“Alright, this is the final,” the chief referee, Takahashi, told Antonio and I at the center of the mat. “Let's have a good fight. Show me good technique.” His burning gaze told me that I'd better win.

The eyes of the entire crowd focused on us. I couldn't believe I'd made it to the championship. I had to win. I should win. I was an uchi deshi—I'd trained more than anyone. But only moments before, I could barely walk after receiving a straight back kick to my groin in the semifinals. Although I'd won from my opponent's disqualification, the throbbing sting was nearly intolerable. I didn't believe it would be possible for me to continue. But when they called my name for the final and I stood before Antonio and the chief referee, I felt no pain. My desire to be champion and the adrenaline pumping through my body transformed me into a different person.

“Judges ready!” Sensei Takahashi looked around the mat at the four corner judges. “Time keeper ready!”

He bent down and addressed us, “ Kamaete !” We squared off. “ Hajime !”

I crashed into Antonio with a left-hand punch. He blocked my right reverse punch, but I landed a solid low kick to his left thigh. “Don't give him space, in-fight!” Sempai Kudo yelled from the sideline.

I tried to attack Antonio in close, but he kept moving to the side so I couldn't catch him. Every so often, he'd check my movement with a front snap kick just above my belt, sending the pain flooding back to my groin. My chest, arms and legs shrunk at the impact. I grit my teeth, growled, and pushed forward. Despite the pain coursing through my entire body, I had to keep fighting.

Antonio was extremely limber and had much more experience than me. He executed a smooth roundhouse kick to my face with his right foot. I blocked, and he immediately followed with a left back spin kick. The crowd gasped. I kept my hands up and continued pushing forward as his kicks shattered my forearms. If I gave him space to kick, his feet flew at my head like angry hornets attacking an intruder.

As long as I stayed in close, he couldn't kick. My punches and knee kicks had more power than his. I kept closing the distance, not giving him an inch. Everything moved in fast-forward. We fought for three minutes, but it only felt like ten seconds.

“Time!” shouted the timekeeper as he threw a small yellow bean bag onto the mat. Sensei Takahashi stepped between us. We stood on our marks and faced the front.

“Judges, Hante !” Sensei Takahashi commanded. Two judges raised their flags for Antonio, but the other two and Sensei Takahashi declared it a draw.

As we prepared for overtime, Antonio looked calm, but I could hear his heavy breathing.

“You have a chance now, he's tired!” Kudo shouted behind me. “You're an uchi deshi, you've trained more than anybody”.

He was right. I faced Antonio and felt a surge of confidence. I'd trained more than him. I had the advantage in overtime. I'd show him my uchi deshi spirit. This was my fight, my time. I wouldn't lose.

“Judges and time keeper ready!” Sensei Takahashi looked around the mat. “ Kamaete ! Hajime !”

I shouted and charged forward, ready to destroy Antonio.

Continue in Chapter 1