~Chapter 6- Emil & Kika~

Aero did his final stretches and prepared for his match against a Phantine named Orson. The Phantine stood nearly a full meter taller than him but wasn't as large as Cmar. Aero was all grins as he walked out onto the stage.

Orson took a wide stance, keeping his arms out to his sides and his curled trunk and tusks out in front of him. He was taking full advantage of his Phantine anatomy.

Throughout the preliminaries, Aero didn't fight any Phantine warriors, mostly Ralosians like him. Fighting this opponent would be interesting.

The drum was struck and the match began. Orson swung his tusks at Aero, forcing him to jump back to evade. Orson reached out his trunk, gripped Aero's leg, and lifted him into the air before slamming him back down with a thud. The black-haired boy gritted his teeth as he struck the ground.

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

"That boy should be careful."

Aero stood and dusted himself off. If he had been quicker, he wouldn't have been caught. He stared at Orson - the front of his body had several forms of offense and defense... so he would attack from behind instead.

The drum signaled the fighters to fight again, and Aero bounded around the stage, jumping to and fro to disorient his opponent. He came forward and grabbed onto Orson's tusks, using them to propel himself over the Phantine, landing just behind him. Before Orson could turn around, Aero landed a side kick squarely on his back, forcing him to stumble.

"Point to Aero! 1-1! Return to your starting positions!"

"He's fast!"

When the two began again, Aero circled the Phantine warrior, trying to get behind him. Orson was not swift enough to chase after the boy, he could only defend. After enticing him to attack, Aero sidestepped behind Orson. The Phantine tried his best to stop him, but Aero landed another blow to his side.

"Point to Aero! 2-1! Return to your starting positions!"

"The Phantine warrior can't keep up!"

Aero was smiling through the entire fight; it was all a game to him. The drum signaled their fight to resume, and the black-haired boy bounded around the stage once more. The Phantine warrior watched closely as Aero jumped around, taking care not to allow him to get behind him.

Orson reached out his trunk and wrapped it around Aero's leg mid-jump. He immediately went to slam Aero down, but the boy decided it was time to pull out a technique he had been saving.

Aero punched the air between him and Orson, and a faint red light burst from his fist. A Focus Burst. When the light met Orson, he winced in pain as if Aero had actually punched him, and released the boy from his grip. Aero didn't hesitate; he jumped into the air and landed a kick across his opponent's face.

"Point to Aero! 3-1! Match goes to Aero!"

"What was that light?"

"Was that Focus?"

"How did someone so young learn to do that?"

Wilvur was a good sport about it, praising Aero's performance as they walked back to the finalist's lobby; he was surprised that such a young Ralosian could be that strong.

Aero took a seat beside Jirro in the finalist's lobby. In the corner of the room, Emil had stood alone until now. The young man approached the boys, and they tensed up.

"Good job," Emil said with a slight smile, "You've gotten better with Focus."

Jirro scowled at him, "Don't try to act nice now! Don't think we forgot about what you did!"

Emil raised up his hands as a sign of surrender, "Hey, I was never going to hurt you two! You know that!"

The boys stared at Emil skeptically. But Aero felt like he was being honest.

Emil sighed, "I'm just here for the prize money. If you're still mad at me, keep winning, and you might get to fight me again. I might let you get a few shots in."

Aero and Jirro had to work together when they fought him before, but they've both gotten stronger since then. "I'm looking forward to that," Aero said.

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Kika and Tyro had been passively watching the matches. They were impressed by the black-haired Aero's performance up until then. It was a bit show-offy but effective enough. But when that light came from his hand, they knew the boy had learned how to use Focus.

Kika's match was up next, against Emil. He was talking to Aero and that blonde-haired boy. She felt a terrible rage as she looked at him; she wouldn't forgive him for what he did. She used to be quite fond of Emil. Maybe even liked him. But not anymore.

Cho's voice echoed from outside the Finalist's lobby, "The final match of round one is between the Ralosians Emil and Kika!"

Emil glanced at Kika with a soft expression, and she glared at him. He looked away and headed out of the Finalist's lobby towards the stage.

Tyro placed a hand on her shoulder, "Fight smart. Don't let him get you riled up."

Kika nodded and headed out.

Kika and Emil took their places on stage. She folded her arms and readied her legs. When they used to train together, she would sometimes take that stance, intent on not using her arms at all. It was an insult to him, as if to say that she wouldn't need to use her arms to win. Emil frowned at the sight.

"Are they both Fighting Academy students?"

"No, the young man's robes seem to be a deviation from their uniform."

The drum was drummed, and Emil attacked. He charged in, but Kika skillfully kept him at bay with her legs. She punished him with a powerful round kick to his side.

"Point to Kika! 1-0! Return to your starting positions!"

"That looked like it hurt."

Emil's face twisted. When their match resumed, he punched the air between them, and a bright light burst from his hand towards her. A Focus Burst.

The Focus Burst concussed with her, and she reeled back from the force of it, losing her footing in the process. Emil used that opening to land a kick to her side, scoring him a point.

"Point to Emil! 1-1! Return to your starting positions!"

"He knows how to use Focus too."

"Maybe, he was part of the Academy?"

Kika looked furious. The drum was struck and they began again. She went on the offensive, using nothing but her legs. Emil tried to use a few more Focus Bursts but she evaded each one of them. Kika landed a hook kick to Emil's face, toppling him over.

"Point to Kika! 2-1! Return to your starting positions!"

"She's so nimble!"

Emil grabbed at his cheek. He didn't just look hurt, he looked panicked. Kika could bet that he was counting on winning prize money from this tournament.

The drum signaled for them to continue. Emil launched a flurry of Focus Bursts at a distance, desperation evident in his movements. Kika evaded as best she could, but a few made contact. But since Emil didn't physically strike her, they couldn't be scored.

Some of the Focus Bursts began flying over her head, nearly striking spectators in the bleachers.

"Finish it before he hurts someone!" Tyro shouted from the Finalist's lobby.

Kika unfolded her arms and sprinted at Emil, dodging the oncoming Focus Bursts. She kicked the air between them, and a bright burst of light emerged from her leg. It careened into Emil, knocking him out of the ring.

"Ringout! Point to Kika! 3-1! Kika takes the match!" Cho announced.

"That young man's attack almost hit me!"

"He should've been disqualified!"

"It doesn't matter now."

Emil picked himself off the ground. When Kika looked at him, he looked like his spirit was broken. She didn't want to care, but she started to feel bad for him.

Cho spoke into his amplifying horn, "After we give our finalists a short reprieve, we'll proceed to the quarterfinals!"