Trash: Chapter 152 Sucker Punch (Patreon)

Chapter 152

Sucker Punch

In its highest form, a sucker punch should be a blow or strike that catches you off guard. An unexpected attack that is able to bypass most defenses due to most people being unaware that they are being attacked. Then when a vital spot is struck, the damage is at a maximum potential. This is how sucker punches are supposed to go.

While provoked, no one should throw hands, and that was what this fighter was in fact doing, just throwing hands. No graceful movements, no practiced motions, just trying to move his fist as quickly as possible from point a to point b. While this might be enough to settle most fights here, and serves as a barometer for combat capabilities, it does little to tell me I will be getting a fully rounded education here. Particularly as this person before me seems to rely on muscles to intimidate people.

Still, an attack is an attack. One can clearly see the angry intent in this man’s eyes as even now I believe he is still trying to dissect how a cum-waffle with a runny yolk is an insult, and not a breakfast meal of choice. This indecision on his part, might explain why his form is so lacking, as he seems to be caught in that in-between state of wanting to fully strike me, and to hold back just enough.

Fortunately, I have other plans.

Gracefully moving and pivoting, I reach up grab the striking right fist, just past the wrist. At which point I clamp down with a vice-like grip and twirl to my left, using my body’s natural momentum to add to the attacker’s momentum going forward with his strike. I can instantly feel the confusion in his muscles as he had only intended for his arm to go out halfway, and his whole body was pulled off by the sudden acceleration of his punch. This forward momentum to his strike causes a cascading list of issues. His previously mentioned bad form plays out, as his flat feet and locked legs do little to help resist this sudden shift in momentum. He begins to fall forward, while I am spinning and coiling into the lunging right arm of my attacker. But I leave a surprise, for I am already raising my own right arm up for protection, with my elbow fully locked to protect my skull. Purely for defense, to protect my face from the attacker now lunging forward with his whole body.

Then as the giant oaf’s body inevitably falls forward, I do two things. I push him even further forward with my left hand, while extending and ultimately slamming my elbow into the oaf’s forehead as he is falling. I can feel the moment he lost the match; it is the same moment that his extended fist suddenly went limp as he collapsed into a heap on the ground.

The entire exchange happened in the blink of an eye. Even a well-trained fighter might have missed the exchange. A quick glance at Lucia and Luna showed that they had seen it all and were now shocked into fear. Marcus, the liaison and social dynamic integrator for the team, just looked confused, as it was clear he had missed what had happened, and what I had done.

To be fair, it was pretty impressive and a move that Mr. Yi taught me just for days like today, when I would need to subdue threats quickly.

“Better to take a punishment for one fight, than to have to endure a hundred grievances for you and your team,” Mr. Yi had stated at the time. His intention was clear, people could and would come to exert authority over me, and it was better to protect yourself and your team than to let others walk all over you.

Finally, after what felt like minutes, but was only a few seconds, chaos erupted as multiple people jumped up from their seats and began getting closer. In particular, a few older people came from the instructor’s side, each stride filled with that delayed confidence mixed with annoyance at ruining a perfectly good meal.

Coming forward, the instructor looked and saw the giant oaf on the ground, still knocked out, hand clinched in a loose approximation of a fist. Then me right in front, my back still turned to the oaf, implying that I had no clue what had happened.

I turn on the Acting Skill and begin with my best confused look. “I don’t know, he swung at me. I turned to get away, and then he fainted.”

“He just fainted?” The instructor asks, annoyance and incredulity battling for dominance in his voice.

“Yes, my girl has such a fine ass, that he took one look and passed out,” Junior chimed in, his voice going to a deeply accented tone that almost felt natural, if I didn’t spend the better part of the day traveling with him.

Hearing the comment, the instructor turns to face Junior with a glare. But rather than be intimidated by the glare, as most people would, Junior either didn’t care, or didn’t show that he understood the implied social mechanics being instilled. The social mechanics that screamed, be quiet and to stop talking now. Instead, Junior just doubled down as he seemed to be speaking just as quickly as he was thinking, thoughts given form in the shape of words instantaneously, no filter whatsoever.

“I guess you could say she has an ass to die for,” Junior continued, his newly acquired accent still on full display for all to hear.

Pausing, the instructor just stares at Junior for a moment, then finally seems to ask the one question that would answer everything. “Where did you go to school at, before coming here?”

“I was homeschooled,” Junior answers honestly. Then as if having expected this outcome, the instructor just nods his head, before replying.

“That explains a lot.”

“Hey!” Junior protests, but the instructor is turning his attention back towards me and my still downed attacker. Though the attacker is finally starting to stir.

“Easy there,” the almost equally muscular friend who had been cutting off my team from their spot in the lunch line stated, as he bent down to help his friend up.

“One second, let me help you,” I call out, reaching out with my hand. Only for the giant oaf to try to squirm away in panic. Fortunately for all of us, he was up against the wall and couldn’t really go anywhere, still I tried to calm him down.

“Relax, I am a healer, candidate,” I state making sure to add in the candidate part, even if it did take me a second to get the comment out. As I speak, I reach out my hand and instantly begin using my Streamline Healing* Skill on the individual. There is a bit of brain swelling from the concussion I gave him, but it is early enough, that I can get it down and back to its regular pea-brained size in no time. Actually, this guy has a relatively large brain, a pity he didn’t use it earlier.

“There, all done,” I declare as I stand back up and seeing that the rest of the line moved forward. Well, everyone except for the two thuggish fighters who are still down on the ground, I gesture for my team to pass them and at least make up some of their lost ground.

Almost immediately the fighter that I didn’t strike stands up in indignance and seems like he is about to protest, where once again Junior cuts in.

“No, I agree, they should go. It should be the least compensation for passing out after seeing our team lead,” Junior declares magnanimously. With that I smile, as I see the two thuggish fighters squirm under the scrutiny. Either they go first, and all but admit it is from passing out at staring at my ass too hard, or they admit that I beat them up in an exchange of blows so fast that they still don’t know what happened, or finally, they let my team take their rightful spot back in line.

There was a look at the instructor, who was still contemplating this whole thing. Finally, he saw that I had done my work, and that the previously downed combatant was back up and able to stand without issue. Then finally he made his verdict.

“Go on, get your food, eat, and shut up.” The instructor finally declared forcing us all to go back in line. Well, everyone but me, as I just went back to my table to find that most of my food was now cold. However, it still tasted great. Though maybe most of my joy came from the fact that I had put the fear of the Gods into that warrior. As he and his friend came out of line, they looked around the Dfac for open tables, saw me. I waved. Then they quickly turned their heads and looked for an open table far away from me.

My team came to my table, at which time we ate as a team and were blessedly unmolested for the rest of the mealtime. Though I could feel several sets of eyes all staring at me and stealing glances at my system screen from time to time, only for the glance to stop immediately once they looked at my Attributes.

Feeling contented, I looked around, trying to see exactly what healer had that group of thugs as their henchmen, and why they all felt so emboldened to act wildly in the Dfac of all places. Throwing punches at healers? I didn’t even know what was happening. Looking back on it, I figured the reason why I wasn’t punished for knocking out the oaf was that one, no one saw what I did. Well Luna and Lucia did, but it was clear that they were not going to snitch on me. Then two, I was the victim in this case, having to defend myself.

I looked out at the table where the two oafs sat. It was hard to find them at first as they both had their heads lowered, while a woman with dark hair and bright blue eyes stared angrily at them both. If I had to guess that was their healer that they were assigned to, and their actions clearly looked poorly on their healer.

It was clear from her mannerisms and posture that the female healer was livid at the situation, even going from angrily staring at her two fighters, then back to me. Seeing the moment for what it was, I just waved back.

“Yeah, that’s not going to come back and haunt us,” Junior, who had been so good up until now spoke. Then almost immediately, I could see his crow mouth energy fly up and latch onto me. Then almost immediately after saying it, and having all the energy settle on me, we all just stared at him. It was clear that he hadn’t meant to use his Skill then, probably still on autopilot from earlier, which only made it worse.

“You were doing so well there,” Lucia replied before just staring at me.

“What do you think will happen?” Luna asked, a note of concern in her voice.

Of course, that is the moment that the doors to the Dfac slammed open, showing a rather ragged Mr. Zabal who looked like he had been running for quite some time. Then he scanned around the chow hall, looking at all the tables then finally settling on the table with the healer and her two muscular guards. At which point, he charged forward and began speaking to the dark-haired blue-eyed beauty.

“Well, I know what will happen now,” Lucia replied and gestured to the way Mr. Zabal seemed to be getting more and more enraged the longer the dark-haired healer spoke. Then seemed to confirm with the two guards who nodded their heads.

“Where is she?” Mr. Zabal shouted, his words cutting through the cacophony of noises filling the Dfac, and all but causing a silence to settle as everyone wanted to find out what drama would happen next. That’s when the dark-haired healer turned and pointed to our table, well to me in particular.

Seeing the sudden attention and realizing that this was all but inevitable at this point, I just wave and smile brightly, making sure to show teeth. Then without even looking at the two love bird healers to see their reaction, instead I use this moment to speak to Junior.

“We are going to work on weaponizing your crow mouth, the right way,” I reply. Then proceed to slowly stand up, making sure my sword is still strapped to my right hip and my violin case is still strapped over my left shoulder. With my gear in place, I stand up and face the arrogant and entitled Mr. Zabal, who pauses for just a second at recognizing me, before charging forward with a smile on his face. As he approaches, I know this can only end in one of three ways, a personal duel, a teams’ duel, or some form of apology where we can all walk away happy.

“You—” he begins, and I instantly understand that the last option of walking away happy is immediately off the table.