Throughout all his life, Daymond had been met with hardship. After being branded with the mark of a Replicator, the world had truly become cruel. As if a fact under the folds of society, it was difficult for him to adapt to the world. The life of a Replicator was always destined to be one met with endless hardships. As such, he fought challenge after challenge. Each day was its own fight for survival, with several assassins sent his way to end his young life.
As the years went on, Daymond's skills only grew greater and greater as he challenged different foes, until one day he decided to seek them out himself. The rush he got as he acquired skills faster and better than those around him. While the target on his back grew larger and larger, so too did his lust for battle. Only upon entering the Eclipse for the first time did he finally find what he was hoping for. One of the largest collections of differing talents in one location. For the two years he had laid low, he built his connections and rose through the ranks of the organization. On the fateful day of hearing the 8th Eclipse Grand Tournament was being held, he knew where his search was finally going to lead him. The place where the best of the best had met to fight. Having encountered fighters such as Jason Bellthorne and Cero Ray LoMatta, his conquest had only begun. Until the day of the finals, when he met the biggest obstacle of them all. The previous Head of the organization, Deacon Desperado. Their fight was one filled with underhanded tactics and lasted until blood stained every inch of the ground they stood on.
Since then, only Theodore was a match worth considering from that moment. Daymond's passion for battle had slowly dwindled, but each encounter offered him more and more to learn by. Now stood before him a young man that had only been in the organization for a little over a month. Someone that showed great potential, but was still too green. Who, much like himself, had continued to grow in their battle.
…
Daymond's thoughts: Thong… You are no special fighter. You grow in combat, but what does that really accomplish? You are only scratching the surface of what us veteran fighters have accomplished several years prior. What is it that makes you believe you stand a chance before me now? What keeps your internal flame burning?
Daymond furrowed his eyebrows as he stared at his opponent. A faint silhouette formed behind Thong Minh, who wore an all too familiar smile. Daymond shook his head as he looked once more. The figure was gone, Thong Minh being all that remained in his line of sight. A faint grin appeared on his face before shooting off the ground, charging at Thong Minh with all his might. His hands moved like a machine gun as his assault had begun.
Daymond's thoughts: Thunder Kata - Castle Siege.
Daymond's fists seemed to multiply as Thong Minh went on the defensive, deflecting as many of Daymond's strikes as they could. They attempted to push forward, only for Daymond's strikes to begin to have an effect on their arms. Slowly, the pain from the low powered strikes struck deeper and deeper into Thong Minh's arms, a pulsation felt in their bones. In a moment of desperation, they threw forward a right straight kick to push Daymond away. Their eyes shot open as they felt their attack stop dead in its tracks. Daymond held it with one hand, staring into their eyes.
Daymond: Route C? A basic choice and far too predictable. I suggest quitting before you embarrass yourself.
Daymond threw them off balance, moving in close before unleashing a series of strikes across their body. Thong Minh slid back as they held their chest. They let out a heavy sigh as they cleared their mind of the pain. They used the Azufield's Bow Breaths to calm their mind as they returned to their fighting stance. Daymond continued his attack, charging at his opponent at full speed. The aura around him was unlike anything Thong Minh had ever felt. It was almost as if the unstoppable force of an elephant were charging at them, but they stood their ground. Daymond's arms swung out as Thong Minh found the perfect opportunity. Using their left arm which had stayed across their chest, they knocked away Daymond's attacks. They winded their head back and slammed it into Daymond's face, pushing the both of them away.
Carrie: Did he just headbutt him?!
Angel: No way!
Mike: How did he manage that?!
Gerald: Thong is getting used to his new fighting style. He has a chance!
Blood dripped down Daymond's nose and down Thong Minh's forehead. Thong Minh's eyes flared as they continued their attack, swinging with a left hook to punch Daymond away. Daymond moved with the strike, but the power was greater than any previous attack. They continued, their right elbow shooting up from below and slamming into Daymond's jaw. The audience stared in awe as Daymond began to take a beating that no one saw coming.
Yussuf: BOSS!
Simon: HOW IS THIS HAPPENING?!
Arthur and Nupan stared at each other with looks of disbelief as Thong Minh stepped back from Daymond. Their eyes followed their opponent, who quickly reached stable ground. A line appeared in their vision, the line that Wing Chun had taught them was in many fighters' fighting styles. Taking a narrow stance, they charged at Daymond with impressive speed. Daymond entered a boxer stance, throwing flicker jabs at Thong Minh's head. Thong Minh ducked before rising at the last moment, sending a chop at Daymond's throat. Daymond instinctively let out a gasp, reaching for his throat in pain. Thong Minh firmly planted both legs on the ground as they tensed their body. In an explosion of power, they spun on their right heel, landing a left crescent moon kick to Daymond's head. The power behind the blow rattled Daymond's brain on the inside of his skull, forcing his vision to black out for just a moment. The audience was left in disbelief as the current Head dropped to the ground. Mike, Hugo, Li, and Gerald were left staring in awe. Shun grabbed onto Shizu, shaking her.
Shun: HOW?! HOW DID THAT GUY DO THAT?!
Shizu grabbed Shun's arms and pushed him back. Her grip was stronger than he had anticipated. She released her grip, pushing her glasses back up.
Shizu: He pushed his body too far.
Yussuf: What do you mean?!
Hiroto: It's true. This entire fight, Daymond was using a technique specific to the Kageyama family. Release allows one to slightly modify the way the internals of their body works, such as turning off pain receptors. His fight against Theodore was one that left him in poor condition. He even ignored his worse-for-wear arm. It was only a matter of time until that caught up to him.
Arthur: So he purposely pushed himself even after his battle with Theodore. Boss…
Nupan: I knew he should've rested more! This is crazy!
In a room further inside the building, a punch was slammed into the ground, shaking the entire room and the surrounding area.
Bruna: W-Woah!
Mason: C-Calm down, Cero!
Cero's left fist was surrounded by the cracked ground, a small crater left in its wake.
Cero: I swear if that bastard loses before I can challenge him, I will kill him as soon as he is in the infirmary.
Kammy: Think about it, Cero! He's probably going to get up in no time!
Vector: Dude does look pretty knocked out, though…
Tico: Shut up!
…
Daymond slowly picked himself up, grabbing his forehead as he looked around. His vision was blurry as he looked all around the room. The room was pitch black, his eyes unable to make sense of anything before him.
Daymond: His skills grew faster than I expected. And my body gave out sooner than I had hoped. No matter how much I trained myself, I couldn't overcome my bodily limits. I thought I was prepared, but I simply destroyed myself…
???: As expected. All because you refused to use it.
Daymond stood up, looking around the darkness that surrounded him. He raised his arms in defense, staring into the void.
Daymond: Using "it" forced my body to advance its weakened state. Why use something that'll only continue to worsen my shape?
Deacon: Because without it, you'll be unable to fight any longer. It's only a few moments before the referee calls the match. Unless you can force your body to fight, it's game over!
Daymond whipped around, seeing the shape of the previous Head standing in the darkness. It was hard to tell when his flesh began and the darkness ended, but he could feel the truth behind those words.
Deacon: You were clearly not ready for it. Automatic is an ability that can be considered godly in a way. But now you've reached a perfect state for its cultivation. So, if you're going to use a dead man's technique, use it now.
Daymond saw Deacon stretch out his hand from the darkness, the sinister look on his face. Daymond approached the figure with clenched fists.
Daymond: I will overcome you and Thong. No one will stand in the way of what is truly mine. This tournament was held for my amusement, not for your revival. So stay in the dirt as I make this technique mine.
Deacon's smile grew wider as he faded away into the darkness. Daymond now stood alone, closing his eyes as he focused.
…
Zachary: What a shocking turn of events! This time Daymond was the one to be struck to the ground!
Zenzo: And he isn't even moving! Could this be curtains for this Head?! Taken out in the quarterfinals!
Thong Minh approached Daymond, sensing the aura dissipate. Their calm expression was then overtaken by one of fear. He looked into Daymond's eyes, noticing they were a faded version of themselves.
Thong Minh: What… the…
The referee began to approach Daymond's body before being sent flying onto his back. Daymond jumped into the air before landing perfectly on his feet. Theodore grabbed the railing before him, squeezing it tightly. Carrie and Theresa could see that he squeezed with such force that he crushed the metal under his hands.
Theodore: No…. No way… Did he actually manage too…?
Ziyad: What's the matter, Theo?
Theresa: Dear, you're scaring me…
Theodore: He… He did it! He successfully stole Deacon's ability!
Everyone stared into the ring, Thong Minh entering a defensive position out of fear. They charged at their opponent, throwing a fast straight with all they had. Daymond casually dodged the attack, moving low and striking Thong Minh's guts. They spat out blood hard enough to fly through their mask.
Mike: THONG NO!
Li: What just happened?!
Hugo: This isn't fair! He was down!
Gerald: Did I miss something in my calculations?
Daymond unleashed a series of heavy strikes over Thong Minh's body, rattling each of his insides. Blood began to roll down the sides of Daymond's eyes as he grabbed onto Thong Minh's outstretched arm. In swift motion, Daymond swung Thong Minh over his shoulder, slamming him onto the ground with a hard thud. Their mask slid down as he spat up even more blood, their scarred face now visible to the audience. Silvia, Pablo, and Pedro watched in horror as Thong Minh laid on the ground, their face covered in their own blood.
Daymond brought up his hands as blood dripped into them.
Daymond: I knew this would be bad…
Thong's thoughts: He… he used such a deadly technique… without a second thought.
Minh's thoughts: Our chances of winning… are dropping…
Daymond's eyes returned to their normal color as he stared at his downed opponent. They exchanged glances, Daymond wiping the bloody tears away with his coat sleeve.
Daymond: You are strong, Thong. But your fight ends here. I refuse to lose, but you were a good match. You have my respect.
The audience was left speechless as they watched on, supporters of both sides left without an idea of how to respond.