13 CHAPTER 13

In a private booth...

Sitting on the floor, he takes a deep breath before getting into a meditation pose. He found it much easier to assume this stance when trying to sort the new techniques he gained.

And with a push, he opens his version of Eye of the Mind. Instantly, he is brought into a 5x5 meter box with him in the center of said box. Beyond the box was just emptiness, the abyss that he saw when he was in the Orb's Domain.

With a pull, figures start to form as they performed the newly learned martial arts. And he greedily consumes everything, the exact movement, the angle of every muscle, etc.

Now, you might be wondering about his ability to copy any physical move at a glance.

(A/N: I really need names for his ability and Quirk. Give suggestions!)

'Why did he not watch high-profile martial artists and learn from there?'

That's a very good point, dear viewer, that Gohru does not know since I'm breaking the fourth wall to answer your question.

1; He was in an orphanage, with dozens of children who want to watch Heroes with flashy Quirks fight, thus he did not absorb much.

And 2; even if he did, it was too pixelated to see the exact movements. Sure, he could replicate them, but if he copies them wrong and something happens, it would be disastrous, so he refrains to do such even though it is recorded in his mind.

Time always seems to move slower when his Eye of the Mind is active, his perception of time is diluted here while his mind was moving twice as fast as before.

Eventually, he disables Eye of the Mind with a huff as he pinches the temples of his head to ease the pain in his head. The skill always does this at the end, fair since he was using more brain power than a human should use, but his Quirk would force his body to adapt anyways so it was a win-win.

Glancing at the clock, he was thankful to Past Gohru for telling Kenichi to not meet him since it was already 3.11 p.m. Getting up for a stretch, he decided to do a light practice of the moves that he just processed.

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KNOCK KNOCK

Glancing at the door, he frowned as he stopped his movements.

'Who is it?'

He had only told Kenichi his private booth number that every semi-finalist was given, so it's either him or someone else. And coupled with the fact that he would have called out for him removes Kenichi from the equation.

Leaning back to get back to the ground from a handstand, he walked to the door before opening it, seeing a mid-30s man in front of the door.

"Good afternoon, Jin-san. I am Tashiro Naoki, a representative of Asics." Tashiro raises his hand for him to shake, which he instinctively does.

'Asics? You mean the shoe brand Asics?'

"Excuse me, but do you mean by the famous shoe brand, Asics?"

"Ah, yes. May I please come in? It's quite important."

"Please, Tashiro-san."

He guided the representative to one of the seats before they sat down opposite one another.

"Ahem, now the reason for this is to bring you this." He hands me a file in his suitcase, pushing up his glasses when Gohru opened the file to read its contents.

After a moment of silence, he closes the file with a shocked expression.

"A-Asics wants to sponsor me?!"

'IT'S PANIC MODE! THIS IS NOT A DRILL! I REPEAT, THIS IS NOT A DRILLLLLLL!!!'

Asics, one of the most famous sports brands in Japan wants to sponsor him? This was in the Money-Making Plan™️ for a famous brand to sponsor him, yes, but it was step 12 instead of step fucking 4! And it's Asics! One of the most, maybe the most popular sports brand in Japan!

"Yes, as a matter of fact, we are willing to collaborate with you for your future endeavors. For now, as the contract suggests, we are to cooperate for 3 years until the contract is renewed if you agree to it."

Holy cow, a contract from Asics! And that money when I join! 325,000 Yen as a downpayment and a salary of 400,000 Yen per month, and that doesn't include the nifty stuff!

He swallowed the saliva stuck in his throat.

"I-I... Ahem. May I please take a few days to process this? I need a lawyer. Just in case..."

He said, leaving the sentence finished as Tashiro-san nodded in understanding.

"That's understandable, Jin-san. From your perspective, a sudden visit from me would make you confused and nervous about the contract. It's not a problem. My superior predicted this, so if you'd please take this..." He hands him a name card that had an Asics logo on it along with a name card for a law firm.

"Call her as your consultant, she's one of the best in Japan and is the most trustworthy. Oh, and she is being paid for by corporate, so you don't have to spend a dime and get the contract examined for any loopholes."

Woah, that's embarrassing that he found out... And overkill. Do they really want him so badly? The problem was...

"May I ask why me out of all the participants, Tashiro-san? I'm after all just 8 years old compared to the 15~18-year-olds here in this tournament."

"That's exactly the reason, Jin-san. You are still young. Compared to the others in this tournament, your potential is the scariest because you are just 8. Your future as our partner will be limitless."

He finishes his explanation before standing up, to which Gohru stood up as well out of respect for the elder person.

"Just give me a call when you are ready, Jin-san. Asics is very interested to partner with you, along with other brands due to your performance. I just hope that you'll choose the best."

And with another handshake and a bow, he was gone, leaving Gohru with a file and a heavy decision that could possibly change his life.

'... Holy shit. I just got asked to be sponsored by fucking Asics.'

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"You look shocked. What happened?"

Kenichi asks as they sat down at one of the empty seats available in the waiting room in front of a crew and cameras. A lot of cameras.

"I'll tell you after I make sure of it. But whatever it is, it's big."

"WELCOME BACK, EVERYONE, TO THE SEMI-FINALS!!!"

The announcer yells into his mic as the camera pans at him while the crew secretly got ready for the selection process.

It was the same as the past few, take a piece of paper with a number on it, and tell the staff responsible for the brackets. Then wait and fight. Simple. This time he was going first since no one did.

"Number 2."

He was second. That means whoever gets number one fights him.

"Number 3."

He heard the staff say as Kenichi waits beside him.

"Number 1."

The Boxer got number one. That leaves...

"Number 4. And that's it for the selection period, folks! The Semi-Finals will start in 10 minutes, so can the participants of the first round please come to the stage to get ready!"

Omori was fourth. Meaning he's going to face Kenichi in the second round. Looking at the boy, he'd expected a nervous or fearful expression.

DUNNNN

But this was Hirose Kenichi, the bloodthirsty fighter who seeks exciting battles. The boy had a glint of excitement in his eyes as his smirk grew into a battle-hungry grin, staring at Omori's figure. The two eyes met before Omori gave him a nod, something that Gohru had not seen at all before.

So Omori recognizes him as a threat? This was going to be one hell of a match!

"So, you're up. Break his legs, Gohru."

"Shouldn't it be 'break a leg' instead of 'his'?"

"Did I stutter?"

"Fair enough. I'll see you soon."

And he left the side of Kenichi to the ring, chuckling at their final exchange.

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