~Chapter 16- The Masked One's Gambit~

"The match to cap off the semi-finals will be Jirro Vs. Efilon!"

The Masked One glided out of the finalist's lobby to the stage, with Jirro close behind. He looked upon the crowd of people and found Razan and Lucar among them. The masked boy smiled; he would enjoy defeating Jirro in front of them.

The sun was falling, and it was nearing dusk. The sky was beginning to turn an orange tint, punctuated by the bright blue Ralosia's Comet overhead. Over the course of the thirteen bouts on this stage, the tournament ring had been dotted with craters, holes, cracked apart, and was losing its integrity. The masked boy could feel the ground beneath him shift as he stood on it.

Jirro took a solid and defensive stance, while the masked boy took a relaxed one. When the drum was beat, he expected Jirro to charge him after him like all the others, but instead he stayed put. The two simply waited for the other to attack.

The Masked One pointed his finger and fired off several purple Focus beams, but Jirro skillfully dodged them while using minimal movements. His eyes were cold and calm. The blonde-haired boy threw a swift punch through the air, and a blue Focus burst nearly struck the Masked One.

He was impressed, Jirro wasn't as dumb as the rest of those he fought. But there's no way one of the Lands of Ralosia would beat him. None of them knew any true suffering and couldn't access the strength that came with it.

Efilon sprinted across the stage, but the stone faced Jirro maintained his defense. The Masked One threw a barrage of strikes, all of which Jirro evaded and blocked, but that seemed to be all he was capable of. He must fear him, unable to fight back. He attacked more aggressively, but Jirro held his ground.

Suddenly the masked one felt a pain in his ribs. He glanced down and saw Jirro's fist struck it. The masked boy flew back in response.

"Point to Jirro! 1-0! Return to your starting positions."

"He hit him so easily..."

Jirro stared coldly, he barely moved from his starting position. The masked boy didn't even see Jirro's attack. Perhaps he was underestimating him. Slightly.

As good as Jirro might be, he's never fought a flying opponent before. He won't know how to react. When the drum was beat, the masked boy floated into the air and began to circle the ring from above. Jirro didn't move.

He arced through the air before flying directly at Jirro with the intent of dive bombing him, just as he did with that girl Hita before. But before he could reach him, Jirro jumped into the air to meet at him at unprecedented speeds. The masked boy could hardly react before Jirro landed a hard punch on his mask, knocking him back to the ground.

"Point to Jirro! 2-0! Return to your starting positions."

This can't be happening, the masked boy thought. He's better than this kid, or anyone else here. Jirro walked calmly back to his starting position and turned back to him.

"Are those all the tricks you have?" Jirro asked, staring at him coldly.

The Masked One felt incredible rage build inside of him. Wisps of purple light began to secrete from his body involuntarily, "You haven't seen anything yet!"

"He's furious..."

Before Cho could strike the drum to resume the match, the masked boy floated into the air above Jirro, and raised his hands into the air. A purple Focus orb formed above him, one that continued to grow and grow, casting a purple light on Jirro and the entire audience.

"Contestant Efilon, you need to return to your starting position before we resume!" Cho said, but the Masked One did not listen.

The Focus Orb continued to grow until it was several times larger than himself. Turbulent winds were produced around the orb, and the stage began to tremor and crack. The crowd gasped at the destructive force he was was displaying. All the while Jirro didn't move from his spot.

With a yell the masked boy lobbed the orb at Jirro. With wind blowing his hair back, Jirro procured a barrier around him, extended his hands, and caught the orb. But Jirro struggled to hold the orb back. His arms began to buckle, and his legs started to waiver.

The masked boy laughed as Jirro futilely tried to hold his attack off. But something happened that he never saw before. The purple orb began to warp and change, a tint of blue ran through it. It more violently shifted and changed, suddenly becoming a bright blue light.

With a roar Jirro pushed back the orb and it rocketed through the air back at the Masked One. A great explosion of blue light was formed in the air above the tournament stage, one so bright that all on Challenger's Isle could see it. When the light faded away, the masked boy was lying on the ground near an exhausted Jirro.

Cho hurried on stage towards the masked boy, "Competitor Efilon, are you alright?"

The masked boy didn't utter a word, and it wasn't clear if he was even breathing after that impact. But eventually his green eyes opened. He pushed himself off the ground, in pain, but alive.

Cho breathed a sigh of relief, "Point to Jirro! 3-0! Jirro takes the match and moves onto the final bout!"