Beast In The Woods

You do not talk about....

Izuku chewed the last bits of the meat on the stick and walked up to someone who looked important at the tournament. He had been walking around after his nose led him to fresh meat cooking and now was interested in asking if anyone could join a fight.

With a bright smile, Izuku walked up to the skinny man with slicked-back hair and many tattoos that crept up his chest and wrapped around his neck. His open shirt showed many more tattoos hidden away. "Hello! Can anyone sign up for a fight?" The feral boy asked eagerly.

The skinny man furrowed his brows at the innocent-looking boy. He glanced at one of his thugs and raised an eyebrow only to get a shrug in return. "Uhh, kid. Are you sure about that? How'd you get in here anyway?"

"Some of my packmates brought me here!" He said with an honest smile.

The skinny man blew out a breath at concluding that the innocent boy was brought to a place where he didn't belong. 'Poor kid, getting bullied.' He thought. "The fights are to knock out or until you're unable to fight. And if you get hurt then you're on you're own." He said in hopes the kid would back down.

"That's okay!" Izuku nodded.

He sighed and combed his hair back. "I guess. What's a name I can put down?" He raised a hand to stop him. "Just a first name or a fake one is fine."

Izuku paused and tilted his head in thought. "Zu." He said with a nod.

"Alright, Zu. I'll pair you up with someone your size, I hope. Come to the ring when you hear your name. Betting is over there." He said the last part as an afterthought but was more focused on who he could pair against the kid so he wouldn't get too hurt. "Damn bullies, dragging someone like him to a place like this." He whispers to himself as he watches the kid, Zu, walk to the betting table.

Izuku happily skipped to the table where a few men and women gave money to a man behind a stall with strong-looking men standing beside him. The last fight concluded and there were a few groans of despair and one cheer as a woman took her winnings from the man behind the stall. The others walked away with dark looks on their faces. One man turned to shout a the man behind the stall but one of the bodyguards shot him down with a glare. The man closed his mouth and walked off instead.

Izuku approached and greeted the man. "Hello! I'm Zu and that guy told me I could bet here?"

The man behind the stall grinned wildly and motioned him closer. "But of course! Your first fight here, I'm guessing?" When he got a nod, he continued. "Great! Odds will be against you most likely but don't let that get you down!"

Izuku nodded along and paused the man after a moment. "What is a bet? I mean I know a little because I've heard others use the word but I think it's different here. It has something to do with money, right?"

The man behind the stall leaned back on his chair and observed the boy before him. He glanced at one of his bodyguards with a raised brow and the guard was just as befuddled as him. Turning back to the boy, he played along. "Betting means you put money or something valuable on one outcome. Winning means you... win." The man said slowly. When the boy nodded along like he was learning something new, he continued. "Take this fight for example, they have pretty even odds. If your bet loses you lose, simple. If you win, then you will gain whatever odds he won against. Two to one? You win two for every one you bet. Five to three, you win five for every three you placed, get it?"

Izuku's eyes lit up at understanding. He grinned wildly and nodded. "I get it now! What are my odds?"

The bookie smiled slightly but was still confused at what was happening. He looked at who 'Zu' was against and then furrowed his brows. He looked up at a skinny man with previously combed-back hair arguing with a fat man. That was not good for the boy before him. He looked at the tablet connected to the set matches and then the odds against him. "Ah... I see." He looked up at the smiling face and felt bad for the boy. "1... 150 to 12."