What a terrible service, they don't even offer water to the fighters. Well, now I'll wait for my turn to be called. The back of these stands is really dusty, I bet there's a spider's nest down here—scary. My stand was also painted purple and neon green. The announcer is saying something, but I can't make out any of it—the crowd is talking too much.

  Then another employee arrived:

  “Go to the ring, the first fight is about to begin.” It's about time.

  The stadium was fully lit up, except for the arena. The audience was murmuring amongst themselves; tension hung in the air.

  I arrived at my side of the arena, which had tall panels of reinforced glass, instead of the elastic bands and bars of other rings.

  I heard footsteps from the other side, but they seemed clumsy and agitated, like those of a hurried child.

  The announcer then said:

  “Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Tournament of the Cogs!” The audience cheered. “Now, I know everyone is thrilled to watch the first battle, but we need to clarify a few rules: The fights will follow a best-of-five format; so the first to win three rounds wins. And second, we are not responsible for any damage caused outside the walls of this stadium. With that clarified, let's get to the game!” Damn does that guy talk a lot…

  "On one side, we have Aubrey Magnum, a girl with a lot of attitude!" The spotlight then panned over to me, momentarily blinding me. The stands then greeted me with applause; the guys must be going crazy for me, heh.

  “And on the other side, we have Kenji Rei, the newest recruit of the Turtle Master Brigade!” The kid was then revealed, with the audience saying things like “How cute!” and “Look at that big sword!” And they weren't lying, he looks like he's still in middle school, but I bet he's a bit older to be here. He wears blue samurai armor, which along with his enormous katana (which is probably longer than he is tall), it all makes him look like he just stepped right out of Imperial Japan.

  "Hey, brat." I greeted.

  "Hi," Kenji said politely, "you seem really cool. But nobody compares to Leona, her aim is unmatched!" What a fanboy.

  “And you? What are you going to do with that big sword? Cosplay?”

  "This is my first time using it! I think its name is 'Susanoo,' a gift from my chief!" He's definitely going to trip with that weight.

  The announcer speaks again. “Now that we've introduced our competitors, we can begin! Heaven or Hell, let's rock!”

  The round started and Kenji already came in with a sweep, so I hit him with a punch to the face before he could hit me—slowpoke. That's something you can say about him in general, he has to drag that sword with every movement and the noise is annoying; it sounds like someone using a lot of force to write with chalk.

  I ran to follow up on my blow, but my face met his fist. It was a weak blow, but it softened me up so he could throw me away with a kick to the stomach. He must exert a lot of strength to walk with that weight; it only makes sense that his kick would be this strong.

  Before I could stand up, I saw Susanoo stand up straight and then fall towards me. I rolled so fast that I ended up a little dizzy, but I managed to dodge the blow, which seemed powerful, as I felt some splinters of the ground on my arms.

  After recovering, I noticed Kenji was straining, as his sword seemed to be stuck in the ground—the perfect time for a strike! With my feet on the ground, I started running towards him, bringing my fist back, preparing it for a huge impact. When I arrived, I could see his eyes widen in shock as I twisted my torso and my fist took off in a flight equivalent to a jet.

  Bam! Kenji and his sword went flying to the edge of the arena.

  "Knockout!" the announcer declared. "The first round goes to Aubrey!"

  Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  “Poor thing.” I teased him. “Wanna play? Then stay in the kiddy pool!”

  Kenji then stood up, expecting him to cry, but he was smiling. It wasn't even malicious, but rather happy and innocent. Is he even taking this seriously?

  "Awesome!" He laughed happily. "I bet Leona will have fun with you!"

  "Shut up, kid!" I complained. "Nobody cares about your anime crush!” This whole “Leona” thing is getting annoying.

  “Just wait until you see her!”

  "Let's start the second round, now!" the announcer interjected.

  The kid seems motivated, because he's already started with a side swing. I managed to duck in time, though I might've lost a few strands of hair.

  Then I saw something unusual—he again planted his sword in the ground, but this time it was on purpose, as he leveraged himself, like his sword was some kind of see-saw. After reaching the peak, he began to fall like some kind of asteroid, leg extended, ready to deliver a blow with his heel. By the time I realized what was happening, it was too late, and the lights went out with an impact to my head.

  I woke up to the announcer's voice. "What a move! Now that's something you don't see every day! Kenji, what name would you give that technique?"

  Kenji then turned to the audience. "I think 'Meteor Kick' would be awesome!" And Kenji was applauded. I'll give them something to applaud.

  “One to one. Begin!”

  I'm losing my patience, best of five is too long! Another blow comes my way, but a jump is enough to dodge and put me in a good position. Kenji then tried to attack me with a stronger punch, so I sidestepped and took advantage of the momentum to throw him to the ground with a judo throw. I sent him dragging away with a kick while he was still on the ground, making him hit his head against the wall. He seems strong, but that's not even half of the strength needed to combat the kind of threat that shows up around here.

  His skull must be pretty sturdy, because he stood up with a determined look.

  "In Leona's name!" Kenji shouted, raising his sword. "I will win this championship!" He then charged forward with all his might, his sword hilt pointing at me. I'm gonna crush this brat's dreams.

  As he approached me, I ducked, dodging the pommel, and countered with an uppercut; I've been practicing this for weeks, now was the time! With a leap, I reached Kenji's level and landed a punch right in his stomach, sending him slamming against the wall. I jumped again and sent him crashing down like a meteor with a downward kick.

  "But what is that?" the announcer exclaimed. "What an incredible combo! It looks like it came straight out of a fighting game! Aubrey, what would you call this devastating move?”

  I turned my back to the audience. "Icarus." I replied. The audience then erupted in applause. I tried to act tough, but I couldn't help but smile.

  "Kenji, are you still standing?" the announcer asked.

  "Excuse me." Kenji raised his hand, with a subtle smile, as if in slight admiration. "I surrender, I'm no match for her strength, I must train more."

  The audience then split, some were saddened by Kenji's defeat, while others celebrated my victory.

  "So, the first set goes to Aubrey, winning two to one by opponent's retirement." The announcer declared. "The winner goes to her stand while she waits for her semifinal match (we didn't get many fighters), while the loser throws in the towel and waits until the next one!"

  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Kenji running towards me, who then said:

  “Wow, I've never seen anyone as fast and brutal as you, I bet Leona would love to have you on the team!”

  “Thank you.” But I stomped my foot impatiently. “But can you tell me just who this hussy is?”

  "Oh, I'm sorry!" Kenji bowed. "She's our chief. If you see a red-haired woman in a kimono shooting around, that's Leona. As a matter of fact, I believe she's next to fight. You can watch, then you'll see how amazing she is!”

  "Oh, Kenji, you're so cute!" A hand landed on Kenji's shoulder. Looking around, it appeared to be Leona, wearing triangle shades, a sarashi on her chest, and a very long ponytail. "And as for you, Aubrey, I see great potential in you. I just ask that you don't go crazy if you win. Heh, you're a beauty too” she said with a smile on her face.

  "Get lost, you bitch!" I yelled as I slapped her across the face. I ran to the bleachers, but I heard Kenji saying something about her being like that. So either she learns some manners or she can forget about me at her little party!