Six months have passed. Leonardo, Narso, and Bartolomew have grown much stronger. Leonardo has now mastered the skill of mixing simple combinations and making more complex combinations on the fly. Narso has improved his endurance and bulked up his legs to have better stability. Bartolomew no longer relies on long, telegraphed strikes and is now a more technical fighter. Along with these improvements, their striking power has also increased, with Leonardo now being able to bust through tires with his fists. They are now ready to depart for the Island of Paraiso.
- "Wow, it's like we're going on a vacation!"
- "Anyone bring a camera?"
- "Cameras aren't allowed on the island."
- "Aww."
The four take a short ride to the airport. Once there, Jack approaches the airline passenger assistant.
- "Hello sir, what can I do for you today?"
- "FP-003247, Jack Wayne."
The assistant looks surprised.
- "Welcome back Sir Jack Wayne, it has been too long. Are you going to participate in the tournament?"
- "Nope, but may I ask for the tournament preliminary papers? These three are going to be the ones participating."
- "A moment sir."
The assistant presses a hidden button, printing three sheets that the fighters must fill up. The three fill up their respective sheets before handing them over to the assistant once they finish. The assistant then presses another hidden button, this time informing the branch's executive, and the personnel of the private plane. They are then given a small slip of paper with serial numbers on them.
- "These are your serial numbers. State them when you arrive at the checkpoint before the plane. Please take a seat, an assistant will arrive to escort you to the plane."
The four of them then sit down.
- "Okay so, be sure to behave yourselves when you arrive at the plane. Don't start any unnecessary fighting, and if someone tries to fight you just ignore them and call staff. We are fighters, not brutes."
- "Yes, dad."
- "I can hear the sarcasm in your voice."
- "Loosen up, you're not bringing kids are you."
Leonardo chuckles.
- "Well, Babart here might be a kid."
- "Wha- hey come on I'm not even part of this conversation."
- "He's got a point, you really didn't wanna eat those veggies."
- "Meat is just better I can't help it. Anyway, what's the food situation like over there Mr. Jack?"
- "An all you can eat buffet that can probably feed upwards of a million people."
- "That many!?"
- "Keep your voice down, and yes that many. Other than the thousands of fighters that will show up, many of the world's richest people will come and watch this event, each having their own large entourages."
- "Hmm, I wonder why they'd even want to watch something like this. You'd think suits would be busy doing something else."
- "You're right, why is that?"
- "I'm guessing it has to do with entertainment and scouting. Rich people always want strong bodyguards, hell even I was scouted to be a bodyguard a couple of times."
- "Heh, you as a bodyguard is a funny thought."
- "Anyway, the world shifts every time this event happens. Around early December, the balance of the world's economy changes. Of course, to men like us who know about Paraiso and its grand tournament's date it would make sense. But to those who don't know, it's as if the world leaders just decided to stop working for a few days."
The assistant shows up.
- "Hi, right this way Mr. Jack Wayne, Mr. Leonardo DeGuzman, Mr. Narciso B. Rana, and Mr. Bartolomew Santos."
The four of them follow the assistant to the private plane.
- "Woah, look at who's boarding the plane."
- "Hm? Where?"
- "Over there, isn't that the young master kudoka Hobin Choi? What's he doing in the Philippines?"
- "Beats me. I'd like to fight him though, he seems strong."
They board the plane. The flight to the private island isn't long, but Leonardo and Jack fell asleep as soon as they got to their seats. Narso got a window seat, and Bartolomew is seated next to him. Bartolomew thinks about something before looking at Narso.
- "Oh yeah, why didn't you invite your cousin?"
- "He's not interested."
- "For real? But he's so strong."
- "He wants to finish college, and this kind of thing would probably get in the way of that."
- "Ah, that makes sense."
They had a little exchange before also falling asleep. Meanwhile, at the VIP room in the resort on the private island, the chairman sits looking out at the beach. There he sees world leaders, rich people, fighters, and their entourages approach the hotel.
- "Heh, if dad could see this, he'd be so shocked. To think an idiot kid like me could boost the already world famous Paraiso to even higher heights!"
He says to himself, before one of his assistants knocks on the door.
- "Sir, I have something to tell you."
- "Come in."
The assistant opens the door gently.
- "I have come to inform you that FP-003247 boarded one of the private planes coming to this island."
- "Wait, FP-003247...? That's…"
- "Yes sir, it's Jack Wayne."
The chairman smiles gleefully.
- "...It's been 10 years, but this might be one of the greatest comebacks in history. You may go now."
- "Yes, sir."
The assistant leaves the room. The chairman then looks at a picture of Jack Wayne in a victory pose hanging on the wall of the room.
- "I know quite a lot of people here who'd be excited to see you again, especially our current champion."
The private plane finally lands, and the four get off it.
- "Woah, you're telling me this is the place where the world's strongest gets decided!?"
Narso looks around, seeing a massive beach resort.
- "Uhh…it wasn't like this when I was still active."
- "This is awesome, I can't wait to try that all-you-can eat buffet you were talking about."
- "Now hold your horses, we must register again. Security has been upped due to an incident involving a previous champion."
The four arrive at the hotel's entrance. The entrance is heavily guarded, with around 200 guards for each doorway, totaling 2000 guards.
- "Serial number and name please."
- "FP-003247, Jack Wayne."
- "TN-000234, Leonardo DeGuzman."
- "TN-000235, Narciso B. Rana."
- "TN-000236, Bartolomew Santos."
- "Alright, all clear. Your room will be rooms 619 and 620 on floor 6. Enjoy your stay on Paradise Island."
The four go up to their respective rooms.
- "I don't think I've ever been in a more luxurious place."
Leonardo says, looking out of the glass elevator.
- "So, when are the preliminaries?"
- "They're already happening."
- "Huh?"
Jack points to a different part of the resort. There seems to be multiple stages, 32 to be exact, with many fighters surrounding them. Some of the stages already have fighters on them.
- "Those stages decide who gets to a spot in the tournament. Remember what I told you about how one of the ways to get in is to fight two signed fighters?"
- "Yeah? What about it?"
- "We're not going to be able to do that method as you are a temporary signed fighter. We can however let you three challenge the guys who are already on the stage."
- "I see, and just to recap, once we gain a spot in the tournament, we aren't allowed to decline any challenges, right?"
- "That's right. Although, fighting stops at 7pm, so that the fighter with the spot gets some rest. Fighting resumes the next day at 9am."
Leonardo smiles excitedly. He even shakes due to sheer excitement.
- "So many strong people. I can't wait!"
- "I can't really stop you from fighting right now, so instead I'll encourage you. Win this tournament."
Leonardo smiles at Jack.
- "I will."
The three change into their fighting clothes, before all four of them head back down to fight the people on stage.
- "Let's split up, let's come back here when the day ends."
- "Sure! See ya guys."
Narso and Bartolomew separate from the group to find their own opponents. Leonardo and Jack went to search for an opponent as well, but then suddenly an arm wraps around Jack. The man who wrapped his arm around Jack appears to be a tall, hyper muscular man, sporting curly hair and wearing a white tank top.
- "Well well well, I didn't expect you to come back."
- "Waldemar!? You're still a fighter?"
- "Yep! And I'm stronger than I've ever been!"
Leonardo looks at him confused.
- "Uh, Mr. Jack, who is this guy?"
- "His name is Waldemar Saint Forrestville. He's from San Marino and he's 64 years old."
- "64!?"
- "Yup you heard him right. I'm 64 years old! I've been a fighter in Paraiso since I was 20, and I'm still gunning for that world's strongest title! Welp, I gotta go take a spot real quick I guess."
- "You didn't get one the normal way?"
- "Nah I slept in on that day. Oh, and Jack, I hope your student there lives up to my expectations. See ya!"
Waldemar takes his leave.
- "How did he know I was your student?"
- "Let's just chalk it up to an old man's intuition, now let's get you a spot."
The two continue their search. Meanwhile, Waldemar goes to a nearby stage. The current spot holder is a massively muscular and tall man, around 200cm, sporting a slick back. His eyes have very distinctive split pupils. He just knocked out his latest opponent.
- "Yo, Jitae!"
- "Hm? What is it?"
- "You'll never guess who I saw."
- "Wait, let me guess, I bet it's going to be something silly. Uh, is it that one guy I beat up with one hand?"
- "No, it's your idol."
- "My idol? What do you mean?"
Then, as if playing a game of charades, Waldemar pretends to slick back his hair, and gets into a kickboxing stance.
- "Wait…Jack Wayne? JACK WAYNE IS ON THE ISLAND!?"
- "Well, you're quite excited aren't you."
- "Are you kidding!? I've been waiting my whole life for this!"
- "Good for you kiddo, I'm gonna go get my spot."
- "I'm 42 you old coot!"
- "Everyone's a kiddo to me."
Waldemar leaves the man named Jitae, who seems to be lost in his thoughts at the moment.
- "No way no way no way. JACK "THE STINGER" WAYNE IS HERE. Oh my God I hope I get his autograph or something."
Another fighter steps into the ring.
- "Uh, Mr. Jitae? Can we fight now?"
- "Ah uh yes sorry about that."
Jitae continues defending his spot as Waldemar looks for someone else to fight.
- "Heh, for a man who is the strongest under the sun right now he sure still acts like a kid."
He mutters to himself. He then picks a stage and goes to challenge the defending fighter, which coincidentally is Narso.
- "Woah, a muscular old man! Go easy on me pops."
- "I should be asking you that, young man. Let's get this party started shall we."
The two get into position. Meanwhile, Bartolomew has also secured a spot for now.
- "Wow, these guys sure are tough. I don't think me six months ago would've even lasted a minute here."
He thinks to himself, before he gets challenged by a man of average height, above average build, sporting a black-haired ponytail and hosting a bunch of body scars. Bartolomew immediately gets into a stance.
- "You're different. Who are you?"
- "The name's Francisco Luna, let's make this quick."
Francisco gets into a stance too but is in a stance unfamiliar to Bartolomew. He tries to assess his fighting style.
- "Is that Muay Thai? No, the hip placement is different, and his hands…it's as if he's holding an invisible bolo."
Bartolomew stops contemplating before charging at him. Meanwhile, Leonardo too has found his own opponent to face. It seems like he just got done finishing his latest challenge too.
- "So, who's ready to take the spot of the Milagro Man!?"
Leonardo has eyed Josol Miralles.
- "Good luck."
- "Thanks."
Josol has a big smile on his face, facing the spectators, when suddenly the smile is wiped off and he turns back to see Leonardo walking towards him.
- "This guy is intense. I'll have to be careful."
He gets into a fighting stance immediately.
- "State your name."
- "My name is Leonardo DeGuzman. Let's have a nice fight."
Leonardo too gets into a stance. Josol calls over the referee.
- "Fighters are you ready!?"
They both nod.
- "Then…BEGIN!!!"
Leonardo goes in for a jab rush but misses. Josol counters with a tackle, but Leonardo counters his counter with a 12-6 elbow. Josol flinches, but he still goes throw with the tackle, knocking him into the ground. Josol starts going for the ground and pound, but Leonardo launches him off balance with his hips. He gets up and backs off to recompose himself. Josol, not one to give him time to recover, follows up with another tackle. Leonardo guards, but Josol uses the tackle as a feint into a hook to the face. Leonardo staggers. Josol then uses this opportunity to go for a suplex. Leonardo breaks the fall but still takes heavy damage. He kicks Josol away.
The two fighters take a second to breathe, before going in for another exchange. Josol goes for yet another tackle, but Leonardo hits him with a soccer kick, stunning him. He then goes for a left hook, but Josol tanks it and grabs Leonardo's shorts. He then lifts him up, and body slams him into the ground, causing heavy damage. Once again Josol goes for the ground and pound, but Leonardo regains his defense and is now being showered with hammer fists from above. A slight gap in Josol's attacks was all it took for Leonardo to once again launch him with his hips, but this time Leonardo launches him into his fist, pushing him away. Leonardo's sight is hindered by the blood gushing out of his head, and Josol is still shaking off the few hits that Leonardo did land.
- "This guy is a monster!
Josol thought before getting back into a fighting stance. The fight is now in its last quarter. Once again, the fighters rush in. Leonardo takes the initiative and hits Josol with a low kick to both the upper thigh and calf. He then follows up with a jab, hitting square in the face. He then kicks him behind the knee. Josol grimaces in pain. Leonardo tries to follow up with an overhand right, but Josol gets him from behind and delivers another suplex. Leonardo couldn't break the fall in time, causing him to receive twice the damage he took from the previous suplex earlier. Leonardo is seemingly knocked out cold. Josol turns his back from him but stops himself and turns around to see Leonardo back up. Leonardo has a menacing smile on his face. Josol once more gets into position.
- "Something's up."
Josol thought to himself, before being hit with a roundhouse kick to the temple. Josol's vision tilts, and he is knocked down. Josol tries to get back up, but his face is met with another soccer kick, knocking him unconscious for a split second. Josol recovers just in time to dodge a vicious axe kick straight towards his head.
- "He's going for the kill now. Alright! I'm fired up!"
Josol tries to do a takedown from a distance, but Leonardo evades it. He then counters with a hook to the face, but Josol dodges under to grab him by the waist. He then proceeds to throw him. Leonardo recovers safely, and pounces back at Josol with a dropkick, sending him flying towards the edge of the ring. Leonardo goes for another hook, to which Josol ducks under, but this was a mistake as Leonardo knees him in the chin, shaking his brain. Leonardo then gives him a spinning backhand, knocking him out and sending him tumbling across the floor. The referee tries to step in, but Josol stops him.
- "Not yet! I still got a lot in me."
Leonardo smiles devilishly.
- "That's right, give me more…I'M NOT DONE YET!"
Jack analyzes the fight in the crowd.
- "He's gone berserk again. His usual happy-go-lucky personality is once more being overshadowed by his unending bloodlust. During these past six months, we've done our best to improve his technique in that berserk state, and it's definitely holding up. On the other hand, this Josol guy is crazy strong. I don't think I've seen Leonardo struggle this much to put an opponent down."
Josol recomposes himself.
- "Remember, you're The Milagro Man! No matter what happens, no matter who you face, you will win this!"
He thinks to himself before reminiscing about his past. He was a young boy, brought overseas by his family. He was interested in many things as a kid, but what truly caught his heart was the sport of wrestling. Ever since then, his family has hired many trainers to train him to the best of their abilities, but Josol didn't grow as tall as he had hoped. A mere 167cm. While average for a Filipino like himself, he was shorter than all his competition. But that didn't stop him. Despite being tiny, he was a monster to face in the ring. Many wrestlers chose to lose by fall, because they didn't want to take his throws. He was called many things: a miracle man, a genius, and a tiny giant. He dominated the amateur wrestling scene, until he was hired by the current chairman of Paraiso to be a fighter in the organization and his personal bodyguard. Since then, he was able to continue showing his prowess in martial arts despite being quite short. To other fighters, it didn't matter if this man was 167cm, because all they saw was a towering giant who could crush them within the palm of his hands.
- " That is who I am! I will get in that tournament, and defeat Jitae Won!"
Once again, he charges at Leonardo, switching things up by throwing a punch. He tries to use it as bait, but instead Leonardo takes the punch to the face, confusing Josol, but that was all he needed. Leonardo slips off the punch and then leaps into the air using Josol's knee as a footstool. His legs close on Josol's nape and throat, Leonardo hyperextends Josol's arm, and with their combined body weight they both fall, dislocating Josol's arm and knocking him unconscious.
- "Looks like there won't be any miracles today."
Leonardo says as he gets up, wiping away the blood from his eyes. He lets out a deep sigh. The referee calls for a stretcher.
- "And the winner is…LEONARDO "THE HALIMAW" DEGUZMAN!!!"
Jack throws him a towel.
- "Nice work out there, champ."
- "Heh, I'm not a champ yet, but thanks."
Leonardo looks around to see the fighters hesitant to challenge him.
- "Looks like you scared a lot of them off too."
- "That's disappointing, I wanted to fight some more."
Before Josol gets taken to the infirmary, he grabs the attention of Leonardo.
- "I'll get you back one day."
- "I'm looking forward to it."
They have a quick exchange before Josol passes out again.
- "I wonder how Narso and Bartolomew are doing."
Leonardo thinks to himself.
Meanwhile, Narso faces off against Waldemar. He goes on the offensive immediately, with a straight to the face. It lands flush on Waldemar's face, but Waldemar just crosses his arms and shrugs it off.
- "What the hell?"
- "Sorry kid, this stage doesn't belong to you."
He says as he winds up a heavily telegraphed punch. All Narso could feel was imminent death, so he backs off just in time. Waldemar slams his fist into the floor, creating a massive crater and causing the stage to shake. Narso shakes in fear, before instinctively getting into another fighting stance. His breathe is shaky, not due to loss of stamina, but due to fear of death.
- "He's slow, and he uses long winded attacks just like Babart used to do. I can probably get through this if I stay on the defensive and just counter."
Narso starts slowly circling around Waldemar. Waldemar takes a stance, but it leaves his guard wide open.
- " What kind of stance is that? No defense?"
Narso doesn't take the bait, but Waldemar closes in slowly.
- "What's wrong kiddo, I'm just a little old man. Aren't I supposed to be just a steppingstone for you youngins to become the strongest?"
Waldemar gets even closer. Narso backs off, closing in to the edge of the stage.
- "Well, AREN'T I!?"
Waldemar once again opens with a wide swing. Narso ducks under, and hits Waldemar with an uppercut. Narso smiles and feels relief that his theory worked. That feeling of relief doesn't last for long though as he quickly realizes Waldemar wasn't even remotely fazed by him. He tried to back away, but Waldemar grabs his arm.
- "I'm going to take you for a ride."
Waldemar slams Narso into the ground. Narso's body makes an ear-shattering sound as it hits the concrete stage. Can a human body make a sound as nasty as that? Narso coughs up a lot of blood. He's in a state of shock.
- "I'm not done yet!"
Waldemar picks him up and once again throws him into the ground. Waldemar then leaps into the air, intending to crush Narso as he falls. Then suddenly, Narso's heart goes into overdrive, causing him to move faster than he should normally, and he counter attacks with a hook to the face. Waldemar gets injured, but it isn't enough, as he gets grabbed again.
- "The Devil's Engine, eh? Too bad, you're not the only one who can use that, and you don't even make it to the top 100. Goodnight kid!"
Waldemar crushes Narso's arm and then winds up a devastating punch that lands square on Narso's face, mangling it. The force of the punch sends Narso out of the stage. The referee urgently calls for a stretcher before grabbing Waldemar's hand and raising it to the sky.
- "And the winner is…WALDEMAR "THE JACKASS" SAINT FORRESTVILLE!!!"
Waldemar brushes the dust off his clothes.
- "All in a day's work."
Narso is taken to the infirmary. Waldemar looks to the crowd.
- "What's wrong, I'm just a little old man.
The crowd murmurs.
- "DON'T TELL ME YOU CAME HERE EXPECTING AN EASY FIGHT! THIS IS THE STAGE OF THE STRONGEST! EVERYONE ELSE CAN GO WATCH ON THE SIDELINES!!!"
Waldemar shouts, hurting the egos of those who flew all the way here, but couldn't even challenge one man. Meanwhile, Bartolomew isn't having the best of times either.
- "Why can't I hit him!?"
Bartolomew continues punching and kicking but despite his training under Jack, they can't seem to land on Francisco.
- "I can tell you're extremely physically strong, but…"
Francisco hits Bartolomew with a backhand after ducking his attacks.
- "There's no point in strength if you can't hit anything."
Bartolomew winces in pain.
- "This guy is definitely lighter than me! So why…WHY DOES HIS ATTACKS HIT HARDER THAN LEONARDO'S!?"
Bartolomew once again goes for a kick, but gets countered by an elbow to the temple, he then gets kicked in the solar plexus, both pushing him back and dealing heavy damage. Bartolomew coughs up blood and kneels. He has a realization as he gets up.
- "Francisco…Luna..? You're him
-"
Francisco hits him with a low kick to the calf into a knee to the jaw. He then elbows his temple once more, ending the combination with a throw to the ground. He then ends the fight by stomping on him, knocking him out and disfiguring his face.
- "You have no right to talk about my past, so shut the hell up."
He says, as he kicks Bartolomew off the stage.
- "Mr. Ref, go get a stretcher. I don't think he'll wake up for a few hours."
- "Ah uh, right."
The referee listens before he grabs Leonardo's arm and raising it up.
- "And the winner is…FRANCISCO "THE CRIMSON MOON OF MINDANAO" LUNA!!!"
Francisco looks around.
- "If this was really the level of fighters out here, I shouldn't have even bothered coming."
The first day of fighting ends, and the fighters go back to their rooms. Leonardo and Jack search for Narso and Bartolomew, but to no avail.
- "Wait, what if they lost? Let's go to the infirmary."
Leonardo says, as he goes around looking for the infirmary. After a few minutes he finds what he's looking for, and sees Narso unconscious covered in bandages, while Bartolomew sits on the side of his bed, also covered in bandages.
- "What happened guys?"
Bartolomew grips his arm in embarrassment.
- "I guess, we're not on that level yet."
He says, with a sarcastic tone. Leonardo looks at Narso's unconscious body. He has an uneasy feeling about this. He doesn't know why he feels this way, as he has always fought alone. Seeing his comrades for the past 6 months being beaten into a paste rubs him the wrong way.
- "Cheer me on, I'll need all the support I can get. You and Narso were the best sparring partners I could ever ask for."
Bartolomew cheers up and lets out a small grin.
- "Thanks. Go win this for the Leonardo Kickboxing Gym."
- "Wha- We're so not using that name."
Bartolomew chuckles.
- "Jack and I like it, that's 2-to-1."
- "Make that 3-to-1"
Then, another man's voice was heard. It was Josol, patched up and in a cast.
- "I think it's a wonderful name for a gym. It's named after a masterful fighter after all."
Leonardo sighs.
- "Thanks, but…ah whatever, I'll go eat dinner. Let's talk later."
Leonardo leaves first.
- "Hm, well, Mr. Josol, would you like to join us when we start the gym?"
- "Oh, for sure! I've always wanted to pass down my skills to the next generation."
Meanwhile, at the dining hall, Waldemar and Jitae are seen talking to each other.
- "Yo, anyone's seen Josol?"
Francisco says, as he approaches the two men.
- "He's in the infirmary."
Waldemar replies. Francisco looks shocked.
- "Someone beat Josol!?"
- "Yeah."
Francisco smiles.
- "Looks like there really are other challenges we'll have to face."
- "Mhm, Josol wouldn't have lost to some nobody, so I'm excited to see who won against him."
Jitae looked around, when Jack Wayne caught his eye. He immediately abandons his group and goes straight for him.
- "Where's he going?"
- "Beats me."
Leonardo and Jack bicker about food.
- "Chicken cordon bleu is better than grilled steak will ever be."
- "Ugh not this again. I know you love your chicken, but grilled steak, especially matched with mashed potatoes and sauce is otherworldly."
- "Wait, someone's coming."
Their conversation gets stopped short when Leonardo senses someone strong coming their way.
- "Who are you?"
- "My name is Jitae Won, I'm 42 years old. I have business with the gentleman next to you."
Leonardo and Jack both look confused.
- "Uh, sir, Jack Wayne sir, I'm a huge fan."
Jitae grabs something from his pocket. It's a picture of Jack Wayne.
- "Can I have your autograph?"
Jack stares blankly at the photo.
- "Wow, it seems like a lot of people still remember you."
- "Are you kidding, of course I'd remember him! He was an amazing fighter! Could you imagine my shock when he suddenly disappeared 10 years ago?"
- "Heh, don't worry, I was shocked too. Thing is I'm a big fan of the old man myself. I would've never become a kickboxer if it weren't for him."
- "Looks like we're similar in that way. I'm a kickboxer because he inspired me, and I was so excited to fight him in the last Grand Tournament, but he just vanished after he lost."
Jack signs the picture and gives it back to Jitae.
- "Well, sorry that I couldn't live up to your expectations."
- "It's alright! You are still the reason I became this strong, thank you from the bottom of my heart."
Jack feels a sense of sadness. He didn't realize he touched the hearts of this many people, and he didn't realize that he was still remembered very fondly.
- "If only I asked for help earlier…"
He thinks to himself before erasing that thought. Despite his abuse of his body and that leading to his loss in the first round of the last Grand Tournament, he doesn't regret his actions.
- "Oh, I think they're going to announce the current spot holders soon."
Jitae says, as multiple TV screens across the venue light up. On the screen was a young man, with well-kept silver hair and glasses.
- "Attention everyone, this is Chairman Henry Ku speaking."
It's the chairman of Paraiso.
- "Now that the preliminary rounds are over, I shall announce the spot holders. First up, our previous champion and the one who currently holds the title of strongest under the sun, Jitae "The Wall" Won!"
The screen changes into a picture of Jitae Won in a victory pose. Leonardo looks at Jitae, surprised.
- "You're the current strongest in the world!?"
- "Well, saying that about myself is kinda…"
Leonardo smiles.
- "I can't wait to face you."
- "Heh, you seem quite strong yourself. I shall accept your challenge for when we meet in the ring."
The two have a quick exchange before once again paying attention to the screen.
- "Next, the young Karate Master, the one known as the god of Karate, Katsuya "The God Hand" Masamichi!"
The screen changes into an image of Katsuya Masamichi. He's a tall, young man with black messy hair. Despite his very notable baby face, his hands are large and covered in scars, his muscles are also bulging out of his karate gi.
- "Next, the piece of crap that everyone loves, the man who never stops getting stronger despite his age, Waldemar "The Jackass" Saint Forrestville!"
The screen shows an image of Waldemar Forrestville. It's one of his recent victories, where he sits on his opponent's defeated body.
- "Next, the pinnacle of boxing, the heavyweight king, Johnny "The Lion King" Lewis!"
The screen shows an image of Johnny Lewis. Johnny is a black man, sporting tied up dreadlocks, a beard, and chest hair. He is a very tall and muscular man, at around 190cm, and weighing around 120kg
- "They could've used a better picture…"
Johnny says, looking at the screen.
- "Next, a man who is sometimes referred to as the Chinese Ultimate Weapon, the master of the Weapon Fist, Yong An!"
The screen shows an image of Yong An. He sports a low, silver ponytail. He has a scar on his left eye. He is of average build and average height.
- "Next, a man who has mastered the art of Kudo, who drove the South Korean martial arts scene to its peak, Hobin "The Grappling Demon" Choi!"
The screen shows an image of Hobin Choi. He sports a black-haired wolf cut and is in a dark colored full body skin suit. He is decently tall, and quite muscular.
- "Next, a man who may as well be the strongest sumo wrestler ever despite not being a Yokozuna, the man who is said to be able to crush steel with his bare hands, Makoto "The Earthquake" Genryuuzan!"
The screen shows an image of Makoto Genryuuzan. He is sporting a traditional sumo topknot, and is quite rotund, yet his muscles are still quite pronounced.
- "Next, a man born with crazy muscles, a master all-rounder with crazy physical stats, Jawad "The Bullet Train" Uzman!"
The screen shows an image of Jawad Uzman. A very tall, very muscular, brown-skinned man. Sporting a middle part with long bangs and a short ponytail.
- "Next, a light middleweight who can stop bulls with his boxing skills, Miguel "The Bull Slayer" Romero!"
The screen shows an image of Miguel Romero. A man who is quite short but is decently muscular. He has orange colored hair and a small stubble mustache.
- "Next, a professional wrestler who prioritizes entertainment over winning, yet is a real and very dangerous fighter, Damian "The Thriller Killer" Killa!"
The screen shows an image of Damian Killa. A very tall, very muscular man. He sports a messy slick back and is wearing white face paint with black line patterns.
- "Next, college teacher by day, underground wrestler at night. A man who can suplex men as well as he can suplex your grades, Elmer "The Demon Teacher" Calluen!"
The screen shows an image of Elmer Calluen. A middle-aged, dark skinned, tall and extremely muscular man with many scars.
- "Next, in a world's first the first woman to ever appear in a Paraiso match! A European Judoka who has shown time and time again that she is worthy of the title, Tamar "Havoc" Dadiani!"
The screen shows an image of Tamar Dadiani, a short haired muscular woman. She has numerous scars on her body.
- "Next, a Wing Chun master who can destroy opponents with just a light tap, Qiang Gang Wei "The Touch of Death"!"
The screen shows an image of Qiang Gang Wei, a man with dyed blonde hair, wearing a traditional Chinese martial arts outfit. He is of average build and height.
- "Next, a monster of Muay Thai, who dominates the public sphere, a man whose legs are so long they are said to reach the sky, Norrawich "Sky Splitter" Sathitpitayayudh!"
The screen shows an image of Norrawich Sathitpitayayayudh. A dark-skinned man who is decently tall, and fairly muscular. He has two scars on his face, one slit on the eyebrow and one slit near his lip.
- "Next, a man who has mastered both wrestling and boxing, claiming to be inventing a new type of sport for the public, the self-proclaimed mixed martial arts fighter, Jacques "The Storm" Williams!"
The screen shows a picture of Jacques Williams. He is a black man, sporting dreads with his hair slit on his hairline, with a beard. He is quite tall and muscular.
- "Next, a man from the icy tundra of Siberia, a man who was strong enough to stopped multiple armed conflicts with his hands alone, Aleksandr "The Ice King" Jovovich!"
The screen shows a picture of Aleksandr Jovovich. A tall middle-aged man with multiple scars. His hair is white and looked like his hair standing up. He is very muscular.
- "Next, a man from Indonesia who has made a name for himself in this very organization. With his monstrous skill in Silat, he is definitely one of the strongest opponents one can face, Luthfi "The Wildfirfe" Ramadhan!"
The screen shows a picture of Luthfi Ramadhan. He is a dark-skinned man with a large scar running across his chest into his torso. He is of average height and build.
- "Next, a man with a mysterious past, who joined the organization to become the strongest, he beats up anybody who gets up in his way and leaves the floor blood-stained in a moon shape, Francisco "The Crimson Moon of Mindanao" Luna!"
The screen shows an image of Francisco Luna. Leonardo winces.
- "This guy…is on another level."
He thinks to himself.
- "Next, a bodyguard, an assassin, a hitman, a man who was able to hone his Muay Thai skills in the Thai criminal underground, Punyawit "Lethal Weapon" Kaemkratok!"
The screen shows an image of Punyawit Kaemkratok, dark-skinned man with messy hair. He wears an eyepatch. He is tall, but light for his height.
- "Next, a monster of a man who was able to defeat eight bears at once with just his Kyokushin Karate skills, Evan "The Bear Killer" Armstrong!"
The screen shows an image of Evan Armstrong, a middle-aged man who is decently tall and extremely muscular. His body is covered in scars.
- "Next, grapple, choke, and strangle! A man who can knockout even the tankiest of fighters with his BJJ skills, Marco "The Human Anaconda" Rivera!"
The screen shows an image of Marco Rivera. He is wearing a BJJ uniform. He sports a buzz cut and is of average build and height.
- "Next, a man making waves through many underground fighting organizations, with his mastery of both striking and grappling, Saran "The God of Fire" Lerdpisit!"
The screen shows an image of Saran Lerdpisit. He is an extremely tall and extremely muscular, dark-skinned man, sporting a man-bun. He is covered in scars.
- "Next, an Australian bodybuilder turned professional wrestler, who is said to be able to lift the world itself, Logan "Australia's Atlas" Lucas!"
The screen shows a man with sharp bangs, with a red headband. He is quite tall, and very muscular. He has many scars, but his most notable one is the bite scar he received from a shark.
- "Next, a man who claims that "modern Sumo" is just a phony, and that his ancient way of Sumo is the correct way to do things! A Sumo Wrestler who can kick, punch, and chop, Yuichiro "Taima no Kehaya the 100th" Matsumoto!"
The screen shows an image of Yuichiro Matsumoto. An extremely tall, extremely rotund man, tying his hair into a bun. His face is like that of the Kongou Rikishi, and his mustache is reminiscent of one of the paintings about Taima no Kehaya, his direct ancestor.
- "Next, a man who, with Taekwondo alone, was able to conquer most fighting spaces in both South Korea and Singapore, Simon "The Chainsaw" Park!"
The screen shows an image of Simon Park, a tall, yet lean man. He has a scar next to his right eyebrow.
- "Next, a man considered unstoppable by most, a man who was even banned from some public events due to being too strong, Petro "The Ukrainian Bull" Volkov!"
The screen shows an image of Petro Volkov. A very tall, very muscular man. He has a few scars, mostly on his neck and face. He has black messy hair.
- "Next, a man with some very special eyes, a speed demon in his weight class, Jacob "The Dark Wolf" Santos!"
The screen shows an image of Jacob Santos. A tall man with an average build. He is sporting a low ponytail, and he has Silver Eyes.
- "Next, another old-timer with an amazing record of 3000-0. Undefeated in wrestling, a man who pulls planes for a warmup, Gerald "The Golden Wrestler" Miller!"
The screen shows an image of Gerald Miller, a middle-aged man with a buzzcut. He has wrinkles due to age, but no scars to speak of. He is wearing a light-colored bodysuit.
- "Next, a man divergent from the main line of Karate, the founder of the school of Iron Fist Karate, Krister "The Ravager" Steffenson!"
The screen shows an image of Krister Steffenson. A very tall, very muscular man. He sports a ponytail along with a beard. He has a scar in the shape of an X on his chest.
- "Next, a Kung Fu master from the west, known for his solid defense and overwhelming offense, Benjamin "The Iron Man" Evans!"
The screen shows an image of Benjamin Evans. He is a bald, middle-aged man, with a stitch scar running along the side of his face. He wears a black sweater.
- "Next, a man hellbent on reviving the bare-knuckle boxing scene alone, a man who is dedicated to his craft that it drives him to the point of insanity, Michael "The Bare-knuckle Buster" Tan!"
The screen shows an image of Michael Tan, a tall man with an average build. He has a middle part, but the left part of his hair is combed back. He has multiple scars.
- "And finally, a man with no real record to speak of, yet has beaten my strongest bodyguard, Josol "The Milagro Man" Miralles, Leonardo "The Halimaw" DeGuzman!"
The screen shows an image of Leonardo. Jitae looks at him.
- "So, you're the one who beat Josol. Looks like I'll have a lot of fun after all. See you later."
He says, before returning to Waldemar and Francisco. It seems like a lot of the people who were watching the broadcast started talking about Leonardo. After all, he beat Josol Miralles, a very strong contender for the title of the strongest. Leonardo just yawns.
- "Let's go to bed Mr. Jack."
He says, before they both leave.
Jitae regroups with his friends.
- "You hear that? Someone actually beat Josol."
- "Mhm, and he's a total nobody to boot."
- "Eh, whatever, just another strong guy for us to crush!"
Jitae looks at the screen, still displaying Leonardo.
- "Something tells me this is going to go way differently than you think."
Meanwhile, Leonardo and Jack approach their room.
- "You got a whole week to rest and prepare, let's use it wisely."
- "Yes, Mr. Jack."
There seemed to be a man at the entrance of their room. It was the chairman of Paraiso, Henry Ku.
- "Oh, Mr. Chairman!"
Jack exclaimed.
- "You don't need to call me that Sir Jack, I'm still just the little boy you once knew, albeit a bit bigger now."
Henry looks at the two.
- "You've trained him well."
- "Thank you, Henry."
Something has been on the back of Jack's mind since he came to the island, but only now has he got the chance to talk about it.
- "I was wondering, where is Meta? I haven't seen him at all."
- "Oh…you didn't see the last tournament to the end, did you?"
- "No, I was transported of the island as soon as I landed in the infirmary."
- "He died."
Just then, Jack's face went pale.
- "What happened?"
- "He went on to fight until the quarterfinals, before losing his life to Waldemar Forrestville."
- "Oh, I see…I guess that's just how it is."
Jack looked a bit sad.
- "Well, to lighten up the mood, what do you think about what I've done to the place."
- "It certainly is fancier."
- "Well, I don't wanna keep ya, so I better go back to my office. Best of luck."
Henry said, before leaving. Leonardo and Jack head into their room. Leonardo drops into his bed immediately.
- "I'm beat."
- "Yeah, I can tell."
- "Going into the berserker state sure is tiring. It's not like I can willingly control when I get into it though."
- "Yeah, we were too focused on making you control it that we didn't even bother making sure you can control when it happens."
- "I have an idea of when it happens though. Two conditions need to be fulfilled. One: The opponent must be decently strong, and two: the opponent must land at least a few critical hits on me."
- "So, it really is a last resort type thing, eh?"
Leonardo groans.
- "And every time it does happen; I'm left too exhausted."
- "Try to dodge more, I notice that you tank hits a lot for no reason. You're plenty strong without the berserk state."
- "I'll keep that in mind, I'll hit the sack now."
Leonardo says, as he immediately falls asleep. Jack too, falls asleep.