Just before Leafinator could curb-stomp Jake's head, at the last moment, Jake rolled to the side, making Leafinator miss his attack. Unfortunately for him, he had still imbued water qi onto his body, causing him to slip and fall.
Jumping back to his feet, Jake got back into position, holding both hands in front of his face in a guard formation. Breathing deeply, Jake composed himself, trying to think of ways to quickly and effectively defeat him.
But the Leafinator did not give him the time to do so.
Or rather, he had no time.
Punch after punch, kick after kick, flurry after flurry, Leafinator aimed precisely at Jake, forcing him to constantly defend himself. All Jake could do was defend himself, showing the occasional punch or two in retaliation. Meanwhile, his opponent's sly smirk never seemed to disappear.
Feeling himself slowly starting to get tired, Jake knew he did not have much time left. In a do-or-die moment, he used Prathee Sanrak to cover all of his body, planning to use himself as a cage of sorts.
Witnessing the murky qi covering Jake's body, Leafinator felt a sense of crisis growing in his heart. This grew stronger once Jake started charging into him. Sensing that if hit, he would be greatly injured, Leafinator sidestepped as Jake grew close to him.
And he was glad that he did.
With a loud bang, Jake rammed right into the barrier. This caused intense vibrations to occur within it, causing fear and panic to spread across the audience. Chaos spread quickly, as people feared the collapse of the barrier and potential injuries.
Cold sweat poured down Leafinator's forehead. He thanked Äyà that he was unharmed, for that attack would have paralyzed him. Despite medical technology being far more advanced than before, he would still have had to be confined to bed for a long time, potentially ending his career in the ring.
Meanwhile, the emcee was heard in the background, reassuring the audience, "Now, now, everyone, no need to worry. Our barrier is reinforced with Mythralite emissions, courtesy of Innovative Industries, the creators of today. Their generous gift ensures that nothing higher than a fifth-sequence martial artist can destroy the barrier..."
Swiping his forehead, Leafinator focused on Jake once more. Seeing Jake dizzy made him realize that he now had a golden chance. As Jake began to recover from his tinnitus from the rampage, Leafinator started to release water qi from his hands.
Having covered his hands, Leafinator vibrated the qi-covered hands, forming a pseudo-saw of sorts. Lunging at Jake, he dug into his legs, causing temporary paralysis due to the pain. Roaring in pain, Jake collapsed, retreating back into a small ball.
Not missing the chance, Leafinator started pummeling Jake, yelling, "Surrender! Surrender! Surrender!..." Infected, the audience started to chime in.
Being impacted both psychologically and physically, Jake started to give in. Just as he was about to tap out, the memories regarding Druis, Beebo, Beba, Armandrill, Soldier 149, the Secretary, all flowed into his mind, returning his clarity to him.
With renewed vigor, he used the last traces of energy to push Leafinator off of him and stood up. The audience, witnessing a very bloody, yet still determined, Jake standing up to fight, all grew quiet.
No one knew when, but someone started to chant "Fight on, my man! FIGHT ON!" Infected with the cheer, the rest of the audience began to chime in. Feeling the overwhelming support for him, Jake began hobbling toward Leafinator to finish him off. Unbeknownst to him and everyone else, Leafinator was also close to tapping out, having lost most of his energy as well.
Just as Leafinator stood in a defensive stance, waiting to repel Jake's final attack, Jake stopped in front of him. Before he could do anything, Jake collapsed, falling face first onto the stage, blood still seeping out. A dumbfounded Leafinator stood there, still unable to process what had occurred.
The emcee, not missing a beat, declared with as much pazzazz as possible, standing with one foot on top of a table, microphone in hand,
"We have a WINNNEEEEERRRRRR!"