“Hey Makida-san, that was one hell of a match.”

Shimada Ryzou walks up to Yamato. Shimada was a well-built male with a spiked back black Mohawk and a scare on his right eye from one of his earlier matches.

“That was too easy. Someone like Man Eater is only good against novice type fighters.”

“Figured he wouldn’t last long against our own X. Still the beating you took before taking him out. You let him get those hits didn’t you?”

“Maybe…”

“Makida-san, you can’t keep doing that. One of these days someone’s going to hit you and you’re not going to get up.”

“When that day comes, I’ll be sure they never get up either.”

“Oh yeah, and what about Junko hm? What about your reason for even being here with the rest of us?”

Yamato sat there quietly. Shimada always knew how to get under his skin.

“Look Makida-san, I didn’t…”

“No you’re right. I need to think about Junko more. Look I’m going to head home for the night. I’ll see you next week.”

…

Yamato walks the streets of Uzumaki City. The night sky was deprived of both stars and a moon. Yamato turns the corner into a dark and damp alley where there were four shady looking guys. All of them looked directly at Yamato but Yamato paid them no mind. He quietly walked through them making no eye contact. One of the men stepped in front of Yamato holding a pipe. Yamato now found himself surround by the other.

“Well, well, well if it isn’t Yamato X Makida. You know I saw your fight with Man Eater tonight.”

“Well I hope it pleased you.”

“Yeah it was pleasing, at first when I thought you were finally going to go down. Someone taking a beating like that should have lost, that’s why as a smart business man such as myself. I placed all my earnings on you losing.”

“That doesn’t sound smart at all given my record.”

“I lost everything because you wanted to play around!”

“That really isn’t my problem is it?”

“You son of bitch! I think you need to be taught that when you get a beaten you fucking go down!!!”

The shady guy swings the pipe at Yamato’s head. Yamato predicted this and quickly ducked under it. While low Yamato gets into his fighting stance and gives the guy a swift uppercut sending him flying back.

The other three guys move in to restrain Yamato. Yamato turns around and gives one the three a quick kick to the temple, but in doing so he was open to the other two. The two shady guys tackle him to the ground and pin both his arms down.

The first guy that had the pipe walks up and gives Yamato a hard kick in the ribs. Yamato coughs up blood. He was still injured from Man Eater so the blow hurt more than it should have.

“You little shit. Not so tough when you can’t move huh?”

“This coming from a guy that needs others to help him when a fight.”

The shady guy gets even angrier and gives a full swing down on to Yamato’s abdomen with the pipe. Yamato lets out a loud pain in agony blood splaying out his mouth. The shady guys start laugh at him as the on with the pipe continues his onslaught.

Hours had went by and the shady guys had finally stopped beating on Yamato.

“Fuck that guy is tough.”

“Yeah I’ll give him that, anybody else would have died from hours of a beating.”

One of the guys walks over to him and starts fishing through his pockets until he found a wad of cash.

“I think I’ll be taking my investment back.”

The guy spits on the barely breathing Yamato and all four of them leave the alley laughing and high fiving each other. Yamato slowly loses consciences as he watches the guys leave the area.