STEPHEN VS DOMINIC

                                    

                                          
Stephen, training before warming up, was watching Dominic from the corner of his eye. His friend's body was tense, his worry was almost visible on his face. This was not surprising. Stephen had been in the world of fighting for five years, while Dominic had only been training for a few weeks.
"Dom, calm down a bit," Stephen said, smiling. "Did you take me seriously when I said a fight to the death? This is just an unarmed training fight. I'm not going to hurt you."Dominic took a deep breath and spoke while looking at his friend.

"There's a huge experience gap between us, my friend. I'm just curious as to why this fight came up so suddenly."

Stephen tried to ease Dominic's curiosity with a calm tone. "You're the only family I have left, Dom. Whether you like it or not, you've entered a very big war. And in this war, I may not always be by your side. That's why I want you to gain some experience. You need to be able to defend yourself."

Dominic understood what Stephen was saying. He agreed with him. But still, he didn't want to fight his best friend.

Stephen smiled lightly at Dominic. "Let me give you a little head start. Go ahead, you can attack!"

For a moment, Dominic hesitated in surprise, then quickly got into position. He stamped his feet a few times on the ground and charged toward Stephen. His entire plan was to wear Stephen down with his kicks and find an opening. Stephen stood still in the middle of the room, watching Dominic out of the corner of his eye.

Dominic kicked with all his might at Stephen's knee. However, Stephen skillfully avoided the move. Dominic hesitated for a moment but quickly attacked again. This time, his target was still the knees. Stephen had to step back slightly, a bit surprised.

Dominic seized the opportunity and punched Stephen in the chest. The impact of the punch caused Stephen to step back a few paces, but he looked at Dominic with a faint smile on his face. He could feel that his friend was taking the training seriously.

Dominic aimed a kick at Stephen's feet, planning to bring him to the ground. But at the last second, Stephen jumped and moved to Dominic's right. Gasping for breath, Stephen muttered with a mocking tone.

"I'm on your left."

Dominic, understanding the remark, smiled slightly. He pulled back and tried to control his breath. He didn't know how long Stephen would give him the head start, but he had to make the most of it without wasting this advantage.

Dominic threw himself to the ground, executing a spinning kick that knocked Stephen down. This move caught Stephen off guard. Stephen quickly got up and fixed his eyes on Dominic."Your head start is over, Dom. Now it's going to be a fair fight."

Dominic furrowed his brows at Stephen's words. "I don't think I have a chance in this fight," he thought to himself. But he took his stance, watching Stephen more carefully.

Stephen jumped toward Dominic, attempting to grab his legs. Dominic pulled back at the last moment and avoided the move. But Stephen quickly ran toward the wall, used it for support, spun around, and delivered a strong kick. Dominic dodged to the left, avoiding the attack, and aimed a kick at Stephen's shoulder.

Stephen staggered back from the sudden blow, but he quickly regained his balance and turned toward Dominic.

"Am I still using my head start?" Dominic asked with a mocking tone.

Stephen smiled slightly. "You can be sure that you're not. Right now, I'm testing your strength. And this is definitely not an excuse for me losing."

Stephen took his stance again and shouted at Dominic with a challenging expression. "Don't go easy on me. You've entered this world once, you can't show mercy to anyone anymore. So, what do you say—show me your true strength?"

Dominic, trying to maintain his composure, took a few steps to the side. Then, with a powerful kick, he attacked Stephen's knees. Stephen barely avoided it, but Dominic lost his balance and fell to the ground.

Stephen seized the opportunity. He placed his foot on Dominic's chest to prevent him from getting up. Dominic grabbed Stephen's foot and, using it for leverage, kicked Stephen in the hip. Stephen lost his balance and was knocked forward.

Both of them got back on their feet. Stephen looked at Dominic with a mocking expression.  "Wow, I wasn't expecting that. You've barely trained, but I think you're learning very quickly."

Dominic responded with a challenging look, taking his stance and stepping forward. Stephen spoke with a sly smile.

"How about we make it more fun with a bet, Dom?"

Dominic raised an eyebrow in response. "What kind of bet are you talking about? Also, no one's watching us, so how can I be sure you'll keep your word?"

Stephen laughed at Dominic's mocking tone. "Dom, you shouldn't forget that this is a friendly fight. I won't go back on my word. If I win, you won't be allowed to participate in any field missions. But if you win, I'll take you on an important mission tomorrow. What do you say?"Stephen was sure Dominic wouldn't accept. But Dominic, unusually, smiled and looked first at the ceiling, then at the ground.

"I accept," he said in a calm voice.