Tru Grit’s Fight Pits (Pt. 4)- A Fight For The Future

--- Jon ---

(Should go for the throat while he’s distracted.) He couldn’t help but consider, before forcibly shaking his head and holding himself back. (No… I can’t do that… He’s talking to his… Ma…)

His teeth gnashed at the air as he felt a throbbing pain build inside of his skull, one that barely left him cognizant enough to filter in Tru Grit’s conversation.

“Yeah, no, I’m in the middle of work but… what do you need exactly?” Tru asked over the phone, before grimacing his way. “No, no, Ma if you need something tell me, I can figure it out. If I have to I can get someone to cover the rest of my shift here… Ma, just tell me what you need.”

Tru was silent for a moment, before running a hand down his face. “Yeah, yeah, I can pick her up. I just, uh, I just need a second to wrap things up here and get someone to cover me… No, it’s no problem. Hell, I’ll pick something up on my way over and we can make a whole day of it even. Alright?... Alright. Oh, you need anything else while I’m coming over? Wha, no, Ma you know me and Perry aren’t… Fine, I’ll ask her… Love you too… love ya.”

Having wrapped up his call, Tru hung up his phone before shaking his head as he put it back in his pocket. “Right, so, uh, this is… embarrassing but, uh, something’s come up and I uh, I need to leave…”

To be fair to him, the gang leader really did look both regretful and embarrassed.

“It’s… It’s fine…” He managed to get out, as the Beast paced in the back of his head. “It’s your… Ma?”

“Yeah, she uh, she needs me to take care of something.” Tru nodded. “That said, I’m going to have to call your test thing here. I know, I know it was just getting good but… my Ma takes priority.”

“Of course.” He understood completely. “A good son takes care of their Ma, ahem, mama, er… You know what I mean.”

Tru pointed a finger at him as the older man grinned. “I do. Sad thing is most people don’t. Which is why I’m going to do you a bit of a solid.”

“A solid?” He repeated, unable to keep hold back his wariness.

“Well, a double solid, since you’re being a good sport about this and I’m kind of blue fisting you here.” Tru admitted, before explaining that, “First, despite what Ms. Leed says, I’ll go ahead and let you enter the tournament at the end of the year, if you do well we’ll keep you if you don’t we’ll we won’t. That said, I expect you to go all out from the start when the tournament comes round, none of that bow and arrow bullshit you tried at the start of this, got it?”

“Got it.” He accepted, more because his headache wouldn’t let him argue it.

“Cool, and to make sure you’ll actually be able to handle yourself at this tournament I expect you to show up here at least once a week for a spar. Nothing all out mind you, but enough to let Ms. Leed think I’m training you up for the tournament.” Tru tact on, something that managed to make him frown in spite of his migraine.

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“I don’t need you to train me.” He snarled. “My Ma is the one to teach me how to fight!”

Tru watched him for a moment before nodding, grin no longer on his face. “Fair enough, but like I said I’m not actually training you. Wouldn’t be fair to the other fighters. I’m just testing to see if you’re training to keep up with the tournament, if you don’t I can easily pull you out before someone breaks you over their knee.”

“And why do I even want to be in your tournament?” He spat.

“Aside from the prize money? Which is like five digits by the way.” Tru spread his arms out gaining much more smug grin. “You won’t get your rematch otherwise, and we both know a fighter like you can’t take a one sided asskicking like this lying down.”

He merely growled at that.

“Heh.” Tru shook his head as he lowered his arms. “Now since I’m not a complete asshole, and I am the one bailing on this fight I’ll go ahead and make that up to you now.”

“And how are you going to do that?” He wondered with no small amount of derision.

“We’ve got a deal with Covenant here supplying… various things for our little club. In addition to the money we pay them, they’ve also got a small… shop we’ll call it, set up at each of our bigger clubs.” Tru explained, before pointing towards a door perpendicular to his throne and the entrance. “If you head down that hall, you’ll come across a guy named Gra’loch, since you’re clearly a Practitioner I’m sure you can find something to step your fight up in there.”

“Maybe…” He admitted, not entirely sure if he should be accepting a gift from the crime lord especially if it meant he’d be working alongside another one. (Then again this wouldn’t be the first time…)

Deciding that it would be a waste to not at least see what Covenant had on offer, he started trudging towards the room not even bothering to say goodbye to the other man. Though that didn’t stop Tru from telling him, “I’ll see you next week, kid!”

(I can’t wait to punch his stupid face in…)

--- Tru Grit ---

“Is this really a smart idea?” Perry D. Leed asked as he made his way back into the pit tunnels after sending the kid off.

“Not many people Touched by Madness out there. Need to keep an eye on him just in case he winds up like that bastard Reed.” He explained, showing off the cuts on his arm. “Was a hunch that proved correct. Last thing we need is another monster running around unchecked.”

“Then why offer to train him up?” His partner pressed as she began healing the cuts.

“My Madness resistance is down, I lost control a couple times in that fight.” Something they both knew he did not do. “I was hoping all my fights TPK would’ve kept it up, but apparently the unfiltered stuff is a lot stronger. Though that might’ve been wishful thinking with her being a Secondary Deviancy to the GM.”

“Still I don’t like the idea of you letting a kid in here, let alone… everything else.” Perry admitted, (which to be fair…)

“I don’t either.” (At least with what I’m planning…) He sighed. “Even if he’s older than we were when we got into the game, it leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Hopefully, this’ll all play out right and he’s more like the old man than anything bad. After all, the kid’s a fighter and I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt if for that alone.”

Perry couldn’t help but shake her head with a little smirk. “You’re an idiot, you know that?”

“Yep.” He nodded, happy to bulldoze past the heavy stuff. “Oh, and before I forget Ma wanted me to invite you to dinner.”

His best friend rolled her eyes.“Oh, fun another night of your mother trying to get us hitched.”

“Come on, you’re not going to disappoint my Ma are you?” He whined, knowing she was already going to tag along.

“Fine… but I’m picking where we get the takeout from.”