Thong's entire body began to burn as he felt the pain of Daymond's strikes overwhelm him. His eyes turned into a burning red as he slowly brought himself back onto his feet.
Zachary: Amazing! No matter how many times he's knocked down, Thong refuses to stay down!
Zenzo: Let's hope that resilience is able to play in his favor.
Minh darted his eyes over to Daymond, who walked casually over to him. He clenched his fists as he charged at his opponent, letting out a fully offensive assault. Daymond weaved through each punch as Minh began to pick up speed.
Minh's thoughts: I'll hit him and then he'll be nothing!
Daymond moved through Minh's attacks, hitting him in the face with a swift backhand. Blood shot through Minh's mask as he stumbled back. He grabbed onto his mask before his eyes changed back to yellow.
Thong's thoughts: This is… staying on. But it's obvious, isn't it? Daymond… He's too powerful!
Yussuf: You get 'im, boss!
Arthur: Yeah! Show that kid that this isn't a playground!
Nupan: I don't think that guy is that young, though.
Arthur: Does that matter? The boss is going to wipe him out nonetheless.
Shizu looked closely at the battle, her eyes squinting as they looked closer at Daymond's body language.
Shizu's thoughts: I wonder…
Thong went on the defensive as Daymond began to strike him with a series of flicker jabs. They were fast, faster than Thong was able to perceive. In the eyes of the young combatant, each of Daymond's moves was flawless. He recognized fully that if he attempted to open his guard now, Daymond would land an attack before Thong would have a chance to counterattack.
Thong's thoughts: We're stuck!
Minh: What the hell are we going to do? This guy beat both Kuro and Theodore! We could hardly land attacks on Theodore with sneak attacks! How do we intend to take him down?
A voice echoed in the back of both Thong and Minh's mind. Thong's focus wavered for a moment before being launched back with a powerful kick to the torso. Thong hacked up blood as he slid across the ring floor. Daymond let out a sigh as he cracked his knuckles.
Daymond: You seemed far more promising in your previous matches. No tricks this time around, Silent Point? Nothing to get my blood pumping? You're as good as dirt to me otherwise.
Silvia: OH NO!
Silvia clung onto Pablo's arm as she shook back and forth.
Silvia: He's going to kill him!
Pablo: That niño is taking a pounding.
Pedro: He hasn't landed a single punch. We should have thrown him around a bit more during the training.
Pablo: That isn't the issue. I've heard of Daymond and his team. They're one of the scariest groups of assassins in the world. They've managed missions that the world over would believe were impossible. I even heard they stopped cults and wars simply by being in the general facility.
Pedro: Qué?!
Pablo: Thong is way over his head on this one.
Thong looked at the ceiling dazed once more as his mind began to wander. His opponent approached him as his eyes grew foggy. A memory returned to him as he saw an elderly man stand before him.
…
San: You're far too weak to be my successor, Thong. I need to whip you into shape cause my time is almost up.
Thong slowly stood up with a battered look on his face. He wore lacerations on both sides of his mouth. San took a stable Wing Chun stance as he looked at his grandson. The old man's head was drenched in sweat despite his calm face.
San: The only thing I feel like you are gaining from our lessons is increased resilience. That's only useful when you can outlast your opponent. But if they're stronger than you, you're hopeless.
Thong: I… can't beat people stronger than me… Grandpa…
San: Normally you can't. If they are more experienced, if they're more skilled, if they are more powerful, you cannot win. That's the simple rule of life. However, I've made the Tran Style of Wing Chun with exactly that in mind. If you are to be my successor, you must be prepared to fight people stronger than you. I will bestow upon you all my techniques.
San began a coughing fit as Thong watched. Blood sprayed onto the old man's hand as he looked with a smile.
San: Unless you learn these techniques, all my work will be for nothing. You are the last hope we have for a future. First, you must learn to circle your power through your body. The reason we stand the way we do in Wing Chun is to ensure our power comes from our core.
San let out a long sigh as he tensed up his stance. Thong watched in amazement as he saw his grandpa's body get rejuvenated. San's eyes shot open as he punched a hole cleanly through one of his testing dolls. He pulled his arm out, its condition entirely perfect.
San: This is Tran Style's technique, Eternal Dragon. It's the equivalent of lighting the flame in each of us, forcing second and even third winds. Of course, the more it is used, the less of an effect it'll give. But it is great when your opponent thinks they have you beaten. This along with many of my other techniques will give you a fighting chance against any stronger opponent.
Thong pushed himself back onto his feet, meeting his grandpa's gaze. Blood dripped down his chin as he forced himself to stand tall.
San: You'll need to balance your defense with your offense. If all you can do is receive, a strong enough opponent can still beat you. They don't even need to be stronger, they just need to be able to abuse your weakness. You understand me now, Thong?
Thong: Yes… grandpa…
…
Cero watched his monitor closely, nodding his head.
Cero: Daymond is holding back.
Mason: You think so? He's been whooping Thong's ass the entire fight.
Kammy: Nah, he's right. Daymond's previous fights proved that he can go on an intense offensive and end fights against weaker opponents in no time. But he isn't doing that against Thong. Why is that?
Tico: I have no idea. Maybe he feels bad for the kid?
Cero's thoughts: Thong, have you noticed Daymond's weakness yet? His skills are vastly greater than before, defeating both Kuro and Theodore in the previous rounds. If Thong proves Daymond's weakness true, I'll be able to crush him in no time.
Daymond continued his approach as he saw Thong bring himself back to his feet. Thong took a stance similar to his grandfather's in his vision.
Zachary: And Thong is back on his feet! He refuses to lose! Does he truly believe he has a shot here?
Zenzo: Looking at the boy's face, I definitely think he does!
Thong focused entirely on his body as Daymond watched closely. Thong relaxed his body before tensing it back up. He felt a strong feeling overwhelm his body as he continued to hold the stance. Daymond wore a look of pleasant surprise as he continued to watch.
Yussuf: What is Thong doing?
Simon: Must be catching a second wind or something. He looks pretty fine after those attacks.
Thong's thoughts: Tran Style, Eternal Dragon
Thong's body began to feel light as his body returned back to life. Gerald watched in awe as he saw a new side of Thong.
Gerald: Talk about talent.
Hugo: What you talking about, money man?
Mike: He's right. Thong just changed, ever so slightly.
Minh: This is amazing. I feel like a new man. Did you see that vision too?
Thong's thoughts: Yeah… I think Grandpa said something to help us here. We need to keep fighting, better than before.
Minh: Leave that to me.
Thong's eyes changed to a burning red as he smiled under his mask. Daymond charged Minh, pulling back his fist. Minh gulped as he quickly dodged out of the way of Daymond's punch. Daymond followed with a back-roundhouse kick, which Minh dodged with only a moment to spare. Both landed on stable feet as they entered an exchange of blows. Daymond furrowed his eyebrows as he began his attack.
Daymond's thoughts: He's improved slightly. That was a technique he just used, so I must take that for myself.
Zachary: These two are amazing! You can hardly tell they are even harmed from their previous fights!
Despite Zachary's commentary, all the experienced fighters in the audience could tell. Daymond's strikes moved through the storm of attacks further and further, with several connecting with his opponent. However, the attacks hardly seemed to phase Minh at all. His own red eyes were focused on another sight, which he took at the earliest convenience. He extended the knuckle of one punch, moving through Daymond's attacks, and landed a powerful counter. Daymond jumped back as he felt the result of the strike in his chest.
Daymond's thoughts: Was that…?
Minh smiled as he stood tall. He jumped off of his initial spot, throwing another quick right at Daymond's head. Daymond moved to the side and aimed a punch directly under Minh's chin. Daymond's look changed to one of surprise as his fist was caught by Minh's free hand.
Minh: What's wrong, can't get me as easily anymore?
Daymond pushed away from Minh as he entered a cat stance. Minh smiled as he entered his own stance, his center line firmly defined. Daymond charged with newfound vigor, throwing a lightning-fast right jab at Minh. Minh's eyes quickly changed to a yellow color as Thong blocked the strike with Gaun Sau. His eyes returned to red as Minh threw forward his own right jab, a strike that took Daymond by surprise. For the first hit of the match, Daymond was unable to respond in time.
Daymond's thoughts: He's perfecting his fighting style. Could it be… he's a quick developer?
Theodore wore a look of pride on his face. Theresa turned to him with a confused look.
Theresa: What just happened?
Theodore: Thong's potential is finally coming to fruition. I don't know what awakened it, but it's safe to say… he finally arrived.
Carrie: No way! He actually managed to hit Daymond?! I thought only meatheads like you could, Terry.
Ziyad: I'd keep my mouth shut if I were you. This match seems like it may begin to change. Or maybe this is the definition of luck at play.
Minh's eyes returned to yellow as Thong brought up their defense. Daymond moved his hand across his face to reveal a grin.
Daymond: Now this is more like it. I hope you'll prove to be the match I hope you will be. I may need to kick things up a notch.
Thong: What?
Thong's eyes quivered as he finally saw what the Head had meant, as the aura around the man grew far more intense.