[Fight!]
Alex and Julia swiftly closed the distance between them, meeting midway. Julia made the first move, while Alex remained hesitant about striking her.
He knew the girl was not fragile enough to break from a simple spar, especially considering it was taking place in VR. However, he couldn't help himself and paid the price for his hesitation.
Julia lunged forward with her right hand clenched into a fist. The fist moved swiftly, displacing the air around it and creating a small, approaching boom.
Caught off guard, Alex braced for impact.
As the fist struck his face, he could feel the force of the punch moulding his face, the crunch of his cheekbones echoing around.
'Fuck…!'
He cursed, berating himself for his momentary lapse in judgement. It was a rookie mistake!
BOOM...!
Like a cannonball, Alex soared through the air before making a deep impact on the ground a few hundred metres away, leaving him buried in dirt and in pain, groaning.
Even with his newly enhanced physique from awakening, and a pain level set at 85%, he suffered extensive damage.
'Yep, looking down on her is going to get me killed!' His mistake was thinking that, because this was a spar, he wouldn't have to give his all.
And while he knew she was trained in martial arts, he still saw her as a girl.
'I need to change my mindset.' He could feel the sting of the blow on his face, forgetting once again that he was in a fight.
"Don't get distracted, Alexander. Eyes on me!"
Before he could even gather his bearings, Julia was already on him, her right leg raised high for a stomp.
Without hesitation, Alex exploited his greater speed, quickly rolling to Julia's right to avoid the foot's impact just in time.
BOOM...!
The dirt generated from the stump created a small opening for Alex, who wasted no time in taking advantage of the cover to retaliate.
He jumped back up and threw a right jab, his form impeccable, while utilising a considerable amount of his physical strength.
But Julia was clever; she had anticipated this the moment Alex moved aside. Expecting his attack, she swiftly turned to face Alex before sidestepping to his right and closing the small gap.
WHOOSH!
The force of Alexander's punch created a powerful gust of wind that swept past Julia's head. Unfazed by his unsuccessful strike, Julia retaliated with a punch to his gut.
The Knight princess purposefully reduced the power of her blow to stop Alex from flying, maintaining her hold on him.
'Shit!... I'm getting my ass handed to me!' Alex's mind was in turmoil, filled with thoughts and regrets.
Despite his speed, he couldn't fully utilise it because it would create too many openings. The issue remained; he was still too predictable!
With Alexander bent over from the blow to his stomach, Julia delivered a hand chop to the back of his neck, burying him in the ground.
'That was brutal!' He screamed in his head, not knowing whether to shed tears. 'Have mercy, woman!'
"Get up," Julia commanded, creating some distance from him. She decided to give Alex a break.
When he finally got out of the dirt, Alex felt as miserable as he appeared.
"What have you learnt so far?" She questioned with her signature cold smile.
Sighing to himself, he responded, "Never underestimate your opponent, no matter who they are."
"And…"
"And strength and speed aren't everything if you can't make proper use of them." He finished.
"Good. We're going again." Julia turned around. "I still haven't seen what you're capable of. So, I am going to be matching your pace and exchanging blows."
Nodding his head like a child being lectured by a parent, Alex prepared himself for the second round.
Julia appreciated that he wasn't feeling down about his loss. 'Mm, definitely a keeper.'
She found herself getting distracted by her train of thought and smiled quietly to herself. Of course, the blush that tried to appear was swiftly suppressed.
Alex and Julia locked eyes once more as tension mounted. This time, there was no timer, as they would follow their instincts.
...…..
Ross watched the bout and was impressed by Julia's combat skills.
"She's clearly well trained, and her near-perfect application of force makes her a dangerous opponent." He analysed the fight, looking at it from all angles.
The ability to control the amount of force you produce at any moment was not something just anyone could achieve.
Such an opponent could generate more power from their body and, depending on the situation, eliminate unnecessary moves that drained their stamina while concentrating on finishing moves.
As the duo commenced the second round, Ross observed that Alex's movements were erratic, while Julia continued to keep pace with him.
Their exchange was rapid, generating gusts of wind and small booms. To an ordinary human's eyes, the two would appear mostly as a blur, but to Ross, their movements were as clear as day.
Initially, Alex struggled to control his speed and strength, and although he wasn't winning, the number of hits he took from Julia was diminishing.
"Impressive. He's adapting very quickly."
Indeed, Alex was quickly adjusting to his strength and speed, trying to minimise his unnecessary movements and conserve energy for when he got an opening to deliver a powerful blow.
However, that was a tall order given the circumstances.
Against an opponent like Julia, Alex was simply out-skilled and outmatched. His attempts at feints were seen through, with him paying the price instead.
Opting to focus on just fighting and learning, he discarded his mock actions.
'His learning curve wasn't this fast before. Is it because we are awakened now? No, I would have experienced the same thing,' he wondered, and the more he observed, the more impressed he became.
He had practised fighting several times at home, yet he hadn't made much improvement.
A faint smile appeared on his face. "Maybe it wouldn't take too long to catch up, buddy." Ross was genuinely pleased with the progress Alex was making.