Ten years ago, a young Thong stood up from the ground, his face bloody and swollen. An old looking man with a long beard tossed a pipe into the air only to catch it on its way down. Thong's one open orange eye stared at the old man, shaking from the pain that overwhelmed his body.
Thong: Grandpa San… Please stop… I can't…
Another strike sent the boy flying back, blood flying from his mouth. The old man wore a face of disappointment, tapping the pipe on his shoulder.
San: You're still allowing this weapon to stop you from striking me. I already told you that I won't be merciful. So why continue to have me pity you?
Thong forced himself back up, catching his grandfather's attention.
San thoughts: Despite his currently low desire to learn the Tran Style of Wing Chun, he is quite resilient.
San: Thong, there is something you must stay aware of when it comes to fighting with weapon users. Nearly all of them require a form of distance to be of any use. That's where the power of Wing Chun comes into play. It's a martial art that has several techniques that rely on little distance to be effective. As long as you use our style to its fullest, you'll never need to fear a weapon again.
Thong: W-What if they're faster than I can move in? You're faster than me…
Thong's head moved back as his grandpa charged at him, quickly grabbing onto Thong's wrist.
San: Then all you need to do is limit their ability to move quickly. Your youth makes you quite quick, but I was able to prevent you from getting away. You'll just need to find the optimal way to limit your opponent as well.
…
Zenzo: IS THAT EVEN ALLOWED?!
Zachary: Thong has linked himself to Shun with rope! What could this lead to?!
Shun looked down at the rope that wrapped around his wrist, his eyes then darted to the scythe he held in his other hand. He quickly raised his arm, bringing down the scythe with great speed. Right before the scythe could cut through, a quick punch slammed into his face. Shun caught it from the corner of his eyes, the fact that his opponent now wore those red eyes.
Minh's thoughts: You immediately threw me in once you were able to limit him…
Thong: As lucky as I get, I'm not good enough to fight him as you can. I already did all I could do, so please win.
Minh put on a smile as blood continued to run down the large cut on his face.
Minh: Then I'll make sure I give us the greatest victory there is.
Thong: Just don't kill him. I won't allow us to kill anyone ever again.
Minh let out a low laugh as he charged at Shun. Shun raised his arms as Minh let out an onslaught of rapid strikes, forcing him back. Shun glared at Minh as his legs tensed up, running back with Flash. Shun felt an intense pressure on his arm, looking back at the rope holding him down. Minh grabbed onto the rope, pulling Shun towards him. Shun brandished his scythe, raising it into the air.
Shun's thoughts: Storm Kata - Steel Rain
Shun's left arm moved at insane speeds, slashing away at Minh as he got closer. Cuts formed all over Minh's body, blood spurting up from it. Mike, Li, and Hugo gritted their teeth as Minh stumbled back. Shun closed the scythe head, placing the staff into his pocket. He spun around with Flashpoint, bursting into a mad dash forward. His fists filled the air between himself and Minh, whose eyes began to change color as his defense raised.
Shun's thoughts: Thunder Kata - Emperor Siege
Shun's arms moved like they were their own living entities, striking Thong heavily through the barrage of strikes. Thong gritted his teeth, feeling the power each strike held. The strikes came at such an intense and fast rate that they were pushing him back with their power alone. Thong could feel each strike aiming for his vitals, but his guard remained tight and took every hit as they bruised his arms further. His mind raced, following each of Shun's attacks.
Hiroto: This isn't good.
Yussuf: What do you mean? He's rushing Thong and overpowering him!
Sudu: He's talking about how Shun likely took so many hits to the head, that he's not thinking straight.
Simon: It's true, his attacks are currently far too direct. He has speed and power, but…
Magnus: He's making himself pretty predictable right now.
Yussuf: But Emperor Siege makes his attacks ever-changing! There's no way he can be caught right now!
Hiroto: That isn't quite the case. While he's using a hard-to-time attack, that doesn't mean he isn't predictable. The current state of his mind would likely make using Godspeed be the last thing he has in mind. Currently, all he has in mind is "hit as hard as possible."
Yussuf: No way Shun would be that stupid!
Magnus: Even if Shun isn't normally that stupid, consistent hits to the head can make anyone stupid. While stupid isn't the right word, it's close enough.
Angel: Which is why Thong was able to take the lead as often as he has.
Simon: It's similar to what happened to me… Come on, Shun!
Yussuf: You can beat him, Shun!
Hiroto furrowed his eyebrows, staring down at his opponent.
Hiroto's thoughts: It isn't time to go down now, Shun. You still have what it takes, so win!
Shun threw out a fast right straight, Minh quickly stepped around the strike. He cupped his hand around Shun's forearm, pulling the strike and the fighter down. Minh's eyes flared up, landing a quick knee up to Shun's face. Shun slid back, reaching into his pocket and grabbing onto the remaining part of his scythe. The blade popped out, Shun's entire body tensing up. He quickly cut the rope that held onto his wrist, and with all his strength, threw the scythe with great power. The blade turned into a perfect circle as the audience watched on. Minh arms flowed with a sense of mastery, aiming to counter the scythe.
Minh's thoughts: Tran Style, Flowing Tree
Minh aimed his hand perfectly, grabbing onto the scythe's handle before chucking it away. He turned to face Shun once more, his eyes shooting open as he felt all the hairs on his body stand up.
Gerald: He's going for it!
Shun moved faster than he did before, pushing his body to its utmost limits. Tapping into his Godspeed, Shun ran into Minh, landing his right first into his gut. Minh's stomach seemed slow in its action to open. Shun felt the tensing of Minh's stomach, who had prepared for the blow at the very last second.
Shun's thoughts: It isn't over!
Shun flew past Minh, who held onto his stomach tightly. A strong breeze filled the stadium as Shun ran circles around Minh, the wind moving audience members' ties, clothing, and hair.
Man 1: He's going too fast!
Man 2: His legs are going to snap off!
Woman: Is he even human?!
Shun's mind raced, raced again and again. In tandem with his Godspeed, Shun's mind had locked into Mind's Eye as it was being pushed to the brink. Everything moved in slow motion, including Minh himself. Shun watched as Minh moved his hand up, pulling both back as he entered the biu jee stance. Shun's mind had come to one simple conclusion. He made a quick turn using Flashpoint, pulling his fist back as he aimed directly for the nape of Minh's neck. His eyes watched as Minh slowly turned back, Shun slowing himself down just a small amount, his eyes shaking from the strain of Mind's Eye.
Shun's thoughts: You're not going to get my timing this time! I won!
Images of his life flashed in his mind. His exhausting training with Hiroto, the relaxing breaks with Yussuf, the times he hung out with the members of the Arachna. They all flashed before his racing mind. Minh's elbow flew past Shun's face, missing its target entirely. Shun's own fist shot out in slow motion from his own perspective.
Shun's thought: It's part of the Raijin Style to be fast, right? The old man wanted me to never give that up, so I refused to stop being fast. So I'll end the match with the fastest victory!
Shun's eyes moved, something getting his attention as he ran forward. Minh's entire position was different than he had assumed it to be. Instead of it simply being an elbow, Minh's entire body spun to land a single attack: a spinning kick. Using the idea of building up power, Minh had bided his time to focus all of his strength into his leg. Each moment was slow and agonizing as seconds seemed like minutes to Shun's mind. The knee connected with his face, the speed and strength of the attack slamming his mind into the side of his skull.
Shun's thoughts: Dam… mit… He… got me… good…
Tico's eyes opened in horror as his jaw dropped. Yussuf and Simon could do nothing but let their eyes follow each moment as they passed. Sudu and Hiroto closed their eyes. Sitting in the infirmary room with Bodin at his side, Daymond remained in the dark with only the light of the screen illuminating his bloodied face. Everyone in the audience stared in disbelief as the one that came crashing down to the ground was the Arachna's famous Shun Ryuji. Blood spurted from Minh's back as Shun's fist has just grazed it, but he returned to his biu jee stance. Shun slid across the ground, a blood trail following him. The referee stared at Shun, unsure if he was waiting for the man to get back up. Strength returned to his legs as he slowly walked over to his body, Minh watching as blood dripped down his face. The referee crouched down, his back to Minh. The stadium fell to silence until the referee put both hands up in an X formation. Zachary snapped himself out of his shock, quickly grabbing onto the microphone in front of him and moving it in front of his mouth.
Zachary: WH-WHAT A SHOCKING TURN OF EVENTS! AFTER THIS GRUELING BATTLE, WE HAVE A WINNER! AND THAT WINNER IS "THE SILENT POINT" THONG TRAAAAAAAN!!
The audience's silence lingered for a moment or two. Hugo jumped up and let out a loud cheer, with following cheers and shouts being followed by the audience. Silvia clung to Pablo, pulling back and forth on his sleeve as he wept tears of joy. Pedro and Pablo looked at each other, putting on wide grins.
Pablo: Looks like we weren't taken out by a pipsqueak after all.
Mike pushed past Hugo and Gerald, running into the ring, where Minh stood tall. The sounds of his steps made Minh turn his head, a smile coming to his face. The colors of his eyes returned to their yellow as Thong reached out. Before he could get another step in, he tripped and began to fall. Mike grabbed onto his friend, holding him tight as Thong's blood began to soak into Mike's shirt.
Thong: I… I feel… so tired…
Mike: I know you do, buddy. You don't need to act tough, you did it.
Thong closed his eyes with a gleeful expression, his hold on Mike getting loose. Mike pulled Thong back, seeing the amount of blood quickly leaving his body. Mike's eyes filled with worry as paramedics quickly ran into the ring. A few put Shun's body on a stretcher, wheeling him away. Others ran to Mike's side, checking on Thong's condition.
Paramedic: He's losing blood fast! Hurry him out of here!
Mike helped the paramedics put Thong on a stretcher and wheel him down the hall, which Hugo and Li quickly chased after. Gerald watched the three follow Thong with a smile on his face.
Gerald: You actually won. Now, this makes things a lot more interesting.
Gerald turned back to see Yussuf run into the ring, quickly grabbing the two parts of Shun's weapon. He saw tears in the boy's eyes as he ran back into the opposite hallway.
Gerald: Maybe I'll be able to get something more than just an entertaining tournament. The Arachna has lost a good number of legs now.
Gerald walked down the hallway with a menacing smile. The first two blocks of the second round had come to the end.