Martial Arts Worlds

The audience held their breaths as lights descended from the ceiling and illuminated the two entrances.

"And now… the moment you've all been waiting for! It is time for the quarterfinals to start with match one, Karuza High versus Kanyon High!"

The two entrances opened up, and jersey-wearing martial artist stepped out, light guiding their path all the way to the big stage.

Music played, and the lights were blinding as the crowd erupted in cheers.

The two teams arrived in their bench and saw the referee take his spot at the middle of the big ring, a microphone in hand.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the first match of the quarterfinals is upon us! I will be the witness and overseer of the match! Let's have a fair match!"

His voice entered the microphone and blasted throughout the arena.

The sky had already turned dark as the nighttime was approaching, setting the perfect stage for an intense battle.

"First fighters, take the stage!"

The referee shouted.

In Kanyon High's bench, Hedda stood up and tied up her hair into a ponytail.

"Good luck."

Edwin nodded, giving her a reassuring smile.

"Don't lose."

Thorsten said with his arms crossed over his chest.

"I got this."

Hedda said with a smile, and with her head held high, she entered the ring and moved to her own corner.

She looked down at the concrete ground below her feet and tested its durability with a few quick stomps.

'That's bad. It will hurt to grapple. I must try to mount.'

Hedda stretched her arms above her head and turned to look towards her opponent's bench.

"Huff…"

Jonathan stood up, looking slightly uncomfortable as the bandages around his midsection shifted.

He then removed the bandage from his forehead and tossed it aside.

"Your opponent is Hedda. She is skilled at grappling, and she will most likely try to take you to the ground. Your skill set is quite similar to hers, so it won't be a battle between striking."

"I got it."

Jonathan said, and headed up the steps to the ring. He arrived at his corner and looked at the hard ground below his feet.

'If I manage to land Sky Drop, I will win the match.'

He cracked his knuckles and moved to his fighting stance.

"Hedda is Middle Stage Martial Fighter."

Coach Jin said to the other people on the bench.

He didn't want to mention it to Jonathan because it might influence his fighting spirit knowing that his opponent is vastly more powerful than him.

"Edwin, their second fighter, is also Middle Stage Martial Fighter, and Thorsten is High Stage Martial Fighter.

"A team that strong could win nationals in any other year, but unfortunately for them, this year's nationals is the highest level of competition yet."

Julia looked worryingly over to the stage.

They know that the doctor allowed Jonathan to participate in the match, but he was still injured. It was clear that he was not at 100%, and they needed him to perform at his best in order to have a chance at winning.

"Uhm, Kiernan, how do you think Jonathan can win this one?"

Dominic asked.

He trusted in Kiernan's analysis as, in his opinion, he was one of the smartest fighters in the competition.

Others also looked at him.

"If he manages to use Sky Drop, it would be enough to end the fight. You don't want to get thrown down on that concrete ground. It will hurt like hell.

"However, I don't think that Sky Drop will work. He is facing a skilled grappler, and she will be able to easily counter it.

"Sky Drop has a few significant weaknesses. It doesn't immobilize the opponent, and it leaves the user vulnerable to counterattacks.

"It is also extremely weak against any skilled grappler."

Kiernan said.

"Do you think that Sky Drop will work against you?"

Julian asked.

He tried to think of a few techniques to counter Sky Drop, and in his mind, a few began to form.

'Is this how Kiernan created Iron Style? Watching others fight and then thinking of ways to counter their moves?'

"It wouldn't work against me. Once he grabs my face, I'll place my fist against his chest and use Iron Fist to push him away.

"Hell, I can think of five different ways to counter that technique. It is a powerful technique, sure, but there are so many ways to nullify it."

Kiernan said and shook his head.

If Jonathan had asked him, he could've helped him to improve that technique, but it was clear that they weren't really close.

Jonathan, Dominic, and other students were quite nervous when talking with him and rarely sought him for advice.

"How would you improve that technique?"

Julian asked out of curiosity.

"First, grab the opponent's face like Jonathan does, move closer to press your body against theirs to stop them from countering, sweep their legs out from under them, and then smash their head against the ground."

Kiernan said, imagining the technique in his mind.

He thought of a few ways to improve the technique.

"Hmm…"

Julian rubbed his chin and started thinking about a few new techniques that he could create for his Metal Style.

Whistle~

At that moment, a sound of a whistle echoed through the arena.

"Are the two of you ready?!"

The referee asked.

"Yes!"

Hedda said, and she didn't really take any stance. She wanted to stay unpredictable in order to keep her opponent on their toes.

"Yeah."

Jonathan stood, strangely enough, in a striking stance, despite the fact that he wasn't much of a striker.

"Fight!"

The referee swung his arm.

Jonathan ran ahead, and because of the length of the ring, he had to run for quite some time before reaching his opponent on the other side.

Hedda only moved further away from the edge so there wasn't danger of her falling out of the stage and saw Jonathan head in her way.

"Ha!"

Jonathan stomped on the ground and swung his fist at her. He was actually going for strike tactics!

"Hmm~"

Hedda evaded the punch with ease, grabbed it, and then threw him over her shoulder. He flew through the air and landed with a loud thud on the ground.

SMACK!

"Urgh!"

Jonathan coughed out blood as his back crashed against the concrete ground.