Five seconds till the counting finished, and Jolande is waiting to either win or lose. "3! 2! 1! Go!", Jolande started by noticing that Achen's next moves are a punch then a kick, telling from her standing position. And as expected, she punched, and kicked. Jolande only dodged and deflected the hits.
When Achen almost kicked Jolande's face, Jolande quickly punched her foot, pushing her two meters backward. Achen stood right up, her foot hurts from that punch, but she still runs and kicks anyway. Jolande dodged all kicks, especially one front kick that landed on a wooden fence and broke it. And that is where Jolande took the opportunity and kicked her chest pushing her away.
"Look at Jolande! We're not sure whether she is messing up with Achen or she is just dodging seriously!", the judge said, Jolande was unsure as well, she had to dodge and wait a good moment to come and strike Achen. Jolande caught Achen off guard and kicked her right leg twice, "UUGH!" Achen screamed.
Jolande's head was close to Achen's, so Achen tried bumping her head with Jolande's. Luckily, she dodged another time! Jolande grabbed her ear, and Achen punched again and again, and none landed on Jolande. Jolande punched and kicked her, then she threw her by grabbing her arm, and Achen fell on her back.
"How come? I haven't touched Jolande!!", Achen was so desperate, and waited for a good opportunity to strike. Jolande was messing up by playing small peek-a-boo with Achen while she's on the floor. Achen tried doing a straight front kick to try and hit Jolande's head. Jolande grabbed both feet up, and kicked her abdomen throwing her away.
Achen stood up, and went running in Jolande's direction. Jolande had enough, "Time to win? Is it my turn? I'll start" Jolande said quietly, and started punching so fast, she delivered dozens of punches in no time, as well as kicking her everywhere. Achen fell on the ground, and Jolande said, "What's happening? Why are you losing?", "You are better than I expected!", Achen said and punched her face. Jolande grabbed her fist in her hand right before they hit, "Too bad!".
"Hehe, you didn't notice did ya?", Achen said and suddenly, she did a side kick to Jolande's head, but this time unfortunately, she was unable to dodge or make a move because she thought she already won.
Jolande fell unconscious on the ground, and the count down began... "3! 2! 1!", just when he said "one", Achen fell unconscious. "WAIT! Draw! Draw draw draw! Jolande scored the most, but went unconscious first! On the other hand, Achen fell unconscious too!".
Both went unconscious, for one hour. When they woke up, the judges informed both of them that it's a draw, "Jolande, Achen, in short, you have lost to each other. This stage was a draw, so you might have to fight another time". "But how! I knocked her out!", Achen was not really comfortable with that, because she technically won.
"You were both knocked out, and Jolande who fell first had the highest score, so it wouldn't be fair if one had won", they both listened and payed attention, "Does that mean we're going to fight once again?", Jolande asked, "Yes, next week. There might be a small chance of another draw". Neither one wanted to rematch, but they had to.
Both Jolande and Achen stayed in bed for a few hours and did a few things. This round wasn't as brutal as other previous rounds, and neither one was injured other than falling unconscious. "Our fight was something like 2 minutes, I believe we should've lasted longer", Achen said, "Don't tell me what to do", Jolande replied in a rude way.
"Maybe I shouldn't have replied like this, but I dunno", Jolande felt bad, but didn't apologize. "Achen, I'm curious why you fell down, any idea?", Jolande asked her, "This also happened in previous round but thank god, after a few minutes. It started here, I think because of the punches and kicks I received lately", Achen said.
Anyway, she got up and went to her room to call her family and inform them about what happened, "Bye Achen we meet later".
"Mom, dad, you won't believe! I almost lost the tournament!", she was very happy and excited to tell them about it, and hear compliments and cheers from them, everyone filled her with positivity, and she became mentally ready for her next fight.
The next person Jolande will call is her brother, Marius Evi, year 4 medical student in Düsseldorf, 8 years to go and graduate an orthopedic surgeon, "Now how can I call him? I lost contact with him since last year, busy, I had a lot of tests, so did he", Jolande called her mother to ask her about Marius, "Hi, can you give me Marius' number? Or something I can contact him with please?", her mother sent her his contact info, "Thank!".
Her name on social media is Jolyne Baumer and not Jolande, so the moment she called Marius he declined and blocked her. "What? I'm calling mom, that idiot", when she called her mother, she told her to let Marius unblock her, "My name on social media is Jolyne Baumer not my real name! Tell him something please!", Jolande said, "Wait, honey why did you change your identity? Are you ashamed from us?", her mother said.
Jolande knew that moment isn't okay, "No mom, listen, it's only on social media! And I like being called Jolyne! That's it!", Jolande had to make any lie to get away with it, "What is the 'Baumer' part?" her mother inquired, "It's just to make schools believe I have a Guardian in Sweden, no more!", Lisa believed, and continued on, "Ok, I sent him a text now he should call you back", she said. "Thanks again, mom!" Jolande said.
Jolande: Hey Marius, you remember me?
Marius: Yes, the idiot from childhood.
Jolande: I refer to you as the idiot surgeon who will kill himself somehow.
Marius: It was that one time, I wanted to see my blood under a microscope!
Jolande: You bleeded a lot of blood, doctors said you needed to stay in hospital for three days, that's when our parents traveled for work and you, Mr. big brain, did all this home alone!
Marius: I remember even you were somewhere I believe.
Jolande: So whatever, how's your university? And when was the last time we talked?
Marius: It's been around a few years where we sometimes would send only text.
Jolande: I remember, did you know that I went to Shaolin and entered a tournament?
Marius: How will I know? Text me with all the details later, I'm out with my friends.
Jolande talked a bit about her tournament before she had to disconnect, and Marius complemented her and wished her luck for next round.
Jolande called Sarah to check on her, and make sure everything's fine, "Sarah, what's new? How's Sweden?"
Sarah: I think I might return to Germany with Adolf because I lost my job to go to Sweden you idiot.
Jolande: Don't tell me you're not proud of what we've done so far, we are just a few steps away from finishing off Helga!
Sarah: I do remember, but I don't remember why we went to Sweden.
Jolande: You're the one who brought the idea.
Sarah: I remember, we were running from Helga. By the way, I feel that there is no one, completely, coming after us.
Jolande: That raises suspicions, because they know we're both alive I think.
Sarah: What?
Jolande: That old lady, remember? Not sure if I told you but there was an old lady in the plane with a weapon "Dark Lane" that uses magnetism to shoot your red blood cells backward, it's complicated, I'll tell you when I'm back.
Sarah: Will you be back, alive?
Jolande: C'mon don't say this, you know me right?
Sarah: Well, okay, just don't die.
Jolande: Thank you. Now, where did you put the weapon anyways?
Sarah: What? You didn't give it to me!
Jolande: What? No! I remember giving it to someone, I don't know, wait it might be on my journal which I write important things on *looks onto her iPAQ*.
Sarah: So?
Jolande: It's in Germany I'm not sure, I'll ask my parents.
They continued talking about casual things and informed her about her tournament and work she did.
Most candidates didn't leave the temple although they lost, but they stayed to watch the tournament. They would go and dine with each others in the café, and talk to Jolande, "How did the match become draw?". Jolande said, "Well, you must have watched the match, I had most score and fell first, but Achen fell as well"
People were amazed how this happened on the last stage, and they were so curious who will win the tournament. The next stage is in one day from now, Jolande and Achen were ready, both so confident, wishing to win, Jolande felt like she improved from last round and is ready to win this one.
Achen, on the other hand, thought she might need to change something in her moves, but with the same strategy, "She was fast enough to dodge all moves, this time she won't!". Achen really needed the prize to improve the medical research in her area and buy water tanks for clean water to her country, whereas Jolande needed the money to return all money she owes to people.
The day passed, and everyone went to sleep. The next day, the stage started at 6 o'clock, Jolande versus Achen. "3! 2! 1! Go!" Achen went running onto Jolande, punched dozens of times in a few seconds, but Jolande dodged all of them, then she grabbed her fists. Achen started kicking Jolande and broke the same wooden fence.
Achen went back to punching, again, missing Jolande's face. Achen broke a pot by accident and concrete fence as well. After dozens of punches, Achen finally got to grab Jolande's hands and kick her feet and throw her to the back. Jolande was so lucky to fly and spin then land in one-hand-pushup pose. Right after, Achen tried kicking her face, arm and body but she kept dodging, switching hands, jumping and moving while lying.
Jolande dodged a kick by jumping and spinning in the air then standing on her feet. Achen took the opportunity and kicked her abdomen, and Jolande almost fell off the edge, but luckily, she didn't. One more hit from Achen and she loses. Achen stood still, and Jolande approached her slowly, then both of them started punching.
They might dodge or deflect the punches but Jolande had the opportunity to punch her with full force, but she didn't, Jolande didn't want to hurt her, and to prove that, she stopped a high speed punch just a few centimeters from her face, so fast that air around her face moved quickly. Achen took the chance and attacked Jolande till she fell on the ground.
"Enough, why am I leaving her a chance?", Jolande thought, she had to end this. She waited at the edge of the ring for Achen to charge onto her. In a flash, Jolande spinned and kicked her, to the other end of the ring.
Achen stayed down on her knees for seconds, then she stood up. They both kept staring at each others for a few seconds, moving around the ring, and Achen did a mistake, she rushed and punched Jolande. Jolande dodged and punched her abdomen, very fast, she hit the fence behind her. Achen wasn't able to punch her, but she tried, and Jolande grabbed her and threw her.
Achen was desperate at this moment, she kept punching and kicking without thinking. Jolande had no mercy, Achen started bleeding from her nose lightly, "Okayy, now I need something else to do! Wait... Her feet! She is constantly jumping and moving her feet backward and forward one at a time!".
Achen had a really good idea in mind, which was kicking her legs and make her fall. She approached Jolande, but Jolande kicked her head then her chest suddenly, that was when Jolande fell in the trap - she fell on the ground.
In a blink of an eye, Achen jumped and did a spinning side kick on Jolande's head. Jolande was lucky enough to dodge and kick her the same way. Achen fell on the ground, but didn't give up, she kept kicking Jolande but it's no use, Jolande kicked her really strong, pushing her back to the fence, "UGGYA That hurts!".
Achen tried stepping up, but she can't, it hurts. "Help! I resign!", she was delivered to the hospital afterwards. They have done an x-ray scan, within one hour, results came out, "Diagnosis says you might have a crack in the bone", her doctor informed her, "We might need to perform a surgery about 3,000 euros, can you please give us your parent's number?". Achen was really sad at that moment, she can't afford to do her surgery.
Jolande, on the other hand, won the tournament and was honored with the 50,000 euros. Her name was pinned in the temple as "The 2006 champion - champion of decade - Jolande Evi", she received the money in cash in a bag which she can put in a bank account later. She was very proud of herself, and the first thing she wanted to do with the money is help someone.
Jolande went to rest for one hour after the tournament, and wanted to know what happened to Achen, "Can I please go to Achen's hospital?", Jolande asked the monk, and he accepted. Both of them went to the hospital, and Jolande already carried 5,000 euros, "I think I heard her say something about being poor, I don't really know if she will afford any type of treatment".
Upon arrival, they heard Achen say something like, "Ah no I'm not doing the surgery, can I leave the hospital?", "Oh no! What is she saying? Let's go take a look!", Jolande was happy she brought the money with her, because she will help Achen.
Jolande approached her room and asked the doctors for her permission to get in.
To Be Continued...
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