Bennet sat alone in the room, nervous and thinking of a way to counter Keqing. Kitayuu startled him when he came down to have a chat by descending down the steps without him noticing.
Bennet; "The break is gonna end soon... you should get something to eat before it's too late"
Kitayuu chuckled, "I'm more worried about you."
Bennet let out a deep sigh, "Be honest... Do you think I stand any chance against her?"
Kitayuu wanted to say something to encourage him, but stopped himself before he could, he thought for a moment and wanted to remind his friend of the fact that he too had to fight a formidable opponent, but that was out the question as well since Keqing had proven she was a better fighter than Raiden. It was her calm, stoic and precise nature that made her indeed terrifying. No one in the class truly knew how capable she was.
Kitayuu; "Look... I'm not gonna sugarcoat, but the odds are heavily against you. However... you may not be stronger than Keqing, but you can be smarter."
Bennet sighed again, "But just how can I exploit the weakness of an opponent that has the potential to beat me by then. Besides, don't act like she's dumb either."
A pair of footsteps could be heard coming down, and to the boys surprise it was Hu Tao, "Wow, so serious in here"
Bennet; "How could it not be"
Hu Tao gave Bennet a smile, "I too had to fight an opponent far stronger than me in the tournament, and although I lost, I did manage to surprise them and catch them off guard by exploiting some weaknesses."
She took a step closer and ruffled Bennet's hair making him feel slightly flustered, "Whatever her weakness is, just think about it. Play defensively and analyze the way she fights and think of a way to overcome them."
"Ypu can maybe try track her energy levels but it's not something easy to do whilst simultaneously in active combat, but something a lot of you first years do is pause between fights. Although not ideal, it gives you a gap to think about your opponent and your next course of action."
She leaned in closer and whispered, "If you do well, maybe I can treat you to something nice later on hehe..."
Bennet sprung up from his chair and clenched his fist. His face now contrasting the nervous wreck he was just a second ago, "All right! You know what? I'm going all the way!"
Kitayuu looked at him blankly with a bit of surprise and Hu Tao giggled, "You go get it!"
Once the break was over, Bennet and Keqing stepped into the arena. Keqing was as stoic and emotionless as ever whilst Bennet came in with a smile and face of determination, "Hey Keqing, on with what you told me earlier."
Keqing looked at him with a confused face, "Yeah, what about it?"
Bennet's smile widened as he got ready in a stance,"Just remember those words ok?"
"BEGIN!"
-OST STARTS PLAYING-
Keqing faded in the blink of an eye, her speed making it difficult to perceive her. Bennet felt her movement from the side and managed to raise his arm just in time to block the attack.
Keqing spun and kicked his arm, pushing him back and dashed immediately, to which Bennet responded by sending his flames in a wide area up front. Keqing jumped back and analyzed what had just happened, "As expected, everyone has improved significantly from the beginning of the year. Back then, even a fight with Raiden could be ended in mere seconds with little effort, but now, a lot of them can actually somewhat hold their own against my attacks."
