Tournament

When the group of 4 arrived at the island, Jason was surprised to see so many people there. Rose saw this and couldn't resist the opportunity to show off.

"This is a famous tournament after all. The entire thing is a mixed martial arts tournament that is one of the 4 qualifiers for The Kumite. Only the top 4 from each of these tournaments as well as the seeded contenders can participate.

The requirement my father set for your friend is the same requirement for anyone that wants to make it into The Kumite."

"Thanks," Jason expressed sincerely even when he detected the mocking in the girl's voice. He had no idea that this tournament was so big and that there was something hidden behind it.

'I guess I got really lucky with my guess and timing. Almost as if some divine figure was guiding me.'

Jason and Slade split off while Rose and Bane signed in. Even though they had already registered, many people backed out when it came time so those in charge of the tournament would make each participant sign up.

As Jason followed behind Slade, the latter explained the basics of the tournament.

"There will be a total of 1,024 participants. This means that your friend and my daughter have to make it through 8 rounds before they qualify. Luckily for them, this is the 3rd of the 4 qualifiers.

Most of the best fighters have either already won the previous 2 or are waiting for the final one for easier matches."

Besides the number of rounds, Slade also explained the basic rules of it. The tournament was hand-to-hand, mortal combat only. This made many fighters around the world who specialized in weapons or those with metahuman abilities unable to participate. It was also why Slade could not participate in it.

'So this is how Lady Shiva keeps her title as the number one martial artist. She literally beats the best of the best on a yearly basis.'

Slade brought Jason into one of the viewing decks that overlooked the outdoor arena. Inside the room was 4 people. 2 of them were women, one was a man, and one was a child.

Slade bowed toward the oldest of the group and Jason did the same.

"Hello, everyone. This is Jason. I saw some potential in him so I'm bringing him over to the league location in the Middle East to train with the others.

Jason, these are the pillars of the League of Assassins. Ra's al Ghul our leader," Slade spoke of an elderly man wearing all green. Even though the man was all smiles, Jason felt like he was being stared at by a monster.

'So this is why they call him the demon.'

"Talia al Ghul is his daughter and the 2nd in command of the League of Assassins. She is probably the second deadliest woman on the planet," sitting on the couch behind the others was a beautiful woman wearing a green dress. She also gave off an intimidating feeling but not as much as her father.

'Maybe it's cause she's a beautiful woman.'

"Lady Shiva sitting next to the child would take her place as the deadliest woman on the planet. Even I do not care to challenge her recklessly," Slade admitted. Lady Shiva was wearing a red shirt, white pants, and a trench coat.

'Nope. Being beautiful doesn't matter. Talia just knows how to hold back her aura better,' Jason thought while trying to escape Shiva's line of sight

"Lastly is Talia's son, Damian al Ghul. He shall inherit the League of Assassins... if he proves himself."

Jason looked at the kid in front of him and finally understood something.

"So there really are kids that make you wanna punch them in the face cause of how they look at you," Jason said to himself. "Oh," he realized that he had just said that out loud.

Everyone frowned at that comment, especially Damien. Damien was spoiled and arrogant so he would look upon most people with disdain but no one was allowed to comment on it.

"Nice to meet you all. I hope to learn a lot from you," Jason tried to recover. Everyone except Damien had neutral expressions on their faces

Jason saw the look that Damien was giving him and knew that he had become the little hellion's sworn enemy. So he tried to get closer to Talia. Among the 4 people present, she was the best teacher and he also had the best chance of survival with her.

There were only 5 seats that could see the matches below well. Besides, that was a couch and a few chairs further back and under fans. Talia was the only one sitting there so Jason joined her while Slade sat at the front with the others.

Jason sat on the chair opposite Talia and gave the woman a smile.

"Hello, Ms. Al Ghul. I should formally introduce myself. My name is Jason Todd."

Jason cupped his fists and bowed at the woman. He didn't mind having to lower his head to the woman he was hoping to call 'Teacher' in the future.

Talia nodded at Jason before looking over his body. Even with the RealSkin covering his arm, it seems like she was able to instantly tell that he had a cybernetic arm. Talia sat on the chair next to him before pulling up Jason's sleeve so she could observe the arm closer. The more she looked at it, the more the woman was impressed.

Besides being an assassin, she was also very interested in engineering as that was one of the 3 degrees she had under her belt and also one of the reasons Jason wanted to learn under her.

"Impressive. Who made this and installed it into you?" Talia asked with a clear interest in her eyes

"I actually did. Or at least it is part of my powers," Jason admitted. He then went on to explain the various upgrades he made to his arm and show them all off to her. Jason then admitted his lack of knowledge regarding engineering and how he wanted to learn more so that he could use his power more effectively. And this sparked a deep interest in Talia.

Over the next few days, while the others were paying attention to the tournament, Jason and Talia were having deep discussions about his technology. Talia had even given him a few thousand dollars so he could buy a Neauralware Processor and a Cyberarm for herself with her own fitted-out kit for it.

Before either of them noticed it, the tournament had ended. Rose ended up losing in the semi-finals to Bronze Tiger while Bane lost in the final round to the same man.

But with his victory, Bane had earned the praise of Ra's. So unlike how Jason and Bane had initially expected, when they left Japan, they were not being guided by Slade but instead the two most powerful figures in the League of Assassins as their mentors.