CHAPTER 222: SPARRING

"There will be three judges evaluating all matches,"

Yamamoto explained, gesturing toward a raised viewing area where the officials would observe the competitions. "Their decisions are final and not subject to dispute or appeal."

The judges’ qualifications and experience would be announced before the first matches began, ensuring transparency about who would determine advancement through the tournament brackets.

"Beyond that single restriction about premature combat, I encourage you to enjoy yourselves during your stay here," Yamamoto’s tone softened slightly into something approaching warmth. "This facility offers many amenities designed for your comfort and preparation."

"Training between participants is allowed and even encouraged, as long as you avoid causing injuries to yourselves or others," he continued with practical wisdom. "However, understand that anyone who becomes injured during voluntary training sessions faces the consequences entirely at their own risk."

His expression grew stern again as he emphasized the personal responsibility aspect. "If you choose to trust a fellow competitor during practice and sustain an injury that affects your tournament performance, no accommodations will be made. That responsibility falls entirely on your judgment."

The warning carried clear implications about the competitive nature of their environment. While cooperation was permitted, participants needed to remember that everyone present was ultimately an opponent seeking the same prize.

"Are there any questions about these guidelines?" Yamamoto asked, scanning the assembled group for any signs of confusion or concern.

The courtyard remained silent as sixteen practitioners absorbed the rules that would govern their conduct until the tournament’s conclusion.

"Excellent. Dinner will be served in one hour. Use the remaining time to familiarise yourselves with the facilities and prepare for tomorrow’s competition."

...

After Yamamoto finished his speech, Ichigo immediately turned toward Noah with his enthusiastic smile spreading across his face.

"Wanna spar?"

Noah stared at him for a moment, processing the immediate invitation. Ichigo’s chattiness and persistent friendliness had been endearing during their bus conversation, but now Noah found himself wondering about ulterior motives.

Yamamoto’s warning about past incidents made him more cautious about trusting fellow competitors too quickly. What if Ichigo’s friendly demeanour was actually a calculated strategy to lower his guard before attempting to injure him before the tournament began?

Although Noah felt confident he could handle any potential threat, he didn’t want to feel like he’d been manipulated or played for a fool.

Almost imperceptibly, Noah accessed his dimensional storage ring and withdrew the Eye of Apollo, golding the artefact discreetly within his jacket pocket. The legendary orb was compact enough to fit comfortably in his hand while remaining completely hidden from view.

Noah activated the truth-detection capabilities, feeling the magical energy flow through the artefact as it prepared to analyse any statements made within its area of influence.

Deciding to test both the item’s functionality and Ichigo’s genuine intentions, Noah posed a half-joking question with casual delivery.

"You aren’t trying to injure me, are you?"

Ichigo paused with a completely blank expression, as if the question had caught him completely off guard. His friendly demeanour flickered momentarily with confusion before returning to its normal rhythm.

"Of course not! Why would I injure you? You’re a nice guy, and I believe we could be good friends." Ichigo responded with obvious sincerity.

His smile remained genuinely friendly, carrying none of the signs of manipulation Noah had been watching for.

Suddenly, green text materialised in Noah’s vision, appearing directly above Ichigo’s head in glowing letters that only he could perceive.

[Truthful]

Noah blinked in surprise at the Eye of Apollo’s immediate confirmation of Ichigo’s honesty. The artefact had detected no deception, no hidden malice, no ulterior motives beyond simple friendship and competitive enthusiasm.

The guy really was just... incredibly friendly.

Noah felt a mixture of relief and slight embarrassment at his paranoid suspicions. Ichigo’s enthusiasm wasn’t a calculated strategy—it was simply his natural personality, unchanged by the competitive environment surrounding them.

"I was just joking," Noah said with a genuine smile, deactivating the Eye of Apollo and securing it back in his storage ring. "Although some people might probably do that."

Ichigo nodded with understanding rather than offence. "Competition can make people do crazy things. But I promise my only goal is having some fun practice and maybe making a new friend before we have to face each other as opponents tomorrow."

His openness and lack of defensiveness at Noah’s suspicious question made Noah perceive him in a higher position than before.

"Alright," Noah agreed, his wariness dissolving into anticipation. "Let’s find a practice area and see what you’ve got."

...

The people around looked at them with interest, their expressions carrying subtle condescension masked as casual observation. Some participants had indeed formed small groups of two or three, but these alliances consisted of practitioners who knew each other from previous encounters, tournaments or masters.

However, Ichigo and Noah had clearly met each other for the first time, yet somehow they were displaying mutual trust that made the more experienced competitors scoff internally.

Naive newcomers, several participants thought with dismissive superiority.

Participants who trusted each other so easily were always known to be eliminated first in serious competitions. The reasoning was simple: such behaviour indicated they were novices without real tournament experience, practitioners who hadn’t been exposed to the harsh realities of competitive martial arts, where friendships could be weaponised.

They’ll learn soon enough that niceness doesn’t win tournaments, one scarred participant mused while watching the unlikely pair.

Under the watchful gaze of other competitors, Noah and Ichigo made their way to one of the designated practice fields. The facility’s attention to detail was evident in the quality equipment provided—racks of both wooden and steel practice swords, all maintained in excellent condition.

Ichigo approached the weapon selection with careful consideration before choosing a wooden practice sword, testing its weight and balance with experienced movements.

"No need for steel swords," he commented cheerfully. "This is just light sparring anyway. No point risking unnecessary injuries before the real competition begins."

Noah nodded in agreement, selecting his own wooden blade while noting the natural way Ichigo handled the weapon.