Buck hesitated only a moment before launching forward with explosive power, aiming to end the match quickly with Thunder Peak's signature opening combination, a feint to the left followed by a powerful right strike. It was a sequence that had overwhelmed countless opponents at the Academy.
Elizabeth didn't attempt to block the powerful blow. Instead, she simply wasn't there when it arrived, having shifted her weight and pivoted with such economy of movement that Buck's momentum carried him forward into empty space. Before he could recover his balance, her elbow connected with his kidney, not hard enough to cause damage, but with sufficient force to send a jolt of pain through his side.
"Point," Thorne called from the sidelines, his voice matter-of-fact.
Buck spun around, shock and embar
