Tension was building up in the atmosphere. Both fighters were staring down each other with an intensity that would send shivers through most spines. The audience grew silent, eagerly anticipating the events this match was about to bring. Being the climactic close of a first round is just as important as ranking up as a fighter. Even the Pillars were keeping a close eye on the match since there was a character of interest in the ring.
"Well this is the last of them huh?" She folded her arms, awaiting for the fight to start. "Seems we'll be able to catch a glimpse of what that man has left behind. You probably noticed the Kangaroo as well. That attack is not something one could easily learn; let alone perform."
"I admit the truth in that statement. To be more precise, it's an Ancient Dragon technique, albeit a basic one at that. What makes it unique is that you'd only expect it from Dragons and very few Reptile-kin. For a Mammal-kin, it's quite rare. Most only imitate it with flammable materials that can sit in your mouth without causing any problems for your body, but this is a first in a very long time." She was intrigued, taking hold of a handheld fan and opened it in front of her face.
"Yeah... I could never really do that myself. Though those with the Fire Element in their blood rarely branch off into the Dragon Arts. These two were definitely taught by the same man, but this one in particular is holding quite a peculiar element. It's not a basic one at all; so that has me a little impressed."
"You've always been one for looking for strong opponents. None have come close to that man over the years, but maybe these upcoming ones may bear something fruitful. Just will have to wait and see. These kind of things take time to flourish."
"Suppose you're right. Gifts do tend to be squandered often by those who don't use them properly. It sucks but it's disappointing that it happens."
The Pillars continued to discuss their findings until the Announcer finally stepped off the ring.
"Everyone looks like they're ready to go. So let's get the final match of the first segment of the Feral Paw Tournament underway~!!"
The sound of the gong signaled for the match to start, with both fighters going in for the first blow. However, the two only ended up clashing fists. It was clear that Gale was the stronger opponent physically, which made Maya start to get a little creative.
When Gale tried to go for another forceful punch, Maya used her own hands to use her opponent's momentum to lead them crashing into the ground. She made a comeback with a tail swipe, forcing the dog to evade the attack. Even though Maya couldn't see her opponent directly, you can tell that this wasn't the first time she's had to fight someone.
This impressed Gale even more, of whom was hoping that her opponent wasn't going to be just a pushover. Maybe this was going to be a fun match after all. The expression in Maya's face was stern with seriousness despite the faded look in her eyes. It was as if she's looking right at her without actually being able to see.
"Seems I will have to use this. You're just way too tough to take down normally." She lowered her position and spread her hands out flat until curving them into slight arcs.
Not many knew of the stance Maya took, but those that did can tell that the match was just getting started. Gale didn't get the chance to react before getting struck in the abdominals.
"You call that an attack? You're gonna have to hit much harder than that to-"
Her sentence was cut short with two blows to the upper arms. She retaliated with a punch, but attack was deflected as if it didn't had the amount of power behind it than before. Just what was going on here? There wasn't any time to question it however, as she took two more strikes to the upper thighs before retreating from the close proximity of Maya's attacks.
Maya was relentless however, pursuing her opponent to cut off any potential chances of recovery. Gale had no choice but to be on the defensive, dodging and blocking any attack in order to avoid taking a direct blow. At any rate, it wasn't going to bode well for her as strange effects were taking hold of her body.
The sluggish movements, slower reaction time and lowered defenses were just some of the issues becoming more apparent as she took blow for blow. Eventually, her guard slipped, allowing Maya to strike with a shoulder palm attack, sending the croc flying onto the floor. This hurts Gale more than she's ever been struck in a long time, but why has these attacks suddenly gained more force than when the match started.
In the lobby, Rumin couldn't believe her eyes to see that her sister was being beaten to such a degree. It was already clear that there were no poisons and the like involved, but it's hard to believe that Gale would be performing this badly. They've trained a lot together; what gives? What was Maya doing to her?
"So you're starting to get the reason why I said what I did haven't you?" She responded to Rumin's reaction to the fight. "Though, it's surprising that there were still fighters using that style of combat. Your sister ended up with a pretty tough opponent."
"I don't quite understand it fully, but I can certainly say that sis doesn't fight like this. Something's definitely off..."
"Least you've noticed that much... Her opponent is actually a practitioner of the Weeping Paw style. It was taught as an art of self defense for those barely capable of fending for themselves. However, it was discontinued after several incidents of previous users committing a series of crimes and abusing the properties of the style to take advantage of others."
"Sounds like this person is going to be as bad as my last opponent huh?" Her expression dampened as she recalled her last fight. It wasn't going to end well for her sister if that fight was anything to go by.
"Far from it. Though that depends on when your sister can turn this battle around. Any longer and she just may end up too weak to continue."
Both girls went back to observing the fight from the monitor, but it's already clear that the fight wasn't going too well for Gale. Her guard was already slipping as she started to take direct blows. There was a sense of danger to this fight, but Gale could only smile. A smirk from her was all it took to break Maya's focus and halted her assault.
"Oh? You've finally stopped? I was wondering when it was going to be my turn, but I didn't want to interrupt. Consider yourself lucky because you're the first in this tournament to push me. Was hoping to save it for later but... Guess you've already decided that for me."
Maya didn't seemed to be all that bothered by the remark, confident that Gale wouldn't be so reckless as to trying to use any technique in such a weakened state. She rushed in for an attack, but was shocked at the fact that her hands got caught. It was worse that she couldn't even break free, completely under her opponent's mercy.
"You shouldn't have even been able to use a basic skill without it killing you. Have you really just thrown your own life away?!" There was concern in her voice. She only wanted to win with a simple knockout or having her opponent be unable to continue the fight any longer.
"So that's what you've been trying to do huh?" Her grip tightened, nearly crushing Maya's wrists. "You've really impressed me today, even if it was a little dirty. Unlucky for you though... If that was all you got, you weren't even going to make it to the second round!"
Gale's energy swirled around them like a torrential storm. With one swift motion, Maya was slammed onto the ground, causing the air to escape her mouth for a brief moment. That wasn't the end of it, as Maya finally broke free, but was forced to stay on the defensive against a rampaging Gale.
Each blow felt more powerful than the last, sending ripples throughout Maya's arms until she felt a sharp pain. Her arms went limp as Gale was about to hit her with a a powerful strike. It all seemed over and the officials were getting ready to intervene, but the attack was halted right in front of Maya's face.
That close call with death was more than enough to cause the dog to faint, signaling the end of this match. Everyone was hesitant to utter a single word out of concern that the beast was unleashed again. Luckily Gale only fell back on her ass, completely winded from the events that transpired.
Relieved, the Announcer had the courage to finally step onto the ring now that the danger had subsided.
"What a way to close out a battle. I nearly choked on all that tense atmosphere out here... Nonetheless, the battle has been decided and Gale will be moving on to the next round. That concludes the first segment of the Feral Paw Tournament~. Stay tuned for next week!"
The Announcer bowed to the audience, who all bowed in return as the event finally concluded. Meanwhile, the Pillars sure got an eyeful of what they wanted to see, but it looks as though they'll have to engage the sisters after this tournament comes to a complete close.