'Playing'

Zero smirked.

Which only irked Kai even more.

No matter what he did, that darn guy kept avoiding his punches. His movements were fluid and smooth, and if Kai didn't know any better, he would think that Zero was water. Or was he a cat?

This cat-and-mouse game had been going on for several minutes now, and all it did was tire Kai out.

Kai gritted his teeth and slid to the left, his right arm winding behind to punch Zero. When the latter avoided it, Kai followed it up with a low punch to the gut.

Which Zero avoided again.

The worse thing was, that darn fool didn't look out of breath at all.

What?

Did all those sweets give him a sugar rush or something? Was he on adrenalin?

Kai was getting frustrated.

He had been trained since young and it wasn't bragging to say that he was gifted. His instructors had to be changed constantly because he would surpass them.

Yet, with this stupid silver-haired fool, he couldn't even land a punch?

What was this?!

Earlier, Kai had been confident of beating Zero - which was why he had been excited about it. He was not stupid enough to think that Zero didn't know how to fight but he didn't think he was this good.

This cannot be real, damnit!

Just as Kai was about to lose it, he forced himself to calm down.

The more agitated he is, the more mistakes he would make.

He took several deep breaths, studying Zero and his moves.

There was no opening.

His feet was in a position to both attack and escape, while his arms were positioned in such a way that all the vulnerable spots were protected. His moves were swift and Kai didn't have a chance to land a hit at all.

But why was Zero only avoiding, but not attacking?

To tire him out?

To agitate him?

If Zero was that skilled, what was he …

Wait.

He was playing with him, wasn't he?

Kai gritted his teeth and began focusing more on every movement Zero did.

Just as he was beginning to see a pattern (or so he thought), Zero made a move.

Kai dodged it, feeling the fist pass by his cheek but before he could make a pass, Kai could see the same fist that had just passed him, return.

The movement was too quickly for Kai to avoid and he felt his head reel to the side by the side-punch to the head. As he moved his feet back to escape, Kai felt his gut being hit.

Then another.

Damn, this guy was fast.

As much as he was in pain, Kai realised something.

Now that Zero was 'in the zone', Kai could make a move.

So a move he made.

He had barely landed a punch when he felt that part of the body reel back, lessening the force of the punch.

Kai was taken back in surprise, and something clicked in Kai's mind.

The movements.

The speed.

There was a legend in the martial arts world, or rather, a myth. Of a type of martial arts that had long been forgotten, or lost. The closest type to it was the drunken fist, whereby one moved like a drunken man.

When one looked at the person, he looked like he was drunk and movements were not coordinated. Yet, in reality, every movement was precise in avoiding hits and landing hits.

One would not be able to predict his movements because there did not seem to be any pattern to it. It really did look like he was just a drunk man, with unsteady steps and a dumb look on his face.

That was the drunken fist. A variation of it was the drunken monkey, which was essentially a fighting stance that one moved like a drunk monkey rather than a drunk man.

So what was it about the legend, you may ask?

The legend was that all drunken fist type martial arts originated from this.

However, unlike all its variation, the pure form was not having the appearance of one being drunk at all.

The core of the defence was the same: fluid, unpredictable movements that avoided all hits. Any punches that did manage to land would be absorbed by movements that followed the punches or hits.

Just like how Zero had 'taken' his punch.

Kai's mind could not quite believe what he was seeing, but he definitely could feel it. Another aspect of the legendary martial arts was that the attacks would be like rapid bullets of precise hits.

Nothing was wasted, so to speak.

Once Kai realised this, Kai found that he was both calm and excited at the same time. So even though he was being hit repeatedly and all he could do was put his arms up to protect himself, Kai was excited.

Excited at finding a Master.

As much as he hated the fact that this guy was his rival, it did not mean that he could not appreciate and admire his skill.

He didn't like it, but he couldn't help but respect it.

While Kai was having a change of mindset, so was Zero.

Despite how he looked, he was holding up well.

No one had ever lasted this long before, and the young man was able to take his hits … like a man.

Granted, Zero wasn't using his full strength - if he was, Kai would have been knocked out long ago. Still, it was enough to cause considerable pain to the other person.

Kai was strong.

And stubborn.

He was holding on and still trying to land a hit.

Despite the fact that he was quite battered already - he was not giving up. It showed how serious Kai was at wanting to get to know Lianne.

Zero narrowed his eyes at this.

Maybe he should up the stakes a bit, and see if Kai would really hold on.

Just as this thought entered his mind, his senses noticed something.

Without needing to turn his head, he knew Lianne was here.

Obviously, Kai did, too as his eyes seemed to glisten for a bit at something behind Zero and he renewed his energy to fight.

Might as well end this, Zero thought to himself.

Zero moved his legs swiftly, intending to trip Kai and punch him when he was down when, to his surprise, Kai actually managed to evade that kick. The split second of surprise allowed Kai to actually hit him, though Zero did still manage to evade the brunt of it.

In retaliation, Zero went down and swept Kai off his feet. Kai managed to grab Zero as he fell and both fell on the ground.

The knocks on their head made them see stars for a bit and as they raised their head, they saw the displeased look on Lianne's face.

She was staring at them.

"Are you done playing?" Lianne asked, her voice cold.