The steepest mountain to climb

Even before the events of the last chapter, the upcoming match was going to be the most difficult and important in jjk's career. 

It was inevitably the one that makes or breaks jjk's career. It follows his first missed victory in years, which affected his psychological state and the perception of him by the MMA crowd. The pressure on him was the greatest he's ever felt, and it had always been difficult for him to deal with it. His "jinx" was the only way he had to handle it. 

Moreover jumin is a very sketchy opponent. He's ruthless, sly, he knows JJK since forever and knows exactly how to get under his skin. He's proven it many times; revealing to the world JJK's miserable pasy is the best example of that. The pressure on JJK was already enormous, and he exploited it perfectly. 

But know things have changed completely, the difficulty is on a whole new level. After KD's stabbing JJK is awfully dejected, crushed and paralyzed by fear and worry. The match wasn't on his mind at all, until joseph reminded him of Dan; the though of not disappointing him was what prompted Joo to still compete. 

The "jinx" was his was to handle pressure and his good luck charm of sorts, but this time there's no pressure nor anticipation nor competitveness left in him, only despair and emptiness. He's got no drive to win, for his original purpose, reclaiming the title, has become meaningless to him. 

And physically, his conditions aren't better at all. He hasn't slept at all, he's been stressed beyond belief for the entirety of the night, none of his routines and usual schedules were respected. 

It would be irrational to expect him to do anything other than terrible in this match, at least until at least some of these conditions change. I expect him to get beaten badly, but I think jumin will drag the fight out, to use this opportunity to humiliate his longtime enemy. I think that, in a moment of arrogance, thinking the has the fight in the bag, he'll taunt JJK and reveal he's responsible for the stabbing. 

At that point Joo will finally have a reason to continue the struggle, and the rage will motivate him to fight back. 

Will he be strong enough to carry on? Will it be enough to propel him to victory? We can't know for sure....

This fight will push his body and psyche past every limit he thought he had. He might grow as an athlete, push himself to new heights. But it might, conversely, break his body, leave some permanent damage, and compromise his athletic future.  

Anyway, I expect this fight to be long, maybe more than one chapter, emotional and electrifying, unlike the quick brawls We've seen till now. And it will be a thrill to watch  🤯🤩