Even though he saw in her that she didn't want to fight him, he also saw her solid resolve. He was way past the point of trying to talk her out of it now. It had made her cry, but she was still determined. That meant he had to be determined as well. If fighting her and putting her out of the game was the best thing he could do for her, he'd do it.

He just wasn't sure how yet.

Eiji made an attempt at dodging her kick, but it was a move he hadn't quite anticipated and it hit. It hurt for sure, but the one benefit of being beaten up by Ankh all the time was that he was getting used to being hit in the gut. At the last second he took a shot at grabbing her ankle. If he could do that he might be able to get her on the ground.