Chapter 130 - Faith in a Good Man
Thong sat in the changing room, looking down at the two tonfas sitting in front of him.
Thong's thought: I really have to use these…
Li: As much as I hate to say it, Gerald's got a point. Shun's weapon is too much of a threat to fight barehanded.
Hugo: I mean, look at how he messed up that taco dude. As my trusty student, I don't want you to be cut in half.
Thong: Thanks for that image, Hugo…
Gerald: You didn't think I'd have you fight him as you are, right?
Everyone turned to see Gerald enter the room.
Li: You totally ditched us for two crazy fights!
Thong: Yeah, I thought you'd at least want to see Daymond and Theodore fight since they showed what it really means to be in the top ten!
Gerald: You really believe I'd be able to think of ways to beat them with the three of you yelling in my ears? I came up with the tools you'll be using to beat Shun. But now that Daymond of all people made it to the next round, I had to plan it out. The fact he knew so much in that fight makes it hard for me to plan for him…
Gerald placed a hand on his forehead, struggling to think about a solution.
Gerald: I'm just lucky it wasn't Theodore. His gauntlets and shin guards are both offense and defense. He'd be too large of a wall to counter.
Thong: I don't care who made it to the next round.
Everyone turned to Thong, who looked down to the ground. His open palm entered his fist. He clenched it tightly, feeling a fire burn in him.
Thong: I refuse to lose to anyone. I now carry my family's and Mike's burdens with me. So I refuse to lose.
Hugo: Now that's what I like to hear!
Li: I'll be rooting for you the whole way, Thong.
Gerald: It would be quite annoying if my favorite character started doubting himself now. So you better not lose under any circumstances, you hear?
Thong: With the Azufield Style and my Wing Chun, I have complete faith in myself.
Li: Don't forget the tonfas and the ro-
Thong: Yeah, I know. I'll use all of it to win.
They all smiled at Thong, who stood up with pride.
…
Hoa and Tiana walked into Thong's room, their eyes darting everywhere.
Tiana: This is a lot more empty than I expected…
Hoa: He doesn't use any of the money he earns for himself… He gives it to me and his father as quickly as he can.
Tiana stayed silent, unsure of what to respond with. She walked around the room, searching each cabinet she came across. She found nothing but rows of masks, socks, and underwear. She turned over to Hoa, who opened the closet.
Hoa: Ah!
Tiana ran over to her, looking at the dirty sweater that sat in the room.
Hoa: This is so dirty! A-And is that…
Tiana: That looks like blood… This is like back then…
Hoa: Back when?
Tiana: Thong was training against this hobo in an abandoned multi-story car park. He was fighting like he was ready to get into a street fight… Then he-
Tiana's eyes opened wide, Hoa moving closer to the girl.
Hoa: Then he what?! What did he do, Tiana?!
Tiana: I remember him fighting your husband. It was a brutal way of fighting, unlike anything I'd ever seen from him.
Hoa: Anh never told me anything about this…
Tiana moved back over to the cabinets, sifting through the clothing until she found a filled envelope. She picked it up, opening it as a shock overcame her face. Hoa walked over to her to notice the several envelopes with stacks of money inside.
Hoa: W-What is this?! What is any of this?!
Tiana: Mrs. Tran, I think I pieced together what your son does… He probably does some street fighting for money!
Hoa: What?! If Anh knows, I need to confront him when he comes home! I can't handle this anymore! What are these men hiding from me?!
Tiana placed the envelope back, thoughts flew through her mind at insane speeds. She could hardly understand what she saw before her.
Tiana's thoughts: Thong… What are you and Mike a part of?
Hoa: I need you here for when I confront him, Tiana.
Tiana: Why?
Hoa: I know how my husband is… He'll try to hide no matter what. I need your help to force him to answer.
Tiana stayed silent before turning to Hoa with a face full of resolve.
Tiana: I will, Mrs. Tran. I care about Thong, so I need answers. I need to know what's happening…
…
Zachary returned to the middle of the ring, pushing his sunglasses up as the audience chatted amongst themselves.
Zachary's thoughts: It's going to be hard to make them as invested as with the previous match, but that's to be expected…
He raised the mic to his mouth, putting on a grand smile.
Zachary: LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! AFTER THAT CORE-SHAKING MATCH, IT'S TIME FOR US TO MOVE ON TO THE REST OF THE TOURNAMENT! AND I PROMISE YOU THIS MATCH WON'T DISAPPOINT! WELCOME OUR FIRST COMBATANT COMES OUT! HE TOOK US ALL BY SHOCK WITH HIS VICTORY OVER MICHAEL TAYLOR, BUT WILL THAT LUCK CONTINUE TO FOLLOW HIM? HERE COMES "THE SILENT POINT" THONG TRAN!!!
The audience turned to one of the entrances, watching as one figure formed. Thong walked into the ring, holding tightly onto his tonfas as he walked over to Zachary. Chatter came over the audience as he moved across the ring.
Man 1: He didn't use those in the previous round, did he?
Man 2: What's he planning?
Thong stopped right in front of Zachary, bowing.
Thong: Thanks for having me…
Zachary: I should be thanking you for not taking so long this time.
Hugo, Li, and Gerald all stood at his entrance, watching Thong talk to Zachary. Footsteps were heard as Mike stopped right in front of the group, slightly short on breath.
Mike: Dammit, I was too slow.
Hugo: You have a lot of guts showing your face around here, Muck!
Li: Mikey, glad to see you make it! I hope you're here to support Thong like we are!
Gerald: If it isn't the friend character. I'm glad to finally meet you in person.
Mike: Who the hell are you?
Gerald: Thong's current teacher. Thanks to me, he's going to win this tournament.
Mike: I hope he does…
Gerald: I planned out his victory, so no need to worry a single bit. It's just the opponent after this round that's the trouble…
Everyone turned to the other side of the ring, their eyes following the spotlights moving over there.
Zachary: AND HIS OPPONENT SHOCKED EVERYONE WITH THE TRUE POWER OF SPEED! HIS SPEED MADE HIM IMPOSSIBLE TO FOLLOW FOR ALL OF US IN HERE! HE STANDS HERE AS ONE OF THE ARACHNA'S REPRESENTATIVES, SO A LOT OF WEIGHT IS ON HIS SHOULDERS! LET'S HEAR SOME CHEERS FOR "THE HUSH" SHUN RYUUUUGIIIIIII!!!
Shun walked out of the entrance with a confident smile on his face. He carried his scythe on his shoulders, resting his hands on the staff. He stared directly at Thong as he moved closer and closer. He came to a stop, standing nearly eye level with Thong.
Shun: I was fully expecting to fight Mike here, but with those weapons of yours, I think I got a more fun match ahead of me.
Thong: T-Thanks… I saw yours and knew I couldn't fight empty-handed.
Shun: I can understand why. Tico got pretty messed up, and I doubt you have the same drive as he does.
Thong: You say that, but I refuse to back down. I have a lot I'm fighting for here.
Shun: Same here, buddy. So try not to die too quickly. We got to put on a good show for the audience.
Thong's thoughts: I should've watched his match myself, but I'll have to go based on what Gerald told me…
Silvia placed her hands over her mouth in the audience, staring intensely at the match before her.
Silvia: You got this, Thong…
Pablo: You know the kid?
Silvia turned, seeing Pablo and Pedro holding popcorn as they looked at her. Kusari and Ronald stood behind them, peeking over to see Silvia sitting by herself.
Silvia: I… I fought him in the preliminaries…
Pedro: Aye, that's great. I and Pablo fought him on a mission before this thing. We got a lot in common.
Kusari: That kid beat the guy that beat me, so I couldn't just miss out on how he does here.
Ronald: Keke, after that last fight, I hope he doesn't die here.
Silvia: Thong won't die that easily! He shows more promise than anyone!
Pablo: Calm down, missy. I agree with ya. I fought that kid firsthand. I know it isn't good to underestimate him. Right now, he seems the most serious he ever has.
Silvia: I have faith in him… He's a good guy.
Thong and Shun walked away from each other, opening room for the final match of Block B.
Thong's thoughts: I won't lose to anyone, not even you, Shun.
Minh: We refuse to lose.