A/N: Chapter 7 of Tiger of the Wild's. It's been awhile since I've updated this story, sorry about that. Now enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters except my own OCs. Girls of the Wild's belongs to the rightful owner Hun/Zhena.
Special thanks to the reviewers and to the readers who Fav/Alert this story, I really appreciate it.
Episode 7
Inside the shower room...
"Jae Gu Song." Queen spoke with rising anger as she glared at the boy huddling on the shower floor. His heart kept skipping beats as his life quickly zoomed within his mind, his hands becoming all sweaty and clammy. He expected her to be in the room like Moon Young informed him but he wasn't as prepared as he thought he was, just staring at Queen face-to-face squashed any level of confidence out of him.
"Ah...well..." The boy quickly flashed the check in front of him in hopes of getting her to understand his intention of being in the shower room. "I came here to give this back! I didn't know it's a shower room! Honest!"
"What the heck are you..."
"Queen! Where is she?!" A loud voice boomed through out the shower room, getting their attention. It was unusual for the rooms to be rowdy during after school hours so it definitely wasn't welcoming. "Queen!"
Who's shouting so loudly? The blonde thought as she heard the distinct stomps of feet approaching the room. Sounds familiar though...
"Out of the way! I said move!" The door lock clicked and a red-haired girl stormed in, narrowing her eyes at the two of them. Behind her were two other girls, most likely her body guards. "Aha! There she is! What a princess prancing around in a towel."
"W-W-Who's she...?" Jae Gu murmured, trying to make himself as small as possible. Covering his mouth he sat behind the shelter of the shower wall, using his ears to listen into the conversation. Well whoever she is, she's really scary!
"I'm here to say hello." The red-head spoke, keeping her gaze level with Queen as her mouth twisted into a grin. "I just registered for the Wild's League!"
"Hye Shin Kim..." Queen finally addressed her speaker, suddenly taking on an air of arrogance. "Well, you left the hospital earlier than I thought. It seems I went easy on you for no reason."
"Huh? Don't think you're better than me because you beat me once!" Hye Shin snapped, closing the distance till she was about a foot or so away from Queen. "We are competing in the Wild's League this year. I'll teach all of you a lesson."
"...yeah, anybody can register for the league." Queen replied, promptly turning around to wash her hands in the sink. It was disrespectful to turn your back on someone who was addressing you but she didn't even care. She defeated Hye Shin soundly, most likely embarrassed her in front of everyone during their fight the last time they met in a championship ring. "Well, whatever, you have no chance to make it into the final after all."
"What did you say?" The red-head's eyebrow twitched at the comment. "Saying I won't make it to the final? Don't waste your breath spouting some bull crap!"
"By the way...would you take a few steps back?" Queen continued, blow-drying her hair as if she couldn't care less. "This area is for A-class and S-class students only. So technically, you're not allowed to be in here. If you want to take a shower, find the shower room for C-class."
"What?! Wild's League or not you wanna fight me here and now?!" Hye Shin gritted her teeth with fury, allowing her opponent's words to get underneath her skin. She knew she shouldn't play the game but at this moment she wanted nothing more than fight Queen and put her in her rightful place. "Queen! I promise that I'll..."
"What the heck?! Move and get out the way!" Another voice spoke up, startling the three new comers. Dal Dal frowned as she stood before them, looking them over. The captain of the Tae Kwon Do club looked pissed off and there were a few bruises on her skin, indicating that she had gotten into a scuffle. "Who are these uglies? Friends of yours, Queen?"
"What? Uglies?!" Hye Shin and her back ups squawked with anger.
"No way." was the curt reply. "Who would want to be friends with them?"
"You tiny little thing! Oi!" One of Hye Shin's bodyguards lunged for Dal Dal, hands outstretched and snarled, "What did you just say huh?! Wanna say that again?!"
"Yes, I said 'Uglies'. Who the hell do you think you are?" Dal Dal growled, her own hand shot out and wrapped around the girl's throat and held her at arm's length. There was a nasty glint in her eyes as she stared her opponent down. "Listen well. I'm not in a good mood and currently I'm restraining myself 'cause I don't want to be expelled for fighting outside the ring. You said you'll be at the Wild's League? I'll kill you there. So, shut up and fuck off!"
"Tch! We're gonna smash you all!" Hye Shin threatened once Dal Dal released her opponent. The red-head and her two lackeys proceeded to retreat, the latter glaring at the two of them with an intense stare to boot. "Get ready for a beat down because I intend to give it my all!"
"Whatever!" Dal Dal huffed once the door closed, resisting the urge to roll her eyes with annoyance. "Are all your friends like that? How irritating, you definitely need a new set."
"They're not my friends." Queen iterated in a monotonous voice, turning the blow-dryer on for a bit to get some of the wet tips of her hair. "Learn to listen. I swear my words go in one end and out the other."
"Gee~ Now I'm feeling worse than I already am." Dal Dal growled, crossing her arms over her chest. "I wanted to see if Jae Gu Song is around but for now...tch..."
"Why are you in such a temperament?" Queen asked, gazing at the girl from over her shoulder with interest. She finished pampering herself and could stay for awhile to hear a story. "I don't remember the last time you got mad over something..."
"Well...since you're curious and all, here's what happened..."
Tae Kwon Do Club...
About two hours before Dal Dal retreated to the shower room to freshen up, she and I had our sparring match to determine whether I was qualified to become a member. The condition that needed to be met was lasting at least one match with the captain herself. Being honest I was really nervous because I've never actually sparred against anyone before.
"I won't be holding back just for your information." Dal Dal said, smiling cheerfully as she stretched her body. "Hopefully you'll provide me with some entertainment. Remember all you have to do is last one match with me, that's all."
Sounds easy enough but holding out that long is gonna be difficult...especially against her. I worried and stretched out my arms and legs, taking careful notice to make sure everything was warmed up. There's no point in pulling muscles right off the bat and crying to surrender, it would leave an ugly stain on my pride as a male. Ugh...will I even survive?
"The initiation trial to become a member of the Tae Kwon Do club will now begin!" One of the other members acted as a moderator, making sure we were all set. "Time limit has been set. The match is over when either the time runs out of if one of the fighters concedes to the other. Anything goes in this match! Fight!"
"I'll throw you a simple punch!" Dal Dal said as she initiated the match first and indeed threw her left hand first towards my face. "Block it won't you~?"
I can do that! If it's for a simple punch...! I threw up my right arm, hoping that it'll be enough to deflect the blow. It connected and at first I thought I blocked it well but her knuckles touched my right pectoral. Her punch went through my weak defenses. Wait what...?!
"Huh? You actually allowed that punch to hit you?" Dal Dal tilted her head to the side as she stepped back, watching me lift my fingers to touch the spot. "Man you really need to work on that."
Her punch was so fast at that last minute...I didn't even see it before it was too late.
"C'mon, don't just stand there. Attack me!" She smiled, gesturing me with a finger. "I attacked you so it's only fair if you come at me with everything you got!"
"Hiyah!" I dashed forward, throwing a right hook which she deflected with ease. Throwing my arms up she pivoted on her right heel to smash her left foot into my expose stomach in retaliation. Pain like no other exploded from my core and I couldn't help but cough from the hit. How'd she...
"In this fight, you need to prepare for the worse!" Dal Dal threw tips as she went on the offense. Kicks and punches each and every one of her strikes hit their marks; they were just too fast for me to follow and I found myself becoming her punching bag. "Never let up and don't let your opponents have a chance to recover! Overwhelm your enemies with speed!"
If this keeps up...I grunted when my head snapped to the side from a punch. I weakly held up both arms in defense position but in the end it was useless since Dal Dal easily broke through. If this keeps up...I'll...
"Grit your teeth because this one is sure to knock you out!"
"What-?!" I barely had time to blink before she snapped her right leg against my head in a spinning hook kick. The jarring and rattling made my teeth click and it was honestly a miracle that my jaw didn't dislocate. So...fast...! I couldn't...defend...Letting out a a gasp I fell to the ground and didn't move, a trail of saliva exiting the corner of my mouth.
"What? Is that it?" Dal Dal asked, looking at my knocked-out form with disappointment. She hardly broke a sweat and I was knocked to the ground in less than 10 minutes. "Don't screw with me! You did well so far and now you wanna play dead with me?!"
"C-C-Captain, maybe you should've held back a bit. He is brand new and all. If you rough him up too much you'll scare him away..."
"Nonsense! I refuse to believe that this is the end!" Dal Dal huffed and crossed her arms over her chest when some of the club members stated their opinions. She had a lot of pent up energy and she had no way of releasing it unless she went all out at the gym. "If this is all you have then I refuse to let you in...to...the...club?" She watched as I stood back up to my feet. My hair had formed a curtain over my eyes as I swayed back and forth.
"I-Is he okay...?"
"Perhaps the Captain's kick was too strong..."
"I hope he didn't die..."
"You came back for more huh?" Dal Dal taunted, knowing that her words would reach my ears. She ran at me, her right hand curled into a fist. "This punch will hopefully beat something into you!"
K-POW!
There was a collected gasps through out the dojo when Dal Dal's fist missed, barely grazing the tip of my nose. Instead my right fist kissed her left cheek with a resounding smack, sending her head to the right. Lifting up my right leg I spun on the heel of my left leg and connected the outer edge of my right foot with her chest, effectively shoving her away.
"Urrrrgh!" My opponent gritted her teeth and skidded back, digging her heels into the floor to stop herself. Wiping her mouth with the back of her hand she noticed specks of blood and smiled. This is interesting...this is interesting!
"Captain! Wait!" One of her members spoke up, getting her attention. "Doesn't he look different to you?"
"Huh?" She narrowed her eyes at me and noticed that I wasn't even conscious, my body was moving on its own. What the-?! He's fighting based on instinct? It's rare for someone to have raw power like that...
"Uuggggh...hicccup..." Weird noises escaped my lips as my upper body flopped over and I staggered, making it look as though I'd fall any second. It'd give anyone an anxiety an attack if they were watching the match: Will he fall or will he not?
"Are you mocking me...? You've got some balls Tobias!" Dal Dal screamed, jumping into the air with her eyes burning a hole through my head. "This time you'll stay down!"
"Captain no!" The warning came late as she swung both arms into an 'X' shape form, attempting to lash out at my neck but my knees buckled at the last minute and I leaned till my body was parallel to the ground, avoiding the attack all together. Getting back to a normal position I quickly lashed out in a counterattack, smacking the back of both hands against her ribs.
"Ack...such lucky hits...!" Dal Dal growled, hopping back to get some distance between us and rubbing the spots to alleviate the throbbing. "But let's see you dodge this!" Jumping once more, she performed two rotations before extending her right leg with the heel pointed down. She was prepared to bring an ax kick to the head and knock me out for good.
"Urp...hnnnnaghhh..." Sensing danger I moved out of the way with a side-spin hop, crouching low so my chest was a inch off the floor. When she lunged forward once again I turned my back on her and placed both hands on the ground. Rounding my back and drawing both legs into my chest I kicked out with both feet, catching her under the chin with perfect timing. It felt like two pistons as I also added a little spring to my hands, giving me some extra strength.
"Argh!" She coughed out, landing heavily onto her back with her head snapped towards the ceiling. I flipped over so I was dancing on the balls of my feet. My body still swayed as if to an unknown rhythm, my fingers rounded like I was holding a delicate tea cup. After a few more spins I sensed that she wouldn't get back up and just hunched over with a sigh.
"N-No way..."
"Captain is down..."
W...What kind of style was that fighting...? Dal Dal thought as she laid on her back, the gears within her mind were whirling nonstop. It's unlike anything I've seen...
"U-Umm..." She lifted her head to see me staring at her unsure of what happened, one hand bent to scratch the back of my neck sheepishly. "W-What happened? Did I make it?"
"He doesn't remember...?"
"How weird..." The other members whispered as Dal Dal picked herself up, dusting off her attire with mild interest. Looking at the clock she simply sighed and actually relaxed her tensed muscles.
"Heh...well then Tobias Vermilion, I must congratulate you...that was some skill you displayed for us...Even the timer for the match to end hadn't even rung, that's something you should be proud of!" She held her hand out for me to shake, a smile on her lips. "Welcome to the Tae Kwon Do Club!"
"T-T-Thank you very much!" I reached out to shake hers, adding an extra bow of my head towards her as the sounds of hands clapping from the other members reached my ears.
"I guess that's all for today." Dal Dal clapped her hands twice, getting the members to bow out and clean up the room. "Make sure to come back ready for some more training!" She then turned to me and smiled, "I'm going to the shower rooms but I'll hand you a schedule for the rest of the semester with our meetings times. Don't be late or I'll do more than just break your bones~"
Outside in the courtyard...
Ouch, why the hell does my entire body hurt? I was currently nursing my wrist, making sure I didn't fracture it when I was sparring against Dal Dal. Since I had time before going home to wash I decided to walk around the courtyard for awhile and enjoy myself. I still don't understand how I lasted that long in the match but man can she kick! I feel like I have a concussion...Uuugh...after she kicked me everything is so hazy...
"What's the matter? You look like you've been roughed up a lot...as well as have a lot on your mind."
"Huh? Oh it's you, Moon Young-senpai." I looked up when she approached me, both hands stuffed in her pockets. Since she was in a higher grade than I it would be wise of me to show her respect...as well as anyone who was older. She came to a stop in front of me and smirked.
"Drop the formalities, we're all friends here. Now what is it you wanna talk about? I'm all ears."
"I heard that there's this thing called 'Wild's League', what is it exactly?" I asked as we walked together.
"So at our school we a specially prepared ring." She explained, her eyes lighting up with excitement. "It's not just a physical training facility mind you but this ring is for a real ultimate fighting championship that's held twice a year."
"A championship?"
"Yup! The Wild's League is very popular among people. Most cable channels broadcast the match live with steep viewer ratings every season. Hell, it can also be watched internationally through webcast. So, players in the Wild's League become somewhat like celebrities."
"Why does such a thing exist?" I asked her. "It sounds ethically wrong..."
"You're asking why? The reason is simple!" She trotted before me and smiled broadly. "The League is the only place where we can go against each other to the limit! You see, Queen has won 2 years in a row...she's that strong."
And I struggled a lot against Dal Dal...If I were to fight Queen...I shuddered at the thought. No way, there's no way I'd accept even if she challenges me to a match. I might as well just sign the death wish!
"Oi! Moon Young! Moon Young!"
"Huh? It's Dal Dal..." The boxer mused as her rival and friend ran up to us. "What's up shorty?"
"Shut up about calling me short! Anyways you two wouldn't believe this! Queen has chosen Jae Gu as her first opponent!" At that Moon Young's eyes darken with horror and I just stared at her like she grew an extra pair of heads. "We know that the preliminaries are a month away but who knew she'd go for him at random."
"This isn't time for jokes!" Moon Young roared and ran off, kicking up clouds of dust in her wake. "That guy's gonna be slaughtered! It might as well be his public execution!"
"...will he even have a chance against her?" I asked once she disappeared, looking at Dal Dal with worry. "Jae Gu I mean..."
"Mmm...nope, not really." She replied and stared at me thoughtfully. "Against Queen...it's basically forfeiting your life. You'd be lucky if you could last 5 minutes against her...no..." She shook her head and said, "You'd be lucky if you don't get knocked out in the first strike."
BZZT~ BZZT~
"Oh? A text? Perhaps from Jae Gu..." Pulling my phone out of my pocket I looked at the screen and felt my breath come to a halt. I read the message as swiftly as I could and didn't realize that I was sweating. Even my hands were shaking and I had to compose myself before I dropped it. "T-T-This...! How could it escalate to this?!"
"What's wrong? You look pale..." Dal Dal looked over and her demeanor changed as well. "So that's what it is...! Shit! I outta beat Queen myself for making my Jae Gu feel this way!" She grabbed my arm and dragged me after her without leaving any room for arguments. "Lets go!"
[I attempted to return the money to Queen and hoped that it'd please her. This school was the only place I could afford to both study and support my family...Queen doesn't care as long as I fight her. Therefore I have come to the conclusion to drop out in hopes of changing her mind.]