The room fell silent after the flicker jab analysis.
Pratap's face hardened, his obsession unresolved. He rose abruptly.
Pratap (coldly):"I
am leaving now."
Karikalan's voice followed him, calm but probing.
Karikalan:"Wait!
Did you find any insights from his fight?"
Pratap paused at the door, his tone sharp but dismissive.
Pratap:"Hm… no.
From my perspective, he's simply throwing powerful flicker jabs against his
opponent, that's all. But I will soon uncover the power behind his mysterious
killer jabs."
He placed his hand on the doorframe, his shadow stretching
across the room. Before stepping out, he turned back, his words cutting like a
blade.
Pratap (grimly):"Karikala…
I will settle our score when we fight — whether in the street or in the martial
arts tournament. Try not to make the same mistake you made against Elara.
Remember this in your mind."
With that, he strode out, leaving Karikalan and Richard in
uneasy silence. The pendrive still glowed faintly on the table, holding the
secret of David's punch, while Pratap's vow hung heavy in the air — a promise
of future conflict, and a reminder of past scars.
The room was heavy with silence, both Karikalan and Richard
lost in thought about David's flicker jab. Suddenly, a faint groan broke the
stillness. Veera stirred, rubbing his head, and slowly rose from the floor.
Veera (confused, dazed):"What
happened here? What happened to that guy? Did you beat him?"
He staggered forward, his voice trembling as he recalled
the moment.
Veera:"That man…
he's so powerful. When I kicked him, he grabbed my leg and slammed me onto the
floor like I was nothing."
Karikalan's face remained pale, his tone calm but firm.
Karikalan:"No."
Richard stepped closer, his curiosity sharp.
Richard:"Who's this
guy? What's your relationship with him?"
Karikalan's eyes narrowed, his voice carrying weight.
Karikalan:"He is my
rival."
Karikalan's voice softened as he began to recount the past
— a memory buried under years of bruises and pride.
Karikalan (reflective):"After
I left college midway because of the tension between me and Elara, I started
training for street fights. At first, I was nervous… but my ego wouldn't let me
walk away."
He paused, eyes distant, remembering the sweat, the noise,
the sting of defeat. "I joined the underground circuit and fought
against several challengers. My first five matches — three draws, two losses. I
could barely stand after each one. But then, something changed. I started
winning. Three straight victories. Each win earned me just 500 rupees, but the
pride was worth more than the money."
Richard listened silently, while Veera leaned forward,
intrigued.
Karikalan (continuing):"Then
one day… he came."
The air in the room thickened. "Pratap walked into
the ring. The crowd went silent — awe mixed with fear. His presence alone made
even the toughest fighters hesitate. Everyone knew something was different
about him."
Karikalan's tone darkened, the memory still sharp. "That
was the day I realized — I wasn't just fighting opponents anymore. I was
fighting my own limits."
Karikalan (narrating):"He
challenged everyone in the arena to fight him. But no one moved. Even the
toughest fighters hesitated. I couldn't understand why they were afraid."
He clenched his fists, recalling the moment Pratap's
arrogance filled the locker room. "Then he mocked them — every single
one of them — calling them cowards. He said, 'It's pathetic and shameful how
you call yourselves men. Without fighting a strong opponent like me, you're
nothing. Real men fight bravely even if their opponent has god‑like powers.
You're nothing but—'"
Karikalan stopped, his jaw tightening. "That word
triggered me. My anger boiled over. I accepted his challenge."
The room seemed to echo with the ghosts of those fights. "I
fought him twenty‑one times. He won twenty. The first match — I was knocked out
in a second. The second — same thing. Every time I faced him, he defeated me
without breaking a sweat. I was frustrated, desperate to find a strategy to
beat him."
Richard leaned forward, eyes wide.
Richard:"What
kind of technique does he use?"
Karikalan's gaze turned cold, his voice almost reverent.
Karikalan:"It's
called the No‑Look Punch."
Richard's eyes widened in disbelief.
Richard:"No‑Look
Punch? But how? How can he use this punch without even seeing the
challenger?"
Karikalan's voice carried the weight of years of struggle.
Karikalan:"That was
the same question that haunted me. I was desperate to find the solution. For
nineteen fights, I failed. But in the twentieth, I finally saw it — the secret
behind his punch."
He paused, remembering the humiliation of endless defeats,
the crowd's jeers, the sting of failure. "Then came the twenty‑first
match. Everyone booed me, mocking my continuous losses. But that day… it became
the happiest day of my life. I defeated Pratap for the first time."
The memory burned bright. "I earned 30,000 rupees
from that fight. The entire crowd was shocked. Even Pratap himself was stunned.
For once, the man who never broke a sweat… tasted defeat."
Richard's voice trembled with disbelief.
Richard:"But how
did you manage to win against someone with god‑like power?"
Karikalan leaned back, his eyes distant, recalling the
fight that changed everything.
Karikalan:"At
first, he would sight and analyze his opponent's movements during the fight. He
studied them within three or four rounds, all while fighting like a strong
opponent. After that, he would unleash the No‑Look Punch — throwing caution
into the air, striking without even looking at his challenger's face. He used
different movements to launch it, confident that no one could ever defeat
him."
Karikalan's tone sharpened, pride flickering in his voice. "But
he didn't know that I had finally found his strategy. In the twentieth fight, I
saw the flaw. In the twenty‑first, I changed my fighting style. I countered
him, even when he struck me with the No‑Look Punch. That day, I broke through
his god‑like confidence."
The memory of the crowd's shock, the disbelief on Pratap's
face, and the roar of victory echoed in Karikalan's words.
Hours had passed, the sweat of training still clinging to
their bodies. Karikalan and Richard dragged themselves home, exhaustion etched
across their faces.
Richard (groaning):"I'm
extremely tired today because of your aggressive training."
Karikalan smirked, his tone calm but teasing.
Karikalan:"Yeah… it
was hard for you, but compared to your level of training, it was easy."
Richard's eyes widened, his voice rising in disbelief.
Richard:"What?
Seriously? Do you think it's easy to say that rather than actually doing it?
You were throwing stones at me from all directions, fast! I barely managed to
block and escape. Look at this—"
He lifted his shirt, showing bruises scattered across his
body.
Richard:"This is
all because of your terrible training!"
Karikalan chuckled, raising his hands in mock surrender.
Karikalan:"Calm…
calm… Now tell me, are we going to the restaurant tonight?"
The tension broke into laughter, the bruises becoming
badges of camaraderie. Despite the pain, Richard couldn't help but smile their bond forged through sweat, struggle, and
relentless banter.