"Sir...we found him."
"Him...? You mean..."
"Yes. Your son."
"Get ready to travel. We're heading to Runeswick. When I find that boy...he's dead."
~o~
Right when Riba least expected it, he heard Ms. Bayora's ear-splitting voice
"RIBA CECIL VERSUS AARON MANCER!"
A soft chill ran up his spine. As skittish as he was, he also was enthusiastic. That was his chance to show what he's got. Sure his technique was under-developed, but his hand-to-hand prowess and other skills were enough to help him attain victory. It also depended on his opponent, Aaron, who was another one of Doron's goons. Riba's gentle footsteps were drowned by the roaring crowd as he strode down the steps leading to the center of the arena. Aaron did the same and met up with Riba in the middle. Once he was in the middle, he felt how everyone else must have felt. Having hundreds of eyes on him was daunting.
"Ready? Begin!!" Ms. Bayora shouted and swung her hand down and backed up, ensuring she was isolated from the fight.
Aaron smirked and fired a group of spikes at him. These speaks were generated from his skin and could be used for close or long range attacks. Riba successfully dodged and landed out of the way.
'I need a strategy...got to think of one while I dodge!' he thought to himself as he evaded oncoming attacks. Eventually, he came to the conclusion that closing the gap was his only option. Riba raced at him, ducking and jumping to avoid Aaron's sharp projectiles.
"Closing the gap huh? Nice try!" He chuckled and swung his jagged arm at Riba's face, blood splattered as a result of the skin being severed. Riba jumped backward and held his hand to his pierced cheek, blood seeping through his fingers. He skidded backward to avoid another wave of spikes. The match went on persistently, Riba continued to relentlessly charge at Aaron with fierce resilience. As a result, his unrelenting attacks were thwarted, again and again, blood splattered as a result of many cuts. Riba was struggling now, clutching his wounded left arm as blood poured through his fingers. He staggered, only just able to stay on his feet.
'Come on Riba...you can do this...think!' Mr. Toruga thought to himself as he spectated.
Riba was thinking, doing his best to find a way to win. Then it hit him. Aaron was only creating spikes in the front. The truth was, he couldn't create spikes on the backside of his body due to his underdeveloped technique, only his front. Leaving his back vulnerable for attack. With the last of his strength, Riba sprinted as fast as he could. When Aaron swung, Riba grabbed two spikes that were sprouting out from his torso and used them to get leverage and front flip over him. Before Aaron could react, Riba delivered a powerful spin kick strike to his back, sending him soaring across the field. He proceeded to try and get up, but was pinned down forcefully and had a knife held to the back of his neck by none other than Riba.
"I give up...." Aaron sighed.
"RIBA MOVES ON TO THE NEXT ROUND!"
The cheering was ear-piercing, Riba was in awe as everyone praised him. He couldn't help but fist bump the air and cheer with them. Receiving positive feedback was new to him, for he had never obtained such a thing before. Ms. Bayora couldn't help but smile as she watched him jump around. For the first time in a while, he was happy. Happy.