He swings at my head, much too slowly, and I catch his fist in place. Raiko moves in for a kick, and I push him on his ass with the palm of my hand. He gets up, jumps, and whirlwind kicks at my head; I catch his leg, breaking his momentum, and toss him to tumble onto the mat.
Raiko growls and goes for a tackle. His shoulder slams into my abdomen, but I hardly feel it. Just as this kid looks up at me in fear, I force him back with the palm of my hand again. Raiko tries to catch himself, but he falls over and cries, “f**k!”
“What’s wrong, Raiko? Does baby need a nap?”
“Shut the hell up!” he glares with dark tenacity.
“I’m not making fun of you,” I put my hands up defensively. “I’m asking you if you’re really testing yourself right now. Are you?”
He grunts and, in the middle of a mad cha
