Project Zen

Long ago, the world of Ouranos fell into chaos. A cataclysmic war between martial artists and magicians began to ravage throughout the Nine Continents. This bitter war became known as the Impact Crisis, and would last for six years. However, one powerful individual would help bring the war to an end, and also bring the two rival sides to coexist as one, resulting in the creation of mixed martial arts. Now, in the year 2002, a boy hailing from Garden Street, Toshi City, harbors the dream to be the best mixed martial artist in the world. His name is Hawk Yuje…

The boy stood proudly atop the tan soil, as the sun began to set into the horizon, and the eyes of the dusk began to slowly pry open. He looked up at the pink clouds and blue sky with a smile. "I wanna be the best." Hawk declared. 

Suddenly, Hawk's eyes sprung open, and tilted his head upwards from the pillow he slept on. The blasting music from across the street was blaring throughout the night. The party from the adjacent apartment complex was still going strong, even at two o'clock in the morning. The boy sat up from his sleeping position, and groggily scratched the top of his head. "Don't stop believing! Hold on to that feeling," could be made audible from beyond the closed windows, and the bright, flashing lights, which illuminated most of the street that separated Hawk's house from the partying apartment. 

A few minutes had passed since Hawk's abrupt awakening from his slumber. He had made it to the rooftop of the complex he lived in. Having silently scaled all the way to the top of the fire escape, Hawk sat by the roof's edge, staring off into the splendor of Toshi City's vibrant and multi-colored skyline, with its buildings scraping the clouds. It was a warm night in July, and the summer breeze brushed past Hawk's face. It was a slightly cool, yet refreshing, wind that blew by. Hawk inhaled, taking in a large amount of the summer winds into his lungs. Meanwhile, the sound of commotion could be heard from the alleyway beneath Hawk, as he heard a bottle shattering, which echoed for a few seconds. 

"Rise and shine, my boy." Ryori's voice was heard, as Hawk groggily woke up in his bed. He noticed Ryori standing next to him by the bed. "Morning, Pops." The boy said, before sitting upright. "You're late for school." Ryori informed Hawk, as the boy then dropped from the bed, and landed on the ground, half conscious from oversleeping. Ryori exited Hawk's room, as the boy proceeded to don his blue and orange jacket along with a black undershirt and pants. Soon after dressing himself quickly, he began to make his way downstairs to the kitchen, where Ryori would wait for him. But not without tightening his bandana first. 

The sound of Hawk's footsteps would casually descend from the second floor. He would soon enter Ryori's field of vision as soon as he landed on the foot of the stairs. The caretaker would shift his eyes in Hawk's direction. "Here's to another great day at school, my boy." Ryori said with a warm, delighted smile. Hawk would turn to face Ryori halfway, a smile revealed on his face, and he would say in response, "Today's gonna be a breeze." He told Hawk. "And today, they're gonna make a new homeroom, and only the strongest students are allowed in." The boy added, announcing the news of today. Ryori smiled. "Sounds daunting." He said. "But I'm sure you'll do just fine." By the time Ryori uttered those reassuring words, Hawk managed to fit into his yellow sneakers, and stood up from the small step that faced the door. "Remember: Every journey begins with a single step." Ryori advised Hawk, who walked towards the door, taking his caretaker's words to heart. But just as Hawk's right hand was about to latch onto the doorknob, Ryori called out, "almost forgot," leaving the boy's hand to hover over the knob for a few seconds before he turned around, giving Ryori his full attention. Hawk's smile had dropped, making him look surprised yet attentive. "Allow me to give you a piece of advice:" Ryori said, getting up from his chair and walking towards Hawk. He then stopped at the edge of the step where Hawk sat on, and proceeded to say, "there's going to come a time where you'll have to make decisions for yourself. And some may not be the best choices, but that's where your will comes into play. It's a big world outside, and what lies ahead could be daunting. But, as long as you don't back down, I know you'll be alright." Ryori finished his words of wisdom with a smile. "Don't ever let anybody tell you who you should be." He added. Hawk nodded his head in affirmation, and he reached his fist out, where Ryori would do the same. After the two bumped fists, Hawk opened the door. But not before bidding Ryori a, "see ya later," as he exited the house. 

The boy walked down the three steps that lead to his house. He proceeded to walk out of the alleyway. However, what waited for the boy at the end of the alley was a spiky, orange-haired boy, two years his age. "Eeno Redstar." Hawk greeted his friend with a smile across his face. And the boy would approach Hawk. They engaged in a handshake, before the boy asked, "so you've been here waiting for me this whole time?" Eeno chuckled. "What better way to walk to school than with a good friend of mine?" He asked. "Alright. Lead on." Hawk exuberantly ordered his friend. 

The streets of Toshi were mild, compared to last night. There were several cars on the road, but not enough for the roads to be clotted with traffic. "Did you hear about Homeroom 106?" Eeno asked Hawk, as they passed by Shoyo's Corner Store, whose door was ajar, open to all customers and passersby. "Heck yeah, I did. Heard Pudge and the others talkin' about it." Hawk responded with. "Same here. I didn't hear the end of it from Nile." Eeno said. As they stopped at an intersection, the traffic light turned green, making Hawk and Eeno stand before the beginning of the crosswalk. "Say, with Nile being a genius and all, do you think he'll make it into Homeroom 106?" Eeno asked. "Eh, if this were a chess club, then I can see him gettin' in right away." Hawk answered, with a discreet, smug expression. "My money's on Pudge." He then said. "Pudge can put the hurt on anyone, but he's not the sharpest tool in the shed." Eeno retorted. "If anything, he's better off in Homeroom 110." The Esper added. "Yeah. But I don't think it's a homeroom. It's a built-in psych ward." Following Hawk's quip on Homeroom 110, Eeno and Hawk would begin to laugh at the statement. Their laughing would die down just as the light turned red where they would walk across to the other side. "Always a jokester." Eeno smiled. Eventually, Hawk and Eeno stood before the fountain placed in the center of the path to the school's entrance. "Hopin' for the best." Hawk said to Eeno. "Give 'em hell." Eeno told Hawk, confidently placing his trust in his best friend. 

Upon taking several steps down the main hallway of the academy, a wall of students obstructed their path to their homeroom, all of them with their backs facing the two. Hawk and Eeno quietly rushed towards the wall of students to find out there were other, fellow students on the adjacent end, and they formed a circle around an orange-haired, sword-wielding boy, and a yellow-haired, student, whose arms were bandaged, both of whom were vigorously brawling in the middle of the circle. The yellow-haired student managed to push the sword-wielder backwards, almost colliding into the students behind him. But as he regained his balance, the yellow-haired student would charge forth, and the sword-wielder raised his katana above his head. Within seconds, the yellow-haired student's punch, and the sword-wielder's katana, clashed against each other, emanating a shockwave that pushed everyone back, if only slightly. Around this time, the janitor slammed the butt end of his mop onto the tiled, marble floor, getting everyone's attention. "Enough of this! Learning first, fighting second!" With these words from the janitor, the circle of students quickly dissolved, and proceeded to splinter, going in several directions. "Koga's sword is like an immovable object, and Kujato's fists are like an unstoppable force." Eeno said to a smiling Hawk. 

Arriving at Homeroom 105, Hawk and Eeno entered, despite the class being vacant. There were only two students, one of which, leaned against the occupied desk of another, as they talked amongst themselves. "Ah, the dynamic duo." The gruff student said, acknowledging Hawk and Eeno, and the eyeglass-wearing student, who sat in the desk, looked up to see the two before them. "What's up, Nile?" Hawk asked the eyeglass-wearing student, as he and Eeno approached the pair. The student who leaned against Nile's desk, eyeballed Hawk and Eeno, head to toe, and vice versa. "Say, heard about Homeroom 106." Hawk informed Nile. "Is this really happening?" He then asked. "Ah, the notorious Homeroom 106 of legend." The nonchalant student beside Nile said, almost in a facetious tone. "So this is legitimate, Wulong?" Eeno asked the nonchalant student, who folded his arms. "That little project the teachers had been cooking up for years is finally happening. So I'd say it's legit." Wulong said with a slight, yet noticeable, smile on his face. Even he could not contain his excitement, even for a second. Nile closed the textbook he was reading, and directed his full attention towards Hawk and Eeno. "Almost everyone in the entire school has signed up to compete for a spot in Homeroom 106." Nile explained. "Everyone but Iris Yugen." Wulong interjected. "Her?" Hawk said, almost befuddled. "You should've seen it at the end of the day: Nile and I overheard her bragging about how she's too powerful for this school." Wulong then added. "We had to dip before she got a chance to notice our presence. I'd say it's guaranteed she's earned a seat in Homeroom 106." Nile explained to Hawk and Eeno. "Anyhow, you guys came at a good time. The common hour is already in effect, and roughly ninety percent of the students have gathered in the cafeteria." He then added. "You might get a chance to see the strongest of the strong." Wulong told Hawk and Eeno. 

While on the way to the room where Homeroom 106 would eventually take place, the sound of Pudge's somewhat deep voice caused Hawk, Eeno, Nile and Wulong to stop in their tracks. "Look who we have here." He said, halting them. "It's the dynamic douchebags." Hawk and Eeno were the first to turn around to face Pudge, while Nile and Wulong only turned their bodies halfway. "Why don'tcha stop stealing people's lunch money, and start doing crunches, pork chop?" Hawk asked Pudge, in an intimidating, yet witty, manner. "Don't smart-mouth me, Cock Yuje!" Pudge told off Hawk. The muscle in his cheekbone twitched for a millisecond. It did not take long for either of the four to notice Pudge was ready to explode in a rage at a moment's notice. Hawk stepped forward to confront Pudge. "There's no reason to fight." There was a hint of sarcasm in the boy's voice, as those words left his mouth. Silence filled the halls shortly thereafter. Eeno, Nile, and Wulong began to anticipate what would happen next with their eyes. That was until Hawk turned to face his friends. "I got this." He said to them, as they left the hallway. But they would not budge. "It was a joke, Pudge!" One of the bully's cohorts told him, in an attempt to quell his brewing anger. "Zip it, Bonerhead." Pudge commanded his cohort, who stopped upon hearing the bully's domineering order. "C'mon, Pudge." Hawk tried to calm him down, as he discreetly stepped backwards. He only took two steps back before Pudge noticed. "As long as I'm the smart and strong one, I'll be able to earn a spot in Homeroom 106." The bully began to boast. "Didn't think that was possible." Hawk chimed in, shrugging his shoulders in the process. "What?!" Pudge asked, managing to keep a lid on his aggression for a few seconds. "Always pegged you as a street smart kinda guy." With a grunt from Pudge, he threw a left hook in Hawk's direction. But the boy ducked under the attack. Meanwhile, a brown-haired boy in vibrant clothing, alongside two other classmates. One with a pompadour, and the other with the top of his head covered in bandages. "Place your bets." The vibrant boy said. 

With every punch that Pudge threw in Hawk's way, the boy responded with evasive maneuvering. Swerving under hooks, and tilting to the side of straight punches, it did not take long for Hawk to counter with a low blow, striking Pudge in the gut, as he slid back across the floor, the soles of his sneakers screeching across the polished marble. "You'll pay for that!" Pudge angrily shouted at Hawk. "I thought I paid with my lunch money!" The boy retorted back. "Come on, Pudge. Leave it!" Bonerhead told his peer, placing a hand on his shoulder. As Pudge sighed, he lowered his guard. "Fine. I'll let this slide for now. But next time, I'll strip you of everything you got!" Pudge proceeded to threaten Hawk. To which he said, "that's a little kinky." With a growl of disgust from Pudge, he turned around, and walked away from Hawk, with Bonerhead accompanying him. 

"Ain't that a grandiose display of power?" The vibrant boy asked, making himself known, alongside his peers. "Kongo." Hawk muttered, as his demeanor quickly shifted from jovial to slightly peeved. "I heard you guys were making your way down to Homeroom 106." The vibrant boy said to Hawk. "Yeah. You?" Hawk asked Kongo, as the latter began to extend his arms, raising them in the air in a morning stretch-like manner. "Me? I'm just cruisin' for a bruisin'." Kongo briefly explained. "Whaddya say, Captain Bruisin'? Let's say we chart this course to the basketball court after school." Kongo's words made a smile creep on Hawk's face. The vibrant boy leaned in close to inspect Hawk's visage further, his nose almost touching the boy's. "Looks like someone's getting a little excited at the idea." The pompadour boy said. Kongo instantly turned around to confront the pompadour boy, and immediately lashed out at him. "Don't ruin this moment for me!" Kongo shouted. "This is a FORMAL discussion between us, Boda! Get outta here with your insight!" He continued. But the pompadour boy was not fazed by Kongo's abrasive tone. Instead, he stood still with a stone cold expression. "We'll do it." Hawk blurted out, causing Kongo to turn around to face the boy yet again. He licked his grinning teeth, ecstatic about the prospect. "Perfect." He said, before turning in the other direction a second time and walking off. The pompadour boy and the bandaged cohort followed beside Kongo. "This cruise ship better put on a good performance… Yuje-Chan." As Kongo and his crew turned the corner down the hallway, Hawk turned to face Eeno, Nile, and Wulong, all three of whom approached him. "Impressive." Wulong told Hawk. "You might be able to secure a spot in Homeroom 106." He added. "Well, we should definitely make way for Homeroom 106 while there is still time." Nile intervened. 

The hallways were empty. It seemed as if the common hour would be maintained until the end of the school day. Nevertheless, this was the perfect opportunity for the four to resume their trek to the room where Homeroom 106 will be. "When's Homeroom 106 gonna start?" Hawk asked Nile. "If my research is correct, there are still four more vacant positions available in Homeroom 106. And should my calculations be precise, Homeroom 106 will commence tomorrow." Nile explained, as he flipped through the pages of his notebook. While the four continued walking down the hall, Eeno took notice of the door to Homeroom 108 being left ajar. Homeroom 108 stood diagonally across from Homeroom 109, and was in the middle between Homeroom 110 to its left, and Homeroom 107 to its right. "The numbers look unfinished." Wulong studied the 106 above the four-windowed door to the homeroom. Meanwhile, the faint sound of a saxophone filled the silent hallway with a relaxing melody. Hawk and Eeno followed the sound's trail, like a moth drawn to a majestic flame. But before they could approach the door to Homeroom 108, suddenly, the door to Homeroom 110 flew open, and a student burst out of the class, and onto the floor. "You can't pull that shit on us!" An abrasive voice shouted from within Homeroom 110, and the student that was thrusted out of the room rolled on the ground with an agonizing groan leaving his battered face. "Ah. Homeroom 110. The one room that no teacher wishes to teach… Save for Mr. Hibanya, that is." Nile said. As Wulong turned the handle on the door to Homeroom 106, surprisingly, the door was unlocked, in spite of the black construction paper being plastered on the four windows. Nevertheless, Wulong opened the door where he and Hawk would enter first, with Eeno and Nile following suit. The four students were in awe at the interior design of Homeroom 106. 

Homeroom 106 itself looked like an academic auditorium, with seven flights of stairs, each row housing six, wooden desks in total, with three on each side. At the very front of the class was a large blackboard, and a standard teacher's desk in the center before it, which looked fairly new, along with the padded, leather swivel chair. But in spite of Homeroom 106 currently being off limits, this did not deter the four from delving further. Nile closed the door behind him while Hawk sat on the swivel chair. "Ugly chair, but it's like sittin' on a cloud." He said, as he spun around in the chair. Wulong snooped through the desk drawers, and found a folder with unknown contents. The folder itself was pages thick, most likely containing various, individual records of the students. "Read it and weep, Nile." Wulong said, before handing the folder to him. Nile reluctantly opened the folder, where his eyes laid upon the very first page of the folder, which was an empty attendance sheet. He flipped through the other pages where he stumbled upon the student records. He read through Hawk's profile, then Eeno's, followed by Wulong's, and lastly his. However, the one page he turned to happened to be Iris Yugen's student record, which had the words "approved" written by her picture. "You were right, Li." Nile said to Wulong, getting his attention. "Iris is indeed in Homeroom 106." He added, much to the scoffing of Hawk. "I'm not surprised." Eeno said. The room fell silent, feeling like an eternity had passed, before someone spoke up. Footsteps echoed throughout the hall, and Nile ordered Hawk and Eeno to, "hide," as the two dove behind a desk. "What about you?" Hawk asked, showing visible concern. "I'll talk to the teachers." Nile said, with Wulong at his side. 

"What are you two doing in here?" A faculty staff asked Nile and Li. "Forgive us, sir, but we noticed the door unlocked." Nile said to the staff member. "And that gave you the right to enter? Even when it's clearly off limits?" The staff member's voice became more aggressive, even his face twitched with irritation. "Well the sign didn't say 'off limits.' There wasn't even a sign on there at all." Li stepped in. The staff member's face twisted painfully, before stepping behind the petrified two, and placing a hand on each of their shoulders. "To the office!" The staff member said, escorting Nile and Li out of the room. After the door closed behind the three, and Hawk and Eeno emerged from their hiding spots, they looked at each other, before sneaking out of the room. 

The evening began to set in, and the students exited the academy in droves. Hawk and Eeno were among the final few who left through the entrance doors. "Damn it." Hawk muttered. "It'll be okay." Eeno reassured his friend. "They risked themselves to keep us safe. Think of it like that." He added. Hawk turned to look back beyond the entrance doors, and down the entrance halls. He gazed somberly, knowing Nile and Li are most likely being reprimanded at the principal's office. The boy let out a quiet sigh of distress. "They'll be okay. We'll meet them again tomorrow." Eeno said, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder. Hawk would turn around, and the two would make their trek back home. 

As Hawk and Eeno walked down the street, the sun was beginning to set further into the city skyline. "Homeroom 106 is going to keep me up all night." Eeno said. But Hawk remained silent, with a determined expression. "There's still the fight with Kongo." He then said. "That's true. I know you'll best him." Eeno told Hawk with a smile. 

"Anyhow, I'll catch you later, Hawk." Eeno said, feet apart from his best friend. After the two waved at each other, Eeno would return to his house, while Hawk made his way to the basketball court. As he arrived at the front of the court, he opened the chain-link gate, as it made a metallic, creaking sound. The boy would walk to the center of the court, and waited for Kongo's arrival. While he waited, Hawk closed his eyes, and breathed in deeply before exhaling. "Well if it isn't Hawk Yuje! The Devil of Toshi!" Kongo's voice said, causing Hawk to open his eyes, and turned to face him. Kongo walked towards Hawk, with a grin that reached up to his eyes, and his two cohorts beside him. "Hikaru Kongo." Hawk said with a neutral expression. "So, ya ready to man up? Or, are ya gonna puss out?" Kongo asked, stopping before the boy, who proceeded to smile. "I should be askin' you that." He told Kongo. "We're gonna let our fists do the talkin'. No backstreet bullshit." Hawk added. Then, Bungi tossed Kongo his tanto, which he caught in mid-air, before slowly unsheathing the rose engraved blade. "Let's make one exception." Kongo said, his tongue then ran across the sharp metal of the tanto. Hawk then assumed a fighting stance, and Kongo would do the same. "You got one shot. Better make it good." Hawk said. "Right-o. Let's dance!" Kongo shouted. Giving the two combatants open space, Boda and Bungi exited the basketball court, and closed the gate. 

Within seconds, Kongo dashed towards Hawk, who leaned to the side, narrowly evading Kongo's blade. He then backflipped away from Kongo, who leapt toward the fence, and hopped off, lunging at Hawk, who opened the distance between him and his opponent. Kongo then rained down on Hawk, tanto held in a reverse position, and attempted to stab Hawk from above. But just when Kongo was in mid-air, Hawk jumped after him, and threw a crescent kick in Kongo's direction, and hitting him out of the air, before the boy sprung backwards. Hawk would become relentless in his assault, as he charged forth. Kongo would recover from the aerial kick, getting back up onto his feet, and running at Hawk. Kongo slashed at Hawk with the tanto, and the boy would lean back away from the blade. Kongo would strike at Hawk with a thrusting attack twice, only for Hawk to dodge yet again. Then, in a near unexpected turn, Kongo squatted down, and spun with an extended right leg, attempting to sweep Hawk off of his feet with a kick to his ankles. But Hawk threw himself upside down, and landed on his hands, just as Kongo completed the attack, and stood back on his feet. And just as Hawk landed on his feet, Kongo appeared behind Hawk, gripping the blade in a reversed fashion, and swiped at the boy. But Hawk swung his right hand out, hitting into Kongo's right wrist, that which held the tanto. And as Hawk's knuckles collided into Kongo's dominant wrist, the knife would fly out of his hand, spinning in the air, before firmly planting itself into the basketball court's pavement. 

Now deprived of Bungi's tanto, the two combatants jumped back away from each other. Then, Hawk placed one hand on the ground, left leg bended forward, and his right leg fully extended. Kongo grinned, his smile stretching across his face further. "This will be fun!" He shouted, before Hawk zoomed forth, managing to get a lucky strike in on Kongo's gut. The crazed brawler coughed up small droplets of blood, before his back hit into the chain-link fence. Hawk remained relentless, as he appeared before Kongo with a set of two punches, both directed at Kongo's face. But the crazed brawler deflected them, slapping them out of their intended direction, before hitting Hawk in the face with his right wrist, causing him to slide back against the pavement. But the boy caught himself before he could fall on his back by placing a hand on the ground. Kongo then darted at Hawk. He hoisted his right leg in the air. But before Kongo could slam it down on Hawk's back, he threw a sweeping kick, which hit into Kongo's left ankle, as the crazed brawler fell on his side. Hawk managed to get back on his feet before Kongo could, and kicked his opponent in the stomach, where Kongo rolled across the ground. "Had enough already?" Hawk asked, in a mocking tone. But his visage was stoic and serious. "Not yet." Kongo said, struggling to get up. But as he finally mustered the strength to stand up, Hawk neared his adversary, menacingly walking towards Kongo. And Kongo would proceed to walk towards Hawk, his facial expression now shifting to a serious and cold demeanor. 

Hawk struck Kongo in his chest. But Kongo did not budge. Instead, he stood tall, with only a small stream of blood trickling down the side of his mouth. Hawk threw another punch. But in spite of its futile damage, it seemed to push Kongo back, if only by a few inches. Suddenly, Kongo threw a backhand across Hawk's face, swatting him back like a fly. And Hawk tumbled across the ground before stopping at the other side of the basketball court. It was not long before Hawk felt the effects of the power up that Kongo had discreetly activated, as the boy proceeded to cough up blood. Suddenly, Kongo reverted from his serious face, back to his usual, unhinged personality, his grin returning to his face. He then walked up to Hawk, who quickly got back on his feet. The two were ready to resume their hand-to-hand combat until a voice from within the court called out to Kongo: "You better watch what you're doing, boy." Ryori said in a menacing tone, as the two combatants turned to face the grandmaster, who appeared within the basketball court. Kongo paused out of pure petrification, and Hawk froze in place. "You better watch your next move." Ryori then advised Kongo, ominously. Kongo grumbled, and stepped back away from Hawk. "I guess our battle will have to be put on hold." Kongo told Hawk, before turning around to face Boda and Bungi. "I hope you guys enjoyed the show. Because this is where it ends." Kongo announced to the two. And as he and his cohorts walked away from the entrance to the court, Kongo said to Hawk, "pulled some good punches. You better get into Homeroom 106 for us." With Kongo, Boda, and Bungi now walking off into the distance, Ryori approached Hawk, and gently hoisted him upwards. "We'll talk more at home." The grandmaster told Hawk. 

In Hawk's residency, the boy and Ryori sat by the coffee table, both seated in a pretzel-like position. "So, did you find out about Homeroom 106?" Ryori asked. However, Hawk took a while to respond, as he looked down at his green tea, the heat from the liquid was enough for the outside of the cup to be warm. The steam rose upwards, as it partially clouded Hawk's vision. "I can sense something upsetting you." Ryori gently told Hawk. "Nah. I'm… thinkin'... about everything that happened." The boy said. "Is Homeroom 106 bothering you?" Ryori then asked, before taking a sip from his tea. "I know Iris Yugen got in." Hawk then conceded, which piqued Ryori's intrigue, being made manifest through the raising of his eyebrows. "Iris? I believe you told me about her before." He then said, attempting to recall who she is. "Well, it's a long story…"

"I see." Ryori said, using the rim of his cup to obscure his mouth. "Nile and Li did the honorable, sacrificing a seat in Homeroom 106 to ensure your success." He then continued. This led to Hawk scratching the back of his head. "Never saw it like that before." The boy said, chuckling afterwards. "They're good friends. Eeno too. You can't abandon that kind of support." Ryori then told Hawk, taking another sip from the tea a second time. 

In the after hours of the Toshi Academy, the hallways became vacant, the chatter from earlier in the day had been voided with silence. However, the very same halls in which two teachers, one a pig-like Magical Beast, and a female teacher, walked through were illuminated. One carried a file, but their hand obstructed the tab. A name was covered by their hand. Mr. Bajie and Ms. Nanashi were their names. Eventually, the two teachers arrived at the desired room, and opened the door, being greeted by three other mentors, all of them male. "So, who do you have?" One of the teachers asked, as the pig-like teacher, and his colleague, sat down, both of whom sat next to each other, and were seated in front of the principal, who was accompanied by two other mentors, who sat on both sides of the principal. The teacher, who carried the concealed file, gently placed the folder onto the table, before slowly opening it, revealing a photo of Hawk and his profile. "Mr. Yuje. He would make for a good candidate." The principal said. "Indeed." Bajie said in affirmation. "We saw him face off against Kongo. I must say; His talent is more than impressive. It's otherworldly." Nanashi then interjected amidst the brief silence in the room. "He's exuberant, but this is the world of MMA." The red-haired mentor said, callously. "Do you really think he can handle Homeroom 106?" He then asked. "For a fledgling, Homeroom 106 can be too hot to handle, but Hawk is a unique one." Bajie told the red-haired mentor. "Furthermore, his method of fighting is unlike anything else we've seen." Nanashi added, much to the red-haired mentor's chagrin and visible irritation. "A loose cannon, yes… But I think his optimism is exactly what we're looking for in the future of mixed martial arts." She also said. A few seconds of silence resumed in the air of the cold room, followed by the indecisive sigh from the principal, before he broke the silence: "You have yourselves a deal." These words from the principal brought elation to the faces of Mr. Bajie and Ms. Nanashi, but simultaneously left the red-haired mentor with a look of disappointment. "Let's hope he delivers." The red-haired mentor told Bajie and Nanashi. "Be confident in his abilities." Nanashi politely warned him. "That boy always delivers."