[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-vision-grid-system-the-comeback-of-ryoma-takeda":3,"chapter-vision-grid-system-the-comeback-of-ryoma-takeda-vision-grid-system-the-comeback-of-ryoma-takeda-chapter-208":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","VISION GRID SYSTEM: THE COMEBACK OF RYOMA TAKEDA",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},730312,969,"Chapter 208: Time to Steal It","vision-grid-system-the-comeback-of-ryoma-takeda-chapter-208",208,"\u003Cp>Across the ring, Elliot finds his rhythm, the same sway Ryoma has already memorized. Before Ryoma even gets into range, Elliot starts probing with jabs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But, as Sera warned, the tempo isn’t constant this time. From the steady slow beat Elliot nudges the speed up a notch: not a flurry, just a slightly quicker repeat of the first jab.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ryoma lets the punches hit his guard, letting his body memorize them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pak, pak, pak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His Vision Grid records the beat pattern, slower this time: 531 ms, 537 ms, 535 ms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The slow cycle holds for a moment, then snaps back to the familiar 441 ms, 443 ms, 445 ms, the rhythm Elliot favored in the first round.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Later the tempo fractures into a messier sequence: 443 ms, then a slow 510 ms, then back to 440 ms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ryoma still doesn’t throw a punch. He just bops his head, inches forward carefully, letting the Grid catalog every subtle shift in Elliot’s timing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After half a minute of taking lefts, Ryoma reaches a conclusion: Elliot constantly varies his tempo, but it circles three patterns; a slow cluster around 530 ms, a faster one around 440 ms, and a chaotic pattern that slides from fast to slow to fast again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he steps back beyond range, slips onto his toes, and resumes the smooth out-boxer footwork.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I know, I know. No need to tell me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He drops the out-boxer stance and returns to an in-fighter posture, gloves up. Then he pivots his lead foot and fires two jabs\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dug, dug!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...both blocked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And he pulls his lead foot again, resetting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Elliot answers with two cycles of three slapping jabs: the slow pattern, then the chaotic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pak, pak, pak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pak, pak-pak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He layers something heavier onto the last sequence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Ryoma reads the cue, a heavy shot is coming.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He slides back just enough for the hook to skim his chest by a hair. The punch looks sharp; even from a miss, it makes the crowd flinch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Woah, that was dangerous,\" someone breathes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It would’ve been, if it landed,\" another says.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But it didn’t. Ryoma saw it coming.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Elliot’s jaw tightens. It’s almost a minute and he hasn’t trapped Ryoma into any rhythm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He returns to the steady 440 ms beat and sticks with it longer now, trying to lure Ryoma into the groove.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And now Ryoma’s second test begins.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He follows the rhythm, times a step forward, but not too far. When the cue appears he immediately bounces back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zrrff...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Elliot’s right slices through air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No flurry this time, just a single strike because Ryoma is already out of range.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the next time Elliot begins his steady rhythm again, Ryoma suddenly steps forward, times it with a one-two before Elliot’s left reaches him\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>DSH! DSH!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Elliot flinches and staggers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Ryoma doesn’t press the advantage. He steps back again, resumes bouncing on his toes, and folds into the out-boxer footwork he used earlier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The second test is done; the result is plain: If Elliot shows no cues, he has no intention of breaking the rhythm with a flurry, and that steady window is the safest place to land a counter, a decisive one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Okay... let’s test it again.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The risk remains: misread the cue, mis-time the step, or fall into a trap if Elliot has been baiting him all along.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Ryoma doesn’t shy from risk. If anything, he leans into the challenge with tightened focus.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>***\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He lets Elliot keep his rhythm, steady, probing jabs coming one after another with mechanical precision.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ryoma doesn’t interrupt. He watches, eyes narrow, matching the beat and tempo in his head, feeling the subtle shifts in timing that hint at what’s coming next.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then, before Elliot even gets the chance to break his pattern...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"There are still no cues...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ryoma moves, a sudden forward step, deeper than before. He brushes aside Elliot’s left mid-flight, parries it clean with his right, and fires back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sharp left, then a cross...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dsh! BAM!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ringside gasps as both punches land flush, snapping Elliot’s head backward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pain and confusion flash across Elliot’s face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Again...? Another one-two counter?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Elliot tries to reset, but before his guard fully seals in front of his face, Ryoma slips inside and clips him with a compact left uppercut...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dhuak!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...snapping his head toward open air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For an instant, Ryoma has the perfect opening to drive a heavy right straight to the face, an easy finish.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he halts mid-motion, turns the punch into a light body shot instead, and then steps away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The spectators can’t hide their confusion. They murmur among themselves, unsure why he’s backing off even though Elliot hasn’t thrown anything in return.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Why’d he stop?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"He had a clean chance there.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Looked like he... pulled his punch?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ryoma keeps his distance. He knows exactly what he’s doing. Elliot’s scheduled to fight Renji soon. This is just a sparring session. He won’t risk injuring him here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Elliot, though, doesn’t seem to realize it. He just breathes hard, shoulders heaving, guard trembling in front of his face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His stance still steady, knees just slightly shaking from the impact, but it isn’t the first time he’s been beaten this badly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ryoma recognizes the flicker in Elliot’s eyes when his guard dips; anger taking over, he’s lost it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Elliot sinks lower this time, trying to find his pendulum rhythm, but it’s no longer smooth or loose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His movements are rigid, forced; the easy sway replaced with stiff rolls of his torso. Both gloves stay high, jaw clenched.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ryoma smirks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He flicks out a light jab, almost teasing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dsh!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Elliot catches it in his glove. For a split second his motion freezes, then he starts rolling again, short, jerky movements, breath uneven.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The pendulum rhythm is still there, but it’s smaller now, tense. Ryoma can see the strain in Elliot’s forearms, the bulging muscles under compression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’s mad, trying to fight his way out through brute aggression. Elliot dives in from the crouch, throwing a quick flurry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Left, cross, left uppercut, right cross.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>DUG! DUG! DUG! DUG!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ryoma blocks every one, disrupts the flow with a jab, and glides out of range.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He reads the shift instantly: Elliot has changed his fighting style, adopting a more direct, pressure-heavy stance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Compared to the Soviet-style earlier, this is a rhythm Ryoma knows well\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He exhales softly, rolls his shoulders, bumps his gloves together, and begins circling sideways.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"There’s still one minute left. Why don’t I try it too?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He steps in again, snapping a few lefts...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dug! Dug!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...then drifts away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Elliot fires right back, still using his pendulum footwork, but his jabs come out cleaner now, no more slapping left, each one straight and sharp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The exchange resumes, an attrition of lefts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Elliot holds center ring while Ryoma circles around him, adjusting angles, keeping the distance exact.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then Ryoma shifts again, his tempo, his stance, even the beat of his punches.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pak, pak, pak!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pak, pak-pak! Pak!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He bounces lightly on his toes, forward and back, throwing jabs in the exact rhythm Elliot used earlier, but steadier, more constant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His rhythm locks perfectly, alternating between a 440-millisecond beat and a slower 510-millisecond one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each shift is seamless, exact, every beat measured by his Vision Grid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Naah... I just found the rhythm interesting. So why not steal it?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Murmurs ripple through the crowd. A few journalists lean closer, some raise their phones to record the spar. Shutters click, flashes blink.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At one corner of the ring, Sergei watches sharply, arms crossed, expression dark. He looks almost offended by Ryoma’s composure, by the way he toys with the rhythm so effortlessly.\u003C\u002Fp>",1277,"2026-06-02T11:09:26.935Z",1,"novelbin.me","7d1b8651e23267ab40515b3b99fea255bf8e47d6fa5a2ce862372a1dfbc7f469","vision-grid-system-the-comeback-of-ryoma-takeda-chapter-209","vision-grid-system-the-comeback-of-ryoma-takeda-chapter-207",762,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fvision-grid-system-the-comeback-of-ryoma-takeda-cover.jpg"]