Kose stood at the side of the ring, still surrounded by the crowd's cheers and the intensity of the tournament entries. The Warrior’s Sanctum Tournament is one of the most significant fighting events in the nation and continuously draws several types of warriors from various backgrounds. Kose could see them all as he scanned the environment for who could be his next opponent.

There was a warrior on the side, practicing the same moves he does, mixing a lot of Wing Chun and basic brawling. Kose recognized him as Kee. Another warrior who lived in the Southside States was very known throughout the community. However, there weren’t any marks or bands on him that signaled he’d be joining this tournament, which gave Kose a slight relief.

Many warriors come to the tournament just to fellowship with old friends. It’s also a great place to see any warriors who could be making a name for themselves.

Such as the one warrior on the side, who carried a lot of pain in his practice. Kose observed him steadfastly. The warrior was quick and used several combos chained together. It was almost as if he was improvising and not using memorization of moves. 

This warrior was either using the Alternative method or the Rhythm method. Either one of those could be extremely powerful if used correctly. Kose would have to be on his toes if he fought against him. Judging by the intensity in the eyes of the warrior, he had to use the Rhythm Method. No one that uses Alternative would be focused that hard on their strikes.

“E-40 and D-12! E-40 and D-12”

They called his number; time for the next round.

Kose walked onto the platform, followed by the familiar chants and cheers of the crowd. He looked across the arena to see his opponent swaying onto the platform. His arms swang as his loose-fit clothing did as he moved—an individual with shaggy hair and a wardrobe to match, Otoro.

If Kose had to guess, this was a Nomad, and if that were true, he would most likely be using Alternative. This opponent would be different for Kose as Nomads are rarely seen in public. And even then, they generally decline public battles. There were usually two places you would ever fight a Nomad, in a tournament or on their territory. He would have to make sure he read his opponent. Just like his last one, there had to be an opening somewhere. 

The audience noise died down, and Kose mentally prepared himself. At the sound of the sticks clicking, the battle had just begun. And so did his opponent.

In Kose's eyes, it’s almost as if the Nomad glided towards him with some of the smoothest movement he had ever seen. As he approached, the Nomad swung at him with a very wide hook punch. Kose quickly blocked the blow with his hand and another oncoming strike with his other hand. 

With how wide these were, Kose could get a hit the next time he attempted this move. The Nomad did just that, enabling Kose to slide to the outside of the nomad’s arm, fly right in, and commit a strike. 

But before he could even commit that, Otoro smoothly slid out the way. Kose flew right by him and was pushed even further once Otoro grabbed the hand. Taken off guard, Kose was thrown behind the Nomad with a blow to the back of his head for extra measure. 

Kose quickly recovered and looked back at his opponent, who made this strange hand motion and promptly got back into a fighting stance. Kose stared at him for a second before realizing what his strategy would be, his method.

Kose was trained under the Charisma Method, an incredibly popular method with a versatile perspective on how to join it. Most who practice Modern Charisma use a mix of martial arts they’ve learned. However, Kose came from a more traditional school that taught the combination of strength and adaptability in relation to water. 

Otoro remains in his stance, not budging until Kose suddenly makes a move. He pushes forward and executes a cross to Otoro, who swings his body to the side to dodge and retaliates with a backhand.

Kose’s arm blocks it and he guides his arm down quickly, hoping to throw the nomad off balance. However, at that moment, he discovered an opening. Balling his first with his free hand, he gave Otoro a mighty blow to his stomach. 

Before Kose relished a moment in his victory, he felt a hand grab the back of his head, which was not a good sign. His head was quickly thrust towards the ground but was intercepted by Otoro’s knee, which struck him in the stomach.

A yelp and a gust of breath projected out of him. He was then thrust back and face to face with Otoro, who examines him. Otoro shakes his head and pushed Kose's head back down. Three blows from the knee to his stomach followed, thrusting the wind out of him. 

Kose's head was picked back up by Otoro, examining him again. This time he had a nod of satisfaction. Otoro threw him forward, tumbling Kose until he landed flat on his back. 

“One”

There it goes. Kose knew what that meant. Fighting against his pain and vision, Kose rolled over and looked up at the Nomad...both of them…no, just one. Just one.

He rose to his feet and got into position. He was onto something last time, but he paused after the blow. Water doesn’t stop until it’s frozen. He took a deep breath and focused on his opponent. 

Otoro jumps forward, a jab coming to Kose. Kose blocked it and kept his awareness open, noticing Otoro’s other hand coming from the low angle for a strike. Kose stepped to the side and blocked the blow with his arm.

Kose grabs Otoro’s wrist with his other hand and strikes a clean yet sneaky uppercut to Otoro. Driving his elbow back, he nails Otoro in the upper stomach. Otoro folds over from the blow, and Kose uses his other hand for a direct cross to the top of Otoro’s head, which drives him directly to the ground. Kose watches as Otoro crashes onto the ground lying there for a second. His stance is locked, ready for any attack from anywhere. 

“One.” Otoro suddenly started to get up. Kose locked his eyes on him. 

“Two,”  Otoro put one foot up as if he was taking a knee. Kose knew he could launch up from this position. 

“Three.” He’s seen it plenty of times, but you never know with this guy. 

“Four.” Suddenly, Otoro puts his hands together as if he’s in a praying position. The signal for, 

“Forfeit!”

Otoro grinned at Kose, who looked at him strangely. This was the first time someone had ever forfeited from Kose. Otoro suddenly rushed up and hugged Kose tightly, who awkwardly stood there.

“Good match!” the nomad screamed. And he darted off from the platform and eventually the stadium. Kose's hand was once again lifted as the winner.