Mugen Hx

I. Continuing further is a death sentence. It is recommended to return to the base and report to Alice. The Rock Gang thugs are evacuating the injured. Rabiane prays for the deceased before going back. Her actions earned her respect from Rock Gang.

It took them one trip until they arrived in Jam Rock. A chill music has been played over the PA systems. Over the entrace are the protesters. They don't want to be sent outside and get killed by monsters. They blame the Local State Police for the casualties. The Rock Gang thugs argued with the protesters saying they are selfish and coward while the thugs are out there fighting to secure the food that they eat in cans.

One of Clodia's men in blue seems to be watching this unfold. Cronos is curious. "Why aren't you stopping this riot?" he asked. The man in blue raised his eyebrow and looks at Cronos. He said, "You're that promising rookie that thug trusted? You're quite civil than I expected." There is no denying that. Clodia must have told him about Simmon favoring Cronos.

The man in blue explained, "Well truth to be told, we cannot handle the mob bigger than our group. We had experienced worse than this but we are underequiped for the job. Plus our cell in the department is too small to fit all of them. We usually focus on the rowdiest mob and imprisoned him to... Ahem... Punish him..." Something about punishment makes the man in blue sweat. He continues to speak, "The thugs from Rock Gang pretty much intimidate the mob. I won't lie, that was plain stupid. But the thugs had point. It is kinda tough trusting the thugs over citizens, but it is a fact that they are the ones putting their lives in the line for our survival. Much to my frustration."

The man in blue smile is forced. He didn't like the scene that is unfolding in front of him. "You should go rest. I will keep watch and prevent the riot from happening." said the man in blue. He stays and observes the situation. The mob and the Rock Gang continue to argue. Cronos, Kaguya, and Rabiane comes to the Break Room to meet Alice.

II. "I heard about what happened. I give you thanks for the support." said Alice. She gives one pouch of 40 credits each. They are enough for 3 days worth of food that they can buy and pay weekly rent.

"About the news about what the dorks are cooking up, so far no shit came up. They weren't familiar of the set up of computers. Tech stuff. I dunno, its a headache." said Alice. It may be because despite having english language it does not necessarily have the same old programming language that the hackers are familiar with.

"Alice, I want to buy ammunation. Do you know where the gun store around here?" asked Kaguya. Alice replied, "Its in the lower left corner of the Ticket Booth. Didn't you see Johnathan's shop? He sells firepower. He has good shit I tell you." Kaguya thanks Alice and bid everyone goodbye.

Rabiane asked, "Is there a shrine around here to pray, sister Alice?" Alice is quite confused. There is nothing sort around Jam Rock. "Sorry girl, we are all atheists here. We don't believe in god." said Alice with an awkward smile. Rabiane's eyes turned blank. "B-but that's heretical..." said Rabiane with a stuttered scared voice. Alice shrugs her shoulder and said, "As far as our concern, we rather do whatever we want than doing fucking nothing. We get the job done with that mindset." Rabiane is just disappointed. But, she has nothing to say here since she is technically an outsider. "May the god bless you stray sheeps." prayed Rabiane for everyone. Alice accepts the blessing and thanked Rabiane.

Alice looks at Cronos. "What about you? Do you want something?" asked Alice expecting something. Cronos replied, "Do you have more missions for me?" Alice slaps her forehead. "You know, you will be a fucking pushover if you want to get ordered around. I suggest you take a day off. I will give you your assignment later." said Alice. Cronos accomplished two dangerous missions in a row and Alice is concerned about the health of her contract worker. Cronos thanked Alice and left the Break Room.

III. Cronos explores Jam Rock. The dormitories are obviously where people stay. And it appears the upper dormitories are for Rock Gang members and they are the ones that get payed instead of normal residents that live in lower dormitories that have to pay rent. Heading to the plaza, numerous shops can be seen selling various stuff, such as appliances and consumables created by finest crafters and cooks. They don't sell weapons here for safety reasons. The men and women in blue can be seen guarding each entrance of each shops. They are the Local State Police. Their job is simply to protect people and punish criminals that disrupt the order. Security though, they are very lax. Rock Gang's influence is the greatest among factions.

The rooftop is off-limits. The Rock Gang handles the aerial defense. It is said that there is a shooting range where sharpshooters train their gun proficiency. The ones that train there are of course, Rock Gang and Local State Police. Eva's faction soldiers also train there as they earned their right as the third largest faction involving finance and logistics. Each faction has different purpose to train in the shooting range. Rock Gang trains to fight against monsters. Local State Police trains for public safety. Eva's Faction for their self interest.

Cronos decides to talk with Rock Gang since they were the thugs that he acquainted with. He heard information that Simmon's Love Room Hotel is quite fancy than you would expect. Complete with beddings, gramophone with jazzy tracks, dim pink neon lightings, and most importantly, women that stay in Love Room Hotel that give service to those that are willing to pay. How it is managed depends on merit. The higher the floor, the more expensive and enjoyable the service is. Cronos learned alot.

Enough with the love hotel, Cronos heard an interesting rumor about Simmon enjoying brawling. His wrestling skills are quite unorthodox, making him unpredictable. And he enjoys trading blows that he doesn't bother to dodge. It is said that it is way to view talents of each individuals that he hires. He also does it with women depending what talent they have whether it them being a fighting force or a talented worker. Cronos hasn't fought Simmon yet but he is sure that he will be defeated when it comes to close quarter combat against a bonafide street fighter and his brawling expertise.

IV. As he continues to stroll around Jam Rock, he noticed a commotion happening somewhere. It is somewhere around the second plaza. As he approaches the source of the noise, alot of thugs are cheering for odd reason. He sees a man in blue, one of the Local State Police, seemingly not bothered by the noise and instead busy counting credits in his hand. "What is happening here?" asked Cronos to the man in blue.

The man in blue said, "Its Punch Out. Thugs like them love beating each other so they made a Punch Club and that Boss of theirs' approved such shady club. I guess its entertainment and a way that I earn credits by gambling... Why am I talking about this to a kid like you? Scram kid. This is not the arcade."

Cronos ignores the busy man in blue and squeezes himself through the ground to see what is going on. What blocks in front of him is a chain-linked fence. Downstairs, he can see two fighters duking out at each other in a bloody brawl. He observes the two fighters.

One fighter is a brown haired thug wearing a camo jacket, brown army pants, and combat boots. His style is relying the use of straights and kicks and keeping his stance boxed in. He attacks with precise and calculated techniques and he does a solid defensive block against strong attacks.

The other fighter is a black braided brown thug only wearing a baggy pants. He is dancing alot in repetitions. He attacks and dodges using the flow of his movements. His strength is no joke as he can keep his balance without falling down. His attacks consists of spinning moves like spin kick or leg sweep.

The one who wins the fight is the thug with the camo jacket. He boldly tackles the dancing thug, tanking the kicks and using the opportunity to mess the guy's rhythm. The braided thug is downed and the brown haired thug uses an elbow drop to hit the head. The braided thug tries to get out of the way but he failed and the elbow drop ended up hitting the downed guy's chin, knocking him out. The bell rings and the announcer announced that the winner is the brown haired man.

There are mixed reactions amongst the crowd. Many celebrated, many disappointed. This is one of the ways the people entertain themselves beside the Love Hotel. The mood around is festive and the trap EDM music pumps everyone up.

V. Seeing that makes Cronos curious. He hasn't got good sense of fighting close and personal. He had to solely use defense and counters to fight against his enemies. Perhaps maybe, he can fight brawlers amongst the thugs around and gain experience in unarmed combat. Plus the credits that he can receive as rewards for winning the fight.

In order to join, someone said that a broker is the one responsible for organizing and register fighters in the fights. He can join either a one versus one format or a three versus three format fights. Single match or tournament matches. Right now, Cronos is a beginner so he decided to join the One versus One Single Match.

It takes some time as other fighters booked some fight. Cronos takes the time to observe how they fight. There are those that give up defense to focus on smashing their opponents with their fist. Others focus on dodging so they don't take damage. Few take the extreme to endure many hits to conserve their stamina. These three styles have their specific advantages and disadvantage. Strong against Tough, Tough against Fast, and Fast against Strong. Its not always the case because experienced fighters always find way to overcome their weakness.

It was time that Cronos start his fight. The announcer begins the announcement. "Guys and girls, gays and lesbians, welcome to Jam Rock Beat Them Up! I hope you all are entertained and hope your wallets are not empty. This is the 5th match for today. One promising newbie against a novice are gonna duke it out in this arena! Let us give encore, to the Purple Gigolo, Cronos! And the dragon warrior that fights for equality, the Dragon Fist, Jack Hoff!!"

Cronos enters the arena with no weapons equipped. This will be the first he will fight unarmed. His opponent, Jack Hoff, seems to be intimidating. He wears a white ripped sleeve gi with black belt strapped around his waist. He wears bright red gloves and red headbandana. He has the looks of an experienced fighter. Or more accurately, he looks way too serious about this fight. Did Cronos somehow offend this man? Upon closer inspection, there is a birthmark shaped like the Mars symbol on his chest.

"You!" shouted Jack Hoff. "Show me everything you got! Let's honor this fight as men!" Cronos is not really impressed of Jack's showmanship. Jack is looking forward for this fight. He raises his fist towards Cronos. It is a gesture that Cronos wasn't familiar with but he copied it and raised his fist. A sign of challenge, not the sign of good luck. Jack noticed this so he steps back looking at Cronos with sheer focus.

VI. The crowd went silent. Two spotlights only focus on the two fighters. Jack Hoff makes a boxing stance, keeping his right fist guarding his right cheek and keeping his left fist guarding his left abdomen. This is the first time Cronos seeing a genuine fighter stance. He slightly bends his legs and relaxes his arms and tightens his grip like his stance when using the Parallel Chronoblade. His plan of strategy is to outmanuever Jack with speed.

Drums beging to bang in a focused and aggressive tempo. The electric guitar plays a chaotic non-rhythm. A growl that sets up the mood. Drums bang faster agressively, and the growl turns into a scream. Heavy beats of the drums and chaotic overdriven electric guitar kept a loud boombastic rhythm blows the brains of everyone. The singer sang the melody of war. The Heavy Metal Music for the Punch Club as the arena's bgm has now set the stage radical.

The bell signifies the fight beginning. Jack Hoff earned the initiative and threw a left jab, a right straight, a right upper, and a left straight. All hit Cronos. Cronos felt the force of Jack's punches. They are the real deal. He hits like a robot's mechanical arm.

Cronos shakes the feeling of pain and begins to attack. He tries to get to Jack's rear as he can see that is his opening. But Jack Hoff cuts him off by sidestepping the same way where Cronos is heading. Cronos pushes his leg while leaning to the left to change his direction. Jack sidesteps in the way again. It is clear that in a one versus one fight, the opponent only has one opponent to focus on. There is no fear of getting backstabbed around the back by third party.

Cronos needs to attack so he throws a hammer fist towards Jack. It is an awkward punch so Jack just blocks the hammer fisth with his left forearm and grabs Cronos' tank top with his right hand. He sweeps Cronos' legs and pulls him hard to his right, causing Cronos to fall flat on his back. He got flipped.

Jack steps back so Cronos can stand up. Jack Hoff said, "Do better man. Come!" Cronos gets up and faces Jack.

Cronos currently has no techniques. He hasn't learned how to punch properly nor block attacks with his arms and fist. Attacking Jack Hoff isn't feasible as Jack has great posture defending his face and torso. Cronos thinks of another plan. One came in to mind so he begins to initiate it.

Cronos quickly dashes to Jack. He throws a very fast punch. Jack reacted to it and he moves out of the way. The punch missed but it is in purpose as Cronos has other target. Jack's legs. After whiffing the punch, he used the momentum to a leg kick. Instead of injuring Jack, Cronos gets injured instead. He didn't feel the pain but he can tell that it his leg is the one that got injured. Jack Hoff's leg muscle is stronger than it seems.

VII. Jack Hoff couldn't help but feel pity. "Sorry man, but I will end this fight." said Jack as he prepares for his attack. Cronos tries to get away but his leg injury prevented him so. He clearly didn't think that using full power against someone's strong leg will be the worst move he ever made. His mobility got busted.

Jack Hoff takes a deep breath and flexes his right arm. He aims using his left hand facing towards Cronos. His legs are stable and leaning forward. He holds his breath as he begins to wind up. Then he squats and using the force from his legs pushing down, Jack makes an arc with his his right and throws it upward as he goes up. The twist of his hips help deliver the punch faster, ensuring a clean hit to the chin. Cronos' felt something overloaded in his brain. For the first time, it registered that this feeling is the pain. Jack is still in motion. He kept going until his feet left the ground. He flies to the air spinning from the momentum of the punch. Cronos got sent flying to the air. Jack screamed, "Rising Dragon!"

The fight hasn't been a minute but it already ended in Jack Hoff's victory. Cronos utterly lost. Jack puts his fist up and shouting. His fans cheered for him and throws empty cans of soda towards him for the celebration. Cronos' reputation will be remembered as Worst Newbie in the Punch Out.

Jack looks at Cronos and he realized he got knocked unconscious by him. "My bad... Sorry man." said Jack feeling apologetic. He never meant to go all out against a newbie. There is a laughter amongst the crowd. It was Simmon Brock. He is laughing at Cronos' guts to attempt to fight in the arena and losing horribly.

VIII. Cronos wakes up in a bright room with white curtains. Kaguya is just sitting beside him. "Are you ok Cronos?" asked Kaguya feeling concerned. Other than seeing blurry vision, Cronos says that he is alright. Kaguya sighs from relief.

A lady in a nurse outfit shows and and sees that Cronos is alright. "Don't worry about payment for the healthcare you numbskull. You should know that boys like you are never meant for men's fight." said the nurse. Cronos did sign a waiver that he will have to pay some credits in order to participate in a match. It turns out those credits were used for health insurance. So technically, he payed for the healthcare. That costed about 20 credits, which is about 1 and a half day worth of food.

Cronos pretty much recovered pretty much completely which is strange as bedsheets does not do this. Kaguya explains about the hospital. She said, "I don't know why, but for some reason, people recover pretty fast in this particular hospital. The doctors and nurses here only do first-aid on those who are injured and their wounds heal up quickly. Wounds don't heal like that. I find the doctors here shady."

Kaguya is thinking that the doctors is using some sort of dna strain to make people heal faster although nothing really supports her claim. Cronos does sees that Kaguya's point. But for now, since he recovered, he gets up and gives thanks to the doctors and nurses that gave him medical care. The nurses seem to be indifferent and the doctors are too busy administering first aid to those who are injured.

Cronos rested for about 7 hours before fully recovering. Its honestly a good bed.

IX. It is nice knowing that there is a reliable place to recover. But it will be quite expensive considering its quality. The hospital in question is near a grocery store at second floor. There is a sign that practically screams "Hospital" so it should be easy to find it and the fact that patients are lining outside sitting in benches for admittance. Patients are mostly fighters that explores the outside of Jam Rock.

There are fewer protesters around the place. The Local State Police had something to do with their passiveness.

Kaguya enjoys eating the burger deluxe that she bought for 3 credits. She comments about the burger patty that taste like fish and pork and the cheese that comes with it. Kaguya tells Cronos about an interesting rumor about Simmon Brock and Alice. Simmon Brock and Alice are related from one another. Kaguya thinks this rumor is true because of how open Alice is with her cussing at Simmon and Simmon not getting angry. Cronos seems to believe Kaguya.

Knowing how good martial art is, Cronos has the desire to learn from the best. It should improve his swordmanship. The question is, who should be Cronos' mentor for martial arts?