Chapter 159 - Morning Alliance

Thong finally opened his eyes in the bed once more. He looked around as he heard banging on the door.

Carrie: Yo! Eve! Are you in there?

Thong's eyes traveled from the door to the desk on the opposite side of the room. Eve rested with her hands on her arms as she softly exhaled. Thong smiled, moving his hand up and grabbing the mask over his face. He took it off, slowly standing up from his bed. He struggled to gain his balance, staggering as he stared at the nurse. Beside him was Daniel, who was in a deep sleep.

Mike: Maybe she fell asleep while on the job. We should check in on her.

Thong grabbed the side of the bed, moving himself around the bed and eventually planting an arm against the wall. He moved slowly, his legs slowly regaining their strength as he reached Eve's desk. Shapes appeared behind the glass of the door, moving along with Thong's body. Thong let go of the wall and walked over to Eve, placing a hand on her shoulder. He carefully shook, his touch as gentle as one can be. Eve's eyes slowly opened as her eyes glazed over the room. She then looked at Thong, who was standing stably on his own two legs. He wore a smile on him, with a smile growing on Eve's.

Eve: Good morning.

The door slammed open as Mike and Carrie barged inside. Their eyes scanned the room before darting to Eve's desk. Their eyes shot open as they saw Thong and Eve standing by the desk, Thong's face having a line of stitches run down it. Thong and Mike's eyes locked as they saw each other. Mike's face became warm as he walked over to his friend, reaching out his hand and placing it firmly on Thong's shoulder.

Mike: Morning, you bastard.

Thong: Good morning, Mike. You definitely seem better.

A set of footsteps was heard outside of the door as Hugo and Li ran into the room.

Hugo: WHERE IS MY STUDENT?!

Li: CALM DOWN, HUGO!

Both of them spun their heads to where Mike and Thong were standing. Their eyes began to water as they jumped at Thong.

Hugo: YOU'RE OKAY!

Li: WE WERE ALL WORRIED ABOUT YOU!

Eve came between them and slapped Hugo and Li away. They fell to the ground as Thong stepped back with a smile on his face.

Thong: Don't be too rough on them…

Eve: Nonsense! Even if you're standing now, you shouldn't take such sudden hits from anyone!

Li: I guess we overreacted…

Hugo: What word did she use… Nonsense! That's my student! If anything, this is an underreaction!

Carrie: You are a real piece of work, aren't you?

Li: That's what I've been saying.

Mike turned to Thong as he looked at all the scars that littered the lower half of his face. The new addition of the stitches that ran down Thong's face twisted his stomach.

Mike's thoughts: He wouldn't have such an obvious gash if it weren't for me… I shouldn't have…

Thong pushed his finger into Mike's forehead, bringing Mike back to his senses. He smiled.

Thong: You're overthinking again, aren't you?

Mike: How did you…?

Thong: Don't blame yourself. I came here because I chose to. I want to save my family, and I'm happy you're here with me too.

A light knocking came to the door as everyone turned to it. Theodore stood there with Gonzalez, Ziyad, and Theresa at his sides.

Theodore: Hello there, everyone. It has gotten quite lively here. And I think I can tell why.

Thong met Theodore's gaze, feeling the gentle aura that the king exuded. He walked into the room with the others following in after him. From the bed in the corner of the room, Daniel sat up slowly, stretching his arms out, and letting out a loud yawn. The yawn made the appearance of his sharp teeth apparent to all that stood in the room. Thong and Li shivered.

Thong's thoughts: Those were the teeth that killed Alexander… How can he be so calm about killing a person?

Daniel: Papa!

Daniel sprang out of bed and jumped on Theodore's head, messing with the king's hair.

Theodore: Just as I thought this morning couldn't be any more lively. Good morning, Daniel.

Daniel: Papa here to see Daniel?

Theodore: I am. I'm also here to speak to Thong.

Thong: Me?

Theodore nodded as he stretched out his hand.

Theodore: Your opponent for this upcoming round is the most dangerous one yet. The man I couldn't have overcome as I am now. Daymond Theraphosa.

Thong: Yeah… I got to speak to him once. He's scary strong. He's the head of the Eclipse and the one to kill the previous leader. I can't even imagine the power he holds.

Theodore: He is strong, but that does not come from his physical strength. His true power is his ability to think, combat, and evolve. He showed great prowess in techniques that were not his own in my match against him. I wish to prepare you for your match against him. To put it simply, Thong, I would like you to give me the honor of training you.

Thong: W-Wait, are you for real?! I can't honestly train with you myself!

Mike hit Thong with an elbow, causing him to stumble slightly. He looked back to see Mike with an eyebrow raised.

Mike: The improvisations you've been making so far to win these last two matches won't be enough to even touch Daymond. His skills are so wildly above all the fighters in attendance here, what you've faced is child's play.

Li: Yeah, if I remember correctly. He's defeated both Shun and Jason in matches prior to this tournament. He's in a different league.

Thong: You're… You're joking…

Hugo: As much as I believe my training, I think I'll hand the torch over to Mr. King over there. He fought Dennis, so he probably knows how to deal with him better.

Theodore leaned over to Ziyad.

Theodore: Who is Dennis?

Ziyad: I'm believing he's referring to Daymond, but I honestly can't tell at this point.

Thong stood in silence, all eyes on him. His mind rushed as he raised a hand to his face. He felt the stitching on his face, the ones that made his new injury that much more obvious.

Thong: Mr. Oneiroi, I'll take you up on your offer. I'm not strong, I'm not talented. I can only consider myself lucky to have such good friends to get this far. If you're willing to train me, I'll do all I can to live up to your standards.

Theodore: That is what I like to hear. I wish to train both you and Daniel to prepare for your opponents. Ranks one and two of this organization are more dangerous than I believe you are both prepared for.

Theodore noticed Thong's hand that was touching his face drop. His head perked up as he waved at the doorway.

Theodore: And I believe you may feel more comfortable with this.

Theodore signaled to the doorway, the maid Veronica entering as elegance. She held a case with both hands as she walked over to Thong.

Veronica: Consider this a gift from the King himself.

She flicked open the case, revealing a pristine face mask laying there. It shared the same black color as his previous mask, yet the quality of the fabric seemed much higher. Thong looked all over the room, being met with nods of approval. He began to tear up as he gently picked up the mask, putting the loops over his ears. The lower half of his face was hidden once more, but Thong looked happier than ever.

Theresa: Oh, I truly do love happy moments like this. I made sure we had another prepared as it would be a shame for this to be the only one. Wouldn't want to ruin it after just getting it!

Theodore: Yes. Time is limited, so I'll make sure our training is as intense as possible. I hope you're prepared, Thong Tran, as I will ensure that you are more than capable of fighting Daymond in the quarterfinals.

Thong: I wouldn't want it any other way, sir. Please, teach me everything I can learn!

Hugo and Li watched on with amused smiles. Mike nodded in approval. Theodore turned his back to the others and walked out of the infirmary.

Theodore: Let us make haste while the day is still young.

Thong and Li rushed after Theodore as the others slowly cleared out of the room. Eve let out a sigh as she sat back in her seat. Her eyes perked up as she looked at Remy's bed, seeing Carrie sitting beside it.

Eve: Uhh… Are you sure you don't want to follow after the others?

Carrie: I will eventually. I just… want to look at him.

The bruising that covered Remy's body had begun to calm down, but his skin was still left in a harsh blue and purple. His breathing was steady as his chest slowly moved up and down. Carrie watched with remorseful eyes.

Carrie: I wish I could've encouraged you more before your match. You just had to try and prove a point, didn't you?

…

Thong walked onto the open field, watching as Theodore slid on his metal gauntlets. The King clenched his fists as he looked over at Thong. He nodded, which made Daniel hop off his head and walk next to Thong.

Theodore: I will not be giving either of you a moment of rest, as neither of your opponents will allow you time to recover either. I don't intend to harm you as they will, but please be assured that I will attempt to replicate the scenarios those two will certainly place you both in.

Thong: They're that scary, huh?

Daniel: Daniel not scared of big man. DANIEL IS STRONGEST!

Daniel charged at Theodore at top speeds, cocking his fist back and throwing it forward without a single sign of holding back. Theodore deflected the punch with ease, throwing a punch toward Daniel's face. He stopped just short of impact, his fist mere centimeters from Daniel's face.

Theodore: You can't rush in mindlessly, Daniel. Remember, this fight could be as painful, if not more so than the one Remy had faced.

Daniel: Daniel no want to be purple…

Theodore nodded as he heard the grass behind him move. He whipped around, his gauntlet moving faster than before. He stopped Thong's kick, the sounding of his leg hitting metal echoing through the field.

Theodore: That was quite sneaky, Thong.

Thong: You said they wouldn't give us a moment of rest, so I won't go in with that mindset either.

Theodore smiled under his mask, jumping back from Thong. Daniel and Thong both took combat stances as they faced down the King. They all charged one another, intent to learn what they can from this practice.

…

Gunshots were heard through the forest. Ziyad stood in the center as smoke escaped the nozzle of his gun. Gonzalez slid to the side as a bullet hole was left in the tree beside him.

Ziyad: You dodged that pretty well. I didn't even tell you I was going to shoot.

Gonzalez: I'm not stupid enough to think you wouldn't start this as soon as we were away from the others.

Ziyad: Aw, boy. You know me all too well.

Ziyad brought up his gun again, shooting several shots at the blindfolded fighter. Gonzalez dodged each one, moving seamlessly through the forest. Gonzalez charged directly at Ziyad, who aimed the gun point blank at the fighter. He pulled the trigger before the bullet went through Gonzalez.

Ziyad's thoughts: That isn't good. I should've remembered this was training.

Ziyad's eyes looked down as he saw his hand was open, his gun laying on the ground.

Ziyad's thoughts: When did I drop it? Am I becoming too old?

Gonzalez: Looks like I won round one.

Ziyad turned around, seeing Gonzalez stand behind him with his arms crossed. He stopped leaning against the tree behind him and threw the magazine of the gun to Ziyad. Ziyad let out a hearty laugh as he pulled another gun from his suit.

Ziyad: You sure know how to get an old geezer's blood pumping.

Gonzalez: Our training hasn't even begun properly, so don't hold back in firing seriously.

Ziyad: Oh, I've already learned that mistake. So I'll make sure that each of my shots are to kill.

Gonzalez: Bring it on, I need to make sure there are no flukes for when I fight Jason.

Gonzalez prepared himself as Ziyad fired several more rounds. Gonzalez dodged each one, moving closer and closer to the old general. Gunshots continued to be fired in the forest for what seemed to be hours. Gerald walked past the forest, noticing the sounds.

Gerald: Looks like my hunch was right. Welp, not like those guys mattered. I need to find Thong and plan out our next strategy. He should be up by now, but I haven't seen him in any infirmary.