Hayato's potential

Daichi backed away right after he realized what had happened. His heart throbbed for the first time in that battle due to shock and disbelief.

Hayato didn't let him go so easily. He dashed forward with all his might, his feet stepping swiftly and heavily on the ground and throwing dirt to all sides. He really put strength behind his strides.

Once he could catch up with Daichi, he swung his wooden sword again, only to have his attack easily dodged. His master counterattacked with a spinning kick to his belly that sent the boy stumbling backward, giving Daichi room to breathe and get back his weapon.

'I didn't think that he could come with something so accurate at this point... Looks like he is been learning things I didn't teach him during our battles.'

The old man briefly glanced at Hina as he slowly knelt to take his wooden sword.

'She has the same expression, probably because she noticed it as well. This is not impressive only because he could do this stunt, but rather because he copied it perfectly. There is no way he came up with that all of a sudden, that's a movement he saw before. The only person here who does such perfect disarming is Hina during our sparrings.

'Hayato sneaked in during the few times we sparred and saw her doing this.'

Daichi knew that Hayato had quick learning potential. That was one of the reasons why he chose that method to teach him as Hayato was sure to absorb even the smallest details.

'In his letters, Satoshi mentioned that he had learned to use his magic all alone. Besides, the boy caught up with the kitchen tasks too quickly. However, not even that old man should have known just how frightening his learning potential is. Memorizing attack patterns and reproducing them after seeing them multiple times is one thing; now, see it from far away and figure it out... That's crazy.'

Daichi didn't know whether to get frightened or excited about that. In the end, though, he reminded himself that Hayato was his disciple, not his enemy.

'It's just that, sometimes, he will look at me with these eyes... I don't even know how someone so young can bear such a strong expression, that can make the heart of someone as old as me tremble so much... It feels like he is ready to kill me or something.'

Daichi, then, shook his head, spinning his sword. He had to focus and fight seriously against Hayato. Now that he was inspired, maybe he had much more to show to his master.

The boy had stopped to agonize, though one of his hands was still holding his belly.

'I guess I exaggerated as I got too flustered', Daichi pursed his lips. 'But, in the end, he is at fault. He got so absorbed into using that opportunity to attack me and forgot about his defense.'

"...We can take a break if you want."

Hayato smiled, squeezing the side of his trunk even harder. However, he didn't even bother answering as if that was a foolish question.

"Did I break a rib or two, by any chance?" Daichi frowned, seeing that his breathing was too shallow.

"Who knows?"

Hayato was not really cooperating with him. His eyes only showed the will to fight. That sight made his master's hair stand on end, but he gritted his teeth not to get too carried away and break the rest of the bones of that young boy.

'Control yourself. You need to be serious now, but it's still sparring at the end of the day.'

Daichi took a more assertive stance as if ready to resume the battle again by his own initiative.

To his surprise, however, the one taking the initiative was his hurt disciple that held his breathing to not disturb his hurt trunk, then dashed forward and pressed Daichi with a flurry of blows.

Daichi dodged and defended them all, but they were definitely sharper than the last ones he had faced.

'He improved so much in just a few minutes? Is that really possible? Or was he waiting until now to show everything he's got?'

Hayato's attacks were more compact now. His combinations were way faster and more fluid. It looked like he was drawing in the air as he swung the sword. An artist making a piece of work with sharp and continuous brushstrokes.

His footwork was compromised due to the pain in his trunk, which prevented him from going all out. Daichi wondered just how much faster his attacks would be, had he been in top condition.

'It is not so fast that I can't dodge or defend it, but now they are so much better that...'

Daichi had to interrupt his thoughts to quickly bend his upper body to the side and avoid another attack. That one was close, and probably one of the fastest he had to dodge.

'I don't have the time to be rambling. Focus, focus!'

After missing that attack that he was certain would land, Hayato lost his balance for a second. Nevertheless, that was more than enough time for Daichi to set his foot on the aggressive side. He did been waiting for such a mistake to make his comeback without putting himself at risk.

Contrary to his expectations, his sword didn't hit Hayato, but once again got intercepted by his own weapon. Although the boy had to defend from a strange angle, that was enough to deflect Daichi's attack.

'Good. Too good...'

Daichi kept pushing forward, throwing blow after blow and testing Hayato's swiftness and toughness.

The boy got hit once every three or four attacks, at least, but that was still good management. Plus, the attacks he allowed to pass by his defenses were not the most dangerous ones.

'Damn it. I am getting too carried away by this fight, but... until now all I have been doing was to play around with him. I only got to have good sparrings when going against Hina, and even she doesn't go all out for some reason. Now I am finally feeling some real excitement! His counterattacks are barely grazing me, they are stronger and faster than ever before. His stamina seems to have no end. All this coupled with his newfound intense aggressivity...'

Daichi's eyes sparkled with excitement as he mindlessly increased his rhythm. After this long fighting, one would expect someone so old to slow down, but his attacks grew stronger every second.

Hayato didn't back away, though. He planted his feet on the ground and fearlessly traded blows with him. The sound of Daichi's wooden sword breaking his bones echoed each time he landed a hit, but the boy remained unfazed, already used to the pain of absorbing his blows.

'I don't know how long I can take this. I am willing to keep attacking for as long as I have to, so I can finally land a hit, but the problem is not my determination, but my body. Even if I manage to ignore the pain and keep moving forward, soon or later my body will stop to respond me. That's when everything will be over!

'To be honest, I don't want to take so much harm and come out with nothing in return. If I can just land one hit, that will be my victory!'

Hayato was feeling the lack of response in his body already. There would be times when he didn't move as fast as he had to or couldn't react in time to avoid some of the attacks. Such small mistakes cost him more injuries. Nonetheless, he had in mind that, if he collapsed now, another try would have to wait some months. Until then, only light sparring and workout to rehabilitate. Going through that boring process over and over again would drive him crazy.

Besides...

'Every time I was in bed, resting, with my entire body feeling like a pile of beaten trash, I remembered that ugly face of his. I remembered his nonchalant face, the screams of Mr. Satoshi, the last sight I had of my cat... I can't take this anymore! I can't take lying on that damn bed feeling like I am still the same!'

Hayato was hanging with one hand on the thin hope of consciousness still holding him awake. Most of his movements were now more instinctive and driven by pure adrenaline, rather than calculated.

Seeing Hayato's state, Daichi's lips curled into a small smile. Now, he was not behaving like a master, but like a competitor trying to win a tournament. He raised his wooden sword, preparing for a wide vertical swing. His eyes were fixed on Hayato's head.

Hina noticed this fact and prepared to run and stop their fight. She looked worried about Hayato, who would take the full blow.

'No...' she held her ground, frowning slightly. 'His eyes seemed to be dead... but there is still lucidity in them. It's nearly unnoticeable, but it is there!'

In a surge of energy that seemed out of this world, Hayato's body suddenly moved. His sword shot forward like the lunge of a snake. It was fast, in a straight line, and right into Daichi's belly.

'I knew it! I knew you would finish with this attack!'

Hayato nearly breathed a sigh of relief once he felt the tip of his wooden sword connecting to Daichi's belly and sinking into it.

Daichi was still charging his finishing blow and got knocked back and thrown out of balance. He fell on his butt, unable to complete his attack.

Right after Daichi and beside him, Hayato also fell. He wore a relieved smile on his face even after hitting the floor.