Araújo and Yasoke continue to face off. The man in the bandana sweeps low, but Yasoke dodges by jumping, delivering a kick that Araújo avoids with a simple tilt of his head. The two reposition themselves. — Yeah, kid, you've really got grit! — says Araújo. Yasoke cracks his neck with his hand and retorts: — You too, but I have to make my superiority clear!
He begins to crack his arms and then his shoulders. Araújo watches him, half-confused and with an ironic smile: — Let's see it, then!
The man in the bandana charges toward Yasoke. The youth readies himself, leaning his body back, but Araújo pulls a feint; Yasoke cannot stop his own momentum in time and falls. — Hahahaha! Couldn't predict the feint, kid? — he smiles casually, looking down at Yasoke, who shows a look of rage but quickly regains his composure.
He stands up, tapping the tip of his foot on the ground, and at that moment begins to bounce. Araújo coldly analyzes the movements of the youth in the red jacket, who hops from side to side. In the blink of an eye, Yasoke vanishes from sight, but the man in the bandana is not impressed; instead, he sits down in the middle of the arena. Yasoke reappears in front of him, utterly confused: — Hey, why don't you want to fight? Araújo, yawning, replies: — You're too slow; it would be far too easy to knock you out.
A vein throbs on Yasoke's forehead, revealing the youth's fury, but with a cold and calm expression, he does not voice it. He delivers a front kick toward the seated Araújo; the man executes a back-flip and, using his feet, deflects Yasoke's strike. Araújo lands with his hands touching the ground, and looking up, he faces Yasoke's neutral expression, fist clenched and ready to punch with his right hand. However, the youth shifts his movement and delivers a left kick, forcing Araújo to defend the blow and sending him flying, losing his balance. Yasoke seizes the opportunity of his opponent's instability to taunt him: — Weren't you the one saying my attacks were slow and easy to knock out? Hahaha!
Yasoke flashes a confident smile. Araújo steadies himself and brushes the dust off his clothes: — Truly, I didn't expect that strike, but I think I'll still stand by my second thesis!
He moves toward Yasoke, who is now better prepared and waits patiently for his opponent's move. The man in the bandana jumps, performing a mid-air somersault to land a right kick, which Yasoke defends with a right olgul maki (high block). However, Araújo shifts the force of the kick and, using his boot, balances himself on the youth's arm, leaving him perplexed. — Get it now, kid? Hahaha! — the man in the bandana laughs while balancing on Yasoke's defense. — Fine, but balancing well doesn't win a fight!
Yasoke takes the chance, jumps, and pulls his arm away, causing Araújo to slip and leave his guard open at the liver. Yasoke attempts to strike his opponent's flank with a left punch, but the man in the bandana spins rapidly in the air, repositioning himself and parrying the blow. He immediately counters with a right kick to the youth's head, sending him to the ground. Yasoke feels the intense texture of the man's boot just before hitting the floor, but with no time to think, he springs up, dodging another kick that shatters the arena floor.
Yuji is impressed seeing Yasoke and Araújo fighting in the air. He even thinks Yasoke might land that punch, but his expectations are crushed by Araújo's counter-attack: — Close, boy! You'll get it next time!
Everyone watches the fight, including the announcer, who had remained silent. Then, he remembers the timer: — FIGHTERS, ONLY 1 MINUTE LEFT UNTIL THE END OF THE FIRST STAGE!!!
The crowd grows excited by the clash between the two but is also shocked by the low number of survivors: of the initial 300, only eight fighters remained in the arena. Yasoke and Araújo steady themselves and trade blows until both kick with their right legs, clashing in a stalemate. Before their feet can touch the ground to restart, both land a simultaneous punch to each other's faces, and then: — TIME IS UP!!! THE FIRST STAGE OF THE 700-YEAR TOURNAMENT IS OVER!!
The crowd roars. Yasoke and Araújo lower their feet and greet each other; afterward, each heads to his own side. The announcer begins listing the participants who will advance: — SO, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, DUE TO THE LIMITED NUMBER OF FIGHTERS, WE WILL HAVE TO SKIP THE SECOND PHASE OF THE TOURNAMENT, BOTH TO CREATE A MORE DYNAMIC FLOW AND TO MAKE THE SHOW MORE EXCITING TO WATCH!
The crowd understands and awaits the names of those qualified for the third phase.
— THE FIGHTERS ADVANCING TO THE NEXT STAGE ARE: YASOKE! — A 16-year-old youth, wearing a red jacket, white tank top, jeans, and ballet slippers. He has golden eyes, short straight brown hair, and fair skin. He is 1.82m tall, with an average and attractive appearance.
JHONY! — A 16-year-old youth, wearing a green jacket, green pants, and green sneakers. He has blue eyes, long straight red hair, and fair skin. He is 2.02m tall, very handsome and attractive.
ARAÚJO COSTA! — A 32-year-old man, shirtless, wearing baggy camouflage pants, black boots, and a red bandana on his forehead. He has brown eyes, straight neck-length brown hair, and tanned skin. He is 1.84m tall with an average but attractive appearance.
HENRIQUE LOSS! — A 24-year-old youth, wearing glasses, a blue long-sleeved shirt with white details, blue pants with white details, and white dress shoes. He has green eyes, blue hair cut to the ears, and fair skin. He is 1.77m tall, very handsome and attractive.
ZULMY ZEGRI! — A 16-year-old youth, wearing a short white dress with golden details, long white gloves, white tights, and white shoes with golden details. Under the dress, she wears white shorts. She has pink eyes, long straight navy blue hair, and fair skin. She is 1.82m tall, being extremely beautiful and attractive.
— And the other fighters... survived on pure luck... — the announcer sounds lazy as he introduces the rest, since they aren't major figures. Everyone leaves the arena to recover at the tournament's healing center.