Three days later, Jake sat nervously on a bench, his knees shaking.
Today was the first match in the tournament, and he couldn't help but feel jittery.
He still remembered the loss he had faced against the Leafinator, where he had barely lost. As he sat down in contemplation, he heard the emcee calling out, "... And from the right, we have our rising star, who, despite being in only one match, nearly cornered the Leafinatoooorrr! Let us welcome the man behind the mask, the unknown, ANNNNNYYYYMMMOOOUUUUSSS!"
With a loud cheer, Jake put on the mask and exited the room.
Feeling the blinding lights in his face, the mask adjusted itself, reducing the glare. Wow, what else can the mask do?
Although very curious about the mask, he shook his head, getting rid of the distracting thoughts, only focusing on the coming match. As he got closer to the stage, he saw that his opponent seemed to be a... human?
Wearing nothing but boxers, he stood silently, arms crossed across his chest. Yet his blushing face exposed his true thoughts.
As Jake entered the arena, the emcee, the same Mechanican from before, introduced his opponent. "From the Falling Mountain dojo, we have Sigmund Feng, an aspiring martial artist who wields his fists for honor and glory, and the Bloodrise Cup brings nothing but the highest honor and glory! So let's give our cheers to SIGMUUUUNNNNDDD!" With a loud roar from the crowd, he holds his hands up, still stone-faced.
Getting up on stage, Sigmund turns to him, speaking for the first time. "Greetings to you. I, Sigmund Feng, shall challenge you to an honorable duel in the name of Falling Mountain dojo." Taking a step back in surprise, Jake asked, raising an eyebrow, "You do realize that this isn't a dojo, right?"
Expressionless, Sigmund simply replied, "Because that's what my master taught me."
Although weirded out, Jake shrugged his shoulders, getting into a stance.
Ding!
"FIGHT!"
Sigmund dashed immediately without any hesitation, using metal qi to cover his arms into a pseudo gauntlet, smashing his fists into Jake's stomach. Sensing the rapid punches, Jake sucked in his stomach, trying his best to minimize the pain.
Ignoring the pain, metallic qi covered Jake's fingers, Klingenwelle covering his fingers, to jab straight towards Sigmund's shoulders, aiming to incapacitate him. Sensing the danger from the attack, Sigmund covered his chest, trying to decrease the impact.
Although Jake didn't manage to wound him as much as he had hoped, it did allow him to grab onto his opponent. Feeling himself entangled, Sigmund used an unknown technique to accelerate himself, running around in circles.
Feeling dizzy, Jake let go of his hold, launching himself into the air.
Seeing his chance, Sigmund compressed his feet, using them as launching pads, hurtling toward Jake in the sky.
Wha-!?
Surprised by Sigmund's action, he watched helplessly as he hurtled past Jake, reaching a tad higher. With a loud boom, he kicked Jake straight into the ground.
Moaning in pain, Jake stumbled to his feet, his head hurting. Dammit, that hurt!
He watched helplessly, unable to coordinate himself as Sigmund barreled towards him.