Chapter 120

The wait for me to finish putting on the pads, seemed to do Hayato absolutely no favors. She was tapping her feet on the mats at a fast speed. Her hands kept twitching up like she was going to start pointing and yelling or something, but she would bring them down as soon as the urge hit, so it meant her hands were jerking around a bit every few seconds.

 

Yikes.

 

Once I had gloves and the cool kicky foot pads I stepped back onto the mats.

 

“Try to keep it to pure martial arts.” John spoke out before backing off the mat, and that was all the signal Hayato needed.

 

She rushed me. Moving very fast across the mat, but it wasn’t Sandy like. No, instead as she drew close and started punching, I realized the difference between fighting someone with a Sandy and with a Keren.

 

The Sandy would move so fast you couldn’t react and you would be out.

 

The Keren though? They were just reacting to you as soon as you did something. Start throwing a punch? They already saw the motion and were prepared.

 

I went to block her first punch and a moment later was stumbling back as she shifted from a straight punch to an uppercut under my guard.

 

But Hayato wasn’t done. She charged right back in. Another blow, this time I did barely manage to get a guard up in time but she wasn’t stopping. Punch punch punch punch. A rapid series of attacks that she kept trying to slip in through any openings.

 

I threw a punch to make room and nearly got a blow across the jaw for it.

 

It was like fighting someone who was reading your mind.

 

In other words?

 

It was fun as fuck!

 

I had Street Brawler levels to grind here!

 

I lured her in, letting her focus on trying to punch my face in, when I bounced.

 

Suddenly she wasn’t punching my face but below my legs. She reacted instantly, trying to duck back, but just because her mind was sped up, didn’t mean her body was the same. I slammed a kick forward and she blocked it, but it still sent her stumbling back.

 

Then I landed and I had a singular moment where the initiative was mine!

 

I pounced. My legs launched me forward in a punch that she desperately tried to juke to the right to avoid, but I shifted from a punch into a grab, even as her arm was attempting to pull away from my move, even successfully managing to avoid my grasping hand.

 

Fucking Keren.

 

It didn’t matter because as I missed her, I was behind her, and the moment my feet touched the mat I launched myself back.

 

She couldn’t see me.

 

I was behind her.

 

She certainly felt it though when I pounced into a jump kick that sent her flailing onto her face.

 

I stepped back even as John moved to try and break it up and I got a nod for not pushing now that Hayato was down.

 

She stood up in a flash, her face in a rage.

 

We didn’t speak. Instead John stepped back and it was on. She rushed me again, but I had learned my lesson. If I stay on the defense, she beats me, because she could simply react faster than I could do anything. I charged in with a light leap, and then went straight into grabbing at her.

 

Grapples was my answer to her reaction time.

 

If I could get my hands on her, I would win. I was confident in my grappling with my skills so high, and with grappling perk boosting that.

 

Unfortunately. I think I made her angry. She was avoiding my grasping hands, and she timed me perfectly. One second I was bending down a bit to grab a retreating wrist when a fist smashed into my face, and I was off my feet.

 

I rolled and stood up shakily, completely surprised at what just happened.

 

She didn’t hit like a teenage girl. She hit me so hard I felt like Jun just took a swipe at me.

 

John had broken the fight again but was there this time seemingly waiting to see if I could keep fighting.

 

I twisted my neck and winced a bit at the crackle.

 

Ow.

 

Wiping my face I noticed I was bleeding even with the gloves softening the blow.

 

“Okay what biomods do you have and where can I get me some?” I asked joking, as I took a second for the room to stop spinning.

 

“Many, and that is unlikely. You do not strike me as someone with the wealth required.” She responded back cattily and I chuckled at that.

 

Fair enough.

 

Really wish I could grab a Maxdoc right now but that would be rather telling, instead I simply bounced around a second regaining my motion and nodded to John.

 

He backed up and my actions seemed to have surprised the little Power Princess here.

 

I had misjudged her because she had so little direct chrome. But the Keren I realized wasn’t her only upgrade. Biomods to enhance muscles and bones, and probably twitch reflexes. And it turned a normal looking girl, besides the Keren sticking out the back of her neck, fixed into her neural link and what were probably ECM tattoos into a monster martial artist.

 

But I was better.

 

Well through pure skill I was better. She was good though. Probably close to where I was through pure skill, she just had better stats.

 

Well the whole thing fell apart a bit there. What I was trying to say was that she was stronger and faster, but she relied on it.

 

I moved in again. Fists swinging to alter her pace a bit, make her react to me, even if she was really good at that.

 

I took a few blows as she weaved around avoiding my grabbing hands and she in turn attempted to slip blows around my arms, but I was pressuring her, and getting her rhythm. I feigned a grab and she struck.

 

My hand spun around and locking onto her forearm created a half millisecond of shock. I very rarely spun my hands around 180 cause it was kinda… Uncomfy.

 

Yeah let’s go with that.

 

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But I was a grappler, and being able to grab with effectively the back of your hand was too useful to ignore.

 

Then she folded around a knee to the stomach and I was instantly on top of her. All of her power and reflexes were useless when she was face first into the mat in an arm bar she had no chance of breaking out of, even with her joints being more flexible than a normal persons.

 

My chrome hands didn’t get tired, and she simply couldn’t leverage enough force to push my entire weight off of her.

 

So for the first time in our little matches. She reached out and tapped out.

 

She was coughing a little as I let go and she rolled onto her back to breath, but she recovered really fast.

 

Faster than she should have from getting the wind knocked out of her and she rose up.

 

“You beat me?” She hissed, the question pulling from her with an almost stutter as she talked faster than she could seem to keep up with. I stood back up and prepped for her to strike at me, but she didn’t. Instead she started talking in a buzz glaring at John, and it took a second for me to parse out what she said. “Did you hire some pretend teenager to humiliate me? Why do you always do this!? You always try to trick me!”

 

“I’m fourteen.” I offered after a moment realizing that John was taking a moment to answer. “And John just watched me exercise at the Gym outside my apartment. Asked me if I was willing to fight someone.”

 

“Shut up! I didn’t ask you!” She once more blabber mouthed at me, and I just rolled my eyes.

 

Whatever. This was fun I guess. I turned and walked back to my stuff. I pulled the pads off my hands as I flopped into the chair barely paying attention to the spoiled rich girl throwing an absolute temper tantrum.

 

My face still hurt, and I wanted to just get out of here.

 

I did get some good Street Brawling XP though. So it wasn’t all bad.

 

By the time I finished putting all of my gear back on, Hayato was finished her surprisingly quiet argument with John,

 

“Wait.” She called out as I turned to leave the gym. “It was rude of me not to acknowledge the bout.” I turned and to my surprise she did a cool martial arts pose, fist against flat palm and bowed. “Thank you for the match.”

 

I quickly took the same pose because that was polite, and not because I thought it was cool. “Thank you for the match.” I repeated and then Hayato stood and sniffed.

 

“Perhaps I will have John call on you in the future for another. You were… An acceptable challenge.”

 

Our eyes met for a moment, and I was surprised that the rage I had seen earlier was gone… Was that chrome? Some weird Biomod? Or did she just have good control over herself and knew how to push the anger aside?

 

I pushed the question away. It didn’t matter, but I could respect the apology for what it was.

 

“Sure, here.” I threw her my number which seemed to surprise her. “Feel free to reach out if you want to set up another spar. I don’t get enough practice with my fists, and that Keren of yours is something really useful to get some experience against.”

 

“Wise. Very well Motoko, I look forward to our next bout.”

 

I nodded at that. Hayato the Rich Girl. That had a fucking nasty right hook. Yeah I think we could be chooms.

 

—–

 

I headed home. As I was walking down the hallway to the apartment Rockerboy Neighbor was leaving. We each passed each other without a word, but my narrowed eyes must have signaled something because the woman watched me pass.

 

Then I pushed into the apartment only to see Jun and Akari still here. Both looked exhausted and sprawled out on the couches. I think Akari was actually sleeping face first into the cushions as Jun continued to work on whatever was going on with the two.

 

“I’m home. Got to spar with a girl with a Keren. I ended up winning, sorta.” I informed Jun but I only got a thumbs up in return as Jun continued working on the tablet.

 

Okay, fine then.