"That was amazing!" As the entire stadium reeled in the shock of having another of the Blue Team members lose a round, Peter the Commentator exclaimed in praise.
"Indeed Peter. Such pulsating action, and a very close match too," Maggie was just as excited as Peter was. Although the Blue Team, a representative of Asher City had lost, the match was an exciting one. It was a close fought match which had every member of the audience on the edge of their seat, with no one confident about who was going to come out on top. Yes, Orange Monk was better based on the numbers, but this was a match in which Musclehead had shown just how strong he was. Although Musclehead lost in the end, he proved that he was strong enough to not be overlooked by any enemy.
"I lost," Musclehead scratched his cheek embarrassingly and extended his hand to Orange Monk for a handshake. "But I had fun," he added.
"Me too," Orange Monk smirked and took Musclehead's hand. Even he had to admit that Musclehead was strong. The man was strong enough to be a threat even to himself, which meant that he could have likely taken on anyone from the Orange Team but the Captain and be a huge nuisance.
"Such a heartwarming display of true sportsmanship," Peter remarked with a pleased tone.
"Yes. He may have lost, but Musclehead sure showed his true power to everyone here today." Maggie added.
*CLAP*
*CLAP*
*CLAP*
The crowd gave Musclehead a resounding round of applause as he walked back to the Blue Team waiting area. Be it his strength or his goodhearted nature even after losing, Musclehead had left his mark here today. He had shown that he wasn't one to be written off, and everyone acknowledged that.
"I'm sorry Captain," Musclehead looked guiltily at the handsome man standing before him and apologized sincerely.
Blue King smiled and patted Musclehead's shoulder, "Why do you apologize when all you did was make us proud." Then he walked off to the centre of the ring.
*********************
"That was a close match," Lam said with a bit of admiration.
"It was, but only because it is a tournament that prohibits killing," Mane stated.
"What do you mean?" Lam asked curiously. He didn't understand how that made any difference.
"As they fought, Orange Monk had a chance to go for Musclehead's head, but he didn't. Rather he chose to strike Musclehead's shoulder. His decision allowed Musclehead to deflect the attack and instead go on the offensive. If he had chosen to go for Musclehead's neck, Musclehead would have had no choice but to try to block the attack, and that would have put him on the back foot. That would have been game over"
There was something Mane didn't add. He noticed that Orange Monk's strikes were filled with hesitation, almost as if he was afraid that he would kill the man. It seemed that Orange Monk had held back. If this was a Death Match…
'Musclehead wouldn't have lasted that long'
That was what Mane's intuition told him.
"How do you know all this?" Lam sighed in admiration for Mane's sharp eyes.
"Because I've fought most of my life. When you start fighting too, you would get to see things from another perspective after a while."
Lam was confused by Mane's words. Dan said that Mane was with his parents in a peaceful village until recently. So how was it that Mane had been fighting his whole life? It just didn't add up. But Lam knew better than to pry. He would save that question for after they had known each other for a year at least.
*****************
Seeing the approaching Blue King, Steel Fist turned to Orange Monk and asked, "Would you continue or would you give way for your teammate?"
Orange Monk smiled as he gently caressed his chest. 'That sure was a heavy blow' he thought silently to himself as the pain from Musclehead's strong elbow resurfaced. He shook off the pain and nodded his head, indicating that he would continue.
"Would you look at that Maggie? Orange Monk still insists on continuing. What tenacious will he has!"
"I wouldn't call it tenacious Peter"
"Why so Maggie?"
"Because it is clear that the Orange Team's Captain, Vital Orange, is unhappy with his decision" At Maggie's words the crowd finally noticed that something was off. On the wing that was the waiting area for the Orange Team, Vital Orange was gesturing to Orange Monk to return, but Orange Monk just ignored his captain and stood there. After trying to get him to come a few more times and failing, Vital Orange angrily stamped his foot into the ground, not displaying his usual calm. Finally, Orange Monk turned to face his captain and smiled broadly. Vital Orange sighed and gave up. All he could do was nod his head at the man.
"Why don't you force him to return Captain?" the beautiful woman in the Orange Team asked.
"Because he begged me not to," Vital Orange smiled bitterly. Although Orange Monk was smiling, Vital Orange was able to tell what his friend truly wanted. They had grown up together, but Orange Monk was less talented than Vital Orange, which was why although Vital Orange was a Predator, Orange Monk was only a peak Thrasher. And because of this he had remained within Vital Orange's shadow for a long time. It seemed that the fight against Musclehead had rekindled his friend's fighting spirit.
"But there is no way he would be Blue King's match!" the pretty lady exclaimed.
"Indeed. But he wants to prove that he can still do something." Vital Orange smiled. "Besides, he can let lose without any issues against a Predator."
"I don't think we have ever seen Vital Orange that mad before, have we? Why do you think Vital Orange was so furious Maggie?"
"Well I think it would have to do with injury risks"
"Injury?"
"Yes, injury. There is no way Orange Monk can defeat Blue King. So pitting himself against the Blue Team Captain who must be fairly frustrated by now isn't a good idea. If he is gravely injured in this match, even the allotted two weeks rest period wouldn't be enough for a full recovery, and that would put them at a disadvantage"
"Yes, that makes sense"
At this point everyone seemed to have accepted that the Orange Team were qualifying and had made their peace with it.
Finally, the Blue Team Captain reached the centre of the field. Once he did, the entire field grew silent. The mumbling and grumbling ceased, and all that was left was a peaceful calm – the calm before the approaching storm.
"The 3rd Round is between Orange Monk of the Orange Team, and Blue King, the captain of the Blue Team. Are you ready?" Steel Fist didn't have to silence the crowd by herself this time since Blue King's presence had done that already.
"Ready," Blue King nodded with a stoic expression; his handsome face not carrying the discomfort of one about to engage in battle.
"Are you ready?" Steel Fist turned to Orange Monk and asked.
"Ready," Orange Monk stated in a very excited tone. This was the first time since he appeared on the field that his emotions had gotten the better of him.
"3"
"2"
"1"
Once she reached the number 1, Steel Fist did something she had never done before this match. Once she reached the number one she dashed back with blistering speed so as to not get in anyone's way. As she speed backwards her powerful voice reverberated throughout the entire stadium.
"FIGHT!"