The next day…
In the hotel for the participants of the Unarmed league, the clock struck 6. In one of the apartments, Yuri awoke in his underwear. He groaned and sat straight. Yawning, he activated his attribute. In an instant, his body shook lightly. His eyes flew open, blood rushing through his veins. He then, left his bed and opened the closet. He took out his clothes. After a few minutes, he stretched his arms and exited his room.
As he walked through the hall, he ruffled his violet hair. Just then, another man – a familiar face exited his room as well. Yuri locked eyes with the dark-haired fellow, wearing a blue T-shirt and shorts with the same-colored sneakers.
"Good morning, Janus." Yuri called out, stopping.
"Good morning." Janus yawned. "Heading to the stadium?"
"Where else?" Yuri smirked.
"Dunno but hey…" Janus passed Yuri. "I'll be watching you."
A chill went down Yuri's spine.
"Wait – the hell you mean by that?"
But Janus had already left the conversation. As he walked away, Yuri sneered and went his way.
'That was creepy…'
***
After a few hours…
The stadium was filled with people once again. All eagerly waiting for the first match of the quarter finals to begin. In the seats, Janus, Adam and Taylor were sitting next to each other. Taylor wore a cap with her usual clothes while drinking soda. Adam, too ate a burger and fries which he awaited putting in his mouth. Janus was the only odd one out. He sat with his hands and legs crossed.
'When is Yuri's match, Bruh…'
On the verge of falling sleep, his eyes were getting heavy. He yawned, bored by the ongoing match. Just then, the match ended. Then, Dante voice resounded through the stadium, announcing the winner. Janus paid it no mind but the commentators next words would jog him awake.
"The next match is…Yuri Akito…"
Janus's eyes flew open. He uncrossed his body and leaned forward. He activated his attribute as Dante's voice rang out once more.
"Versus…Adira Pessanha! I hope I said that right."
From the parallel exits, A man and woman exited respectively. One side was Yuri and the other side was Adira. Janus squinted, focusing on Yuri's opponent. Adira, a girl with long brown hair that touched her shoulder, sky-like eyes with acne-plagued skin wore gray compression spats, sports bar of the same shade and dark shoes.
Both fighters approached one another. The referee met them in the middle, whistle in hand. Yuri and Adira went into their stances as the referee raised his arm. And in the next second, his arm swung down, body spun around and whistle blew. As he ran, Yuri and Adira rushed at each other.
Yuri struck first. Adira ducked under and tackled him.
"Adira goes for a tackle!" Mack shouted.
Yuri firmly planted his feet, stopping the tackle. Adira, instantly moved around, still holding her enemy. Then, lifted Yuri and performed a suplex. Yuri panicked and held out his hands. Catching himself, he twisted his body, shaking off Adira and flipped away.
"Yuri stops the tackle but is met with a suplex. But somehow, he survives it too!" Dante analyzed.
"Come on…use your attribute…" Janus whispered under his breath.
The crowd cheered the fighters on as well. Yuri then, smirked. He stood up activating his attribute. He drew a deep breath and screamed with all his mouth. A shrill scream, amplified by his attribute sounded throughout. Adira and the audience held their ears in pain. Yuri rushed forward at sonic speeds. He passed Adira, the air contorted and blew her away. Adira stopped and frowned.
'I need to get a hold of him quickly…'
She, too activated her attribute. She drew a sharp breath and ran. Approaching her opponent, she curled her hand into a fist. Yuri dodged her strike. Then, he prepared the counter her. He curled his hand into a fist and shot it forward. The hit landed cleanly on his opponent's jaw and yet she still stood – unfazed. Yuri clicked his tongue and backed off. He shook his hand, groaning in pain.
"That damn attribute…"
Right then, Dante's voice rolled out.
"Adira's endurance attribute just gave Yuri a paining wrist. Now, things get interesting."
Yuri rubbed his wrist and chuckled.
"Yeah…it will get interesting…" He muttered under his breath.
Adira slowly treaded forward. Yuri raised his arms, awaiting a strike. The two locked onto each other. Adira's hand shot forward. Yuri slapped it away. She retracted it and pushed his shoulder. Yuri backed off but that was his mistake. Adira, unexpectedly shot forward. She wrapped her foot around Yuri's. As her hand fell on his nape, she fell, pulling him along. Yuri's panicked, trying to escape her bind but it was already too late.
In the next second, Adira held him in a tight lock. Yuri strained against her grip, trying to break.
"Adira's locking in a choke and it looks pretty tight." Mack gripped his headset.
"Classic grappling, am I right?" Dante spread his arms. "I'm saying that even though I don't know shit."
Then, Yuri – tired, relaxed for a bit. Adira used that chance to lock her rival in an even tighter hold. But even then, Yuri didn't panic. He drew a deep breath and opened his mouth. In the next instant, he let off a deafening scream.
"Fucking hell!" Mack covered his ears.
"Motherfuck-" Dante did the same.
Adira – impulsively, let go and closed her ears like the rest. But letting go would be her biggest mistake. Yuri smirked, shooting up. He spun around and pulled his rival up.
"Wanna go for ride, dear?" Yuri asked.
"Wha-?!"
Yuri activated his attribute. The next second, his and Adira's figure blurred. He began running around the arena at sonic speeds. The floor cracked under his velocity.
"The arena for god's sake!" Dante waved his hands.
"It's okay, bro. It was inevitable anyways." Mack sighed, grabbing Dante's shoulder.
The audience stepped back but Janus kept up with his speed, watching him eagerly with his attribute activated. Then, Yuri stopped. He let go of Adira who fell down – mouth foaming and eyes rolled back. The referee blew the whistle as he dusted off his hands.
"Well…that was easier than expected." He commented.
"And the winner is Yuri Akito!" Mack announced.
"A good match but we all knew the outcome." Dante stated as medics rolled out.
"When I saw the match for the first time, I knew this was going to be a one-sided spectacle." Mack chuckled as the medics took Adira away.
Yuri glanced at her, then at the referee. Then, he headed towards his locker. The crowd's chants dimmed as he entered the locker room, He grabbed a bottle, brushing past the next competitor. He drank it and opened his locker. He wiped his face and laid on the bench.