Half an hour later…
Janus yawned, standing up.
"Where ya going?" Adam asked, munching on a burger.
"To the locker room." Janus replied, heading out.
Janus ascended the stairs and headed towards the elevator After making it to the ground floor, he strolled to the locker. He opened the door. As he walked through, in the corner of his eye, he spotted a familiar face sleeping on the bench. Smirking, he neared the purple-headed boy that had just finished his match - Yuri
"Yo!" Janus spoke.
Yuri flinched, opening one eye. He whistled, seeing who it was and sat straight.
"Janus. It's good to see you." He stated.
"You had a good match. I could tell you weren't going all out but really you didn't have to go that far." Janus replied.
"Well…adrenaline, I guess? I wasn't thinking straight."
"Right…"
"Anyways, when is your match?" Yuri questioned.
"Me?" Janus blurted. "Mine is last."
"So? You're planning on going to the semis?"
"Of course, I want to have my rematch."
Yuri chuckled and locked eyes with Janus.
"Sure. I'm game."
Just then, the intercom buzzed, calling the name of the next participant.
"Next contestant – Janus Gates."
Janus glanced at the screen and moved forward.
"I'll catch you later." He waved.
"Sure – sure." Yuri waved back.
Janus entered the arena. Light blinded him as the audience erupted in excitement. Right then, the commentators voice rang throughout the stadium.
"The match up next is Janus Gates versus…Kai Jelani!" Mack stated.
"Our Underdog is fighting against our street fighter. This will be an interesting match." Dante leaned back, chuckling.
"I'm sure as hell it will." Mack added as the referee neared the center.
Both contestants paused at the middle, meeting each other's eyes. In the stands, Adam and Taylor eagerly looked forward to their friend's match. Adam peered at Janus's opponent. Kai, a dark-skinned fellow with auburn hair and void-like eyes who wore a white T-shirt that starkly contrasted his skin tone, green cargo shorts that went past his knees and all black sneakers.
"Let's see what happens…" Taylor said, a smile forming on her face.
The referee prepared the whistle. Both chaos incarnates went into their stances. The air became thick with tension – the world held its breath. A drop of sweat rolled off Janus and dropped from his face. When it hit ground, the referee blew the whistle and ran away. In that moment, Janus and Kai rushed at each other. Kai made the first move. He struck Janus in the rib. Janus gasped but Kai didn't stop.
He gripped his rival's clothes and pulled Janus close. Janus's eyes widened as Kai struck his face again and again. Blood spouted from his enemy's face as he did so.
"God Damn! He is ruthless!" Mack said, his voice echoing.
Eventually, Janus caught his fist. He gripped it firmly and twisted it. Kai's face contorted. Then, he backed off. Janus touched his face, carefully.
'My god…is he trying to kill me or something?!'
He wiped the blood off. He locked eyes with Kai. Both furrowed their brows, activating their attribute. In that instance, time seemed to slow down for a moment. The crowd leaned forward, holding their breaths. And in the next instance…Kai rushed forward.
"What in the-?!" Janus blurted.
Kai moved rapidly like an athlete. Janus could barely follow him. Every movement was…perfect. Suddenly, Kai closed the gap between them. Janus stepped back but Kai foot got in the way. He tripped but was caught by his opponent. Kai dragged him across the floor.
"This is truly what I would imagine to be a dogfight." Dante commented.
Janus gritted his teeth in pain. He reached out his arm but Kai smacked it away.
"Hmph!" Kai groaned.
Then, he threw him into the wall. Janus sharply drew a breath and landed. But as he lifted his head, Kai was already in front of him. His knee shot forward. Janus dodged it – barely. He curled into a ball and pushed his rival away. He jolted up and shot forward. His shoulder collided with Kai's stomach. Kai gasped and, in that moment, Janus grabbed his head and pulled it towards his knee. Surprisingly, Kai caught it. Then, he got a hold of Janus's leg and fell.
Janus panicked. He tried to throw kai off to no avail. When he crashed down, Kai jolted up – too quickly. He lifted his leg and hit Janus stomach. Janus clutched his stomach, gasping. Kai continued to strike his stomach. After a few seconds, Janus jolted up. His head connected with his opponent's chin. Kai backed off. Janus straightened and used that opening.
'Your open, idiot!'
He screamed inwardly. He lunged forward like a spear. Whist running, he leapt and spun around, landing a clean kick. Kai lost his balance for a moment. In that moment, Janus swept him off his feet. Just when, Kai's face and Janus's foot where about to connect, something bizarre occurred. Kai caught his rival's foot and pushed off. Janus's pupils dilated as his foot was pushed down.
"What in the world…?" Janus lifted his head.
Kai soared above Janus. As he fell, he wrapped his arms around his opponent's waist. His feet landed and firmly stuck to the floor. His arms flexed as he lifted Janus. Then, Kai let go and lunged forward. Janus pressed his palm against the cold floor. Kai closed in. Janus landed and, in that instance, Kai struck him. Janus gritted as his right rib cracked. He raised his foot and kicked Kai away. The enemy backed off, also resting. Both fighters panted – already tiring.
"What in the world am I seeing? I'll tell you. It's a hell of an amazing match." Dante stated.
"One of the better fights we've had today, isn't it?" Mack said.
As the commentators spoke, Janus felt something in his attribute. A smile couldn't help but make its way onto his face.
'Finally, It's complete…'
He grinned widely and lifted his head. Kai raised a brow – confused and wary.
"Something's up…" he muttered under his breath.
Suddenly, Janus appeared in front of him. Kai couldn't react in time. Janus grabbed his arm and lifted him into the air. Kai's eyes widened. Janus released a volley of punches. Red stained his opponent's clothes as he crashed on the floor. He tried to stand up but Janus appeared again.
"Sorry for what's coming next. I've got to make sure you don't get up."
"Wha-?!" Kai's sentence was cut short.
Janus keened him. Kai collapsed. Janus gripped his clothes, making him stand up once more. Kai's vision turned blurry as his opponent launched another barrage of attacks. After a minute, Janus stopped. The audience held their breaths. Then…a thud resounded. Kai's body fell – unconscious. The referee whistled – ending the match. The crowd erupted in excitement as both commentators voice sounded at the exact same time.
"And the winner is Janus Gates!"