Malik looks confident now, all his doubt seemingly gone. His footwork has grown smoother, dancing around a small patch of space with rhythmic pendulum steps. He moves with the easy confidence of a man who has just solved the universe's greatest mystery and now believes he can calculate everything.
In the red corner, however, Nakahara and his team remain completely unfazed, watching the fight with genuine conviction in Ryoma's chances. Ryoma himself looks no different, still composed, those observant eyes following every movement in front of him.
When Malik begins his aggression, blending it with random hesitations and feints, Ryoma simply reacts to everything. He flicks his guard, steps back, angles out, or makes the slightest movement of his head.
To everyone watching, Malik's strategy seems to be working. His constant feints and hesitations make Ryoma look increasingly uncertain, as though the champion is finally being forced to second-guess what comes next.
