After the interview concluded...
"Alright, that just about does it from me. Thank you for your cooperation. Now, if you could hold on for one more 'sec please, I have to contact somebody real fast. Wait here." Anne said, as she brought out her phone and began walking out of the room.
Damian finally exhaled and rest back in the chair, adjusting his shirt. He began thinking to himself about the whole situation and what he plans on doing.
"So, I'm gonna be the only dude instructor in this place. Well, more of a substitute it looks like. I guess that's why she wasn't worried about my experience that much, since I'm not gonna be doing much teaching anyways. I'm basically like a glorified assistant and sometimes a janitor. Not complaining though, I'll still be getting paid. Sounds more like my level too. But still, the only dude? Well, there is the receptionist, but it looks like the front desk is all he manages. The trainers in the gym were all women as well, but they aren't instructors according to the boss. She had some pretty high praise for the instructors... I wonder who they are."
Damian then glanced at the trophies in the cabinets above Anne's desk. They all seemed to be won in tournaments, and they didn't look very recent. He got up from the chair and walked towards them, wanting to inspect who they belonged to.
"Are these Anne's? Have to be, why else would they be here." he thought to himself.
On closer inspection, all the trophies were won in wresting, boxing, MMA, kickboxing, and jiu-jitsu tournaments. All dating back from 10-30 years ago. While most of them did belong to Anne, there were some that were won by other people, unfamiliar to Damian.
"Willow Woods 2010 Invitational, 2nd place, Tessa Murphy...? Who's that? And this one over here... 2006 State Championship 3rd place, Yvonne Taylor. Are these her friends or something?"
Damian continued looking at the collection, until he came across a more recent trophy. One that was faintly familiar to him for some reason.
"This one's not that old... 2016 Glendale MMA Tourney, 1st place... Leanna Flowers? Wait... hold on... I swear I've heard that name before, haven't I? Who was it...?"
Damian thought on it for a bit, before he suddenly heard the door begin to crack open. He broke out of his thoughts and quickly turned around to see Anne, who was now standing in the doorway with her hand still placed on the doorknob.
"Alright kid, I actually have one more interview for you. So listen up." she told him.
"...One more? Wait, for what?" he said, confused.
"For the job, of course. Although, this time, I won't be the one asking the questions. Follow me, I have something I need to give you first." she said.
"Uh, okay then." he replied.
Anne walked out into the hall, Damian followed behind her. She brought him directly down the hall and came to a stop at a door with a red sticker that said "STORAGE" on it. She opened it up and walked inside.
"Come in, I'm gonna need your help with this." she said.
"Alright." he responded, then walked inside with her.
Anne went to a corner of the storage room and began scanning the rack in front of her, looking for something. She then spotted what she was looking for, and reached to grab it. It was a large plastic transparent container, with multiple pairs of fingerless gloves inside. She walked up to Damian and placed it on the floor in front of him, opening the box up.
"These are some spare combat gloves we have. They may be a little old, but they still get the job done. Pick ones that fit you nicely. When you're done, put the lid back on and place the box back where I got it, okay? I'll be waiting for you back at the rings." she said, and began walking out of the room.
"Wait, what? Am I supposed to spar with you?" Damian asked, surprised.
"Not with me, no. But you will be sparring with one of our instructors. We need to check your fighting capability, after all. Can't hire a combat sports instructor that doesn't know any combat. Although, I think you'll be fine. You don't strike me as the inexperienced type. But you can't judge a book by it's cover, right? The instructor will be here soon. Don't keep us waiting too long, alright?" she said, and left the room.
Damian stood in place for a few moments, contemplating his choices.
"Now I see why nobody applied here... should've known something was up." he told himself, sighing.
After spending a few minutes in the room trying out different gloves, he emerged with a pair of black and white combat gloves which he was already wearing. He made his way down the hall and back into the main gym, where he saw Anne waiting by the first ring. He walked over and stood by her, awaiting the instructor.
"Is she here yet?" he asked.
"Not yet. Won't be long though. In the meantime, you should get yourself warmed up. Feel free to take off your shirt if you want, you're gonna have to anyways." she told him, as she kept her eyes fixed on the gym's entrance.
Damian then hopped inside the ring, taking his shirt off and beginning his warmup. He did some arm and leg stretches first, then began practicing his jabs and his kicks. He also put some time into practicing his footwork. While he was in the middle of his warmup, Oborus began speaking to him.
"Damian. I'm sensing another strong Vitality in the area. Stay on guard."
"Huh? Are you sure you're not just sensing Anne again? You said your Vitality sensor or whatever it is doesn't work that well right now, yeah?" he responded through his head.
"No, this one is for sure different. Whoever it belongs to, they're approaching rapidly. If they come into view, I'll let you know right away."
"Uh, alright then. Thanks."
Seeing that Damian had stopped his warmup and stood in the middle of the ring, Anne spoke to him.
"Hey, something wrong? You've been standing there. You tired?"
"Oh, nah I'm good. Just... wondering what I should work on next is all." Damian replied, startled.
"Well, wonder faster then. A word of advice, you can't afford to slack off against her. Whatever you think you need to work on, work on it." she told him.
"Uh, yeah, right." he said, then resumed his warmups.
Three minutes later, while Damian was still working out, Anne perked up from her spot and waved towards the front of the gym. He saw this from the corner of his eye, and glanced up to see who she was waving at. It was then he saw her.
She was a tall, muscular woman with flowing blonde hair and brown eyes. She wore a black compression shirt, striped track shorts, and white scrunched socks with slides. Damian had never seen a woman like this before, a mix of intrigue and worry swelled within him as he realized she is likely the instructor Anne told him about.
The woman approached Anne with her hands in her pockets. Anne greeted her and the two begun a conversation.
"Hey there girl, glad you could make it! Sorry if I interrupted your work or anything, I promise this'll be quick." Anne said to her.
"Nah, it's no biggie. Nothing ever came up anyways. I was getting bored." the woman replied, despite her strong appearance her voice sounded pretty easygoing.
"Well, I suppose it's perfect timing then. Why don't we just get this thing going then, yeah? It'll give you something to do." Anne told her.
"Sure thing. But, let me get myself acquainted first." the woman said, then turned to Damian who was in the ring.
"Hey. So you're the new guy, right? What's your name?" She asked him, now sounding a little more commanding.
"Damian." he answered simply.
"Uh... is that it? You don't have anything else to add?" She questioned.
"You just asked me for my name, foo. What else was I supposed to say?"
"You seriously couldn't've added a little bit more...? C'mon dude, we're gonna be co-workers aren't we? Try it again."
"Bruh, are you being for real?"
"Try it again." she ordered this time.
Damian sighed and re-introduced himself.
"My name is Damian. I'm 26 years old. East L.A. born and raised. Broke as hell and never went to college. My family life sucks, and I smoke weed on occasion. There, happy?"
The woman stared at him, just speechless. Anne let out a little snicker.
"Why do you have to be such a downer, dude?" The woman asked, sounding disappointed.
"Fuck you mean I'm a downer? I wasn't tryna sound depressed, I'm just stating facts. Not everybody's life is all sunshine and rainbows girl." he said, annoyed.
"Woah buddy, watch your attitude. I didn't give you permission to speak that way to me."
"Who are you? Why the fuck do I need your permission to talk about my life? I don't give a fuck 'bout you, I'll talk the way I want to, okay?"
"So prideful... for what? Look at me and look at you, I could snap you in half whenever I want. And you think you can talk to me like that?" she said, getting angry.
"Man, you rich people crack me up. Always going on about survival of the fittest and acting tough when your whole livelihood was gifted to you on a silver platter. I don't even know anything about you, but I guarantee that the most traumatic moment in your life is your hamster dying or some shit. Get the fuck 'outta here." Damian snapped back.
The woman became visibly upset by what he said. But before she could say anything, Anne jutted into the conversation.
"Woah now, let's watch the language here, yeah? Damian, I'm sorry if my friend here came off a little strong with her words, but that's just how she is sometimes. If she ever bothers you with something, just tell be as polite as you can and tell her to stop. Otherwise, you can call me over. As for you girl, just relax already. I know you're not in the best mood, but that's no excuse to take it out on other people. Just let it be."
"Yeah, fine. It's whatever." The woman told her.
Anne looked over at her, she was hanging her head down slightly, she seemed frustrated.
"Tess...?" Anne asked, concerned.
The woman took a deep breath and then jumped onto the ring and stepped over the barrier. She came up to Damian and stood firmly in front of him. She took out a pair of solid pink combat gloves from her right pocket and put them on.
"Tessa Murphy. That's my name." she said, assertively.
Damian thought to himself for a brief moment, "Wait, Tessa Murphy? This is the chick that was on that trophy, she's an instructor?"
"I'm known as the best instructor in this gym. As you can see by my body, I'm no stranger to fighting tough and hard. All instructor applicants have to face me in a fight in order to get a job here. I'll let you know right now that I've never lost to any of them, holding back my punches every time. You will be assessed based on your technique and skill. If you fall short of the expectations, you will be failed and the job will not be given. Do I make myself clear?" Tessa told him.
"Yeah, I got it." Damian promptly replied.
"This fight will be in an MMA format. Punches, kicks, and grappling will be allowed. However, no strikes to the groin or to the neck and above are permitted. If you can't fight any longer, take a knee and it will end. When you're ready, go stand in that corner of the ring. The fight will begin on my signal."
Tessa then walked over to her corner of the ring, tying up her hair in a ponytail. Damian took his shoes and socks off and tossed them out of the ring, Tessa did the same. Damian then began walking over to his corner of the ring, muttering to himself quietly.
"Hell nah I'm not gonna be the one taking that knee... Not after the shit she said..."
Damian then stood in his corner, bashing his fists together and taking a few deep breaths while closing his eyes. As he was hyping himself up, Oborus spoke out of nowhere.
"Damian. It's her, the Vitality is coming from her."
"Jesus, Oborus. Can't you see I'm about to fight right now? You're gonna mess with my flow." Damian responded to him, annoyed.
"My apologies, I didn't mean for it. But I did say I wanted to warn you. The strong Vitality I detected is coming from within that woman. Be cautious. I presume you know, but those with strong Vitalities typically have enhanced physical capability as a result. Her strikes are likely to hit hard. Do not be afraid to tap out if necessary, and if things do go horribly awry, press on the necklace."
"No need for that, dude. It'll be fine, I got this covered."
Damian did some extra stretches and began thinking to himself for a brief moment.
"He's right though. Her Vitality makes her punches and everything hit much harder, even when she's holding back. I'll need to avoid as many hits as possible, and chip away at her bit by bit. There's no way I can knock her out it one or a few strong hits."
"Hey, I advise taking that necklace of yours off. It looks nice, wouldn't want it to break." Tessa spoke to him.
"...Nah, don't worry about it. It's unbreakable, like me." Damian responded, confidently.
"Tch... we'll see about that. Now, are you ready to start?"
Damian closed his eyes and took a long, deep breath. He bashed his fists together one more time, and opened his eyes.
"Let's go." he said, resolute.
The both of them made their way towards each other, in a readied fighting position. Damian was light on his feet, always keeping himself in motion. Tessa minimized her frame, protecting her torso by leaning her body over slightly. Once they got close, they began to move in a circle still locked on each other. Damian decided to open up first, and moved in close for a right arm jab to the hands.
Damian threw the jab, in response, Tessa perfectly timed the moment of defenselessness Damian put himself in. She used her left arm to take his hit, and landed a right jab straight in his liver. It was all in one swift action, and it landed hard. Damian grunted and stepped back.
"You see? That's how this is gonna be. You're not winning." Tessa spoke with confidence.
"One hit, foo. Relax. Don't get all excited now." Damian responded.
This time, Tessa moved in for a strike. She faked a jab with her right arm, then threw a punch with her left. Damian managed to shield himself in time, and landed a kick on her thigh with his right leg. She wasn't phased all that much, and swiftly launched a kick of her own aimed towards his knees. He tried a jump to avoid the kick, and almost dodged it entirely. But the bottom of his legs got caught up with her leg, causing him to fall. He braced himself, and managed to land himself safely on the floor.
Before he could get up, Tessa immediately pounced on him, grappling onto him and pinning him down. Damian was immobilized except for his left arm, which was still free. Seeing as Damian was locked in place on the floor, Anne began the countdown.
"10... 9... 8... 7..."
Damian used his left arm to punch Tessa's body as hard as he could, prompting several grunts. But she remained unfazed, and held her position.
"6... 5... 4... 3..."
The hits made Tessa move her body up a little bit, her chest now vunerable.
"2... 1..."
Before the countdown could end, Damian threw a strong punch straight into the side of Tessa's breast.
"Argh, Fuck!" she grunted in pain this time, and her grip and postion crumbled. Damian managed to shake himself free and stand up before her. She tried to stand up quickly, but Damian kicked her right in the side of her torso on her way up. Once she got up, they both temporarily backed away from each other.
"Hah... that's no way to treat a lady... asshole." Tessa said, still hurting.
"Right now, you're my opponent. Not a lady. So stop fuckin' whining and punch me already." Damian barked back.
"God, you're such a gentleman, aren't you?" she said, angrily. She got back into her fighting position and approached Damian.
The two came up to each other in the middle of the ring, and Damian decided to switch up his style. He moved quicker, and opened up with a fast right hook straight to the shoulder. Tessa took the hit and fired two quick jabs into his gut, he managed to block only one. He ate the other hit, however it was stronger than expected and caused him to back up. In that moment, Tessa threw a wild right hook right into his chest. He couldn't mask the damage it caused, and let out a grunt in pain.
"Agh! Damnit!" he exclaimed for a moment, he grew angrier, and it showed on his face. He didn't waste any time on his next move, and let out a whole flurry of jabs on Tessa. She ate up most of the hits by shielding herself, but accidently let some jabs slip through. This caused her to completely disengage from the clash, as she struggled to get a proper opening.
"What's wrong? Scared?" Damian said, getting exhausted.
"Don't make me laugh. You can't hurt me. Just listen to yourself, you're about ready to drop dead. Give it up." she said, adamantly.
"Fuck nah. I said it before, I'm unbreakable. This fight ain't stopping 'till one of us dies, you hear me?"
Tessa looked stunned, she couldn't believe what she was hearing. But despite that, she accepted the challenge anyways.
"Hah... you're a straight psychopath, you know that? Fine then, have it your way." she said, a smirk on her face.
Meanwhile, Anne surveyed the fight with a concerned look on her face. She was lost in thought watching the two go at it.
"What the hell is wrong with this guy... It's just a mock fight. Why is he so set on winning? Does he want the job that badly? Not even Yvonne or Lei were this crazy... and look at Tess, I've never seen her like this either. Is she really mad? I should put a stop to this, before he gets himself seriously hurt."
The two were still going at it, beating each other up. Damian was clearly exhausted and bruised up at this point, meanwhile Tessa was just barely starting to sweat. It was clear, Tessa was beyond a normal human, while Damian was only just above one. The gap in their skill and power was wide, but despite that, Damian kept going as if there wasn't a difference. After a long clash, Tessa pushed off of Damian, and confronted him.
"What the hell is the matter with you? Why are you going so far? Why are you so... aggressive? There are no stakes here, no risks at play. If you don't get the job, you could easily just find another. Yet here you are, risking your health and wellbeing for $20 an hour. Why are you... like this?"
Damian just stared at her. He stood up straight, looking deep into her eyes. Eventually, he put his head down, and let out a little laugh.
"Heh... you people are so fuckin' unbelievable..."
"What was that...?" she asked, annoyed.
"What'd I tell you before the fight? You already forgot, didn't you? Here... since you're so fuckin' ignorant... Lemme' remind you about me. I'm at the end of the line, girl. My family is ripped in pieces, my money is dried out, my community is struggling to survive, and the worst part of it all... our right to even live is being stolen from us. Whether it's the gangs, the corpos, the government, or those DCP pussies, all of them are tearing us apart. They think it's in their right to control us, treat us like cattle. And it's because of ignorant little sheep like you that enables them to do it."
Damian walked towards her slowly, and continued to let it out.
"You people live a life of safety, of luxury, you live a life where being complacent is okay. Meanwhile, those who allow you to live that lifestyle continue to fund it using OUR blood, sweat, and tears. And when we're no longer of use to them, they throw us out and leave us to die. They've done it to every single generation, and they'll continue doing so as long as people like you are okay with it."
Tessa remained solitary and speechless, as did Anne. The silence only made Damian even more heated.
"You think you're strong? You think you're better? You think I'm weak? Don't make me laugh, your whole life was built thanks to the suffering of my people. You don't have any fuckin' talent, you're not special in any fuckin' way, you've just been spoon-fed opportunity after opportunity. Yet you have the balls to talk down on me?! To trivialize my whole fuckin' life?! Are you fuckin' serious?!"
"Damian! That's enough-" Anne attempted to calm him down, but failed as she watched him assume a fighting stance ready to punch Tessa. She hopped onto the ring in hopes of separating the two.
"If you think I don't fuckin' exist, then I'll fuckin' show I do." Damian said angrily, then threw a punch directly towards Tessa's gut. In response, she quickly tried to shield herself from the hit.
As Damian threw the punch, he felt a subtle warmth in his fist. For some reason, it felt tense, it felt heavy, it felt powerful. With all his willpower and strength, he managed to strike Tessa right in the gut.
The impact of the fist could be heard. The moment he made contact, Damian knew he had seriously hurt her. The punch caused Tessa to immediately fold in pain, she grabbed her gut and sunk onto the floor. She struggled and squirmed, the pain making it difficult for her to make any sound or breath.
Damian was also hurt, right after he landed the hit, his right arm rung like a bell. It burned, and felt like as if thousands of needles were stabbing it. He didn't make a sound, and he collapsed onto the floor holding his arm. He slowly began to pass out, the pain and recoil getting to him.
"Fuck... maybe she was right... what the hell is wrong with me..." he thought to himself, before closing his eyes and passing out completely.
...