Tryst got his pass checked by the security as Ryuzio and Benji waited behind him in the line patiently.
The complex in which tonight's event was being held was a large, dome-like structure. Benji had told Ryuzio that it could house more than 25,000 spectators at once, so it must be awesome from the inside!
Tryst glanced over his shoulder, giving a nod, before continuing to walk past the security guards. There were multiple entrances to this building, and apparently special people like Tryst were to enter from a gate that was different from the ones regular citizens were entering from.
Soon, they crossed a tunnel like hallway, entering the grand space of the arena.
Ryuzio looked around in fascination with wide eyes as he stepped out of the hallway. In the middle of the open complex lay a cage-like ring with nine-sided fence walls surrounding the white canvas, lit by the lights suspended from the ceiling above it, attached around which were four giant screens facing different directions and showing different videos of the champ guy—Hitryel—and the streak guy—Brandin—on them.
The spectators were divided around the three levels of elevation, Ryuzio standing on the second level with Benji and Tryst by his side. The lower level was already filled with people all around the barricaded ringside, on the edge of which, two fine-suited men were sitting behind a big table which had small screens atop it. Why did only those two get a table? Odd.
"This is unreal," Benji said with watery eyes. "This is so much grander than what it looks like in the broadcasts."
Ryuzio patted Benji on the arm, pointing at the black table in the lower level with his other hand. "Say, Benji, why don't WE get a table?"
Benji glanced where Ryuzio indicated, snorting afterward. "Those are the commentators, you dum—" He cleared his throat. "I mean…those two will be commentating over this fight."
Ryuzio tilted his head, stroking his chin. "So they'll tell us what we'll be seeing? Lame."
"They make fights even more exciting," Benji said with a faint smile. "Just wait and you'll find out how enjoyable they make everything."
"Okay…" Ryuzio said with a slight nod, unsure about that.
Tryst gently tapped on their shoulders. "You two can admire the arena even while sitting, you know that?" With that, he walked over to a seat and sat with folded arms.
Benji walked unnaturally to the seat beside Tryst, visible sweat over his face. He stopped before Tryst, bowing deeply. "Thank you so much for everything, Mister Tryst! I never imagined that you'd be sitting beside me in the very first ABC event that I ever attend in my entire life. This is such an honor!"
Ryuzio walked over and sat beside the seat Benji was walking to. "The people around here have all kinds of snacks and drinks! Not fair!"
A bead of sweat trailed down Tryst's cheek as he scratched the other nervously. "You're…welcome, young man. Now sit down, would you?"
Benji straightened his back, turning against his seat, lowering himself slowly on top of it. "Please let this be real," he whispered. "Please don't say it's a dream."
"Don't forget why you came here, Ben," Ryuzio said, facing the blue-haired boy. "This is not exciting enough to be a dream."
Benji gulped, nodding with resolution on his face. "Right."
The spectators started cheering loudly all of a sudden. Ryuzio looked around in confusion, finally landing his gaze on the commentators below.
"We are mere moments away from Geraal versus Hystryk 3, ladies and gentlemen," said one of the commentators into his microphone, the device carrying his voice into the speakers that were all around the arena. "And it is truly an honor to be commentating a match of this scale. 23,375 in attendance for tonight's event in the largest professional brawling complex of Imperos: Victor's Domain. The heat is in the air, and those of you watching at home, I believe even you can feel it!"
"Said wonderfully, Rube," said the other commentator. "Carrying our OWN streak from these two's first match, all the way to tonight's title fight, Rube and I, are going to be your commentators for Geraal versus Hystryk 3 as well. Hope you people can handle the chaos that is about to take shape inside the Nonagon, which would then be fueled by the words we spit!"
"Speaking of streaks, Larris," said the commentator with a bald head—Rube. "We all know that these two brawlers have had some of the craziest streaks we know of, but this match can prove to be the end of THE longest running win streak in the entire history of ABC Imperos, becoming history in itself."
"Crazy would be putting it lightly, in my opinion, Rube," said the commentator wearing a blue suit—Larris. "But before the walkouts, let's once again just admire the amazing stats of these two accomplished combatants."
The screens around the lighting hanging over the ring displayed various numbers alongside the videos playing on them. Ryuzio looked at them, trying to understand what they meant. He failed. Numbers were lame.
"Looking at Geraal," Rube said, "no one has to guess what the man's strategy is going to look like in the upcoming matchup. His leg reach has always been his main strength, and his ground game has always been average. However, we cannot overlook Boomerang's takedown defense and the elite striking prowess he holds in his arsenal."
"Geraal has always been a kickstriker at heart," Larris said, "and heart, he has a lot. That 21 win streak is far from a fluke, and even after facing the only two losses of his entire professional career, which were back-to-back, mind you, Boomerang still stuck to his day one game plan and reaped the 5 wins he's currently on."
"In terms of hunger," Rube said, "I'd bet on Geraal for this one. The only two losses that taint the man's entire career were against Hystryk. So in theory, if we see Boomerang win tonight, he'd be successful in reminding others the glory he once held."
"It's quite ironic how you say Geraal is ahead in terms of hunger," Larris said with a light chuckle, "considering what they call Hystryk. But speaking of the 21-year-old, let's move on to his stats. What new do you think Hystryk can bring into tonight's match, Rube?"
"I mean, that's assuming he has any need to," Rube said. "The man has already defeated Boomerang twice, and he did it with not much resistance faced. So if you ask me, I'd say Hystryk just needs to keep his head in the game, not underestimate Geraal, and we would be seeing the same scenario from their previous fights playing again. But you never know, Geraal's been showing some nice progress in his last few fights, so maybe Geraal's the one who'll be bringing something new here."
"But if he cannot," Larris said, "Hitryel Hystryk would arguably be in the talks for the best masos-for-masos brawler in ABC Imperos. And I would be fine with that. Looking into the history of this brawler, you can do nothing but be impressed. The man debuted with a first-round knockout against a rookie with 5 continuous wins under his name, and decided not to slow down from there."
"12 fights in welterweight," Rube said, "before he won the title for that division and successfully defended it in the rematch. But then he freed his title, moving up a division, and did the unthinkable. He won 4 fights, becoming the top contender for middleweight, and then went ahead and did what he did in his previous division."
"And keep in mind, Rube," Larris said, "it wasn't even that long ago. Hystryk won the middleweight title, defended it in the rematch, defended it against the top contender, and then what? He freed his title once again, moving up to lightweight! This is what we call hunger, Rube! This man lives up to his name!"
"And that is quite unheard of in the entirety of ABC, Larris," Rube said. "I haven't seen a brawler free two of his titles, just to dominate in a higher weight class. We could've had the first triple champion of ABC Imperos if Hystryk didn't willingly give up his titles."
"And people still doubt him, Rube," Larris said. "Triple. TRIPLE! After getting into lightweight, he became the top contender in just over half-a-year, winning 5 fights clean and getting inside the Nonagon with perhaps the greatest lightweight of this decade."
"And that's where it started, ladies and gentlemen," Rube said. "It was the battle of the streaks. Though, as we know, Brandin not only failed to defend his title, but Boomerang also failed to win it back in the rematch that followed. It was tragic for the beloved lightweight, but that gave us an opportunity to witness the birth of a new star."
"Hystryk is coming fresh into this title defense," Larris said, "with just having fought Barion two months ago. Though, let's just hope Hystryk did not get too accustomed in defending only blasting punches after fighting Mirage, because Boomerang is not going to be bringing too many hands with him inside the cage."
"But maybe he will for this one, who knows?" Rube said. "When it comes to a brawler's legacy, he should bring in every card possible. Just imagine what will become of Brandin Geraal's legacy if he lost for a third time against the same brawler. There's too much at stake here for him."
"We'll find all that out in just a few moments," Larris said, "along with the energetic crowd here in Victor's Domain, where people from all across the capital have gathered together tonight to witness this title match. You can see the anticipation on the faces of these fight fans as our cameras takes us through them."
The screen above the Nonagon showed Tryst on it, and the crowd roared with loud excitement. Tryst waved around with a humble smile.
"Tryst Bracken is in the building," Rube said. "That just adds to the scale of this fight. We have the People's Champion here with us, folks."
Ryuzio shook Benji by his shoulders, the blue-haired boy hiding his face behind his cloak. "Look, Ben!" he said loudly, pointing at the screen suspended from the ceiling. "It's me!"
"A young and enthusiastic fan is sitting right beside the former heavyweight champ, pointing at the camera," Larris said. "Though, I think he should be more excited about Bracken being beside him than simply having his face show up on the screen."
The camera soon moved along, showing different members of the crowd. Suddenly, the cheers of one part of the crowd clashed with the booing of the other part.
Ryuzio looked at the screens above. They were showing a large man dressed in a richly suit, with slick blonde hair and brownish facial hair on his tan-skinned boxy face, which had a prominent nose.
"Even the Heavyweight Champion of Imperos is here tonight to see this title match," Rube said. "Maxvil 'Cash Colossus' Kartur, ladies and gentlemen. Though it seems a large portion do not appreciate the presence of the heavyweight champion."
Ryuzio glanced over to his left, only to find Tryst's hardened expression. "Say, Ben," he asked the blue-haired boy. "Who defeated the heavy guy?"
Benji sighed, simply pointing to the screens.
Maxvil was all over the screens, head lowered, hands over his face, as if trying to hide his tears. Did the booing of the crowd affect him that much? He shortly reached into his pocket, but instead of a handkerchief, he pulled out a brick of cash, rubbing it around his eyes, wiping tears that were never there, a big smirk over his face as he did so, eyes staring right into the camera.
Ryuzio stared back into the eyes of Maxvil. "I see…"
The laughs of Rube and Larris went around the arena.
"Love to see it," Larris said. "That's the Cash Colossus for you."
"It seems we've finally reached the hour of truth," Rube said, the light around the arena dimming down. "The ring announcer is inside the Nonagon. Geraal versus Hystryk 3, the title match, is finally here."
Sharp music started to fill the air inside the arena, the only lights alighting the complex were the ones straight above the ring.
The people to Ryuzio's left started cheering wildly, as a bare-chested man dressed in green-and-white trunks, guarded by ten or so people, walked out from a hallway in the lower level. He had his hands outstretched to the sides, clapping them with the ones of the people reaching for him.
The man wearing the green trunks, whose hair were shaven short, walked straight to the Nonagon, stopping before getting inside of the cage, only to look around with hands raised above his head, evoking loud chants. Then he got inside the ring, doing some stretches on the canvas.
"That's the streak guy, yeah?" Ryuzio asked sincerely.
Benji nodded. "Yeah, that's Brandin Geraal."
The lighting returned, marking the end of the sharp music. The people to Ryuzio's right started cheering, but they were not as loud as the ones for Brandin. Soon, a single man wearing blue-and-black trunks walked out from the hallway to the right. He was not letting anyone's hand touch him, keeping his own hands closely tucked to his body.
He walked straight inside of the Nonagon, not halting for a second, eyes focused only on Brandin.
"That's Hitryel Hystryk," Benji said. "Did you see how he didn't give even a single one of his fans any mind? That's one of the reasons why he's not that liked, even after having accomplished so much."
Ryuzio did not remove his eyes from the dark-skinned young man. "I see…"
"Ladies and gentlemen," the suited man inside the ring announced. "This is the moment we all have been truly waiting for. Live from the Victor's Domain arena, District One, Sonas, Imperos, IT'S TIME for the main event of the night!"
The crowd screamed so loud Ryuzio had to cover his ears.
"The title match for the Light Heavyweight Champion of Imperos!" the announcer announced passionately. "Introducing the challenger: From Sonas, District Four, with a professional record of 26 wins and 2 losses, standing at 6'4'' and weighing at 192 masos, presenting the former Light Heavyweight Champion of Imperos, Brandin 'Boomerang' Geraal!"
The crowd's cheers could hardly be described as anything other than wild screams. These people really loved this Brandin guy.
"And now," the announcer said into his microphone with equal passion, turning to the champ guy. "Introducing the champion: From Sonas, District Five, with a professional record of 29 wins and zero losses, standing at 6'2'' and weighing at 178 masos, presenting the former Welterweight Champion of Imperos, the former Middleweight Champion of Imperos, he is the reigning, defending, undisputed Light Heavyweight Champion of Imperos, Hitryel 'Hungry Wolf' Hystryk!"
A part of the crowd cheered, though a major portion booed.
"Zero losses!" Ryuzio said with wide eyes. "He has a bigger streak than the streak guy! Why do these people not like him, Ben?"
Benji exhaled softly, eyebrows coming together as he shook his head. "They say he lacks personality. He doesn't engage with his fans, rarely shows up to promotions, and has missed way too many interviews. People say that the only thing he knows is to fight like a brute. Most brawlers, like Brandin, do the opposite of that, and thus, become popular among the fans. It takes way more than just a good record to become a successful brawler."
"I don't get it," Ryuzio said, returning his gaze to the Nonagon. "People hate him because he's too good at fighting?"
Benji sighed. "That's not what I said at all."
"The referee has made the rules clear to both of the brawlers," Rube said. "History will unfold just as the ring bells."
"5 rounds of 5 minutes each," Larris said. "Let's see who puts more sides of the Nonagon behind their back, because as they say, the one who has more sides behind his back is the dominator."
The bell rang, marking the start of the first round.
"And it's going down, ladies and gentlemen," Rube said. "Boomerang versus the Hungry Wolf!"
Ryuzio leaned forward with a smile, eyes locked onto the champ guy. "Show me how tough you are, future squadmate!"
Tryst sighed. "I thought I told you to drop that thought, Ryuzio."
"You can't stop me, heavy guy!" Ryuzio said, smiling, not looking away from the ring. "I'll make the champ guy my squadmate, no matter what!"
"I'm not even surprised at this point," Benji said dryly. "Just let this match finish, alright? And then I can freak out about all this stuff."
"You won't have time for that," Ryuzio said, still facing forward. "You have much more exciting things to do."
Benji's lips curved upward as he stared at the smiling face of Ryuzio. He gulped, facing away to the Nonagon, tucking his chin. "Yeah…!"