"Come on, Daichi!" Kent said. "Loosen up! You're way too stiff! You gonna let that two-bit street rat beat you up?!" Daichi's expression settled into a grimace, fingers tightening a moment. It wasn't that...it was just-
"Yeah," Komoku grinned, slamming his fists together with a faint rumble of energy. He was practically glowing, grinning from ear to ear like an excited child who had found a toy that couldn't break. "What's up, Sushi-breath? You can't handle this? Too scared to get into a real fight? One that makes you wonder if you're going to die? Am I making you piss down your leg?" An insufferable, dishonorable dog of a warrior was so potent? How was that fair?
"Don't let that pile tell you anything!" Kent groused. "Come on, Daichi! Let loose! That idiot wants a fight!"
Daichi let out a long, drawn out sigh before he relaxed his posture...not his expression as he rolled his shoulders. He glared at Komoku, and on a secondary notion...glared at Kent too.
"...Oh boy," Sejae mumbled. Just like that, the air got thick with tension.
"You bark all day," Daichi muttered. "Time to muzzle."
"Ooh, tough words," Komoku purred, curling his fingers at him with a smirk. "Come on, big boy...shut me up."
"Gladly," A faint shift of his foot, and he was gone. Komoku must have seen him, because he prepared a second before Daichi appeared in front of him. He blocked, the explosion was massive, crumpling the ground underneath. Daichi's eyes were wild, his expression focused and calm as Komoku never lost that grin. He shifted forward, swinging at his face as Daichi weaved to the right and connected with a solid blow to his cracked rib. He let out a growl of pain, but not before he slowed him down with a quick kick to the shin. It shifted Daichi back, long enough for Komoku to wind up and swing, his arm went from one extreme left to the right. Daichi's face jerked almost painfully as the explosion rocked across his cheek and sent him sliding sideways.
He dug his heels in, ducking a half inch as Komoku's punch brushed past his cheek, splitting the skin in spurt of red. He surged into Komoku's body, his palms slamming into his gut as Komoku recoiled from the explosion and slid back. This was a fight. This was something Komoku could do all day.
"Yeah, that's fucking it!" Komoku grinned, blood lined across his teeth as he rushed forward, catching Daichi with a feint of his left to slam his fist into his jaw. Daichi staggered back and Komoku was on him, his straight kick slamming into his chest as Daichi rolled in pain, stopping and sliding on his feet as his snarled in fury, blood running down his lips. He would not let this mongrel beat him!
Daichi let out a brutal roar, slamming his fist down into the dirt as the ground crumpled, and a blast of energy rippled through the dirt. Komoku rushed forward to meet it, that grin of his wild as he focused his energy around him. It was a crazy plan, but it was going to work...it was just going to hurt like hell. He met the shockwave head on, the explosion was loud...and kicked up about six feet of smoke and dirt...but a half second later, Komoku was coming at him like a barely controlled freight train.
"Nice trick!" he snarled, his clothes tattered and shredded. "Now it's my turn!" he roared, his hand positively rumbling with power as Daichi's eyes widened in complete shock. How in the...!? He didn't have time to put up much of a defense, but the time his arms were up, Komoku's fist was already dead onto his face. The speed he was going, plus the explosion sent Daichi sliding back with a pained howl, slamming into a nearby tree as Komoku hit the dirt face first with a pained laugh.
The tree cracked, and fell backwards as Daichi...started laughing too. It was the most awkward, choking, crying laughter that Dujae and Sejae had ever heard.