ROUND 1; Zach versus Nam

[Zach]

As the two young men tumbled through the sky, Zach’s knee finally made a home in Nam’s stomach, although the reaction it provoked in their flight path was hardly noticeable considering it was already more erratic then even not so sane stunt pilots would dare to engage in. Noticing the grunt and better still the fact that Nam hadn’t tightened his abs, Zach grinned knowing he’d done some damage. He also felt his opponent’s hand slip away from his back, forcing Zach to take all of his own weight now. This of course left his body open which Nam had no trouble taking advantage of.

Punch after punch pounded into Zach’s side, just under the ribs, forcing the teen to cringe and grunt with each blow. He’d also by now completely lost tract of where they were going so his advantage with having known where the boundary wall was, was now gone. Still the boy was built like a tank and gritted his teeth through the punishment as he pulled his leg back and attempted to slam a second knee home into Nam’s stomach.

As he executed the attack, one thong Zach did notice was that the ground was getting uncomfortably close. Then they rolled and he could no longer see the ground, only the trees as they dove back down into the canopy. Not knowing just how far from the ground they were, Zach didn’t want to end up a pancake on the side of a boulder so regardless of the effects of the second knee, he quickly pulled his leg back again and slammed a second on in, this time releasing his grip on Nam and using the force of the knee to separate them. Zach of course crashed into the ground below, but it was mostly on his terms and hopefully he’d done some more damage with those last two knees.

The teen landed on his back, as that was the orientation he’d been released in, and had plowed a ten foot trench into the dirt before coming to a stop, half sitting up on the pile of earth. He breathed heavily for a few moments, trying to recover from the punches he’d taken. ‘This fight is certainly getting interesting’ he thought to himself while looking about to try and see where Nam had ended up after he’d let go, although from his position on the ground, he couldn’t look in every direction.

[Nam Reikonaga]

The two were descending more and more towards the ground, and Nam would continue striking Zach’s sides one after the other. Finally, Nam accomplished what he wanted and got Zach to release him and let go. But to the cost of getting kneed in the guts for a second time; something he feared would happen. His straight line of flight jerked and staggered in the air as he began to control the air around him to ascend away from the ground, holding his abdominal cavity in disdain; grunting from that paralyzing feel that spans his midsection and spreads to the legs. Lucky for him, his bukujutsu is mind ability and not physical; or else he’d be lying on the floor as well.

Nam froze midair holding tightly onto his stomach, trying to feel the pain out as he slowly descended to the ground on his feet. To think this is just the beginning… he thought to himself. He turned around to find his adversary on the ground. It was painful –but he got to his destination, even though it wasn’t quite the path he was meaning to traverse. Nam closed his eyes and loosened his body with a soft but deep exhale, he instantly felt his muscles relax and was able to tense up his abs again.

“Man, it’s getting hot here with all this humidity…” he said, removing his shoes and top. He and his opponent were now similar in the sense that they were both showing off their sweaty pectorals and back muscles, while wearing black training pants. Nam’s skin was a bit darker in tone, compared to his adversary. He also had what seemed like a tank top marked on his body and his arms seemed to get darker as they narrowed to the extremes and then became light once more when reaching the palms of his hands.

Giving his opponent a chance to stand again, he began to stretch his body; revealing his shaved pits. In fact, the only thing he didn’t shave was his arms –and perhaps legs. But Zach would never know unless he tore Nam’s pants off, or if the humidity got unbearable to the extent that Nam wouldn’t mind exposing himself to the public, which he assumes is watching their fight.

“Are you ready for round two?” Nam said as he finished with his stretching and got back into a defensive stance. Nam was the initiator of the fight, now it was Zach’s turn to give off the offensive; or so, that’s what Nam preferred.

[Zach]

As Zach rested on the ground for a few moments, none to happy about having dropped out of the sky, he looked about for Nam and eventually spotted the young man, descending to the ground not too far away. He also noted that he’d definitely done some damage as Nam landed holding his stomach. Taking all the time he could to rest, Zach sat up but didn’t stand just yet. He was though keeping an eye on his opponent to ensure the other didn’t rush him while he was sitting.

Continuing to watch, Zach raised an eyebrow as Nam kicked off his shoes and then stripped his shirt off. An approving grin spread across his face as the young man the started to stretch, giving Zach an eye-full. Still grinning, the blonde climbed back to his feet and responded to Nam’s question.

“Heh, if you think seduction is going to work you’ve got a surprise coming.” the boy joked and raised his arms. “But seeing as how you’re asking for it now, lets try this on for size.” the teen added and tensed his body up, routing energy into his armor. The translucent energy coalesced over his forearms, chest and legs, hardening to almost resemble glass or more closely, a flexible, clear plastic.

With his armor up, Zach rushed at Nam, attempting to close the gap between them at his best foot speed. Upon arrival though he didn’t intend to punch the young man, but rather would attempt to drop into a slide and kick his legs out from under him. If he managed to drop Nam, Zach intended to follow up by raising his leg and dropping it into the other’s stomach and with hope, winding him further.

[Nam Reikonaga]

Nam tried not to crack up on Zach’s humorous remark of him trying to seduce his opponent. Trying to keep a straight face he secured his stance. Moments later Zach was on his feet and charging towards him. I knew he would use that sooner or later… Nam thought, complimenting himself for a job well done in getting away from the cinch with Zach as he dashed in with his energy armor. It was that translucent glass like chest plate, his bracers and leg armor. That would’ve been very painful to his knees and specially his guts.

As Zach glided down with the attempt to make Nam trip; Nam simply bounced over him, but not too high or too far, just enough to try and kick Zach’s jaw as he passed below him by extending his right leg which was held up like a flamingo, except obviously toward to back with the knee in front. It would be anatomically impossible for a human-like being to do such a thing; unless they broke the joints of their leg. But in that case he wouldn’t be able to move it at all, and even if he could, it wouldn’t really help in the current situation. If Zach somehow dodged and went for retaliation, Nam would use his Zanzoken technique to fade away; standing behind his adversary.

Moments like these made Nam wondered why Zach hadn’t upgraded his technique by adding some sort of helmet or covering up his abdominal cavity –not that he’s complaining. But it would be a big improvement if he covered up his weak-points and made some sort of full armor, of course if his opponent every developed something similar, Nam would be in quite a pickle. Perhaps, Zach hadn’t done it, because he lacks the extra energy it’d require; it seemed like a reasonable inquiry. Either way, Nam wasn’t planning on asking about it until after the battle was over, or until he’d discover how he would counter such intense power. Armor that absorbs a bit of energy attacks and will probably broke the fingers of the poor guy who tries to defy its strength, how would Nam win other than it having a blind spot? Then again, Nam would probably never figure it out unless the day comes to light. After all, ‘Necessity is the mother of creation.’

[Zach]

As Zach approached and dropped into his slide to try and take Nam’s feet out from under him, the teen was astonished by the lightning like reaction time of his opponent, one that allowed the other young man to jump over Zach and unfortunately for him, land a kick that smashed across Zach’s face. The move caused Zach’s smooth transit across the ground to become a jerking tumble as he body was forced to follow the direction his head now wanted to go in. He rolled to a stop on his hands and knees, climbing quickly back up to his feet.

Turning back to face Nam, Zach wiped away a trickle of blood that was streaming down from the side of his mouth, his lip having been cut by the kick. Thankfully he still had all of his teeth and aside from a ringing in his ears, the teen was still ready for a fight.

“Ok, no more fancy stuff.” he commented more to himself then to Nam and brought his arms up into a defensive posture to guard his head. With his armor still active, Zach moved cautiously this time, closing on his opponent one step at a time. If the shirtless brunette didn’t strike first, Zach intended to close all the way to arm’s length and open up with a pair of quick, right handed jabs aimed for his head. Further providing they landed, Zach intended to follow up by changing his guard from his left arm to his right, and hammer a left uppercut into Nam’s diaphragm.

[Nam Reikonaga]

Nam watched as he successfully kicked Zach in the jaw and sent him flying to the place he came from. Landing back on the ground Nam began to feel resentful about kicking his opponent like that. Even I felt that… he thought to himself. To think that the simple action of kicking his opponents face made him hurt and ill, he couldn’t imagine actually receiving it. Nam stood there and got back into defensive position as his opponent got up from the ground and wiped the blood off his mouth. It seemed like he was going to get serious now, so Nam would have to be even more alert.

It seemed Zach was also being more careful, for he would approach Nam one step at a time. Nam decided to take that time and use his Zanzoken, which he had not yet used during this fight. Hey, if he’s going to bring out the armor, Nam might as well turn nimble on him. And so, with his light fantastic toe Nam kept his defensive stance and as soon as Zach initiated his barrage, Nam moved out of the way; leaving behind an after-image of himself. He would then appear behind Zach with a roundhouse kick across the head. In the other hand... he can just use a senzu bean... he said, justifying his actions. If that worked he’d expect his opponent would be sent flying off and immediately follow through with a sudden surge of chi and ricochet ahead of his adversary with a nice jab in the gut, instantly making distance between each other.

If the roundhouse kick missed, Nam would follow the weight of his right leg and attempt a second kick with his left.

[Zach]

Nearing his opponent, Zach watched the other boy carefully and once he was in range, launched his first right jab. However the punch met nothing but air and Zach knew he’d been tricked again. He’d seen this one before though and immediately pulled his arm back, just in time to take Nam’s leg to both the side of his head and to the shielded arm. Since the force of the blow wasn’t just focused on his arm and the leg had contacted his head, Zach was thrown off some, stumbling away. His shielded took a good portion of the force though and saved Zach from being knocked completely senseless. Unfortunately, senseless or not, the boy had to regain his footing and in the process lost his bead on Nam long enough for the other young man to pound a punch into his un-tensed stomach.

“Uuuugh!...” Zach gasped as Nam’s fist met with minimal resistance and forced him to stumble backwards instead of sideways this time. The blonde doubled over slightly, his innards erupting in a sickening ache worse then what the previous knees had induced. He was very close to pulling some of his other cards out if this fight started to go further south, but right now things were still manageable. His opponent was definitely a bit stronger then him and decidedly faster, but Zach had trained to take hits, if worse came to worse, he’d try to wear the other out that way.

Breathing heavily, Zach straitened back up, securing his guard to defend his head and turned until he was facing Nam once more. Hoping to gain a few moments to allow his throbbing midsection to settle, Zach remained stationary and waited for Nam to make the next move; he wasn’t about to walk right into another trap by attacking again.

[Nam Reikonaga]

Nam smirked as his right leg successfully made way to his opponents head, but it was soon flushed off as his adversary turned to block the attack with his arm. Doing what he intended, Nam also did what he was trying very hard not to do –he made contact with Zach’s bracers. After following his leg around in a full 360, he paused for a moment, grunting from the pain in his leg. He was starting to rethink the further use of kicks. Just seconds later he glanced up to look at his opponent’s condition and found the opportunity to strike.

In a sudden surge of energy, Nam quickly raced toward his stumbling opponent and rammed his clenched fist into Zach’s gut. Immediately after, he retreated; making distance. He tried not to show it, but Nam stood still, enduring the pain in his leg. The energy armor was truly a magnificent technique and Nam had to realize he wasn’t taking the necessary precautions to avoid making contact; he’s been acting too reckless.

After a few moments, Zach had gotten back on his feet and into his defensive position. It seemed he was tired of getting hit in the head, for he was increasing his defense for it. Nam’s adversary was now breathing heavily, which led him to believe he had the upper hand; although, if he didn’t give his legs time to recover, this fight could easily turn the other way. Nam thought about various ways to approach, but he wasn’t sure of a particular tactic. He was at dilemma. Since Nam still believed his opponent could not fly, not only would flying give him an advantage, but it would also help him further rest his legs. On the other hand, Nam wasn’t sure if such tactics would be considered dirty and dishonorable. If Nam was anything, he was honorable –or at least he wants to be. He tries to keep things fair at all times, hence the fact that he does not use his sword against the unarmed, which was still resting on the 15ft. buttress roots of that humongous tree; although, looking back, Nam couldn’t remember which tree it was –or whether they were within the radius of their previous position.

The atmosphere was still the same. It seemed wherever they went it was always a natural road-like area with tall grass, and giant trees all around. Let’s not forget the orchids, the humidity and fog. Nam was also breathing differently. Not as heavily as his opponent, given the fact that he’s done most of the hitting so far. But he wasn’t exactly untouched, and his legs were really hurting. Nam stood his ground, staring across the forest at his opponents eyes; stalling for his legs to recover. Sweat would crawl down his face and back, his moist muscular body, relaxing from the stress. Nam wasn’t sure how long they’ve been fighting anymore. It probably wasn’t all that much, but it sure felt like a lot.

“So, how do you like our match so far?” he said with the intention of creating a conversation and further stalling for his legs to recover. “This rain forest sure is misty…” he continued, smiling at his adversary as he was still watching Nam’s every move with wary eyes, covering his face. Nam focused on the armored energy around Zach, observing; analyzing. He never really took the time to actually wonder about the way it is developed. Obviously, how would Nam discover a way to counter such a technique without knowing how it works? It seemed to him that perhaps, Zach would focus on the areas he wants to cover with his ki, just as Nam would create an energy ball, and then his opponent would probably compress it into a glass-like structure, making it solid. Speaking of states of matter, Nam wondered what category energy would be in. Not solid, except in Zach’s case. He didn’t think it was liquid or gas either; so maybe it’s plasma; or perhaps, energy is a state of matter all on its own. Then again, a synonym for energy could be soul –or spirit; in other words, it’s not really anything at all. All this thinking began to make Nam’s head hurt and he concluded on consulting some kind of chemist; leaving the topic on hold.

Not knowing what energy really is, he went with what he does know. We have the ability to create and disperse energy at will, and energy isn’t continuous in us; it will run out sooner or later. Bringing Nam to two possible outcomes: Perhaps, Nam could control the energy surrounding Zach to disperse, just as he would return a basic chi ball at his opponent; but it made him think that it might be too easy if it worked that way. Another possibility was that Zach’s armor wasn’t self-sustainable, meaning it has been gradually consuming his energy as they speak. With this conclusion, it gave Nam more of an incentive to stall. It seemed like he just couldn’t lose from using that tactic; then again, if the move was draining his chi, Zach would probably be more anxious to keep fighting; that –or he’s a very good actor.

Nam did think of one flaw to his plan though. It would give his adversary time to catch his breath.

[Zach]

Standing still with his eyes locked on Nam, Zach noted that the boy was watching him as well with an expression that looked more like he was studying a specimen under a microscope. Then he started to speak, making Zach wonder if Nam was really that confident in his victory that he’d try to strike up idle banter or if he was stalling. There was the possibility as well that it could be another trick, the boy might not be as confident as he seemed and was in fact trying to lull the blonde into another trap instead of slugging it out. Seeing no reason not to respond at the moment, but keeping it short, Zach started to close on Nam once more.

“It’s going pretty well, not as much ‘my fist in your guts’ action as I’d like but I can’t complain too much.” the blonde teen responded as he closed to within about fifteen feet of the other boy and added a note he was sure would provoke some type of reaction. “They are nice guts too, the whole package is cute.”

Zach grinned as he drew to a halt and observed Nam for reactions. What he’d said was true, Zach liked the other boy’s looks and wasn’t afraid to say it. Although, if his opponent was insecure or resentful of such a compliment coming from him, then maybe, just maybe it would trick him into doing something stupid. Besides, even if he didn’t get under Nam’s skin, he was inching closer, had his guard up and wasn’t going to make any more stupid moves himself, as he’d said before, play time was over. The blonde would be perfectly happy going toe to toe with Nam and simply trade punches for the rest of the fight, he was sure that would wear him down pretty quickly considering the damage he’d been able to do earlier.

[Nam Reikonaga]

Nam tried not to burst out laughing from Zach’s remark; instead he tightened his stance as his opponent began closing in again, step by step. He couldn’t give himself the luxury of laughing freely at his adversary’s jokes for it would probably cause a game changing move. He would’ve thought that the decision of laughing or not would have so much weight on its shoulders. Nam began to step back from his adversary. “Hehehe, well, I think yours are cute too. In fact, I kind of like the feeling I get when I punch those little guys.”

The fact that Nam’s adversary has made the gesture of trying to get close to him made Nam suspect that perhaps his theory of non-self-sustained energy armor more probable. But then he simulated in his head the process of producing an energy ball and tossing it. You use up energy when producing it, and while you have it in your hand, you can both disperse it and store it back, or you can throw it. Once, an energy ball is thrown, it becomes self-sustained as it keeps its trajectory. So, maybe his armor was just like that; in which case, Nam would have to concoct another way to go about his adversary’s nearly impenetrable defense. The only reason he’s been able to do sneak a few hits were due to his Zanzoken and slightly superior speed. But Nam knew it wouldn’t keep working for long; Zach almost avoided his last roundhouse kick, for he instantly knew what was happening when he punched through the illusory image of Nam’s previous location and reacted immediately.

Still observing Zach’s armor intently, he changed his gaze to observe his opponent. Nam almost cringed, for Zach had been staring at his face the whole time. It felt kind of awkward. Then again, Nam has had his slanted eyes all over his translucent armor just the same. “You know… I never really asked you about that defensive technique of yours. It amazed me since the first time I saw it, but I never got around to asking you how it worked…” he said, hoping he might get some information out of his opponent.

[Zach]

Still watching Nam, Zach noted the boy was moving back, signaling that he either lacked confidence or was indeed attempting to set another trap. His eyes were still glued on the blonde’s chest and arms, presumably examining his armor which was starting to get Zach’s gears turning more towards the lack of confidence area. His grin remained as the boy replied, indicating he enjoyed punching the blonde in the stomach, to which Zach could hardly resist making him an invitation to do it some more. The view he had of Nam’s body was distracting to say the least, he chanced a glance over the other boy’s chest and abs, the sweat glistening all over the exposed skin adding definition to the already fit musculature. ‘We can play later, this is serious.’ he thought to himself and kept smiling as he continued to stalk after the other boy and clear his head of the lecherous thoughts that were creeping in. Then Nam continued to speak, finally dragging his eyes up to meet the blonde’s gaze. Zach thought he might have detected a falter in the boy’s expression before he continued to speak, but it was nothing he could be sure about.

“Hmhm… Well how about when this is all over, we get together and I’ll let you punch the living daylights out of them and tell you what you want to know?” Zach replied, slyly avoiding giving anything away and working his invitation in there. He wasn’t sure for what reason Nam was stalling now but it was starting to become obvious. It could have been the fact that he thought Zach might tire out, or perhaps it had something to do with that intent stare at his armor.

‘That can’t be it. It doesn’t even cover all of me. He can’t be afraid when I’ve got so much open skin.’ Zach though to himself and continued to stalk forward.

[Nam Reikonaga]

Nam couldn’t help but smirk as his opponent, whom refused to give out any detail about his attack. Well… It was worth a try… he thought. If he knew any better, Nam would assume that ‘punching the living daylights’ might have been an accidental clue from his opponent. That or he’s hinting on its indestructability. But Nam wasn’t really into the idea of testing his luck and risk losing a few fingers.

Nam stared at his adversary and grinned. “Well then, let’s see just how resistant that armor is!” as Nam said this, he charged in at Zach and once again used his Zanzoken inches away from the man’s face, glaring straight into his eyes. He did this with the intention of blocking his adversary’s view, for Nam had simply stepped a few feet back, where he was instantly in the iconic stance to perform an energy beam known throughout the entire universe, which were quoted with the following words. “Kame… Hame…” except, Nam was rushing the move, he was aware that the instant he spoke, his opponent would notice the unmoving lips of Nam’s illusory face. But Nam had a bit of hope for contact, due to certain events in the past, Nam had been led to believe that his opponent could not sense energy; thus, by blocking his frontal view, he would not be able to see nor sense from where the blast was coming from.

Although, since Nam was rushing the attack, it wasn’t going to be very strong; he was simply trying to ensure maximum contact and on another view, testing out the extent of Zach’s defenses. Nam’s cupped hands, which were concealed behind him, began to emit a blue glow and the orchids and tall grass surrounding him began to dance with the wave a spiritual energy surrounding the half-saiyan. A red aura flared all the while. Finally he pushed forward and propelled the blue energy, “HAAAAAA!” all this done as fast as he could.

If Zach dodged, Nam would be in trouble for he would not have time to retreat from the attack and defend himself. If it hit, he would simply stand with his defense high, waiting to see the results.

[Zach]

Stalking slowly after Nam, Zach kept pace with the other boy, starting to find his opponent’s continual retreat slightly annoying. He couldn’t let his guard down though as he’d come to the conclusion that either Nam lacked confidence in his ability to deal with Zach strait up, so more tricks were undoubtedly in store. A he was advancing Nam stopped and charged at him, prompting Zach to keep his guard high. The blonde didn’t have to wait long for the stale, pseudo-teleportation technique to rear it’s head again as the moment Nam was in range, Zach attempted to launch his right fist through the illusion’s face. Not knowing it was an illusion though until his blow failed to effect the immaterial matter, Zach was carried forward.

‘Not this again…’ Zach though to himself as he listed forward with the force of the un-landed punch. Then he heard his opponent calling out the name of an attack and knew for sure it was another trick. This one was clumsy though, even rushed the energy beam Nam was using was so telegraphed by having to call out it’s name, Zach had a moment more to react. Letting himself fall forward with the continued motion of his punch, ostensibly through the illusionary Nam, the blonde teen tucked into a roll as his opponent launched the attack. The blue beam lit up the entire, shaded area underneath the tropical canopy as Zach came to a stop in a crouch.

‘That just where I want to be, thanks buddy.’ he was thinking to himself as the beam streamed out of Nam’s hands just inches over his head. From such an advantageous position Zach had a beautifully open target. He waited just long enough so as not to get caught in the trailing edge of the wave before launching himself upwards with a titanic, left handed uppercut aimed for Nam’s stomach. Should it land, Zach intended to follow through, keeping his fist buried in the other boy’s gut and for the first time in the fight, calling on his ability to fly to carry Nam into the air with the intention of slamming his opponent into an overhanging tree limb and then continue to press his fist in.

“You’ve really got to stop using that technique, it’s getting predictable now. And honestly, calling out the name of an attack before you launch it?” he’d add with a grin.

If it didn’t land, Zach knew he’d left himself wide open with that punch and didn’t even want to think of what Nam could do to him while he was stretched out with his arm held up after a missed uppercut.

[Nam Reikonaga]

Nam launched the beam. His eyes widened as his opponent had done exactly what he feared. He could only watch as Zach dropped to the ground and made way to Nam’s location. Struggling to let go of the beam as soon as possible to prepare himself for his opponent’s attack, but he was too late. As soon as the energy beam ceased, his adversary rammed his clenched left hand into Nam’s cute little package. Nam let out a grunt as he bent forward and spat out a little blood from the impact of Zach’s fists. And as if it weren’t enough, the winded half-saiyan was soon lifted off his feet and slammed onto an overhanging tree limb. For a moment he thought he was sent flying, but as he opened his eyes and saw Zach’s fist still pressed onto his gut, he realized Zach was flying.

Heh… I guess he did know how to fly… Nam smirked to himself, thinking how naïve he was. Zach then made a commet which Nam didn’t know how to answer and remained a few moments silent before responding. He had other things in his mind –like the fact that his Kamehameha wave made the sound of clashing with something, even though behind Zach was nothing but an endless road of trees and orchids; it sounded like some sort of wall. He wasn’t sure whether or not his opponent had noticed it, and he wasn’t about to comment about it.

“Hehehe… I guess you finally got to strike my beautiful packs.” He grinned, joking about Zach’s last statement, a river of fresh blood down the edge of his lips. Nam let out an almost non-existent grunt as he felt his opponents fists pushing in further into his abdominal cavity and began to feel the giant branch he was up against breaking behind him. It seemed Zach was enjoying the feeling of ramming his fists into Nam’s cute package.
Timing the moment the giant branch would break, he let himself fall with it and turned back in a clockwise motion, with the intention of kicking Zach in the jaw. He would then rest himself atop another branch. This time, Nam was the one breathing heavily, as he wiped the blood from his mouth.

“You’re right… no more tricks for the moment!” he said, breathing between words as he focused his energy onto his clenched fists and ricochet towards his opponent; ready to initiate a barrage of consecutive punches and kicks. "As for the question, it's called a Kiai. It ensures proper breathing while performing the attack... Although, I admit I could have done it lower..." he said, responding to Zach's previous critiques. He was bracing himself to endure the pain of Zach’s armor, for he had realized that perhaps his very fear of making contact was the cause of him losing. Obviously aiming towards the face with his hands and guts with his knees, but he was aware that he’d most likely hit the armor a few times.

If Nam’s initial attack to the jaw missed, he was prepared to bring out for the first time in this fight; his translucent, red energy barrier, which would engulf his body to block off Zach’s possible attacks from every direction.

[Zach]

As Zach held Nam up with his fist firmly entrenched in the other boy’s stomach, he raised a surprised eyebrow as his opponent spit out blood. He hadn’t been intending to do that much damage, just wind him and take the fight out of him, now it appeared he may have ruptured something in the other boy. He was starting to feel sorry he’d hit Nam as hard as he did, clearly although his opponent was stronger, his innards weren’t up to taking the same kind of beating Zach’s could. Even as the other boy tried to joke, Zach saw more blood escaping, making the blonde wonder how Nam could even get the breath to speak.

A moment later the branch Nam was being held up against started to give way and Zach reflexively pulled his fist away. It seemed Nam had similar plans to set himself free and pulled away with the branch. Not only did he pull away, but actually attempted to land a retreating blow in the form of a clockwise kick. The direction Nam had chosen for his kick was an important point, had he made it counterclockwise, the blow would have easily smashed across Zach’s face, as it would have been coming from Zach’s left and his left arm was still semi extended from the uppercut. The kick however was coming from the right, and with his right up pulled back in it’s usual defensive position, Nam’s leg would end up colliding with his bracer.

The kick did jar Zach though, forcing him to pull back an reevaluate just how much he’d actually hurt the other boy. Either he’d landed a punch to the others mouth that he didn’t know about or Nam had indeed suffered an internal upset from the gut punch and was refusing to back down in spite of the injury. Not taking a chance that Nam might try to use his moment of indecision against him, Zach finished reeling in his left arm and continued to drift backwards and slowly back towards the ground. While his armor didn’t require much energy to sustain it once formed, it had been struck more the once and would have to be recharged to ensure full protection, hence the blonde’s decision to head back for the ground, it would free up more energy for his armor, and protect against attacks from bellow.

As Zach was backing away, Nam continued to speak, although with an understandable delay to compose himself after that organ pulverizing punch. Zach wasn’t really much for traditional martial arts training, preferring to work out his own techniques, but he did understand the reasoning behind using words to regulate breathing in a fight. The problem was, as Nam admitted, he’d called the syllables for the attack out much to loudly and perhaps even simply chose a bad time to use it in the first place, allowing the blonde to capitalize on the mistake. Now they were both in the air, although Zach wouldn’t be for long. He simply nodded and held his ready pose and waited to see what Nam would try next.



{Nam, I’m cutting my post short here because I don’t know which way you want to go. Zach blocking the first kick and then descending may have changed what you were intending to or are capable of doing.}