Form wasn't everything. To be an effective fighter, there were several aspects that were multiple times more important. In fact, one could say that the technique of throwing a punch was almost the least important thing when fighting.
Distance management, decision making about when to attack, block, or dodge, to discern feints or habits of your opponent, and most importantly timing were the most crucial weapons a fighter had. Something that one could theoretically know, but hardly master without experience. However, once mastered, these could leave one unbeatable against virtually any individual in their weight class or even those up to 50 pounds heavier than that. Even among other decent fighters, one would be a force to be reckoned with.
However, to be able to make this a living, the mindset was crucial. Any fighter that had trained to master the previously mentioned disciplines had to go through lots of sparring and other pressure-testing forms. Most fighters at that point could switch into a combat mentality in the blink of an eye. They could instantly be ready to get harmed and cause harm.
However, what set aside the professionals from normal fighters was the desire to fight, the inclination to search for combat. One could see it in their eyes. Most people had lots of reasons to start fighting, whether it was to protect themselves or just for sport. There were some, though, who enjoyed fighting, enjoyed the feeling of combat. To hurt others, to test themselves, to remain victorious above a broken body. Those were the ones that would inevitably turn martial arts into a career, whether it was through combat sports, bodyguarding, or crime fighting.
The newcomer had the makings of a professional. His movements were light like a butterfly and his attacks flew like bullets, but the discerning qualities were in his eyes… His eyes conveyed a hunger for something. It was practically radiating from him. A deep desire to throw hands.
It was supposed to be light sparring, but Jin insisted that his opponent pressured him, and that was what Matthew did. In the beginning, Jin could only block, hide behind his guard. At that point, Coach Arun was entirely convinced that Jin was truly a beginner. There were some things that were extremely difficult to fake, especially under high pressure. Like most beginners, he had difficulties keeping his eyes open when a punch flew his way.
His eyes would instinctively blink and he would flinch away. His guard would be easily manipulated through baits and feints. However, just as quickly as he absorbed striking techniques, he adapted to the pressure. Now his eyes were wide open, like a predator studying Matthew as if he didn't want to miss a single detail. Like he was absorbing all his movements, committing them to memory and dissecting them.
At the start, the other regulars were cheering for Jin, for him to survive, but that quieted down now. A punch headed his way and he met it with his palm. A textbook-perfect block, something that Coach Arun had taught him just a few minutes ago. Jin was adapting to the pressure, to Matthew's speed. Unfortunately, this wasn't a show of technique or drills. It was sparring, the ultimate safe pressure test for fighters to convert their learnings into experience.
With a hand meeting the punch, it obscured Jin's view. He didn't realize a hook was coming until it hit. It met his cheek. Jin intentionally turned his head with the hook, minimizing damage. A few steps were taken to bleed off the momentum.
For Coach Arun, the current sparring was already too hard for his liking, especially against a newcomer, but… "Are you still holding back?" Jin was provoking his opponent. It seemed unintentional, like he was genuinely asking, but context was important.
He had just eaten a hook to the cheek before saying this. How could Matthew interpret it in any other way than Jin mocking him for his lack of strength? Perhaps, if they knew each other, it could have been taken another way. Now it was just a newbie provoking a regular on his turf. Having trained for years to reach this point, no one would admit defeat easily, no one would let themselves be insulted as weak, especially against someone that seemed to openly challenge them.
Additionally, with it being Jin's first appearance, it almost felt like he was challenging the dojo as well, something even Coach Arun couldn't just let go, not to mention Matthew, who would feel like he was embarrassing himself and the entire school if he couldn't beat the cheekiness out of him.
And that was why Coach Arun let Matthew go a bit harder than necessary. Reputation was a powerful deterrent, especially against the villains and criminals of the city. With Jin being an unknown, he didn't know whether he was sent here to test them or whether he would spread news about them being weak. Regardless of his intentions, he needed to be taught a lesson.
A jab to the body, Jin blocked. An overhand followed immediately, rocking Jin's chin. He barely turned his head. He took several wobbly steps back. Matthew pursued, a teep breaking the barely held balance. Jin was on the ground. He took some breaths before standing up again.
Coach Arun knew that Matthew was at least going 60 percent. For Jin to stand up again was impressive. "He is definitely an ability holder." Theo commented as he took a sip from his water bottle. "No way a beginner would stand back up after that… Wait, is his belt actually a tail?"
"Eh? Now that you mention it, looks like it." Someone else responded.
"Either way, he is a fighter." Coach Arun didn't care if someone had powers, he was only interested if you liked the martial art and had the balls to step into the octagon. Besides, he could see that even after having been caught lacking, Jin's eyes weren't those of anger, hurt, or even shame. It was fascination, like he was witnessing something beautiful. Like he was discovering the love of fighting. He desired it. He had fun.
Another jab to the body, an overhand. This time Jin ducked outside and retaliated. A jab towards Matthew's open face. Matthew raised his shoulder, successfully letting the jab glide off it.
A counter roundhouse kick. Jin checked it, letting their shins meet. One jab, one straight punch, both dodging.
Another roundhouse kick. Jin tried to check; the kick turned into a teep. Jin, now unbalanced, took two steps, dodging Matthew's pursuing straight. A follow-up hook, weaved underneath. A straight, pushed aside. Another hook, another weave. A finishing elbow, side-stepped, only hitting the fence of the octagon.
"Holy shit." One of the other regulars that had now turned to watch the spectacle muttered.
"That was… smooth." They all could see it. It was vague in the beginning, but they all seemed to realize that something significant had changed. Another gear was being shifted to. At the same time, Coach Arun wanted to grumble because Matthew's prior background as a boxer was showing itself, especially with the way he set things up.
Matthew jabbed, Jin didn't block, he leaned his head just out of the way. A hook, a straight, elbow, knee, teep. Despite being in striking range, they hit nothing but air. Matthew went for the clinch, somewhere Jin couldn't dodge. In the clinch, Matthew kneed Jin as the other suddenly twisted his upper body, freeing him of the clinch while elbowing Matthew in the chin.
Matthew let go and wobbled two steps, only to be teeped to the ground. His eyes widened as he looked up to the standing Jin. He scrambled to stand up again. His face turned red, clearly embarrassed to have been knocked down.
He closed in again, faster than before. A jab, dodged with a simple step outside, Matthew's face now completely open. Coach Arun could almost see Jin delivering a devastating blow to his chin, but Jin just stayed put. Matthew hastily turned and put up his defense, clearly not willing to show any openings to the other.
"Is he going all out?" Someone asked.
Jin, on the other hand, didn't even have his guard up anymore. A roundhouse kick to the head, Jin simply leaned back just enough before countering with a teep. Matthew took several steps back while raising his guard cautiously against follow-ups that didn't come.
"He reads him like a book." Coach Arun muttered, surprised. The roundhouse kick to the head was something that Matthew hadn't done before, but even with the surprise, Jin easily read it. It was clear that he had long adapted to Matthew's pace and habits to the point that nothing Matthew threw could faze him.
Every time Matthew attacked, Jin moved into an opening and for some reason he didn't exploit it or just pushed the other. Nothing Matthew threw landed, and despite being the aggressor, the fight was dominated by Jin.
"Is he aura farming?" Someone commented as they looked at the two dance around one another in the octagon.
The setups Matthew tried were completely dismantled after the very first move he threw. Feints didn't work as Jin didn't react to them and just dodged any real attack. In just a few minutes after having been knocked down, Matthew completely lost confidence in any move he could take. His mindset was shattered and their fight almost looked like one between a professional letting an amateur try out his moves.
Matthew's breath was ragged with the way he asserted himself, but after having been knocked down he hadn't landed a single hit.
Coach Arun said, "Okay, that's enough. Jin, Matthew, come out." It was like he was given a lease on life with the way Matthew immediately reached out to touch gloves and headed out of the octagon. Coach Arun couldn't blame him. Even if he wanted to preserve the reputation of the school, he didn't have the ability. Perhaps if Coach Arun went up personally, he could lay Jin flat, but that would hardly preserve their dignity, so he just put it in the back of his mind. A loss was a loss.
"Man, you got completely destroyed." Coach Arun glanced at Theo, who was making the comment.
"Theodore, you want to go next against Jin? Seems like the guy could go another round or two." Coach Arun turned toward Jin, who seemed to be almost spent. However, even with the exhaustion seemingly setting in, there was still desire in his eyes. It was almost like he was an addict with the way his eyes lit up as he turned to Theodore. The other was spooked by the glance, immediately raising his hands while shaking his head as if he was held at gunpoint.
"No way. The session is already finished. I have to head to my uni." Obviously, that was just an excuse. It seemed he wasn't eager to fight someone who could completely acclimatize to your fighting style in the span of a few minutes and turn the favor around.
Although there were still some openings left and he hadn't incorporated any feints or misdirection into his attacks yet, Jin could be seen as a competent fighter who already had some professional fights under his belt.
"Hey, you say you beginner?" Aleksandr suddenly approached. A Polish immigrant who joined the dojo a year ago. 6'3 tall, built like a brick wall, barely taller than Jin.
"Yeah?"
"You bullshit!" Aleks laughed. "No way you that good as beginner. You train three, four years minimum."
"Uh, okay?"
"You good actor." He grinned. "Let's fight. I want see how strong you really are." Aleks was also the type to make fighting into a career. Unlike Theodore, instead of dodging one, seeing a new strong individual made him want to fight him.
"Maybe next time." Coach Arun interjected. "The next session starts soon." He nodded toward a group that came down from the changing rooms.
"This morning class is every day, right? Let's go tomorrow." Jin offered, to which Aleks nodded and clapped him on the shoulder.
"No hiding. Tomorrow."
They cleaned up and Coach Arun was about to change when he saw Jin going to introduce himself to the ones that were participating in the BJJ No-Gi session as well as its instructor. Matthew called out, surprised, "He wants to roll, too? He still got some fuel left in his tank? That's crazy."
"Yeah, he already looks exhausted… Wait, was he wearing the vest the entire time?"
"Uhh… man, I was already down because of the fight. Not only is he a genius, he is probably way faster without that vest." He bemoaned as he left without looking back. Like Aleks, most of the other regulars seemed to have doubts whether Jin was truly a beginner, but Matthew and Coach Arun, who had witnessed the change up close, could tell. Jin was a monster in the making.
Coach Arun shook his head before leaving as well.
…
"You sure you haven't rolled before? Maybe some Judo or wrestling?"
"Nope- Actually I did some Judo when I was 12." 'For one month or so.' Sean added mentally.
"Ah, that makes sense-"
"Hey, was nice meeting you guys, but I have to bounce. See ya!" Sean excused himself. After having showered and changed, he didn't want more questions to bombard him. He guessed no one would believe him if he said he hadn't trained before and would continue to riddle him with questions.
The Muay Thai session was great, but the BJJ was something he probably wouldn't continue. The session had made him capable of rolling with the two brown belts and win most of the positions, which was equivalent to someone having at least 3 and a half years of training behind them, or so they had mentioned how long it took for a brown belt. There were some interesting techniques and most stuff was extremely potent.
However, the session would usually start when he was supposed to clock in, so he couldn't include it in his daily schedule. Additionally, besides only having a single session in his bag, he realized that most of BJJ was leverage with the ground as support. While good against normal thugs, if someone was strong enough to fight against him in the future, they could just dig through the concrete ground to get out of the hold, or if the other person could fly, it would make most of the techniques useless as well. Throws would be more effective against those, so he might have to pick up Judo instead. Perhaps he could need some joint locks for the normal thugs as well…
His main objective for the day was already completed. The two sessions made him confident enough to take anyone as strong as him and not worry about losing too badly. If he faced the guy from the gym again, he guessed he could fuck him up now. He would like to continue training, but he was getting dangerously hungry. It was like an abyss was forming in his stomach, so he left to find something to fill it.
A walk around made him realize that there were lots of restaurant options nearby. It didn't take long until he found an Asian restaurant that had a wooden sign in front of the door with an "All-you-can-eat buffet" written boldly on it. "Alright, let's get banned one restaurant at a time." Sean licked his lips before entering, already foreseeing that the cooks probably wouldn't like to see him coming in the future.
A moment later, he was given a seat before he headed to the buffet. He created a small mountain on his plate before finishing it in a few moments. He then went ahead and got himself another plate, while being careful not to be seen by the staff as he stacked his food on his plate. Half an hour later, 5 plates and 3 bowls were standing at his table. The staff had already cleared his table twice and were now giving him looks.
"You have a great appetite." A waitress said as she eyed the plates before pointing at his tail. "Are you an ability holder?" Although she asked, it was more of a confirmation.
"Yes, is that a problem?"
"No problem. Some ability holders have huge appetites and are excluded from the buffet. There is an ability holder variant all-you-can-eat where we serve rounds directly… For every 4th round, you have to pay extra." She held up the menu, tapping on the all-you-can-eat footnote. "It is also on the sign at the front door."
"I didn't see that on the sign, besides that's not even a buffet anymore, is it…?"
"It's definitely on the sign, I show you-"
"Never mind, didn't know there was such a rule."
She nodded and seemed to be somewhat relieved. "It happens, do you want to continue or are you sated?"
"How many plates is one round?"
"Two plates with some sides. Usually, two rounds are enough for a non-ability holder to be completely sated."
"…Then let's go with another 8 rounds."
"…8 rounds… you have a great appetite. Any preference for your plates?"
…
"Bye!"
Sean burped as he headed out. He paid $127 for everything. A normal buffet would be $20, he paid only a bit more than 6 times despite eating plenty more than that. People not being able to eat their money's worth at the all-you-can-eat buffet was the way the restaurants made their money. Although he ate more than he paid, since they scale their prices, they didn't lose out too much.
However, this of course made the place less attractive for Sean. Since it was still cheaper than buying and cooking everything himself, he might still visit, but he would have to scour the surroundings for a better place. It wasn't that he didn't have the money, but he felt a bit cheated for having to pay extra at what he thought would be an all-you-can-eat buffet. It defeated the entire premise of it, so he didn't want to support it.
As he exited with a toothpick digging out some leftovers, his eyes drifted to what appeared to be a donut shop. "Granny Donuts?" Having been mostly sated by what would have fed 19ish people, he figured he could need some additional calories.
A bell rang as he opened the door and entered the store. It took a moment until it was his turn, by then he already knew what he wanted. "Two donuts of each kind you have, please."
"…Sure, 32 donuts coming up."
Sean wasn't sure why it was called Granny Donut if Gramps Donuts would be more fitting. With four large boxes in hand, he was about to step outside when he heard Gramps snort disdainfully. "You're banned! Stay outside before I call the cops!"
Sean followed Gramps' gaze when he saw someone familiar at the window, who was giving Gramps the middle finger before leaving. After heading out, he glanced at where she was about to turn the corner.
"Hey, Courtney!" Sean called out, but she just disappeared behind the corner. He followed her and just as he turned the corner, a fist came flying his way. He weaved underneath it and almost hooked the assailant in the face when he realized it was Courtney.
"Geez, what a greeting!"
"Fuck, it's you… Had hoped you were Granny."
"…Wha- Is that why he banned you? You beat him up?"
"Nooo. But he deserves a good beating."
"Yeah, I'm sure… you want a donut? See it as thanks for backing me yesterday."
"Ooo, don't mind if I do. Let's see what you got- Did you get everything? …Which cop are you trying to bribe? Oo, nice, you got a plain glazed one! Nothing beats the classics."
"By the way, shouldn't you be on the job?" Sean asked as he pointed at a bench at a small park that seemed to be created for all the office workers nearby.
"Man, I miss these." She said as she took a bite. "Oh, and I am on the clock, so better call me by my 'hero'-name. Anyway, the new dispatcher is an ass and the client pissed me off, so fuck 'em." She shrugged casually before taking another bite.
Sean couldn't help but frown at her words. "You can do that?"
She gave him a side glance before snorting. "The thief was too fast! There was nothing I could do." The too exaggerated shrug made it clear that she didn't even attempt to do her job.
"I see." At her words, for some reason an image of Spiderman came to his mind.
"Speak of the devil. I'm pretty sure that guy running is the thief."
Sean followed her gaze and saw a guy in a black hoodie and a red balaclava running down the street while clutching several purses under his arm.
"Huh? Hey, where are you going?!" Visi called out from behind. Sean had already closed half the distance before he could even question his own actions.
At that point, he only felt invigorated. The meal at the restaurant had probably already added much needed muscle to his frame again. As his feet slammed into the concrete and propelled him forward, he almost felt like he was flying across the ground. He suspected that after the meal he had doubled or even tripled in all physical disciplines again!
He was superhumanly fast. In comparison, the thief, despite his sprint, looked like he was moving like a toddler learning to walk. Sean was having a high. The way his body was filled with strength, the way the wind whooshed past him and the surroundings almost blurred, it gave him a sense of invulnerability.
Even as the thief entered a van where several other purses could be seen thrown into a corner, his mind just urged him to continue with everything he had!
"Wha- who the fuck is that-, drive! DRIVE, ASSHOLE-!" The thief closed the sliding door and the driver pressed hard on the gas pedal. The tires spun, stirring up smoke before getting enough traction to move.
However, he was already there, launching himself at them with a final leap. His shoulder slammed into the side of the van's rear.
Bang!
Steel bent under his shoulder. Unfortunately, he didn't tear right through it. His momentum slightly shifted to the side. In his flight, a familiar wooden sign blocked his path. The sign shattered into a thousand pieces before he slid across the street.
Ding!
"Umph." He groaned as his back slammed into a street sign. After shaking his head, he pushed himself to stand up, ready for a fight. His shoulder felt a bit numb, but otherwise he didn't feel too bad. His face must have been scraped with the way he slid across the street after the collision, but besides a slight burn on his cheek, he felt not bad.
A quick glance down confirmed he wasn't otherwise badly wounded. Besides being covered in wood dust, he felt ready to slug it out. He glanced back from where he had ricocheted away from. A path of wooden splinters and, at the end, a van. It was flipped, and a human-sized dent could be seen at the side. The tire beneath where he hit was bent sideways, making it impossible for the van to continue driving- well, besides it lying on its side, that was.
He watched as two people attempted to climb out of the van, coughing violently. Having gotten this far, he wouldn't let them try anything funny. He promptly pulled them both out before slamming them on the turned over van. "You got any weapons?" he asked as he started searching them.
"F-fuck my head." One of them muttered, clearly not registering his question.
"I think it's broken." The other one groaned as he held his sides.
"Holy shit, Saiya- I mean Jin. Fuck, you looked like a fucking Exterminator, flipped the van and everything!"
"Exterminator? Who is that?"
"In what world- Ah, amnesia, forgot about that. Hehe. Anyway, you know from the robot movie where they come from the future?"
"You mean the Terminator? Anyway, don't you have to cuff them or something?" Sean asked as he rotated his shoulder, getting the numbness out of it, while watching the two like a hawk.
"Do I look like a cop? Urgh, sure, let me call them… and an ambulance. You two good?"
"I think I broke a rib or two, fuck!"
"I wanna go home. My head hurts…"
The two were a mess. It certainly wasn't what he had imagined after knowing he would have to fight crime and villains. Sean glanced at the dented van before clenching his fist. His body felt sturdy, even this kind of collision only left him a bit winded, and he had the feeling that another meal would see his strength double or triple again. As soon as the thought came, a suspicion arose.
"Hey Cour- Visi, can you tell me what happened before I passed out yesterday?"
Visi got off the phone and then took out the earpiece she was wearing with an annoyed look on her face.
"Dick- what? Ehhh, yesterday? We had an emergency in the morning, so we headed out early. At lunch you grumbled about some fucker who apparently ate your food, probably someone with a grudge. You were having a bitchy attitude, so I decided to scare you straight… Now that I think about it, it seemed to have worked. Why, you remember something?"
He nodded slightly. He figured he wasn't actually increasing in strength, he might just be regaining what he should have naturally. It wasn't that he was weak normally, his body was just previously clinging to life. He had been running around with 1 HP and now he was slowly healing again.
"Hello? If you keep ignoring me, I'm kicking your ass."
One missed meal seemed to have cost him his life. The question remained why he wouldn't eat more and put something on his frame. It had only been a few times since yesterday, but when experiencing a Saiyan's hunger, it felt like a tear inside your body, hardly something one could just ignore.
"You got a flashback or something?"
"Sorry?"
"Abitchsayswhat?"
"What?"
"Ha, gotcha bitch!"
"I'm so confused."
"Yeah, and you look dumb as well… actually, you look different than yesterday." Visi then started to walk around Sean, inspecting him with a scrutinizing gaze. "Did you have a surgery?"
"No, I didn't- I think you should do your job." Sean pointed to the men in blue and the medics who approached them. She rolled her eyes.
"…Ay ay, captain!" She saluted with a middle finger before going to have the two thieves apprehended and giving her report.
He glanced toward where they had been sitting at. It was a good distance away, but that wasn't on his mind as he glanced at the empty bench. "My eyesight did improve as well- Now that I think about it, I don't have to wear contact lenses anymore… Where the hell are my donuts?" As the thought popped up, his stomach grumbled.