Fight

FINALLY THE DAY OF BATTLE ARRIVED.

Throughout the village, there were decorations everywhere. The young people were excited to participate in the various organized games, and the crowd was enthusiastic to see their youth competing. On the tents, people had made drawings, all colorful. Carpets were spread everywhere, fragrant and colorful flowers adorned every corner.

Everything was beautiful and joyful, but in the midst of this celebration, one confrontation dominated everyone's thoughts: the fight that had been discussed for a month between Hiroshi and Duraan, which had been scheduled for last, toward evening.

Everyone was outside having fun and eating the good food prepared fresh. Everyone had worn their finest clothes for this event that came only once a year. The men were getting drunk from early morning, since today there were no restrictions from their wives, and the women gathered and enjoyed themselves while strolling among the merchants who had arrived from other places just for this festival.

In fact, only merchants were allowed to enter, and no one else. Only the village people, because they believed that outsiders would ruin their traditions.

* * *

Only half an hour remained until the match.

People began gathering at the field to watch the confrontation.

"HEY ROBINSON, WHERE'S YOUR SHRIMP?!" shouted Duraan, who was preparing for the match. "HAHAHA! I HAVEN'T SEEN HIM IN A WHILE... DID HE RUN AWAY FROM FEAR, HUH?"

His friends were massaging him, women were watching his physique from afar with seductive and admiring expressions, while he sat on a wooden chair thinking he was a king.

"HEY ROBINSON, NOT ANSWERING? HAHAHA!"

Rania stayed quiet, but she was worried because she couldn't see Hiroshi anywhere. Hukuro wasn't there either.

So she understood and quickly headed toward Hiroshi's tent. She was right: she saw Hukuro standing outside the tent.

"Hukuro! Hasn't he come out yet?" Rania asked quickly.

"No, I don't know. He keeps saying 'stay calm,'" Hukuro's response was worrying.

"Didn't you tell him there's less than half an hour left?!"

"Yes, I told him, but he's not listening to me."

So Rania shouted: "HIROSHI! WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN THERE?!"

"Stay calm, I'll come out five minutes before the match starts," Hiroshi said from inside. His voice was low and a bit hoarse.

"But why, what are you doing in there?"

"Stay calm."

"HIROSHI!!!!! I'M COMING IN IF YOU DON'T COME OUT!"

"Stay calm."

Hiroshi kept saying the same words even after Rania's various complaints, so she left irritated.

* * *

Only seven minutes remained until the start of the match.

Duraan was already inside the field and was celebrating as if he had already declared his victory in advance. He was showing off his muscles to the people, his tall and massive stature. The crowd was also getting excited seeing all this.

The entire village was there to watch. The referee had already entered. People didn't have high expectations, already knowing that Duraan would win, but they wanted to see the courage of the young man who would fight.

Rania sat with her mother, far from everyone. She didn't want to see everyone's faces once Hiroshi lost.

No hope. No probability. No chance. Only pure logic.

Two minutes remained, and people began to see Hiroshi entering the field. His body, compared to Duraan's, was very different: thin, his bones were visible, skinny. On his face, two eyes that stared at the giant in front of him.

"So you arrived, huh?" Duraan said with a malicious smile.

"I gave you my word," Hiroshi replied.

"I'm glad you kept it, but don't think I'll go easy on you."

"I never wanted you to."

"Good, Shrimp. We'll see as soon as the match starts."

The referee began announcing the rules by shouting: "THE MATCH WILL CONTINUE UNTIL ONE PLAYER FAINTS OR ASKS FOR SURRENDER! IF A PLAYER TRIES A FORBIDDEN MOVE, HE WILL BE ELIMINATED AT THAT MOMENT, DECLARING THE OTHER THE WINNER! AND I HOPE THIS YEAR'S FIGHT WILL ALSO BE FANTASTIC AS ALWAYS!"

Only a few seconds remained. The two players found themselves facing each other.

This wasn't just a normal confrontation, but the writing of many people's destinies. The result of this fight would decide the fate of many.

3

2

1

The referee blew the whistle and the confrontation began.

As soon as the referee's hand dropped, Duraan lunged with unnatural speed toward Hiroshi. His pumping muscles and his stature made him look bestial, intimidating everyone.

Hiroshi tried to make a lateral dodge, but his balance and his feet didn't cooperate. Duraan took advantage of this by grabbing him around the waist with a frontal grip.

The grip was so strong that Hiroshi's ribs cracked instantly. Hiroshi's eyes were already bulging from the pain at the first move.

But Duraan didn't stop. He lifted him as easily as if he were a feather and then violently threw him onto the sand. Hiroshi, as soon as he touched the ground, seemed to almost bounce from how powerful his opponent's throw had been.

Desperately, Hiroshi moved away from Duraan by rolling to avoid being caught by him for the second time in a row. He got up staggering with great difficulty. His nose had already started bleeding heavily, as if there were a waterfall inside. His eyes were bulging, he could barely breathe.

The people, seeing this, already knew what end the battle would meet.

But still no emotion, no panic, no sweat. Only patience for the exact moment. The mind was still present.

Duraan was enjoying himself watching his opponent, but to make sure there could be no dangers, he rushed forward quickly. With immense speed, he made a perfect grip from behind on his opponent who was in terrible condition, locking him in a lethal hold. Then he spun him around and slammed him to the ground again, on his back.

That was a knockout for everyone.

Duraan raised his arms in sign of victory. People had no expectations, his opponent was lying on the ground.

The referee was about to declare him the winner, but the figure got back up.

People couldn't understand how he had this strength. He should have already been in life-and-death conditions: his inside was destroyed, his outside was bleeding, but inside was pure ice. If emotions had been active, Hiroshi would have desperately done something wrong, but the absence of emotions had made him so focused that he knew well what and when he had to do. His calculations were changing every second: new moves and strategies spinning in his mind, it didn't matter if they were feasible or not.

A man shouted from the crowd: "HEY, STOP OR YOU'LL DIE!"

But Hiroshi didn't respond. The pain was sharp, but his mind refused to lose.

Duraan felt pity for him for a moment, but when Hiroshi tried to make a leg grab, which failed miserably, then he said: "I see you're still acting COCKY. Now I have to put you back in your place, so you'll never forget it."

Duraan grabbed him by the neck with a throat grip and dragged him across the entire field. Hiroshi, who was without strength, let himself go.

"LOOK EVERYONE HERE! THIS HAPPENS TO ALL THOSE WHO TRY TO PROVOKE ME AND MY WRATH!"

"HE IS NOW AN ANT TO ME, THAT I CAN CRUSH AT ANY MOMENT!"

Duraan didn't want to end the match like this without any entertainment, so he humiliated Hiroshi in front of everyone and dragged him effortlessly. He wanted to savor every moment.

"RANIKSON! GET READY TO MARRY ME! HAHAHA! YOUR SERVANT IS NOTHING BUT A GNAT TO ME!"

Rania couldn't say anything. She held her mother's arm tightly. She wanted to leave from there, but her father stopped her saying to stay calm.

Hiroshi, I told you not to do all this! You didn't listen to me! were the words spinning in Rania's mind, who found herself in a moment of pure desperation.

Then Duraan resumed his game. He started throwing Hiroshi to the ground forcefully, giving him shoves while laughing without problems, lifting him in the air and then slamming him to the ground. Hiroshi, for him, was a toy he was just playing with.

Seeing this, even the people began to feel pity for Hiroshi, but only Hiroshi had no pity for himself and always got back up.

The game continued for another ten minutes.

Hiroshi was bleeding from his mouth and nose, his internal bones had been fractured from the impacts, but still his mind wouldn't give up. He was patient, waiting for just one moment. That moment, Hiroshi had decided to create himself.

So, in a low voice, he said: "Is this your strength, Duraan? I thought you had more."