Chapter 69 - Brigade

A knocking came to the door of the awfully silent home. Anh Tran walked up to the door, opening it nonchalantly to be met with the energetic face of Tiana.

Tiana: Ah! Hello, Mr. Tran. May I come in?

Anh: Sure, come on in. My wife has some tea brewing if you'd like some.

Tiana: Of course, I would love some.

Anh and Tiana walked into the kitchen before taking a seat at the table. Hoa turned around, meeting Tiana with a warm smile as she pulled out a third cup.

Hoa: Oh Tiana. How wonderful it is for you to join us.

Tiana: Of course, Mrs. Tran. I was just checking up on you to make sure everything was well.

Hoa: Ah, thank you for your concern. As you can tell, I and Anh are in good health.

Tiana looked at Anh, noticing the bandage he had sitting over the bridge of his nose. Hoa walked around the table, placing a cup in front of Anh and Tiana before sitting down with her own.

Tiana: So… Have either of you heard from Thong or Mike?

Hoa: I haven't, sadly… Dear, please. Can you tell us what you know?

Anh took a sip of his tea before looking at Tiana and Hoa.

Anh: I guess I shouldn't have stayed quiet about it. While I'm not sure what Michael is doing, Thong has left on a trip with a new job he's training with. He should be gone for a week or so.

Tiana: Is really that all?

Hoa: I'm so relieved.

Anh: Of course. He'll come back to us in one piece. So calm your nerves.

…

Mike jumped forward, landing a right hook across Thong's face as Thong's arms moved out helplessly to block the strike. Mike stepped on Thong's foot, preventing him from moving back any further before following up with a left hook. Mike brought his foot up before kicking him away. Thong tumbled on the ground before picking himself back up as Mike ran forward, aiming a kick directly at Thong's face. Thong's arms shot up, taking the brunt of the kick before rolling back. With a quick hop, Thong returned to his feet, placing both hands in front of himself once more.

Theodore sat in a medical room, two men standing at his side applying bandages to the cuts on his back. He stares at a monitor sitting opposite of him.

Theodore: Something is off about young Thong's Wing Chun.

Ziyad: What would that be?

Theodore: Wing Chun is a style mainly known for its speed and combination of both defensive and offensive power, yet he hasn't used either in unison. He either goes entirely on the defensive or on the offensive. This gap in his style allows Michael to work more effectively.

Ziyad: Could he be an amataur?

Theodore: We'll need to wait and see.

Mike charged in, throwing rapid punches aimed at Thong. Thong immediately sways to the left, avoiding Mike's first blow. Keeping in pace, Mike changed the direction of his strikes, only to see that Thong had already changed his pace. Thong kept up his evasion of Mike's punches, pivoting on his back foot as Mike's punches got closer.

Mike's thoughts: He's using his centerline to control his power and movements. He just can't help but make this annoying.

Throwing a right hook, Thong weaved away from Mike's strike. Before keeping up with his pace, he felt a heavy strike hit his leg. He glanced down, only to see Mike's foot move away from his leg.

Li: Don't change your focus!

Mike landed a hammerfist on top of Thong's head, sending him to the ground. Mike stood over Thong, catching his breath as he stared down.

Mike: You should stay down. I don't plan on losing this fight to you. I don't plan on losing to anyone.

Thong reached out, grabbing onto Mike's leg as he brought himself back up once again. A distraught look came over Mike's face as he saw Thong slowly pull himself back up. After a few agonizing moments, Thong and Mike were at eye level with each other. Mike looked into Thong's eyes, seeing the passion burning in his eyes.

Mike: Why…

Mike pulled back his fist, clenching tightly before being pushed away by Thong. Thong charged in, Mike throwing out a straight right, Thong pushing it away and throwing a straight right of his own. It collided with Mike's face before he felt his body tense up.

Minh: Let's move!

Thong's fists moved like machine-gun fire, throwing rounds of punches onto Mike as Mike raised his guard. The audience gasped, noticing the strength and power behind Thong's punches. Jason stood in one of the audience entrances, looking down at the match.

Jason: I don't know him very well, but this appears to be his trend. He seems to slowly build up during a fight, more than likely finding his rhythm.

Mike gritted his teeth, feeling pain well up in his arms as he took Thong's barrage of blows. He pushed forward, forcing Thong to step back and shorten the span of his arms. Mike kicked off the ground, moving towards Thong's right before punching him on the side of the chest. Thong let out a gasp before Mike wrapped his hand around Thong's neck, pulling him down and slamming a knee into his stomach. Thong winced in pain, only for a shadow to loom over his head. His body plummeted to the floor with a crack, Mike's foot sitting on his head.

Zachary: What a brutal turnaround! Mike made Thong's barrage of punches become entirely null!

Zenzo: Those kicks pack a real punch!

Mike let out an exhausted sigh, looking at Thong. Blood slowly formed around Thong's head, filling up the cracked concrete that lay beneath it.

Mike: I just can't afford to lose. This is for your own good.

…

Nearly two decades ago, a man, woman, and their newborn baby rode a boat, heading to a country said to be the next land of opportunity. Sitting over two thousand miles to the west of California sat the prosperous country of Virtus Imperium. Years flew by, that boy growing up and entering school. He was known as Michael Taylor, and he had entered one of the many Taekwondo clubs during his elementary years. Come the end of his high school years, he had finally entered a tournament on the national level. He was told that the presence of none other than the King himself would appear to witness this event. Despite the strong trial of the tournament, Mike was the one who came out on top. However, even during the award ceremony, the audience seemed to place a lot of focus upon one of their own. As Mike left the venue, the man that had garnered the attention of so much of the audience was the King, Theodore Oneiroi.

Mike: K-King Oneiroi! To what pleasure do I owe you?

Theodore: Don't worry about the honorifics. Young Michael, I was watching the tournament and I must say, your skills truly are splendid. You have shown the country how great a Taekwondo user can truly be.

Mike: W-Why thank you. It is truly an honor to be graced by your presence.

Theodore: The pleasure is all mine, and well, I have a truly special offer I would like to make to you. Would you follow me, if you please?

Mike followed behind Theodore, who had several guards stand around him, citizens all throughout were cheering and attempting to talk to the king. Despite having won the tournament, Mike's presence was entirely ignored by the masses, the King of the land being the major appeal. They soon reached the main palace, entering a training room filled with several men training. Mike stared in awe, feeling the gap between himself and all those around him.

Theodore: I would like to introduce you to my own little group that I like to call The Brigade.

Stepping forward was Abraham, Gonzalez, and Daniel. Several others stood behind them, each with varying frames but yet their presence seemed to tower over Mike. He stared in shock before looking down at the medal that hung around his neck. Compared to the people that stood before him, the medal felt inconsequential.

Theodore: My request would be that you join us in The Brigade. Your skills in Taekwondo would be of great importance and be truly appreciated.

Mike scoffed to himself, turning around and looking back at the entrance.

Mike: You come to my victory and show me this? I don't plan on being part of your little group of friends, King. With all due respect, I'll be taking my leave.

Mike walked away from the palace, taking off his medal before throwing it away.

Mike: What good are you if everyone will forget you once someone more popular shows up?

Within a few days, Mike departed from his family, moving back to America to continue his education at a college there. It didn't take long before he eventually got himself involved in the underground organization known as the Eclipse. Having won his initiation and two other matches, Mike felt the best he ever had. Until he reached his third official match. The man standing opposite of him had the long, flowing hair that he could never forget.

Theodore: Why hello, Michael. I am quite surprised to see that you would be my opponent in this match. I wonder if you would like to put a little wager between us for this match.

Mike: What little wager do you have in mind, King?

Theodore: Well, If I win, you will officially join The Brigade.

Mike gritted his teeth from hearing the wager made by the King.

Mike: You bastard… Alright. But once I kick your sorry ass, you better leave the underground. You're not welcomed here.

The match ended as quickly as it had started, Mike breathing heavily on the ground as Theodore spoke with some of the nearby attendees. He turned around, reaching a hand out to Mike.

Theodore: Welcome to The Brigade, Michael.

Mike bit his lip, feeling his time to shine fade as he grabbed Theodore's hand.