Part 3- The Sure Thing
This is no time to shed tears. That is not what Baek would want I am too tough for that. It may be coming for me soon. The strongest they said are its victims. I better be prepared. But what now? What direction should my life go into? It is time I left my organization the organization I had helped build from the ground up…..
The Next couple of months were some of the most exciting in my life. Ken had recruited other street fighters and I was in charge of all the training. 15 people were under my command. Training others had started to bore me but I couldn't get any competition. Now even the biggest and toughest of adults couldn't hold water to me. Then one day I had an interesting conversation with Jeff
"Hey Hwoarang, do you think you could beat up ken?"
"Why is he tough?" I asked
"You didn't hear he was a 2 time Korean martial arts champion!"
"Your kidding…." I didn't believe Jeff, no way could that be true. I mean I certainly would have noticed by now. Although I had honestly never seen him fight. But it started to make sense. How else could Ken have known that big guy would pick to fight me and not him. Certainly if he knew he could beat Ken up, he is the one he would have chosen to fight but on the other had he may have thought I was just some kid. I don't know but I am certainly no kid anymore. Jeff had become quite a skilled fighter himself. I had taught him many things, now don't get me wrong he wasn't nearly up to my level but he had progressed a lot.
"No honest he was the first Korean champion after that Baek guy swept through all of them. He even entered the King of the Iron fist 2 tournament. Although he didn't get past the regionals."
"King of the iron fist?" I asked
"Your kidding you lived with Baek how long and he never told you!?"
"Nope so what is it?" I asked this had peaked my curiosity
"Well people from all over the world fight in this huge karate tournament it was sponsored by Mishima corp. It is great. It has been awhile though I wonder if they will ever have another one? Say where is Sandy?" Sandy was the only girl member in our little fraud team. It helps a lot to pump up the bets when you have a girl fighting. She's quick though and can easily hold her own. She has made us a lot of money.
"Oh she is on another assignment, downtown I think. I will be back later, time to thank a pal" It had been so long since I hadn't since I had seen Baek I went out on my own. I was excited to show him what a warrior I had become. I walked in the dojo but Baek wasn't around, instead I met another old friend.
"Hey what are you doing here!?" Chang demanded as he stopped kicking the punching bag that was in the corner. I ignored him and walked right past him to Baeks office. He was there napping
"Yo old man wake up!" He practically fell out of his chair.
"Hwoarang! What brings you here….ahh first loss?" He said with an irritating grin.
"Nope sorry maybe next time, I am still perfect."
"I see…well what brings you here?" I picked up and apple on a little desk next to me
"Is this yours?" I asked
"no its chan…." As soon as I heard the no I had started to dig in.
"Can't a guy come to say hi?"
"Sure a guy can but you I have my doubts…" he looked at me. This insulted me after all I wouldn't do anything to the guy I really admired him.
"Oh I just wanted to show you how well I am doing."
"Ah I get it now. Got to fill that ego of yours huh."
"It's not an ego if you're the best"
"Oh so that's how it is huh. Your not the best Hwoarang" He turned to look at his wall, full of trophies. "or perhaps you want to prove me wrong" Now I was strong, but not stupid. This guy was as amazing a fighter as they come, and I didn't have the experience to beat him
"Ha nice try"
"I hear you're a teacher yourself, your best student vs. mine what do you say?" I thought about this. I knew who he was going to pick Chang, Baek gets a lot of news from the streets so he probably knows my best is Jeff. Now he knows Jeff lost to Chang so he was probably figuring it was a shoe in. He didn't realize how well I trained Jeff though. I smiled and said
"Sure just name the time and place"
"Bring him to the dojo, tonight"
"Sure thing see ya then" I walked out with an unusually confident swagger. This was in the bag. I have fought them both and Jeff was gonna kill him. I pictured what the look on Baek's face will look like when he sees that I am just as good a teacher he is. I chuckled to myself as I walked back to ken's place.
"I don't know Hwoarang, I think Baek is up to something" Ken told me
"Come on!" Sandy complained, "Hwoarang has never steered us wrong before it is a shoe in!"
"Hmph I am not so sure…. Jeff what do you say?"
Jeff hesitated for a moment and said, "I can beat him…I know I can beat him!" Now with the utmost of confidence. I smiled. It was my turn to shine, to prove to the man I am the best! I smilled all day up until the ringing of the opening bell…..
The two fighters start to circle each other. A huge group of people sat back and watched. Baek stood on the other side of me. It was almost like looking into a mirror, we both smiling, both thinking there was no way the other could win. Then for the first time I got worried. He knew something that I didn't. I should have realized it early. My concerns were realized with Chang had nailed Jeff with a round house, sending him crashing to the ground. He got up and wiped the blood off his face and got back into his stance.
"Come on Jeff you can block better then that!" I yelled at him
Then came in with a thundering right hand, Which stuned jeff just long enough for Chang to get in a right knee. But then something happened which no one had expected. Jeff caught the knee with his hands and swept Chang's other leg. Now I saw a quick worried look on the face of Baek. It quickly went back to normal but just to know that he had the look pleased me.
"Good job Jeff keep it up come on!" I said cheering him on. He turned to me and nodded when all of a sudden a sweep from Chang and Jeff was suddenly back on the ground. I knew I had taught Jeff better then this! Why was he losing? He could beat Chang! Why wasn't he? He got up and got into his stance. Chang charged at him with kicks and punchs, everyone moving Jeff farther and farther back and getting me more and more fustrated.
"JEFF COUNTER!!! DO SOMETHING!!!" I yelled at the top of my lungs. But it wasn't working he got going closer and closer to the wall right by me. Then they finally reached it and there was no where for Jeff to go. He was being pummeled into the wall. That was when I lost it. I walked up and nailed Chang in the head with a kick. That is all it took. He went unconscious.
"Disqualification! The winner is Chang!" Baek announced
I rested my hand on my head. I couldn't belive it! But then…. I realized something. If Baek could make a loser like Chang that good…. What could he do for me?…..
This is no time to shed tears. That is not what Baek would want I am too tough for that. It may be coming for me soon. The strongest they said are its victims. I better be prepared. But what now? What direction should my life go into? It is time I left my organization the organization I had helped build from the ground up…..
The Next couple of months were some of the most exciting in my life. Ken had recruited other street fighters and I was in charge of all the training. 15 people were under my command. Training others had started to bore me but I couldn't get any competition. Now even the biggest and toughest of adults couldn't hold water to me. Then one day I had an interesting conversation with Jeff
"Hey Hwoarang, do you think you could beat up ken?"
"Why is he tough?" I asked
"You didn't hear he was a 2 time Korean martial arts champion!"
"Your kidding…." I didn't believe Jeff, no way could that be true. I mean I certainly would have noticed by now. Although I had honestly never seen him fight. But it started to make sense. How else could Ken have known that big guy would pick to fight me and not him. Certainly if he knew he could beat Ken up, he is the one he would have chosen to fight but on the other had he may have thought I was just some kid. I don't know but I am certainly no kid anymore. Jeff had become quite a skilled fighter himself. I had taught him many things, now don't get me wrong he wasn't nearly up to my level but he had progressed a lot.
"No honest he was the first Korean champion after that Baek guy swept through all of them. He even entered the King of the Iron fist 2 tournament. Although he didn't get past the regionals."
"King of the iron fist?" I asked
"Your kidding you lived with Baek how long and he never told you!?"
"Nope so what is it?" I asked this had peaked my curiosity
"Well people from all over the world fight in this huge karate tournament it was sponsored by Mishima corp. It is great. It has been awhile though I wonder if they will ever have another one? Say where is Sandy?" Sandy was the only girl member in our little fraud team. It helps a lot to pump up the bets when you have a girl fighting. She's quick though and can easily hold her own. She has made us a lot of money.
"Oh she is on another assignment, downtown I think. I will be back later, time to thank a pal" It had been so long since I hadn't since I had seen Baek I went out on my own. I was excited to show him what a warrior I had become. I walked in the dojo but Baek wasn't around, instead I met another old friend.
"Hey what are you doing here!?" Chang demanded as he stopped kicking the punching bag that was in the corner. I ignored him and walked right past him to Baeks office. He was there napping
"Yo old man wake up!" He practically fell out of his chair.
"Hwoarang! What brings you here….ahh first loss?" He said with an irritating grin.
"Nope sorry maybe next time, I am still perfect."
"I see…well what brings you here?" I picked up and apple on a little desk next to me
"Is this yours?" I asked
"no its chan…." As soon as I heard the no I had started to dig in.
"Can't a guy come to say hi?"
"Sure a guy can but you I have my doubts…" he looked at me. This insulted me after all I wouldn't do anything to the guy I really admired him.
"Oh I just wanted to show you how well I am doing."
"Ah I get it now. Got to fill that ego of yours huh."
"It's not an ego if you're the best"
"Oh so that's how it is huh. Your not the best Hwoarang" He turned to look at his wall, full of trophies. "or perhaps you want to prove me wrong" Now I was strong, but not stupid. This guy was as amazing a fighter as they come, and I didn't have the experience to beat him
"Ha nice try"
"I hear you're a teacher yourself, your best student vs. mine what do you say?" I thought about this. I knew who he was going to pick Chang, Baek gets a lot of news from the streets so he probably knows my best is Jeff. Now he knows Jeff lost to Chang so he was probably figuring it was a shoe in. He didn't realize how well I trained Jeff though. I smiled and said
"Sure just name the time and place"
"Bring him to the dojo, tonight"
"Sure thing see ya then" I walked out with an unusually confident swagger. This was in the bag. I have fought them both and Jeff was gonna kill him. I pictured what the look on Baek's face will look like when he sees that I am just as good a teacher he is. I chuckled to myself as I walked back to ken's place.
"I don't know Hwoarang, I think Baek is up to something" Ken told me
"Come on!" Sandy complained, "Hwoarang has never steered us wrong before it is a shoe in!"
"Hmph I am not so sure…. Jeff what do you say?"
Jeff hesitated for a moment and said, "I can beat him…I know I can beat him!" Now with the utmost of confidence. I smiled. It was my turn to shine, to prove to the man I am the best! I smilled all day up until the ringing of the opening bell…..
The two fighters start to circle each other. A huge group of people sat back and watched. Baek stood on the other side of me. It was almost like looking into a mirror, we both smiling, both thinking there was no way the other could win. Then for the first time I got worried. He knew something that I didn't. I should have realized it early. My concerns were realized with Chang had nailed Jeff with a round house, sending him crashing to the ground. He got up and wiped the blood off his face and got back into his stance.
"Come on Jeff you can block better then that!" I yelled at him
Then came in with a thundering right hand, Which stuned jeff just long enough for Chang to get in a right knee. But then something happened which no one had expected. Jeff caught the knee with his hands and swept Chang's other leg. Now I saw a quick worried look on the face of Baek. It quickly went back to normal but just to know that he had the look pleased me.
"Good job Jeff keep it up come on!" I said cheering him on. He turned to me and nodded when all of a sudden a sweep from Chang and Jeff was suddenly back on the ground. I knew I had taught Jeff better then this! Why was he losing? He could beat Chang! Why wasn't he? He got up and got into his stance. Chang charged at him with kicks and punchs, everyone moving Jeff farther and farther back and getting me more and more fustrated.
"JEFF COUNTER!!! DO SOMETHING!!!" I yelled at the top of my lungs. But it wasn't working he got going closer and closer to the wall right by me. Then they finally reached it and there was no where for Jeff to go. He was being pummeled into the wall. That was when I lost it. I walked up and nailed Chang in the head with a kick. That is all it took. He went unconscious.
"Disqualification! The winner is Chang!" Baek announced
I rested my hand on my head. I couldn't belive it! But then…. I realized something. If Baek could make a loser like Chang that good…. What could he do for me?…..