The Father

Rad unleashed a powerful punch and his fist sliced through the air with ferocity. 

Chayil, with speed reflexes, seized the opportune moment. Just as Rad's fist neared him, he deftly sidestepped and allowed the force of Rad's momentum to carry him forward. In one fluid motion, he closed the distance between them. He reached out and his hand found its mark on Rad's extended arm. 

With a quick pivot of his body, Chayil maneuvered himself into position. His hand slid up from Rad's wrist to his arm forcefully. And in one swift motion, Chayil pivoted his body, leveraging his hips and legs to trap Rad's arm against his chest.

With impeccable timing, he executed a straight Armbar! 

The armbar is one of the most fundamental submissions in MMA. It involves hyperextending the opponent's elbow joint by trapping their arm between your legs and extending your hips upward while applying pressure to the arm. It can cause joint damage, muscle strains, ligament tears, and even dislocation or fracture if too much force is applied.

'How did he grab my arm so smoothly like that?' Rad thought, surprised. 'It takes such intense focus and timing, yet he managed it.' Rad continued mulling over.'And what is he trying to do with this position?'

After a moment, Rad gritted his teeth. 'Now I understand," he whinged. He started to feel the pain and knelt. 'Do you really want to test me, huh?' he grumped as he fought against the excruciating pressure. Then he used his other hand and aimed another punch at Chayil. 'That won't work,' he muttered as he delivered it.

Chayil, being vigilant, anticipated his move. He intercepted Rad's bicep with his foot, expertly leveraging his legs to ensnare Rad's arm in a modified version of the armbar. As Rad's fist hurtled towards him, his legs acted as a barrier, stopping the punch's trajectory mid-air.

Rad's momentum wavered as his punch lost its intended impact. With his arm immobilized by Chayil's strategic maneuver, Rad found himself momentarily vulnerable. 'This punk! He really knows how to use his body.'

He summoned his strength within him, pushing against the ground with his might. Muscles tensed, veins bulging, he exerted himself to rise from his kneeling position.

Chayil felt Rad's muscles hardened as if he was holding something made of steel.

'How about this!' Rad snarled. With a sudden burst of power, he propelled himself upward. As he gained momentum, he charged towards Chayil with recklessness..

With Rad's sudden burst of aggression, Chayil tried to release him and escape. However, before he could escape, he already grabbed his clothes. 

'You can't escape now!' Rad rumbled. Then with a thunderous crash, he slammed Chayil to the ground. 

The force of the impact sent shockwaves through Chayil's body.

As Chayil's body made contact with the ground, a cloud of dust rose into the air, hiding their forms from view.

When the dust settled, Rad stood facing Chayil, who was kneeling with one knee and struggling to stand with blood on his lips.

"Okay, we're done here, let's go back and rest," Rad said.

"No!" Chayil retorted, his face showing frustration. After a moment, he began to mumble incomprehensibly, his expression turning angrier as he looked at Rad.

Deep inside, he was pissed. He has never experienced losing in a duel before.

He approached and slapped Chayil hard. "Are you awake now?" he asked, familiar with his reaction. He has seen that before.

Chayil's face suddenly brightened as he realized how he just reacted and he felt ashamed of his behavior. 

"Sorry, Dad," he apologized

"Is this your first time losing?" Rad asked. 

Chayil's head hung low in acknowledgment of his question. 

""I don't know where you came from or what you've been through. But you need to accept that you are not the only strong person in this world, especially here. I'm telling you this because you are now my son and I am now your father." "

Chayil lifted his head and looked at Rad. And he appeared sincere as he said that. 

"You got hit on your hand and back," Rad sighed. "I'll definitely get scolded by your mom again."

"Huh? My hand?" Chayil reacted in confusion. He looked at his hand and saw that it had a cut and was slightly bruised. He remembered the force of the punch when he grabbed Rad's arm before executing the armbar that caused the injury.

As he looked at Rad while heading home, Chayil couldn't help but blurt out with a smile, "He is really incredible."

As they reached home, Esmar immediately caught sight of Rad carrying Chayil and hurried over. 

"Rad, what happened? Is Chayil okay?" she asked, her voice was tinged with alarm. Her eyes quickly scanned over Chayil for any signs of injury.

Rad gently lowered Chayil to the chair and reassured Esmar with a calm demeanor. "He's fine, just a bit worn out from our training session."

With a stern expression, Esmar hit him lightly on the shoulder, her touch conveying her disapproval. "You were too rough with Chayil," she scolded.

Then she gently lifted Chayil's shirt. Her fingers lightly tracing over his body and she saw that Chayil's back had bruises. With furrowed brows, she shifted her gaze to Rad.

Rad immediately averted his gaze away. But when he looks back a couple seconds later, Esmar is still looking at her. He has no choice but to answer. 

"He cannot become stronger if I treat him like a baby," Rad defended his actions.

"Still, there is a proper way to teach him to be strong instead of resorting to this," Esmar insisted.

Chayil smiled as he watched the two of them, enjoying the feeling of being part of a family. 

"Is this what family is?" he whispered.

However, his brief amusement was interrupted when he felt a sudden shift in the atmosphere. His mother's stern gaze was fixated on him.

"Chayil," Esmar's voice was firm. She now stood before him, her expression serious as she addressed him directly. 

"Don't listen to your father too much!" she admonished.

Chayil nodded and said with a low voice, "I'll try." Then he smiled.

Esmar quickly tended to his injury, applying a cooling plant and carefully bandaging it, all the while chastising him for getting hurt. 

As she treated him, Chayil couldn't help but feel grateful for her care and concern.

***************

Meanwhile in the forest…

In the stillness of the night, a deer felt a sudden tug on its leg. It was trapped by the snare set. It tried to break free but it was to no avail. Exhausted from struggling, it lay still. 

But then, a noise pierced the silence. And it caused the deer to lift its head in alarm. Its nostrils twitched as it caught a whiff of something unfamiliar. It was a scent that set its heart pounding with fear. 

With wide eyes, the deer scanned the shadows. And there, in the dim moonlight, it saw it. It was a figure lurking in the darkness, and it moved closer to the deer.

Panic surged through the deer's veins as it realized the danger it was in. 

It thrashed against the trap, desperate to break free and escape…