"Now, without your Elephant Fist, you're nothing but an average fighter."
The flying armbar proved far more effective than An could have anticipated. Shreya began groaning in pain as her muscles were stretched and torn apart with every passing second. Desperately, she tried to use her other arm to pull An off, but he just wrapped his leg tighter around her neck, adding to the pressure.
"Hah..." Shreya gasped for air. "Hah...ahahahaha!" The labored breathing turned into a manic laugh.
"I can't believe I get to experience the joy of battle after retiring." Her voice was filled with exhilaration, despite the pain.
With two of the most important factors on her side—stats and weight—Shreya used her immense arm strength to lift An from his own weight, hoisting him into the air and effectively breaking free from the armbar.
"Try this!" she yelled in Hindi.
Grabbing onto An's shirt collar, she refused to let him escape. With surprising speed, Shreya charged toward the nearest tree, using An's body like a gauntlet to slam him into the thick trunk.
But An wasn't out of tricks. As they neared the tree, he spun his body, positioning his feet to face the trunk. With the impact imminent, An absorbed the force by standing firmly on it. Then, using the momentum from Shreya's swing, he bent his knees, creating a spring-like effect. The reactive force shot him back, and with a quick spin, he delivered a knee straight to Shreya's nose.
Shreya, now more cautious of An's unpredictable fighting style, blocked the knee with her other hand. However, the force he generated was enough to push her hand backward, causing her to inadvertently slam her own nose.
"You are an exciting man," Shreya said with a grin, speaking in Hindi.
With a sudden, powerful motion, she swung her arm from above and threw An straight down to the ground. This time, there was no good counter. An tried to grab onto her arm at the last second, but he was ultimately overpowered. Despite the impact, An didn't flinch from the pain. Instead, he quickly created distance, retreating far from Shreya's effective range of attack. He dropped into a low stance, both arms wide open, ready for whatever came next.
"On my signal, run," An said, speaking in Vietnamese.
"What?" Tam asked, his confusion evident.
"I need at least two more levels to knock her out. But I can outrun her on this floor."
Tam's eyes widened in disbelief. "How do you—Who are you—This floor—WHAT?"
"Do as I say."
"But what if she can catch up to you?"
"She'll die."
Tam's mouth hung open, struggling to comprehend what An was saying. "Who are y—"
"Signal!" An interrupted, his voice sharp with urgency.
As Shreya Mishra took another stride toward him, clearly intent on closing the distance and continuing the fight, An turned on his heel and sprinted away.
"Hey! C'mon now!" Shreya shouted, clearly taking the bait personally.
Cracking her neck, Shreya got into a sprinting stance, preparing to chase after him. The air around her seemed to hum with the intensity of her focus. She wasn't about to let this opportunity slip away.
But as she prepared to run, her eyes fell on Tam, who was still sitting on the ground, bawling his eyes out like a child. Confusion washed over Shreya's face.
"Why are you still here?" she asked, now in English, her words blunt.
Tam, sniffling and clearly disoriented, mumbled something, searching for the right words in his limited English vocabulary.
"I'm... I'm—" Tam stuttered, clearly trying to make sense of what he was about to say.
"I'm like you, you are very beautiful," he blurted out.
Shreya's face contorted in confusion. "???"
Her eyes narrowed slightly, a mix of disgust and disbelief playing across her features. She wasn't exactly fluent in English, but she knew for sure that what Tam had just said made absolutely no sense.
Looking back at An, Shreya realized she had already missed her chance to catch up to him. Shrugging it off, she released the strange prey—Tam—and let the moment slip away.
"What is you two's name?" Shreya asked, her English still broken but improving.
"I'm Tam, he's An..." Tam answered, wiping his tears.
"An..." Shreya repeated thoughtfully, a slight smile tugging at her lips. "We'll meet again."
Shreya turned, effortlessly hoisting the unconscious Mountain onto her shoulder. She began walking away, but then Tam suddenly scrambled to his feet, his tears momentarily forgotten, and called out to her.
"Wait, wait!" Tam shouted, waving his hands wildly. "I have to ask you something!"
Shreya stopped, looking back over her shoulder with a raised brow. She wasn't in the mood to chat, but curiosity flickered in her eyes.
"What?" she asked, her voice still a bit amused.
"You... you used to be a fighter, right?" Tam began, his voice brimming with excitement. "You were the MMA champion! Shreya Mishra, the fighter with the wild techniques! You were like, one of the legends! And now, you're an idol? How did that happen? Like, how did you go from knocking people out in the ring to being on TV and doing... I don't know... all that idol stuff?"
Shreya's expression softened as she glanced over her shoulder, amused by his barrage of questions.
"Well, I retired," she said casually, her English slightly broken but clear enough to understand. "I fought enough fights to last a lifetime, and honestly, the 'lights' of being in the ring fades. I wanted something new. Something... not so violent. And as for the idol stuff—well, it just came naturally. I mean, I already had a big following, so I thought, why not try it?"
Tam's eyes widened even more, and he took a step forward, still processing the sheer amount of information.
"So, you were already a big deal before you retired? That's... that's insane! I—I can't even imagine being that strong and famous! You're like, a real-life superhero!" Tam exclaimed, getting more excited. "Do you still—uh—do you still do... any fighting? Like, for fun? I bet you could totally crush anyone who challenges you, right?"
Shreya chuckled, shaking her head. "Not anymore. The whole 'fighting' thing is more like a hobby now, when I get bored. But no, I've moved on. I've got other things to focus on."
Tam nodded, but the admiration in his eyes was still clear. "You know, I always wanted to be a brave warrior like you," he admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. "But... well, I don't have the courage. I can't do what you did. I get scared too easily."
Shreya paused, her expression softening. She understood that feeling all too well.
"Being a warrior... it's not just about being strong," she said gently. "It's about facing your fear and pushing through. I didn't always have courage either. It's something you build over time, piece by piece."
Tam looked at her with wide eyes, as if her words had struck a chord with him. "You... you think so?" he asked, his voice quieter now.
"I know so," Shreya replied with a soft smile. "If you really want it, you'll find the courage when it matters."
Tam blinked rapidly, trying to process everything she said. He then smiled awkwardly. "Well... maybe I can work on that. Thanks... for saying that."
Shreya nodded. "Just remember, it's not about being perfect. It's about doing your best, even when it's hard."
Tam grinned, still trying to wrap his head around everything he had just learned. "You really are something else. I guess I've always known you were cool, but now... you're even cooler."
Shreya laughed softly, shaking her head. "Enough with the flattery. You've got a long road ahead of you. Go on, take it."
Before she turned to leave, Tam called after her one last time.
"Wait! Can I ask one more thing?"
Shreya turned with a raised eyebrow.
"Do you still have... any fans? Like, the ones from your fighter days?" Tam asked, half-jokingly.
Shreya smiled and gave a small wave. "You'll never know."
With that, she turned and walked away, her figure fading into the distance, leaving Tam standing there, more inspired than ever.