Ryoma's gaze lingers across the ring, on Jade's mouth. He reads the words as they form, the short exchanges with the corner.
So that's the plan. Break the two-beat flicker. Knock it aside and let everything else die with it.
The realization doesn't change Ryoma's expression. It's the same method he used back when he beat this same trick on Sekino.
His face stays loose, almost indifferent, as if the adjustment doesn't weigh much at all.
Just then, the referee's voice cuts through the arena.
"Seconds out!"
The red corner moves at once. The stool slides back. The towel is pulled away.
Jade rises to his feet, rolling his shoulder once. There's uncertainty in his face. But beneath it, something firmer has settled. Whatever hit him before, he's ready for what comes next.
The commentators fill the space as the corners clear, voices settling into that familiar cadence before violence resumes.
