In the end, Little Bear decided to change tactics.
He stopped winding up his punch and opened his fist to go for a grab.
But before he could, I started throwing a flurry of punches at him.
Punch after punch, he recoiled a bit. It wasn't much, thanks to his impressive bulk, but I managed to damage him at least.
As I kept punching him, his hand slipped through my attacks and caught my wrist.
I needed to react faster.
I gripped his hand right back and spun around, pulling his arm over my shoulder.
With his front side resting on my back, I lowered myself, planted my feet, and dropped my hips.
I inhaled deeply and used all the strength I had.
I heaved, lifting him and throwing him over my shoulder. For a moment, his body felt weightless.
My head was still facing the ground when I heard the impact.
Little Bear's back crashed against the floor, his body bouncing slightly from the force.
Before I could give him time to breathe and recover, I needed to act.
I ran at him while he was still down.
But a hand holding a beer appeared in front of me and stopped me before I could jump.
"My boy, you did it!" Pesculo said with a big smile.
"Now, let's talk about this fight!" He began walking away.
But before I followed him, I turned to see Little Bear sitting up.
"Wait, Pesculo. I need to do something," I said to the old man and ran in front of Little Bear.
"Hey man... it was a nice fight!" I smiled at the shirtless fighter and extended my hand to help him up.
"Thanks for the kind offer." Little Bear grabbed my hand and, with my help, stood.
"It's nice to see there are still contenders and fighters with a pure heart in this underground fighting scene," Little Bear said, still holding my hand as he shook it.
"If you ever need help, don't hesitate to call me. I'd love to see how we both grow from this fight."
"Uhh... yeah, I hope we meet again," I said before running off to follow the old man who was supposedly teaching me about this place.
"Teaching" might be giving him too much credit, though. He just told me to fight a guy.
I guess we'll talk strategy and unarmed combat later.
I reached the secluded spot where Pesculo was sitting.
"That was a nice fight, my boy!" He downed his drink in one go.
"Now that I've seen you fight, here's what I think:"
"You're as durable as I expected when you fought Snap. Despite being punched by stronger opponents, you stood back up."
I'd like to agree with him. But personally, standing up after being knocked down is something any fighter should know how to do.
"You're not that strong, but you're fast. I also noticed you hesitated a lot when Little Bear was charging up those heavy punches. You're probably the type to overthink."
Pesculo at least seems like the type who can judge fighters well.
"Neat skill to have as someone who bets on who'll win," I commented.
Pesculo let out a single, loud laugh.
"You learn a thing or two after watching dudes fight in a ring for more than ten years."
"My advice right now? Doubt less. And try using more grabs to make your opponents submit, since you lack the firepower to actually hurt them."
"That... goes against how I normally fight."
"Oh? And how do you usually fight?"
"I... use daggers."
Although, these days I fight more with spells and magic. The daggers are just for defense if things get too unpredictable up close.
"Then forget those pesky kitchen knives. Right now, you're fighting with your body, with your fists."
"So... I just have to focus on grapples and not getting hit?"
"With your speed, getting close to opponents won't be hard. You can quickly close the distance and use that speed to tackle them and force a submission."
"What if... I can't?"
The approach sounds nice and all, but there are too many ways it could go wrong.
"Then let's try. I believe learning should be: try first, understand second."
I don't have the heart to tell him that's not the most effective method.
Or maybe it is, and I'm the one who's wrong.
I guess all I can do is follow his orders.
I do wonder, though... how is Cecil doing with his task? I wouldn't be surprised if he's already secured his own space.
"Who's my next opponent?" I asked as we moved through the crowd of spectators and gamblers.
"Iron Tiger. He's tall, strong, and fierce. You need to learn to make split-second decisions, and this fight is perfect for that."
"Does every fighter need an alias?"
Snap, Little Bear, and now Iron Tiger.
"No one uses their real name in the ring—unless they want to be tracked down by shady folks," Pesculo laughed.
I suddenly remembered that Cecil introduced himself with his real name...
When we reached my next opponent, I saw who I was up against. The guy was huge, muscular, with his upper body covered in orange and black tattoos.
He stood alone in the center of his drawn circle, no one beside him to spectate or place bets.
"Every fighter has at least one or two fans nearby. What's wrong with him?"
"He's been on a losing streak. No one wants to bet on a loser."
"So I just take advantage of his slump?"
"Exactly! Carefully pick your opponents, kid."
That much I already knew.
"Don't get too cocky, kid." He must have noticed the disinterest on my face.
"He was highly respected before the losing streak. I'd say he's still stronger than Little Bear."
I already knew there were parts of this world I wouldn't understand. Some areas were left unexplored in the game.
"You two, what are you looking at?" Iron Tiger barked as he stomped over.
"Piss off if you've got nothing better to do!"
"This boy does have something to do with you!" Pesculo exclaimed, pushing me toward Iron Tiger.
Without warning, as soon as I crashed into him, Iron Tiger gripped my arm with such force I wondered if he broke it.
He spun me around three times and slammed me to the ground.
My back hit hard.
I wanted to complain about the abrupt start, but I saw Iron Tiger leap above me.
I rolled out of the way, narrowly avoiding his attack.
I tried to get up, but a kick hit my chest, sending me flying backward.
For someone so bulky, he was fast. He quickly moved in front of me again.
"I can't believe I have to start my comeback with a shitty brat!"
He swung—I ducked.
I could try to back a—
No. Be more decisive.
I clenched my fist to prepare a punch.
I scanned his open spots—chest, ribs, gut.
I punched the right side of his stomach.
"Agck!" Iron Tiger lost his breath.
I needed to act before he recovered.
I planted my feet, lowered my hips, and opened my arms.
I lunged to tackle him.
"Uhhh…"
I... I didn't have enough strength to take him down.
"You brat..." I saw the veins on his forehead bulging with anger.
He grabbed my head, pulled his own back—and headbutted me.
"Agh!"
I stumbled back, rubbing my forehead.
I looked to where Iron Tiger was and...
...
...
"Huh...? Wh-what happened?"
I was lying on the ground in a quieter, more secluded area.
"You finally woke up?" Pesculo sat beside me, his beer mug refilled.
"Iron Tiger threw a mean punch to your jaw and knocked you out."
"H-how long was I out?"
"A couple o' minutes."
At least it wasn't long.
"I told you not to underestimate your opponent, kid."
"I just... have trouble acting quickly. I'm more used to slower-paced battles."
"Then you aren't cut out for the fast-paced style I wanted you to try."
He fell silent for a moment, deep in thought.
"Okay, let's try this," Pesculo said as he stood up.
"Focus on fighting opponents by reacting and counterattacking. Punish long or impatient attacks."
"I can keep my distance and counterattack easily..." I stood up. "But how do I hit them back? Do I go for a grab? Close the distance and throw strong punches?"
"Do all of it. Never rely on just one option to beat someone. Different people require different approaches. Use whatever you need."
"What about my overthinking problem? That doesn't really help me."
Having lots of different options might seem like a good thing—and it is—but it also makes me second-guess myself. What if I chose the wrong move? What if another option would've been better?
"Exploit the enemy's weaknesses. You're not going to try and submit someone like Iron Tiger when they outweigh you, and you're not going to win a speed battle against someone like Snap."
"Keep my distance, react accordingly, and try to exploit my opponent's weaknesses and mistakes. Got it."
Or at least, I think I got it.
"Why don't we watch a fight? I'll teach you how to approach these battles."