Fight, Domon! Dinner's at Stake!

By Jonesy

http://www.rockettownonline.com/~jonesy



Every four years, the myriad colony nations of the Earth Sphere hold a tournament to determine who will, in fact, rule all of Earth and space for the next four years to come. This tournament is called the Gundam Fight, and each nation sends a sole representative with a powerful mobile suit - a Gundam - to the Earth to fight.

The catch to all of this, however, is that the tournament is indeed held on the Earth, humanity's once beautiful home now in ruins. Mankind had paid a high price for their abuse of the world, forcing them to abandon their Earthside homes and migrate to space colonies, free from the pollution and desolation they had caused. But, hey, it's not all bad. Despite the slums and decrepit cities, there still exist areas of great beauty, both man-made and those borne of a greater power. One such place is the Guyana Highlands, where a great martial artist trained a young man that would one day save both the Earth and space from a great evil. But that's another story altogether.

Back in the Guyana Highlands, some years prior to the ill-fated 13th Fight, among the pristine plateaus and mountains covered with lush jungles and roaring waterfalls, Master Asia sat with his young pupil near a fire. In the flames was a single bird on a pike, no doubt the evening's dinner. Unfortunately, there was only enough for one, and the young pupil, Domon Kasshu, was not that one. So sad!

"And you won't share, Master?" Domon asked for what seemed the thousandth time.

Master Asia shook his head and smiled benevolently at his student. "No, Domon, I will not," he chuckled, "this is your punishment." The look on Domon's face spelled confusion, so Master Asia readied himself to explain as he pulled the bird from the fire. "Domon, this evening's exercise was for you to catch a bird of your own, to feed yourself."

"But Master, I don't understand." Domon's eyes shifted to the golden carcass of the bird in Master Asia's grasp, "What does catching a bird got to do with becoming a great martial artist?"

Master Asia smirked behind his mustache. He had so much left to learn. "Finding and hunting the bird, which was your assigned task, will hone your senses and increase your speed. You will gain endurance from pursuing your prey, and your reflexes are heightened as its movements change." He paused a moment to take a bit of his dinner, watching Domon nod in dawning realization. "Furthermore, hunting the bird teaches you to understand your prey. As you watch it, observing its actions, you learn to anticipate what it will do next, and what stimuli to provide to get it to do what you want. But the understanding isn't simply limited to hunting or even combat," he took another bite, noting the hungry growls escaping Domon's stomach, "it will help teach you to communicate your soul with your fists."

Domon blinked in confusion and scratched his head. "B-but Master, how does it do that?"

"You're green, Domon!" Master laughed. "Understanding your prey, or rather, your opponent, allows you to understand why you are fighting. When you know what it is that you desire from the fight, you can then understand yourself, and you can communicate your desires - no, your soul, with your hands. You will be able to express yourself without words; your fists will convey your feelings." Domon looked down at his hands with wide eyes, his master's lesson sinking in. "Now then, Domon, was today's lesson learned?"

"Of course, Master!" he replied, snapping to attention. "By hunting my prey, I learn about it and I learn how to understand it. Then I can understand myself, which means I can communicate my soul with my fists!" He made a fist with one hand and prepared to thrust it into the fire, as his master had so often demonstrated. "And then I will be a great martial artist!" And, with that, he thrust his hand into the flames.

Except... his training wasn't complete. "YEEEEEOUCH!"

Later, after Master had helped him tend to his burns, Domon again sat across the fire from his master. "Now then, Domon, have you learned a lesson today?" Master inquired, inwardly laughing.

"Yes, master. Fire is HOT."

"Yes, Domon, it is."

"...And that I need more training..."

"Yes, Domon, you do."

"...And all that other stuff about understanding my opponents."

"Very good, Domon," Master nodded sagely, returning to his meal.

Domon looked up from his bandaged right arm to Master, "Now, Master...?

Master Asia was puzzled. Hadn't Domon just told him that he'd learned his lesson? "Yes, Domon?"

A grin crept across Domon's face and he held out his uninjured hand. "Can I have some of your dinner?"

Master took a huge bite, cleaning the meat off the leg he'd been working on, effectively finishing off the bird and ending the meal. "Not a chance."

Author's notes: I had always enjoyed the scene in... erm, some episode in the Shinjuku arc, when Domon recalls his training with Master in the Guyana Highlands, specifically Master's teachings about fighters expressing their souls with their fists and Domon's hands being too tender for the fire. XD