He was sure that the man was being honest with him as opposed to bragging. He was incredibly fast and very skilled. Akira had seen that first hand. But was he holding back? Akira wasn't sure. He knew that he himself had been holding back but that was a habit of his. Something he needed to break.
Those burnt caramel coloured eyes watched Eliot closely, trying to calculate what he would do next. It was then he realised he didn't need to do that at all. He just had to breath. Relax. And think of what he fought for. And with that he like his Kiai out loudly, striking with the wooden sword to hopefully clash with Eliot's and knock the sword off balance.