The Way Of The Dragon by Chris Bradford Page A

the Scorpion Gang encircled him.
    The crowd fell silent.
    Five against one, with Yamato blindfolded. This would be a stunning victory. Or a swift and shameful defeat.
    Goro went first.
    Hearing him approach, Yamato spun to face his opponent. He was alerted to the attack by the swish through the air as Goro struck with his staff. Blocking it with his
bō
, he then whipped the other end of his staff into Goro’s gut. The force of the blow bent Goro double. Yamato quickly followed up, bringing the shaft down hard across the boy’s back. Goro dropped to the ground.
    The crowd were momentarily stunned. No one had really expected Yamato to win even one bout. Jack breathed a sigh of relief. At least his friend had proved he wasn’t an easy target. He gave Yamato a great shout of encouragement. The rest of the students soon joined in.
    Nobu now approached and the students quietened down.
    Yamato easily picked up the boy’s heavy footsteps. Without hesitation, he swung his staff at Nobu’s head. But Nobu was ready for him. He deflected the
bō
with the shaft of his right
tonfa
. He then spun the other baton into Yamato’s face. Yamato reeled from the blow to his jaw. The crowd groaned.
    Seizing the advantage, Nobu flipped the
tonfa
over in his right hand and brought the tip of the handle down on to Yamato’s head. Despite the pain and disorientation, Yamato sensed the attack and dived out of the way. At the same time he swept his staff across the ground, catching Nobu behind both ankles.
    The crowd erupted into amazed applause as Nobu was knocked off his feet. Glancing over at Masamoto, Jack saw his guardian remained impassive to his son’s courageous display. Then again, the fight was far from over.
    Hiroto made his move, swinging the
surujin
above his head. Yamato noticed the change in sound as Hiroto released one end of the roped weapon at his legs. He jumped into the air to avoid becoming entangled, but the rope wrapped round the shaft of his staff. Grinning, Hiroto yanked back on the
surujin
, hoping to disarm Yamato of his staff. Yamato let Hiroto pull his
bō
but guided its tip straight towards his opponent’s chest. Winded by the strike, Hiroto fell to his knees.
    The crowd went wild. Yamato had defeated three attackers. What had seemed an impossible challenge might now be a glorious triumph. But Jack could see his friend was tiring. This was the moment in a fight when mistakes were made.
    The students began a chorus of ‘Yamato! Yamato!’ but this was soon stopped as Moriko went on the attack. However, the
Yagyu Ryū
students didn’t stop clapping. Despite efforts to silence them, they continued to make as much noise as possible.
    Jack now realized Moriko’s weapon was her group of supporters. Their shouts masked her approach and Yamato was taken by surprise as she side-kicked him in the back. Yamato almost dropped where he stood. But somehow he managed to keep his footing and spun round to confront her. Grimacing with pain, Yamato tried to sense her attack above the noise of the
Yagyu Ryū
students.
    Moriko went to finish him off with a roundhouse kick to the head, but Yamato began to twirl his staff until it became a blur. The whirling
bō
formed a defensive wall that Moriko couldn’t penetrate. He drove her back until she was almost in the crowd. Realizing Moriko was trapped, he stopped the
bō
and thrust its tip into her midriff. With cat-like grace, Moriko leapt to one side grabbing the shaft to try to disarm him. But Yamato countered, twisting the end over and putting her into a wrist lock. Moriko was forced to the ground. She submitted under the pain.
    The crowd applauded, then went quiet for the climax of the match.
    Only Kazuki remained.
    But Yamato was on his last legs, his breathing ragged.
    The tension mounted as Kazuki calmly approached Yamato. He made no attempt to conceal his advance.
    ‘If you want to hit me, I’m right here,’ he declared.
    Yamato didn’t wait to be told twice. He struck for