Determination, Bravery, Integrity, Perseverance, Justice, Patience and Kindness. Long ago, the cosmos had 6 artifacts throughout the universe, the artifacts contained powers and energy from the cosmos and three of them landed on the planet earth.
In 2017, a company by the name of Continent, which is a group of intelligent men all over the world, supervising technology and overall gadgets, it was a hidden company but was very effective. They found 2 Artifacts, the artifact of Perseverance and Kindness, they did not know what to do with it but ever since they landed their hands on that artifact, the company started to go downhill.
Each of the members slowly was assassinated, attacked silently and they were left with only 12 people. Those people suddenly disappeared without a trace, but are said to have hands on the Artifacts.
It was said that the artifact was deadly, it was a cosmic masterpiece that was being guarded by some sort of anomaly, and will hunt down whoever lays a hand on the artifacts.
The 12 remaining Continental's went missing and nobody has gotten information about that "Anomaly" but there was one phone call that was found from the FBI call history.
It took over 2 years to find this phone call, it wasn't much information and it was like a whole riddle for the world to solve.
*Phone call.
-HELLO MELVIN?? PLEASE HELP US.
-What? Jericho what are you saying?
-H-HES HERE.. HELP ME.. HES DESTROYING THE FACILITY!
-Who is?? I'm coming there now, don't drop the call!
The phone call turns static, Jericho starts to sound weird.
-Hello Jericho?? Are you still there?? I'm almost there.
Melvin drives faster, the internet starts to get lower and the call is becoming weak. Melvin can barely hear Jericho, it was static.
-Hello Jericho? I'm by the gate, I need you to open it.
-M-MELVIN.. IF YO-YOU CAN HEAR ME.. R-RUN! (Goes static)
The call dropped, leaving Melvin all alone, it was pitch dark and he was parked by the gate, he didn't have a keycard so he couldn't open it. He climbed up the fence but heard screams throughout the outside of the facility.
He was about to leave, but was determined and had to save his fellow associates. He then runs to the facility with an Ak47, with some grenades and more.
But stumbled across the Anomaly, a big figure, or you can say he was more of a robot, a robotic agent, or you could say a guardian of the cosmos. It wasn't human but it attacked Melvin and tore him apart, no more information was released, the facility then just exploded after that. All the bodies disappeared though.
It was really sudden, no one has heard from the company ever since and it was erased from reality, like no one has ever heard it before.
After a year, 12 unnamed Continental announced to the world and told them they were still alive, but that was the last time they heard about the Continental before absolutely missing. The government wanted to seek them out but couldn't find them so they gave up after a whole year.
The last remaining artifact was found by the Company of the Freelancers, which is the current Company that Valentino and Mike are in. They gave it to the hands of Valentino and let him take care of it, since he was the only special agent that the Leader truly trusted.
Valentino was one of the main agents of the Company, he was gifted and talented but also worked hard, he was the only one to complete 200 objectives in a year, and it's a world record for now.
He was a consistent and determined agent, he was also a champion long ago in boxing, he mastered out-boxing and his record is 56-7-3. He was called "The Grim Reaper" once because of his outstanding jabs and overall combinations, he would take your soul just by jabs.
But why does the artifact matter? They're gonna be playing a huge role in this story, anyways let's head back to the situation and move on.
---The Ultimate Battle ---
9:23AM, At the laboratory.
Isaiah gets fired up, he remembers all his practicing and his training sessions, his fighting spirit has never been so solid than ever. He warms up, stretching his arm before finally putting on a stance, his gloves are at his cheeks, tightly and neatly placed, his knees are low and are ready to dash like a charging bull.
Meanwhile, Valentino does the same but jumps around with his stance, his left guard is super low and relaxed, prepared to unleash a whipping flicker jab, he sways his left hand around while his right hand sticks to his chin.
An aggressive out-fighter, decent footwork and solid jabs and combos, versus An aggressive-passive in-fighter with the great dash and dart, charging ability and the extra ability to weave and dodge bullet-like jabs.
Meanwhile, at the top of the laboratory, we have an intense three versus three that's about to happen.
Two elite mercenaries that were trained hard, specializing in martial arts and gun information, versus Mr. Cabral and Mr. Anika, a dynamic duo that has great communicating and teamwork skills.
Then, a Special Mercenary that specializes in full on offense, he doesn't need guns, he just needs his fist and body. His style in boxing is different and straight up brawling, he uses his whole body to create punches and to charge against the enemy, since he doesn't have the best raw-power he uses his body, but he has great stamina.
Versus, Ricardo Ethan. He is a boxing professional with some taekwondo mixed, he specializes in raw-power and strategies, he is calm and can handle pressure, he has good footwork and can evade punches easily. His kicks are knock out level.
He trained taekwondo for 3 years, he has a lot of experience and has an impact in kicks, however he only uses one style and has trouble switching.
Isaiah tightens his stance, he leaves almost no space behind, then he charges up like a bull towards Valentino. But the distance was too far, Valentino used this advantage and unleashed a whipping jab, but Isaiah saw through it.
He weaved and dodged it perfectly, it seems he was finally getting used to the flicker jabs, although Valentino wasn't surprised, he flicked his jab back, Isaiah barely dodged and lost his rhythm in charging which left him standby.
The flicker jabs threw him off momentum and caused him to stop accelerating, he threw more jabs, Isaiah kept weaving and dodging, trying to get more used to the pattern.
Valentino suddenly changed the pattern! He stepped in and used a normal power jab, followed with a short uppercut, he knew what Isaiah was doing so he had to change his rhythm by in-fighting.
"Damn.. he saw me through my plan!" Isaiah exclaimed, he dashed backwards to try and gain
momentum, he did gain some damage due to that short uppercut.
"Don't expect me to just throw some flashy jabs!" Valentino shouted, "My style of boxing is different!" He stopped right after Isaiah dashed backwards and then released another whipping jab.
Isaiah was not ready for this attack, he raised his guard and tightened it, but it easily broke and before he could react he was hit with a chopping right.
Isaiah was hit right in the face, he flew backwards and nearly fell, his balance started to go loose and his legs were damaged. But he still put on a tight stance and charged back to Valentino.
Valentino's punches were light but quick, especially with his left hand. It was mostly used to create openings but his chopping right can deal crazy damage, it's a punch that contains knock-out power.. Isaiah was lucky to survive that.
Valentino was known for his amazing setups, he would use combinations that caught the opponent off guard and finally shake them off with his powerful punches, his jabs can ruin the rhythm of his opponents and even ruin their overall balance. It was deadly.
---The Battle of Determination ---
Even though Isaiah was damaged, he was full of fighting spirit and did not run away, his pattern changed in weaving and was more effective, Valentino shot jabs but Isaiah dodged them easily.
"I see, take this then!" Valentino dashed backwards and released a whooping jab, but its main goal was to blind Isaiah's vision and stop him from accelerating. It was a setup for his chopping right.
Although, Isaiah did NOT. CARE. He still charged and pushed his fist away, leaving his left guard wide open. Valentino on the other hand, though knew that Isaiah was gonna go for his left guard, he quickly took a small step back and prepared a counterpunch.
But! Isaiah feinted and dodged in the opposite direction, he weaved his chopping right! "You won't trick me." Isaiah exclaimed, before taking his right foot forward and preparing a huge left hook to Valentino's liver.
Valentino quickly reacted and dashed backwards, leaving Isaiah standby, "Hah! How do you like that??" Isaiah however did not give up, he put his left foot forward and charged for a straight right!
"That won't work, you're too slow!" Valentino exclaimed, but because of the sudden dash he made earlier, he fell out of balance and his stance and guard lowered, leaving Isaiah with a perfect clean hit to Valentino.
It shattered Valentino's balance, he became light-headed and started to move weirdly, Isaiah charged against him and prepared to knock him down with a right hook.
He put his right foot forward, with the help of his dash and dart and his amazing hip rotation, he prepared to finish Valentino off, but something felt wrong for him, "This doesn't feel right." He exclaimed..
"Isn't he one of the best mercenaries in this place? There's no way he would be knocked out easily.." He worried, but continued.
Suddenly! Valentino weaved his head around Isaiah's hook and released a counterpunch! "WHAT? WHERE'D THIS COME FROM" Isaiah couldn't dodge it, it was a high level counterpunch move where the user uses his body weight to create a counterpunch, but at the same time it was also used for defense. (Jolt Counter)
Isaiah tried to dash backwards but the hook was accelerating too fast, it was using the whole body weight of Valentino so he couldn't dodge it, he took severe damage.
The battle of Isaiah and Valentino was going intense, it was a full on boxing match, champion vs champion. A battle of determination.
Meanwhile, another battle emerges from the topper building.
Gunshots firing everywhere, Ricardo splits up with his group, as the duo stay together and create a plan.
But Mike chases Ricardo down through rooms, not letting him escape his sight, even though Ricardo was swift like an assassin, Mike could still catch up to him recklessly.
His stamina and overall speed using his whole body made it easier for him to catch Ricardo, they ran through corridors and many rooms, they were in the same speed level. A battle of Stamina and Speed.
Meanwhile, the dynamic duo, Ms. Manuel and Mr. Cabral started making a plan to take out the elite mercenaries, they hid behind a sheltered room and locked the door, the window was not secure though.
The elite mercenaries noticed and shooted the window, breaking through with gunshots, Ms. Manuel however was prepared and threw a flashbang as they were firing the gunshots, it was an unpredictable moment.
Mr. Cabral starts firing, peeking out the window and landing hits on the two mercenaries, although the armor was very durable and it didn't completely knock them out, the two mercenaries hid behind a room, and a grenade was thrown later.
Ms. Manuel, however, set up a very advanced invention, an upgraded shield that could absorb grenade explosions and many more, they had some impact but survived.
---The Dynamic Duo ---
Ms. Manuel was originally named Manuel Anika, back in the high school days, she was quite popular and was very famous in many schools. She had many friends but only stuck to one.
Mr. Cabral, his name was originally Silva, in his highschool days he wasn't that popular, he had only little friends and was very introverted, but with his true friends he was one of the happiest persons you'd ever see in your life. He never had any sort of talent, he didn't want to be old, he wanted to stay young and enjoy life.
Although, the more he grew the more life got into him, he gained hobbies like learning about interesting inventions and even more.
His past was unordinary, his father left his mother alone with his 3 siblings, although the more he grew up the more he started to become distant to them. A sudden moment then occurred, his oldest sibling then died due to a company hunting him, the police or FBI couldn't do anything about it and his mother killed herself after that.
His other older brother suffered from depression and his younger sister stayed with Silva. His older brother went out of town and they never heard of him again, although Silva and his sister survived well, his one friend named Anika lent them a house to stay in.
However, Ms. Manuel did not have a good past as well, she may have had many friends during high school and was really popular. She had great talent in school and was always an honor student.
Her past was very cruel although, Anika had 2 sisters that would always take care of her, because her mother would usually go to work and she never gets to properly talk to her, they were not that close.. And for her father.. It's unknown.
Anika asked her sisters many times but they would randomly get mad and tell her to bug off, she never knew anything about her father and always wondered what it would feel like having a father. She was always pressured back then because of her sisters, trying to push her at her limits even though she was tired.
She never got a break, her mind and head was about to break because of the amount of time she studies, she never got that much time to think about her family and friends, which is why she became introverted. She got scared of socializing, but only Silva, which is Mr. Cabral, had the ability to talk to her.
They became best friends ever since high school.
They grew up together, they started to mature but still act like the same, although they were hired by this one company called "The Gliders", it was a secret agency company that dealt with rifles and mission objectives.
They didn't know much about missions or objectives but they were the only chosen ones, the company told them that they had hidden talent and potential and so they tested it.
Only a few weeks of testing the two, it was already confirmed by the leader that they would be the best agencies in the company. "With enough training and knowledge, they will be the guardians of this company, they will secure and complete missions, the dynamic duo of Gliders."
---The Battle of Speed ---
Let's go back to the situation, Ms. Manuel and Mr. Cabral together fight elite mercenaries. Their situation is tough right now but they are handling it.
On the other side, we have Ricardo and Mike having a battle of endurance, who would last the longest running? Mike chases down Ricardo, but Ricardo does not fall, he keeps running!
"Is running all you're gonna do??" Mike exclaims, he goes faster by using his body weight and runs to Ricardo even faster than before.
Mike dashed with extreme power, dust blown into the air behind him and the ground cracked, his insane dashing ability is extraordinary.
However, Ricardo disappeared from Mike's sight, he was gone and Mike was left charging into the air, Ricardo hid behind a pillar and waited for Mike.
As Mike charged and was about to stop, Ricardo showed up and had a counterpunch prepared, Mike couldn't escape it and was hit. It connected perfectly.
Mike was blown away, the hit damaged him, but Ricardo did not have mercy and started throwing different combinations, jabs to his head and his body, hooks flying around.
Mike was struggling to lash out, Ricardo's speed in his punches were too fast for Mike's eye to catch, and even though it was speedy it still had power into it.
Mike put his guard up, it was a neat guard that protected every spot, but Ricardo still threw countless punches, trying to lower Mike's guard
Mike's plan was to wait until Ricardo got tired and slow his punches down, he put his foot backwards and was ready to attack with a counter punch.
After many punches, Ricardo was slowing down and Mike had a perfect chance to land a counter, after Ricardo threw a hook he instantly turned and went for a Straight Right. "TAKE THIS!"
Mike put his whole body weight into a punch, it was a perfect counterpunch and if it connected it would knock Ricardo down. "You wouldn't be able to dodge this!"
A slight moment, something unexpected happened. Mike was punched rather than him punching Ricardo, he was hit with a punch so fast he did not see it, it weakened him and almost lost balance. "What the hell was that? What did I get hit with??"
Mike's body was failing to keep its own balance, Ricardo connected a body hook and an uppercut, however Mike withstood it and raised his guard once again.
"What.. was that??" Mike thought to himself, what did he get hit with? Was it a punch that was invisible? Or a punch that was super fast that Mike didn't see it? But even if it was that fast, there's no way it would have that much power.
He wondered, the experience in them started to show. "Was it a technique I never saw before..?" He was lost in his thoughts.
"Hey.. Is this guy gonna stop? He has been throwing combinations at me for a while now.." Ricardo kept continuing, trying to break Mike's block.
Mike went for a counterpunch again, but this time to experience that "Invisible" punch once again, he went faster this time though, using all his body parts into one punch.
For a slight second, Mike finally saw it but the punch still connected to him, and this time it was stronger. "That punch.." Mike exclaimed
Ricardo did not throw a very fast jab that contained all his power, that wouldn't be possible. What he threw was a jab that was motionless, but supported Ricardo's shoulder and elbow. The punch wasn't fast but it still beat Mike's counterpunch because of its motion, it was completely straight. It was a high level punch that only Ricardo could perform, his left jabs could conquer the World. (The Ghost Jab)
Mike weakened, the power in Ricardo's jab started to increase rather than slow down and weaken, his stamina was nothing like the others. "I don't need all my power in one jab, we are different." Ricardo exclaimed.
---Strength vs Power ---
"Just you wait." Mike stared at him, his eyes were glowing with fierce determination.
Ricardo got pissed, he used more strength in his power and started throwing more hooks, leaving Mike standby on defense. "FALL!" Ricardo shouted.
"My body would never fall from the hands of you." Mike exclaimed, he threw himself forward to fight from a close range. Even with many hits he still managed to move.
"That won't work!" Ricardo releases a whipping ghost jab once again, it was more sharp and faster, however Mike knew it was coming so he weaved and barely dodged, but it gave an opportunity for Mike to finally attack, Mike uses this advantage and quickly moves, he shifts his body weight quickly.
He connected a clean hit to the body and it affected Ricardo really hard. Mike had put his body into that punch, he dashes in while Ricardo is paralyzed and releases a fury of heavy punches.
The tables turned! Ricardo is the one taking hits this time and forced to defend against punches. "This is the difference between us! You have raw strength, but with my body combined into my punches, that is the true meaning of POWER! TAKE THIS!" Mike lands a perfect body blow to his Solar Plexus.
Ricardo was damaged really badly and lowered his guard by accident, Mike used that split second and connected a powerful right hook that contained most of his power.
Ricardo's legs were weakened to the point he lost most of his balance, although he did not give up. His eyes shined with determination. Mike however charged at him once again, and prepared an uppercut.
However, despite taking so many hits from Mike, Ricardo managed to release a Ghost jab, it ruined Mike's rhythm and Ricardo had the chance to attack.
Mike did not fall though, he was unfazed and still charged up to Ricardo, he used his shoulder to push him and deliver body blows. "Damn it.. You're annoying!" Ricardo exclaimed.
Mike charged unto Ricardo and delivered body blows from side to side, he used his shoulder to back Ricardo off and throw his balance.
Ricardo dashed backwards, but his legs were damaged and his balance was off, Mike connected a Straight Right and threw quick combinations at him, Ricardo still raised his guard though despite all the damage he took. "You think I can't use combinations as well? Well, take this!" Mike speeded up his punches, it hit Ricardo and bypassed through his guard.
Ricardo however was unfazed, he took the body blows and the hits well. He waited for a perfect moment and released a desperate Ghost jab. It surprises Mike, Ricardo connects a clean Right Straight and backs right away.
The Ghost jab was slow but it affected Mike and his rhythm, his balance came off and with the addition of the Right, he took damage.
--- Overtime ---
Ricardo backed away, but his legs were weakened, his balance and rhythm were off, but his spirit was still stable. "You got enough or what?" He mocks Mike.
Mike wipes the blood on his mouth, and still puts up his stance, he is determined to win this battle. "Of Course I can!" He exclaimed.
Two fierce challengers, filled with pure determination and the desire to win, it was a battle that activated them. A battle they have never experienced ever throughout their lives. They both had great endurance and stamina, they didn't fall even after taking many hits, their mentality was at the same level, both of them would not back down. A fight to show who the strongest is.
Mike was damaged quite well, but he still stood and took the damage, the determination pressured him to stand. The same goes for Ricardo! An exciting finale is about to occur.
"Let's end this shall we?" Mike exclaimed before putting on a tight stance, bending his knees even lower. He prepared a final dash.
"Yeah, let's do this." Ricardo smiles, he stretches and puts on a fierce stance, ready for Mike's dash and dart.
Mike dashes to Ricardo's distance! Using all his power into one dash, it was the fastest he had ever done. Ricardo unleashes a Ghost jab, however he was still taking the damage from Mike's power punches, so the Ghost jab was slower than before.
Mike saw the Ghost jab clearly, dodging it perfectly, he weaved side to side with a familiar rhythm we might've sawn before.. Ricardo releases a barrage of Ghost jabs but Mike perfectly dodges all of them, while maintaining his speed dodging side to side.
"Why you..!" Ricardo gets angry, he was pressured by the distance that Mike was closing in, he tries to dash backwards but his feet were damaged and was forced to In-fight.
However, Ricardo could not even land any punches, Mike was dodging them perfectly in a rhythm, and because of the amount of damage that Ricardo took, his arms took a ton and weren't fast enough to catch him.
Mike goes faster, weaving side to side, using his whole body to accelerate from each side, he moves his whole body like an infinity sign.. THE DEMPSEY ROLL!
"Damn it! I could catch him if only I didn't take that much damage.." Ricardo puts up his guard, he wouldn't be able to do anything anyways, even if he goes for a counter it wouldn't benefit him because of the amount of strength he lacked.
"Take this!! THIS WILL END YOU!!" Mike shouts.
Mike moved even faster, then finally unleashed a strong powerful hook that contained all the momentum from his Dempsey Roll, it was so strong it broke Ricardo's guard, his arms flew from a distance.
Ricardo was forced to take damage, he couldn't dash backwards or anything, it was the end for him. Mike released fierce hooks from side to side, connecting perfectly on Ricardo's jaw.
"THIS IS MY LAST STRAW!!" Mike goes faster, shattering Ricardo's jaw from every one of his hooks, his body was damaged but he still endured the pain, even though he was releasing many punches, he still felt pain.
Mike could feel the bones cracking and dislocating as he punched Ricardo, but at the same time it affected his own fist. Blood was flying everywhere, Mike's knuckles and his flesh was shattered.
Mike's hooks shattered Ricardo's jaw, blood dripping everywhere as he broke his fingers and fist as well, the amount of power he added into the Dempsey roll gave him damage as well.
Mike already knew this from the start, but he still continued. He knew that his fist was gonna break somehow, but even if it did he would make it worth it.
-- Unofficial --
The battles were going well. Ms. Manuel and Mr. Cabral goes against two elite mercenaries, while two other battles emerge, Mike vs Ricardo, a battle of endurance and overall fighting spirit, while on the other side, a battle of champions, Isaiah vs Valentino, champions that are talented but worked hard, they had amazing techniques and mastered high level boxing.
The Freelancers part 4, will be mostly about the battles, I'll add some more backstories but right now I'm more focused on finishing the fights, the artifacts will be continued at part 4-5, if it fits. Remember though that this story is not official, it's a made up story and isn't well made, it's just a practice or a test for my future writings. Enjoy the story.
Author, Sai.
-- More Information --
Character inspirations (REAL LIFE)
Ricardo Ethan - Marcus Ethan
A friend I met since I was a kid, I met him because of my mother's friend. He actually trained martial arts, mostly boxing and has good jabs. (14YR)
Marley is a character that I made up randomly, he's a kid who loves action movies and likes guns. (8YR)
Valentino - Louise Franz
I mentioned his name from the title, he's a boxing professional that specializes in out-boxing, he's also my classmate and he helped me get ideas throughout this story. (13YR)
Mr. Cabral - Enzo Silva
I mentioned his name as well, he's my classmate too, one of my best ones, he's quite shy but can act freaky and crazy when you get to know him. (13YR)
Ms. Manuel - Anika Manuel
The only girl classmate I had when I was grade 7, she's also one of my best friends and me and Enzo and her are a trio, she's popular and freaky. (14YR)
Mike is my online friend I met over 3 years ago. I met him in the game of this story.
-- Techniques --
Technique Inspirations
Dempsey Roll
This is a technique that was originally made by Jack Dempsey, it was a technique to weave and dodge punches while keeping momentum, Jack Dempsey used it against Luis Angel Firpo in 1923.
Flicker Jab
This technique was originally used by Thomas Hearns, it was fast whipping jabs that come from many angles to confuse the opponent. He had long reach and it helped him use the flicker jab easier.
Jolt Counter
I don't have much information about this technique, however I got it from the anime "Hajime No Ippo". It was used by Miyata. It's a cross counter that is thrown with one's entire body weight behind it.
There aren't many techniques I've put in this story yet, most of the inspiration came from the anime "Hajime No Ippo". But in the future chapters and episodes there will be more techniques, this story isn't mostly about boxing, there are more other martial arts coming up. [Rainne, Zack, Xan]