Shouichi

Shouichi believed a fight could be won on paper. They spent their youth in The Great Panda City, hunched over scrolls, memorizing every guard position and tactical feint for pole fighting. They could trace the river paths from memory and knew the wind patterns by heart. But in their first real spar outside the city walls, theory crumbled. Their opponent didn't follow the diagrams. The wind didn't obey the charts. They were disarmed in seconds. That failure was a better teacher than any scroll. They left the city's bamboo-lined streets behind, not in shame, but with a new purpose. These days, they learn from muddy roads and strangers' eyes, not ink. The choc stick they chew is a habit from a life they barely remember.