Inosuke X Aoi. Forming Bonds

Part 18: New Mission

Clashing and Clanking from the meeting of steel blades filled the air in the secluded training grounds a bit away from the butterfly estate. Inosuke had Zenitsu pinned with the blonde's back just up against a tree with no where to go. Cheers and shouts from Tanjiro encouraging his two brothers on from the sidelines watching the sparring match, eagerly waiting to duel the winner.

"Common blondie! If I gotta build my speed, you gotta build those weak noodle arms of yours! Push back weakling!!"

Tanjiro called out words of motivation to inspire the blonde. "You can do it Zenitsu! Use your speed to your advantage!"

The thunder breather turned his head with his eyes bulging out of his head to call out to the onlooker, slightly annoyed from his over optimism. "DON'T YOU THINK I'M TRYING HERE!!!"

It was brutal training like this day in and day out for months now since the events of the Mugen Train. The mornings were for building endurance and speed, while the afternoons were dedicated to building up muscles, Inosuke's favorite part of the training. Relishing feeling like his arms were about to detach from their sockets from being so sore only to be built back up even stronger. One of the only ways he can think of to let himself know his strength is improving.

The blonde's sword was being wedged by the jagged teeth of Inosuke's, unable to free his weapon. A trick the beast breather had learned to keep demons in place while shredding through their flesh. One sword kept Zenitsu's blade unable to move while he placed his second blade near the thunder breather's hand guard, looking to disarm him to end the practice duel.

The blonde could feel his feet starting to slip, trying to push and pull his blade free from the boar. "You're gunna have to do better than that cry baby!" Inosuke moved his elbow to drive it into Zenitsu's chest to knock him flat. The blonde saw the blow coming and with the split second from where Inosuke let off the pressure with his swords, the blonde intakes a quick and swallow breath. Just enough for him to send whatever reserve energy he had to his legs to slip out of the grapple and dash behind the boar

The water breather looked on with awe, cheering on his comrade for the improvised move. "Nice one Zenitsu!!"

With his freed movement from being pinned, He turns his golden blade to the flat end to strike the boar in the back of the head. To his surprise, Inosuke knew exactly where his opponent planned to strike without even looking.

In an impressive display of acrobatics, Inosuke jumps up and bends backwards in the air, placing his palms on Zenitsu's shoulder. To the blonde, it was as if the boar saw into the future and knew exactly where Zenitsu planned to strike from the blind spot. 

Not knowing with the improvements of his breathing and building the foundations of his beast forms, his Spatial Awareness was always dialed in once he started fighting. With the combat being so close quarters, it was really like the boar had eyes in the back of his head to predict movements from his opponents.

With his new position vertically in the air with his hands on top of Zenitsu's shoulders, his momentum carries him further to backflip past the thunder breather with his blind spot exposed. He moves his hands from his shoulders to brings his feet to the blonde's back.

"Heh! Not bad blondie. Maybe in a few years you might actually be a challenge!!"

Before Zenitsu could respond or react, Inosuke pushed his feet on Zenitsu's back as hard as he could to send the blonde into the tree trunk in front of him.

Zenitsu tried to dig his heels into the ground to stop but the momentum from the boar's push off sent him crashing into wooden trunk of the tree headfirst.