True Grave
Warrior
- Joined
- Jun 30, 2010
- Location
- Where The Fight Takes Me
Instructor Kenji had been less than impressed with this semester's new students. They all had power but his experienced eye had already seen through them. The vast majority did not have what it took to make Team Rising Sun. Perhaps it was the new age of technology that was affecting the focus of the youth and decreasing their potential. He would do what he could to make the students better, but they had to want it, as well. Only a few new students seemed to have the passion required to make it all the way to the top.
A scowl was still on his face when someone sat down beside him. When he looked over and saw that it was Instructor Izumi, his entire face changed into a softer look. Kenji and Izumi had met during their own new student ceremony, forming a bond over their shared desire to make Team Rising Sun. They would go on to do just that, making the team on the very same day. Their Team Rising Sun would win four tournaments back-to-back starting that year, with Kenji and Izumi even winning the tag team matches together. They were great friends, great teammates, and great combat partners.
Kenji had never said it, but he loved Izumi. He had loved her since the day they had met, and that fire still raged even all these years later. What stopped him from telling her was the fear of ruining their great friendship if she didn't feel the same way. Izumi had never overtly shown anything other than friendship, so he had no idea if she had feelings for him. After all this time, it was unlikely. Even so, the passionate flame he felt for her would continue to burn in secret.
"There was nothing too noteworthy until the demonstration of Shizune Tanaka," he whispered back, a slight twitching of his eyebrow expressing irritation.
Izumi's beautiful eyes calmed him, though, and he gave her a small smile.
"Her wind powers are quite impressive for a new student. If she continues to hone them well, she'll be a prime candidate for membership in Team Rising Sun."
This information would be of particular interest to Izumi, as she was Team Rising Sun's club advisor. They had both taken teaching positions at the academy after winning their last tournament, both feeling the call for a higher purpose.
---
Nero nodded at Nian's observations.
"Yeah, we'll have to see her up against a real opponent in order to assess her true skill. I have a feeling that she can handle herself, though."
When she asked about adding Shizune to her notes, he smiled at her and nodded.
"Yeah, for sure. She's a solid contender."
---
When Shizune blew him a kiss, Toro got really excited. He didn't even care about the glares of the guys around her. The smokin' hot babe seemed to be into him and he was overjoyed. After the ceremony, he hoped that he could get some alone time with her in his dorm room. He wanted to make her feel as good as she made him feel. Toro gave her a wink and then turned back to the demonstrations even if Shizune was a more captivating view.
---
Nero nodded at her question.
"Definitely. Toro Saejima is a definite candidate for membership."
When Nian talked about burning some energy, he began thinking naughty thoughts. He wondered how her natural lightning would feel when flowing into his cock.
"Yeah, no problem."
---
Okami was completely focused on Emi's demonstration. When she put gloves on, he wondered what was coming. His jaw dropped at the effect of just one of her punches. Her power was on a level that he had never seen before. All of the mannequins were completely destroyed, the floor had fractures in it, and she had almost blown a hole in the wall. Everyone was stunned by this display of raw power.
The first to snap out of it was Okami.
"You're awesome, Emi! What power!"
He placed a hand on his large bicep and laughed with a warm, booming laughter. Everyone else began to applaud and cheer after that. No matter how 'disgraced' the young woman was, they couldn't deny that she was an absolute beast.
---
Nero also disliked the nasty behavior of the other students, secretly hoping that Emi would shut them up. She did and then some. Her power was insane, easily among the highest he had ever seen. Very few students at her level would be able to take on those fists.
"Add Emi Yamazaki to the notes for consideration. Those fists are potential world beaters."
He was gaining more respect for Okami by the moment. He was the first to congratulate Emi on her performance and showed no embarrassment in doing so. Even if he didn't know about her past, that was still an admirable show of camaraderie. Nero suspected that romantic feelings were involved, which was even more brave. How would he handle finding out about her past? In any case, he was glad to see that Emi was no longer alone at Rising Sun Academy.
---
The students continued to demonstrate until they at last reached student number one hundred, Okami Sujiyama. Walking over to Watanabe, the young man bowed respectfully and made a request.
"May I have five moving training dummies?"
"Of course, Master Sujiyama."
After pressing a button, they appeared. When the demonstration began, they rushed Okami at full speed.
The muscular student took a solid Karate stance and began glowing with a blue aura. This aura became more intense around his fists. As the training dummies got closer, he dodged each of their attacks by moving to the side while tagging them with a single punch to the solar plexus. All five were frozen in blocks of ice and fell over. The crowd went nuts with wild cheers and applause. Okami, however, looked completely unsatisfied.
"Give me more!"
Watanabe chuckled good-naturedly.
"This was only a demonstration, Master Sujiyama. Please have a seat."
"That wasn't even enough to get my blood pumping. I'm not satisfied with just this!"
---
Seeing Okami's strong need for a challenge caused Instructor Kenji to smile with excitement.
"Interesting."
He stood up, revealing the large golden greataxe strapped to his back. He walked over to Okami and stood about five feet away from him.
"You looking for a challenge, kid? If so, why not take me on?"
---
Everyone was stunned to silence when Instructor Kenji challenged Okami to a match. This was completely unprecedented and left even the normally unflappable Watanabe flabbergasted. Toro was rooted in place and unable to look away. Nero smiled, understanding exactly what was going on.
"Okami's fighting spirit really impressed Instructor Kenji. To go so far as to challenge a new student on his first day...He sees him as a kindred spirit."
---
Okami was shocked when the famous Instructor Kenji himself offered him a match. That paralysis quickly faded, however, and was replaced with concealed excitement.
"I am honored to accept your challenge, Instructor," he replied with a respectful bow.
"Then come at me, boy! Don't hold back!"
Okami got into a stance, powered up, and rushed at Instructor Kenji.
When he got within range, he threw a Wolf's Freezing Fist right at his opponent's solar plexus. However, Instructor Kenji countered by emitting an aura of intense flames. It not only blocked the ice coming from Okami's fist, but forced him to jump back as his hand got a very light burn. Before he could reset his stance, Kenji rushed in and punched him across the jaw. Although he held back, that punch was still enough to knock Okami to the floor and bloody his mouth.
"I told you not to hold back!" he said before jumping back to give him space.
Okami laughed and got to his feet. Instructor Kenji had lived up to all of the hype and then some. His heart was starting to race, the hot blood coursing through his veins. This was how he wanted to feel during a fight. That was why he always challenged the strongest warriors that he could find. Everyone else left him cold and unsatisfied.
Taking his stance once again, Okami focused his energy. Rushing forward, he stopped further back and shoved both palms forward. A blue spiritual wolf's head appeared before him and started to spray ice breath at Instructor Kenji. This was the Wolf's Freezing Breath. Kenji smirked and flared up with his flame aura again. The ice attack could not penetrate it and was now completely useless.
Instructor Kenji rushed forward and punched Okami hard in the nose. This knocked him hard to the floor, caused him to bounce once, and bloodied his nose. The instructor gave him a disapproving look.
"I know you're capable of more than that, Okami. Show me!"
He jumped back once again.
Okami got to his feet with an embarrassed smile.
"I suppose I should have known better than to think that anything less than my best would cut it against you."
Planting his feet, he glowed with an intense blue aura.
"I'm coming for your head, Kenji!!!"
Throwing his head back, he let out a scream that shook the entire room. As his aura intensified, the shockwaves of intense power began to crack the floor and walls.
As the seconds passed, Okami's scream began to sound like the howl of a wolf. His aura began to coat his body in shining blue. After a few seconds of being covered entirely, it faded to reveal that Okami was now covered in black hair and had glowing blue eyes. His Werewolf Transformation was now complete. Another howl rattled the gym again and expressed the feelings within the soul of the savage wolf. Instructor Kenji pulled the great axe off of his back and readied it for battle.
---
Nero had not missed the significance of Kenji's action.
"Instructor Kenji acknowledged Okami's strength. I've never seen him do that before with a day one student."
Having faced the Sujiyama Clan ace's Werewolf Transformation himself, he knew that it had potent strengths and weaknesses. How Okami navigated them would determine how well he did against Instructor Kenji. The battle had just become very interesting.
---
Toro was fascinated once more by Okami's transformation. The strength and ferocity of that form was on another level. The young redhead was thankful that he wasn't going up against it. Even Instructor Kenji seemed to acknowledge its power when he drew his weapon. Toro kept his eyes glued to the fight, not wanting to miss a moment. He was so excited and couldn't wait to see what happened next.
---
Okami's lupine ears twitched as he heard Emi cheering for him. Turning to her, his glowing blue eyes looked into hers. He nodded at her words and put his clawed hand on his opposite bicep. The silent message was that he would be strong. Emi's encouragement made his determination even greater. He wanted to defeat Instructor Kenji in front of her to prove how much her support meant to him.
---
Toro's gaze was pulled from the fight when Shizune turned her eyes toward him. He could guess from the look on her face what she was thinking. He nodded, confirming her thoughts. Okami could transform into a werewolf and was about to give Instructor Kenji a serious fight. When Emi cheered for the young Sujiyama man, Toro stood up to join in.
"Kick his ass, Okami!"
---
Nero nodded at Nian's words.
"Yeah. Not just anybody would even accept a fight with Instructor Kenji, let alone try to win. Okami is a warrior worthy of respect."
Nian had also noticed the significance of Instructor Kenji drawing his great axe.
"Yeah, this is going to be a great fight."
---
Watanabe turned his head toward the voice of the lovely Instructor Izumi. He bowed his head respectfully in response to her request.
"As you wish, Instructor Izumi."
The older man sat down on the other side of her, leaving Instructor Kenji's seat open. He knew the man would be upset with him if he took his seat. His eyes narrowed to a steely look as he focused intently on the fight before him.
---
Kenji chuckled good-naturedly at Izumi's teasing.
"Oh, no need to worry about me. This is just a little warm up."
He gave Okami a hand gesture that said 'bring it on'.
"What are you waiting for, kid, a formal invitation? Show me what you got!"
---
Werewolf Okami turned around and locked eyes with Instructor Kenji. Dashing forward, he was moving with speed that made him invisible to all but the most well-trained eyes. When he reached Kenji, the two were fighting at such speed that neither were visible to the untrained eye. Those with trained eyes like Toro could see the flashes of the two moving around and clashing weapons. Only those with well-trained eyes like Nero could see every movement clearly and with precise detail. This fight was on a higher level than many students had experienced, making it exceptionally good for learning purposes.
---
Nero was on the edge of his seat as he watched the fight with excitement.
"Okami is matching Instructor Kenji's speed and forcing him to put in effort. His technique, strength, focus, experience, and skill are far below the Instructor, but he's doing quite well for a brand new student."
Nero smiled with joy. He couldn't remember the last time he had watched such a great fight.
"If Okami improves in those five areas, he'll easily be one of the most unstoppable students in Rising Sun history."
---
Okami was keeping up with Instructor Kenji but was not penetrating his defense. Despite the size of that great axe, the instructor could whip it around as easily as if it were a dagger. Every one of his claw strikes was deflected no matter how fast he threw them. Knowing from his battle with Nero earlier that his stamina in this form was not unlimited, Okami knew that he had to force an opening now. Channeling his energy into the claws of his right hand, he roared and threw a Wolf's Freezing Claw at Instructor Kenji's solar plexus. Unfortunately for Okami, Kenji saw right through it.
Stepping in, Kenji uppercutted Okami right under the chin with all of his strength. Even with the extra durability of the Werewolf Form, that counter strike was devastating. Okami rocketed to the ceiling and his face smashed directly into it. After that, he fell backwards and landed hard enough on the floor to be embedded into it. Barely conscious and bleeding from multiple wounds on his face, Okami nevertheless got back to his feet. Even Instructor Kenji had to acknowledge the incredible mental toughness and fighting spirit that it took to get up from that attack.
Okami knew that his final hope for victory was to unleash his most powerful attack. The Wolf's Freezing Pack could potentially break Instructor Kenji's guard, allowing him to land a knockout strike on his opponent. He rushed in again, his entire body glowing intensely with his blue aura. A howl emitted from his lips, but this one was different from earlier. This howl called to the wolf spirits of his ancestors that lived on inside the hearts and minds of the entire Sujiyama Clan. Instructor Kenji was no longer facing just one opponent, but several.
The whirling blue tornado of wolf spirits cut his opponent off from running. Okami went for broke and threw his remaining energy into his claws. Instructor Kenji was still deflecting strikes but had to dodge now, too. Even with all of his experience, he had to work to constantly dodge attacks coming from 360 degrees around him. It was now a battle of stamina, the win coming down to who could last longer. When Instructor Kenji disappeared from his sight, Okami knew that he had lost this battle.
When the tornado of spiritual wolves disappeared, Okami's Werewolf Form vanished along with them. He simply didn't have enough stamina or spiritual power left to maintain it. Panting from exhaustion, he was almost doubled over. All of a sudden, Okami felt a blade resting against the back of his neck. Instructor Kenji had reappeared in a flash before showing that he could have delivered a death blow to the young man if he had desired to. This was absolute, irrefutable proof of Instructor Kenji's victory.
Okami sighed in disappointment, having dearly wanted to win for Emi's sake. That quickly turned to surprise when Instructor Kenji began laughing happily.
"That was one hell of a great fight, kid. You made me work for that win."
After strapping his great axe once more to his back, Instructor Kenji smiled at Okami. When the young man turned around, he was surprised to see an outstretched hand waiting for him.
"You're the real deal, Okami Sujiyama," Instructor Kenji said with warmth and respect.
Smiling with joy, the young man clasped and shook the venerated instructor's hand. The crowd went insane with cheers as they gave these two warriors a standing ovation. Toro whistled and called out Okami's name as he applauded. Even Team Rising Sun and the academy staff were standing up to applaud and show their respect. Everyone in the Great Hall had just borne witness to the indomitable fighting spirit that made The Rising Sun Academy the best martial arts institution in the entire world.
A scowl was still on his face when someone sat down beside him. When he looked over and saw that it was Instructor Izumi, his entire face changed into a softer look. Kenji and Izumi had met during their own new student ceremony, forming a bond over their shared desire to make Team Rising Sun. They would go on to do just that, making the team on the very same day. Their Team Rising Sun would win four tournaments back-to-back starting that year, with Kenji and Izumi even winning the tag team matches together. They were great friends, great teammates, and great combat partners.
Kenji had never said it, but he loved Izumi. He had loved her since the day they had met, and that fire still raged even all these years later. What stopped him from telling her was the fear of ruining their great friendship if she didn't feel the same way. Izumi had never overtly shown anything other than friendship, so he had no idea if she had feelings for him. After all this time, it was unlikely. Even so, the passionate flame he felt for her would continue to burn in secret.
"There was nothing too noteworthy until the demonstration of Shizune Tanaka," he whispered back, a slight twitching of his eyebrow expressing irritation.
Izumi's beautiful eyes calmed him, though, and he gave her a small smile.
"Her wind powers are quite impressive for a new student. If she continues to hone them well, she'll be a prime candidate for membership in Team Rising Sun."
This information would be of particular interest to Izumi, as she was Team Rising Sun's club advisor. They had both taken teaching positions at the academy after winning their last tournament, both feeling the call for a higher purpose.
---
Nero nodded at Nian's observations.
"Yeah, we'll have to see her up against a real opponent in order to assess her true skill. I have a feeling that she can handle herself, though."
When she asked about adding Shizune to her notes, he smiled at her and nodded.
"Yeah, for sure. She's a solid contender."
---
When Shizune blew him a kiss, Toro got really excited. He didn't even care about the glares of the guys around her. The smokin' hot babe seemed to be into him and he was overjoyed. After the ceremony, he hoped that he could get some alone time with her in his dorm room. He wanted to make her feel as good as she made him feel. Toro gave her a wink and then turned back to the demonstrations even if Shizune was a more captivating view.
---
Nero nodded at her question.
"Definitely. Toro Saejima is a definite candidate for membership."
When Nian talked about burning some energy, he began thinking naughty thoughts. He wondered how her natural lightning would feel when flowing into his cock.
"Yeah, no problem."
---
Okami was completely focused on Emi's demonstration. When she put gloves on, he wondered what was coming. His jaw dropped at the effect of just one of her punches. Her power was on a level that he had never seen before. All of the mannequins were completely destroyed, the floor had fractures in it, and she had almost blown a hole in the wall. Everyone was stunned by this display of raw power.
The first to snap out of it was Okami.
"You're awesome, Emi! What power!"
He placed a hand on his large bicep and laughed with a warm, booming laughter. Everyone else began to applaud and cheer after that. No matter how 'disgraced' the young woman was, they couldn't deny that she was an absolute beast.
---
Nero also disliked the nasty behavior of the other students, secretly hoping that Emi would shut them up. She did and then some. Her power was insane, easily among the highest he had ever seen. Very few students at her level would be able to take on those fists.
"Add Emi Yamazaki to the notes for consideration. Those fists are potential world beaters."
He was gaining more respect for Okami by the moment. He was the first to congratulate Emi on her performance and showed no embarrassment in doing so. Even if he didn't know about her past, that was still an admirable show of camaraderie. Nero suspected that romantic feelings were involved, which was even more brave. How would he handle finding out about her past? In any case, he was glad to see that Emi was no longer alone at Rising Sun Academy.
---
The students continued to demonstrate until they at last reached student number one hundred, Okami Sujiyama. Walking over to Watanabe, the young man bowed respectfully and made a request.
"May I have five moving training dummies?"
"Of course, Master Sujiyama."
After pressing a button, they appeared. When the demonstration began, they rushed Okami at full speed.
The muscular student took a solid Karate stance and began glowing with a blue aura. This aura became more intense around his fists. As the training dummies got closer, he dodged each of their attacks by moving to the side while tagging them with a single punch to the solar plexus. All five were frozen in blocks of ice and fell over. The crowd went nuts with wild cheers and applause. Okami, however, looked completely unsatisfied.
"Give me more!"
Watanabe chuckled good-naturedly.
"This was only a demonstration, Master Sujiyama. Please have a seat."
"That wasn't even enough to get my blood pumping. I'm not satisfied with just this!"
---
Seeing Okami's strong need for a challenge caused Instructor Kenji to smile with excitement.
"Interesting."
He stood up, revealing the large golden greataxe strapped to his back. He walked over to Okami and stood about five feet away from him.
"You looking for a challenge, kid? If so, why not take me on?"
---
Everyone was stunned to silence when Instructor Kenji challenged Okami to a match. This was completely unprecedented and left even the normally unflappable Watanabe flabbergasted. Toro was rooted in place and unable to look away. Nero smiled, understanding exactly what was going on.
"Okami's fighting spirit really impressed Instructor Kenji. To go so far as to challenge a new student on his first day...He sees him as a kindred spirit."
---
Okami was shocked when the famous Instructor Kenji himself offered him a match. That paralysis quickly faded, however, and was replaced with concealed excitement.
"I am honored to accept your challenge, Instructor," he replied with a respectful bow.
"Then come at me, boy! Don't hold back!"
Okami got into a stance, powered up, and rushed at Instructor Kenji.
When he got within range, he threw a Wolf's Freezing Fist right at his opponent's solar plexus. However, Instructor Kenji countered by emitting an aura of intense flames. It not only blocked the ice coming from Okami's fist, but forced him to jump back as his hand got a very light burn. Before he could reset his stance, Kenji rushed in and punched him across the jaw. Although he held back, that punch was still enough to knock Okami to the floor and bloody his mouth.
"I told you not to hold back!" he said before jumping back to give him space.
Okami laughed and got to his feet. Instructor Kenji had lived up to all of the hype and then some. His heart was starting to race, the hot blood coursing through his veins. This was how he wanted to feel during a fight. That was why he always challenged the strongest warriors that he could find. Everyone else left him cold and unsatisfied.
Taking his stance once again, Okami focused his energy. Rushing forward, he stopped further back and shoved both palms forward. A blue spiritual wolf's head appeared before him and started to spray ice breath at Instructor Kenji. This was the Wolf's Freezing Breath. Kenji smirked and flared up with his flame aura again. The ice attack could not penetrate it and was now completely useless.
Instructor Kenji rushed forward and punched Okami hard in the nose. This knocked him hard to the floor, caused him to bounce once, and bloodied his nose. The instructor gave him a disapproving look.
"I know you're capable of more than that, Okami. Show me!"
He jumped back once again.
Okami got to his feet with an embarrassed smile.
"I suppose I should have known better than to think that anything less than my best would cut it against you."
Planting his feet, he glowed with an intense blue aura.
"I'm coming for your head, Kenji!!!"
Throwing his head back, he let out a scream that shook the entire room. As his aura intensified, the shockwaves of intense power began to crack the floor and walls.
As the seconds passed, Okami's scream began to sound like the howl of a wolf. His aura began to coat his body in shining blue. After a few seconds of being covered entirely, it faded to reveal that Okami was now covered in black hair and had glowing blue eyes. His Werewolf Transformation was now complete. Another howl rattled the gym again and expressed the feelings within the soul of the savage wolf. Instructor Kenji pulled the great axe off of his back and readied it for battle.
---
Nero had not missed the significance of Kenji's action.
"Instructor Kenji acknowledged Okami's strength. I've never seen him do that before with a day one student."
Having faced the Sujiyama Clan ace's Werewolf Transformation himself, he knew that it had potent strengths and weaknesses. How Okami navigated them would determine how well he did against Instructor Kenji. The battle had just become very interesting.
---
Toro was fascinated once more by Okami's transformation. The strength and ferocity of that form was on another level. The young redhead was thankful that he wasn't going up against it. Even Instructor Kenji seemed to acknowledge its power when he drew his weapon. Toro kept his eyes glued to the fight, not wanting to miss a moment. He was so excited and couldn't wait to see what happened next.
---
Okami's lupine ears twitched as he heard Emi cheering for him. Turning to her, his glowing blue eyes looked into hers. He nodded at her words and put his clawed hand on his opposite bicep. The silent message was that he would be strong. Emi's encouragement made his determination even greater. He wanted to defeat Instructor Kenji in front of her to prove how much her support meant to him.
---
Toro's gaze was pulled from the fight when Shizune turned her eyes toward him. He could guess from the look on her face what she was thinking. He nodded, confirming her thoughts. Okami could transform into a werewolf and was about to give Instructor Kenji a serious fight. When Emi cheered for the young Sujiyama man, Toro stood up to join in.
"Kick his ass, Okami!"
---
Nero nodded at Nian's words.
"Yeah. Not just anybody would even accept a fight with Instructor Kenji, let alone try to win. Okami is a warrior worthy of respect."
Nian had also noticed the significance of Instructor Kenji drawing his great axe.
"Yeah, this is going to be a great fight."
---
Watanabe turned his head toward the voice of the lovely Instructor Izumi. He bowed his head respectfully in response to her request.
"As you wish, Instructor Izumi."
The older man sat down on the other side of her, leaving Instructor Kenji's seat open. He knew the man would be upset with him if he took his seat. His eyes narrowed to a steely look as he focused intently on the fight before him.
---
Kenji chuckled good-naturedly at Izumi's teasing.
"Oh, no need to worry about me. This is just a little warm up."
He gave Okami a hand gesture that said 'bring it on'.
"What are you waiting for, kid, a formal invitation? Show me what you got!"
---
Werewolf Okami turned around and locked eyes with Instructor Kenji. Dashing forward, he was moving with speed that made him invisible to all but the most well-trained eyes. When he reached Kenji, the two were fighting at such speed that neither were visible to the untrained eye. Those with trained eyes like Toro could see the flashes of the two moving around and clashing weapons. Only those with well-trained eyes like Nero could see every movement clearly and with precise detail. This fight was on a higher level than many students had experienced, making it exceptionally good for learning purposes.
---
Nero was on the edge of his seat as he watched the fight with excitement.
"Okami is matching Instructor Kenji's speed and forcing him to put in effort. His technique, strength, focus, experience, and skill are far below the Instructor, but he's doing quite well for a brand new student."
Nero smiled with joy. He couldn't remember the last time he had watched such a great fight.
"If Okami improves in those five areas, he'll easily be one of the most unstoppable students in Rising Sun history."
---
Okami was keeping up with Instructor Kenji but was not penetrating his defense. Despite the size of that great axe, the instructor could whip it around as easily as if it were a dagger. Every one of his claw strikes was deflected no matter how fast he threw them. Knowing from his battle with Nero earlier that his stamina in this form was not unlimited, Okami knew that he had to force an opening now. Channeling his energy into the claws of his right hand, he roared and threw a Wolf's Freezing Claw at Instructor Kenji's solar plexus. Unfortunately for Okami, Kenji saw right through it.
Stepping in, Kenji uppercutted Okami right under the chin with all of his strength. Even with the extra durability of the Werewolf Form, that counter strike was devastating. Okami rocketed to the ceiling and his face smashed directly into it. After that, he fell backwards and landed hard enough on the floor to be embedded into it. Barely conscious and bleeding from multiple wounds on his face, Okami nevertheless got back to his feet. Even Instructor Kenji had to acknowledge the incredible mental toughness and fighting spirit that it took to get up from that attack.
Okami knew that his final hope for victory was to unleash his most powerful attack. The Wolf's Freezing Pack could potentially break Instructor Kenji's guard, allowing him to land a knockout strike on his opponent. He rushed in again, his entire body glowing intensely with his blue aura. A howl emitted from his lips, but this one was different from earlier. This howl called to the wolf spirits of his ancestors that lived on inside the hearts and minds of the entire Sujiyama Clan. Instructor Kenji was no longer facing just one opponent, but several.
The whirling blue tornado of wolf spirits cut his opponent off from running. Okami went for broke and threw his remaining energy into his claws. Instructor Kenji was still deflecting strikes but had to dodge now, too. Even with all of his experience, he had to work to constantly dodge attacks coming from 360 degrees around him. It was now a battle of stamina, the win coming down to who could last longer. When Instructor Kenji disappeared from his sight, Okami knew that he had lost this battle.
When the tornado of spiritual wolves disappeared, Okami's Werewolf Form vanished along with them. He simply didn't have enough stamina or spiritual power left to maintain it. Panting from exhaustion, he was almost doubled over. All of a sudden, Okami felt a blade resting against the back of his neck. Instructor Kenji had reappeared in a flash before showing that he could have delivered a death blow to the young man if he had desired to. This was absolute, irrefutable proof of Instructor Kenji's victory.
Okami sighed in disappointment, having dearly wanted to win for Emi's sake. That quickly turned to surprise when Instructor Kenji began laughing happily.
"That was one hell of a great fight, kid. You made me work for that win."
After strapping his great axe once more to his back, Instructor Kenji smiled at Okami. When the young man turned around, he was surprised to see an outstretched hand waiting for him.
"You're the real deal, Okami Sujiyama," Instructor Kenji said with warmth and respect.
Smiling with joy, the young man clasped and shook the venerated instructor's hand. The crowd went insane with cheers as they gave these two warriors a standing ovation. Toro whistled and called out Okami's name as he applauded. Even Team Rising Sun and the academy staff were standing up to applaud and show their respect. Everyone in the Great Hall had just borne witness to the indomitable fighting spirit that made The Rising Sun Academy the best martial arts institution in the entire world.
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