The Final Battle

It was the heaviest storm of the year, the sudden downpour of rain flooding the streets, forcing the city inhabitants to hide indoors. The roar of the thunder echoed, as the veil of darkness was shattered by the flashes of lightning.

Despite the heavy rainstorm, Sokukan High School was overflowing with students of many different groups. The halls and classrooms were crammed with boys in black and red from Sokukan High, brawling against boys in grey from Kurozan Industrial High School.

Over by the fields outside, the biker gangs and nearby school were also engrossed in an all-out melee. 

 Sokukan High had gathered all the delinquent schools and biker gangs on the west side under its banner, while Kurozan had gathered all of the east side. At present the two sides were fully embroiled in an all-out war at Sokukan High amidst the raging storm.

A good fourty minutes has passed since the storm of rain and blood has started, although it seemed like the melee would go on forever with neither side backing down, most of the students had started to fall down due to their injuries.

Both sides were evenly matched in numbers and it would be hard to determine which side would win in a battle without casualties. Each group has started to gather outside by their side and patiently waited for the news from the rooftop.

After all this would be the last final battle between both sides to determine who was number one, and the only way to determine it would be to have the leaders of both sides having a solo match.

The flashes of lightning casted an incredibly long shadow of the two men dueling on the roof. Their back-and-forth silhouettes burning into the eyes of their friends down below.

The sound of each blow being traded rang out loudly as if it was happening right besides them. To their friends down below, it felt like they were witnessing an epic battle of titans not humans.

"Give up already dammit. We've been at it for 30 minutes already. You're clearly out of gas."

The man in the red leather jacket wheezed out as he tried to steady his quivering knees. He took deep breaths in and out before rising to his full 185cm height.

His once slick backed white hair was now a mess, wetly clinging to his scalp and face. His right was half swollen shut from the bruising, while his left eye was covered in blood that was leaking from the cut on his eyebrow. His mouth tainted with the taste of iron.

"Hmph. Why don't YOU give up? I can see your knees shaking since you ate my uppercut.”

The other man in grey gakuran spat out blood, as he stared back. He was in a similar state having taken multiple hits to his face and body.

His sides strained with each breath, burning with pain. He was leaning against the rails of the rooftop, barely able to keep himself standing straight. His spiky blonde hair now plastered to his face.

"Can't you hear it? The sounds of our friends holding their breath waiting to hear which one of us is number one? We've both chased this moment since freshman year. Now... here we are... at last."

Hearing those words, the man in red paused slightly before grinning back through clenched teeths at his friend and rival.

"You're right. We've fought many times since then. Let this be the last time... the winner will be the true number one."

"So, let's put everything we have into this last exchange, eh Reiji?"

Reiji, wearing black, smiles and reaches out his left hand before flicking it into himself. Giving Daigo his long-term rival, the signal to come at him.

The two of them launched themselves at one another, each muscle screaming in agony, their bruised and battered bodies moving purely on willpower.

Daigo bellowed out a roar as he let loose his last straight, throwing his whole weight behind it.

Reiji parried the blow aimed at his chin, using the momentum to drive his elbow into Daigo's sternum.

He then followed up with two quick kicks flicking at the left calf and the sides. Winding his opponent.

Despite the blows, Daigo continued charging forward. He gritted his teeths as he aimed for the moment when Reiji would have to recenter himself.

Yelling ferociously he let loose a quick left jab to the target's face. He then followed up by a right-hand uppercut, landing squarely at the jaw. Sending the man in red reeling backwards.

"It's over Reiji!"

Capitalizing on his momentum, Daigo rushed at Reiji who was stumbling backwards aiming to finish this long-drawn-out brawl. His hands raised to deliver a hammer blow to Reiji the moment he falls.

At the last moment before reaching Reiji, Daigo saw a black flash from the bottom of his vision. It grazed his chin knocking his head backwards, shaking his brain and stunning him.

A normal person would have fallen unconscious already from the concussion. But Daigo's monstrous tenacity and stamina made it so he was only stunned momentarily.

That split second was the deciding factor.

After flipping backwards to stand on his legs. Reiji immediately jumped forward. He grabbed Daigo's head and landed his flying knee squarely into it.

Daigo's eyes rolled back into his head and his body slumped forward landing into the hard wet rooftop.

Seeing the fallen Daigo, Reiji fell down to his knees as he let loose a victory cry. His hard-won victory meant that he was now number one. The strongest in the city.

He felt the rain stinging his skin as if baptizing his effort and acknowledging his strength.

With renewed vigor he strides over to the rails of the rooftop, looking out over the other delinquents gathered outside.

Jumping up on to the rails, he raised both hands and shouted.

"I'm number one!"

"YEAH!!!!!!!!"

The cries of his friends and followers reverberated throughout the school. Their fiery cheer and passion passing through the electrically charged air.

Reiji closed his eyes, absorbing the moment and searing it into his brain.

After feeling the energy and tension drain from his entire body, Reiji quickly hopped back down to the rooftop and walked over to check on Daigo.

Hearing the gasp as Daigo regained consciousness, pushing himself up to his knees, Reiji walked over reaching a hand over to Daigo.

"That was fun. Let's do it again sometime."

"Why would you want to fight again after becoming number one?"

"Because it's fun of course! Isn't that why all of us do it?” Reji continued. "Sides, now that I've united the city, there's always other cities we could go challenge."

"Looks like you're gonna be a real pain as Leader."

Daigo laughed heartily before reaching for the outstretched hand infront of him. Resigning himself to the whims of his battle junkie rival.

However just as he was about to grab onto the helping hand, a flash of red lightning struck down with the full force of a thunder god.

The light enveloped the area causing momentarily blindness.

By the time Daigo could open his eyes again, Reiji the newly crowned number one was nowhere to be seen.

“…Reiji?”