Part-288

  Coach Gin stepped up, his eyes sharp as he gave them final instrus. “Don’t let yuard down just because they’re not as skilled. Py smart. No unnecessary risks.”

  They nodded in unison, the weight of her words sinking in. Even a weaker oppo could surprise them if they got careless. Focus was everything.

  ---

  The match began with Sourov, the team’s heavyweight, taking the lead. As soon as the referee’s whistle blew, Sourov moved like a force of nature. His oppo, a tall and muscur boy from Jatrabari High, tried to overpower him, but Sourov’s superior teique was evident. He dodged a heavy-handed grab and tered with a swift leg sweep, sending his oppo crashing to the mat in seds. The match was over before it even had a ce to truly begin.

  “Banani High, victory!” the referee called out.

  The crowd erupted in cheers, but James remained focused, his eyes o as the matches tinued. Rya , and just as he had predicted, the Jatrabari pyer was strong but clumsy. Ryan used his agility to dance around his oppo’s attempts, finally catg him off-band exeg a fwless throw.

  “Banani High, victory!”

  One by one, Banani High’s fighters took their wins. Nabi’s match was a little more drawn out, her oppo more tenacious thahers, but in the end, her superior timing and footwork won the day. The score was 3-0, and by the time James stepped onto the mat for his match, Banani High had already secured the overall victory.

  Still, James wasn’t going to let his guard down.

  His oppo was taller, a heavyset boy with powerful arms. The moment the match began, the boy charged forward, aiming to grab James in a bear-like hug. James sidestepped easily, his movements fluid and calm. He didn’t rush. He let his oppo’s aggression wainst him, keeping his distand waiting for the perfeent.

  The boy lunged again, this time with a more calcuted move, attempting to sweep James off his feet. But James had been ready for this. He activated his **Sloth View**, a teique that slowed the world around him, allowing him to perceive his oppo’s movements with perfect crity.

  In that moment, everything around him seemed to move in slow motion. He could see the exagle of the sweep, the way his oppo’s weight shifted. With precise timing, James stepped back, grabbing his oppo’s arm and using the boy’s momentum against him. In one smooth motiowisted, pulling his oppo off his feet and smming him onto the mat.

  The crowd’s cheer echoed in his ears as the referee called the match. “Banani High, victory!”

  James stood, his heart still rag but his mind calm. His oppo groaned on the floor, the wind knocked out of him. James offered him a hand, pulling him to his feet with a nod of respect. Despite the victory, James ook pleasure in seeing others defeated, but the sense of aplishment from a well-executed move lingered.