4th Strike: Moving On

No More Words

So why try test, or dismiss ya stress
On a brother like Grap Lova
Just to impress ya friends? or maybe my man Rob O
But the God is down with I, so that shit don't go, so
Take that ass to the lost and found,
Look for ya style there, you little clown
I'm too busy paying dues, got no time for playing games
More credentials to my name, cause I'm about to get fame
Ya played out game got you thinking you star
But talk is cheap, so you won't get far

InI - "No More Words"

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It wasn't very long before footage of the fight between the Matsudas and the Gracie school made it's way out of the local São Paulo sphere, and into the wider fighting community. While street fights were far from uncommon in São Paulo, two rival fighting schools, combined with Sean's recent notoriety, and the intervention of a high-ranked boxer caused it to spread like wildfire. So when the fight footage eventually made its way onto Sakura and Elena's feeds, they were immediately worried.

"This is insane!" Elena commented as she watched the fight on her phone with Sakura in their hotel room. "Does everyone have it out for him all of a sudden?"

Sakura shakes her head in disgust. "It seems like it. Poor guy can't seem to get a break. Hopefully that changes after tonight."

"I'm afraid it's going to take a lot more than an appearance at a fight," Elena sighed as she leaned back into the sofa they were sitting on. "He needs to get into an actual tournament to turn the tide in his favor; but I heard a rumor that he was blackballed."

"And it's only going to continue, no thanks to Karin," Sakura groaned. "Between Ken, the abuse from the fighting community, now this... Not even Dan gets this much hate, and he's probably worse than Sean is!"

"To be fair, you have to be a special kind of bad to do worse than a guy like Dan," Elena pointed out. "But you're not wrong." She lazily blew some strands of hair out of her face. "If we were more proactive last night, and stopped that fight before it happened, this wouldn't be happening."

"I wouldn't put it pass Karin to try something, anyway" Sakura replied in annoyance. "What's even up with her, all of a sudden? I thought she was past all this dumb 'I'm superior to you' stuff years ago, when we were in high school together."

"It's honestly pretty bad," Elena said, turning her head to look at Sakura. "But thinking about it now, I can't say I'm too surprised. I didn't say anything back at Sean's house, but I've noticed this trend going for a while."

Sakura gave Elena a curious look. "You did?"

"Yeah," Elena replied "Let me ask you something. Outside of yourself, and maybe Ibuki, if Karin isn't rubbing elbows with other wealthy elites, who else does she typically hang with?"

"Other elite fighters, usually," Sakura answered, unsure where Elena was heading. "Why?"

"Think about it," Elena continued. "You're an elite fighter. Ibuki is an elite fighter. I'm one, plus I'm royalty too, since my dad is the chief of my home region. My point is that she only shows respect to people who are either also part of the elite, or can match her in combat. Sean, with all due respect, is neither, and it's pretty clear Karin's opinion of him is even lower because of his complexion, too."

"But didn't Laura say she worked for Karin?" Sakura pointed out.

Elena shook her head. "She does, but that's not where the double standard comes into play. Laura is a skilled fighter who runs a dojo, and has fought some of the best in the world, including Karin herself. Meanwhile, Sean... well, his reputation speaks for itself."