The skeleton’s first strike touched the Shichiro’s forearm, which overall wasn’t too bad of a result. A slight tap on the bony structure of the forearm was not healthy on the knuckles, and that was why the forearm was a good defense against punches in general. It would not hold up against a leg strike though; and that was why you would defend a leg strike with the reverse side of the forearm, the muscly and softer part that could cushion the blow. However, the block was just the beginning, as Shichiro brought his hand back in, in time to punch his right hand upwards: The skeleton realized what was happening just in time and twisted his arm inwards so the elbow faced up and his arm was not broken by the blow, instead it just bent upwards peacefully even if slightly upset. From the corner of his eye he noticed the outstretched arm of his partner, and how it flew in to establish contact with his face. It was, again, a telegraphed strike, and without a proper distraction all the skeleton had to do was lift his left shoulder and aim his elbow at Shichiro’s face, his hand cupping his ear to create a barrier against an ear strike that could dishorient him. Hopefully Shichiro’s haymaker wouldn’t strike the elbow directly, otherwise that would be incredibly painful. However, the strike aimed at the right side of his face would never connect with such delivery.
Once delivered and retracted, Shichiro took a step forward: a knee strike would be coming in, since with Shichiro’s long reach and their current stances, it would be the most logical option. The time for a gamble was now: using his superior speed and the retracting right hand of the lad, he stepped up close and personal to his reach, and lowered his left arm toward the thigh of the lad, slapping it down, while his face hugged his left shoulder, completely hunched to create a cover alongside his raised right arm. He would step in between Shichiro’s feet, his own left foot straight underneath his right leg. His right foot stepped slightly to the left of the left foot, putting him in a precarious position. He would then twist his hips so his switched feet would become unswitched, and his torso rotated fast accordingly; he would duck towards his left side while he brought his right arm upwards at a vertical angle, his elbow aiming to tap the lad in the face, hopefully on a cheek and not on the nose, although due to the height difference all he needed was to lift his head and the elbow would strike the neck or clavicles. Shichiro’s leg, if it even managed to keep going up, would hug the skeleton’s thigh, but otherwise do nothing much.
W.C: 482
T.W.C: 1354