Ryu wasn't nervous. There was no place for those kind of emotions in a life or death situation. Win or lose, live or die, the only thing he could do was the best he could manage. He wanted to expect more than that out of himself, but with so little information on his opponent it was almost like going in blind.

When he spotted the one known as Starling, it occurred to him that he had never even seen the boy before. He wasn't going to pass judgment -- looks were deceiving. As long as Philip and Shotaro advanced, it didn't entirely matter what happened to him anyway.

"Don't go easy on me, kid." He smirked, an excessive amount of confidence radiating from it despite his reservations.