My Hokuto Academia
AN: Just a fair bit of warning, there will be SPOILERS for both My Hero Academia [Vigilantes too], Hokuto no Ken, and Souten no Ken (and its continuation, Regenesis).
I DO NOT own Hokuto no Ken or My Hero Academia, they belong to their respective creators, Tetsuo Hara, Buronson, and Kohei Horikoshi. Support the official releases, especially of Souten no Ken.
Itatics = Flashback
"Italics" = Speaking in a Different Language
'Italics' = Inner Thoughts
Italics = Flashback
Chapter Eleven:
The summer break was fairly normal after Izuku came back, but his mother noticed how buff he was. She often wondered what type of training they did, but the kid responded with 'harder than normal training'. It did explain the amount of bruises that were healing up, plus some of the bandages. As a response, his mother made him some Katsudon to help relieve himself after that period spent in the Hidaka Mountains.
However, he was ready for the rest of Kensei's story today. In fact, he was going to the Kasumi Residence in a few minutes after finishing his lunch.
Kasumi Residence
Izuku made his way to the residence, knowing that the rest of his mentor's story would be told. Rouga opened the door, made his greetings, and shown him to the living room where Kensei was sitting on the couch.
"Ah, good afternoon, Izuku. I believe you're ready for the rest of the story."
"Yes, I am."
Zhuo's Paradise
The feared vigilante Shichisei just finished slaughtering the infamous Triad syndicate known as the Chishi-Rengou. However, this unfortunately attracted the attention of the local police and two Pro Heroes sent to assist them.
"Stop right there, vigilante." said a fairly masculine voice. The vigilante turned around, then saw two individuals. The first one being a wide-set man with a muscular build and long, pale mint-green hair that spikes backwards, away from his head. He also noticed that he wears a white mask with four holes in a square formation, all resembling gun muzzles with slight barrel stems protruding from their side, the only exception being the bottom left one, which instead just holds the appearance of a regular circle. In addition, he wears revolver chamber-shaped silver bracers and spikes on his knuckles. In terms of hero outfit, he looked more like a soldier-for-hire than a Pro Hero. The sleeveless combat vest made that impression.
The second Pro Hero was a tall and round man, big mouth, and a domino mask to mask his identity. In comparison, the hero outfit was simpler. It was large and orange, complete with a zipper. There was the initials of FG on it, plus the hero wore metallic boots along with gloves.
"Don't get the wrong idea, we're grateful that you saved that undercover officer's life. However, I recognized the bloody mess you made. You're Shichisei, aren't you?" said the round hero.
"Fat Gum, are you sure this is the guy?" said the vest-wearing Pro Hero.
"No doubt about it, this is Shichisei. All the reports had this recurring factor: every victim looked like as if they had a bomb went off in their internal systems. In addition, the account we got from Off. Kyogi just confirmed my suspicions. This is our vigilante." Fat Gum responded.
"The better question, what type of Quirk did he utilize?"
"I am not too sure, Gunhead. But be careful, regardless though." Fat Gum responded.
Shichisei took a normal stance from Savate, mainly because he was fighting two Pro Heroes. He did have some encounters here and there, but it was composed of losing them on a chase, rarely it came to blows. This fell under the category of rare encounters. Fat Gum and Gunhead took their stances as a response.
The gun-organ hero fired a stream of suppressive fire, but what shocked him? The vigilante was able to dodge that stream of fire, then land an palm strike underneath his chin, and slam him on the ground with the other hand. The shocker? It made a decent dent into the pavement. The hero tried firing again, but Shichisei deflected that arm. Gunhead earned a palm strike to the face, cracking his face-mask.
The vigilante then felt a heavy force right at his back, specifically a punch. Courtesy of Fat Gum, he did not look pleased to see his partner down on the ground.
"I'm guessing your Quirk has something to do with absorbing kinetic energy." Shichisei finally talking.
"You got one part of it, right. It won't make much of a difference because you're coming with me." Fat Gum responded. The fight started with the round hero following with a thrust attack. Shichisei had no choice but to strike, but the moment that happened?
The vigilante's fists are stuck on Fat Gum's huge frame, but they are slowly being absorbed into it. Each attempt just made it worse, but the vigilante had only move that MIGHT work.
Hokuto Twin Dragon Wave!
Fat Gum felt something warm in his frame, then it changed into something searing hot! It was his hands! They were imbued with energy, enough to let himself loose. The round hero couldn't allow that, so he used both arms to try restraining him. However, he was seconds late. He got an uppercut into the face, but still stood his ground.
"Round 2, Hero."
"Ready, go."
Shichisei started with a punch to the face, but that barely slowed down Fat Gum. He jumped in the air, delivering a kick to Shichisei's face and it connected! A bloody nose, he thought.
A palm strike follows that, then a takedown by tripping his inner leg. However, Fat Gum punched him several times to make sure he was down. The result? A human-sized dent with KO'ed Shichisei in the center of it. Unfortunately, he stirred awake and then unleashed a kick to his knee. The metallic guard was protecting him, but it made him buckle because of the sheer force behind it.
Hokuto Steel Muscle Crushing Fist!
A series of rapid-hand strikes were sent straight into Fat Gum's stomach, but the round hero found it strange, why risk doing that? The answer? It was in the limit of his Quirk, Fat Absorption. It allowed him to absorb all sorts of attacks, but there's a limit to how much he can take.
'This guy is not operating with pure power alone, but something el-'
Fat Gum didn't finish that thought, the final punch made him cough up some blood in the process. However, it was enough for him to prepare this last-ditch technique. If it didn't take him down, what will?
The fight still went on, but Fat Gum needed an opening to do so. Shichisei was wounded, that's for sure, but a wounded animal is still dangerous. It then turned into a slugfest, but there was a clear difference. The vigilante was using a out-boxer stance, focusing on faster and ranged punches to stay out of the round hero's reach. Fat Gum? He was utilizing an in-fighter stance with some grappling, why? He was now focused on detaining this vigilante.
The latter was trying to throw him off balance with a swarm of strikes, but the other fighter was wise to his plans. He would keep the distance, knowing that Fat Gum was injured. However, Shichisei knew he was planning something, he didn't endure all those strikes for nothing. Keep in mind, Shichisei was not aiming to kill any of these two Pro Heroes, just KO them or wound them to the point where they'll prioritize getting medical help first.
Fat Gum struck first with some body blows, but Shichisei managed to get out of his range and deliver a few fast jabs to the Pro Hero's face and shoulder. They weren't particularly strong, but the goal was to wear him down.
"It's time to end this, vigilante."
"Likewise."
SPEAR!
Hokuto Point Chime!
Fat Gum gathered all the kinetic energy from that previous strike, ready to deal a knockout blow. However, there's a drawback. All the defensive-fat? He loses it in the process. The hero threw a powerful straight punch, right at Shichisei's center.
However, the vigilante threw a powerful uppercut, aiming right for Fat Gum. In a split-second, he raised his other hand in a last-ditch attempt to absorb the blow.
BOOM!
A loud noise was heard all around the area, even drowning out the local police sirens. Two figures were down on the ground, all bloody from that single clash. But one was getting up, albeit with some effort.
"Goddamn... that fat hero hit a lot harder than I thought." Shichisei speaking as he got up. "I knew there was a cost, but if it's any consolation. I wasn't aiming to kill you."
Shichisei saw the figure of Fat Gum, specifically his slender form. He was knocked out, but the amount of blood on his hero outfit meant one thing: the attack worked and he won't be walking well for awhile. In fact, he estimated that it would take about six months for him to fully recover. Sure, he wasn't aiming to kill, but it did not dull how potent that attack was.
He was able to get away, but the police would catch him after a week.
"Whoa... you fought Fat Gum and Gunhead?! Then survived?!"
"Truth be told, if I didn't hit Fat Gum with Hokuto Steel Muscle Crushing Fist, he would have definitely captured me. But back to the story, it's almost done."
Kensei Kasumi was formally arrested by the police, but it seemed he attracted a bit of a following. He was feeling a bit hopeless, but a surprise came in the form of a lawyer, Kouga Fuyushiki. The father to his cousin, Rouga and uncle to his wife.
"This is a real mess, nephew."
"Understatement of the year."
"Look, I'll be honest. The best I can do is a year in prison. Let's hope the jury is sympathetic."
"Can't really invest in hope."
"I can't believe it still, my own nephew turns out to be the infamous Shichisei! The Scourge of the Underworld or this one, the Seven Star Demon."
The whole trial went on for a while, but the jury was sympathetic. Why? It turns out some of them were indirectly saved by him. In addition, the Police Force was facing backlash for that failed sting operation. If anything, they should be grateful for Shichisei stepping in to salvage it.
They managed to turn things around, but he would be settled with a house arrest sentence of seven months. According to the reports, he would undergo a sort of reformation program. It would be a process of turning Kensei back into a functional member of society. However, he would be monitored in case he falls back to his vigilante ways.
Kensei made the decision to go into a teacher's program, so he aimed for a non-specific teacher's certificate. He claimed it can't hurt as much.
The following events would lead to Kensei and his wife, Yukana Kasumi legally separating. It was around this time that Rouga introduced him to the underground fights, why? He noticed that his older cousin had some expert combat skills and no outlet to release his energy.
He would enter underneath the name of Gou Kenma, meaning Strong Fist Demon. He needed a mask to keep in character, it worked for quite awhile.
"How did Korriba Junior High hire you?"
"Oh, the principal told me that some of its staff retired due to old age. I saw an opportunity and took it. By luck and timing, I was able to land the position for 4 years straight. I actually enjoy teaching, believe it or not."
"I think I know why you told me this story... it's to prevent me from making similar mistakes you did, right?"
"You hit the nail on the head." Kensei said, almost as if a weight was lifted off his shoulders. "In addition, Rouga believed if you are going to be my successor, it's better that you learn my story sooner rather than later."
"The underground martial arts community is a different world from the public sphere, is it?"
"It is, plus it's more the reason to train you to thrive in those two worlds. The one where I'm from and the one for Pro Heroes."
Izuku waited a bit, weighing his options. On one hand, he has to handle having a foot in both worlds. It's going to be a difficult journey, but a journey nonetheless. On the other, he could say no and end things there, remaining a kid with a pipe dream. Would it be to anyone's surprise that he chose the former?
"I will still continue my training."
Kensei grinned, satisfied by his answer. "Rouga, you mentioned something about those underground fighters?"
"Yup, I plan on calling them tonight." Rouga answered.
"One question, how did you become the 69th successor to Hokuto Shinken?"
"To summarize a whole story, I was chosen by my father. However, the acknowledgement of being the true successor was a different story. According to Hokuto Law, the successor of Hokuto Shinken would fight the successor of Hokuto Ryukaken, currently known as Hokuto Ryuken. Why? It was to determine to see if the Hokuto Shinken's successor was worthy of learning the ultimate secrets of the style.
It was essentially the initiation ritual."
"Who was the successor to Hokuto Ryuken?"
"My cousin, Ryuki Kasumi. A bit of a giant, 195.6 cm [6'5] to be exact. He's fairly muscular, but he's slightly slimmer than I. He keeps his hair cut short, but some curved edges of hair on the front. When I visited, him and I got into fights. A lot. Apparently, he doesn't like the fact that I hit just as hard as he does."
"What's his Quirk and fighting style, aside from Hokuto Ryuken?"
"Quirk? It's some sort of assistant spirit, looking like a Western dragon. He calls it Dragonsmoke, it seems to function like offensive armor. Despite the scary warrior image, he's able to keep his rationality and his technique when fighting. In terms of fighting style, he utilizes a mixture of Kajukenbo and Lethwei."
"Wait, is he a professional fighter too?"
"Oh, yes. He's been making a name for himself in fighting promotions exclusive to China and Thailand. He's been given the nickname of Wrath's Breath Ryuki because of the misty breath he emits after having a satisfactory match. Oh, right. Kajukenbo is a hybrid martial arts style: Shotokan Karate, Tang Soo Do, Jujitsu, Judo, Boxing, Chin Na, Eskrima, and definitely Kenpo.
It was developed in Hawaii during the 40's, it was because parts of Hawaii were known to be dangerous. Five martial artists came together with the goal of developing a fighting style that works on the streets effectively. The rule? If it worked on the street, it stays."
"I'm guessing Ryuki always fought his hardest in each fight, I guess?"
"If you mean utterly dominating his opponents, then yes, he worked his hardest. Then there's Lethwei is essentially Burmese Boxing, similar to Muay Thai. However, one difference. Headbutts are allows AND encouraged."
Izuku should normally flinch, but he didn't. Why? He was slowly getting accustomed to how lethal various fighting styles can be, but the interesting part? Analyzing and countering them. This Ryuki sounded strong, strong enough for Kensei to acknowledge. The old Izuku would be in awe with a dose of fear, but it was different. He was still in awe, but felt a sort of excitement.
"Oh, I have one question. Should we take care of my Quirk registration?"
"Normally, I would say no. But we seeing how we're taking a break from training, why not?"
The trip to the Registration Office was uneventful, but they needed his mother along for the trip. Character witnesses and all that, but the process was a bit interesting. Izuku demonstrated a bit of aura-based attack, mainly destroying a chair as an example. Nothing else was needed to convince anyone otherwise.
Quirk: Aura - The user is able to emit energy-based projectiles, but can utilize that same energy to increase his defensive or offensive power. It has a limit, mainly because the user can exhaust his supply by utilizing projectiles which can consume his stamina. He can recover by cool-down or consuming food to recover some of his energy.
Izuku felt happy now, but his mentor said he's going to have uphold the image for awhile, so when he becomes a Pro Hero, he can just say he can improved his energy control over time.
The rest of the summer break would go on normally, but August would change into September soon enough.
The Second Term of the Semester
The trees slowly turning orange along with the weather cooling down a bit. However, everyone has to come back to school, well, until December. However, there were some changes that the staff and student body weren't prepared for.
Izuku was the biggest one: he was a skinny kid, but it was apparent that he tried hiding a muscular figure, but he was still slim mind you. Bakugo was the first to take notice and be angered at the fact his ex-childhood friend was showing him up. That and the fact the kid grew a little taller was a bonus.
'Why?! Why is that nerd getting stronger, why can't he stay fucking down!'
The Quirk Counselors at Aldera Junior High were floored by this, the Quirkless kid managed to be a late bloomer and to add, he was working out constantly. They asked him a lot of questions, but it was easily categorized in the following:
When did your Quirk manifest?
Who trained you?
The cover story that Kensei helped construct: he manifested when he was training with his martial arts teacher, mainly in the moment of extreme stress and it manifested in the form of knocking a tree down from a distance. It raised some eyebrows, so they asked for a demonstration. He utilized touki to make a energy blade of sorts, this silenced any doubts.
The second question he can answer honestly, but kept it to a bare minimum. Why? Lessens further questioning. He didn't name-drop anyone, but referred to his three teachers as a fellow martial artist, professional fighter, and a Kung Fu fighter. The teachers at Aldera Junior High accepted this as a satisfactory answer.
Aside from that, school resumed normally. However, Bakugo couldn't let that go at all, he knew something was up. He was going to find out what exactly happened, but had a correct suspicion that his teachers had something to do with that. In fact, he was going to confront him about it.
Monday
"You got the teachers fooled, but not me. Deku, how and when did you get a Quirk?!" Bakugo screamed, briefly startling Izuku. It took place after school, a bit after everyone went home.
"Kaachan, you're still hung up on that?" Izuku answered, albeit in a exasperated tone. The old Izuku would have been mumbling and getting scared, but the new Izuku still had some growing to do. How? He did get startled by Kaachan's moments of rage from time to time, but he didn't seem that intimidated by him anymore. In fact, Bakugo's 'bark' was all that, just bark.
However, Izuku still believed that Bakugo had all the makings of a Pro Hero. He just needs the right moment to demonstrate it, Izuku thought.
"Yes, I fucking am! You suddenly gain a Quirk, plus being buff as all hell! It's that muscular teacher, isn't it?"
Izuku doesn't respond to this line of questioning. As a response, he says this
"Actually, my teacher should be arriving soon."
Bakugo quickly turns around, but realizes he's been had. Izuku being gone was the cherry on top.
"GODAMMIT!"
Saturday
It was a Saturday, plus it was fairly cool. He was woken up by a phone call, courtesy of Rouga. The reason? The underground fighters, he talked to a few of them. Three of them said they were interested, plus he mentioned Carmilla wanting to help pitch in.
"Wait, how does Carmilla want to help?"
"Considering she's proficient in several styles of Kung Fu, she has some considerable links within the martial arts community. One association called the Feng Jingshen Athletic Federation, a martial arts association with a twist. They teach those with Quirks on how to use them in tandem with their martial arts skills. Apparently, she knows a few people she can talk to."
"How tough are these guys?"
"Plenty tough. However, one of them can spar with you next week. So be ready, kid." Rouga stated.
"Got it, oh, right. There's midterms coming up, but that's later. However, what you can tell me about him or her?"
"Quirk-Wise? It's fairly simple, it's called Body Rotation. It allows him to rotate his limbs further than a normal human does, it doesn't sound like much on paper. In the hands of a professional fighter? It's very effective, allowing him to throw devastating combos with little stress on his body. It also helps him get out of holds easier than one thinks."
"Fighting style?"
"He's an expert in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Muay Thai, and a bit of Pradal Serey. However, there's one thing you need to know about him: he has competed in several different weight classes, ranging from Bantamweight to Welterweight. The kicker? He's been fairly successful despite not getting a championship."
"How does he fight actually?"
"He prefers to fight smart, but prefers to finish his opponents instead of settling it via unanimous decision."
"Do-"
"That will be a surprise, kid. The time of the sparring match? It's going to be 3PM, meet us at the Flores-Jitsu Gym in Echani City."
"Where's Echani City?"
"An hour away from Musutafu City, mainly to the east. Don't worry, my cousin is going to drive you."
"Question, does he-"
"Yes, but he would think they're substantially above your skill level as of now."
Izuku blanked out for a minute, but re-focused on the topic. They still talked here and there, but once getting to Bakugo... Rouga surprisingly laughed his ass off.
"Why the hell does he care? Wait, it's because of UA and he thinks you're going to apply to it, ruining some of 'grand plan', I guess?"
"I-I guess?"
"Well, that's pretty petty, but I gotta go. My date's waiting..." Rouga said in response, but with struggles on the last part.
"It's Carmilla, is it?"
"Wish me luck."
The conversation just ended there, but Izuku realized there's still some homework left over from last night. He's gonna take care of that now.
Saturday
It was now mid-October, Izuku woke up, showered, had breakfast, and got the appropriate gear for today's sparring match. It was a pair of combat gloves, short, and also shirt with All-Might's symbol on it. He did some shadow-boxing for this morning's exercise, mainly covering Jeet Kune Do and San Shou to take on this fighter.
"Izuku! When is Kensei picking you up?"
"Oh, he's picking me up at 2PM, mom."
A few hours would pass, then 2PM arrived. Kensei arrived and said the trip would take a bit of time.
Izuku arrived at a fairly decent-sized building, mainly around the size of a small-town supermarket. However, the sign didn't lie at all, it said the following in big, bold letters.
'Flores-Jitsu Gym'
He has done some last minute research yesterday and verified the info about the guy he's fighting today. It all checked out, plus it was easy to narrow it down. The name? Kayne Flores. A retired fighter and current teacher at the Flores-Jitsu Gym, plus he's been given various nicknames, but two stand out: KayFlo and the Crownless King. Why? He's considered to be of the best MMA fighters to have never won a title.
The reason why he's in Japan? It's to open a new branch of the Flores-Jitsu Gym, mainly to spread the art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and he's curious to test it out against its forefathers, classical Jujutsu and Judo.
"You definitely did your research on the guy, good. Despite him being proficient in the field of striking, he's first and foremost a practitioner of BJJ. In addition, I heard his brother teaches here too." Kensei said.
"I'm guessing Rouga arrived here too?"
"Oh, definitely."
As the both of them entered through the front door, there were two groups. One learning Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, evidenced by the grappling techniques and the counters; the other being Muay Thai or Karate, evidenced by the students performing kata practice.
"Speak of the devil, we were just talking about you. However, I thought you would be taller." said a voice in Spanish, it was directed right at him in particular.
"Trust me, he's a genius. He's able to master Karate and Sanshou with little issue, plus he survived training with my cousin." said a familiar voice, Izuku was a bit surprised how fluent he was in Spanish. It turned out to be Rouga, chatting it up with an man who was definitely Kayne Flores.
He was slightly shorter than Rouga, but he was armed with lean yet muscular build. A medium-sized nose, thin face, and also growing a beard. He had a blue BJJ gi on. Izuku could tell this man was experienced in the field of fighting from the sight alone, the knuckles were as thick as an apple.
"So, when you do you want to start?" said Flores, startling Izuku a bit. "Oh, right. I did learn a heavy amount of Japanese in my parents home country of Peru. It wasn't easy, especially when writing in kanji."
"The match was at 3PM."
"Oh, true. However, it's only fair you get a bit of a history lesson of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. It was a team effort in the creation phase, starting with a man named Geo Omori who opened up the first Judo school in Brazil during 1909. The man taught a few students, one of them being Luis Franca Filho. However, the main lineage of BJJ started with a Judoka by the name of Mitsuyo Maeda.
The mission? It was to spread the art of Judo overseas, he demonstrated this through well, demonstrations and accepting challenges from all sorts of fighters: boxers, wrestlers, you name it. All of this before arriving to Brazil in 1914, where am I going with this? Maeda worked with a circus, demonstrating his skills. A boy named Carlos Gracie was entranced and wanted to learn Judo from him."
"So Carlos Gracie passed on that knowledge, forming Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu as it is today, right?"
"Correct. However, BJJ differs from Judo via ground-fighting and being permitted to drag your opponent to the ground. In addition, BJJ has become a cornerstone in modern MMA, emphasizing on why groundwork is important." Flores responded.
Both fighters made it to a mat, mainly away from the students who were finishing up class. Rouga and Kensei watched as spectators, mainly seeing how the fight would start.
"You told me he was a underground fighter, Rouga. Where did you find him?"
"It was in the latter half of his MMA career, mainly trying earn a title before retiring for good. I fought him in Battalo del Siglo, he threw me around like a rag-doll with little issue. In the realm of striking however, I managed to outlast him, mainly by a hair."
Kensei took this information in, generating a solid idea on how this Flores will fight.
Izuku took a Jeet Kune Do stance, all limbs facing forward, and hands at the ready. Flores took a Muay Thai stance: elbows tucked in, chin tucked, and his feet shoulder-width apart.
The green-haired kid stuck with his left, but Flores blocked and responded with an elbow strike into the gut. Then an elbow strike which Izuku quickly parried and followed up with an uppercut. He then unleashed a volley of jabs, crosses, and elbows on Flores who was blocking a bit. In a twist, the green bean went for a grapple, trying to trip him off-balance.
However, Flores stood his guard and lowered his center by grabbing his legs. In fact, it was a double leg takedown. A technique that involves grabbing the opponent with both arms around the opponent's legs while keeping the chest close to the opponent, and using this position to force the opponent to the ground.
The technique worked, mainly having Flores going to the mount position. Flores was on top of him, then unleashed elbow strikes onto his body, forcing the green-haired kid to be one the defensive. However, these elbow strikes were quick as whips, leaving marks on his body.
'This guy is moving fast!'
Izuku tried moving, but Flores caught onto this and wrapped an arm around the back of his neck to keep him from moving. Elbow strikes still going into the side as soon as the lock was confirmed. However, this where the green-haired kid came up with a risky idea: thrusting his hips upwards and to the side, the lock was starting to loosen a bit, the kid kept at it and struck him in the side to help with loosening it.
He managed to get out of the hold, but reversed this situation. Izuku knew BJJ was a different animal, but he took a stance. He then went to take down Flores, but this was part of his plan overall.
Flores on the ground, making Izuku believe he had the advantage. The former quickly grabbed the collar via right hand and their right elbow with the left. He uncrossed his leg, then planted his right foot on the ground. The weight was put on the right foot and left shoulder, then the hips lifted up and they were being taken to the right. Space was being made, a key factor in Florian's strategy. The right knee was brought quickly against the kid's stomach, mainly for prepping for a sweep-like maneuver.
The BJJ fighter laid his left leg next to Izuku's right knee. The latter realized! He was prepping for a sweep, but it was too late. Flores would place the knee against the kid's stomach to create more space, then utilize his left foot to push the right knee to destroy his base.
The sweep happened! Izuku was on his back, but Flores performed an different lock, he was on top, and the kicker? He placed his leg over his stomach and the other the leg? It was on his knee, next to Izuku's head. In a quick motion, the leg that was over his stomach? It was folding against him, complete with sole pointing to the green-haired kid's head.
Flores then made a kick-stand: the leg was standing on his toes, heel facing upwards, maintaining stability. Izuku's head was also wrapped by Flores' hands, but it was getting tighter. He locked onto the wrist, elbow-deep, and let his weight go into the other direction, pulling the arm straight. In fact, the kick-standing leg was now over Izuku's head.
Flores then sat back, leading into a perfectly executed armbar from the mount. It was straining the muscles to a degree, but Izuku tried recovering by getting up on his knees, but it lead another difficult situation: the infamous triangle choke.
A figure-four chokehold that strangles the opponent by encircling the opponent's neck and one arm with the legs in a configuration similar to the shape of a triangle. Izuku was starting to become light-headed, mainly trying to get out of the hold.
The kid then woke up! He then grabbed his knee with the trapped arm. However, the kid was using both his hands, mainly to pin Flores's knee to the ground. He was pushing with his shoulder forwards, but his knee was pulling backwards, why? The trapped arm got out of the hold, then grabbed his waist. The green bean fully got out of the hold and then started wailing on Flores.
'This kid performed the knee-pin escape?! Sure, it took some work, but he actually executed it!'
Flores was baring his guard, trying to defend his body. A surprise elbow strike into Izuku's side stunned him for a bit, then Flores got up from the ground. It was now a stand-up fight.
"Ready for Round 2, kid?"
"Ready."
"Go."
Izuku stepped forward, but Flores surprised him with a fast roundhouse kick. Through the pain, the kid managed to punch Flores in the face with a quick jab. It went on for awhile, but the Spanish fighter got him in a clinch and then wailed on him with knee strikes. However, a surprise elbow strike into the neck area stunned him. In fact, he didn't notice the next few elbow strikes he delivered.
"Wait a minute, he's using Pradal Serey." Rouga said.
"What's the difference between Pradal Serey and Muay Thai?" Kensei curiously asked.
"Simple, the former relies more on close-up elbow strikes AND evasive footwork. The latter focuses on knee strikes and kicks more so, plus less emphasis on punching too. That's the difference despite both arts being from the same region." Rouga responded.
Kensei realized his student was going to be in for a rough fight, but this is for the better. Izuku will come out wiser and stronger.
Izuku was now feeling the elbow strikes, but then striking Flores, but the kicker? He just disappeared, only to feel an elbow strike into his side. He now realized, Flores was utilizing evasive maneuvers to strike him in his blind-spots.
'He's far more skilled in striking than I admit, but I'm not going down just yet.'
The green bean blocked his incoming strike with an elbow block, but hooked his arm underneath his armpit. The next thing? A hip throw onto the ground, surprising Flores. He quickly recovered via low kick to Izuku's leg to keep some distance between them, then they readied their stances and fought.
Flores answered with a sweep, but the green raised his leg up to dodge it and perform a snap kick to the chest, knocking him off-balance.
"Goddamn, you read that sweep faster than I thought. However, your ground game needs a bit of work."
"Oh, definitely."
"I can tell you were trained harshly by Rouga and his cousin. Good, it makes this fight all the more interesting to see." said Flores as he threw a jab into Izuku's frame, but managed to block it. It was now a volley of strikes, sent back and forth. Unfortunately, Flores was starting to get the better of him...until a surprise uppercut, courtesy of Izuku. The green bean managed to perform a sweep right after, tripping him to the ground.
He then took the mount position and performed an arm-bar, putting Flores in lock. In the span of a few seconds, the arm was feeling loose and then he was free! It would now become a struggle on who can throw whom to the ground faster.
In the span of a few minutes, Flores was thrown to the ground via hip throw. In fact, this is what led to Izuku tiring out, but he managed to pin him to the ground and get him into an arm-lock before Flores tapped out.
A Few Minutes Later
"I swear, where did you find this kid?" Flores asked in Spanish. "If anything, your student's observational skills would definitely put him on par with a first-class MMA fighter."
"My cousin found him by chance, saving him from a bunch of thugs." Rouga responded back in his native language.
"Who's your cousin again?"
"Kensei Kasumi."
"Oh, I see. Does he know?"
"He does, but what surprised me was his response. Why, you ask?
The kid is a big fan of Pro Heroes, I thought it would be a negative reaction. However, it was the opposite. In fact, he wanted to continue training."
"That's impressive, very impressive. Aside from training the kid, what other fights do you have planned for him? I know you didn't call me up for a social call." Flores said.
"You're correct. In fact, I'm calling up favors from my underground fighter days to have them spar with Izuku. It's to test his overall prowess and technique in a fight, plus he's trying to get into U.A."
"Espera! U.A.?! The cream of the crop when it comes to training students to become Pro Heroes, that U.A.?" Flores said, clearly shocked at this reveal.
"Yup. However, he's quite skilled when it comes to analyzing and taking apart Quirks. This is the reason why-"
"No offense, but I think you're going to have to enroll this guy in the underground fights."
"Are you-"
"Insane? No. I'm being serious, underground fights are closest thing you're going to get a real-life fight with a ruthless villain. In fact, I've heard some villains overrunning some of the underground fighting promotions."
"Wait, which ones?"
"The ones I know currently: Four Hells, Dusk-To-Dawn Brawl, and an infamous one known as Dead Man's Royale because it's funded by local crime organizations such as the Yakuza and Triads."
"I see, you're recommending those places because...?"
"The opposite actually. However, if you're going to do so, go under a convincing alias. An identity that no one can truly verify."
"A secret identity, huh? It could work. However, it needs to be solid. That and a convincing fighter's name to go with that."
Rouga and Flores finished their talk, then the former regales Izuku with tales on how underground fights can go from zero to a hundred within the span of several minutes. In addition, they can end in a bloody manner.
The kid had to go to the toilet for exactly five minutes.
"Is he-"
Make that seven minutes.
"Maybe you should have saved that for another day." Flores responded, growing concerned.
Midoriya Residence
Izuku cleaned himself up properly, especially after hearing Rouga's tales of the underground fights. If anything, it sent down shivers of fear down his spine, but also another feeling: something of that resembling excitement. It's almost as if he was looking forward to it, he shook that off immediately.
The green-haired kid was also looking for a spare notebook, why? He was going to take up on his mentor's suggestion of a Martial Arts Analysis book.
"Let's see... which notebook hasn't be used or more importantly, which one's empty?
There's gotta be one, oh, there it is!"
Izuku found a two-subject notebook, empty, and it's a good thing too. However, he would need to double the work because a good majority of these fighters will have AND use Quirks in tandem with their combat skills.
As he was writing down some notes, he decided to put in the following categories for every martial artist that he came across: Power, Speed, Skills, and Charisma. If anything, it would also help him analyze various combat styles and come up with counters against them.
'It's time for me to sleep anyway.'
Izuku would take of this analysis for another day, he changed into his pajamas and went to sleep.
AN: Anyone know a BETA Reader yet?
Kayne Flores is basically inspired by real-life MMA fighter Kenny Florian, plus the Flores-Jitsu Gym is inspired by the two centers that he currently teaches at: Meraki BJJ and the Florian Martial Arts Center.
Espera = Wait [Spanish]. I use those, mainly as form to express surprise and shock. In addition, I'm going to utilize those words for comedic or dramatic moments.
Glossary:
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu - A fighting style from Brazil that formed from Judo, mainly with arrival of Geo Omori and Mitsuyo Maeda, but the latter taught an young boy by the name of Carlos Gracie who saw his demonstrations at a circus. In fact, Carlos would spread it through his family, establishing the style of BJJ or is other name, Gracie-Ryu Jiu-Jitsu. It also became a cornerstone of MMA during the 90's when Royce Gracie made his debut in Ultimate Fighter.
Pradal Serey - Cambodia's version of Kickboxing, mainly similar to others such as Muay Thai and Lethwei due to being in the same region. The contrasts? It relies more on elbow strikes and evasive footwork. It almost faced extinction during the Vietnam War, courtesy of the Khmer Rouge who believed in order to create a new utopia, everything old must go. The term once translated into English? 'Free Fighting'
Triangle Choke - A type of figure-four chokehold that strangles the opponent by encircling the opponent's neck and one arm with the legs in a configuration similar to the shape of a triangle. It's useful for choking the opponent out, plus it's heavily utilized in BJJ, MMA, and Judo [sankaku-jime].
Push Sweep - one of the guard sweeps described in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. The main characteristic of the Push sweep is the practitioner pushing the opponent's knee out from under them with their foot, when the practitioner has the opponent in their open guard. In addition, you also need to create space between you and your opponent for the technique to executed properly.
Knee-Pin Escape - An escape technique within BJJ, mainly when you're in a tight triangle choke. One starts by grabbing their knee with your trapped arm. Once again, don't forget to reinforce the trapped hand with your outside hand, lest your opponent switch to an armlock, shoulder lock, or wristlock from inside the triangle. From there, it's time to put some serious pressure on their crossed ankles or figure four [flexible or lanky]. In order to do this, you're going to need to pull back on their knee, in towards your chest, while pushing your chest forward. Make absolutely sure that you're walking in the direction of the pressure, keeping your base and preventing the sweep. That way, they're forced to release the triangle.
Double Leg Takedown - A technique that involves grabbing the opponent with both arms around the opponent's legs while keeping the chest close to the opponent, and using this position to force the opponent to the ground.
Feng Jingshen Athletic Federation - A martial arts association within China that has origins within the real-life Jing Wu Athletic Association, especially with the advent of Quirks. As a part of their curriculum, students are trained to utilize martial arts in tandem with their Quirks. In fact, it has multiple branches all over the world. Especially one in the middle of Japan, specifically in Gunma Prefecture.