Jake wretches uncontrollably as he retreated jerkily in the arena. The sudden shock of the punch nearly debilitated him, making him kneel down and trying his hardest to recover. But the imp would not let his opponent go off.
The imp crouches down, before suddenly accelerating, and reaching Jake's position in milliseconds. His fist starts to burn, as the imp starts to chant, integrating magic into his fists for the final devastating blow. He raises his short arms high, and prepares to strike down on Jake's head.
A sudden kick forces the imp to stop chanting. Just before the first can be brought down, Jake uses the last remaining vestige of his willpower to launch an attack on the imp. As his opponent starts to regain his balance, Jake composes himself.
You can do it, you must do it. You must prove to everyone that the unawakened can also fight against the Metanaires. You must prove them wrong. Just as Jake is encouraging himself that it is.possible to defeat magic without any special powers, his opponent rises back up, and dusts away his shoulders from the debris that landed on him.
"Just lay down and give up quietly now, would ya? I mean, it makes me look bad for kicking down a loser. You're just a weak, puny human who hasn't awakened to anything, just be proud that you had managed to even put dust on my shoulders. Anyways, I'll be going of the arena then." The imp just shrugged of his shoulders in pity, before heading of to the side.
"No, I will not give up. I know that I have no money to have machines implanted in me, no affinity with magic to cast fireball and shoot icicles in the air, and no money to even properly practice martial arts. But I will not give up. I believe that someday, somewhere, my efforts will be rewarded, and the first step to do so is to defeat you you here, on this ring. No more hesitation, no more worries, no more wimping out. You and me. Only one goes out of here, alive, so let's go!" With a final roar of unwillingness, Jake pushes himself up, and ready's himself into a makeshift stance. He stands tall, arms shaking with wear and tear, yet still pulling bravado in his face, eyes, and heart.
The balrog imp, impressed, decides to honor his wishes, and gets into the proper stance to show his respect to this worthy opponent. "For your bravely, I shall deem you worthy enough to know my true name. Be honored to fight against Balister Pyranos, son of Yalkin Pyranos. Come, let us fight to.our hearts content."
Jake and Balister both rush each other, yelling at the top of their lungs. Each fights using their own unique traits, Jake with the basic arts, while Balister with his demonic martial arts, the Pyronius Matralis. No magic, technology, or the chi of martial artists were used for this fight. It was pure skill and luck.
The resulting fight was so brutal, many of the matches stopped to spectate, its beauty mesmerising everyone with the fighters tenacity and skill. This was especially true for Jake, since his courage to continue fighting Balister, despite his strength being far, far weaker than the latter, impressed everyone for his tenacity to continue fighting, even though he stood no chance at all.
Though Jake's courage was commendable, he stood no chance at all with his status. A sudden punch caught him off guard, and he was knocked down into the ground.
Jake had never felt so depressed. Even though Balister was small, scrawny and weak looking, his status as a demonic mage outshone him in his stats, outnumbering him in every possible scenario. He shed a few tears, as he was so close to defeating, yet the the distance felt ever so out of reach.
A sudden hand appeared I front of his eyes. Coach Kameshiro appeared in front of his eyes, with prude and respect visible in te depths of his eyes. "Boy," a gruff, yet soft voice called, "you did pretty well for an unawakened. Even though you knew you had no chance, you still forged on despite the impossibility. For this, you have earned my, and everyone's, respect. So stand up kid, and hold your head up high. You have done what is nearly impossible with your own courage and bravery. Be proud of it kid, be proud." Coach Kameshiro pulls Jake up, holding his hand up, encouraging him.
After a moment of silence, an applause, filled with awe, resounded in the classroom, filled with cheers and whistles of respect.