With Lecter gone, it left the group of fighters in awkward silence as they kept facing the door with staggering amounts of rage. Fay was a bit nervous compared to the rest of the group, who looked like they were ready to kick the door down and strangle the champ in broad daylight.
After a few more seconds, Hartmann huffed before he cracked his neck and rolled his shoulders. "Well that takes care of him at least. I'm gonna get back to training anyway." The husky orated, before walking away and whistling to himself.
With it down to Axel, Fay, and Miyu, the spaniel decided it was her turn to speak up, as she turned her gaze towards her friend with a gentle smirk. ""Beat his ass so sore it's like he did a prison tour"? When did you get such a sharp tongue?" Fay asked as Miyu rolled her eyes before smiling back, her rage seemingly subsided.
"I've been around TJ for too long now." Miyu replied, internally cringing at how dumb she thought that line sounded. The lynx kept the smile on her muzzle as she looked back to her mentor, who also seemed a bit more calm now. "So. I'm gonna need some training then. You up for a sparring session real quick?" She asked her mentor with a determined glare.
Axel chuckled as he cracked his back, before placing his hand on her shoulder. "You gonna give me a bit of a breather at least? I just got done teachin' a whole class." He begged, to which Miyu snorted.
"What, old man needs his meds now?" She smugly replied. Axel narrowed his eyes and emitted a dangerous smile.
"Well then, I guess you should get changed?" Axel advised, cracking his knuckles.
Miyu grinned as she looked at her mentor. "My locker still in order, Coach?" She asked with a grin. He smirked back and patted her on the shoulder.
"Kept it in tip-top shape myself. Never know when media vultures would want Miyu Lynx's old gi, or some sweaty nerd stealing it for his own nefarious purposes." Axel replied with a wide grin. Miyu shuddered at the last thought. She loved her fans, but some of them can be downright creepy.
"Eugh, please don't make me think about that." She pleaded in a low, disgusted tone.
The Alsatian chuckled, before slapping his paw on her back. "I'll find you a sparrin' partner, see which one of these kiddies I can wrangle into the ring with you while you get changed." He said before leaving Miyu to her own devices.
As Miyu walked off to the locker rooms, she felt someone tug on the back of her jacket. Turning around, the lynx came face to face with a pouty Fay, who seemed anything but happy. "Are you really thinking of signing up for this thing? That Lecter guy looked pretty scary to me." Fay asked with concern in her voice.
Miyu scoffed as she resumed her stride to her locker room, followed closely by Fay. "What, you're saying I'm not a good fighter?" The lynx asked back as the two brushed by two similar looking wolves sparring with each other. They were wearing similar training gear, but looked as if they were deeper than friends, or even deeper than boyfriend and girlfriend. Fay emphatically shook her head in the negative as her eyes quickly glazed over a screeching red panda in a full white gi with sunglasses. He seemed to be fighting nothing, but was throwing out moves to save his life.
"I never said that! The amount of times you've taken Wolf to the mat is proof enough! But still..." Fay trailed off as Miyu pushed open the door to the female locker rooms before she paused in the door frame.
"You're afraid I'm really gonna hurt myself, right?" The lynx asked, holding the door open for a short cream colored canine who seemed almost as bubbly as Fay. The white canine nodded as she followed her best friend into the locker room.
"I don't mind patching you up after a job, but this is crazy. You're going to take a lot of stiff shots, and what if one of these fighters hits you so hard that they damage you permanently? I'm not just talking about scars, but really grotesque stuff. Cauliflower ear, blood clots, CTEs, the works!" Fay argued, following Miyu to her locker as they passed a bewildered cheetah in a blue gi, who looked star-struck.
"Fay, you've given me this lesson a hundred times. My answer's always been 'I'll be fine'. It's not going to change now, not after that ass stormed in here and acted like he owned the whole universe. So Fay, I'll be fine." The lynx argued back before arriving at her locker. "Alright, let's see now...01...13...35...aha!" Miyu exclaimed, as the long metal door opened with a groaning squeak. In the locker was a bright red gi top and bottom, a worn black belt, and a roll of sports tape. Looks like Axel kept his word.
As Miyu stared at her old outfit with beaming pride, she turned towards Fay, who was wearing a soft smirk of her own. "Well?" The lynx asked as she unzipped her jacket. Fay lightly giggled as she rolled her eyes and placed a hand on her hip. "I'll leave you to change, ninja. I'll be outside the door." Fay replied, turning on her heels and walking out the door.
Miyu watched as Fay walked off before she sat down on the bench and dropped her jacket next to her. Next, she slipped off her sneakers before pulling off her socks and stuffing them into her shoes. She sharply inhaled the second her soles hit the cold linoleum floor but powered forward, standing up and taking off her jeans. Down to just her underwear and her t-shirt, she picked up the rest of her clothes and bundled them up before carelessly tossing them into her locker. To fix the pants problem, she first grabbed her gi pants and slid into them, getting a warm and comfy feeling as she did. Next came her top, and the cotton jacket hugged her as well as her pants. To tie it all together, Miyu grabbed her belt and began tying the piece of black fabric around her waist. With a final tug, Miyu took her hands off the perfectly knotted belt and grabbed a small bit of sports tape from her locker. She quickly taped up her fingers and toes before putting the roll back in her locker and slamming it shut.
All dressed up and ready to go, Miyu put on a smirk as she walked outside and came face to face with Fay, who's eyes went wide with a nostalgic glare and smile.
"Well? Just like old times, right?" Miyu asked her friend, who giggled in response.
"Yeah, it's almost like it's tenth grade again." Fay replied, following her friend over to the octagon where Axel was waiting with a challenger. Before they were able to make it to the octagon however, someone called out Miyu's name. The lynx turned to face the voice, only for her eyes to light up and a smile to form on her lips.
"Rena-san! Genki datta? Soredemo pizakatta de hitobito o odoshite imasu ka?" Miyu exclaimed, turning to face a yellow vixen in a black gi with a smile as wide as Miyu's.
"Watashiha yoi desu! Hai! Watashi wa madadesu! Anata ha dou desu ka?" The fox asked, making Miyu chuckle.
"Genki desu! Watashi wa jibun jishin ni hairu Lethal Lockdown!" Miyu replied, making the fox wide-eyed and her smile wider.
"Kimi mo?! Sugoi!" The vixen exclaimed, before hugging Miyu. Fay seemed out of the loop, with the Eladardian flying over her head. She quickly wormed her way between the two and looked up at Miyu with her trademark smile. Miyu quickly got the hint and began making introductions.
"Oh, right. Fay, this is Urena Miyoshi, but you can just call her Rena. We fought against each other in a few underground tournaments a while back, I wanna say after the Lylat Wars? Anyway, she's a great fighter." Miyu built up, making Rena blush.
"Oh, you. But unfortunately for you, I've gotten even better. I got a one of a kind trainer!" Rena exclaimed, making Miyu quirk a brow. Before the lynx could ask who it was, her jaw dropped when she saw a late middle aged coyote in a worn black gi walk over to Rena's side. Fay seemed oblivious, and her questions only increased when Miyu deeply bowed to the coyote. Fay froze like a deer in headlights, and didn't know what to do at the coyote.
"Fay, do you know who that is?!" Miyu whisper shouted, still bowing.
"I-I can't say I do. Why, who is he?" Fay asked.
"That's the Flint Morris! He's a martial arts legend! Almost every mainstream martial arts movie has him in it in some way!" Miyu exclaimed as she recovered from her bow, making the coyote give off a soft chuckle.
"Oh please, Ms Lynx. You flatter me. I'm just like you or Rena, give or take a few extra decades of training." Flint replied, only making Miyu bow deeper. After a few extra seconds of bowing, Miyu straightened her posture and looked at Rena with eyes pleading for an explanation.
"I ran into him on a job of mine in some dustbowl town on Papetoon. He was the local sheriff there, and began training me on the spot! So yeah, I'm entirely different now compared to our last fight. And I plan on using that prize money well." The vixen proudly proclaimed, making Miyu scoff.
"Oh, really? What makes you think you can beat me now?" Miyu challenged, dropping her stance and getting ready for a fight.
Rena emitted a low chuckle before dropping her stance as well, glaring the lynx down. "More than you know, girl. Lemme show you."
Just before the two were about to trade fists, Flint stepped in between the two. The two stopped instantly, before deeply bowing towards Flint. The respect he commanded from both Rena and Miyu amazed Fay. "Alright girls, you can save your fight for the octagon. For now, Miyu has her own sparring partners, as do we, Rena." Flint's voice boomed in a soft but commanding tone.
"Hai, sensei." The two replied in unison, before Rena smirked in Miyu's direction. "Well then, I guess I'll see you later. Gotta spar with a golden husky and some coyote fox mix for now. See ya!" With that, Rena walked off with Flint, leaving Miyu a straight shot to the octagon.
While Fay stood outside the octagon and pulled out her earbuds and notebook again, Miyu began doing some light stretches as Axel approached her.
"How's it feel to be back in the pajamas?" Axel asked with a smirk, making Miyu chuckle.
"It feels right." Miyu replied.
Axel chuckled again, before turning on his heels and facing a cheetah and vulpine sitting on their knees. "Alright you two, the god have blessed you enough to give you Miyu here as a sparrin' partner. You listen to her, and she'll turn you into true fighters yet." The coach belted out, prompting the two to stand up and nod. Axel turned towards Miyu and slapped his paw on her back with a wide grin. "Alright champ, these wide eyed cubs are Alexia Volante and Seth Brooks. They got a few skills, but they're a little on the green side. The two've signed up for Lethal Lockdown, and despite my better wishes, they still wanna do it. So give 'em a little bit of a thrashin', some trainin', all that fun stuff. Maybe even you'll learn something from these two. I'll be around the gym helpin' others, but holler if you need me." Axel explained, before waving off the two trainees as he stepped out of the ring.
Alone with the two, Miyu looked over both trainees with a cautious eye. The cheetah was the one she passed in the locker room, wearing a bright blue gi with sports tape over a few of her fingers and toes. Her hair was swept over to one side, leaving it flowing down to her shoulders. Moving her eyes over to Seth, the first thing Miyu noticed was his blue fur, making Miyu quirk a brow at it. "Hey, what's up with the fur?" She asked. Seth looked around himself for a bit, before he chuckled a bit. "Sorry about that. It's just fur dye. Ever since Fox and Krystal hit all the tabloids, it kinda became a fashion trend." The vulpine answered with a smile. Miyu nodded as she noticed his black gloves and yellow compression shorts before her gazed shifted over towards the cheetah in the gi, her pupils as wide as they could logically go.
"I just wanted to say that I'm a massive fan of yours! The whole reason I got involved in martial arts was because of all the stories coming out of the Lylat Wars with you taking down so many Venomian troops on the ground by yourself!" The cheetah exclaimed.
Miyu chuckled as she remembered the news articles the cheetah was talking about. "Y'know, some of those articles were a bit embellished. I didn't really take on a hundred VSF all at once." Miyu corrected, making Alexia giggle.
"I know! But I did catch your fights after the war, and I saw some pretty cool stuff. So I joined up here, and I've been learning ever since!" Alexia admitted, making Miyu smirk as she eyed her two trainees.
"Well if that's the case, show me what you two can do." Miyu advised, folding her arms as she kept her gaze laser focused on the two. Both fighters nodded before facing each other and taking up stances. Seth's stance told of an inexperienced but excited MMA tactician, keeping his gloved hands in front of his face and a light bounce on his feet. Alexia's was more traditional, as she first bowed before dropping her stance and keeping her paws in a knife edge position. Before the two could start their fight, a whistle from Miyu caught their attention.
"Uh-uh, guys. You're both gonna fight me." She commanded, dropping herself into a pose of her own. It seemed intimidating enough, and told of years of combat experience. Her eyes were sharp, and both fists were closely guarding her face. Her rear foot was posted up on it's ball, ready to move at a moment's notice. The two looked a bit confused at the request. "B-both of us? Against you? Isn't that a little...unfair?" Seth asked, still keeping up his cheery demeanor.
Miyu grinned beneath her pose. "You two can be the judge of that. Gimme everything you got." She beckoned, even doing the classic two finger motion to draw them in. The two fighters looked at each other before nodding, re-assuming their poses and circling the lynx. Miyu kept her eyes and ears alert, looking at both of the fighters and how they slowly crept up on her. Miyu kept herself planted in place, watching and waiting. Her eyes followed Seth as he moved to the left, prompting Alexia to strike.
The cheetah was quick, but loud at the same time. Miyu let a small smirk cross her lips as she pushed off the ball of her rear foot and threw out a reverse roundhouse. Unfortunately for the cheetah, Miyu's kick hit it's mark perfectly, the kick landing right across her cheek as it sent the cheetah reeling backwards. The lynx made sure to dial back her power a bit here. She didn't want to knock her partners out, but she did make sure that they were going to feel a sting afterwards. Hopping off one foot, Miyu planted her other foot straight into a now attacking Seth's stomach, stopping him mid-punch.
Grabbing the vulpine's gloved fist, Miyu quickly took him to the ground, her speed snapping the fox down to the mat in record time. She quickly gave him a punch across the muzzle, dazing him and allowing her to focus on Alexia, who just landed a kick on the lynx's ribs. Miyu jumped back and growled, but also kept a smirk on her lips. "Let's see how you can roll, cub." Miyu taunted, grabbing Alexia's leg and tucking it under her arm before preforming a single leg takedown. Alexia hit the canvas with a hard thud as Miyu quickly got in her guard. Miyu kept her smile when Alexia immediately crossed her ankles and guarded her face, anticipating an attack while getting herself ready for a submission. "Heh. Not bad, cub." Miyu complimented.
Her compliment was enough to break Alexia's focus. The second her arms were away from her face, Miyu gripped the cheetah's gi with one paw and placed her other paw on the cheetah's hip. The lynx slid her knee back behind Alexia's leg, turned her body, and broke the guard in one fluid motion. Miyu got to mount in record time, making Alexia panic and try to push the lynx back by her shoulders. "Rookie mistake.' Miyu taunted, before dropping her weight and pressing both palms down on the cheetah's chest. With her legs now weightless, Miyu was able to slide her legs up to the cheetah's head in a way that would trap both of her arms in between her legs. Putting on the finishing touch, Miyu leaned her hip into Alexia's chest before moving her rear leg up and yanking the cheetah's arm back. The arm bar sounded and looked as painful as it seemed, with the fact that it only took about two seconds for Miyu to lock it in, and it seemed as though she was running off of pure instinct.
Miyu quickly had to break the hold however, as Seth was now bearing down on her. In what seemed like something out of professional wrestling, the vulpine sprinted past Miyu before leaping off of the cage wall and rotating his body 540 degrees mid-air. Miyu could tell that he was trying to build up momentum as his rear arm was cocked back. The lynx broke her hold and rolled away quickly so that Alexia couldn't grab any part of her gi in time. Miyu had to play defense for a bit now, getting to her feet just in time to block what seemed like a strike with Seth's forearm. The vulpine rolled before flamboyantly getting to his feet and throwing a jumping roundhouse kick. The lynx was taken by surprise with this sudden show of agility, as well as his power. The attacks were pretty strong, but nowhere near as strong as they could be.
After striking Miyu's arms with his kick, Seth switched feet and threw a kick aimed at Miyu's solar plexus. The second Miyu's arms moved away from her face, Seth revealed that kick to be a feint, as he passed right by her guard and shot back with a speedy reverse heel hook straight to her jaw, sending Miyu reeling back. The lynx couldn't help being impressed at the young vulpine. But she had a fight to win. She blocked a few punches from the vulpine, and made sure not to fall for any more feints. In fact, she'd give Seth a little taste of his own medicine. Miyu suddenly dropped her guard, goading Seth into striking at an open target. It worked, and the inexperienced vulpine took the bait. Just as the threw the most powerful roundhouse he could muster, Miyu sidestepped the kick with pure grace, before delivering a swinging backfist straight to the poor fox's muzzle.
The punch was strong enough to send Seth to the floor in a heap, taking him out of the fight. With some momentum still on her side, Miyu eyed Alexia as she just recovered from her arm bar. Putting down all of her momentum, the lynx threw a powerful jumping side kick, striking the cheetah straight in the muzzle as well. Alexia's body hit the canvas once more just as Miyu's feet were back on the ground. With both fighters down and seemingly out of the fight, Miyu chuckled before she bowed to her opponents and went to go check on them.
Miyu walked over to the two downed fighters with a wide smirk, as the two were both groaning in pain. The lynx quickly sat cross-legged as she watched the two fighters recover from the blows. Seth was the first one to pick his face up from the mat, getting on all fours before he shook his head and spit out a bright blue mouth guard onto the canvas. "Thank the gods for these, right?" The blue vulpine asked with a beaten smile, making Miyu chuckle with disbelief at his positive attitude.
At that moment, Alexia groaned her way to a sitting position as she looked over Miyu with wide eyes "How did you-"
"Beat you silly without even trying? It's a gift of mine." Miyu interrupted with a wagging tail and wide smile. Alexia was still for a moment before she scoffed and sat in a similar position to Miyu, while Seth took a bit more of a relaxed position. Judging by their faces, Miyu could tell that they were waiting for an explanation from her, as well as a few pointers.
"Alright, Seth. Here's your breakdown. You've got a good future as a striker. I'll admit, I was caught off guard when you flung yourself off of the cage wall, and that feint was great as well. But you gotta remember that the other guy's gonna be thinkin' the same thing. Once people know about your feints and flamboyance, they'll try to rush you at the cage wall. Just be careful, get some more power into those arms and legs of yours, don't get caught in complex grappling, and don't get cocky. I've gone up against guys like you who blow up their egos to the size of space-liners only to come crashing down." The lynx advised.
Seth chuckled at Miyu response, as that ever-lasting grin stayed plastered to his face. "I'm only here to have fun! I can't ever see myself being as cocky as you say I could be." The vulpine replied, his contagious smile infecting Miyu as she turned towards Alexia.
"Alright, Allie. So, the area where you shine is grappling. I like how you got me in your guard and locked it shut, as well as guarding you face. I'd say keep working on your ground game, and you'll be surprised with who you can take down. Always remember, you're a cheetah. It means you've got speed and reflexes. Wear an opponent down with a few light punches and kicks, then take them down. Once you've got them trapped, it doesn't matter how strong they are, you'll put them under. " Miyu reviewed, before standing up, prompting the two to follow her.
"Coach dumped me on you two, so I hope you've got nothing else planned today. Let's go again, and this time, hold nothing back!" Miyu shouted, her energy invigorating the younger feline and vulpine.
"Alright!" The two shouted in unison, before charging Miyu with everything they learned.
Four hours had flown by, just as Miyu was getting ready for another roll with Alexia. The cheetah and vulpine both had boundless energy, and made for the perfect sparring partners. As much as Miyu was teaching them, she was also leaning about potential opponents she'd face. These two were no slouches, and if Axel advised against them joining Lethal Lockdown, then that only meant that it was going to get harder from here. It wasn't enough that Rena was in the match, but Lecter didn't seem like a pushover, and that Hartmann guy seemed like he'd be a bit of a challenge as well. And those were only five. Who were the other nineteen?
But the lynx couldn't think about that right now. At the moment, she had training to do. Just before Miyu could begin her assault, a low, continuous growl got her attention. It didn't seem natural, as the growl's pitch kept getting lower and higher as it got louder. That means it could only come from... oh no.
"Fay!" Miyu shouted with wide eyes, prompting the spaniel to look up from her notebook at the base of the cage. "Did you tell TJ we may not make it?!" She shouted again. Fay stood still for a moment, before her eyes went wide in horror as she snapped her head towards the dojo entrance.
A purple monster roared down the street, weaving through traffic with surgical precision as it bared down on the dojo at speeds in excess of 110 mph. Just as the dojo came into sight, the driver smirked and ripped back on the hand brake, fishtailing the tuner as it's V8 bounced off the redline, echoing in between the buildings. The car rapidly completed three donuts in a row before skidding to a stop right in front of the gym's doors. After coming to a smoking stop, the sound of muffled rap music could be heard from the interior of the car as it purged out multiple streams of NOS from the hood and front wheels, showering the window of the dojo in a foggy mist. The flames from the backfire accompanied the symphony as all combat in the gym crawled to a halt to notice what was going on.
Miyu rolled her eyes before she looked back to the confused cheetah and vulpine, who didn't know how to react. "I'll be right back. Sorry about this." Miyu apologized before she stepped out of the octagon with Fay in tow, just as TJ stepped out of his Skyline with Slippy in tow. The driver was wearing a dark blue hoodie and white basketball shorts with two sky blue strips running down them, as well as similar colored driving shoes. Slippy followed close behind in his typical flight gear, except he was wearing sneakers instead of his boots. Before Miyu could intercept him at the door, TJ shoved the doors open like they were in a western saloon as his eyes fell over each fighter before he saw Miyu.
"Yo! Miyu! Where the hell were you?!" TJ shouted across the dojo with a wide smile on his face, oblivious to the stares he was receiving. Miyu grumbled as she slowly began walking towards the street racer, before her walk turned into a speedwalk, which turned into a jog, before it turned into a sprint. TJ's eyes slowly widened as his smile faded before his brain told him that visible lynx fangs=bad news. He tried to turn heel and run, only for Miyu to grab his hood and yank him back. TJ suddenly felt a sharp pain come from his earlobe as Miyu pinched him, her claws breaking skin as he yelped. "Ow ow owww! Hey, what'd I do?! OW!" TJ cried out in pain as Miyu kept pinching his earlobe with her index and thumb claws.
"Is there ever a time where you aren't trying to make yourself the center of attention?" Miyu asked, nurturing a growl as a little bit of red began to run down her claws.
"Eh, only on Tuesdays and Saturda-hey-hey-heysow! Alright I'm sorry, I was outta line I was outta line!" TJ whimpered, before Miyu finally let go. As Fay got to work patching up TJ's earlobe almost instantly, Miyu huffed as she looked over the street racer.
"Why are you guys even here?" She asked with a quizzical stare. Before Slippy could answer her question, his phone buzzed in his pocket. Reaching into his jacket, Slippy pulled out the device as his eyes lit up, before a smile crossed his face as he ran out of the dojo. The trio knew it was a call from Amanda, meaning he would be gone for at least another hour. With TJ left, Miyu looked down at him with a judging stare and waited for an answer.
"Well, we waited outside 10 minutes before the movie started and you guys kinda blew us off, so we watched the movie thinking you got caught in bad traffic. Great movie by the way. After it ended, we wondered where the hell you guys went, and Slippy pulled out his tracker and it said you guys were here, so we figured that we'd drop by and see what kept ya for four hours. It seems like alot, since ya look like hammered shit to be honest." TJ answered, just as Fay finished putting a band-aid over his earlobe. "So... what was the hold-up?" TJ asked, quirking his brow.
After a few seconds, Miyu reluctantly decided to tell him. "Well, I signed up for an MMA tournament called Lethal Lockdown. The first rounds start next week, so I've been training like crazy to prepare." She admitted.
"Can I be your hypeman?!" TJ suddenly exclaimed, throwing Miyu off balance with how fast his question came at her.
"Whoa! Slow down! Why are you so excited about that?" Miyu asked, recovering from the shock of the question.
"Because! When I was a kid, I freakin' loved pro-wrestling! I had all the favorites, like Cryme Tyme, Enzo Amore, and the Street Profits! Aw man, this could be so cool! I know all the best comebacks and roasts, I could be on the mic hyping up the crowd while you lay the smackdown! I'd be like the Paul Heyman to your Brock Lesner! You don't even gotta say a word, just stand next to me lookin' all intimidatin', and beat fools down once the bell rings! I'll be out there workin' the crowd like a pro!" TJ exclaimed, his eyes screaming pure joy. After mulling it over in her head, Miyu grew a smile and nodded.
"Alright then, let's see you put that loudmouth of yours to work." She agreed, making TJ ecstatic with joy. "Awesome! This is gonna be so cool!" He shouted, his elation breaking through every part of his body.
TJ's eyes went wide over the gym, scouting out potential fighters with an eagle like gaze. "Well, I'm gonna go eye out the competition, see what I can come up with if you gotta face them." The street racer informed, walking off before Miyu could tell him to be careful with who he insults.
"Oh, he's gonna get his ass kicked..." The lynx lamented.
TJ was someone who didn't fight by the rules. If he got caught up in a fight, he'd make sure that he'd use every weapon he could. He never saw the point of fighting unarmed when a crowbar or a baseball bat will always deal more damage. So the scene of the fighters training seemed to be nothing more than ridiculous fluff from an old action movie. As his eyes scanned over fighters sparring and preforming various katas, a loud screech caught the street racer's attention.
TJ kept his eyes locked onto a red panda with amused confusion, as his over-dramatic katas and shrieks pierced the dojo. "Aight, I gotta do this." TJ said under his breath, walking onto the sparring mat and up to the panda. Thanks to the zone, TJ just barley avoided a wild kick from the sunglasses wearing martial artist.
Attempting to prevent any more attacks from flying his way, TJ stepped on the toes of the red panda, his sneaker causing the red panda in question to yelp. With the katas paused and the red panda in a defensive stance, TJ could finally look him down. He was wearing a traditional pure white gi, with mirrored sunglasses covering his eyes and a red bandanna tied around his head. The black belt around his waist had to indicate the fact that he was skilled, but his shouts seemed more comedic if anything. Before the kid could open his mouth, the red panda jumped back a bit and took up a complex martial arts stance. "You dare to challenge Kung Furry to a fight?!" He shouted.
TJ stood still for a second, before he had to purse his cheeks and hold back his laughter. "Bro, your name is really Kung Furry?" TJ asked, keeping as straight a face as possible. Kung Furry nodded, and for some unexplained reason, his sunglasses had a glare cross over them, as if he was in an action movie.
"Be warned young fleshie, I am a black belt in almost every martial art under the suns! I can destroy you with my pinkie finger if I wish!" Kung Furry barked out, as an eagle screech suddenly sounded, with the sound coming from no discernible direction.
TJ scoffed and quickly shot his hand out to Kung Furry's face in an attempt to grab the sunglasses. In one fluid motion, TJ ripped the pair of sunglasses off of the panda's eyes. To the street racer's shock, amusement, and wonder, it turns out that Kung Furry was wearing another pair of sunglasses, as the glare crossed his frames once again, followed by an eagle screech and a whip crack. Again, both noises seemingly came out of nowhere.
"Where the hell are those noises coming from...?" TJ whispered under his breath, looking around the gym trying to find out the source of the noises.
A smug chuckle was elicited from Kung Furry as he kept a complex pose, eyeing down the young driver through his sunglasses. "My chi is so powerful, that I can elicit noise from nature to distract my opponents. Do you still wish to test your luck?" The red panda challenged.
TJ kept a confused glare as he made sure that all eyes were on the panda at all times. "But...but whips aren't- you know what? I'm just gonna go." TJ quickly said, walking away from the red panda as fast as he could.
Before he was able to exit Kung Furry's range, a strange noise that sounded almost like a victory song began to play from the red panda's direction. "Haha! Yet another fighter falls to Kung Furry! My win streak just keeps getting higher! WATA!" The red panda loudly orated, throwing out a kick at nothing as his sound effects played once more.
"Man, that guy's like ten levels of weird." TJ muttered as he walked away, leaving the screeching panda to his own devices. The street racer kept wandering through the dojo, looking over each group of fighter training. Near the front, TJ was amazed how he didn't notice a massive female collie-wolf hybrid sparring with an almost equally tall alsatian/grey wolf hybrid, though the collie had a few inches on him. They both seemed like ferocious strikers, and TJ could feel his ribs cracking from each punch and kick they gave each other.
Without warning, TJ suddenly bumped into a golden husky, sending her forward a bit while he stumbled back a bit. "Oh, sorry! Damn, I wasn't watching where I was going..." TJ apologized, walking over to the husky. To his surprise, the husky recovered quicker than he did, and was already up in his face with a wide, almost child like smile.
"Nononono! It's fine!" The excited husky shouted, keeping her light blue eyes locked on TJ as she suddenly grabbed his hand and shook it. "Hey, you're that kid from Star Fox, right? I'm Shelia!" She introduced, almost breaking TJ wrist from how excitable she was.
"Shelia, don't break the poor kid's wrist!" A voice exclaimed. TJ turned his head to notice a gi-clad fox with yellow fur, who quickly pried Shelia's paw from TJ's wrist.
"Sorry! You know how much I love to meet new people, right?" The husky asked the fox, who simply chuckled before turning back to face TJ.
"Yeah, sorry about her. She's a bit excitable. Anyway, I suppose I should introduce myself. Name's Rena, and I'm training with a few fighters for Lethal Lockdown." The vixen explained, before pointing to three other fighters. TJ followed her paw before looking over the three. First was Shelia, who was wearing maroon red compression shorts with a matching bra. "You've already met Shelia, and I hope she didn't break your wrist with that handshake." Rena apologized, making TJ smile ad shake his head in the negative.
"Then there's Alicia-" Rena pointed to a short, lean, and petite canine mix wearing form fitting black leggings with a navy blue sports bra that was obviously name brand. She seemed like she had as sharp a tongue as TJ, given the glances she was throwing his way. "-and this pup here is Lyoko." Rena finally introduced, pointing to a fox with dark grey fur and red-accented moppy hair. He was wearing black basketball shorts with red accents, and always kept a serious face. One thing that stuck out to TJ was the vulpine's bright cyan tattoo tracing down his face, making the street racer quirk a brow.
"So, what's up with the tattoo there, bro?" TJ asked, looking over the pattern. Lyoko shrugged. "Eh, I liked the design, so I got the tattoo." The fox simply answered.
A bit of silence reigned over the two before Lyoko piped up again. "You know, I did fight side by side with Star Fox a year back." The fox announced, quirking TJ's brow. "Yeah, me and my brother helped your teammates clear out a few small pirate flashpoints on Macbeth. I'm kinda surprised a trash-talking street racer found his way among their ranks." Lyoko revealed, mumbling the last part underneath his breath with a tone of voice that spoke half shock, half annoyance.
"So guys, a quick update, I'm here at the Corneria School of Combat Arts for some training, because I signed up for Lethal Lockdown!" Came Alicia's voice suddenly, pausing TJ from firing back at Lyoko. "As always, I'm here for all of you lovelies on WeTube-land, and we have two special visitors!" Alicia shouted again, with everyone now realizing that she was recording a video for her WeTube channel.
"First off, we got TJ of Star Fox!" She gleefully announced to her camera. TJ quickly stiffened up when he realized he was on camera, and he noticed that Lyoko quickly wormed his way out of the shot with an annoyed expression. Alicia gladly took the fox's place before she dropped her tone of voice and faced her phone with a serious glare. "And I'm not trying to be racist or anything, and this absolutely is no tea, nor is it any shade, but what exactly is he?" She asked her phone, seemingly un-aware of TJ's presence.
TJ didn't have anytime to react to the comment before Alicia spun around and had her phone pointed at a coyote that TJ had failed to notice. He seemed to be of late-middle age, and was clad in a weathered black gi that looked like it had seen it's fair share of battles. Around the coyote's waist was an equally worn black belt with eight yellow stripes on the end of it. "And this is the one and only grizzled young veteran himself, the badass of badasses, Flint Morris!" She exclaimed. Without warning, she suddenly puts her hand near her mouth as if to amplify the sound: "Hollaaaaaaa~~~~!"
TJ sized up the old coyote and his seemingly older gi, before scoffing. "You gotta be kiddin' me. Yo, this old coot's a badass?" TJ snorted, sauntering around Flint as the master kept a grip on his worn belt, judging the street racer with his eyes. "I mean, guy looks like even I could take 'em." The street racer observed, running his eyes up and down the coyote.
Not a second later, the street racer received quite a stiff punch to the arm from Rena, whose gi now looked similar to the coyote, except it seemed to have much less wear and tear compared to Flint's. "Show some farking respect! That's the Flint Morris! He was in Runner Papetoon Ranger, Frontkick, and Invasion Corneria! Have you never watched any of his movies or shows you uncultured bakana?!" Rena exploded, her anger turning her fur red.
TJ scoffed and put his earbuds in his ears, clearly not caring what Rena had to gush about. "Oh wow, a movie star. Like it matters what some softie havin' others do his stunts thinks." The kid sarcastically belted out, making Rena even redder in the face while Flint subtly chuckled to himself at how ridiculous this kid looked. "So to answer your question, no, and I really don't care. Sorry." TJ snarled back at the vulpine, who looked like she was two seconds away from giving her foot a permanent home in the street racer's private area.
Flint had unknowingly saved TJ's future children by stepping between the two, still keeping his paws glued to his belt. "You are a man of many words, Mr Koen. If you really think that I'm a pushover, would you care for a quick sparring match and prove that those fists are as fast as your lips?" The sensei challenged, with a slight smile crossing his lips.
Shocked by how upfront Flint was, TJ let slip a nervous chuckle as he slowly backed away with his hands by his shoulders. "Yo, pops. I think you left your cane and heart meds by the door anyhow. Beatin' down on an old dude ain't my style." TJ replied, pulling out his phone and looking for some more music to listen to.
In a flash, the device was gone, and TJ's brain could barley register what happened. Snapping his head up, TJ noticed the sensei scrolling through his playlist with a neutral, almost judging expression. "Hmm, LAX by one Xzibit. Ooh, and this one is called BIRDZ with quite a cast of characters. This gangster rap is really different from the songs when I was a kid." The martial arts master criticized, upsetting the driver.
"Yeah yeah, whateva. Just gimme back my phone already." TJ mumbled, adjusting his hoodie approaching Flint with a hand outstretched. As TJ lunged for his phone, his palm found nothing but air as Flint turned on his heels and began criticizing the music some more.
"I don't get it. If this 'Rick Ross' is already in the song, why would his name be in all caps in the title? Screams egotistical in my opinion." Flint judged some more. Looking back, he saw the rage being built up behind the street racers eyes, and smiled. "If you want your phone back, then show me what you can do." Flint challenged, deeply bowing to the street racer before assuming a martial arts stance. His stance was flawless. His right foot had his toes pointed towards his opponent, and his left foot was behind his hips, ready to strike. In his left hand, he held TJ's phone snugly between his thumb and had his right hand balled into a fist by his waist.
TJ had enough of the games and nodded, walking in a menacing way towards the coyote. "Sorry, old guy, but you literally asked for this." TJ announced, punching his fist into his palm twice before throwing a haymaker.
TJ's fist found nothing but air as Flint graciously dodged the punch and launched his left leg forward, driving his knee deep into TJ's gut. The kid stopped dead in his tracks, doubled over and gripping onto Flint's gi pants an iron grip as he tried to reclaim the wind knocked out from him.
Flint took advantage of TJ's stunned state, and pushed the kid back with his knee. Rotating off the ball of his left foot, the sole of Flint's right foot caught the driver straight across his cheek, knocking him out cold.
TJ fell where he stood, eyes glazed over and out cold on the floor of the dojo. Flint held his foot in midair for a few seconds before slowly bringing his foot back down. Once both feet were on the floor, he deeply bowed once more before crouching down to TJ's level. "Well, this 'old coot' just knocked you out cold in three moves. Humility is an excellent teacher, Tyler." The coyote gently scolded, before turning to face Rena, who's angered scowl had developed into an approving and awe-struck smile.
TJ groaned his way back to a conscious state, looking around with a dazed expression. The first sound to hit his ears was his phone hitting the floor. As he looked down, a sharp pain hit his cheek, making him instinctively grab his face with a pained grimace. It looks like that Flint guy wasn't all talk.
"Are you all good?" Came the voice of an exicted husky. TJ to looked up to notice Sheila staring down at him as her tail wagged while she wore a concerned expression.
"Ugh... yeah, I'm good. Just got the wind knocked outta me s'all." TJ replied, shaking his head loose as he got his bearings and grabbed his phone.
"Oh, alright then! Feel better!" Shelia excitedly announced as she picked the street racer up and gave him a bone crunching bear hug. TJ was able to feel his lungs and other organs almost squeezed out of his mouth before Shelia dropped him and ran off to catch up with the rest of her sparring partners.
"EJ?" Came a young voice, just as the street racer was recovering from Flint's attacks and Shelia's hug. Upon hearing the mispronunciation of his name, TJ sighed as he shook the kick loose from his head again. "It's TJ, but whatever." The driver sighed. When he turned to face the voice, the face behind it seemed really familiar. A sandcat in a red hoodie with an always optimistic smile.
Before TJ could confirm his suspicions, the cat did it for him. "It's me, Giichi! Remember, from Sargasso?" The cat reminded, making TJ's face light up.
"Yo! Like I could forget! Hey, you still owe me that race by the way!" TJ exclaimed, making Giichi chuckle as they slapped each others palms as if they were old friends.
"In a due time, don't worry. You'll be choking on my dust soon enough." Giichi said with a cocky smirk, making TJ playfully shove him as the two smiled.
"Yeah, you wish, kitty." TJ chuckled.
After a few seconds, Giichi pulled down his hoodie and looked around the gym, surprised by the field of martial artists all here. It looked like the intro to one of the old Flint Morris movies he loved. It practically was one as he saw TJ get beaten down by the Flint Morris a few seconds ago, and that only served to make him giddy with excitement. "So, I guess you're not entering the fights, right?" Giichi asked TJ, still in visible pain as the red paw mark across his cheek slowly faded away.
"Well, some old coyote just whipped my ass anyhow, so no. I was just gonna be Miyu's hypeman for the fights." TJ admitted, as Giichi internally chuckled while running a replay of his soon-to-be racing rival being knocked out by the star of Pre-K Police Officer in his head. "What about you though, bro? You a fighter as well a driver?" TJ quickly followed up. Giichi shook his head in the negative.
"Same as you, I was just going to be in Nail's corner. He said it looked like fun, which was weird, because I can't really remember a time Nail called something 'fun'. Still though, he seems excited about it." Giichi explained. As he looked back at TJ, the sandcat realized that the kid had a thousand yard stare, and seemed genuinely horrified.
"N-nail's here?" TJ asked, remembering his last encounter with the canine ended. The second those words escaped his mouth, TJ felt an ominous presence suddenly form behind him. Slowly turning around with a scared demeanor, TJ's fears were confirmed as the canine in question was right behind him. He was so close to the street racer that TJ could see his reflection in Nail's golden eyes, making the driver yelp out in fear and jump back.
"Jesus! Don't scare me like that, man!" TJ warbled, making Nail scoff. The canine came with a simple black t-shirt, jeans, and boots, but held a gym bag in his right paw, making TJ's brain begin to imagine the worst case scenario. A sniper rifle? Thick rope and rags? The head of one of his enemies? "Hey, uh... what's in the bag?" TJ asked, trying to seem relaxed as his heart thumped hard against his chest.
Nail looked down at his bag, before back at TJ, who seemed to be as still as a statue. "My gear." He simply replied, before looking the driver up and down some more. "Are you going to be in the tournament?" Nail asked, his monotone voice putting TJ on edge.
"N-no, I'm not." TJ simply replied. After what felt like a nerve wracking eternity, Nail simply shrugged and walked away, leaving TJ scared and confused.
"Wha...he... he just... why does he hate me so much? I ran into him once!" TJ exclaimed, stammering and sputtering over his words.
"Well, you were kinda a jerk last time we met. I think Nail still sees you like that." Giichi answered, only making TJ more confused.
"I was that bad?" He asked. Giichi only nodded. TJ mulled the actions of the sandcat over in his head before formulating his next question. "Am I any different now?" He asked, anxious for a response. After a few seconds, Giichi nodded again.
"You seem a bit better now, but I don't know how Nail feels about you. He probably still wants to kick your butt." Giichi admitted, making TJ release some nervous laughter.
"Well, I hope he saw the karate god over there take his chunk out of me, cause I'd be sloppy seconds. Ow." The kid chuckled, before rubbing his cheek to alive a returning sting still coming from Flint's kick.
"Eh, well since you're not in the tournament, I don't think he sees you as a threat. I don't think he ever saw you as a threat to be honest..." Giichi answered. TJ seemed upset that he wasn't seen as threatening, but then again, maybe it was a good thing that he wasn't seen as a threat. "So I'm gonna go help Nail train, alright? Catch you later!" With that, Giichi was gone, leaving TJ to return to Miyu.
"You really tried to tough talk Flint Morris?" Miyu scolded with a half frown half amused grin. With Alexia and Seth currently sparring, it gave the lynx a much needed break from her non-stop sparring.
"Dude looks like the dog version of my uncle, how was I supposed to know he was all that?" TJ defended, the paw mark on his cheek thankfully fading.
"Well, at least you know better now." Miyu remarked, looking over the two fighters training. The two had made quite a lot of progress from Miyu's advice, and looked like they would at least make it past the qualifier. "So, how's the competition look for me?" The lynx asked. TJ sighed as he ran his fingers through his hair, his eyes glancing over the fighters once more.
"Well, it's lookin' tough. You got mercs, martial artists, social media stars, and a really happy husky." TJ honestly answered.
"So I gotta train some more?" Miyu rhetorically asked. She didn't wait for a response before she walked into the octagon. However, before she could set foot into the ring, her phone buzzed. Walking back over to where she left her phone on a bench by the octagon, she noticed it was a text from Falco. "No way! Is this 4 real?!"
Attached to the text was a gif taken from Alicia's social media account, and showcased TJ being kicked square in the jaw by Flint on a loop, with a bubble of text right next to his spittle-flinging mouth saying "Monday's Got Me Like-". Miyu let loose a deep laugh, TJ's face being enough to break her. Confused by the laughter, TJ briskly made his way to the chortling lynx's side, where his face instantly turned into a frown. The street racer took a deep breath, before he spotted a certain lean and petite canine mix watching her phone blow up with a wide smile.
"ALLLIIIICIIIAAAAA!"