The floor lowered into the ground. All the hairs on my body were raised as the noises of the crowds down below cheered. When the platform stopped, there was nothing. Everything was dark and obscured. But, then, one by one, the lights began to flicker on. I could see the hundreds of members waving their hands in the air roaring for the fight to go on. In the center of it all, there was a large, raised, octagonal platform with fencing as high as twenty feet. The crowds surrounding it were sitting at least ten feet away. Many of them sneakily flashed their cameras out of their pockets and recorded the fights. I say 'sneakily' because they're not supposed to. Tommy tells me it's free publicity. I tell him that 'free publicity isn't gonna get him a get-out-of-jail-free card. He tells me shut up.
I followed Tommy to his private booth that oversees the whole event from a height. It always has the same view. The best view. I look down into the ring to see two heavy hitters slugging it out against one another. One of them had covered himself in rocks, and the other had wrapped his fists in an inferno, which left deep chars in the rock armor. Tommy nudged me and asked, "Who do you think's gonna win?"
I looked at the fight. Fire Fists was pummeling the Rock Dude, but I could see him getting tired. Superpowers were like extensions of our bodies, using them too much would result in injury or even death. They were both large men, who could shoulder massive amounts of pressure, but they weren't built for stamina. "I think the Rock Dude is gonna win, Tommy, he seems a lot less tired. Might have to do with the fact that he hasn't retaliated."
Tommy tapped the ground with his cane. "You're right."
"How would you know that?" I asked a stupid question. Of course, he would know that. His superpower was foresight. He could see up to a minute into the future for the cost of a slight headache.
Instead of answering my question, he tapped his feet along to a familiar tune his mother sang to him when he was a child. I know this because he told me. I hummed the tune out loud so that his tapping would fall on the right notes. By no means was I any good at it, but we were both forgiving. Fire Fists struck one more time by pouncing on the Rock Dude. he missed and landed headfirst into the fence. The referee came around in his zebra-striped outfit. He lifted the Rock Dude's arm to signal him the winner. Tommy, in a low voice, said, "This is your chance, Leo."
I unknowingly nodded my head like I was in a trance. I stopped humming and looked at myself in the glass separating us from the outside. I saw my usual messy, gold hair. I used my hands to comb it back into place. The spotlight shifted from the ring to the crowd. They were asking if anyone wanted to take him on. There was a myriad of cheering and encouragement, but no takers. I focused back into the reflection to see my amber eyes glistening. "Hey, Tommy, I don't think I should do it," I said to him. Tommy and I have this system. He would get me into the ring, and I would fight for him. If I win, then we split the bets fifty-fifty. If I lose, then I would need to pay him the loss. Last time, it was only twenty credits, but the times before that it was in the hundreds. I mean sure, he was a gentle old man for the most part. But, when it came to his money, he would hold on to it like a snapping turtle.
I turned my head from my reflection only to see him not there. I looked around in the little booth that we were supposed to be in until I spotted him. Only, he wasn't in the booth, he was next to the referee pointing at our booth. "What is he doing?" I muttered. I looked at him with wide eyes when his hand stopped pointing and started beckoning. I pointed to myself, and he seemed to have great eyesight at that moment 'because he dialed my number on his phone. *La-la-la la-la la da-la la-da* My phone rang. I swiped up on the green button and immediately said, "Tommy, whatever the hell you're doing down there, I don't want in on it! I can't pay for the match if I lose!"
"Leo, get your ass down here," he said calmly.
"But-but, Tommy! You can't for-"
"I'll take care of the loss, you just have fun in that ring."
"..."
"Five"
"..."
"Four"
"..."
"Three"
"What are you doing?" I asked him.
"If you don't get down here before zero, then you'll be paying your losses."
I looked at where I was and where he was. There was no way I could cover that distance in two seconds. "Could you maybe restart the count? I mean, it's only fair?"
Tommy sighed, "The count's still going, but back when I was your age-"
I cut the call. "Back when you were my age, you couldn't even afford a phone."
***
I made it down to the ring. Everyone's cameras were captivated by the newly crowned champion of this illegal fight club. I got a better look at the crowd from where I was now. It amazed me how there was no difference between the rich and the poor here. The rags sat next to the riches without a care in the world. There was a clear distinction between how they looked, smelled, and acted, but apart from that, there seemed to be no discriminatory practices. They all knew that the third and fourth rows were the best spots, the fifth and sixth were torture for those who couldn't see right, and the first and second were for those who wanted to experience the love of death. I looked at all the rows of first and second-row seats, and I wasn't surprised when none of them were taken. Damage zones outside the ring were usually not a joke. Ice, fire, earth, lightning, and wind would leave whoever sat in those seats dismembered.
I walked up to Tommy and asked, "What's the plan for this one?"
Tommy took out a cigar and cut off the butt. He lit it and said, "Do whatever you want."
"Really?" I asked.
"Yeah, yeah…." he puffed, "Do whatever you want."
"And you're still going to pay for the losses."
"Yup," he said while he took another drag.
I looked into the ring. The Rock Dude was smiling at me. I smiled back. I reached out and swatted the cigar away from Tommy's mouth and onto the floor. "How many times do I gotta tell you not to smoke?"
"Please, there are many supers with healing abilities," he said as he bent towards the floor to pick up his cigar. "And don't throw them on the ground, will you? They're expensive!"
When his hand was about to grab the cigar off the ground, I brought my foot down on it. I made it so that it was unsmokable. "And, medical bills are also expensive."
He looked at me as if I had just quashed his baby after I threw it on the ground. I chuckled and stepped up to the ring. The referee, from the outside of the gate, announced to the crowd, "Alright, Everyone! Tonight….we have Rumble, our current champion, out on one side facing the newly emerging star: LEO THE LION!!!"
I instantly spit out the water that the ref gave me. What the hell?! What am I, a child? Leo the Lion?! I looked back at Tommy, who had taken out another cigar- probably out of his scrawny ass. He slapped his thigh as he listened to the ref. "You motherfucker…" I growled. He caught me staring and winked.
Even my opponent was laughing. "Begin!" The sound of a gong erupted in my ears. Rumble planted his feet on the ground immediately. He steadied his position and waited for me to strike. 'He's probably waiting for me to exhaust myself like Flame Fist Boy…' I thought. To his surprise, I rushed at him. His eyes widened if only for a second before he clenched his fists together. Rocks from the stage, the crowd, and the previous battle enclosed him in armor.
'I was right!' I leaped into the air and grabbed onto the fencing. I observed him not moving. 'Can he not move?' I got closer to him, slowly. His eyes traced my every move, but he did not react physically. I took a small pebble on the ground and threw it directly at his face, which was the only part of his body that was uncovered. The pebble hit him directly on the forehead before it dissipated into dust. 'He must have reinforced his face with his own power…"
I ran over to him quickly only to be met with a giant, rock-hard fist into my stomach. I was flung to the other side of the ring and crashed against the fence. I coughed up a little blood before I stood my ground. "WHAT'S THIS?!" The ref yelled to the crowd. "LEO THE LION IS GETTING TAMED BY A ROCK!!!" The crowd went bonkers.
"For fuck's sake…" I tried to calm myself down. "I didn't even want to be a lion!" I sprinted towards Rumble and anticipated his giant arm swinging in. His height was somewhere near eight feet, so I jumped onto his arm and scurried up to his neck like a squirrel climbing a tree. I was fast, so he couldn't redirect his swing. 'Five minutes,' I told myself. I stood on top of his back. I crouched down so that his arms couldn't reach me. His arms, by the way, were flailing around like crazy above his head, but unfortunately for him, his arms were not flexible enough to reach me. I leaned down next to her ear and said, "That's what you get for choosing rock instead of paper."
Rumble stopped waving his arms in order to find me. I heard him snicker as he said, "Foolish, little boy, you can never break my armor. It is only a matter of time before I win."
"What can break them?" I asked.
I guess his pride got the best of him as he said, "Nothing except me."
It started out as a small, suppressed smile. But, then, I burst out into a hearty laugh. "WHAT'S THIS?!!! THE LION IS LAUGHING!!!" the ref yelled.
I didn't even care for him anymore. I placed my palm on Rumble's shoulder. I felt a surge of energy washing through me. "Your wish has been granted," I said. Anything that was made of the earth- rocks, pebbles, concrete, sand- gravitated towards me at high speeds. They all combined to make a similar rock armor like Rumble's. The audience held their breaths. I couldn't hear a single sigh, an inhale, or an exhale. It was so quiet if not for the incessant screaming of the man below me. The weight of my newfound powers was crushing his earth exoskeleton and in turn crushing him. "Give up now," I said very calmly. "I am not one that is merciful."
Rumble hesitated for a split second before- I assume- he heard his own skull cracking. "I GIVE UP!!! PLEASE JUST MAKE IT STOP!!! PLEASE!!! I'M BEGGING YOU!!!!" I instantly let go of my newfound power. A wave of fatigue hit me, but I was used to it, so it didn't affect me too much.
The audience was still quiet. Heck! I was still quiet. We all didn't know if Rumble was alive. The referee walked up to Rumble slowly before he placed his finger on his neck. We waited for an answer. He looked up at all of us and shouted, "HE'S ALIVE!!!" Everyone erupted into cheers. Though I wasn't sure if it was because I won or because Rumble was still alive. I made myself feel better by thinking it was for both. "LEO TH-" I gave the ref a sharp glare. With an awkward cough he announced, "L-LEO HAS WON THE TITLE OF CHAMPION FOR THIS SEASON'S STREET FIGHT UNDERGROUND!!!"
Hundreds of fans threw wilted flowers, emptied soda bottles, and buttered popcorn at me. If someone nonnative saw this scene, they would have guessed that the crowd hated me. But, it was the complete opposite. When they threw their little showers of popcorn, they had smiles on their faces. They had adrenaline pumping through their veins. They were thrilled.
***
I grabbed myself a change of clothes on the way out. One of the people in the crowd was kind of enough to throw down a pair of grey, nylon shorts, and another one was kind enough to lob a dull, red hoodie down at me. I accepted them gratefully and walked out to meet Tommy.
I found him smoking his beloved cigar at the tea shop platform. "Tommy!" I called out to him.
He looked at me and said, "You didn't do half bad for a sixteen-year-old."
"Thanks," I took the compliment. He doesn't usually say them, but when he does, he means them. Tommy kicked the little box again to take me up. "So," I asked, "How much did we make?"
Tommy looked at me straight in the eyes and answered, "Nada."
"Nothing?!" I exclaimed, "I won! We should have made hundreds if not thousands!" Tommy dragged on his cigar. I realized it. "That's what you meant for covering the loss, didn't you?"
"I don't know," he said while he shrugged his shoulders.
"You didn't even place a bet! I mean, how could you do that?! I risked my life for that win!"
"You looked pretty okay to me," he replied.
"That's not the point! And give me that!" I snatched the cigar out of his hands and threw it down towards the fight club's floor.
"You shouldn't throw cigars down like that," Tommy advised, "They may incite a fire."
I looked at him plainly and replied, "It was concrete."
"Hey, I didn't know," he said. I slapped my head. The platform reached the top and stopped. I walked out of the small, "tea" shop and asked, "Tommy, why do you even own a tea shop?"
He kicked his shoebox again and pointed down towards the ground. "To sell tea, of course."