As Jitae walks back into the stands he runs into Jawad Uzman. They glare at each other for a second, before Jawad breaks the silence.
- "Who do you think is going to win?"
He asks, referring to Simon Park and Elmer Calluen, the next round's fighters. Jitae takes a moment to think.
- "This isn't a match that I can predict, sorry."
He replies. Jawad scoffs.
- "I see. Me personally, I think Simon is going to win. His kicks are just way too deadly for that old man."
Jitae chuckles.
- "Don't underestimate old men, they might just be the strongest people in the world."
He says as he continues walking back. A memory pops into Jawad's head, a memory of him meeting Simon Park for the first time. It was in a public interschool martial arts tournament, a tournament where multiple schools of martial arts are allowed to join. Jawad was just a spectator, but he saw how ferocious Simon Park was. With Taekwondo alone, he was able to take down multiple wrestlers, master Karateka, and boxers. In Jawad's eyes, Simon could very well make it to the finals. He leans back in his seat.
- "Well, let's just see how the fight goes I guess."
The fighters enter the arena.
- "Now it's time for round 1, match 7! Simon "The Chainsaw" Park versus Elmer "The Demon Teacher" Calluen!!!"
The fighters get into position and stare each other down.
[https://imgur.com/1SECSHU] - Illustration of their staredown.
- "Fighters are you ready!?"
- "I'm ready."
- "I am as well."
- "Then…BEGIN!!!"
The fight starts, but neither fighter is moving an inch.
- "Looks like this match is starting slower than the previous ones!"
Elmer starts circling around Simon.
- "Have you graduated?"
He asks, condescendingly. Simon looks annoyed.
- "Only high school, why?"
Elmer shakes his head.
- "How sad."
He goes in for a tackle, Simon lands a body kick to counter, pushing him away.
- "You could've been a productive member of society."
Elmer says in a scolding tone. Simon clicks his tongue.
- "Yeah, like I'd listen to an old man in an arena like this!"
Simon goes in and initiates a knee kick. Elmer brings his guard low to block it.
- "How predictable-"
Elmer gets interrupted as the knee was a feint into a 720-degree kick which lands square on Elmer's face. He is stunned by the attack.
- "Listen old man, fights don't usually have this much talking."
Simon starts a kick combination, with a roundhouse kick, into a reverse roundhouse kick, ending his combo with another 720-degree kick, all landing on Elmer's face. He drops to his knees, with blood coming out of his mouth.
- "A swift kick combination from The Chainsaw himself! The brick wall of a man in Elmer has fallen to his knees!"
Simon looks down on his opponent. He then raises his leg up to drop an axe kick. This was the moment Elmer was waiting for; he stands up and tackles Simon. Simon tries to break out of the grip by kneeing him repeatedly, but Elmer throws him at an odd angle. Simon can't break the fall and is severely damaged. He winces in pain, as his nose starts bleeding.
- "And there goes a massive throw! Remember, grapplers can end a match as quickly as it started!"
Elmer follows up with another tackle, but Simon steps to the side. He counters the tackle with a back kick to the head. He tanks the hit and once again tries to tackle Simon.
- "I won't let him grab me; one grab already damaged me to this degree!"
He snaps his leg up, performing a front kick. It lands on Elmer's chin, breaking his momentum and pushing him back. He recomposes, but Simon is on the offensive. He goes for a 45-degree kick, which lands flush on Elmer's face.
- "Simon's flurry of kicks is never-ending, but Elmer isn't out of the game just yet!"
Bracing himself for the kick, Elmer pushes forward. He grabs Simon's nape, but Simon too grabs Elmer's.
- "A wrestling lock! Seems like Simon has studied how to counter wrestling with wrestling!"
Simon is at a disadvantage. He's lighter than Elmer, so if his focus gets shaken up even a little, he'll get thrown. His face grimaces, as he struggles to keep the lock up. Elmer grins deviously.
- "You could've been a doctor, or an engineer."
He says, attempting to distract him. Simon is trying his best not to get pissed off.
- "I bet your parents are sad about the path you've chosen."
Simon has had it.
- "SHUT THE FU-"
His concentration breaks, Elmer breaks the lock and gets behind Simon, going in for a suplex. Simon braces himself, but he gets dropped on his head.
- "AND A SUPLEX!!!"
Despite dampening the throw, he still takes massive damage. Blood is gushing out of his head; his consciousness is starting to fade. Elmer stands up and gets ready to start a ground-and-pound. Simon regains focus and kicks him away. He quickly backs off before Elmer could counterattack.
- "Simon gets back up! But it seems like the suplex is beginning to take a toll on his body!!!"
He wipes away the blood dripping into his eyes and spits out blood. He glares at Elmer with bloodshot eyes.
- "What do you know about what my parents would like."
He says, before hitting Elmer with another 720-degree kick, sending him back.
- "My parents are dead."
He says before getting back into his stance. Elmer composes himself.
- "Well then, it seems like they're both looking down on you figuratively and literally."
Simon, now knowing his opponent's strategy, calms himself down before getting closer.
- "He's using trash talk to lure me in. I have a longer reach than him, but his throws are deadly. I'll have to finish this slowly."
Elmer closes in, but Simon kicks preemptively. Elmer dodges and backs off.
- "Both fighters are distancing themselves from each other! Both have taken heavy damage, from the kicks and from the throws!!!"
Using the kick, Elmer assesses the range at which he should engage.
- "You're quite skilled, boy, but you could've been something else."
Simon scoffs at the idea.
- "Nah, if you have talent, you should use it. Otherwise, you might as well have not been born."
Elmer shrugs his arms.
- "Is that how you see it? Many fighters after retirement become poor, crippled, or even homeless. That wouldn't happen if they just diligently went to school."
Simon clicks his tongue.
- "For a teacher, you sure are quick to generalize, and you're a fighter too, what makes you any different?"
- "I guide the next generation to be better. Most fighters here don't even give a damn about the world around them, only the glory of being the strongest."
- "So why are you here?"
- "Because I have to teach these kids that this was the wrong path to take."
Simon shakes his head in disagreement.
- "You're a lunatic."
Simon is starting to get lightheaded. That suplex he took would've been enough to knock him out if he didn't break the fall in time. Once again, he wipes off the blood dripping close to his eyes. Memories of his family start flowing into his mind. That night his parents were murdered. The night he turned from a Taekwondo prodigy into a killer out for revenge. The night when he decapitated the murderer with just his kicks alone.
- "I gotta end this quickly!"
He thinks to himself before quickly closing in. Elmer guards high, but Simon hits him with a back kick to the solar plexus. He tanks it, but he's hurt. Simon then goes for a roundhouse kick with his right, Elmer blocks, but it was just a feint for his left roundhouse kick. Elmer's temple is hit, his vision tilts.
- "Another high-speed kick combination from Simon! How will Elmer recover from this!?"
To finish the combo, he goes for a 45-degree kick, but Elmer pushes against the kick and has him in a grab.
- "Game over."
He lifts Simon up into the air and then slams him into the ground. He is knocked out, but Elmer falls to his knees as well.
- "Cheeky bastard."
Simon landed one last close-range liver shot before he was slammed into the ground. The referee helps Elmer up before raising his arm.
- "And the winner is…ELMER "THE DEMON TEACHER" CALLUEN!!!"
He limps into the exit hallway, where Waldemar is waiting with his arms shrugged.
- "You're a piece of trash, you know that?"
Waldemar says, glaring at Elmer.
- "So what? I'll gladly turn into a landfill if it means turning these kids' lives around."
Elmer replies, before Waldemar grabs him by the neck.
- "The fighters who have gathered here are here on their own accord. They are not your students."
Elmer moves Waldemar's arm.
- "You wouldn't understand. Being a fighter is like being chained. There are many young people here who can still turn around and change their lives before they get ruined forever."
- "Like I would believe that when your main way of playing this game is to get inside people's heads to anger them and to lower their guard."
- "What makes you any different? You are known as "The Jackass" for a reason."
Waldemar hits him with a full-powered slap, sending Elmer to the ground.
- "Because unlike you, I know who I fucking am. I'm a tall, muscle-headed freak of nature who beats people up while insulting their entire bloodline, and I'd rather kill myself than ever admit otherwise. You, on the other hand, pretend you're a saint who only wishes to help people be the best they could be."
Waldemar spits on the floor.
- "I have a lot of things to say to you, but I'll save it for round 2."
Waldemar says as he walks towards the entrance. Elmer gets up to leave. He grins.
- "What a sad man. There were no teachers like me when he was growing up. Looks like I'll have to teach the elderly too."
He mutters to himself before heading to the infirmary.
As the kids enjoy their ice cream, Jitae thinks to himself.
- " Looks like Jawad was wrong. Oh well."
Jacques stands up.
- "Can you watch the kids, Mr. Jitae Won? I'm gonna prepare for my match."
Jitae nods as a reply.
- "Thanks. Oh, and Adam, watch carefully."
He says before leaving.
- "Lerdpisit, eh? That's a tough fight for sure."
Jitae thinks to himself, referring to Jacques' match.