Momo was not going to miss such a great opportunity. Without warning, he zoomed around Gunthor, building momentum for three spins before his boot collided square with Gunthor’s jaw! As the giant staggered, Momo spun quickly and with ease. An easy way to build momentum with his strikes and to increase his attacking force, Momo punched Gunthor at his right temple, following up and quickly comboing along to the previous jaw kick. Within a matter of moments, and only three strikes, the brute was already downed!

…

Everything was too sudden! There was barely any time for the audience to breathe before realizing Gunthor, a man nearly as powerful and capable as Harvey himself, was already taken out! This… it was simply inconceivable! Could it really be true? He was about to get up soon, right?

…

Sure enough, once a full minute passed, the man’s eyes stirred. Someone on par with the muscle King Harvey himself is NOT to be trifled with. If Harvey can withstand a non-stop onslaught of super strength - imbued blows at varying degrees of power, then naturally, Gunthor can withstand normal punches and kicks with increased pressure and force from the momentum gathered behind the Sonic Speed King. Momo calmly allowed him to raise his head, only to quickly punt it with a starting run from farther back. He may have come in forth, but he can still cross 5 miles in under 2 seconds! And his speed will only continue to increase from here onward through relentless training! His leg muscles were specially developed and combined with a small speed enchantment imbued into each calf, the two kinds of super speed overlap and synchronize really well! As far as speed users come, he has one of the best stamina to speed ratios around, and is quite easily able to maintain his running speed for a really long time.

The powerful blow he delivered struck at the opponent’s unguarded cheek and sent his big frame rolling through the air a few steps. Not only that, but speedy Momo quickly arrived by his side and punched down at the giant lug’s neck! Before the referee could even think about stepping in, he hastily punted again, then arrived beside Gunthor once more. A series of punches and kicks later and Momo had nearly struck every position of Gunthor’s body that could be considered a weak point! As if this wasn’t enough, Momo drew all attention from the arena thanks to one single fact: his attacks were still carrying out as one massive combo!

233

…

238

…

243

…

257

…

346!

...

Only after 349 strikes later did Momo stop. He didn’t look fazed nor tired – just a little out of breath and slightly winded. It appeared as if he only left for a slight jog and came right back!

Dome came over and checked the downed and unconscious participant. He wore bruises all over his body and even bled through his nose and mouth. There was absolutely no way, he was fit to continue the match. Dome called it and gave the Sonic Speed King Momo the win, before signaling to a nearby outer ref and paramedic pair to bring over a stretcher for Gunthor. Momo’s indifferent gaze showed exactly how easy the Speed King thought this match was and couldn’t be bothered to spare it another moment of attention. He merely turned his body around to Dome and requested for a towel.

This was his message. Harvey… you’re nothing compared to me! I didn’t even have to try all that hard to take out your precious ‘brother’ in arms who you tout as being just as strong as yourself. With my combat training and enhanced super speed, a mere classical brawler like you doesn’t stand a wisp of a chance against me out here!

Harvey, prepare yourself!

In the span of an hour, 19 participants have been defeated, and only the 20th was still struggling. This guy was a speedster almost on par with Momo. Almost. The king wordlessly caught up to him every time as they danced around each other, exchanging blows. This student, Kendra, wasn’t as fast as Momo, nor did he hold similar experience in military-styled combat training...but his reflexes were amazing. They were nearly as good as an A grade evasive super soldier combatant! Momo took an entire hour on this fellow freshman and eventually, planted a seven strike combo finishing with an elbow drop down on Kendra’s right shoulder. Kendra held his wounds and surrendered. The reason why he was caught was because, although his speed was slow, it still absorbed stamina to move across the entire arena. Furthermore, even if he had pretty good stamina reserves; the kid was jumping around the field AND dodging blows at a rate much faster than Momo. These two abilities easily drained him dry of his energy reserves.

But, despite winning, and contrary to Harvey’s personality would lead the peanut gallery to expect, Momo walked over to him with an extended hand and a genuine smile.

Momo: “That was really great! The announcer said your name was Kendra, right? Would you like to exchange contact information? That was really amazing. Although you’re slower than me by a bit, and your fighting experience leaves much to be desired...really. You were a really fun opponent to spar against! Even though I’m fast and have enough battle experience to contend with the best freshman around, I’ve never found an opponent able to dodge as well as you. What do you say?”

Kendra: “…”

He was willing… but what is this? He heard just yesterday that Momo was a temper tantrum – throwing loser that got hyped up for nothing, and that he might even be just as stuck – up as Harvey when it comes to being a King.

But here the guy is, praising him… HIM! Kendra! A complete nobody with C grade speed that’s on the brink of evolution, and an evasion physical trait that his semi – poor scientist momma desperately finished making for his freshman high school year! How should he respond?

Before he could decide, Momo misunderstood and spoke again.

Momo: “Haha, well it’s alright if you don’t want to. I was just mildly impressed by your reaction skills and thought we could exchange battle experience from time to time. Forget I said anything then.”

Kendra: “W...Wait!”

Momo: “Hm?”

Kendra: “I’m willing...I don’t have much experience when it comes to proper combat skills, and I never settled on a fighting style. could we… spar in the future? My number…”

Momo: “Yeah. I’d like that. My friends in security can help you pick one out!”

like this, Momo made a friend. Seeing the quick shift in personality made some of the onlookers in the crowd feel uncomfortable while others treated it indifferently.

Was he always this humble? This… nice? Many remembered him being arrogant, but only after he became a King. Before that, originating from a fairly poor family, he was always humble with others. Why the change back then, after he got into the spotlight? And why the sudden change now, after undergoing bad publicity? There were too many odd questions left unanswered.

Harvey: “Hmph! Defeating this trash is nothing to write home about. I only exaggerated how strong Gunthor really is. That guy is clearly below me, and if you can’t figure this out, then you’re not fit to face me!”

Momo wasn’t thinking along the same lines as Harvey. He knew he’d win whichever match he entered today, including the 5 round gauntlet match against Harvey. And although some watching students directly assumed this ‘friendship’ approach in the arena was a very cunning ploy by the Sonic Speed King to win back his popularity. Naturally, a King’s popularity was extremely important to their status as a Generational Leader, critical even. One couldn’t simply ignore any bad rep. However, Momo wasn’t actually focusing on this right now. He was aware that showing this side of himself would benefit his rep, but that wasn’t his primary nor end goal.

He was genuinely interested in this guy’s capabilities as a potential rival and sparring buddy. He assumed really quickly during the match, that they could help polish each other’s deficiencies. And THIS is what he wished to focus on, after that embarrassing race he endured only a few days ago. He really felt like burying his head under a rock whenever he recalled the event, but he knew he couldn’t hide away forever. Unfortunately, life moves on, regardless. Since that is the case, then so should he.

Time passed. Earlier, the first 18 contestants were defeated in 15 minutes – this number includes the 3-5 or so he spent on Gunthor. his 19th opponent took 20 minutes alone thanks to the girl’s invulnerability super power. She withstood many of his blows and Momo was forced to wear her down. Having a B grade invulnerability was that powerful. Although others called her a brick, Momo found respect for her. He didn’t ask her to be his sparring buddy though, since she seemed indignant at her loss and quickly left to train some more. There was nothing he could do if they planned on refusing, so he just stayed quiet and gazed at her retreating back. Her name was Brelle.

---