Kendo Pride

The plan Ejji had concoted on the spot was foiled at it's core, seeing as their spar took a rather abrupt turn as soon as the white-haired practitioner tried to attack. Ejji had only so few means of countering a Debana-waza and if it had come to this - he would not hesitate to use them.

If Ejji was proud of something - it was his eyes. His perception allowed him to see and react to the small things around him. He would be able to see an attack coming, even when it was just initiated. It was a good thing to have, but even that, sadly, had it's limits. What the eyes could track, the body may not be quick enough to respond to. The good thing was - Ejji had trained enough to at least respond to one attack like that.

It was lucky that Ejji did not have the time to give all he had into the first attack, so it was possible for him to revert into a last-second defence. Seeing as his shinai was already going forwards, all he had to do was twist it, a simpe and quick motion of his arms, and block the first strike from his opponent. Others followed - as quick as the first one, and Ejji had no other choice this time but to dodge. His thoughts were instanteneous, and his decision was as well.

Ejji quickly moved to the side, trying to dodge all the strikes.
He decided not to waste any time and force the opponent off balance with a wide sweep to the torso. He needed to see his opponents move first, before acting accordingly.


Stats:

Spoiler:

Actions:

Spoiler:

Impressive, but wrong move! The opponent had fallen right into the attack. The first three attacks from Naito were vertical based, going from the wrist, up into the throat, then down into the do-bu, but that last final blow was horizontal. So the opponent attempting to dodge to the side and not back was exactly what Naito needed. Dodging to the side kept Ejjji within the combat range, and thus Naito's final attack would continue through with a powerful horizontal strike into his opponent's do-bu. "Jackpot." Naito would think to himself, as he'd back off from the opponent with his shinai across his chest. "You've underestimated me... Ejji." The silver haired student spoke with a blunt tone, as he kept his eyes focused on his opponent throughout the mask to study a reaction to the current situation. Since Naito's horizontal strike came out first, and the opponent tried his own, meaning he was still in range, it would no doubt connect first.

Naito Stats:

Strengths:

Ejji's eyes widened behind his mask. It was a second hit, and it had seemed like Ejji had walked right into a trap. Today was definitely an interesting day for the Reiguu heir, and it had been a while since a real challenger had steped up to the task of sparring against him. Ejji knew that he had to be better than this... perhaps the lack of powerful ooponents had dulled is senses, or made him complacent and soft.

It was a win for Naito today, but Ejji would be damned if he let the other young man get away with it in the long run. There was always a next time, and then Ejji would claim the victory as his own. He tried to think positive, but that small flame of frustration refused to go out. He would have a rematch.

For now Ejji stepped back, removing his "Men" and exhaling through his nose. He had even worked up a bit of sweat during all that. The uniforms certainly did not help. Ejji concluded that Naito was not the type of person to really gloat in this situation, and decided to share his own thoughts on their spar. His eyes meanwhile darted sideways, watching the confused and awed expressions of the other practitioners. Ejji rarely lost, and this transfer student managed to score twice against zero. Rumours would certainly start circling around.

"It seems that I have." Ejji nodded, responding to Naito's words. "You've proven yourself as skilled, Naito... and it seems I have become rusty." a small pause followed, as Ejji looked intently at Tsurinai. "We shall have a rematch soon though - I look forward to it."

This was far from over. It was just the beginning, Ejji felt. With the desire to win, and during the spar, came a feeling of certain respect for this young man before him.

Naito would remove his Men and give a brief shake of the head, causing his long bangs to fall back down over his forehead. "Well, I don't hate you. A rematch is acceptable. I'll admit you have some skill aswell." Tossing his shinai to a fellow student while handing his Men off to another, he'd cross his arms across his chest. "Either way, I have some business to attend too. Hibiki... Ejji... I'll be leaving now." With a slight nod of the head, the silver haired perfectionist would turn and head towards the gym area of the club. He didn't say another word, but he would raise a hand in a sort of wave without turning back around to look at his team mates. Usually back home, he was cocky and ridiculed his opponents if they lost. Though this time, he didn't particularly feel like it. It was an adequate match, and his opponent was far better than the trash he faced back at home. Perhaps there was some potential in Kizuna after all.

Ejji's eyes followed Naito as he left. The young man in question certainly seemed like he was in a hurry, but the Club time was still not over, so Ejji decided to stay and practice a bit more. He needed to ge back into shape, so he could show the Tsurinai boy what he could really do. This was really getting interesting. Ejji hasn't felt so, well, sort of riled up since god-knows when.

The Reiguu turned to the Captain, who came up towards him. A strange smile taking place on his face, more mysterious than his usual ones.

"So - 'A penny for your thoughts?'" Kei prompted Ejji. "This isn't something you see everyday, eh?"

Ejji had to agree, shaking his head slightly. "I am certainly surprised. We shall see what happens next time we clash swords."

Kei just shrugged, turning to the others present. Whether he was satisfied with Ejji's responce was unknown. The white-haired boy didn't listen to whatever happened next. He was in his own world, wondering what was it exatly that had transpired here today, and if it would have any lasting consequence in the future.
Honestly - Ejji did not know what to think.

[End]

Ejji has established a new Social Link with Tsurinai Naito of the Emperor Arcana...

Naito has established a new Social Link with Ejji Reiguu of the Magician Arcana...

Though a rocky first meeting, there is an underlining sense of respect...