"Ughhhhhhhh," Kevin complains. He's been in Qiawu for two days so far—two days of waking up early to meet with Kin. He gets up and prepares to go.
"Jesus Christ, I get that we have to train, but why so damn early?" Kevin groans. He heads downstairs to take his gym clothes out of the washer. When he gets there, he sees Ming sitting at the table. She sits quietly, clearly deep in thought.
"H-hey, Ming. Another early morning?" Kevin asks. She turns her head toward him.
"Good morning, Mr. Kevin. Yeah, I decided to wake up earlier than usual today. What's got you up so early?" she asks.
"Ugh, I have to meet with Kin again. Not fun, but I guess I gotta do what I gotta do," Kevin complains. "Waking up early is nice and all, but you should make sure you get enough rest."
"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind," Ming says, partially dismissing his words. "You should make sure to sleep too. You haven't had a full night's rest since you got here," she scolds.
Kevin chuckles. "You haven't changed a bit," he mumbles.
"What was that?" Ming asks, not having heard him.
"Uhh, never mind. Anyway, I'll be on my way now."
"Oh… okay. See you later, Mr. Kevin," Ming says, waving.
"Yeah, you too. And there's no need to say 'Mr. Kevin.' Kevin is fine—I'm not that old, y'know!" he scolds lightly. Ming smiles.
"All right, Kevin. Have a good rest of your day," she says. Kevin waves and closes the door behind him.
Outside, Kevin sighs. Another cold day… I really need to buy a better sweater. Money needed to start coming in soon. He starts walking to the gym. He walks not because he wants to, but because he's dirt poor. He thinks about stopping at the bakery but decides against it; best not to make Kin too mad. After about half an hour, he arrives at the gym—without getting lost.
"Nice, you made it on time," Kin says sarcastically. He stands outside with his gym bag, the same as yesterday.
"Yeah, sorry about being late yesterday. I just got… busy," Kevin says. Kin raises an eyebrow.
"You got lost, didn't you?"
"No, I was just… exploring! This is my hometown, you know. You can't blame me for wanting to look around," Kevin tries to explain. Kin doesn't buy it.
"Yeah, you definitely got lost."
"I didn't!" Kevin insists.
"Whatever," Kin says. "Let's get to work. Start with stretches and endurance training. Afterwards, you'll do some light sparring."
"Oh, we're sparring again? All right! I'm definitely gonna win this time!" Kevin taunts.
"Good one, but no. I won't be your opponent," Kin replies.
"You won't? Then who is it?" Kevin asks, looking around.
"You'll see. Just get in there and warm up," Kin says, unlocking the gym. Kevin goes inside, changes, and starts warming up. About 30 minutes into his workout, Kin approaches him.
"How are you feeling, kid?" Kin asks. Kevin stops jump roping and catches his breath.
"I'm feeling all right. Hey, I have a question," Kevin says.
"What's up?"
"When can I start fighting? I know I've only been training for two days, but I need money now."
Kin sighs. "You're right, but there's one big issue. The betting game is intense. You need to win your first fight if you want to make money early on. Your earnings depend on how much people bet on you. The people who bet on these fights are really conservative with their money. If you lose your first match, they assume you can't make them profit. It's really hard to build your image after that."
"So? I thought you said we could do it. I'm strong, and I have experience. I should be able to dominate the rookies!" Kevin argues.
"Yes and no. You're confusing normal boxing with what we do here. Instead of trading blows head-on, fighters here use special techniques," Kin explains.
"Techniques?" Kevin repeats, confused.
"Yeah. Some fighters use techniques passed down through their family lineage—stuff that lets them do insane things and sometimes even kill. If you sign a contract to fight, and the opponent dies because you ignored the ref's orders, you get the penalties."
"Oh… I guess that makes sense. Do you have any techniques you can teach me?" Kevin asks.
"Nope. We're not that special. Those techniques are either inherited or taught at prestigious schools."
"Oh," Kevin says, disappointed.
"The plan is to use your strength to make up for your shortcomings—like your lack of technique. That's why we need to build your foundations before you fight. You'll need to learn how to counter technique using raw power," Kin continues.
"Really? And how am I gonna learn that?" Kevin asks.
Suddenly, the gym door slams open. A tall woman with short, dark hair walks in, wearing a sweater and carrying a gym bag.
"Kin! You in here? I got your call!" she yells.
"Speak of the devil—perfect timing, Mei."
"Really? I'm a little late, don't you think?" Mei says.
"Who's that?" Kevin asks.
"That's your sparring partner, Měi Huang. She's proficient in Jiu-Jitsu."
"Jiu-Jitsu? How's that supposed to help?" Kevin asks, doubtful.
"Jiu-Jitsu is all technique. If you want to beat her, you'll have to do more than blindly punch," Kin says. Mei approaches Kevin.
"I heard you're pretty good—at least, according to Kin. Think you can take me on?" she says. Kevin looks at her, doubtful. She's so much shorter than me. How can she win? He thinks. Mei walks into the changing room.
"I'll be out in ten. I won't go easy on you, dude," she calls.
"Are you sure she can take me?" Kevin asks Kin.
"Oh yeah. She trains here sometimes. I've seen her fight. She's definitely one of the toughest around."
Kevin gets excited; he's never fought someone who does Jiu-Jitsu before.
A couple of minutes later, Ming comes out of the change room wearing a sports bra and shorts, her hair tied back with a hairtie. Kevin turns to her, she looks a lot stronger without he sweater on.
"All right, you ready?" Kevin asks.
"Yep, don't complain if I kick your ass!" Mei retorts.
They both go to the ring and get ready to spar. Kin goes to the center of the ring.
"All right! Let's have a clean fight. I'm gonna be the ref. You both ready?" Kin asks. Kevin and Mei nod. "All right! 3, 2, 1, GO!"
Kevin is quick to put his guard up. Mei charges in. Kevin, surprised at her initiative, starts to charge in as well. Mei throws a kick with more power than Kevin thought it would give. Kevin throws a punch, missing Mei. Before Kevin can retract his fist, Mei grabs Kevin's left arm and kicks his left side, which is now open because he can't move.
"Shit!" Kevin quickly dashes back. Getting out of Mei's grip.
"Jesus, I told you not to have such a tight stance!" Kin scolds, "You're too open after you attack. Spread your arms more and don't have them so close to you!" Kevin breathes. He looks over to Mei, a smug look on her face.
Mei is a lot tougher than Kevin would have thought. 'She's tough, but not as fast as Kin, I think I have a chance,' Kevin thinks to himself. He loosens his stance, shifting his weight to his left leg by putting it forward. And putting his left arm a little lower.
This fight is about to get interesting.