There was a bit of a delay until Stacy returned to dispatching, though she seemed to be a bit bummed out for some reason. It appeared like she didn't receive good news. However, mission-wise, the rest of the day was quite calm and accurate. The team wasn't grumbling as much, even if they complained from time to time. Their insults changed to harsh criticism, but all in all, it didn't seem like they wanted her out.
Sean himself only had to deal with a few thieves and robbers. There were some guns not accounted for in the mission details, but considering they were concealed weapons, no one could fault the client or Stacy for it. Most of the time, he was sent out alone and only partnered up with Coupé and Punch Up twice.
Punch Up was a straightforward combatant, so the two of them just acted as the muscle, while Coupé did the hard stuff. He barely saw anyone else from the team. Visi also didn't approach him, being much more reserved than in previous days, only watching him weirdly from a distance.
After he filled out his last mission report, he wanted to talk to Stacy and inquire what Blonde Blazer wanted from her, but she had already left when he arrived at her cubicle. There wasn't much he had to do as a handover for the night shift, so he headed out immediately. He'd like to chat with the team, but he couldn't aimlessly walk around to search for them when he had something to do.
After going out on the street, he saw a car waiting for him. Without hesitation, he went inside, revealing Knuckleback sitting with some papers in his hand. "Here is the contract. You should probably read it before we arrive."
"Right to business then, huh…SFC?"
"Superhero Fighting Championship."
"Right. That's the official title of this event?"
"Yep, the contract is just about your acknowledgement of the possible risks and the payment." There weren't many pages, but Sean took his time as he went through them. He wasn't one to sign anything he hadn't read.
After a few minutes, they arrived at the venue. They were quickly let in and guided towards the changing rooms. The Contractor came in a minute afterward. "So, you're Jin?" The guy was lanky, had slicked-back hair, and was wearing a suit and sunglasses. Shadiness practically oozed from him. "You found everything to your approval?" He pointed at the papers.
"Yes, I've signed them."
"Good. You're up next. Prepare yourself." With that short interaction, the Contractor gave Knuckleback a nod before he left the two alone.
"By the way, you'll be representing our branch, so try not to lose too badly."
Sean rolled his eyes. "I won't lose."
"Right… good luck. You'll need it."
With his Ki sense scouting the place, he felt several above-average presences. Most of his team was also present, something he found surprising. Since he hadn't interacted with them during the day, he assumed they weren't interested in his fights. Perhaps they weren't here for him and would have watched the fights regardless
With his eyes closed, he suppressed his ki. Although he hoped he could go all out, his strength had increased too much already. Just three days after he had woken up in this world, his strength almost ballooned by 100 times. He feared this would be a walk in the park. His strength hadn’t increased at all after the meals, so these fights became much more important.
Fortunately, Ki wasn't the ultimate indicator of strength in this world. Plenty of powers didn't register, so this might get interesting. Of course, at the start, he would just go with about 10 percent, which was about half as strong as Punch Up is now.
Since his teammate wasn't a punching bag even among superheroes and villains, he figured going at it with that level from the start should prevent him from getting knocked out right out of the gate.
"By the way, where can I place a bet on myself?" One could bet on their own victory, but not on one's loss, and that would be enough for him.
Knuckleback seemed surprised at the request before smirking. "Now you’re speaking my language."
…
"First, fighting out of Portland, Oregon. She's quick. She's precise. A single throw turns into a terrifying storm of steel. She stands 5 feet 6 inches tall with a record of 7 wins and 2 losses! An active hero. A protector of Portland. Part of the glorious HSO. Please Welcome… DISCYYY!"
The crowd went wild. Despite claiming to be the elite of Torrance, they, too, were just common humans driven by their primal instincts. If it wasn't for his mission, he wouldn't be seen in their midst. "And now, making his official debut in the SFC! From Torrance, California… Once known by another name, Saiyan. A shadow in the night. The agile ghost of the streets-"
He had heard of the former petty thief, now turned hero, Saiyan. Nothing glorious like he had been announced with. The only thing that stuck was that he was useless and easily intimidated. A fool to be used. "But that was then! Tonight, he steps into the limelight as Jin. Agile. Unpredictable. Perhaps this fight will cause the beast to emerge."
Indeed, he was also said to be a Wereape. Without the ability to transform at will or without the moon's support, that fact might as well be useless in this fight. "An active hero of our streets. A representative of Torrance's branch of SDN Give it up for JIIIIN!"
The applause was almost as enthusiastic as that for Discy. It was easy to figure out why. "Come on, Jin, last at least one round! I beg you!" Barely anyone rooted for 'Jin' and only wanted him to lose in a particular round. Greed. Everywhere he could see. Of course, he wouldn't disapprove of them falling into sin even if he desired no part in it. Although their lord celebrated sin, his elite force had abandoned all sins and sworn themselves to him only. Having those in seats of power use their capital in this depraved way only helped him enter their little circle.
The two heroes met in the middle and touched knuckles before stepping back to the opposite cage wall. The cage was larger than those of common men, clearly advantageous for Discy. Though he doubted it would make any difference in this fight. It was a terrible mismatch in ability. Nothing he knew about 'Jin' could help him against her ability.
The gong rang, and Discy didn't hesitate. Her hands were already gripping her disks. A step forward. Her arm shot forth, throwing it with all her might. A purple blur headed Jin's way. The disk suddenly split, turning into three. Jin looked surprised before he stepped to the side and weaved underneath the furthest to the right.
The phantom disks disappeared behind him, leaving only one to bounce against the cage and head back to Discy. He guessed that Discy would be shocked to have Jin dodge her attack. Having someone dodge her disks shouldn't be something new, but as the rookie crusher, she usually serves as an introduction and first defeat for her opponents.
To have someone debut against her wasn't unusual, though the last few times someone dodged her first attack turned into her loss. Discy didn't seem eager to wait and see what Jin was going to do. Both of her disks were thrown in quick succession. Two blurs of purple before splitting into six.
Jin jumped back to avoid them. He was surprised at the man's jump height, easily clearing the disks before grabbing onto the large cage wall, hanging there at 13 feet. Discy was getting nervous. The first dodge could have been luck, but this? If he were capable of dodging twice, he could do it thrice and even more often, coupled with his jump ability… Of course, Discy was a seasoned hero, so it wasn't her first time someone had dodged her attacks. It was time to see if she figured out a strategy to overcome such a scenario.
Her disks came back, and she immediately launched them at the hanging Jin. Two more disks appeared from her pocket and suddenly enlarged. They, too, were thrown out, and it didn't appear that those were the only backup disks.
Jin rolled along the wall before backflipping over three incoming disks, showing off his agility. With this kind of speed and agility, he was a force to be reckoned with. His rumored cowardice was only more pathetic considering his prowess. Jin landed closer to the middle and broke out into a sprint. Disks bounced from the walls, and he leaped or slid underneath them. He made it look effortless as he reached Discy, who stepped back, a hand in her pockets pulled out three small marbles.
They split into nine and sprayed at Jin, who responded by going low to the ground, easily dodging them while sweeping her legs. His speed suddenly increased, following up with his other leg to kick her. Her body flew and crashed into the cage wall. Jin sprinted towards her, clearly aiming to finish the fight.
Discy barely recovered in time and pointed her fist at him from the ground. Disks were suddenly ejected from her wrist, duplicating in the air. She tried her best to change the pattern of the duplication positions, but the range where they spawned was limited. Jin's acrobatic dodges turned more precise as he slowly walked toward her, clearly feeling increasingly at ease. He quickly reached her, and in a sudden bout of speed, he took her back. His arm quickly found her neck, and he started to choke her.
Just a few seconds, and she was out before the referee stepped in. There was some outrage from people losing their bets, and despite not having bet himself, he couldn't quite believe the outcome. Jin had not been someone on his list, but seeing his prowess coupled with his unique feature of a tail. Perhaps he would serve well as a sacrifice.
He was sure that Lord Ch'aad would be pleased with such a sacrifice, someone powerful, who turned away from sin. His trip to this place had already turned fruitful. It seemed like his lord had blessed his endeavor. However, he needed to move quickly. The now-named Jin would attract more eyes with such a debut, especially if he decided to take up another fight.
Heroes could continue standing in the cage and fighting the runners-up until they either lost or no longer wanted to continue. The announcer stepped inside and conducted a short interview with Jin, asking him whether he wanted to continue, to which he agreed. A post-fight interview followed as the staff went and informed the other fighters of the change. The priest of Ch'aad watched as they hurried around like little ants.
However, his attention shifted away and turned to several other spectators of this event. All rich people and some B-list celebrities, some former heroes, recruiters of some big company, military people, law enforcement, and of course, politicians. Perhaps it went too far calling everyone in the venue the elite of Torrance since there were many people who just happened to get one of these illustrious tickets, but there were indeed many higher-ups gathered here.
Some heroes were cheering for Jin's win. The priest of Ch'aad recognized them as members of a new superhero team made out of former villains. Jin seemed to notice them as well, waving to them like a dork who didn’t just take out a seasoned hero.
The priest turned his attention away. Many people gathered here were of high interest to the priest, but his main attention was garnered by a few unsuspecting individuals. He only managed to recognize them as the informants of some villain groups because he had personally met them during one of their deals. The Yachties, an old force in the city, were mostly focused on the harbor. Black Tide, an international organization of professional maritime criminals, rivals the local Yachties. South Bay Kings occupied most of the territory in the older downtown area.
And Red Ring, a newly emerging group that didn't seem to understand not to touch what wasn't theirs. The priest had a few grievances with that particular group. A few other organizations were represented here as well, but weren't of high interest to the priest.
These four groups, too, eyed Jin with interest and might be able to handle him on their lonesome. Fortunately, most of them won't make a move tonight, as they were likely just here to gather any interesting information about active heroes. However, that didn't mean they wouldn't try something tomorrow night or the night afterward. If he wanted to secure this sacrifice, he would have to do it tonight.
He excused himself before heading to a corner where he could make a call without being overheard.
…
"Hahaha! I told you he would win!" Invisigal cheered. Not only because she just won a large amount of money, but also because her dumb teammates refused to listen to her. Well, except for Punch Up and Coupé. They had the fortune of having already witnessed Jin's newfound strength. "I tell you, Bearman will stand no chance against him either."
"Bearman isn't to be underestimated. Although he isn't in his prime anymore, he used to be a champion." Malevola argued.
"Eh, I’d go with Jin again. Bearman was a champion back when it was mostly just a handful o’ no-name heroes fightin’. There’s a reason he never made a comeback, lass." Punch Up retorted, clearly aware that Jin's strength would sweep the floor against a man who was enhanced by an animal's spirit. Given the info he gave about Discy, it was clear that he kept track of these fights and their participants. "I could probably take him."
"In the first mission we had after his accident, he took out a tiger in a single exchange. Even if Bearman were enhanced by mammoth, he wouldn't be able to touch him."
"Yeah, we get it. Your boyfriend is awesome." Flambae rolled his eyes at her, ticking her off.
"Boyfriend?! The fuck is that supposed to mean?" She rose from her seat, ready to knock his teeth out. Him remaining calmly seated while raising an eyebrow only pissed her off more.
"It was just a joke. Why are you getting so heated about it?" A smirk appeared on his face. "Unless someone has a crush-"
"I'll crush you if you don't-"
Ding
The beginning of the fight was announced. Bearman rushed at Jin with ferociousness. The enhanced ground creaked as he pushed off the ground. A 12-foot-tall silhouette of a bear appeared around Bearman. His rush felt like a bulldozing force of nature even from the sidelines. It was clear that he didn’t hold back.
"Jin, move!" Sonar suddenly shouted, having returned to his seat just as the starting gong sounded out. Obviously, he made a new bet. Invisigal wasn't sure why he insisted on going to the reception if he could have placed the bet via the app instead.
Unfortunately, Jin didn't appear to have heard him or just ignored him as he remained standing and only put up a stance.
"Eh, righ'. Jin is a southpaw, almost forgo'." Punch Up muttered.
Only when Bearman was in range did he move. His straight left hand shot forth. Bearman slipped inside, countering with an overhand paw.
Invisigal almost saw him being sliced open by the gigantic claw, but the silhouette wasn't an actual manifestation. The paw clipped Jin's chin. His head snapped to the side, and his body followed. His rotation sped up with the force. A retaliating elbow barely missed Bearman as he backed away.
Jin took a step back, cracked his neck before grinning. Standing tall, he tilted his head up and slightly to the side. He beckoned him over with a curl of his index finger. Bearman roared in response.
"Who the fuck is he?" Flambae suddenly asked the question that seemed to be on the mind of most of Z-Team's members.
Jin's fighting turned crisp and tight. His movements turned from the cautious agility he had shown in his previous fight to a precise, close-quarter combat machine as he dodged with minimal effort, as if unafraid even if his opponent hit him. Suddenly, a jab hit Bearman's nose, staggering him for a moment as he took two steps back.
Bearman raised his arms for protection, clearly hurt by it. Jin went on the offensive. The jabs peppered out like shots. Even from the sidelines, it was hard to tell when the attack came. There were no telltales. Only his arm moved, turning into a blur before returning to his chin. Besides the speed, the sheer force was clearly to be reckoned with.
Pap Pap Pap
Even when landing on the guard, the hits sounded crisp.
The moment Bearman tried to counter, he was viciously punished for it. A jab to the face. His head snapped back. And if he didn't block, more jabs peppered his face. A desperate claw swipe, which was easily bobbed and countered with a liver strike. The former champion took a knee, holding his side.
Jin looked down at him. His grin had disappeared. He almost looked sad for his opponent. "For a veteran, your technique is lacking." The Z-Team members hadn't said anything since the fight started, just watching the man who didn't appear to be the former cowardly Saiyan nor the cooperative and empathetic Jin they had worked with for the past few days.
Only Punch Up, Coupé, and Invisigal had witnessed it briefly during their sparring, but even then, it hadn't been this obvious. Even during missions, he never acted like this, superior to his opposition. It was like once he knew his opponent couldn't threaten him, he lost interest in playing with them.
Bearman didn't let that comment slide. While standing up, he tried to backhand Jin, who leaned back, letting it miss. Jin's palm reached out, meeting Bearman's paw, and then their other hand met, interlocking as they turned into a deadlock. Bearman's spirit silhouette turned clearer as if it sniffed out an opportunity.
The muscles on Bearman's arm flexed as he tried to crush Jin. Bearman seemed to be twice Jin's size, the growling bear spirit around him, making him look like a force of nature. In the beginning, he pushed Jin back before he seemed to conjure up more strength, pushing his opponent's hands back to an equal deadlock.
"Raaagghh!" Bearman roared as his entire body seemed to flex. His compression shirt was tearing at the seams as he pulled out all the strength his body and spirit offered, while Jin barely looked strained.
"Why doesn't he look like he is strugglin'?" Punch Up asked.
It was then that Jin rotated, pulled his hand free, and delivered a swift hook to Bearman's chin. The man instantly crumbled helplessly into a heap, knocked out cold.
Jin's second win was announced, and despite knowing he had grown stronger, neither Invisigal nor Punch Up or Coupé had entertained the thought that he would go and completely obliterate the competition. It didn't matter if his opponent had ice powers, could make you levitate with a touch, or conjure up weapons. He breezed through it. A total of six fights, all won in the first round via knockout. The greatest debut since Phenomaman, who quit after the third fight because he was bored and didn't want to hurt any more heroes.
Since its creation, no one had won all six fights of the fight. Unless they started to increase the number of fights in the future, even those superior to Jin’s could only tie with his score.
…
"Can I still get the wonder pill, though?" Sean asked.
Knuckleback only hesitated for a second before he said, "Fuck it, sure. Why not?" Handed him the pill inside a little metal case. "For what it's worth, those were some impressive fights."
"…Thanks, I appreciated the offer." Sean shook his head, pocketed the pill, and left. He had been banned from the SFC. Well, not officially, since they would 'look for opponents' he could fight, which, according to Knuckleback, was code for never. Heroes of the caliber of Phenomaman apparently weren't invited to these fights anymore. It made it difficult to advertise any challenging fights for them, as the scope usually couldn't be contained by the cages they could set up.
Sean thought about it. Even if a single Ki blast went wrong, or had enough oomph, it might be disastrous for the crowd. The heroes he had fought that night were also more adept at close or mid-range. Those were the easiest to have a crowd around and watch a fight. Heroes that specialized in some way, like long-distance sniping or camouflage, were difficult to accommodate with a fair fight setup.
With a sigh, he exited the venue and saw the Z-Team waiting for him. Invisigal smiled cheekily while Punch Up and Coupé also seemed pleased with the result. Considering the short talk they had, they must have invested a good buck into his wins. The rest of the team looked sour and wary.
"Jinny-Boy!" Sonar exclaimed and put an arm around Sean's shoulder. "Man, should have told me how strong you've gotten. Good thing I changed my bets after the first fight, otherwise I would have gone broke."
"Glad I've been of use," Sean replied dryly.
"We did earn a pretty penny," Malevola added with a smirk.
"So, how the fuck did you do it?" Flambae's arms were crossed. "Since when are you this strong?" It seemed to irk the man to know that he probably couldn't handle Sean in a fight.
Saying that he started to eat his veggies would probably result in him being jumped with the way they eagerly waited for his response. "Seems like the accident a few days ago helped me access my powers better." That was the truth, though it was more like the memories he had carried over that made him realize what I could be.
"Heard something similar, someone hitting his head and suddenly being fluent in Japanese or becoming a Math savant." Sonar helpfully supplied.
Flambae seemed to reluctantly accept that as the explanation with a snort. "Hmph. Fucking lucky."
"Yep, monkey paw." Jin's mouth was faster than his mind as he uttered that sentence while raising his hand.
Fortunately, the team was in a joyful mood. Punch Up chortled, Coupé chuckled, while Invisigal and Sonar cheered with a "Hell yeah!" "That's what I'm talkin' about!" Malevola shook her head with an amused smile, while Flambae's eyebrow rose, the corner of his lips tugging upward.
"Alright, how about a drink? First round is on me." Usually, he would like to calm down, maybe digest his performance, and think about what he could have improved, but he could feel that the team was in a welcoming mood. His reputation wore heavy on him, and the team wasn't exactly the most accommodating, so it would be a shame to not bond with them given the opportunity.
"Now, you're speaking my language!" Sonar hollered.
"What about the others? Golem, Prism?" Sean asked as he hadn't seen them during his fights nor sensed them anywhere nearby.
"They couldn't come, some non-organic sentient meeting and a fan meeting," Invisigal answered casually as she whipped out her phone to search for a bar to go to.
"What about Stacy?" His question earned him an eye roll from Visi.
"As if she would go out to drink, besides, she apparently had something awfully important to do with the way she clocked out." Invisigal continued, "So, we should probably avoid a villain bar, right?"
"True." "Yeah, that's for the best." "Ay, wouldn't mind a bout."
"A villain bar?"
Malevola wrapped her arm around his shoulder, not unlike Sonar had done just a moment ago, though she added a seductiveness to her gaze, making Sean question if she did it on purpose. "Generally, organizations that have an interest in heroes send informants to these events."
It took a moment to connect the dots, but when it clicked, he couldn’t help but be surprised, even though rationally he shouldn't be. Given that heroes displayed their powers so openly, it would stand to reason that villains and criminal organizations would be interested in some footage or reports about it. "This sounds like something SDN or the SFC should know."
Malevola smirked, "Of course, they know. They use it to bait them. Have them shadowed to see where their hideouts are after leaving."
"Usually, the attack rate on heroes on the same night is the highest. Going to a villain bar would be asking for it." Invisigal continued, which made Sean even more surprised.
"You think some organizations would try to attack me...? Even after tonight’s performance?"
Invisigal opened and then closed her mouth, not saying anything. While Malevola tilted her head before shrugging, "Fair enough. Only idiots would try anything after knowing what you’re capable of."
"They prob won't try directly-" Punch Up interjected, "They migh' poison ya, though."
"Let's just go to that bar 15 minutes away, better to go somewhere near where the other heroes you defeated are. We can rub in your win over them." Flambae's mood had picked up just thinking about it, and he didn't seem to be the only one considering the arising smirks.
With a target in mind, they quickly headed there as if afraid the heroes would leave before they had the chance to make fun of them. Sean couldn't help but snort in amusement as he followed them.