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The sun hung low, signaling the second half of training was about to begin. Kaida and his team stood in the training yard, sweat dripping from their bodies as they caught their breath. Temu paced before them, arms crossed, her piercing feline eyes watching them like a hawk.
“Break time is over, runts,” she barked. “Back to the sparring rings. I wanna see progress.”
Kaida sighed heavily, rolling his sore shoulders. His entire body ached from earlier drills, but he wasn’t about to complain—not when everyone else was pushing through the pain. Alric, Seraphina, Lysara, and Lorien were already making their way back to the sparring circle, leaving him no choice but to follow.
“Alright, first up—” Temu glanced between them before smirking. “Kaida, you’re up again. Try not to embarrass yourself this time.”
Kaida huffed, stepping into the ring. “You sure I don’t get a handicap?”
Temu grinned. “Oh, you do. The handicap is that you exist.”
Kaida groaned as the others snickered.
“Your opponent…” Temu’s smirk widened. “Seraphina.”
Kaida’s stomach dropped.
Of course.
Seraphina rolled her shoulders, flashing him a playful grin as she twirled her daggers. “Hope you’re ready, hero.”
Kaida gritted his teeth, taking a stance. He knew how this would go. Just throwing punches wasn’t going to work—it never did. Seraphina was too fast, too precise. If he attacked recklessly, she’d dodge, counter, and knock him down in seconds.
He needed something… different.
Something unpredictable.
Taking a deep breath, he thought back to something—something from his old world.
Something most people didn’t even know about him.
Dance.
Kaida wasn’t a fighter by nature, but he had taken dance classes before. Not for long—just enough to learn footwork, balance, and rhythm.
And that’s when it clicked.
Fighting was like dancing.
Fast. Fluid. Rhythm-based.
Kaida’s stance shifted. Instead of standing still, he started bouncing lightly on his toes, shifting his weight from one foot to the other.
Seraphina’s brows furrowed. “Uh… what are you doing?”
The others watched in confusion. Even Temu tilted her head.
But Kaida didn’t answer. Instead—
He moved.
The Unpredictable Dance
Kaida darted to the left, then to the right—never staying in one place. His movements were light, quick, unpredictable.
Seraphina lunged, expecting a straightforward attack—
But Kaida wasn’t there.
He sidestepped effortlessly, twisting just out of reach.
“What the—” Seraphina snapped around, her expression shifting to focus.
Kaida grinned. It was working.
He kept moving, bouncing and weaving, forcing her to chase him.
To adjust.
To guess.
It was a game of movement, and Kaida was controlling the rhythm.
Seraphina lashed out again, her daggers slicing through the air—
But Kaida twisted his body mid-step, ducking beneath the strike.
Then he countered.
A sharp jab—just enough to graze her shoulder.
Seraphina’s eyes widened.
Kaida landed a hit.
The watching warriors fell silent. Even Temu’s tail flicked with interest.
But Kaida wasn’t done.
He kept moving.
Bouncing, dodging, weaving through attacks like a dancer flowing through a routine.
He was unpredictable.
He was fluid.
And then—
WHAM.
Seraphina adjusted, catching him off guard with a sudden low sweep kick.
Kaida crashed onto his back, his breath leaving him in a sharp gasp.
For a moment, silence.
Then—
Seraphina chuckled.
She extended a hand, pulling him up. “Not bad,” she admitted. “You actually got me.”
Kaida wheezed, rubbing his ribs. “Yeah? Great. Ow.”
Lorien adjusted his glasses. “That was… unexpected.”
Alric smirked. “Unorthodox, but effective.”
Temu stepped forward, arms crossed. Her expression unreadable.
Then—she grinned.
“Well, well,” she mused. “Looks like the runt has some creativity after all.”
Kaida grinned tiredly.
Maybe… just maybe… he was getting the hang of this.
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Lunch Break: A Moment to Breathe
After the brutal sparring matches, the group found themselves back at the lunch lounge, exhaustion settling into their bones.
Kaida practically collapsed onto the bench, shoveling food into his mouth like he hadn’t eaten in weeks.
Seraphina sat across from him, her eyes still gleaming with amusement. “So… what was that back there?”
Kaida swallowed before answering. “Dancing.”
Alric choked on his drink. “Excuse me?”
Kaida shrugged. “Took a few dance classes back home. Thought it might help. Turns out—it kinda does.”
Lysara, who had been mostly silent, tapped her fingers on the table thoughtfully. “Footwork and fluid motion… interesting approach.”
Lorien grinned. “So you’re telling me we have a ‘dancing hero?’”
Kaida rolled his eyes. “Laugh it up, nerd.”
Temu strolled past their table, her ears twitching.
“Don’t get cocky, runt,” she said, pausing briefly. “One clever trick won’t save you forever.”
Kaida smirked. “Maybe not. But it’ll keep ‘em guessing.”
Temu snorted, amused. “We’ll see about that.”
She left them to eat, but Kaida couldn’t shake the small hint of approval in her tone.
Maybe today wasn’t so bad after all.
