Shuu had not looked back since the weight of the egg he held in his arms had increased. Although he was feeling better than before, his heart was beating fast and his legs were shaking as he ran with all his might to reach their starting platform, which would allow them to clinch victory.
"Not so fast..." Rusheb's voice echoed through the boy's head, who felt a frozen hand catch his arm, as if death had grabbed him.
"Let go of me !" Shuu tried to free himself but the meerkat hugged his grip even more, squeezing his arm hard.
"You're not going to run away while your friend is being beaten up, huh ?" Rusheb stepped aside to let Shuu look at the scene next to the pedestal. Arun was on the ground, as if paralyzed, suffering the blows of Toma. How could it have happened when he had even managed to repel the meerkat eater ?
"I don't flee. It's for him that I run to our pedestal, so that his pain isn't vain !" Shuu shouted, drawing all the courage he had in him. He would not be afraid anymore. He would no longer fear the being who had terrified him for entire nights, giving him nightmares and insomnia. Today was the day of his victory.
"That's good ! You took the first step forward." Rusheb smiled grimly before punching a powerful blow in the belly of the boy who bent over in pain. "Now do the second, and fight like a meerkat instead of saying bullshit."
The man's foot lodged between Shuu's ribs, sending him once again to the ground. He held the egg firmly in his arms, clutching it as if it were the most important thing in the world. It did not matter if he was beaten up, as long as he had the egg...
"Now you'll accompany me to my platform to lay this egg." Rusheb put his arm around Shuu's belly, and lifted him from the ground without any harm. That was exactly as he thought... If it was not him who touched the egg, the weight would remain the one that was attributed to the other team.
Shuu's eyes widened as he felt lifted from the ground. Rusheb's strength had no limits... And this thought was enough to make him shudder once more. He could not do anything. He felt like an insect fighting against a window. No matter how many times he would run on it, it would never break, and would stay as hard as a steel wall.
The meerkat started walking away from the platform of Shuu's team. Their chances of victory were flying away, it was over... Now he could not do anything anymore.
"Sorry, Arun..." whispered the meerkat looking at the poor human who continued to suffer the blows of Toma. Shuu wanted to stop it, it was no longer useful ! They had lost...
But Arun continued to bear the pain, without moaning, without crying, in silence. What was he waiting for ?
The vet suddenly seized the meerkat's feet, which had repeatedly struck his fragile body. Rusheb's attack paralyzed him for a moment, but he needed more to get rid of him. And even if his body was exhausted, even if he had pain in all the limbs, he still had his will.
"I won't give up !" Arun tugged at Toma's feet, who lost his balance, before getting up and carrying an uppercut that made him stagger. Seizing his chance, the young man wore a second forehand in the face of the meerkat, who fell back, totally knocked out.
Despite the boost of his physical abilities, Arun was out of breath and felt his whole body sting him, as if thousands of needles were trying to penetrate his skin. His vision, which had become so sharp, was blurring more and more as he tried to spot Shuu in the arena.
He ended up seeing him, carried by Rusheb like a sack of meat. The veterinarian tried to take a step but his leg went off and he fell to his knees. He could not go to help his partner... Everything was in his hands now. There remained only him and Rusheb.
The two friends' eyes met each other, and Arun smiled, thumbing up.
"You trusted me, so... It's up to me... To trust you." Arun shouted to his partner before crashing into the sand of the arena, unconscious.
He had not given up. He had struggled to the end with his weak body, and had triumphed over his opponent. How could Shuu think for a moment that everything was lost ? As long as he was alive, it was not over. His friend had just proved it to him, once again.
Rusheb had finally arrived in front of his platform. The victory was finally here, all he had to do was lay the egg on it.
"Come on, my little meerkat. It's time to bring us the victory we deserve. You've had a good fight, but the prey will never win against their predators." Rusheb said with a smile, lifting Shuu above the platform until he puts the egg down.
"Yes, you're right... If we hadn't tried to win, we would have avoided being hurt..." the boy answered with a sad smile on his face.
"I could never defeat you. I tried with all my strength, but I know you're much stronger than I. So if I'm not able to beat you, it will be that egg who will." Shuu placed the egg against Rusheb's chest, putting him in contact with his opponent's skin. Immediately, the brilliant number written on the shell went from "30" to "2000". The boy dropped the egg that crashed on Rusheb's foot, grinding it into a resounding crackle that made him scream in pain.
The meerkat eater dropped Shuu and rushed to his foot, which looked nothing more than a bloody mass. He was trying to clear the egg but the 2000 kg of the object did not move at all, still pressing his bones and flesh. The boy who was finally free from his movements was standing in front of him, looking at him coldly.
"Who do you think you're supposed to be ? Is it my fault if you're so weak ? Nature doesn't give gifts to anyone ! Neither you nor me ! I have become strong fighting for my life ! If you aren't able to fight for yours then you only deserve to die !" Howled the mad meerkat with rage, yet unable to hit Shuu. He was held on the ground by the cursed egg that was puncturing his foot. The pain spread throughout his body, and he no longer felt the lower part of his leg.
"I don't judge you. I've told you yet, you're stronger than me and you'll stay that way. I can't afford to reach your level, even using all my life." Shuu turned around his opponent, and eventually put himself behind his back.
"But sometimes the prey becomes stronger than the predators. And when they are in a group, when they support each other, and when they have the hope and the will to live, then it is the predator, solitary and too sure of himself, who ends up giving in first." The boy pronounced in a calm voice, leaving the meerkat eater furious with his rage and his pain aside.
"Just a minute is left before the end of the event !" The presenter's voice announced how much time was left. Shuu did not have the luxury of torturing Rusheb as long as he wanted, unfortunately... Even though he would have loved to make him pay for all the murders he committed in the past, and the sadness he engendered.
"Thanks, Rusheb. Thanks to you I've become stronger today !" Taking a little momentum, the boy hit the back of his opponent's skull with all his might, knocking him out at once. His cries had stopped, and a solemn calm had settled in the arena. Even the public dared not make a noise.
Shuu went to the egg that he raised without much trouble, the weight back down to 30 kg as indicated by the change of number on the shell. He walked to his starting platform under the amazed eyes of the spectators, and finally placed the object on the ground, signifying their victory.
"It's amazing, Arun and Shuu are the winners of this first match !" The presenter announced enthusiastically as the audience began to applaud and shout louder than ever. The match was great, finally.
So they had succeeded ? Shuu was not realizing their victory, he heard everything with a veil, as if he was falling asleep. His forces eventually abandoned him too, and he fell to the ground, exhausted, but happy and proud.