Ren Takeda took out his wallet and calmly placed twenty-four thousand yen on the table.
"This should cover a year of training," Ren said, his eyes steady. "But before that, I want to spar with someone here. I need to see if this place can really teach me."
Yumi Fuyuzora tried to speak, but her mouth was quickly covered by Ryoga, the dojo's karate master, before she could tell Ren that the money was too much.
Ryoga raised an eyebrow. "You want to spar, kid?"
Ren nodded. "Yeah. First, I won't learn from someone weaker than me. Second, it will help you see where I'm at so you can train me better."
Sho, the jujitsu master, chuckled. "I can take him on."
Shin, the boxing and kenpo master, pushed up his glasses. "I think it would be safer if I handled this."
Batu, the towering Muay Thai master, grinned. "Batu wants to fight!"
Rei, the weapons master, tilted her head. "I will handle it."
Genzou Fuyuzora, the master, laughed softly. "Seems like everyone wants a piece of you, Ren. So, who will you pick?"
Ren looked around and smirked. "I want to spar with Batu-san."
Everyone froze. Batu's grin widened, but Yumi pulled Ryoga's hand away and rushed to Ren.
"Are you crazy, Ren? Batu-san doesn't know how to hold back! His style is dangerous!"
Ren simply smiled. "That's exactly why I want to spar with him. I need to push myself to the limit."
Yumi tried to argue, but Genzou placed a hand on her shoulder. "Let him be. He has decided. Let's take this outside. Batu might break the dojo otherwise."
They all moved to the dojo's courtyard, where Batu was humming happily, bouncing on his heels.
"You have a good singing voice, Batu-san," Ren said with a light laugh.
Batu entered his Muay Thai stance while Ren settled into his own fighting position.
Genzou raised his hand. "Begin."
Batu lunged, throwing a heavy punch at Ren's face. Ren ducked under it, stepped in, and launched a quick kick aimed at Batu's head.
Batu blocked with his shoulder, following up with a sharp elbow strike. Ren deflected it with a parry, maintaining his balance.
Sho nodded. "He has skill."
Ryoga crossed his arms. "It ends here, though."
Sho's eyes glinted. "Care to bet?"
Ryoga smirked. "A thousand yen."
"Deal," Sho replied.
Batu began ramping up his attacks, using spinning knee strikes and brutal low kicks, but Ren relied on his karate training and quick instincts to block and counter, studying Batu's moves carefully.
Suddenly, Batu delivered a powerful kick that sent Ren flying backward across the yard.
Shin sighed. "He's skilled, but he won't last much longer. We should stop this before he gets hurt."
Sho shook his head. "Wait. Look at him. He's smiling. He's not done yet."
Everyone turned to Ren, who was indeed smiling, a confident, bright expression that made Yumi's cheeks warm, while Rei's eyes widened slightly, her calm exterior hiding her racing heartbeat.
"Thank you for the lesson," Ren said.
Batu blinked. "Eh?"
Ren adjusted his stance, mirroring Batu's Muay Thai guard precisely, copying the master's form. Batu's eyes widened in surprise before a grin spread across his face, and he returned to his stance.
"Round two," Ren declared.
They clashed again, this time with Ren using Batu's own techniques against him, elbows and knees flying, mixing in spinning strikes and low sweeps as he learned by doing.
Sho gave a calm smile. "Looks like I won the bet, Ryoga."
Ryoga scoffed. "He's just copying what he sees. Doesn't count."
Sho replied, "Maybe so now, but by the end of this match, they will be his. He learns by seeing and doing. If this continues, Ren might learn all of our styles within three years."
Shin scratched his chin. "We might lose our bet at this rate."
Ryoga paled. "Don't jinx it."
Genzou, listening nearby, chuckled. "Are you three plotting to defeat me one day with this boy?"
All three masters shouted, "No way!"
Meanwhile, the fight intensified. Batu, enjoying the match, launched a powerful knee strike aimed at Ren's face. With no ground to brace himself, Ren crossed his arms to block, but Batu's upward strike launched him high into the air.
Batu prepared his finishing vertical kick, the move known to turn even stone to dust.
Ryoga's eyes widened. "If that hits, it's over for him!"
Shin cursed. "He's not holding back anymore!"
Sho stepped forward. "We have to stop this!"
As Ren flew through the air, he realized he had no way to dodge. Gritting his teeth, he quickly reached to his ankles, unstrapping his weighted bands and throwing them off to gain speed.
Batu's finishing kick came crashing down.
"Ren!!!" Yumi screamed, tears in her eyes, while Rei sprinted forward, trying to intercept with her chains, but she was too late.
A loud crash echoed through the yard.
Everyone froze, and Yumi began to sob until Genzou pointed calmly. "Look."
High in the branches of a tree, Ren stood, breathing hard but unharmed, looking down with a wild, relieved grin.
Yumi wiped her tears. "How... how is he okay...?"
Ren simply raised a hand, and calling down to them, "Guess the spar's over!"
The courtyard echoed with silence, then Batu burst into a booming laugh, thrilled, while the masters exchanged glances, realizing this was just the beginning for Ren Takeda, the boy who would learn from any battle to grow stronger.
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