Just the Start. (The Clovers series: Book 1)

Chapter 32

Intercepting a kick towards my face, I shoved it forward. Falice stumbled a few steps backwards before regaining her balance. She was even more aggressive than before. She came for me again with her leg striking combinations. I kept my fists up, deflecting all of her kicks. However, I knew that I could not continue being on defense mode. I have to break her combinations somehow. After a few more kicks, I caught onto her striking patterns and brought my elbow upwards to avoid her outside kick. However, I was momentarily stunned when she sent me a wild uppercut instead. My head whipped backwards from the blow and I gave her a hasty push kick to send her backwards-buying time for my spinning head. A contemptuous smirk was settled on her lips when I recovered. My jaw hardened. She had fooled me into thinking that she had a standard fighting pattern.

I should have known better than that.

Falice closed in on me then, throwing a punch towards my left. I stepped in and lifted my left hand to deflect it like how I was taught by Ducan. Using my hip to generate force, I swung my fist towards her face. I hit home and she flew backwards. As I moved in to do a double leg take down, she jerked her knee upwards, hitting me squarely under the chin and drove an elbow down on my head. Black spots swam before my eyes and I tumbled backwards onto the slightly damp grass. Gritting my teeth, I tried to stay conscious.

I can't black out again. Not this time.

She moved on to straddle my waist, raining heavy blows on my face. Too obsessed with the idea of bashing my face in, she had forgotten all about her own defense. I based my feet and jerked my hips upwards, causing her to pitch forward. With that opening, I flipped us over so that I was the one in control. She locked her legs around my back then, attempting to bring me down and choke me. Pressing her shoulders down with all my strength to resist her strength and prevent myself from getting elbowed in the face, I pushed myself up with my feet. I stepped inwards with one leg and sat on the other, one knee breaking through her locked legs. Then, I dropped my right knee on her left thigh and pinned it down. She struggled against me angrily but to no avail.

"Ouch!" Falice whimpered suddenly and I released my firm hold on her shoulders.

"Fool," she whispered before she elbowed me across the face, causing me to spin to the side.

I rolled out of the way quickly as she tried to pin me down again.
Getting back up to my feet, I noticed that she had switched her left feet forward. The roundhouse kick. I countered it by hooking my feet behind her left ankle and dragging it in the same direction it was going. It was what I learnt from Zander. As she tried to maintain her balance, I jumped and sent her flying backwards with a push kick.

Gong! I placed my hand on my hips and panted like I had just completed a triathlon.

"Excellent Fortis," Gladion declared with a look of approval on his face.

I raised my head and sucked in a breath of astonishment when I saw Falice standing outside the boundary. My last kick had caused her to land outside the fighting perimeters. I had won the fight.

"I'm glad to see that most of you have improved. This is all for the assessments. Like I had mentioned earlier, the victors would proceed with weapons training. Zander and Ducan, one of you have to be in charge of monitoring and guiding the weaker ones for hand-to-hand combat."

Gladion's words were blunt and harsh, causing many of those who had lost during the assessment to stare down at their feet in shame.

Falice was not one of them. She sent me a sideways glare, which I turned away from quickly.

"I'll be in charge of hand-to-hand trainings," Zander volunteered.

"Very well. See all of you at lunch," Gladion agreed with a small nod and gave one last glance at William before making his way to the exit.