"Now then, I've spoken to each of you and, to be frank, I would like to accept all of you..." Xavier said, before pausing.
The fighters before him, who thought they had a once in a lifetime opportunity to join the gang that the Unstoppable Trio were in, and be able to become stronger with them, couldn't help but loosen up slightly.
Unlike the Wolf Gang, there didn't seem to be many members in the Outlaw Gang so far, and the chance to develop their skills alone was already enough for them.
However, after Xavier finished what he was saying, they all put their arms up and were ready to fight.
"But before that, I would just like to see what you're capable of. So why don't you all come at me," was what he had said.
Despite his clear provocation, none even stepped forwards after reflexively preparing to fight, but not because they were afraid.
They simply thought that Xavier was joking, as taking on so many capable fighters was insane no matter how skilled someone was.
But they were deeply mistaken.
-
Seeing that none of them came towards him, Xavier sighed and nonchalantly said, "Well, since you don't want to come at me. I'll just come at you all and I won't be holding back," before bursting towards them.
He knew that since they were skilled, he couldn't underestimate them and despite bulking up slightly after building quite a lot of muscle, one could only endure so many blows.
Xavier also couldn't let them surround him or give them enough time to start to work together to take him down, as, unlike the Black Hand Gang, it wouldn't take them long to start to synchronise their attacks.
So, taking the initiative, he launched himself towards the closest fighter that appeared to be the least prepared and the easiest to take down.
And despite the incredible speed he had dashed over to the shorter stocky fighter, he didn't pounce on him as they expected, and crouched done while swinging his leg around.
Xavier's low kick swept both his opponent's legs, and caught the short fighter off guard, knocking them down.
But he didn't stop there and landed a rapid follow-up attack, which the fighter hadn't even seen coming.
With his frame and stance, it was clear to Xavier that the fighter was a grappler that probably wasn't as well versed in striking as the others, and wanting to reduce their numbers quickly, he targeted him first.
Landing a clean and powerful blow to the temple of the man that fell to the ground, before he even had a chance to start scrambling to get up, Xavier knocked him out.
But immediately after taking him down, Xavier backed away and created some distance between himself and the others.
"I told you guys that I would be coming at you, so don't hold back," Xavier advised them as he edged backwards and searched for another opportunity to strike.
He still had a cast on his left arm, but he felt as though his wrist and forearm had mostly recovered, and after eating and resting well for a week, Xavier had been itching to test out how much he had progressed.
Especially since he was yet to have a proper opportunity to test out how much the Martial Arts Talent he acquired had improved his skills.
Training with Sam, Achara and Connor, as well as watching all of their bouts and many others in the fight club and online, Xavier felt his knowledge of combat had increased exponentially.
Additionally, he felt his body was getting stronger and faster, along with his reflexes and physique improving, which he attested to his hard work and the enhancement of the system.
But he wasn't sure of his limits, and what better way to test them than to face a group of capable fighters?
-
After seeing one of the fighters they had come with be taken down so easily, the others all prepared themselves to face Xavier, but they were still yet to actually take initiative.
And that was exactly what Xavier was hoping for.
-
As he made his way towards the closest fighter to him, Xavier could see that they were backing away and, from their stance and movements, seemed to be drawing him into a throwing technique.
One that would use a charging opponent's own momentum to fling them over their shoulder and slam them onto the ground.
However, despite seeing it coming, Xavier didn't slow down and even increased his speed, which shocked those watching and the fighter he was charging at.
Thinking that maybe Xavier wasn't as skilled and experienced as he seemed, since he was so openly and wildly dashing toward a grappler, the fighter being charged at was in for a big surprise.
-
As soon as Xavier neared his next target, they moved rapidly and before Xavier knew it; he was being flipped over.
His opponent had swiftly and expertly slotted his arm under Xavier's armpit and thrust out their hip, flinging him over their back and seeking to slam him into the ground.
But something felt off to the fighter, as he didn't feel any resistance from Xavier in the slightest.
Even if Xavier wasn't versed in fighting against grapplers that were trained in judo and other similar martial arts, it was a natural reflex to stiffen up and try to resist being thrown.
And although doing so would merely increase the damage sustained when they hit the ground and wouldn't do much to help, it was a natural reaction to being caught in a throwing technique.
However, weirdly mid-throw, the fighter started to feel as though he was the one that had fallen into Xavier's trap.
But by the time he realised, it was too late...
-
Displaying incredible flexibility and core strength while being thrown, Xavier managed to use the driving force that his opponent was exploiting to counter the throw.
Considering that Xavier's physique was lean, the power he showed was unbelievable and instead of being flipped over and his back slamming into the ground, he managed to land on his feet.
But he didn't stop there, and then used the same throwing technique that his opponent had used, and slipped his arm under his opponent's armpit while rolling forwards.
There was a loud slam and the fighter that had just been slammed into the ground began gasping for air as he lay there, still in shock after what had just happened.
Everything happened so quickly that it had barely registered with him and most of the other fighters, but it was the first time they had seen such an unusual and absurd counter.
Not because nobody had ever thought of countering a throw like that, but because pulling it off required strength and flexibility that was rare to come by.
However, they would have been even more shocked if they realised that Xavier had managed to control his strength and the force with which his opponent had landed on the ground.
But it seemed as though none of them other than the fighter, who was struggling to breathe after being slammed into the ground, had realised.
As an experienced grappler, he could tell that something was off and with the speed and power at which he was flung, he should have been knocked out instantly and the damage should have been much worse.
He was even expecting internal injuries and reflexively tensed every muscle in his body that he could, but it seemed as though the fighter he sought to join was even more impressive than he had thought.
"I won't be holding back as much as I did against the first two with the rest of you, so prepare yourselves and start fighting together, otherwise it'll be over before I've even warmed up," Xavier warned before heading over to the others who had subconsciously grouped up together.
Taking his advice and, as experienced fighters, managing to remain calm, they still couldn't help but feel slightly excited and in awe of the individual that was charging toward them alone.
If not for already witnessing his skills, they would've merely shaken him off as a crazy man, since taking down so many people alone would be insane, especially since they were all skilled fighters.
But they felt as though they were faced against an insurmountable mountain that kept getting larger and larger the closer he got to them.
Despite that, they didn't give in and Xavier could see the fire in their eyes that excited him as they spread out and started to surround him, all starting to work together.
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