Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, April 9th, 19:55.

At a certain point, you just sort of get desensitised to things after seeing them so many times.

At least that's Sarah's excuse for why she doesn't really cringe anymore when she browses through FoolsNet. Or maybe it's her new power, creating some kind of rift between her conscience and information that wasn't there before.

It wouldn't be the strangest case of Thinker neurosis that she's heard of, having done extensive research into Thinkers as a whole ever since triggering about two months ago, and subsequently running away from home.

Her parents were vain assholes. The moment they learned about her powers they immediately started using her to make them money.

Fuck that.

So she stole a significant amount of their money and ran away, not all of it mind you, she doesn't want them to be destitute. They may be shitty parents, but they're still her parents.

Now, she is no longer Sarah Livsey. Now, she is Lisa Wilbourn.

She hasn't really decided what she wants to do with her powers yet, mostly having just spent her time getting distance from home. Cruising by with what money she has, with the occasional top up, via stealing rich looking people's bank cards and guessing their pins thanks to her power basically making her super Sherlock Holmes.

She's thinking of just continuing East until she hits the coast, probably landing in Brockton Bay, then see where the wind takes her from there.

Honestly, she just wants to see the sea. That's her main goal right now. She's never been to the ocean before.

But that's for the future, right now, she is more interested in her computer's monitor. 

A few days ago, Last Laugh Inc. announced a new 'sport' they are introducing. 'ParaFighters', basically MMA but without any rules against parahuman participation.

The legality of it all is up for debate, and there are plenty of talk shows talking about whether it should be allowed to continue, but they are drowned out by the sheer number of people that want to watch parahumans duke it out.

There's even a separate terms and conditions thing you have to accept before watching the fights that basically boils down to consenting to the possibility that you will witness a potentially graphic death, and to not press charges if you get traumatised by it.

Naturally, that only managed to make the majority of the public even more interested, Lisa included.

It's still in it's early days, but the first few matches have already been streamed, causing a lot of excitement, especially with the betting.

Everyone knows it's not all that legal, but everyone also knows that there's nothing the government can really do about it.

And Lisa intends to make use of the betting to double her cash, maybe even more considering the advantage she has, that being her power.

There are a few different brackets, kind of like heavy-weights and light-weights, except it's power rankings. The stronger brackets are basically going to be the higher tables, being where all the big money is, and where Lisa plans to bet once it really kicks off.

Other than the top bracket, which will have heavy hitting parahumans taking part, there is also the middle bracket and bottom bracket, which will be for people who have barely any power enhanced strength.

The bottom bracket will basically just be MMA but everyone is cheating. The only rule is that you're not allowed to bring in advanced weapons, guns and the like. That's it. Parahuman powers don't count as weapons, and Tinker's are allowed to bring in their own creations as an extension of their power.

She's watched through some of the highlight fights and started collecting data on the fighters with the best stakes to bet on, and has narrowed it down to two particular fights she wants to bet on.

First is the first heavy-weight fight to be streamed, powerful parahumans not being so freely available as the more moderate ones, meaning that so far it has only been the middle and bottom bracket.

It's going to be a fight between some woman called Kitty, and a Nazi guy called Hookwolf. She's done some research on them both.

First the fan-favourite, for a given definition of the term. The odds are in his favour to win, but he's still a Nazi, so nobody is particularly happy about it. That said, he's still a known factor and a skilled fighter even beyond his decent power.

Then there's his opponent Kitty. Not a lot is actually known about her, she hasn't had many fights that got recorded, either literally or by word. All that's really known is that she's a Brute and a regenerator, and that she's a sadistic fighter.

Not unlike her opponent.

Then there's the other fight she's interested in, this one actually in the bottom bracket, where powers are limited up to Brute 3, or a two in any other category.

One of the fighters is another Nazi, a woman called Cricket, who's power is some kind of super sense and enhanced reflexes. Lisa's power tells her that there's more to it than that, but she doesn't have enough information to figure out what exactly the older woman is hiding.

Her opponent however, is much more interesting, being a literal living legend.

A few years ago, back when she was still really young, this guy went out in costume, dressed up like some kind of monk, and challenged a bunch of parahumans to a fight, generally only the older and more experienced capes.

There are plenty of old videos of him fighting either with capes, or just entire gangs all by himself. For the longest time, it was assumed that he was a combat Thinker of some kind, probably with a Brute rating too.

But then he got captured, and though his identity never got leaked, what did get leaked was that he wasn't even a fucking cape. The dude was a complete normal, picking fights with capes and winning.

That doesn't happen, certainly not repeatedly.

There were plenty of theories on what happened to the legendary Sage, that he was killed, that he retired, or that he joined some secret government black ops thing being the most popular three.

And then, out of nowhere he just shows up again as if he never left, signing up to ParaFighters despite not having powers, making him the only non-parahuman to participate, something that is unlikely to change.

Now, despite all of that, the odds are actually not in his favour. Hence why Lisa plans on betting a significant sum of money on him.

After all, his era has long since ended, the cape community having a ridiculously short memory, and even then, all people really focus on when thinking back on his exploits is that he doesn't have any powers.

So most people come to the conclusion that he will lose, as at a certain point, skill simply has no choice but to give way to overwhelming power.

However, Lisa's power tells her that Cricket does not surpass the limit of what Sage is able to handle with skill alone. combine that with his impressive record, and Lisa, as well as anyone with a brain, fully plans to make bank from his fights until people wise up to his skill and the odds start shifting.

So with her plan made, Lisa sits back and waits for the fighting to begin. Not that she has to wait long, as the clock soon hits eight and her monitor changes to show an incredibly large arena, big enough that you could fit half a dozen copies of the Roman colosseum inside of it.

Yet despite it's obnoxious size, it is all ornately decorated, the walls being carved full of patterns.

Symmetrical patterns. Too symmetrical to be handmade. Parahuman made.

Rolling her eyes, Lisa tries to push her power away from pointing out the obvious by focusing on what else she can see, namely that from this viewpoint near the top of the circling wall, it's clear to see that the massive arena has been split into segments by small walls.

Arena split to allow more fights. Bigger individual arenas for middle-tier combatants. Full arena for top-tier.

Sometimes she wonders what the point in having a power is, when it insists on pointing things out that she could figure out herself.

Soon enough, the camera floats down to one of the rings.

Camera is on a drone.

Yes. Thank you power.

In the centre of the ring is No Face, the Clown who has taken over FoolsNet after said Fool died, and he soon speaks up, bringing a microphone to his mask.

"He~llooo! Dear viewers! It's your favourite Faceless fool here, with a special show for your viewing pleasure~!" He swings the arm not holding his mic out wide, presenting the ring.

Cared about Fool. What? Prodded by her power, Lisa looks closer. Was intimate with Fool. Huh. Not exactly useful information to have, but interesting nonetheless.

"For today, we have quite the spectacle on our hands~! A match between two impressive fighters~! To my right, we have an experienced pit fighter, she knows how to put on a show~! Wielding a pair Kamas in an incredible statement of irony, she is the fan favourite for winning this entire bracket~! CRICKET!!!"

Snorting slightly at the irony comment, Kama's being Japanese, and Cricket a Nazi, Lisa follows his gesture and looks at the woman in question, wearing a simple outfit of a tank top and sports shorts, with a metal cage as a mask and simply lets her power get to work.

Early twenties. Blonde buzzcut. Grew up fighting, doesn't want hair to get grabbed. Gymnast build. Flexible, fast burst strength, poor stamina. Lots of scars. Doesn't get them healed. Proud of scars. Cocky. Doesn't think she will lose. Recognises her opponent. Is excited to defeat him. Plans to brag about defeating him. Knows it will annoy her friend. Likes annoying her friends. Uses insults as a defence-

Cutting off the flow of information from her power before it can start down a rabbit hole of useless information like it usually does. Her power has an annoying habit of picking out information, and then extrapolating more information from that, and then extrapolating from that ad infinitum, and all she really gains from it is a wealth of useless information and a headache.

"And opposite her, we have a figure straight from myth~! Coming out of a long retirement after being the only normal man to consistently challenge parahuman's to combat, and win~! The most skilled normal~! SAGE!!!!"

Sage is a man wearing a tight black turtleneck shirt with long sleeves, underneath a grey flak jacket that rises to cover the shoulders, with an extra bit of protection over the backs of his forearms like gauntlets. Matching his top, his cargo pants are also black, with black bandages tied around his ankles and shins, tying the trousers close to his leg right above his split toe boots, really selling the ninja image.

On top of all of that, he is wearing a black cloak and a full face mask that has a stylised animal's face drawn on the front of it, a chameleon, her power tells her.

Conscious of the headache building from using her power so much today, Lisa only lets go of the reigns for a little moment on Sage, far more curious about him that Cricket.

Relaxed. Wants to have fun. Doesn't see Cricket as a threat. Cricket isn't a threat. Is planning how to humiliate Cricket. Is impossibly skilled. Not power induced. Skilled through experience. Never retired. Has been-

Cringing away from her screen, Lisa clutches her head as her Thinker headache pulses in her skull. Shaking it off after a moment, Lisa reaches to her side and grabs a couple of painkillers, popping them right away.

It was bound to happen soon enough, she supposes. She had been using her power all day after all.

She'll have to watch back through this fight at some point though, she's curious what her power thinks he's been doing all this time.

"Now, I want a good, dirty fight. Victory by knock out or tap out only. Let the fight-!"

right as No Face is about to start the fight, he is interrupted by Sage, who doesn't at all sound apologetic about the fact. "Ah, actually would you mind waiting a second?"

Freezing in his place, hand raised in the air ready to be swung down dramatically, No Face gives Sage a look, and even with the masks covering their faces, Lisa can basically imagine the strained expression on his face as he stutteringly lowers his arm back to his side.

"Err, I mean, sure, I guess? Why?"

Instead of answering him, Sage simply takes a cloth out from under his cloak with one hand, and raises the other into the air.

Slowly, he brings the raised arm down and folds it behind himself, flicking his other hand around, sending one end of the cloth strip around his body, where he then goes on to tie a knot with one, incredibly dexterous, hand.

It takes a second after he tightens the knot for Lisa to really realise what he just did, but when she does, she can't help but burst out laughing.

He has literally tied one hand behind his back.

He really doesn't see Cricket as a threat. Figuring that out herself form his actions, Cricket's reaction is pretty predictable really.

"Motherfucker! What is the meaning of this!? You fuckin' lookin' down on me, cunt!?"

In response to her explosive outburst, Sage simply slides his legs into a stance, and raises his free arm, making the universal 'come at me' gesture.

Seeing the situation devolving into a fight anyway, No Face hurriedly raises his arm back into the air and swings it down in the same motion.

"FIGHT!!!"

Pretty much immediately, Cricket bursts forward, throwing one of her chained Kamas at Sage, who simply side steps it, and then leans down slightly to avoid the blade as Cricket tugs on the chain, bringing it back.

The Kama flies over Sage's head and Cricket catches it, swinging it back down in the same motion as she brings her other Kama on him from the side.

But Sage twists around both of the strikes, dodging by only a hairs breadth both times with such an ease of movement that is just makes Cricket seem like an amateur.

Clearly, Cricket doesn't appreciate this as she keeps on him, throwing a flurry of strikes at him, doing her best to part flesh and spill blood. But every single time, Sage seems to move at the last possible moment, barely seeming to move at all as he dodges every blow, slowly being pushed backwards by her forward momentum.

Not that he seems to mind it much.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Such an aggressive woman you are," he says, still not having done anything but dodge, even though Lisa's power is telling her that Cricket is doing something to mess with his senses. It just isn't working. Or rather, her power is working, Sage just isn't crippled by it.

It's also nice to know that Cricket has some way to disorient her opponents, might be useful to know that someday.

"Y'know, my wife used to be quite the violent woman too. Of course, she was actually strong, I'd never have married her if she was as weak as you are. I mean, can you imagine? Accuse me of eugenics if you must, but I wouldn't want my kids inheriting genes like yours. At least not the kids I raise, maybe we could have a couple bastards?"

His trash talking seems to have been rather successful as Cricket lets out a wordless scream of rage at him, renewing her assault with fresh fury. Except this time, Sage moves.

First he raises one arm, swatting a Kama to the side even as his other arm grabs her other wrist, twisting around to Judo throw her over his shoulder, ripping the Kama out of her hand as she goes. 

Though, instead of hitting the ground, Cricket does a full flip in the air and lands on her feet, spinning around in a flash with her remaining Kama in a back swing, attempting to take Sage's head. Only for him to lean forward under the strike, taking a step into her guard and swinging his arm in front of her face in a blur of speed before simply taking a step back as Cricket freezes.

All of it happened so fast that Lisa was still processing it all by the time Cricket fell down to her knees, bloodied hands clutching against her throat. A quick glance shows her stolen Kama resting against Sage's forearm, the scythe-like blade sticking out and dripping with blood.

He just cut her fucking throat open.

A beat passes, and Cricket falls to her side, blood starting to pool around her. No medics rush onto the stage to keep her from bleeding out.

Instead, No Face simply returns to the ring, and picks back up what Lisa's power says is a prop mic.

"And there we have it folks!! In a single decisive move, Sage ends the fight! Proving once again that skill can outmatch power!! So long as you are Sage at least, haha~."

As the camera moves to frame just Sage and No Face, Lisa barely catches a pair of men unenthusiastically walking over to Cricket. Her power tells her that there is some kind of powered healing available that will stop her from dying, and also causes her headache to sting even harder.

No more power use today.

Still, her bets paid off, and she can ignore the headache in favour of being happy about her increase in wealth.

"Tell me Sage, what are your thoughts right now, about the fight?" No Face asks, bringing the mic to Sage's face as the man in question seems to be appraising the Kama in his hand.

"My thoughts?" He says, leaving the word hanging for a moment as he ponders, before simply shrugging his shoulders and tossing the Kama to the side. "Meh. Decent fighter, useful power, but she's clearly doesn't have the same experience fighting people with actual skill than she does bandits and the like... Nice rack too, so that's a bonus~."

Ignoring his final comment entirely, Lisa shakes her head and simply closes the stream, moving over to the betting boards so that she can watch as they announce the bets being handed out, because she wants to see the number in her bank account go up.

All in all, a good day.

---

A/N: He~llo! Dear readers!

Took me too long to write this chap, wasn't very motivated for it. I don't really feel like writing fighting rn, so I didn't rlly wanna do this, but I also did and I also want to have the next chap have fighting in it.

I want it narratively, but I don't want to actually write it. Such is my life.

Also, that Sage guy, huh? Gave him a little bit more backstory, show off that he is actually rather well known to the country. Wonder if there's anything more to him or not?