-The Prodigy's Challenge-
The morning sun filtered through the Shinshinkai dojo's windows as Reina arrived for her first official training session with Katsumi Orochi. She'd been training here for three days now, working with Doppo in the early mornings and sparring with various students throughout the day. Her body was adapting rapidly, her techniques becoming sharper, more refined.
But today was different. Today, she would face the prodigy himself.
Katsumi was already in the dojo, going through his warm-up routine. At twenty years old, he was in his physical prime—5'9", lean and muscular, with the perfect build of a dedicated martial artist. His black hair was styled neatly, and his handsome face carried an expression of focused intensity. He wore the traditional white Shinshinkai gi with a black belt, every movement precise and controlled.
He noticed Reina entering and stopped his routine, turning to face her with a competitive smile.
"Reina Hanma," he greeted, his voice carrying genuine warmth mixed with anticipation. "Ready for our session?"
"Always ready," Reina replied, setting down her bag. She wore her usual training outfit—black gi pants and crimson sports top, her hair already tied back in a high ponytail. "Though I should warn you, I don't go easy on people just because they're nice to me."
"Good. I'd be insulted if you did." Katsumi gestured to the center of the dojo. "Father told me about your session with him. He said you have incredible potential but lack real combat experience. That your techniques are perfect in theory but untested in prolonged battle."
"He's not wrong." Reina moved to the center, her Absolute Reflexes already tracking Katsumi's micro-movements, reading his body language. "Three days of training with him have taught me more than three years of solo practice."
"Then let's continue your education." Katsumi took his stance—the classic Shinshinkai fighting position, but refined by years of his own innovation. "I'm going to come at you with everything I have. No holding back. Can you handle that?"
Reina's eyes glowed with Hanma intensity, her lips curving into a predatory smile. "Can you?"
They moved simultaneously.
Katsumi opened with his signature technique—the Mach Punch. His fist blurred forward with incredible speed, a technique he'd developed to break the sound barrier with pure striking velocity.
Reina's Absolute Reflexes kicked in, and she watched the punch approach in what seemed like slow motion. But this time, instead of just dodging, she applied what Doppo had taught her. She read Katsumi's intent, felt the commitment behind the strike, and responded not with evasion but with a counter.
Her palm met his fist in mid-air—a Hokuto Shinken deflection that redirected his force while simultaneously striking a pressure point in his wrist.
Katsumi's punch veered off course, his hand going momentarily numb. His eyes widened with surprise and excitement.
"Incredible! You actually countered the Mach Punch on first encounter!"
"Don't sound so surprised," Reina replied, already moving into her follow-up. She launched a Renewal Taekwondo kick—a Hwechook spinning hook kick aimed at his head.
Katsumi ducked under it, his years of training allowing him to read the trajectory despite its speed. He came up with an uppercut that would have knocked out most fighters.
Reina twisted her body impossibly, the punch grazing her chin instead of connecting solidly. She used the momentum to spin completely around, delivering a back kick that caught Katsumi in the chest.
He absorbed the impact, his conditioning allowing him to take the hit without being thrown back. But she felt it—the power behind her strike had actually made him grunt.
"You hit hard," Katsumi acknowledged, rubbing his chest. "Harder than most men twice your size."
"Hanma genetics," Reina said simply. "We're built different."
They reset and went again. And again. And again.
For two hours, they pushed each other. Katsumi demonstrated why he was considered the next generation's hope—his Mach Punch evolved during their sparring, becoming faster, more precise. He showed her his Sangan technique, a counter-strike method that involved reading an opponent's movements and punishing their attacks.
Reina responded by integrating her styles more fluidly. Hokuto Shinken's precision combined with Renewal Taekwondo's explosive power, all enhanced by her Absolute Reflexes and growing combat instinct.
By the time Doppo called for a break, both fighters were drenched in sweat, breathing hard, but grinning with the satisfaction of a good training session.
"Impressive," Doppo observed from the sidelines, his single eye gleaming with approval. "You two have natural chemistry in combat. Katsumi, you pushed her to react faster. Reina, you forced him to adapt his techniques on the fly. This is what real training looks like."
Reina and Katsumi grabbed water bottles, sitting on the dojo floor to recover.
"You're good," Katsumi admitted, his competitive nature showing through his respect. "Really good. In a few more years, you might even surpass Father."
"Might?" Reina raised an eyebrow. "I'm definitely going to surpass Doppo. And then I'm going to surpass Yujiro."
Katsumi laughed. "That Hanma confidence. Baki has it too. Though I have to say, it's somehow more intimidating coming from you."
"The Absolute Beauty trait throws people off," Reina acknowledged. "They expect someone who looks like me to be... I don't know, softer? Gentler? Instead, they get a fighter who wants to break them."
"It's not just the beauty," Katsumi said, his expression becoming more serious. "It's the contrast. You're impossibly beautiful but also impossibly dangerous. It creates cognitive dissonance. People's brains can't reconcile what their eyes see with what their instincts feel."
"You seem to handle it better than most."
"I've been training under Father since I was a child. I've learned to look past surface appearances and see the warrior beneath." Katsumi paused, then added with a slight smile, "Though I'd be lying if I said your beauty doesn't affect me at all. I'm human, after all."
Reina felt a warmth in her chest at his honesty. Katsumi was handsome, talented, respectful, and driven—exactly the kind of person she could see herself connecting with. And with the harem-building aspect of her journey ahead, getting close to him wouldn't be a bad thing.
But before she could respond, the dojo's main door slid open with a violent crash.
Everyone turned to see who had entered so forcefully.
Standing in the doorway, backlit by the morning sun, was a mountain of a man. He stood at an impossible 7 feet tall (after his limb-lengthening surgeries), with a powerful, muscular build that seemed almost grotesque in its size. His blonde hair was short and wild, his face was brutal and scarred, and his eyes—pale blue, almost colorless—carried a frightening intensity.
Jack Hanma.
Her other half-brother.
The dojo went silent. Everyone recognized him—the Canadian pitfighter, the man who had pushed his body beyond human limits through steroids, surgeries, and brutal training. The one who bit his opponents in fights, who fought with the savagery of a wild animal.
Jack's pale eyes swept the dojo until they landed on Reina. His expression twisted into something between fury and disbelief.
"You," he growled, his voice deep and rough. "You're the one. The so-called female Hanma."
Reina stood slowly, her heart rate increasing but her expression remaining calm. She'd known this meeting was inevitable. Jack had heard about her, and now he was here to verify—or to challenge.
"Jack Hanma," she acknowledged. "My half-brother. I was wondering when you'd show up."
"Half-brother," Jack spat the words like a curse. He stalked into the dojo, his massive frame making the space feel smaller. "I've spent my entire life training, suffering, breaking my body to surpass him. I've undergone surgeries, taken drugs that are killing me slowly, all to become strong enough to face Yujiro Hanma."
He stopped a few feet from her, towering over her despite her own above-average height.
"And now I find out he has a daughter? A girl who claims to be Hanma? Who supposedly has the demon blood?" Jack's hands clenched into fists. "Prove it. Prove you're not just some pretender using the Hanma name for attention."
"Jack," Doppo's voice cut through the tension, "this is my dojo. If you want to fight, you take it outside."
"Stay out of this, old man." Jack didn't even look at Doppo, his eyes fixed entirely on Reina. "This is between Hanmas."
Reina felt her own Hanma blood stirring, the Demon Back beginning to awaken. Jack's hostility, his challenge, was triggering her fighting instinct. But she also understood his anger. He'd suffered enormously to become stronger, and suddenly learning about a sister who might have natural advantages he'd never possessed—that would be infuriating.
"Fine," Reina said calmly. "You want proof? Let's step outside. I'll show you exactly what a female Hanma can do."
"Reina," Katsumi stood, concern evident in his voice. "Jack is dangerous. He fights like an animal. He won't hold back, and he won't stop until one of you can't continue."
"I know." Reina moved toward the door, her eyes never leaving Jack's. "But this has to happen. He needs to see for himself."
Jack's lips twisted into a savage grin. "At least you have guts. Let's see if you have the strength to back them up."
-Blood Recognizes Blood-
The Shinshinkai dojo had a training yard behind the main building—a large, open space with hard-packed dirt and training equipment. It was where Doppo's students practiced outdoor techniques and where serious sparring sometimes took place.
Word of the confrontation spread quickly. Within minutes, students and instructors had gathered around the perimeter of the yard, forming a loose circle. Even Doppo and Katsumi positioned themselves to watch, though both looked ready to intervene if things went too far.
Reina stood on one side of the yard, rolling her shoulders and stretching. Jack stood opposite her, his massive frame casting a long shadow. The size difference was even more apparent outdoors—he was over a foot taller and outweighed her by at least 150 pounds of muscle.
"Last chance to back down," Jack said, cracking his knuckles. "I won't go easy on you just because you're female. Or because you're supposedly my sister."
"I don't want you to go easy." Reina's eyes began to glow with crimson light, her Hanma blood fully awakening. "I want you to come at me with everything you have. Show me what the son of Diane Neil can do."
Jack's expression flickered with something—surprise? anger?—at the mention of his mother's name. Then it hardened into pure aggression.
"You did your research. Good. Then you know what I'm capable of." His muscles tensed, his body coiling like a spring. "I'll show you what real Hanma strength looks like!"
He charged with surprising speed for his size, closing the distance in seconds. His opening attack was brutally simple—a straight punch aimed at her head with enough force to shatter concrete.
Reina's Absolute Reflexes tracked the punch, but she didn't dodge. Instead, she planted her feet and activated her own Hanma blood.
Her Demon Back erupted.
The muscles in her back swelled and twisted, forming the characteristic demon face that marked true Hanma bloodline. But unlike Baki's or Yujiro's, hers had a unique quality—more elegant, more refined, but no less powerful.
She caught Jack's punch.
Her hands wrapped around his massive fist, stopping his charge dead. The impact created a shockwave that kicked up dust around them, but she held firm, her feet digging small trenches in the hard ground from the force.
The watching crowd gasped. Even Doppo's eye widened with surprise.
Jack stared at his caught fist in disbelief. "What...?"
"You wanted proof I'm Hanma?" Reina's voice had changed—deeper, more primal, carrying the weight of awakened demon blood. "Here's your proof."
She twisted, using Jack's own momentum and her superior leverage to throw him—all 7 feet and 300+ pounds of him—over her shoulder.
Jack crashed into the ground hard enough to create a small crater. Dust exploded outward, and for a moment, he lay still.
Then he laughed.
It was a harsh, almost manic sound. He pushed himself up, blood trickling from his mouth where he'd bitten his own tongue from the impact.
"Finally," Jack said, his eyes wild with battle lust. "Finally, someone who can take my full strength!" His own muscles began to swell, his body responding to the challenge. "Let's see how you handle this!"
What followed was one of the most brutal exchanges Reina had experienced. Jack fought like a wild animal—all aggression, all power, no finesse. He threw massive haymakers that would have killed normal fighters. He attempted to grab her, to use his superior size to crush her. And when he got close enough, he did what he was infamous for—he tried to bite her.
Reina adapted her style to counter his savagery. Her Hokuto Shinken's precision let her strike pressure points that momentarily weakened his limbs. Her Renewal Taekwondo's kicks kept him at distance, preventing him from using his grappling advantage. And her Absolute Reflexes let her dodge or deflect most of his wild attacks.
But Jack was tough. Incredibly tough. The steroids and surgeries had turned his body into something almost inhuman. He absorbed her strikes that would have dropped other fighters, kept coming despite accumulating damage, pushed through pain that should have incapacitated him.
"Is that all?" Jack taunted, blood running down his face from a cut over his eye. "I expected more from Yujiro's daughter!"
Reina felt her Hanma pride flare. She'd been holding back, worried about causing permanent damage. But Jack wanted her full power? She'd give it to him.
She combined her techniques in a devastating sequence. A pressure point strike to his solar plexus, followed immediately by a tornado kick that connected with his jaw, ending with a Hanma-powered palm strike to his chest that sent him flying backward.
Jack crashed through one of the training dummies, wood splintering around him. He lay in the wreckage, breathing hard, blood dripping from multiple wounds.
The yard went silent. Had she gone too far? Killed her own brother?
Then Jack started laughing again. He pushed himself up from the debris, swaying slightly but still standing.
"Now that," he said, wiping blood from his mouth, "was Hanma strength." He grinned, showing bloody teeth. "You're real. You're actually real. A female Hanma. My sister."
He took a step forward, then another, but his legs gave out. He fell to one knee, his body finally acknowledging the damage it had taken.
"I can't believe it," Jack muttered, his voice losing its aggressive edge. "All this time, I thought I was alone. That it was just me and Baki, both of us trying to surpass that monster. And now there's you."
Reina approached cautiously, her Demon Back slowly receding. "Jack—"
"Don't," he held up a hand, stopping her. "Don't apologize or try to comfort me. You won. Fair and square. You proved you're Hanma." His pale eyes met hers, and for the first time, she saw something other than rage in them—genuine curiosity. "But I have questions. Where have you been? Why were you hidden? And most importantly—" his expression hardened again, "—are you going to get in my way when I finally face Yujiro?"
Reina considered how to answer. Jack was damaged—physically and psychologically—by his pursuit of strength. But he was still her brother, still family.
"I was hidden because I'm the first female Hanma ever born," she explained. "My grandmother feared what Yujiro might do if he discovered me. As for getting in your way..." She met his gaze steadily. "We all have our own path to Yujiro. You have yours, Baki has his, and I have mine. We don't have to be enemies just because we share the same goal."
"Enemies? No." Jack slowly stood, ignoring the medical students trying to approach him. "But we're not friends either. We're Hanma. We compete. We fight. We push each other to be stronger. That's what this bloodline does."
"I can live with that," Reina agreed.
Jack studied her for a long moment, then nodded. "You're stronger than I expected. Your techniques are strange—those pressure point strikes, those kicks that defy physics. But you're still unpolished. Raw. If you want to stand against Yujiro, you need more than natural talent and unique techniques."
"I know. That's why I'm here. Training with Doppo and Katsumi."
"Good. Get stronger. Train hard. Because next time we fight—and there will be a next time—I won't hold back like I did today." He turned to leave, limping slightly from his injuries. "Oh, and Reina?"
"Yes?"
"Welcome to the family. For what it's worth." With that, he walked away, leaving the stunned crowd behind.
Doppo approached Reina, his expression a mix of concern and approval. "That was reckless. But necessary. Jack needed to see you're legitimate. Now he'll spread the word through his own networks—the underground will know for certain that a female Hanma exists."
"And Yujiro will definitely hear about it," Reina said quietly.
"Yes. Very soon now." Doppo placed a hand on her shoulder. "Are you ready for that?"
Reina touched her mother's crane pendant, feeling its weight against her chest. "I have to be. Ready or not, he's coming."
-The Ogre Investigates-
In a luxury apartment in Yokohama, Yujiro Hanma sat at a expensive desk, reviewing documents spread before him. His contacts had delivered—birth records (what few existed), witness testimonies, surveillance photos of Reina training and fighting.
Everything confirmed it. He had a daughter.
Yujiro picked up one photograph—a surveillance shot of Reina exiting the Shinshinkai dojo. Even in a grainy photo, her beauty was evident. And her eyes... those were unmistakably Hanma eyes.
"Remarkable," he murmured, his deep voice carrying genuine interest. "A female born with the demon blood. I didn't think it was possible."
His phone rang. Strydum, with more information.
"Mr. Hanma, I've compiled everything we could find. The mother, Ayumi Tanaka, died during childbirth. The girl was raised by Ayumi's cousin, Hanako Tanaka, in hiding. There's almost no paper trail—they kept her completely off the radar until three weeks ago."
"When she revealed herself at Tokugawa's arena," Yujiro finished.
"Exactly. Since then, she's fought multiple times, trained with Doppo Orochi, met with Baki, and just today fought Jack. Sir, from all accounts, she's extraordinarily powerful. The reports say she demonstrated techniques that shouldn't exist—Hokuto Shinken and something called Renewal Taekwondo."
"I saw the videos you sent." Yujiro leaned back in his chair, a predatory smile crossing his face. "She's strong. Much stronger than I would have expected for sixteen years old. Her techniques are intriguing, her physical capabilities impressive. But is she Hanma? Or is she just talented?"
"Everyone who's met her agrees—she has the Demon Back. She has your presence, your aura. And apparently, she has some unique traits. Witnesses describe her as impossibly beautiful, and she demonstrates reflexes that border on precognition."
"Interesting." Yujiro stood, walking to his floor-to-ceiling window overlooking Yokohama's skyline. "A daughter I never knew existed. Hidden for sixteen years. Now revealing herself, challenging the underground, training to become stronger."
He was silent for a long moment, processing this information through his unique worldview.
Most fathers would feel anger at being kept ignorant of their child's existence. Or perhaps joy at discovering a daughter. Maybe concern for her wellbeing, given the dangerous world she'd entered.
Yujiro felt none of these things.
What he felt was curiosity. And anticipation.
"She's training to face me," he said aloud, more to himself than to Strydum. "Whether she admits it or not, that's her ultimate goal. She's building strength, gathering experience, preparing for the day we meet."
"Will you... approach her, sir? Try to meet her?"
"Not yet." Yujiro's smile widened. "Let her keep training. Let her keep growing stronger. I want to see how far she can go. How strong she can become. And then, when she's ready—when she thinks she can stand against me—that's when I'll appear."
"And what will you do when you meet her?"
Yujiro's laugh was low and dangerous. "I'll test her. Push her to her absolute limits. See if she's worthy of the Hanma name. And if she is..." He paused, his expression becoming almost contemplative. "If she truly is my daughter, with genuine Hanma blood, then perhaps the world is about to become much more interesting."
He ended the call and pulled up the photo of Reina again on his phone, studying every detail.
"Reina Hanma," he spoke to the image. "Daughter of the Ogre. Let's see what you're truly capable of. Show me if you're a warrior... or just another disappointment."
He set down the phone and began his own training routine. After all, if his daughter was getting stronger, he couldn't afford to be complacent. Even the Strongest Creature on Earth needed to maintain his edge.
Though a small part of him—a part he barely acknowledged—felt something else beyond curiosity.
Pride, perhaps? That his bloodline had produced not just two sons, but a daughter as well. That the Hanma legacy was broader than he'd imagined.
But Yujiro quickly crushed that sentiment. Emotions were weakness. Sentiment was for the weak.
All that mattered was strength. And soon, he would see if his daughter possessed enough of it to be worth acknowledging.
-Bonds and Plans-
That evening, after treating her injuries and finishing her training, Reina found herself at a small restaurant with Katsumi. He'd invited her for dinner, ostensibly to discuss training strategies, but she suspected he had other motivations as well.
"You were incredible today," Katsumi said as they ate. "Fighting Jack Hanma to a standstill on your first encounter. Most fighters would have been destroyed by him."
"I'm not most fighters," Reina replied with a slight smile. "And I didn't fight him to a standstill—I won. He collapsed first."
"True. But he also landed some serious hits. Your ribs must still be aching."
Reina touched her side, where Jack's fist had connected during their fight. Even with her Hanma healing, it was still tender. "Pain is just information. It tells me where I need to defend better next time."
Katsumi shook his head, but he was smiling. "Very Hanma of you. Though I have to say, you're different from Baki and Yujiro. You have their strength and fighting spirit, but you're more... approachable? Human?"
"I'm trying to be," Reina admitted. "My grandmother made me promise I wouldn't become like Yujiro—a monster who cares only for strength. I want to be powerful, but I don't want to lose my humanity in the process."
"That's admirable. And difficult. The martial arts world can be brutal. The stronger you become, the more isolated you become. The fewer people who can understand you."
"Is that how you feel?"
Katsumi considered the question. "Sometimes. Father understands, of course. And other fighters at my level. But normal people..." He trailed off. "They see me as a weapon, or a spectacle, or someone to be feared. Not as just Katsumi."
"I understand that." Reina met his eyes across the table. "People look at me and they see my beauty first, my strength second. They don't see me as a person with thoughts, dreams, fears. Just as an impossible combination of attractive and deadly."
"Well, for what it's worth, I see you as Reina," Katsumi said earnestly. "A talented fighter, yes. Beautiful, undeniably. But also someone who's trying to find her place in a world that doesn't quite know what to do with her. Someone who's building something meaningful, not just pursuing strength for its own sake."
Reina felt warmth spread through her chest. This was the first time since arriving in this world that someone had seen her as a person rather than just a Hanma or a beautiful woman or a fighter.
"Thank you, Katsumi. That means more than you know."
They continued eating, the conversation flowing naturally. Katsumi told her about his training journey, his relationship with Doppo, his dreams of surpassing his father. Reina shared carefully edited versions of her own story, leaving out the reincarnation and ROB aspects but being honest about her desire to prove herself.
As the evening wore on, Reina realized she was genuinely enjoying herself. Katsumi was intelligent, passionate about martial arts, and despite his competitive nature, he was kind. He'd be a good addition to her future harem—not just as a romantic partner, but as a genuine companion.
But she also knew she couldn't get too attached yet. Her journey was just beginning. After establishing herself in the Baki world, she'd be traveling to other dimensions. Building connections across realities.
"Penny for your thoughts?" Katsumi asked, noticing her distant expression.
"Just thinking about the future," Reina admitted. "About where this path is taking me. I have goals beyond just facing Yujiro, you know."
"Oh? Like what?"
"Can't tell you yet. But let's just say... my ambitions are bigger than most people would believe."
Katsumi grinned. "Mysterious. I like it. Though you know that just makes me more curious."
"Good. A little mystery keeps things interesting."
They finished dinner and walked back toward the dojo together, the Tokyo night alive with lights and sounds around them. As they walked, Reina felt Katsumi's hand brush against hers—not quite holding hands, but close enough to be intentional.
She didn't pull away.
"Reina," Katsumi said as they reached the dojo, "I know you're dealing with a lot right now. Your identity, your training, the looming confrontation with Yujiro. But I want you to know—you're not alone. Whatever you need, wherever your path takes you, I'll support you."
"Even if that path takes me places you can't follow?"
"Even then." His expression was serious, sincere. "You're special, Reina. Not just because you're strong or beautiful or Hanma. Because you're you. Don't forget that."
Before Reina could respond, he bowed formally and entered the dojo, leaving her standing outside under the stars.
She touched her mother's pendant again, feeling its weight, its meaning.
I'm building something, she thought. Not just strength, but connections. Relationships. A life that's more than just fighting.
Her phone buzzed. A message from Tokugawa:
"Big match scheduled in three days. You versus Retsu Kaioh, the Chinese Kenpo master. He's requested to fight you specifically. Says he wants to test the female Hanma's techniques. Are you interested?"
Reina smiled. Retsu Kaioh was one of the strongest fighters in the series—a 4,000-year-old martial art embodied in one man. Fighting him would be an incredible test.
She texted back: "I accept. Set it up."
Three days to prepare. Three days before her biggest challenge yet. And somewhere out there, Yujiro was watching, waiting, planning his own approach.
The storm was coming. But Reina Hanma was ready to face it.
She entered the dojo, ready for another night of training, another step on her journey to becoming the strongest warrior across dimensions.
The First Daughter of the Ogre was just getting started.
-To Be Continued...-
Next Chapter: The Chinese Dragon - Reina faces Retsu Kaioh in an epic battle that will test not just her techniques, but her philosophy of combat. Meanwhile, Yujiro makes his move, and the Ogre finally decides it's time to meet his daughter...