~Chapter 4~
The preliminary bouts continued and the group continued to fare well.
Jirro expertly searched for his opponent's weaknesses and capitalized on them. Aero continued to imitate his opponents before defeating them, but after a close call he decided to fight more seriously. Corri struck with ferocity each time, usually defeating her opponents before they had a chance to react.
Ruben wanted to see if anyone could actually hurt him, and openly invited for his opponents to strike him. When they failed to hurt him, he'd counter. Nout won two matches, and was brimming with newfound confidence. Emer and Cmar continued to win their matches with ease.
All the while, Razan and Lucar watched among the other competitors, keen to see how far their children would go.
"Nout and Cuartz to Stage 1!" A voice called out. Nout rushed to the stage, genuinely excited to get back into the ring. Following after him was a peculiar Densius, one with four rocky arms protruding from him rather than the usual two. The Densius people could form their bodies however they wanted, but most tended towards a humanoid from with two arms, two legs, and a head. But the bolder Densius formed their bodies in new and creative ways, such as adding two additional arms.
The stones that formed Cuartz's body were all char black and sturdy, its irises a bright orange. The Densius was likely from Weld Mountain to the southeast.
Cuartz paced around the ring, beating his many fists against each other. Jirro watched the match closely, cheering Nout on. The two took their starting positions and the drum beat began the match.
Cuartz immediately swung his numerous limbs at Nout, who had no choice but to back away until he was at the edge of the ring. He couldn't possible block every punch. One struck him in the trunk and he winced from the pain.
The beat of the drum signified the end of the match, "Point to Cuartz! Match over!" The judge shouted.
Cmar and Jirro both complimented Nout on his performance, assuring him he fought well. Though he wished he could've continued on further. As the preliminaries continued, Jirro made a point to watch Cuartz's matches.
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"Point to Emil! Match over!" A judge shouted from across the way. Corri, Aero, and Jirro all turned and saw a brown haired young man in dirtied white robes standing over an unconscious competitor. It was Emil.
"He's here!?" Corri spat angrily. The three remembered Emil. He and Modi had kidnapped them months ago; it was only thanks to their dad's that they got away.
The three children glared at Emil from afar. Aero said, "I hope I get a chance to fight him again."
"Kika and Corri to Stage 3!" A voice shouted, and Corri hurried to meet her next opponent. She was pleased to find a young woman, perhaps 19 or 20 years old, standing in the ring to face her. She wore white robes that were fairly similar to the ones Emil wore, but clean.
Kika smiled at Corri, bowing respectfully before the match began. Corri returned the gesture. They took their positions and a drumming signaled the beginning of the match.
Corri charged in knee first, but Kika parried the attack. Corri was shocked, she was the first person to react in time to avoid her first move.
The red-haired girl continued to press her attack, but Kika parried each blow with grace. She was being reckless and wild. Corri felt a kick to her side, just hard enough to make her stagger. The drum beat signified the end of the match.
"Point to Kika! Match over!" The judge shouted.
Corri wanted to be angry, but Kika's smile and extended hand made her stop. They left the stage together.
"You did well, its always nice to see more women in the ring, especially young ones like you. I'm sure if you were trained up a bit, you'd be an excellent fighter." Kika said.
"Thanks. You're really good too." Corri was angry at losing, but admitted that Kika was a pretty good fighter.
"If you ever get the chance, check out Dama's Fighting Academy to the east. We'd love to have you." Kika imparted. Her eyes drifted to another of the fighting stages, "If you want to see another of the Academy's students, you should check this out."
Kika drew Corri along towards another stage. A muscular man with chiseled features wore the same white robes that Kika had. He had a serious expression and incredibly solid sense.
"That's Tyro. One of the best students of the academy." Kika said.
Corri looked to Tyro's opponent; Ruben. The boulder child stood in an entirely open stance, inviting its opponent to attack.
"Tyro might have some trouble. That's a friend of mine, so far no one's managed to hurt him." Corri said. Kika didn't seem worried.
The drum was drummed, Tyro's eyes narrowed, and he carefully approached. Ruben smiled, leaving itself entirely open.
Tyro delivered a measured punch... and Ruben staggered back. The single strike felt like it had power behind it. The man actually managed to hurt him.
"Point to Tyro! Match over!" The judge announced. Without a word Tyro left the stage.
Despite his loss, Ruben smiled. The young Densius joined Corri and Nout among the spectators.
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The preliminaries continued and the number of fighters remaining dwindled fast as evening drew near. Aero, Jirro, Cmar and Emer all moved through the rounds well, only having minor trouble near the end. But eventually they made it into the final 16.
Cho stepped on stage to announce the finalist's, and a crowd of people surrounded the Preliminary stages to hear. One by one they were called to the stage. Aero and Jirro heard a murmur when they were called the stage, people were surprised that children had made it into the finals. They couldn't help but grin.
Kika, Tyro, and Cuartz stepped were among the finalists. Emil was called on stage as well, and the boys glared at him. Cmar and Emer joined the boys on stage, and soon the 16 fighters stood on stage together, a mix of Ralosians, Densius, Phantine and Mecarne Combatants.
With the preliminaries concluded, they took to enjoy festivities for the rest of the day. Aero and Jirro turned in early, keen on getting a good night's rest before the finals the next day. 314Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBzHOB0fr2M
