The previous break gave Villanueva enough time to recover. His legs now anchor more firmly beneath him, and his punches carry sharper rotation with real weight behind them. The rhythm tightens and accelerates, leaving Ryoma with far fewer openings than before, no longer able to pick his counters as freely as he did in the previous round.

Ryoma gives ground with a small step back, creating some space to fight back. But Villanueva stays on him, pressing forward with clear intent toward the body. He closes the distance and immediately engages Ryoma’s guard, forcing it to tighten and lock in place before slipping in a lead hook aimed at the right upper arm.

The intention is so clear now that Ryoma reads it before the punch even begins to travel.

You’re finally taking this seriously, huh?

He makes only a minimal adjustment, sliding his right foot back a fraction and leaning his torso just enough to the right. The glove absorbs the impact cleanly, the force thudding into his guard instead of the joint beneath.

Villanueva pulls back, resets, and immediately comes in again with a different look. The punches don’t follow a standard line this time.

His left comes first from a lowered angle, rising toward the head from the side rather than straight up, and the right follows from a wider path, arcing over the top.

Together, they trace a slanted, circular line through the air, tilted slightly downward on the left, making the rhythm and angle much harder to read.

But Ryoma’s response stays just as economical. His right glove shifts inward to catch the uppercut, and before the second punch can land clean, he tilts his head to the right, his left hand braced against the side of his skull to take the edge off the overhand.

Dp. Dugh.

He blocks both clean, but the sequence doesn’t pause. Another left hook comes, once again targeting the right arm.

Ryoma could just step out. He can react just in time, can read it well. But he doesn’t give ground. Instead, he draws his right side back by a hair, letting the glove meet the strike again, taking it on the same reinforced line.

"You want to dislocate it? Go ahead."

He adjusts his stance by small degrees with each exchange, subtle shifts that quietly invite Villanueva to keep focusing on that right shoulder.

Unaware of the intent behind it, Villanueva continues the assault, driving a straight right down the middle as he loads up another left hook for the same target.

Ryoma shifts again, subtle but precise, turning his body so his left shoulder faces forward, narrowing the target, catching the cross on his left upper arm.

Dugh.

The follow-up left hook swings in. And this time, Ryoma has transitioned fully.

His rear foot slides farther back, lining almost directly behind the lead, his frame turning bladed. The posture settles into a Philly shell, his right shoulder withdrawn deep.

The hook runs into Ryoma’s right palm just in front of his chest, while his right shoulder has already been drawn out of Villanueva’s reach.

Dp!

From that same position, the counter snaps out without warning. A short right hook, barely more than a flick, cracks against Villanueva’s cheek...

Dsh!

"A small counter hits home!"

...and another compact shot follows immediately from the same hand, tight and direct.

Dhuack!

"Oh! Short right... again!"

"He caught him clean twice there!"

The two short punches land in quick succession, snapping Villanueva’s head back just enough to stall him in place.

Ryoma steps in immediately after, his lead shoulder driving into Villanueva’s chest, forcing him back just enough to break the rhythm.

Once the space opens, two quick flickering jabs follow, light and sharp.

Wssht! Wssht!

Villanueva catches the first on his guard, then shifts back to let the second fall short.

And in that small reset, the shape becomes clear. With Ryoma fully settling into a Philly shell, his right shoulder is now far out of reach, his body angled so only his left side faces forward.

His left hand stays low, shielding the ribs and midsection, while his right rests coiled beneath his chin, ready to fire.

The target Villanueva has been chasing all this time has just been moved further away.

Villanueva hesitates for a moment, his momentum stalling as he reconsiders his options. Ryoma takes that pause without urgency, drifting into a slow circle, his left hand hanging loosely in front instead of a tight guard, the posture relaxed but ready, as if a flicker jab could snap out at any second.

A strange lull settles in for a brief moment, both men in range but neither committing, the tension stretching thin across the ring.

"...Why did it suddenly go quiet?" the lead commentator wonders, his voice lowering as if not to disturb it.

"That hesitation... it’s coming from Villanueva," the second adds. "He had the pressure just a second ago."

Ryoma doesn’t wait for it to resolve on its own. He takes the initiative.

His left hand begins to move first, loose and uncoiled, snapping out in quick, flicking jabs from the distance.

They aren’t heavy, not meant to be, but they arrive fast and often, touching, interrupting, forcing reactions.

Wssht! Wssht!

Wssht! Wssht! Wssht!

Each one keeps Villanueva occupied, pulling his attention outward, keeping him busy with small defensive movements and subtle retreats.

Step by step, Villanueva gives ground, not dramatically, but enough to reset the distance, enough to avoid getting caught in another sudden exchange.

"And now Ryoma’s the one taking over again," the lead says, the energy rising back into his voice.

"He’s controlling it with that jab," the second follows. "It’s not damaging, but it’s dictating everything right now."

There’s a pause, then a shift in tone. "But what happened to Villanueva?" the lead presses. "He was just coming forward, putting real pressure on him. And now he’s backing off, reacting instead of initiating."

"Did those counters shake him that much?"

"I don’t think so. They were clean, but not the kind that should stop him like this."

"Then why the change?"

"That’s the problem. If he lets Ryoma set the pace again, he’s playing right into his hands."

"He’s already down two rounds. He can’t afford to just sit here and let this happen."

"No, he can’t. He has to do something. Right now."

The truth is, Ryoma doesn’t favor this kind of rhythm either. He can control the pace like this, keep everything in his hands, but it won’t put his opponent down.

What he wants is an ending, and quickly. But pushing too hard would only drive Villanueva into a tight shell, and that would drag this out even longer.

I need to bait him again...

The flicker fades, and the Philly Shell dissolves with it. Ryoma settles back into that loose, pendulum rhythm, his upper body swaying with quiet ease.

His stance shifts slightly more square this time, the rear foot not as far back, the right shoulder no longer withdrawn out of sight.

From there, he begins to press forward, gently. A light jab drifts out with the sway, followed by two lazy lead hooks, all of them soft, controlled, tapping into Villanueva’s guard rather than breaking through it.

Dug.

Dug. Dug.

As he steps back with the sway, Ryoma doesn’t come forward again. Instead, he drifts off to his right, walking casually, his guard loosening and then dropping altogether, leaving openings exposed in a way that feels almost intentional.

"Come on. Let’s end it here..."