Over-qualification? Perhaps. That'd be a good word to sum it up.

Following the recently discovered Yakuza dead bodies, Detective Weirdlock came up with a plan. If it was true and the Black Dragon bunch were indeed responsible for -- or at least involved in -- murdering those two from the White Star gang, it was best to go upfront and interact with them. "There's a gambling den much further down the street. We're gonna stage a nice coup for those guys." The pompadour'd remarked, grinning smugly as he presented his plan. "You!" He declared, pointing straight to Jan Ren's face; "...Are going to 'join' them."

Honestly, infiltrating Yakuza bases was something the young wizard was all too familiar by this point. However for this case he needed a better guise. It was likely, as is with organized crime, that they were already aware of his identity through previous requests he had taken or at least from working alongside the detective. As such he needed a better plan. And he had just the reputation to ride on for that.

After entering the gambling den, dressed up nicely and hair held in a tight, low ponytail; showing off class at least, blending in with the crowd; the Sinese reached one of the tables and bet whatever little Jewels he had on himself on one of the tables. Step one: underplay. "Pfft." The dealer couldn't restrain his laugh, ridiculing the newbie's entry. "That all ya got boy? Take a hike. This is the big boys' table." The other players at the table all chuckled to themselves as they proceeded to play, uninterrupted. Initially taking whatever he had placed on the table for his entry, the young man simply stood by and watched as the game unfolded. By the time one had won, he once again insisted on joining; placing the same amount of Jewels more aggressively on the table.

"Kid, didn't you get what I said??" The dealer scolded, frowning; "Scram!!" On that note, the Sinese' eye twitched for a moment. He watched closely as the dealer shuffled the cards; and once he was about to reveal the first card, the young wizard gave him an abrupt palm strike, straight to his face; knocking the dealer out of his chair and leaving the deck in the air, cards scrambled all over. Almost on immediate cue, three pissed Yakuza stood up.

It's showtime.

WC: 397

These guys were small fry at best; though that's nothing Jan Ren knew of when he initiated the fight, fully intending on showing off his skills against worthy opponents. But it's in these cases where being too strong can backfire. Making a spectacular somersault back as he landed on top of the table -- successfully avoiding a knuckled fist from one of the goons, the Sinese retaliated with a loud yell and a knee drove straight into the goon's face. His full power packed behind that hit, and the man was sent flying out of the room; smashed into the wall on the other end, a trail of blood following from his nose all the while. Needless to say, that man wasn't getting up.

Upon witnessing, the other two seemed hesitant. "...Come on then!!" He goaded, glaring the two as he held onto his higher ground; "Is that how you guys do things around here!? Some 'tough guys' you are! To think I was keen on joining, too!!" He scolded, riling up the two thugs with his short berating. "Shurrup, punk!!!" Drawing out a knife, one of them swung with all his might, driven by rage. The other ran to fetch a baseball bat with several nails stuck in it. Two dangerous weapons, but when handled by unskilled street goons like these? There was simply no contest.

Gathering magic power, Jan Ren inhaled deeply before releasing an ear-piercing roar, a spell in the form of a spiral of earth and sand. Shaving away at the two's clothes and skin, sending them away as well as the two were left on the floor in a worrying shape. Stepping out of the game room, the Sinese wasn't done with the show. "Well!? Anyone else want some!!?" He goaded, looking left and right.

-- "Yeah!" His prayers were answered; in the form of a giant, rotund man. "How 'bout me??" Here comes the boss fight.

WC: 717

This man wasn't just big; he was closer to being an actual giant. Part of that extinct race. Feigning anger, Jan Ren stared into the fat man's glasses, preparing his fists for another skirmish. He couldn't gauge this man's power either but assumed he'd be in for some trouble if he didn't showcase enough by now.

"That's enough though." Guess it was enough by now after all. "You're really strong, boy. What's yer name?" Yomu asked, seemingly entertained as he donned a big smile upon his obese features. Still on-guard, the Sinese entered his input; "I'm Jan Ren of Tenma-gumi. I came here because I'd heard the Black Dragons were big on gambling, but... Honestly, I'm disappointed." He crossed his arms, still tense and ready for action. Clearly if he didn't play his cards right (ironically cards are the analogy here), he'd be in for some trouble and he'd fail Weirdlock. That means, no money. Better get this right!

Surprisingly, the giant burst out laughing, slapping against Jan Ren's back. "I see, I see! Tenma-gumi, huh. Yep, yep, we've heard about you guys!! Heheh, you've been bringing some trouble to our city, huh!" So they did know. Information spreads faster underground it seems. "I'm not here to cause trouble, believe it or not." He admitted, finally letting off his tension as he acknowledged the rotund man's sense of humor at least.

"Oh? Well, come with me to the back and see what're ya looking for, Tenma-gumi."

...

Having attained the underboss' trust through his performance of strength, Jan Ren was admitted into the Black Dragons' gang as a lackey on probation; both as a man serving a "different boss" and as a mere newbie. This was a complete success then. Once he returned to the detective to report, he could only imagine the look on his face when he'd hear about that.

WC: 1,028