The championship bout for the local underground bare knuckle fighting ring was only moments away, in some squalid old factory sub-level the eager onlookers for such blood sports had shown up, crowding the small arena. Little more than a fenced off square where the two finalists finally came to meet. One was a notorious gangster, a senior member of the Yakuza branch that resided in this part of the city. A favourite to win and current champion of this tournament, he seemed a shoe in for victory this year considering his opponent.

A complete upstart, there was no recognition for the young man standing alone in his corner. How he had made it this far was simply baffling to most of the crowd but he had shown to be particularly adept so far, but no match for the champ. This of course was because the whole fight had been rigged, the boy was paid off already to throw the match at just the right time, potentially making a number of the higher ups even richer than they already were. Takeshi had other plans of course, this was just how he would begin his plans for revenge. In particular, his opponent was a man he had been tracking for some time.

"BEGIN!"

The fight started, with the 'referee' quickly scrambling out of the way as the two squared up and got to work. As expected, the champ was off to a viscous start. Closing the distance swiftly, the gang member was quick to try and push on the offensive, just like he was told the match would start. Rapid punches and kicks that all seemed to be hitting their mark as Takeshi had to back away. At least until he brushed aside a wide swing to strike at his opponents core, sending him reeling. This too was planned, the match was designed around the newcomer looking to overcome the odds only to be felled at the last moment.

However, this beatdown didn't stop. His stance changed as he followed through on this new opening to begin brutally beating his opponent down. Every moment flowed perfectly into the next with no chance of reprisal. His technique was flawless, and with a solid kick to the side of the head sending the reigning champion sprawling had the young man grinning maliciously from ear to ear. The crowd itself went silent, having never seen such a thorough beating before.

"Get up" Takeshi demanded, as his winded opponent struggled to pull himself from the ground only to receive a heel to the back of the head, shattering teeth and breaking his nose. "These people want a show!" Another vicious kick to his downed opponent sent him rolling to the opposite side of the ring. There were no rules of course, and no one was about to step in. Feeling cornered, the Yakuza finally sprang to his feet, spitting blood to the floor as he drew what looked to be a shiv of sorts. Weapons were forbidden, but the blade he was carrying seemed small enough that no one had noticed.

No one, at least, except Takeshi. As his opponent desperately lunged only to be casually side-stepped and sent off balance, turning to follow up with more fruitless slashes while the younger man casually avoided his strikes. Until the man thrust forward, aiming to stab his opponent. Takeshi side-steps, guiding his opponent forward only to jolt his arm backwards to tear it from the socket. Before he could even consider the pain though, a rapid strike followed into his elbow with a sickening snap, rending his arm useless as the blade clattered to the ground.

From there the fight was over, easily dodging a wide swing the young fighter would jab his opponent in the throat. With that, the man dropped clutching his neck, unable to draw breath. There was a stunned silence from the crowd as the referee stepped in between them to call an end to the bout. Takeshi smirked and turned, glancing at what were essentially the box seats where the highers ups had just realized how much money they had lost. Though before they could do anything about it, the man responsible was gone.

--- --- ---

Takeshi blended in amongst the crowd leaving the arena, funneling out through a number of exits to disguise the activities of the fights below. The numbers dwindling as they filtered out into the streets. Seeing as he had managed to nab his winnings and escaped without being seen, Takeshi was feeling rather good about this whole thing. Though he had the strangest feeling that someone was watching.. Though he couldn't be sure if it was Yakuza or just someone who recognized him from the fight, he was ready to defend if he really needed to.

Takeshi glances over his shoulder, seeing what looked to be a young woman. It seemed like she was pretty full of herself to start with, though he was somewhat unsettled that she had made such a claim right away. Of course, he little verbal jab got to him but he wasn't about to go picking fights for no reason at all. After all, he had just finished a night of fighting and had more than had his fill. "And what makes you say that?" He didn't stop walking, instead continuing onwards. No point staying so deep in Yakuza territory after such a blatant scam.

Staying a few steps in front, they were soon out closer to the district center with the few still out at such a late hour. "What's your deal then, what do you want" They were stopped at a pedestrian crossing for now, though Takeshi hardly seemed to be paying attention to anything but this strange woman and any potential followers that had caught him sneaking out of the arena.