The central battlefield is a polished stone platform floating above a pit of swirling mist. Massive screens hover overhead, flashing the school emblems and combatants’ names. The crowd buzzes with a mix of nerves and excitement.

  Two figures walk into the arena from opposite tunnels.

  On the left: Kaizo Nekodaira — with an expression that was calm but disturbing, while dressed in the sleek black uniform of Hoshikawa High.

  On the right: a tall, wiry boy with tinted goggles and bulky devices strapped to each forearm. They hum faintly with orange light.

  The crowd hushes.

  The boy smirks.

  Opponent: “Hey, your shoe’s untied.”

  Kaizo glances down by reflex—

  BOOM.

  An explosion rocks the center of the arena, swallowing the battlefield in thick smoke. Gasps echo from the crowd.

  In the gallery—

  Ayame narrows her eyes.

  Ayame (annoyed): “That little bastard.”

  Principal Shirogane chuckles, smug.

  Shirogane (cocky): “So this is your ‘secret weapon’? Not very sharp, is he?”

  Ayame leans back, unbothered.

  Ayame: “Oh, hush. Don’t worry about him.”

  Kagari folds her arms, her eyes narrowing at the mist.

  Kagari: “That’s unfortunate…”

  Yumi, holding Infinity in her lap, answers immediately.

  Yumi: “Don’t worry. He’s got this.”

  Kagari tilts her head, surprised by her certainty.

  Kagari (intrigued): “Confident, aren’t you?”

  Yumi: “Of course.”

  Suddenly, she pulls Infinity towards her face and whispers in his ear.

  Yumi (nervously): “He’s got this, right?”

  Infinity (staring back at her): “Meowwww”

  {Translation: I’m pretty sure he does…}

  Back on the battlefield—

  The smoke clears.

  Kaizo is no longer where he stood. He’s perched calmly on a raised stone pillar, arms crossed, eyes sharp. His face is all business.

  The crowd gasps. Kagari’s lips twitch upward. Ayame smiles faintly.

  Ayame (whispering): “Meikai, huh? Guess he’s still got it.”

  Kaizo vanishes in a blur—Yuei carrying him across the platform.

  He appears behind the boy and casually taps his shoulder.

  The boy spins—he’s gone.

  Another turn—

  WHAM.

  The boy rockets across the battlefield, body skipping against the floor before smashing into the wall from a single strike of Mugensoku.

  The crowd goes silent.

  Shirogane’s eyes widened as she wasn’t expecting that insane movement from Kaizo.

  Shirogane (suprised): “What the…?”

  The boy groans, staggering upright, goggles cracked. He hadn’t expected Kaizo to know Kensei.

  He snarls, leveling his gauntlets. A searing beam lances out—thin, bright, vicious.

  Kaizo doesn’t move. The beam scorches past, missing by inches.

  Kaizo (flatly): “…Well, that was depressing…”

  The boy grits his teeth and unleashes a volley. Rapid pulses streak across the arena, etching glowing scorch-lines into the stone. They cross and overlap, forming a lethal grid of heat. Some fire downward, keeping him suspended midair.

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  Kaizo tilts his head, analyzing.

  Kaizo (to himself): “Not slashes… not wind… it’s some kind of directional thermal beam. It looks like something “she” would make. Compact… grid-based. Hmmm.”

  A beam sizzles past his face. He slips aside with Yuei, vanishing and reappearing with faint shadows trailing.

  Kaizo (still calm): “It’s like a weapon Fortnite would add to the game.”

  In the stands—

  Kagari raises a brow.

  Kagari (impressed): “His mobility is insanely fast.”

  Yumi grips the railing, eyes gleaming.

  Yumi (mesmerized): “Whoa.”

  The boy snarls, speeding up his fire. The beams now crisscross in erratic bursts, scorching pillars, slicing chunks off the battlefield. The heat haze ripples through the arena.

  Kaizo ducks, pivots, and slides under one beam, then casually flicks the boy’s gauntlet with two fingers mid-dodge. The metal sparks.

  Kaizo (mock analyzing): “Overheats at the joint. Two more minutes of this and your arm’s gonna cook itself. You might wanna… I dunno… stop?”

  The boy curses and fires wildly.

  Kaizo side-steps another volley, hands still in his pockets.

  Kaizo (annoyed): “Bro… give up alreadyyyy….”

  The crowd watches in excitement at Kaizo's ignorance, though the boy is clearly too furious to notice.

  Then—Kaizo exhales, seriously again. His legs shimmer with faint energy.

  Kaizo (to himself, under his breath): “Alright… enough playing around. In the good words of The Weekend, “I feel it comin”.”

  His Kensei surges. His legs blaze with power as he activates his Cheetah DNA from the Speed Set.

  BOOM. A sonic burst rocks the platform.

  Kaizo launches skyward, leaving afterimages in his wake. He meets the boy midair.

  One instant—he’s beside him.

  Then above.

  Then below.

  Then behind.

  BAM. CRACK. THWAM.

  A storm of strikes rains down from impossible angles. Palms, elbows, knees, sweeps. He batters the boy relentlessly, bouncing off the very air like a ghost.

  Finally—Kaizo drives a palm straight into the boy’s face.

  Kaizo (quietly): “Down you go, bitch.”

  He dives, dragging his opponent with him.

  SLAM.

  The boy crashes into the arena floor. The stone ripples outward in a crater. Dust billows high.

  The boy lies still, unconscious.

  The referee blinks, stunned, then raises her hand.

  Referee: “Winner: Kaizo Nekodaira!”

  The crowd explodes in cheers and gasps.

  In the gallery—

  Shirogane is silent now, jaw clenched.

  Ayame smirks, arms folded.

  Ayame (cockily): “Not bad for a ‘secret weapon,’ huh?”

  Kagari leans on the rail, eyes gleaming with new interest.

  Kagari: “…This just got interesting.”

  Yumi pumps her fist, hugging Infinity tight.

  Yumi (excited): “Hell yeah, they did!”

  Kaizo doesn’t smile. He exhales softly, dusting his hands. His gaze is sharp, unreadable but he felt a little… refreshed. Like Aunt Ayame told him a while ago, it has been a while since he’s been in a fight.

  Kaizo (heading back to the locker room): “... Maybe I’m not as washed as I thought. Bad habits can’t break genetics, especially “his” genetics. *shudders*

  The first round is over.

  And the Apex Circuit knows that Kaizo Nekodaira has arrived.

  The Apex Circuit’s commercial lounge buzzed with energy—fighters cooling down, school reps refueling, and vendors calling out limited-time deals on branded merch. Kaizo, still radiating the sweatless confidence of his victory, stepped off the escalator and back into the mini-mall hub.

  Yumi sat cross-legged on a bench, sipping a juice pouch. Infinity lay in her lap like royalty.

  Kaizo (hands in pockets, calm as ever): Yo.

  Yumi (eyes lighting up): You seriously didn’t take a single hit?

  Kaizo (shrugging): Something like that…

  Infinity (lazy meow): Meow.

  Yumi (eye twitch): He said that guy’s aim was trash, and he’s shocked the referee didn’t declare a KO from embarrassment.

  Kaizo (chuckling): I agree.

  (A flicker of heat ripples through the air. A familiar warmth presses in—confident, bold, impossible to ignore.)

  Kagari Akari — the Flame Empress — (gliding into view, golden school robe trailing like fire): Well well… you’re still in one piece. Impressive.

  Kaizo (raising an eyebrow): Still trying to grab a piece?

  Kagari (smiling, leaning in just enough to cause trouble): Not today. But I’ve got a proposition for you.

  (She steps closer, lowering her voice—though absolutely not enough to escape Yumi’s sharp hearing.)

  Kagari (dangerously sweet): Ever consider transferring schools? I think the sun would suit you better than whatever wind blew you into this crowd.

  (Kaizo blinks once. Then he turns, not to Kagari. Not to Yumi. But straight at us.)

  Kaizo (breaking the fourth wall, smirking): [Somebody’s trying real hard to get a “reward”, am I right?!]

  Yumi immediately socked him in the side.

  Yumi (frustrated): “FOCUS, you idiot!”

  Kaizo (dramatically): “Ow—ow! This is abuse!”

  Kagari laughed softly.

  Kagari (smiling):“You two are fun. Don’t get burned in the next round.”

  She winked and walked off like a goddess in slow motion.

  Kaizo (to himself): "My goodness, my author has some very "cringe" dialogue at times."

  Yumi (scowling): "What did she say? She sounded way too confident for my liking.”

  Kaizo (stretching): “Jealous again?”

  Another punch.

  Yumi (clenching her fist): “Just, shut up!”

  At the end of each chapter, I will most likely add the names of techniques and moves, or other imformation that you gys don't know right here:

  Yūei (幽影 – “Faint Shadow”)

  A basic Zenshin movement technique where the user applies Kensei to the legs, allowing them to dash so fast it appears as if they teleported.)

  (Mugensoku (無現速 – “Infinite Speed”)

  Kaizo’s high-speed punch, inspired by the mantis shrimp. The strike is so fast, it leaves no visual trace—only the destruction afterward.)