Hooooly crap! This chapter was loooong, longer than the snake's way, even compared to the most recent ones. Explaining powers/skills/abilities and expanding on backgrounds is very... space-time consuming?
Anyway, i shouldn't have jinxed it, i had very little time to write this, so little i had tu rush it the few hours i had to do it. A test, some 'homeworks' and a project came this week and, well... the story writes itself. (no pun intended)
Anyway, i hope you like this chapter, it was kind of difficult to write and i hope it doesn't become boring.
Without further ado, enjoy and please, leave your review, it's appreciated... most of the time XD
Ashai was currently in a waiting room, wearing a black suit.
His employer left a few minutes ago and now he was silently staring at a pair of boxer shorts, his pair of boxer shorts. His match will begin soon.
As he undressed, he remembered what had brought him to this tournament and his motivation.
It all began during his childhood. He was often picked on by others thanks to his height. Tired of it, he joined a boxing gym. But soon he discovered something very impressive: He was stronger and faster than most people of his age, he was taller and had a sturdier body. These were the first things he noticed, but soon after that, he also discovered that his body was able to grow muscle faster and make it denser than others.
Even with it, after his classmates and kids of his age stopped messing with him, others started to pick on him, they were older and his strength wasn't enough.
Martial arts weren't enough. And with those thoughts, he came to the conclusion that what he needed wasn't fighting skill, he needed raw and absolutely overwhelming power. He dropped martial arts training, but he replaced it with long sessions to improve his physical parameters. He researched anything he could in order to strengthen his body and how to do it the right way to get the results he wanted. He even used special drugs.
And after many years, he became unstoppable. None messed with him. He could crush anything with his arms and hands and throw it with unrivaled stregth. He could move faster than anyone in spite of his weight. His strikes could smash anything with a single blow and none was able to hurt his body enough.
He was the strongest, there was no doubt. But his intimidating body and dedication left him with a very big problem: What was his place in society now? Sure, he finished school and university, but nobody wanted to hire him. One day, he stumbled upon something that could be his salvation: The underworld fighting scene.
It was easy money: He was appointed for a match, he smashes or crushes his opponent as quickly and painlessly as he can and wins his money while he still looked for a job. But there wasn't something for him in that 'job', he didn't enjoy it. He didn't like to harm others, he didn't like to win this easily even if he didn't want others to mess with him, he didn't want to rob others from their victories for making them face the 'ultimate power' he possessed.
After a few years, he got a very tempting proposal: He fights in a tournament as the affiliated fighter of a company and the CEO of said company will make sure he finds a stable job in accordance to his education.
That tournament it's the Kengan Annihilation Tournament.
Ashai undressed and put his boxer shorts on before waiting in his room for the announcement of the match.
"So, Kenji, why are you wrapping your hands and feet?" Asuka and the young man were in a waiting room. Her fighter had finished to put the rape around his feet and was already adjusting his feet protectors.
"This guy might be a brute, but if the info. you got is true, he has dedicated to strengthen his body to the best of his ability. If i want a chance of winning, i'm gonna need a way of going all out without worrying about something like injuring myself."
Then, full of determination, the young man put on a mouthguard, "I am ready."
Miyuki was fixing her hair before making it to the center of the area. "Well, ladies and gentlemen, we have witnessed some pretty good fights. Let's continue with the first fight of the C block!" The crowd cheered loudly, letting her know their excitement was as high as always.
The 3d image of a biohazard and nuclear symbols appeared above the first tunnel as lasers focused on the entrance. "Coming all the way from Chile. Standing at 5'3, weighting 220 lbs and representing Nanko Gaming. This young man has stolen the hearts of many ladies in the crowd and has gathered the attention of many with his performance on the first round. He is 'The Walking Hazard', Kenji Glassman!"
Back in the tunnel, Asuka was nervous. The young man was only 17, but he was going against a man that easily destroyed his previous opponent. "Kenji, good luck, don't push yourself!"
The young man didn't say a word, not even thanking her. When he heard Miyuki finishing his reintroduction, he silently walked out as smoke filled the exit of the tunnel. Many of the women in the crowd were yelling his 'name', but he didn't even budge while he ignored everyone in the crowd. Contrary to the first round, he wasn't shaking and he looked completely focused on the match.
Miyuki was puzzled by his behaviour, but shook her head and pointed to the other tunnel, the 3d image of a giant golem appeared above it and the lasers focused, again, on the entrance. "Coming straight from Tokyo. Standing at 8'0, weighting 568 lbs and representing Tony Studies, it's 'The Man-Mountain' Ashai Horuto!"
Smoke filled the exit of the tunnel and Ashai walked out slowly. The crowd roared in anticipation while they were already making bets. Comments like "Everything to the big guy!", "All this to the winner", "Boo, he has such a nice face, what a waste" and similar were being said by members of the crowd.
Even then, Asuka, Alia and Kenta were cheering for him. Taaru on the other hand, was silent. He knew Kenji(?) was strong when he saw him for the first time during the preliminaries, but how much? Could he really defeat this giant that was around two and a half times heavier than him?
Seth and Alphonse were watching the event on a tv in a room. "So, Al. Do you think the kid can do it?" The old man replied almost instantaneously with a tinge of pity, "Based on what he has shown so far? No. And that's considering the possibility that he was holding back during his first match."
Back in the area, Lloyd approached the fighters. The referee, most of the time, was able to gauge an estimation of the level of other fighters at first glance, being more accurate when he saw them fight, but the young man was... Unknown.
While he guessed that he was a practitioner of mixed martial arts, given the moves he used during the first round, now he had a strange feeling when he looked at the young man, as if he stared at a dark, void space where he couldn't know what was inside...
Like a blackhole.
Lloyd lifted his arm over his head "Ready?!" Neither Ashai nor Kenji(?) shifted from their stance, both were upright with their hands at their sides. Lloyd brought his hand down with a yell "FIGHT!"
...
None of the fighters moved. The people of the crowd were already getting impatient, their muttering reverberated through the arena.
And then, Ashai opened his mouth to speak. "When we were in the tunnel the other day, i didn't say you would be my next 'victim' because i thought you were weak or anything. I said it because every one of my fights ends the same way as it did in my match with Zhang Wang. Honestly, i didn't want to rob the victories of any of you. Fighting an unstoppable force like me, it's not fair to be denied what you have worked so hard for, not like this."
The young man didn't react in any visible way. He didn't move, he didn't smile or scowl. He didn't shake or frown. Instead, he spoke, asking his own question "Your body, It was a combination of a special training regime and drugs. Which permanently removed the limit on your muscular strength output, right?"
Asuka gathered all the information about Ashai she could get and among all the data she found, there were his medical records.
"What about it?" Kenji(?) took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a moment before replying "Well, it means i can allow myself to even the odds a bit."
Thump thump...
Thump thump thump thump!
Thumpthumpthumpthumpthumpthumpthumpthumpthumpthump!
Suddenly, the young man's skin became red, his blood vessels became noticeable and his body seemed to bulk up while his heartbeat speed up and grew loud enough for the closest members of the crowd to hear it. He opened his eyes and vanished from sight.
And right after it, Ashai felt something strike his abdomen and the side of his knee, making him lose his balance and then, he felt something stomp on his head, sending him to the ground, cracking it.
Ashai was gazing to the ceiling in shock. The crowd fell silent as they witnessed the scene, it all happened so fast. Ashai noticed the young man standing behind him, silently looking at him.
The big man swung his arms to make him back away and, using all the strength of his body, rose up with a fluid motion. Ashai turned around and saw Kenji(?) standing a few meters away.
Ashai felt something he thought he wouldn't feel again: Pain.
He didn't see what happened, but he knew he was struck by the young man and that was what he refused to believe. "He is the youngest fighter of this tournament by a large margin, he is not even half my weight and size, yet he was able to knock me down. And what's the deal with his body?!"
'Kenji Glassman' was only the fake name of Alphonse's only grandson: Matías. This young man was the only son of María and Oscar Atron and the heir of the southamerican branch of said family. While having superhuman mutations that give them an edge in some cases is common among members of the Atron family, Matías and his mother had the highest count and quality of them all.
But even with them, he wouldn't overcome the gap in power if that was all he had. Tennoken had a trump card. Using their exceptional bodily control and medical knowledge, they developed a technique that allowed the user to reach their physical limits: Rising Angel. It allowed them to remove their brain's limits on muscular strength output, overclock the heart's cardiovascular output and increase the flow of boosting hormones and neurotransmitters. A three-stage technique that shows the user's true power.
Matías slowly shifted into a boxing stance "My analysis and the info. Asuka gave me were right, he is a brute. All his training was to increase his parameters, thus he lacks common fighting skills. I think i know his biggest weakness, but i need to test it."
Ashai charged toward him and threw a punch, but the young man zoomed past him. Ashai was only able to register what happened after he touched the ground. He felt pain, the kind of pain a normal person would feel after taking a full force body shot from an amateur martial artist. Matías struck him in the gut and tripped him, dodging his own punch.
With clear annoyance, Ashai stood up again. The young man launched himself again, and with blinding speed, he rushed at the bigger man, blitzing him again and again while he dodged or parried his punches.
Ashai threw an ascending punch with great force and speed, but Matías sidestepped and countered it with 2 punches and a kick. Ashai wasn't moving from his spot, but he threw a low kick. The young man, jumped back and caught the limb before elbowing it.
The bigger man flinched and backed off, but the young man was already behind him. Matías struck him with a heel kick to the arm, followed by an elbow and knee to the side. Ashai wiped his arm in a spinning backhand and the young man dodged it with a backward somersault.
The big man launched a powerful haymaker and Matías ducked under it, countering it with a gazelle punch to the chin and paralyzing him. The young man used this opportunity to grab one of his opponents legs to use a takedown, but Ashai's hands quickly came toward him. He released his hold and rolled away.
With a jump, Matías stood up in his boxing stance while bouncing on his feet. "I knew it! He can't keep up with opponents that have the advantage in agility or speed. And his legs are not strong enough to keep him from falling when i aim for his balance. It seems you didn't train your body well enough, huh? I might not be able to use grappling techniques due to your size, you can easily grab me thanks to it, but i still can get in and out of your range. I didn't want to use these styles this soon, but i don't think i have another choice."
The young man started to circle Ashai using a strange form of footwork. To the big man it looked like the chilean multiplied himself. Ashai's survival instinct kicked in. He lowered his body and rose his arms as quickly as he could to block the incoming attack.
In an instant, Matías sprinted even faster than before and delivered a powerful flying kick. "Raishin Style: Dream walking and Lightning Flash!"
Ashai barely blocked the hit, but the young man wasn't over yet. He used Ashai's arms as a springboard to launch himself to the ground. Using his arms to stay on the ground, Matías delivered flurry's of kicks from every angle he could, putting his hands on the ground to stand, shifting to his feet and maneuvering around him. Ashai couldn't block every hit and the pain of the strikes was increasing, he tried to hit Matías many times, but the chilean slipped past his punches. The young man somersaulted over him and delivered a few kicks to his head before landing behind him.
But suddenly, Ashai punched Matías with even more speed and strength. The young man blocked the hit and barely budged from his spot. "Niko Style Adamantine Form: Indestructible!"
Ashai, with his hand still extended, pushed the young man's blocking hand to the side and landed a powerful punch to the body. Matías was thrown away, skidding on the ground, but never falling.
The young man coughed a bit and went back into his boxing stance. "Mierda, that took me by surprise. I lowered my other arm." Ashai on the other hand had a look of annoyance "Maybe i am a ball of muscle, but i am by no means stupid. I just have to wait for the key moment to strike you down. I thought i could do this without harming you too much, but i won't hold back anymore!"
In the stands, the crowd was cheering loudly, this was an unexpected turn of events, now many of them think the fight is not as one-sided as they first thought. In one of the farthest corners, Apinya and Zhang were watching the fight with a mix of awe and disbelief. "No wonder he was able to beat me so easily, he was holding back by a significant margin. But i don't get it, Zhang. You weren't able to damage Horuto during the first round and you couldn't even avoid his attacks, yet this kid is doing all of that and even endured one good punch."
Zhang rubbed his jaw and explained "Well, science plays a big part in this. Let's say they are around the same league of striking power, that should be the only way of harming Horuto, but the kid has one advantage on his side: pressure. Even if he isn't as strong as Ashai, he has more pressure thanks to his striking area. Think of it as someone trying to pierce a piece of paperboard vs someone trying to do it with a needle."
Apinya looked deep in thought, "But that shouldn't be enough to damage him this much, right?" Zhang turned to him while raising two of his fingers "Glassman is also using two variations of techniques that can be found in chinese martial arts: Sunkei and Fa jin. Sunkei's purpose is to allow the user to deliver full-force strikes, no matter the range, giving all their attacks the power of a knockout blow. Fa jin is to bypass external durability in some way, basically a technique to turn your strikes in 'armor-piercing shots'. I was intending to use them in my match before i was knocked out, but my hands were already kid is apparently mixing capoeira with these techniques."
Zhang stared back at the area while saying with a sigh "There are many fast individuals in this tournament. Abyss, Jean and Mamushi had some of the fastest hands, while Fyodorovych had the highest mobility and me along with Jung-Hwa have overall high speed. But judging by all that we have seen... this kid might be the fastest and most agile of this tournament if Mamushi and Tradway don't have anything else to show... talk about monsters."
Alphonse was left agape and sweating. He never expected this. His grandson really was holding his own against the giant man. "María, what kind of training did you make him do so that he would be able to use level 2 so naturally? And where the hell did you find those styles? How could he really improve so much during the few years i wasn't with them?"
This time Matías and Ashai charged at each other, with the latter throwing an overhand. "Niko style: Flashing Steel Blast!" Matías landed a powerful elbow to Ashai's gut, making him back away. The bigger man retaliated with a flurry of powerful punches, pushing back his opponent.
The young man blocked and parried using 'Indestructible', until... "Niko Style: Flame Form: Phantom Pace" He sidestepped right before one punch, shocking Ashai. Matías quickly hit his arm a few times using his fingers "Niko Style: Adamantine Form: Iron Fingers"
The giant man's arm fell limp, but he used his other arm to launch a powerful hook "Niko Style: Redirection Form: Weeping Willow", only to be redirected downward by the smaller fighter and making him fall forward... "Raishin Style: Sunfire!" Matías attacked with a quick barrage of strikes to Ashai's head, following by 2 roundhouse kicks.
Ashai spat blood, but he pressed further and struck the young man with a kick, making him back away. Ashai used a shoulder charge, taking Matías by surprise. The giant man kept running while his opponent tried stop him or free himself from the momentum. The japanese man flung Matías, slaming him onto the ground.
The young man grunted and tried to stand up, but Ashai mounted him and started to punch him relentlessly. The smaller fighter tried his best to block and redirect the earth-cracking blows. Matías struck one of the giant's punches with his elbow, stopping the avalance of hits and allowing him to push back the bigger man with a double kick.
Ashai growled and hit Matías with a soccer kick, sending him toward the wall of the area. The young man bounced on the ground until he stopped himself using his hands and feet. Matías spat blood and stood up with a pained look "Carajo, he hits like a nitro powered truck! Good thing i could redirect part of the kinetic energy of most of them, specially that damn kick."
The crowd yelled with excitement, many of the fighters freaked out, others had looks of anticipation and the rest developed some kind of respect/awe for these two powerhouses and their titanic clash.
Matías and Ashai were covered in each other's blood, their own and bruises all over his body. Maybe the young man didn't take as much damage or his 'transformation' made his bruises less noticeable, but one thing was certain: The match could end at any moment from now on.
Matías stood with his eyes closed, he took deep and controlled breaths while Ashai was catching his and streching his arms, regaining the feeling in them.
Both calmed down and glared at each other. Then, they rushed at each other with a yell. "Niko Style: Flame Form: Raging Fire!" Ashai threw a powerful punch, the young man redirected it with a shoulder roll and struck him with a low kick "Niko Style: Adamantine Form: Ironbreaker". The giant man struck him with a punch to the temple, Matías spun around and threw a roundhouse knee to Ashai's ribs.
They began a furious exchange of blows, spraying blood around them. Ashai struck the smaller fighter with three punches more punches before he redirected a fourth using 'Weeping Willow', leaving the giant's right side wide open. Matías delivered a flurry of punches and elbows to his opponent's liver, before launching a front kick.
Ashai yelled in pain, before Matías blitzed him. The japanese man lost his balance for a moment before the young man ran toward him at full speed, striking him with a loud flying knee to the face and "Niko Style: Ironbreaker!" a mighty punch. Ashai was knocked down and Matías landed on his feet, panting and with his hands on his knees.
None made a single sound, it was as if time stopped. Matías breathed one last time before looking at his opponent's immobile form, his body returned to normal, leaving him with some more noticeable light bruises and blood stains. The young man turned to the tunnel were his employer was and gave her a thumbs up with a grin.
"The winner by knockout: Kenji Glassman!" The crowd roared with a mix of disbelief and excitement, a new favourite was born for many of them. Alia yelled non-stop, Taaru had a massive grin and Kenta was left shaking with disbelief, only to turn into excitement and join Alia in her cheering.
Lloyd was another story. He smirked all the way to the med bay while helping EMTs carry Ashai "You better get ready, Shibo. Because this tournament is the end of your blood party. Your days of fighterslaying are numbered!"
Matías approached Asuka. His employer was shaking with worry and joy "Are you ok?! Do you want something?!", not waiting for an answer, she hugged him tightly. "Wow, wow! Calm down, i'm ok. It only hurts if you hold me that tight." Blushing, his employer let go of him and looked down as they headed toward the changing rooms. With a nervous smile, he kept talking "About your other question... Yeah, i could use some ice and water, hitting that guy was like hitting a tank... maybe also a good massage... do you know of any chiropractor at the island?"
His hands and feet were shaking a bit, but it was nothing serious, all the shaking and pain in his body was outweighted by one big fact: he prevailed.
Shibo was in one of the boxes, watching the whole match. With a scary toothy smile he said out loud with a tinge of anticipation "Toootally worth it." And after it, he released a small chuckle which turned into a deranged laughter. "I can't wait for our encounter, you better make it. But i might go for you anyway."
(Some time after...)
Ashai was dressed in his suit, in front of him was no other than his employer, whom had an unreadable expression on their face.
After a while, Ashai spoke with clear frustration "I know he was a kid, but you saw it yourself! Please, there has to be som-" His employer raised his hand with closed eyes and interrupted him with a sigh. After making sure the japanese giant wasn't going to make another sound, he decided to speak "Look Ashai, stop explaining yourself. You aren't helping."
The giant man looked down in shame, he was supposed to be the ultimate power, immovable like a mountain and unstoppable like a bullet train! Yet he lost to a kid, a kid from a third world country, no more.
"Consider yourself soon to be employed." Ashai perked up at the remark, gazing at his employer with disbelief "What? I told you that we had a deal if you entered the tournament and did what you could to win. I never said you had to win, did you forget it?" Letting a sigh of relief, the taller man smiled. Maybe, it wasn't so bad to lose, even if it was a kid.
"Well, i will call some of my contacts, after looking through your curriculum vitae it will be a piece of cake to convince any of them. I advise you to enjoy the luxuries of this island, afterall even i have little time to enjoy them, hahaha."
TBC
Daaaamn, those are a lot of techniques.