Chapter 34 - Fated Meetings

Thong stared as Daymond was now standing in front of him, holding a book with a highly detailed cover in his right hand. His purple trench coat waved in the air as a breeze flew through the forest.

Daymond: Your mind seems fairly clouded, yet your skills definitely show why you survived the preliminaries. Let's move out of this forest to somewhere more civil.

Thong's thoughts: How could he tell something was up in my mind? Maybe it was just obvious on my face…

Thong walked up to Daymond, swiftly catching up to him. Both walking through the forest as the sounds of birds and other small creatures echoed throughout.

Daymond: Thong Tran, a practitioner of Wing Chun. I haven't fought someone like that in years.

Thong: Are you experienced with Wing Chun fighters?

Daymond: Their craft is very appealing to me. I find an interest in fighters of all sorts of interesting styles.

Thong: Yeah, my father wouldn't stop telling me about how great it is…

Daymond: The same father you're trying to save from the Kaisuto Group?

Thong: How did you…?

Thong looked at Daymond, who was entirely focused on his book. Daymond closed the book in his hand as he looked at Thong.

Daymond: I make sure to learn about each member of the organization. Your interest in the Associate Documentation Center led me to believe that you must have a reason to be targeting one of our clients.

Thong's thoughts: This guy gets information quickly… It could've been Dianshi, but he wasted no time learning about people he might need to face…

Thong and Daymond opened a clearing, where several people stood or sat around, enjoying meals or simply talking to one another. Daymond walked up to one man relaxing in a sunbathing chair with a tanning mirror on their chest. The person lifted up their sunglasses as Daymond began to approach. Thong followed up behind him, noticing the person in the chair was Dianshi.

Dianshi: Boss? Thong? What are the two of you doing together?

Daymond: I just wished to converse with Mr. Tran here. His purpose still interests me. I wish to see how he moves forward now that he has made it to the main tournament.

Dianshi brought his sunglasses back down as he lifted the tanning mirror back up.

Dianshi: I wish you luck, Thong. Even if you somehow survive your first round, you'll be in for nothing but difficult challenges.

Daymond leaned over to Thong, his smile still slight.

Daymond: Dianshi may not show it, but he has quite the capabilities himself as a fighter. But he was never a fan of the concept of being hurt in return, so he prefers this life as simply being a secretary for one station that the Eclipse runs.

Thong's thoughts: Dianshi's a capable fighter, huh? Daymond really is opening my eyes to this stuff…

Daymond: Let us continue.

Daymond walked away as Thong followed after him. As they walked, Thong noticed Cero, the tall man from the bracket making, was staring down Daymond.

Daymond: You may be interested in the man that's currently staring daggers at me. He and I have a long history together, so don't be afraid. I think that much was clear in the bracket creation.

Thong: How long does the history between you two go?

Daymond: I cannot say. From my own knowledge, it was only around two years ago. But it may have been for longer depending on the knowledge he and his boss's operatives may have collected.

Thong: His boss?

Daymond: Indeed, his boss was the previous head of the Eclipse. They were known as the Dictatorship, but they have been mostly dissolved. Cero over there had made his own faction once the Dictatorship was doomed to fail without the previous leader. It seems his revenge has not burned out.

Thong: Who exactly was this previous head? You mentioned him before when talking about the creation of the Associate Documentation Center.

Daymond: He is nothing more than a dead man now. But from my experience, he was a cruel man. He ruled the organization with an iron fist, likely leading to the formation of several factions. His Dictatorship was there at the beginning, which assured his rise to the top, but I killed him.

Thong: Killed…?

Daymond: When one side sees a fight as a deathmatch, it is only appropriate to respond in turn, no? But that is a story for another time.

Daymond looked ahead of them, seeing Shizu pushing up her glasses. She held a clipboard in her hands.

Daymond: Sorry, it seems some matters have just arisen. No matter how terrifying the competition may seem, Mr. Tran, do not let that set you back. You have a strength within yourself that will make itself apparent once the time comes. I would like to meet you in the quarterfinals, but do not think that you'll make it there with ease.

Thong: I don't think I have the power to do so…

Daymond walked away from Thong, meeting with Shizu before walking away with her. Thong noticed the gentle expression that he wore with Shizu, but it felt like nothing but a facade.

Thong's thoughts: I couldn't sense him in the slightest when I was in the forest. He came out of nowhere. I thought it was simply my issues with Minh that made me miss him, but that's impossible…

Thong turned around, before bumping into another person. Thong waved his hands around.

Thong: Oh, I'm sorry!

???: No, the blame is on me.

The man stood taller than him, at around 192 centimeters tall. He had long hair, with bright red near the top as it slowly became whiter at the tips. His expression was lacking, as if Thong were looking at a stone. He wore a long-sleeved white shirt with golden buttons going up the sides.

Thong: I guess you're a guest invited to this event, huh?

???: No, I was just a late arrival. It seems the preliminaries ended before my ride landed me here. But I doubt one of the lowest ranks like me would have made it to this tournament.

Thong: One of the lowest ranks…? Who are you, exactly?

???: I'm… Wild Rose.

Thong's eyes opened wide as Wild said his name. He felt dread overcoming his body as Wild looked away.

Wild: I don't plan on staying in your way. I don't intend on sticking around for long either since I missed my opportunity. Just going to take a look around. See you around.

Wild walked away, Thong raising a hand to his chest as Wild disappeared into the crowd.

Thong: What the hell was that…? That didn't feel human… And that's one of the lowest ranks?

Hugo: Yo, Timmy! How did you get there? I thought you were busy doing stuff!

Thong turned around, seeing Hugo and Li walk up to him.

Thong: Hey guys… Wait a minute, where's Mike?

Hugo: I don't even wanna talk about that rude guy! He doesn't deserve to be mentioned!

Li: He said he wanted to go clear his mind and talk to his faction. I guess he's feeling a bit anxious himself.

Hugo: That guy? Anxious? I think the only thing he can feel is anger! He'd probably die if he stopped being mad.

Li: Now that just sounds absurd.

Thong: But it is odd that Mike is like that. I feel like he's been like that ever since this tournament was announced. He just feels off…

Li: You don't look too good yourself. Are you sure you're okay with not getting some rest? Today's been pretty hectic.

Thong's thoughts: Hectic doesn't even begin to do it justice…

Thong walked along with Li and Hugo, Thong rubbing his head until he heard a voice pass by them.

Cero: The truth hasn't even begun to show up yet.

Thong turned around, seeing Cero walk away with Mason, Tico, and Kammy following behind him. He could hear Tico and Mason joking away as if they didn't hear anything Cero had said.

Thong's thoughts: Was that just in my head? Man, maybe today has been a bit too crazy. I'll probably feel better after some sleep.

Hugo: Hey, I heard that this place has a pool nearby. Can you believe that? We definitely have to check it out.

Li: I'm not very good of a swimmer myself…

Hugo: Don't worry, Master Hugo is here to show you the way.

Li: Well aren't you generous…

Thong: Yeah, going for a swim sounds pretty nice right now. I haven't had the chance to swim in what feels like years.

Hugo: I knew my number one student would agree. So we need to go!

Li: I thought he was your friend…

…

Thong, Hugo, and Li walked out of the building, wearing rental swimming shorts. They arrived at the large pool that sat in the large clearing of the forest. Li looked to the lifeguard tower, noticing Ryan sitting there with his arms crossed.

Li: He works as a lifeguard here, huh?

Hugo: Sometimes you need a large guy to save people like you that can't swim!

Thong: You shouldn't be swimming in the first place if you don't know how to…

Silvia: Oohhhh Thoooonnggg!

Thong, Li, and Hugo turned around, seeing Silvia wave to them as she walked over. She wore a black one-piece swimsuit, Li rubbing the back of his head.

Li: You made a friend during the prelims?

Thong: I don't know if I'd exactly call her a friend…

Silvia: Well that's rude. I just wanted to say hi. My friends over there were too focused on their devices to swim with me.

Hugo: Who are those two?

Silvia: Oh, those are Tristan and Violet. They're the next shared heads of the Kaisuto Group. Pretty wealthy group from what I've heard!

Thong got rigid as his pupils dilated. Li glanced over at Thong, Silvia tilting her head in confusion.

Hugo: What's wrong, Timur?

Thong: I finally found them…

Silvia: He looks pretty scary right now…

Li: Things don't look like they'll turn out very well now.