rattle, and his whole body shook as he crumbled to the ground on all fours.

"Also, when it comes to down-and-dirty street fighting like this, never underestimate a woman wearing boots." Kisara brazenly informed him. "They're pretty much deadly weapons."

"Incredible. I can't believe she changed the direction of her kick in midair!" Takeda thought, not having the strength to look up yet.

Kisara crossed her arms braggingly. "So, tell me, how did you like your first taste of the power of the Eighth Deadly Fist of Ragnarok?"

Takeda struggled to move, but his body just wouldn't respond. "Oh man, no wonder they promoted her to the Eighth Fist. She's unstoppable."

But just as he started to think it was over, thoughts of his friends entered his mind.

(Don't go into a fight assuming that you'll lose." Akisame advised him.)

(Kenichi isn't like you, Takeda." Akisame continued as they kept watching. "He has absolutely no natural aptitude for the Martial Arts at all. But, also, unlike you, he doesn't give up or give in.)

(You know, I think Shirou is a different breed entirely." Akisame said, which Takeda paid attention to again. "He may have a natural aptitude for Martial Arts like you, and he may never give up when faced with adversity like Kenichi, but at his core, he's not like either of you. Most would be reluctant or even reclusive to such severe training, but not only does he welcome it, he demands more of it.)

Takeda pushed with all his might to stand again. He willed his treacherous body to stand up and face the opponent in front of him.

Kisara seemed both impressed and amused by his actions. "My, still able to stand after that kick in the head? I'm kinda impressed, but I should expect that from you."

Takeda finally pulled himself to his feet on shaky legs, but he stood nonetheless as he raised his fists again. "Actually, all I'd like to do right now is lie down and take a long nap. But I can't do that yet."

He wouldn't surrender no matter what. Takeda remembered the struggles that his friends endured, as well as the courage and tenacity they taught him in the face of overwhelming force. He wanted to do the same, so he wouldn't stop fighting, no how hurt he was or how strong the enemy was.

Alas, determination didn't equal strength, and he couldn't overcome the fact that he was running on fumes at this point. On groggy legs, he used the last of his strength to throw a sloppy jab that Kisara easily dodged.

"She dodged it." But Takeda wasn't discouraged and put all his weight behind a final straight left punch at Kisara's head.

Kisara dodged this one by jumping high in the air and backflipping over his head. As she came down, Kisara twirled and struck him with a heavy kick to the side of his head. Her kick blew him away and knocked his back against the wall before he finally collapsed to the ground, and this time, he wasn't getting back up.

Kisara stood tall, knowing that she had won. "Aw, that's too bad, but try not to be hard on yourself. That was a very good effort, Takeda the Puncher." She patronized him.

It was at that point that Koga—After being thrown away across the wall by Ukita at the start of the fight—Finally reappeared and climbed over the wall.

"Damn it." Koga cursed as he lifted himself over the brick wall. "If Ukita thinks he can get away with tossing me around like a sack of rice, he's got another thing coming. What the?" Koga looked up and noticed the state Takeda and Ukita were in. "Huh?"

"You're too late, as usual, Koga." One of the gang members informed him as they all started to get back up.

"Yeah, the show's over. Kisara took these guys apart all by herself." Another one told him as they all started to laugh.

However, Koga laughed as well and came down from the wall. "The show's not over yet, not by a long shot!" He argued excitedly. "Because guess what? It's payback time!" He then looked to Kisara for permission. "I mean, if it's okay with you, Kisara?"

Kisara merely scoffed and turned away. "Go ahead, do whatever you want."

Koga snickered after being given the green light and went over to Takeda. "Ah, Takeda, you don't look so good." He mocked him while dragging him onto the ground. "You always treated me like I was some snot-nosed little kid, Ha!" He then kicked his defenseless target in the stomach, and Takeda let out a painful gasp. Koga then looked at the rest of the gang. "You guys, don't just stand there. Let's beat the crap outta these clowns!"

[YEAH!] All of them were on board with that idea.

"Let's do it!" Koga rushed right in.

The rest of them followed suit and started unleashing all their aggression on their two defeated enemies as the sounds of flesh being beaten and ground like raw meat echoed through the night. It was a merciless and relentless display of brutality as they attacked Takeda and Ukita with everything they had until the two didn't even have the strength to respond anymore.

After a bit of that, Koga had two of the grunts hold Ukita on his knees while lifting his upper body up by his shoulders. "Like this?"

"Yeah, yeah, that'll be fine." Koga then looked at Ukita with a sadistic grin. "I still can't believe you threw me like that all of a sudden, buddy. That was really rude, y'know?" He reveled in the fact that Ukita couldn't even defend himself. "You were always pushing me around because you were such a "big" man. It's funny, though; you don't look big at all now, do you?" He then had one of them hold out Ukita's arm while he climbed up the metal fence. "You know, when you factor out height advantage, I bet I'm really a whole lot stronger than you are. And now I'm going to prove it by breaking that arm of yours like a twig."

It truly spoke of the level of sadism and depravity that was displayed when even Kisara felt the desire to look away with a somewhat uncomfortable expression.

Koga then stood with his back against the fence. "Hold him nice and steady."

Now, even his grunts gasped and looked at him while feeling unsure and a little afraid. "Wait… You're not gonna jump from up there, are you?"

"Sure, how else am I gonna get the job done?" Koga noted, still smiling widely. "If I don't jump from all the way up here… I might not break it in one shot; wouldn't that be lame?" He finished as his expression only became more deprived. "Now, Ukita the Thrower, you'll see how strong Koga the Kicker really is!"

"I've already seen how strong he really is!"

Everyone paused when a voice rang out, and Koga and Kisara were the most taken aback since they recognized that voice.

Shirou taunted as he appeared at the alleyway. He confidently walked toward them with his head high and his hands in his pockets. "And trust me, he ain't that strong at all."

"It's him again?" Kisara was surprised to see him.

"You asshole." Koga became angered by his presence. "What the Hell are you doing here?!"

Shirou smirked at him. "Look at you, standing up so high. I guess it's true what they say: A man of "little" caliber always tries to pretend he's big."

"What?! Who're you calling little?!" Koga shouted at him, not fully understanding his words but knowing he had been insulted.

Shirou ignored him and turned his attention to Takeda and Ukita, specifically the injured state Takeda was in. "I see you guys had some fun whaling on, my friend. You certainly didn't hold back, did you?"

Shirou's words, along with the way he took his hands out of his pockets, intimidated some of the members of Kisara's gang. A few even stepped back.

"Hey, calm down." Shirou placated them. "I'm not mad if that's what you're worried about. I know how this works. I may have come here for a fight, but that doesn't mean I'm going to go crazy and attack you guys over what you did to my friend."

The natural and relaxed way he said all that confused them a bit but also gave them no reason not to believe him. However, Shirou then smirked at them—

"But, I can't say the same about him."

WA-BAM!

"Argh!" Due to his attention being focused on Shirou, Koga didn't notice Kenichi appearing right behind him on the other side of the fence.

With a swing of his fist, Kenichi punched through the chain link fence and hit Koga in his unguarded back. The strength behind his punch was so strong that it blew Koga down onto the ground and knocked him unconscious.

Once again, everyone was stunned silence by the arrival of a new enemy as Kenichi climbed over the fence and landed in front of the gang members in a fighting stance.

Even Kisara took notice of his arrival. "That kid, too?"

The second Kenichi arrived, he saw the battered and beaten forms of Takeda and Ukita. His reaction was different from Shirou's. First, Kenichi was taken aback by what he saw. Then his surprise turned into boiling rage as he was seething with anger at Ragnarok's depravity. He acted on his anger immediately and rushed in to attack. With berserk abandon, he attacked every enemy in sight before directly moving on to the next one. One blow was all it took to knock them down.

While on the ground, Takeda started to open his eyes as he heard the sound of fighting and recognized the voice as he muttered. "…Is that Kenichi?"

As Kenichi knocked out another opponent, he stood over them, angrier than he had ever been, and spoke vengefully. "You bastards… I promise you… YOU ARE ALL GONNA PAY!"

Shirou smirked proudly as he watched Kenichi. "Atta boy, Kenichi."

Meanwhile, at a nearby location, several people from Koryuu High were rushing forward to get to a certain meeting spot. The four of them arrived and stopped in front of the person who had summoned them here—Niijima.

"General, all present and accounted for, sir!" One of them announced.

"Hahaha, perfect~!" Niijima grinned widely and evilly. "This is our chance to clean up Kisara's entire crew. Look out~ my time has finally arrived."

Back at the alleyway beneath the railroad, the fighting was still underway, and Kenichi was still tearing through enemy gang members like a tornado.

"You guys aren't gonna get away with this!" He yelled as he kept attacking. "You cowardly bastards!"

"Well, well, I must say, he's good." Kisara noted as she tightened her gloves and faced Shirou. "Now, as for you. Now that you're here, how about we finally settle things."

Shirou stared back at her. "After last time, I was kinda hoping to fight you, but unfortunately, you're not the one I'm here for tonight."

Kisara narrowed her eyes at him. "Just what is that supposed to mean?"

Shirou turned away from her. "Don't worry. There's someone else here to face you."

"That's right!" Kisara was startled as yet another person arrived. This time, Miu flipped over the wall and sailed through the air before she landed in front of Kisara. "You heard him. This time, you're going to have to take me on." Miu stood up straight, causing her breasts to bounce a bit. "Ms hotshot."

Kisara just looked at her and cringed. This was the first time she had ever seen Miu in her spandex. "…They bounced… Twice…"

It was as though Kisara couldn't concentrate on anything at that moment except for voluptuous proportions, and the longer she focused on them—While simultaneously comparing Miu's figure with her own—The more upset she became.

"I don't know who you are, blondie. But I already know that I don't like you." Kisara told her while seething. "You're gonna learn that bigger ain't better you—You dairy cow."

Miu paused when she heard Kisara call her that. This insult was a first for her.

Kisara then got into her fighting stance. "If you interfere with me, you're gonna get hurt. Don't expect any mercy, amateur."

"Did you really just call me a dairy cow?" Miu mumbled at her, upset while words were floating above her head. "You did, didn't you? Don't try to deny it."

A bead of sweat fell from the back of Kisara's head. "Oh, let it go already."

Miu glared hatefully at her. "I don't think I've ever been this pissed off in my life."

"Maybe this will cool you down!" Kisara rushed in to attack. "Come and get it."

Kisara closed in and leaped before doing a 360-degree spin in order to fuel her kick. But Miu was airborne before Kisara reached and somersaulted above her head with the moon right behind her.

Kisara wasn't done as she saw Miu above and did a handstand to lift her legs closer to the air before she swung a kick at Miu. Miu used her midair body control to fire a kick of her own as their legs clashed with each other before she landed.

Kisara was surprised to find herself being pushed back in the contest of power as she was blown back and rolled onto the ground. Miu landed gracefully and gave her a smug expression.

"Oh my, where's all your big tough talk now, Ms. Martial Arts Queen?" Miu stuck her tongue out at her.

"She's pretty good." Kisara realized but still wasn't worried. "Okay, cow, bring it."

Shirou watched them go at it and leaned his head back. "Well, since everyone else is having fun tonight, I guess it's time for me to join in."

Shirou then looked upwards and pointed in a specific direction. It almost looked like he was pointing at the sky.

"I know you're up there!" Shirou exclaimed at a being that seemingly only he was aware of. "Come on down and fight me. I challenge you."

In just a few seconds, before anyone who might have been listening could question his sanity, a shadowy figure leaped down from a high point on a steel tower above the railroad and landed in the alleyway next to Shirou.

"You were aware of my presence. I see that you're no ordinary fighter compared to the rest of the trash around her."

Shirou smirked at him. "A large reason why I came here tonight was to fight you. I'm glad you accept my challenge, Hermit."

That's right, the one who was facing Shirou was none other than the Sixth Fist of Ragnarok and the one sent by the Fist to act as a witness to this beating—Hermit.

"It's my creed never to back down when I'm challenged so openly." Hermit informed him.

"Hey, what the Hell, Hermit!" Kisara turned her attention away from Miu after she noticed Hermit enter the battlefield. "You're a witness. You're supposed just to stay back and watch while I take care of the fighting!"

"The situation has been changed." Hermit told her with minimal care. "Things have gotten too big for you to handle by yourself, so I'm stepping in. Don't worry, though. I only plan on fighting this one."

"Tch, asshole." Kisara wasn't happy about it but turned her attention back to Miu.

Hermit faced Shirou directly. "Now, show me what you're really capable of."

"Sure, if you can keep up!" Shirou rushed in.

Hermit did the same, and the two of them charged at each other until they met in the middle. Shirou punched at his head, but Hermit parried it aside and swung his arm at him like a whip with an open palm. Shirou dodged by ducking but still heard the sound of his arm slicing through the air.

They both stepped back to get into mid-range and gather their thoughts.

"A blade, no more a whip." Shirou analyzed the nature of Hermit's first strike. "Gotta watch out for those hands."

That was all the time he had as Hermit moved in to attack again. Hermit whipped his arm at him again, and Shirou responded by putting his guard up and swaying back to dodge it.

Hermit didn't let up on his attacks. Shirou quickly changed his approach, and instead of backing away, he stepped forward. He moved in while bobbing and waiving his way through the slicing, whipping strikes of Hermit. Once he closed in, Shirou swung his arms out to knock aside Hermit's arms and stop his attacks. Now, with an opening, Shirou threw a kick at Hermit's midsection.

But Hermit wasn't the kind of fighter who would fall for that and sidestepped to the right to avoid his kick. Now it appeared that Shirou was open for a hit, but a brawler with the amount of experience as he was used to thinking on his feet, and Shirou pivoted to shift his body so that his back was facing the brick wall.

Using the location to his advantage, he kicked his feet off the ground, and the soles of his shoes were pressed against the wall. Using it as a springboard, he leaped at Hermit—Catching him off guard and using the forward momentum to generate power that went into his punch.

With his fist cocked back, he nailed Hermit in the face with a straight right that had all the speed and momentum behind it. It shook the Sixth Fist and blew his head back. But Hermit wasn't one of Ragnarok's Strongest members for nothing. He withstood the blow and struck back.

After throwing a punch, most are left vulnerable for a moment while their arm is fully extended, and they're off-balance. Hermit took advantage of that fact, and after tanking Shirou's attack, he hit Shirou with an open palm strike right in the center of his face with all his strength behind it. This time, Shirou was the one whose head was blown back as they both assessed the damage.

"He's fast. Not only did he dive past all my strikes and break through my offense. That last punch was so sharp that it would have knocked me out if I hadn't braced myself." Hermit thought as he glared at Shirou. "I can't afford to take him lightly."

"His hand, it felt like I was hit by a rock." Shirou thought as he glared at Hermit. "He's definitely someone who emphasizes power, and he was able to do that after tanking my punch."

The two of them quickly became aware that this was going to be a tough night for both of them, more than either one was expecting. Now that they were done testing the waters, the real fight was about to get underway.

Meanwhile, back at Ryozanpaku, Shigure had just returned and was now on the roof of the dojo.

She moved around as though she was looking for something or, in this case, someone. She searched high and low from above the rooftops to beneath the porches until she stopped in front of Akisame, who was sitting on the porch by the open door of the training hall.

"So, are you looking for anything in particular?" Akisame decided to ask.

"Where did… They go?" Shigure vaguely asked.

"Do you mean Shirou and Kenichi?" Akisame asked.

"Are they… Dead?" Shigure asked.

"Don't think so." Akisame replied, not at all concerned that that was her first idea. "Last time I checked, they were both still alive and well."

Kensei then appeared from underneath the porch and started using his camera to snap pictures of Shigure. He aimed the camera at the ends of her kimono. "They went off to fight."

"That's right." Sakaki stepped in to join the conversation. "They went out to protect their friend from that gang that was after him."

"Hello, hello, why you not talk?! Kenichi!" Apachai was talking into the unwired telephone with concern as he looked back at the rest of them. "Guys, how come Kenichi not answer his cell phone? Apachai's starting to get very worried!"

"Come on, what could possibly go wrong?!" Sakaki laughed but looked away to hide the concern on his face.

"Relax, Miu is with them. They'll be just fine." Akisame reassured them while Shigure was stomping her heel on Kensei's face.

"Yeah, you're right." Sakaki agreed with him.

"Shigure, would you take your foot off of my face!" Kensei pleaded while his mouth was being smushed. "Pretty please."

"…Sure!" Shigure responded by stomping harder.

Back at the alleyway, Kenichi was still on the offensive and beating up any thug he could get his hands on. While everyone around them was fighting, two members of Ragnarok went over to Takeda and Ukita, who were still on the ground and trying to get back up. Before they could attempt it, though, one of them started kicking Takeda while he was down, and the other was batting Ukita with a wooden Sword.

Kenichi stopped for a moment when he noticed the two of them were being attacked. This pause allowed one Ragnarok goon to move in from behind and grab him by his arms.

"Bad time to get distracted, buddy." He taunted him.

Kenichi ignored him and kept his focus on Takeda and Ukita. "I see. Ukita tried… To help Takeda." He realized as he thought back on the last time they saw each other. This only fuelled Kenichi's anger as his muscles flexed. "So Ragnarok… Went after them both? They're nothing… But a bunch of cowards!" Finally, Kenichi broke free from the hold he was in and went back on the offensive. "That's it! You lowlifes have really got me pissed off now!"

He flipped the guy behind him onto the ground and picked up the other guy next before he threw him like a rag doll. The guy hit the metal fence nearby, and Kenichi followed up by aiming a leaping jump kick at him.

Unfortunately, his target fell to the ground, and Kenichi's kick missed. Instead, Kenichi's kick tore through the chain link fence, and now his foot was struck through it. Not only that, but he also seemed to be unable to free himself.

"Now's our chance." A thug realized as Kenichi's enemies got their weapons ready to attack. "Let's get him. It's over!"

For all intents and purposes, Kenichi couldn't move anymore, so he had to find another way to fight. But to his advantage, he still had his training to fall back on. As a Ragnarok thug was closing in to attack him with a metal rod, Kenichi remembered the technique that Sakaki taught him and used his hand to parry his opponent's attack downward before using the same hand to strike upward at the chin.

Kenichi executed the technique perfectly, and the one who tried to attack him was knocked to the ground.

"It worked!" Kenichi reveled in amazement. "Master Sakaki's technique worked!"

As his opponent hit the ground, another member of Ragnarok could only stare in astonishment at what he just saw. "He-He did it with just one hand?" He then looked at Kenichi as his hands shook in intimidation. "You-Just keep away from me, you filthy freak! You'll be sorry you messed with Ragnarok this way!" He warned him as he held up his pocket knife. "We'll make you pay, no matter how long it takes!"

In the midst of her bout with Kisara, Miu turned around and noticed Kenichi was in a predicament. "Kenichi, you okay?!"

"Don't turn your back on me, blondie!" Kisara rushed and swung more kicks at her.

Miu dodged every kick Kisara aimed at her and stepped out of her range.

"I'm sorry, but I'm ending this right now." Miu told her as though it had already been decided.

"You bimbo!" Kisara was angered by her condescending attitude. "Who are you to tell me when we're through?! We're not done until I say we're done!"

With that, Kisara threw a long, straight kick that had all of her strength behind it in order to end Miu once and for all.

Miu smiled as though she was waiting for this moment. "Here we go."

Suddenly, before her kick made contact, Miu disappeared from her sight. "She vanished? When I was looking right at her?!" Kisara was on high alert, trying to figure out where Miu went. "She can't have gone left or right." Kisara then remembered Miu's jumping ability and looked upward. "She's above me!"

"Behind you!" Miu shouted.

Kisara was wrong. Miu vanished from her sight by shifting downward before she closed in from behind. Now, with her guard down, Miu unleashed a swiping kick at Kisara's legs. Before she knew what hit her, Kisara was knocked off her feet and about to fall headfirst into the concert.

"Crap…" Was all she could think before she fell.

With a loud thud, Kisara hit the ground. Luckily for her, Miu moved quickly and placed her legs beneath Kisara's head to cushion her fall before her head hit the ground. That saved her from an injury, but she still lost consciousness due to shock.

Once that was over, Shirou and Hermit were still going blow for blow themselves. Both of them were still going strong, but Shirou looked around and noticed Kenichi and Miu were pretty much done with their fights, so he stopped.

"Well, since everyone else is wrapping things up, I suppose it's about time we end this as well." Shirou said.

"That's a pretty bold claim from someone who hasn't been able to break through my defense." Hermit reminded him, still battle-ready.

"Yeah, well, I still have something up my sleeve." Shirou gave him a look of confidence.

With that, Shirou rushed in with a straightforward assault. Hermit stood his ground as Shirou reached him. Shirou threw a punch that Hermit parried, but Shirou was already in motion to throw a follow-up punch with his other hand.

Hermit raised his guard in preparation to back it, but Shirou wasn't concerned as this punch was different from his other ones.

"Augh!"

Shirou was blown off his feet and hit the ground after Kensei hit him with the move he planned to teach him during the advanced technique training. While Shirou was on the ground, Kensei stood over him.

"Well, what did you think of that one?" He asked with a casual smile.

Shirou sat up while gripping his stomach. "What was that? I know I had my guard up."

"Yes, you did, but that's precisely the point." Kensei began to explain. "You see, against this technique, conventional defense is pretty much useless."

"Useless?" Shirou repeated curiously.

"This technique on the surface seems simple, but it only works if executed perfectly, down to the last detail." Kensei informed him. "You see, the point is to generate a great amount of power and release it in a compressed and focused point. That way, you can completely bypass your opponent's guard and cause damage even internally."

Shirou didn't hide the surprise and interest on his face after that explanation. "You're gonna teach me that?"

"Yes, but as I said, it won't be simple." Kensei reminded him. "To generate the move, it is necessary to transfer power towards the limb or body part using it, e.g., shoulder, head, and hip, that will perform the technique with explosive force. If a person is off balance and stiff, it will fail, and you won't penetrate the muscle to produce force."

"So, how do I pull it off?" Shirou asked.

"It's a matter of utilizing body alignment and coordination to form an extremely efficient kinematic chain." Kensei held up his arm to give him a basic idea. "The body begins in a relaxed physical state, which is then quickly accelerated in a coordinated whole-body movement. Once you've got that down, you'll be able to use this without any kind of stance. It's similar to a one-inch punch. And its name is—"

FA JIN!

WHOOSH!

"Gugh!" Hermit coughed out the air in his lungs.

Shirou's punch connected with Hermit's stomach, and just as Kensei said, it damaged him even through his guard. This resulted in Hermit getting hit with a strong blow in the stomach and getting blown back. His feet skidded backward a few yards, but he stayed upright.

Shirou kept his arm extended and marveled at his success in executing the technique. "I did it. The Fa Jin worked." He then became more excited. "I can definitely use this."

Hermit let out a breather and corrected his posture, and he took his hand away from his bruised stomach. "The Fa Jin, I didn't think he knew a technique like that. I underestimated him."

Back with the other fight that had just concluded, Miu let out a sigh of relief.

"Haa, and that's that. I thought she'd just be a cheap street punk, but she was so much better than I expected that I got carried away and forgot to hold back." She then gave Kisara a soft smile. "If I hadn't put my foot there, I could have actually killed her."

"Aargh!"

"Kenichi!" Miu heard a scream coming from his direction and looked to see.

As it turned out, the scream came from the knife-wielding thug who was about to take a swing at him. He was hit in the back of the head by a metal bat and hit the ground as the one responsible faced Kenichi with a smile.

"Yo, yo, my brother, how's it going?" A familiar voice giddily greeted him.

Kenichi just stared in shock. "No freaking way?"

The one responsible was none other than Niijima, but he wasn't alone. Standing behind him was a gang of subordinates who all looked ready to fight, and one of them was holding up a large flag with the words SHINZAKI ALLIANCE written on it.

"You're main man and best buddy; Niijima has come to back you up." Niijima said braggingly.

Once Kisara's gang saw this new group arrive, they were on immediate high alert and knew they were in no state for a fight right now.

"It's another gang!" One of them shouted fearfully.

"Run!" Another yelled while fleeing.

Shiratori went over to Kisara while she was unconscious and lifted her off the ground. "Kisara, can you hear me? You've got to get up! Damn it!" He cursed, knowing that they had no other option. "Everyone retreat! We've got to get out of here!"

They didn't need to be told twice as all the members of Kisara's gang who could still move ran away from the alleyway, and those who couldn't were carried away by other members. Hermit saw what was happening and clicked his tongue in annoyance, knowing the battle was over.

Hermit turned away from Shirou. "We'll settle this another time."

"You're seriously taking off in the middle of a fight?" Shirou asked him in disappointment.

"Don't get the wrong idea. My primary reason for being here was to be a witness to a beating. But next time, it'll be solely for my own reasons." Hermit then leaped up and stood atop the brick wall before giving him a last look. "And trust me, we'll meet again soon."

With that, Hermit jumped off and vanished into the night. Shirou watched him go. He was a little put off that their fight abruptly ended but then turned his attention to Niijima and the gang that he showed up with as he decided to approach Kenichi.

While Kisara's gang retreated, Niijima laughed loudly as though it was his victory.

"Should we give chase, General Niijima?" One of them asked.

"Oh no, that's all right! I don't think we should rub their faces in it! We can afford to be generous to those who run away from us in abject terror like wimp dogs!" Niijima laughed wildly while wearing a grin as evil as always. "Our side achieved total victory! And none of my guys has so much as a scratch to show for it! Am I an evil genius or what?"

Two of them went over to Kenichi to help free him from the fence. "Are you injured anywhere, sir?"

"Huh? Well, I…" Kenichi was still trying to make sense of all this.

One of them finally freed him. "Here you go, how's that?"

"Oh great, thank you." Kenichi told him before looking back at Niijima. "Uh, Niijima, who are all these people?"

Niijima laughed louder. "What are you talking about? These men are your new buddies! They're a part of our team!"

Kenichi gazed at him suspiciously. "Say what?"

"They're our new posey. You know, our homies!" Niijima went on.

"Would you stop talking like that? You're not from the hood." Shirou told him as he appeared next to them as well.

"Well then, you explain it to him." Niijima shot back.

"Shirou, do you have any idea what's going on?" Kenichi asked him instead.

"Of course I do." Shirou then addressed Niijima. "That said, you really took your time getting here, considering the fighting was practically over by the time you showed up."

"That was deliberate!" Niijima informed him. "Timing is key, my friend, and I had to make sure the debate of our new group went off perfectly!"

"Would one of you explain what the heck you guys are talking about!" Kenichi snapped at them.

"Yeah, I'll explain later. Right now, we need to get Takeda and his friend to a hospital." Niijima pointed out.

Kenichi immediately remembered Takeda was still in a roughed-up state and went over to him. Miu was already helping Takeda up off the ground.

"Akisame should examine you as soon as possible." Miu told him with concern.

"Takeda." Kenichi kneeled in front of him. "Have you been badly injured? What about your arm?" He asked worriedly.

Takeda eased his worries by lifting his arm. "I'm okay. You see? It's fine."

"That's a relief." Kenichi breathed out. "But if your cellphone hadn't speed-dialed me by accident, we never would have even known you were in trouble, let alone where you were."

"Kenichi lay off." Shirou advised him.

"I can't." Kenichi didn't calm down and kept his eyes on Takeda. "What's the matter with you?! Why didn't you call?"

Takeda looked down. "I'm sorry, but I… I didn't want you guys to get mixed up with this."

It then quickly hit him. Kenichi remembered how the last time something like this had happened, years ago, when Takeda's friend was in trouble and went to save him, even though it cost him everything, including injury. Knowing that, it now made sense to Kenichi why he didn't call. He knew better than anyone about the consequences a single phone call could bring.

Kenichi couldn't say anything after that. On the other hand, Shirou had something to say.

"Listen, Takeda, you might have good intentions in not calling for help, but let me ask you: If our roles had been reversed, wouldn't you have come to help us?" Shirou asked him.

"Of course, we're friends." Takeda answered right away.

"And yet, you don't want your friends doing for you what you would do for them?" Shirou pointed out.

Takeda didn't have an answer for that, so he avoided eye contact.

"You might want to protect someone by pushing them away, but you forget that friendship is a two-way road. If you want to fight for us, you better be willing to let us fight for you." Shirou explained to him. "And when we fight together, not even Ragnarok can win. They just ran away."

Takeda smiled and nodded in understanding. "You're right. I won't forget that, and sorry." He then looked at Kenichi while he and Ukita were lifted off the ground. "Hey, Kenichi… Ukita and I never gave up. What's more, we finally put Ragnarok behind us. There's no doubt, injuries or no, victory is ours."

Kenichi smiled as well. "Yeah!"

Niijima stepped in again. "Well then, how shall I summarize today's victory for the latest addition to the paper?!"

"Make sure you put me on the cover." Shirou suggested.

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot. You wanna explain this whole Shinzaki Alliance thing to me?" Kenichi brought it up again. "And it better be good."

"Well, I think it's pretty obvious. If you take the first characters of my name and add on the first characters of Shirou's name, you end up with Shinzaki." Niijima explained. "Pretty cool, huh?"

"I can spell, you idiot!" Kenichi snapped angrily at him. "That's not what I'm talking about."

"I admit, I wasn't exactly thrilled with it either." Shirou chimed in again. "I would have prepared to put my name first, but Zakishin doesn't have the same ring to it."

"So we agreed on Shinzaki, and I was quite pleased with it." Niijima finished.

"I'm not talking about the billing!" Kenichi yelled louder.

"Would you stop whining already? It's the middle of the night. You're gonna disturb people even more so than all that fighting." Shirou complained.

"Aaaahhh! Would someone just explain already!? You guys are driving me crazy!" Kenichi shouted off into the night.

—…

And that's the chapter.

First of all, I added the part where Hermit jumps in because I wanted Shirou to have his own opponent for this battle, and this wasn't the point where I planned on having him fight Kisara. Since Hermit was actually there in the canon, but all he did was watch from the shadows, I decided to have him fight Shirou to give him a role.

As for Shirou's technique, I'm sure you all noticed that his advanced technique training with Kensei was the only one that was skipped in the last chapter. That was because I already planned on that one being the one he used in this fight, and I wanted it to be a surprise.

And for the end of the chapter, I changed the name of the Shinpaku Alliance to the Shinzaki Alliance because, in this story, Niijima's partner is Shirou instead of Kenichi, so it only makes sense that his name is the one on the flag.

Anyways, thanks for reading. Hope you enjoyed. If you want more, leave a review. If you liked the story, click the follow/favorite, and as always, have an awesome day.