Aka once again pushed himself up from the "bed" he called a slab of stone, and—like it had become his daily routine by now—he slipped into the crowd and joined the fights. He'd been doing this ever since his match with 29 — so, for three days — and in those three days he'd stepped into the ring five times. Even if he'd only managed to win two of them…
He spotted 29 in the crowd and they started chatting. After some small talk, 29 stepped into the arena and had a short, easy match with a tired fighter. Unsurprisingly, he won.
Aka also left the crowd and stood across from 29. Over the past three days, they'd grown close enough that you could almost call them lovers. Maybe because of that — or maybe just because there hadn't been a chance — they hadn't fought each other in those three days.
The fight began. 29 lunged at Aka, jumped, and swung a kick — but Aka dodged and tried to break his leg. Still, 29 wasn't weak; he escaped, though he did take some damage.
This time, Aka attacked. He used his "signature move," the body tackle, and grabbed 29. But since he'd been using the same technique for days, everyone — including 29 — already knew it, and they had learned ways to counter it.
29 chose one of the simplest options. He kept punching Aka in the head as hard as he could until Aka finally took him down. The moment they hit the ground, 29 used his speed to slip away and get behind him. With a smooth move, he climbed onto Aka's back and locked in a chokehold.
Aka had never faced an attack like this before and didn't know what to do — but he'd been fighting for days now, so he'd started to think more practically. He bit down on 29's legs as hard as he could where they wrapped under his arms. Even that didn't stop 29, and just as Aka was about to pass out, he threw himself backward and slammed both of them into the ground.
Now the advantage was Aka's. He climbed on top of 29 and was just about to start punching when a bright idea came to him. He grabbed one of 29's guarding hands and bit down on it with everything he had. 29 tried his hardest to throw Aka off, but couldn't. Aka landed a punch — but while doing so, he lost his balance and fell backward. The moment 29 got the chance, he kicked Aka in the groin as hard as he could.
Just like in their previous match, Aka collapsed to the side and screamed in pain. But this time he had a plan, thanks to the experience he'd gained. 29 again climbed on top of him and started punching him mercilessly — but Aka caught one of his fists and bit that arm too. And while neither of them realized it at that moment, Aka had already earned the nickname that would stick to him:
"Feral."
29 was laughing hysterically again — but this time he was in pain too, especially where he'd been bitten. Even so, he kept punching. Right then, his fists landed exactly where Aka wanted them, and Aka pushed him off with his legs, flipping him over so that they almost looked like they were about to start making out — and then Aka actually kissed him.
After a moment, the kiss ended. Aka shoved 29 off, spat blood onto the ground, and it was clear that the kiss had been… a little rough.
While 29 was still on the ground, Aka stood up and let him get to his feet. But the moment 29 stood upright, Aka swept his legs out from under him, forced him to his knees, and kicked him in the face with everything he had. Aka was the winner. Still, instead of leaving him there, he picked 29 up bridal-style, carried him back into the crowd, then returned to the arena to wait for his next opponent.
This time, another familiar face stepped forward: Number 71.
"Nice job, rookie," 71 said. "You've gotten used to this place fast. I guess I should start calling you 47."
"Thanks," Aka replied. "I was hoping I'd run into you again."
"Let's see how much you've grown."
And before he even finished speaking, he attacked. Aka dodged the punches and countered when he could — but he was exhausted. 29 had really pushed him to his limit. Aka decided to gamble everything on a single move to beat 71.
71 threw another punch — and this time, Aka couldn't dodge. The punch landed clean, and he collapsed to the ground. 71 didn't approach; he simply waited for the crowd to come and carry Aka away.
Just as the crowd stepped forward, Aka suddenly sprang up, swept 71's legs out from under him, knocked him down, and climbed on top of him, punching with everything he had. Even when 71 threw dirt, countered, or guarded, Aka didn't stop — he just kept hitting. Eventually, 71's guard dropped — but Aka still didn't stop.
When he finally ran completely out of strength, he got off of 71 and tried to blend back into the crowd — but they shoved him back into the arena and forced him to stay. Only then did he realize: once you stepped into the arena, the only way out was to lose.
His next opponent was Number 44 — someone who looked strong from every angle. He told Aka he'd done well for a rookie… then immediately began throwing nonstop punches. Aka dodged a few, but the exhaustion had taken full control. He failed to dodge one, took the punch head-on — then a few more followed…
And that was the last thing he saw.
Heyyy, hi again! If you're reading this, thank you — and if you've taken the time to look it over, thank you even more. If you have any thoughts, good or bad, please feel free to leave a comment; I'll probably see it and reply pretty quickly. Wishing you all a great day!