Chapter 899 - 899: The Hunter Against the Wall

The moment Rikiya settles onto the stool, Coach Okada drapes a towel over his shoulders before wiping the sweat from his face.

As familiar as the routine is, Okada cannot ignore the difference this time. He cannot remember the last time his fighter was breathing this heavily after only one round. The extra sweat means little to most, but to the man who knows Rikiya best, it is impossible to ignore.

"Can you believe it?" Rikiya says quietly.

His voice carries no frustration, but the rhythm of his breathing is slightly heavier than usual, forcing small pauses between his words.

"Back then, I could find his face almost whenever I wanted. This round... after everything I threw… what got through? Four light jabs... and that lead hook I traded for an overhand to the collarbone."

Okada listens without interrupting. His attention is fixed not only on the words, but on Rikiya's breathing rhythm while speaking.

He knows exactly where that fatigue comes from. Aramaki has spent the entire round forcing Rikiya to move laterally, making him constantly adjust his angles and repeatedly explode out of positions. And the most troubling part is how little effort Aramaki seemed to waste while doing it.

Okada's eyes briefly move toward Aramaki before bringing his attention back to Rikiya. "Maybe there is nothing flashy about what he does. But what he just showed in there is the kind of boxing you expect from a champion. Elite boxing. The kind that wins rounds without needing to look impressive."

Rikiya nods. "I know."

"So don't expect to walk out of this without taking damage," Okada says, his voice lowers slightly. "Stop trying to avoid threats. Become the threat instead. Weaken him before he weakens you. Take the risk, but make sure you break him first."

***

After the second round begins, Rikiya leaves his corner and walks toward the centre of the ring. The matador's mask is gone. His gaze now carries the quiet focus of a hunter closing in on his prey.

Aramaki returns with his guard still high, and Rikiya continues circling him slowly like a bald eagle above its target, constantly adjusting his angle while searching for the moment to strike.

"The momentum has shifted once again," one commentator says. "Aramaki showed he could take control of the fight, but Miyamoto is walking back into the centre with a completely different intention."

"And that is what makes elite fighters so dangerous," the other replies. "They don't need to win every moment. They only need one adjustment to change the entire direction of a fight."

After continuing to circle toward his left for several moments, Rikiya suddenly stops, flicks out a left, pivots to his right, then whips a right hook from the outside.

Aramaki blocks the first punch, then immediately adjusts his angle before catching the second.

Dug. Dug.

But instead of disengaging, Rikiya quickly sends another right hook downstairs.

Thud!

The punch slams into Aramaki's core.

When Aramaki tries to answer with a right hook of his own, Rikiya is already out of range, stepping sharply to his left before firing another one-two from a completely different angle.

The sequence happens too quickly, and…

Dsh! Dug.

The jab clips Aramaki's face before he can bring his guard back in time to stop the second punch.

Rikiya keeps moving, sometimes with nothing more than walking across the canvas, before suddenly pivoting or side-stepping while striking from another angle entirely.

Jab. Pivot. One-two.

Jab. Side-step. Jab. Right hook.

L-step to the opposite direction.

Two jabs. Two right hooks; low to high.

Another side-step, changing the angle once again.

Jab. Lead hook. Right cross.

Every adjustment comes with another attack, forcing Aramaki to defend, reset, and readjust again and again.

"Miyamoto has found his timing, and now Aramaki is the one being forced to constantly adjust!"

"And this is the danger of letting Rikiya Miyamoto settle into his own pace. He just keeps changing the picture in front of you, forcing you to solve a new problem every few seconds."

"This is Miyamoto's world now. A technical battle fought at full speed!"

For now, Aramaki makes no attempt to trade back. Seeing how aggressively Rikiya is working, the champion chooses to minimize the risk, keeping his guard tight and allowing the veteran to spend his energy.

He protects his head at all costs, accepting the occasional shots to his body rather than giving Rikiya the chance to catch him clean during an exchange.

Besides, Rikiya's body shots are usually delivered from the outside, carrying a different kind of danger compared to the crushing blows of an inside fighter.

Aramaki trusts his ability to absorb those punches. As long as he avoids taking anything clean upstairs, he knows he can endure the punishment without losing his balance or awareness.

He also understands that this kind of pace comes with a cost. No fighter can maintain constant movement, constant angle changes, and constant attacks forever.

Eventually, even the smallest decline in sharpness creates an opening. And Aramaki is patient enough to wait for it.

***

For the next several moments, Aramaki continues absorbing the storm without giving Rikiya anything reckless in return.

Then, in the middle of the second minute, Rikiya's rhythm begins to lose its edge. And Aramaki shifts a gear up.

He starts stepping in with a sharp attack to interrupt Rikiya's movement before quickly returning to his guard.

The purpose is not to hurt Rikiya immediately. It is to prevent the veteran from building the kind of momentum that could turn the round into a one-sided rhythm.

"Good, Aramaki!" Nakahara calls out. "Don't let him settle into his pace!"

Moments later, Aramaki begins adding another layer to his approach. A subtle twitch of his shoulder suggests the start of a heavy right hook. A deeper dip in his stance hints at the Gazelle Punch.

The strikes never come, but the effect is real. Rikiya's movements become more cautious, forced to respect threats that may or may not appear.

Rikiya's movement becomes less free. His attacks become more cautious. Each feint forces him to respect what might follow, disrupting the rhythm that had allowed him to control the round.

And with thirty seconds remaining, Nakahara slams the apron once again.

"Now! Push him back!"

Aramaki reacts immediately.

His step-in becomes sharper. His adjustments become faster.

He rolls forward more often behind his peek-a-boo stance, cutting off angles instead of simply following.

"The champion is doing it again!" one commentator shouts. "Look at the adjustment from Aramaki! He's cutting off the exits and forcing Rikiya to trade in confined space."

The pressure returns, carrying a clear purpose; trapping the hunter toward the corner or the ropes. And before long, the pressure forces Rikiya backward until his movement is finally cut off near his own corner.

"Fight him back, Rikiya!" Coach Okada calls out. "Don't let him dictate the exchange!"

Rikiya immediately answers with three straight punches toward the head, forcing the champion to stop his advance and absorb the shots behind his gloves.

Dug. Dug. Dug.

Instead of retreating, Aramaki begins slipping and rolling behind the peek-a-boo stance. Some punches are blocked, others glance off his guard, but every step brings him closer.

Once he reaches the inside range, Aramaki finally opens with a lead hook.

Dug.

Rikiya blocks it, and immediately fires back with his own lead hook.

Zrrf!

Aramaki ducks and rolls underneath the shot.

But before he can return with his own attack, Rikiya sends another left hook over the top, hitting the side of his head.

Dsh!

Rikiya sends another three-punch sequence, left-right-left, forcing the champion to raise his guard high once more.

Dug. Dug. Dug.

"That's the response Miyamoto needed!" one commentator shouts. "He is not letting Aramaki recreate the final moments of the first round!"

Aramaki does not give ground. He stays within range, refusing to give Rikiya the space he needs to escape.

The high guard looks defensive, almost passive from the outside. But there is another purpose behind it; encouraging the opponent to commit more weight into every punch.

The moment Aramaki feels Rikiya's strikes becoming heavier, he finally chooses his moment, forcing to trade punches in the pocket.

As Rikiya's left hand hits Aramaki's collar bone…

Dsh!

Aramaki's hook crashes into the side of Rikiya's body with far greater force.

BAM!!!

The crowd erupts, their roar shaking the entire Tokyo Dome.

"That exchange belongs to Aramaki!"

"Miyamoto landed first, but look at the difference in impact!"

Aramaki continues the combination, unleashing the short hooks that have become his signature inside the pocket.

Rikiya cannot afford to trade in this range, and shifts into a more defensive bladed stance, using his gloves and lead shoulder to block, parry, and deflect the incoming shots.

Dug. Dug. Dug. Dug.

For once, he attempts to slip one of the punches so he can create an opening to fire back. But he can't really dodge anything in that tight space.

The attempt actually allows one uppercut to slip through, thumping his chin from below.

Thuck!

That one hit becomes the opening for the next hook to the cheek.

Dsh!

And a blow to the chest.

Bugh!

And another hook slamming into the base of his ear.

Bam!

Tokyo Dome erupts into chaos. The crowd that had been watching every tactical adjustment in silence suddenly explodes, thousands of voices colliding into one deafening roar as Aramaki forces the fight into the kind of exchange everyone came to see.