If one is born a man, at least once in his life he will dream of becoming the strongest in the world. That dream…doesn't always come true. It is late at night; Jack is closing the shop for the day. When suddenly, a noise came from the entrance of the store. It was the sound of metal hitting the Sari-sari store's protective bars. Jack went to investigate; there he saw two men breaking into the store. The men noticed Jack.
"Hoy! Give us everything you've got!"
One of the men shouted, pointing a gun at Jack. He raises both of his hands and slowly moves towards the cash cabinet. He grabs a total of 300PhP. Just when he is about to give the money to the burglars, he throws a lightning-fast jab at the one holding the gun, knocking him out. The other one tries to retaliate but suddenly out of nowhere, he gets dropkicked by a random man. Jack steps back and assesses the situation. The man composes himself. He is a tall, man, about 180cm, sporting blonde hair styled into a messy ponytail.
"That was a pretty good jab old man, you a fighter?" "I was. I'm not much these days." "Heh, what's your name? If you really were a fighter, I'd probably recognize you." "…You'd probably laugh if you knew who I was."
Jack felt a sudden melancholy. Memories of the day he was abandoned suddenly resurfaced, and it took all he had to stop himself from crying in front of a stranger.
"No, I respect anyone who steps into the ring no matter who they are. I guess it's kinda rude that I'm not introducing myself first. My name is Leonardo DeGuzman, and I'm 22 years old." "Fine, my name is Jack Wayne."
Jack looked away, as if ashamed by even saying his name. Leonardo looked shocked, yet happy.
"You're Jack Wayne!?"
Leonardo beamed a smile. Jack looks at his excited face with confusion.
"I've been looking for you! I've been a fan of you since you fought that karateka from America! What was his name again? Jerry Johnson? That guy was a beast! And yet you were able to take him down! I was so sad when you suddenly disappeared from the ring." "Wait, wait, slow down boy. I'm not the man I used to be. I'm sure you're disappointed deep inside." "Why would I be disappointed? You fought well despite your loss-" "Because I'm in this state right now! If only I didn't lose! If only…If only I was stronger…"
Jack clenches his fist trying not to cry. He let out a deep sigh.
"I was abandoned here. There's no glory to be found in a loss that leaves a man like this."
The two stare at each other in silence for a few moments.
"I see. Well, if that's how you feel about it then I won't change your mind, but…"
Leonardo pauses for a bit.
"Can you please train me?"
Jack looked dumbfounded.
"You'll only end up a failure, just like me. You're better off looking for another coach. From what I can tell, you're already strong enough, so why would you need a useless piece of lard like me?" "I want to join the Paraiso Grand Tournament. I want to be strongest man in the world."
Leonardo's eyes sparkled, and Jack couldn't offer a rebuttal. He was once like that, and he knows that he has no right to stop this young man from trying, even though there is a very big chance that he will fail just like him, but something inside him tells him that this time will be different. This time, he can make a difference. He has experienced crushing defeat, and in his heart, he feels that he should at least guide this young man.
"Okay. I will train you, but be warned, I don't have any proper equipment." "That's alright! I don't mind working odd jobs to pay for equipment." "Training starts tomorrow, let's get some rest."
Jack sets out the extra mattress that the owner's kid used to use for Leonardo.
"Alright. I've decided. I am going to turn this young man into a monster who can't be beat."
Jack thinks to himself as he drifts asleep.
Morning comes and while Jack tends to the store, Leonardo was given a training regimen. Jack has been reflecting on his old training regime for the past few years; he realized that his old training regime was ineffective. It is not a good idea to train until the body collapses. While it was able to train his fighting spirit, it didn't do anything for his body.
First thing in the morning, Leonardo was out of the store and doing a 10km run. Stamina was Jack's biggest issue. Next, Leonardo was to carry huge tires to a certain area. Strength and endurance are obviously important. He then must tie the tires up to make a makeshift punching bag. This will be apt for conditioning his knuckles and shins. Sparring is obviously a very important exercise as a fighter, especially for a fighter on Leonardo's level, so on days when the store is closed Jack takes Leonardo to a local boxing gym. And of course, there is a lot of time to rest. The body needs to rest for muscle growth to happen, and obviously a body that isn't rested tends to do worse in a fight.
Six months have passed, and Leonardo has grown much stronger. Jack noticed Leonardo's near unlimited potential, and his growth rate is alarming. He is the embodiment of a talented man who works hard.
"I think you're ready for a few rounds." "Hm? A few rounds of what?" "There's been a few rumors going around. Apparently, 11there's an underground fighting organization near this area. I think it was called Inferno. Let's test your skills in a real, no-holds-barred match." "That sounds awesome! I can't wait to test out my new skills."
Leonardo grins from ear to ear.
"So, when do I get to fight?" "Tomorrow night. I signed you up in advance, and I was able to get information on your opponent. His name is Narso "Narra" Rana, a heavyweight boxer with a record of 47 wins and 1 loss. He is best known for his tight defense, akin to the hardness of a Narra tree." "Heh, he sounds tough! I can't wait to face him."
The two close the shop for the day. Leonardo can barely contain his excitement.
The next day arrived, and Leonardo napped through the day. He wants to be rested up for the fight. And with that, night arrived. The fight took place in an abandoned warehouse. The ring was made of people, and there seemed to be about 200-300 spectators.
"Hey!"
A man shouted to catch the attention of Jack and Leonardo. It was a tall, muscular, dark-skinned man with a large scar in the middle of his chest.
"You look strong! Can't wait to topple you. Oh, and my name is Narciso, but people call me Narso!" "So, you're Narso Rana eh? Show me what you've got!"
The fighters take opposite sides. The referee gets into position.
"Fighters are you ready!?" "Let's get this over with." "Agreed" "Then…BEGIN!!!"
The fight starts and Leonardo tries to sneak an easy jab to the nose. Narso parries it and tries to counter with his own jab which too gets blocked. Narso has his guard up, Leonardo tries to grab the back of his neck to set up a knee blow, but Narso slips and delivers a body blow. Leonardo backs off and composes himself.
"Damn, a heavyweight's punch is no joke."
Leonardo thought to himself as he switches his stance to have a more open guard. This stance is bait to lure Narso in to a counter. He takes the bait with, throwing an overhand right. Leonardo slips the punch and delivers a calf kick, stunning Narso. Narso recovers just in time for him to hit Leonardo with another body blow. Leonardo staggers but makes distance with a front kick. The two circle the arena, waiting for the other to strike first. Narso goes for a jab rush, but Leonardo blocks and parries. He then goes for a hook, breaking Leonardo's guard. He tries to go for a body blow uppercut but gets blocked by Leonardo's knee. He follows up the block with a low kick to the thigh, and then a 1-2 combo to the face. Narso's nose has been popped, and blood is gushing out of his nose like a faucet. Narso backs off.
Narso takes a more defensive stance, scrunching up and guarding his upper body. He slowly starts getting closer to Leonardo, pressuring him to make a move. Of course, Leonardo already knew this was a mistake on his part, throwing a calf kick, causing Narso to flinch. His guard broke, which was enough for Leonardo to throw a crescent moon kick, landing a heavy liver blow. Narso drops to his knees. Still not giving up, he stands back up again, but receives a soccer ball kick to the face, knocking him back. His face is now beaten and bloody, but he is still standing.
"You sure are tough." "Heh, what can I say? Narra trees are the toughest around."
He goes in for another jab rush, ending it with a hook to the body. Leonardo blocks it, and counterattacks by landing his own hook to the chin. Narso's vision tilts, Leonardo sweeps his legs, dropping him to the ground.
"Not even heavyweights are able to resist this."
Leonardo goes for the ground and pound, throwing nonstop hammer fists toward Narso. He tries to put up a guard, but to no avail. Leonardo starts grinning, as he smashes Narso's face into mush. The referee stops Leonardo before any more damage can be done. He raises Leonardo's hand.
"And the winner is…LEONARDO "THE HALIMAW" DEGUZMAN!"
Leonardo earned a total of 5,000PhP from the fight. Leonardo and Jack then go to a nearby clinic to clean up his wounds.
"Hey, I was wondering, what was the smile about?" "Smile? What are you talking about?" "Nothing, never mind."
As Leonardo gets patched up, Jack thinks about a few things.
"Leonardo is strong. Really strong. But I wonder what that was about…why was he smiling?"
He takes a glance at Leonardo.
"For the past few months, I did feel there was something off about him, like he was hiding something beneath his usually bubbly personality. I'm not sure though, and I'm not going to ask him about it."
The two head home.
"So, what did you think of him?" "He was tough for sure, but I'm going to need to topple guys like him faster if I ever hope to become a fighter in the tournament." "You're right. Once you've healed up, we're going to increase the intensity of your training. Of course, paired with adequate rest." "Your training has really made me stronger, thank you Mr. Jack."
Jack puts on a smile, as once again he has been thanked from the bottom of the other person's heart.
Meanwhile, in a gym somewhere, a man heard about the news of Narso's defeat. This man was tall, above 190cm. He was muscular and had scars all over his body.
"What do you mean Narso was defeated?" "Apparently, a new fighter named Leonardo "The Halimaw" DeGuzman defeated him, with minimal injuries too."
The man thought about how it took everything he had to defeat Narso, and how he was preparing himself for their eventual rematch.
"I see. Well, sign me up to fight him, I want to see how strong this "Halimaw" really is.
The man says before continuing lifting barbells.