ShadowMeow stood on its four legs, his fluffy tail standing straight like a spike, and its eyes glinting with a bright yellow fury.
"You won't get past me, human, meow!"
Kiernan hugged the striped ball against his chest, put his left arm in front of him, and charged straight at ShadowMeow.
ShadowMeow tried to reach towards the ball, but Kiernan kept shoving him aside.
Since he was very light, the cat boy kept getting knocked over, but he quickly stood back up and tried to cut Kiernan with his claws but kept missing by inches.
ShadowMeow let out an angry hiss, evaded Kiernan's shoving arm, and pounced towards the ball, but Kiernan slid his foot back, lifted the ball high so that he wouldn't be able to reach it.
As expected, he missed the ball, rolled through the grass, and with an angry yelp, ran straight after him.
Kiernan dashed forward, but the cat quickly caught up to him.
ShadowMeow pressed his body against his side, trying to slap the ball out of his hands, but then he just pushed the cat to the side with a powerful press of his arm.
The cat boy stumbled, almost falling over, but used his cat physique to balance himself, and with his leg muscles bulging with exertion, he caught straight back to Kiernan.
His acceleration, base speed, and agility were just ridiculous. It was something humans couldn't possibly have.
That's why Animalkin were considered to be the strongest race in the world!
"You aren't getting away!"
"You're such a bother."
Kiernan turned his head, stopped moving for a moment, and then tackled ShadowMeow to the ground.
The sudden tackle knocked the wind out of ShadowMeow and left him gasping for breath.
"In the end, Punch Ball is a physical sport."
Kiernan said, tossed the ball in the air, and kicked it away with loud thwack.
The ball whizzed through the air, smashed into the net of ShadowMeow's goal, and slowly dropped back to the grassy ground.
[Hunter 2 - 1 ShadowMeow]
ShadowMeow kicked the grass in frustration, then went to his goal and picked up the ball from the ground.
He was on the verge of tears.
Losing to humans as Animalkin was a disgrace to them. If anyone found out that he had already allowed two goals, he might be disowned by his parents!
'This shitty human. How dare he?!'
ShadowMeow turned around, left his goal, and at the same moment, Kiernan suddenly appeared in front of him, his arms spread wide, stopping him from moving!
"E-eh, what're you doing?!"
ShadowMeow asked loudly, and covered the striped ball behind him, but he was right at the goal line.
Therefore, if he moved even one step back, it would be an own goal, and he would lose the match!
"Your physical strength is your weakness. You don't have enough physical strength to throw the ball across the whole field into my goal.
"Therefore, as long as I don't let you anywhere close to my goal, you won't be able to score!"
Kiernan said and moved his arms rapidly as if he were a human windmill. He was doing perfect defense, pressuring ShadowMeow so much that he could barely breathe.
ShadowMeow tried to use his speed to run past Kiernan, but he just put his body in the way and stopped him.
At that moment, Kiernan shoved him on the shoulder and tried to push him into the goal, but he quickly leaped away, trying to escape his own goal area.
ShadowMeow smashed against Kiernan's sturdy chest and stopped like he was hitting a brick wall.
Kiernan swung his hand, trying to slap the ball out of his arms, but ShadowMeow moved the ball out of the way, hugged it tightly against his chest, and finally dashed past him.
After constantly failing to go past him, he used a microsecond to change direction and speed, leaving Kiernan in his dust.
"Eh? That speed is just ridiculous."
Kiernan watched as ShadowMeow ran away. He couldn't possibly catch up to him. This was the weakness in his plan.
He was hoping he wouldn't get past him, but that speed, once again, took him by surprise.
ShadowMeow ran all the way to his goal and smashed the ball into the net.
[Hunter 2 - 2 ShadowMeow]
ShadowMeow clenched his hands into fists and stayed at Kiernan's goal. He didn't plan on returning back. to his own goal.
He now had to defend like his life depended on it. He had failed two times already, but if he failed once more, it would all be over.
"Come on, let's continue!"
ShadowMeow shouted as he watched Kiernan just slowly walk back to his goal. He wasn't rushing the end of the match at all.
"Calm down, there's no hurry."
Kiernan said with a chuckle, arrived at his goal, and picked up the ball, but as soon as he stepped out of his goal, ShadowMeow was there, swinging his arms wildly, trying to slap the ball out of his hands.
ShadowMeow screamed with a hiss.
"Hehe, sorry, but I don't plan on losing this match."
Kiernan said, and then, with a few footsteps to the left and right, suddenly ten identical-looking clones, all holding the same striped ball, appeared all around the goal.
ShadowMeow looked around, looking all dizzy and dazed. He thought he was seeing things.
'W-what the hell is this? Why are there ten of them now?!'
Without noticing it, Kiernan walked away from his goal, ball in his hand, and after reaching the center field, he tossed the ball into the air.
With his fist, he punched the ball away, and it smashed into ShadowMeow's net.
ShadowMeow turned around and saw another Kiernan standing some distance away and a ball in his goal's net.
[Hunter 3 - 2 ShadowMeow]
[Hunter is the winner!]
Amidst the cat boy's screams, the two players vanished into a flash of light, and when Kiernan returned to his serene-looking dojo, something appeared in his vision.
[Your rank is updating…]
[Hunter - Rank: 899,433]
'From 45 million to under 1 million. I didn't expect defeating him would increase my rank this much, but I am not complaining.'
With a smile on his face, he disconnected from Infinite Dojo.