A man is seen crashing into a wall, bouncing off of its impenetrable steel. The color leaves his eyes as he passes out.
Cordayl raises his arm in the air, declaring himself the winner. The crowd chants his acceptance of victory but falls silent when his opponent stands back up.
Cordayl turns around to face the man. The angry look on his face calms as he bows to Cordayl, accepting his defeat. Cordayl bows in return and the two walk away.
Cordayl gets back to his seat, where Yesseia hands him a towel. As he wipes his face with one hand, Yesseia inspects the other. "Three fights now, and you've yet to bust a knuckle. I like that." She smiles.
Cordayl smiles and takes his hand back. "The fighters here are good, but this is more like a sport than actual combat. So I'm holding back as best as I can. We'll see how long that last though." Cordayl says.
"Ehh, not like your fans can tell." Yesseia points.
Cordayl looks where she is pointing and sees a small section occupied by the Troyell tribe whooping and cheering for him. Cordayl smiles and waves his thanks.
"Thanks again for the invite. This is a great stress reliever."
"I'm glad you accepted. It's not how I hoped our first date would be, but I'm glad I can help you with some physical therapy."
"Stop lying. This is exactly how you planned the first date." Cordayl plays.
Yesseia laughs. "Yeah it is." She says staring into his eyes. "How are you doing though, foreal?" She ask.
"I want to say I'm doing better, but I can't tell. I'm happy I got my memories back, but I forgot how much missing someone hurts. Now the pain has doubled." Cordayl expresses.
"I am truly sorry for your loss, Cordayl. I know he was a good friend of yours. I was shocked to find out how battle-proven he was. His eulogy told he was a hero in many historic battles with the Youtound Kingdom. Would have never guessed I got to meet such an honorable man."
"Yeah, Esquimo was full of surprises," Cordayl remembers his friend.
"So, what else have you been up to?" Yesseia asks to change the subject.
"Nothing. Lately I'm just walking city to city, looking for nothing but finding every fight imaginable. I also declared war on an organization, so there's that." Cordayl nonchalantly throws in.
"A war!" Yesseia exclaims.
"Yup. These dusty dudes with white gloves have been coming after me relentlessly. Figured I might as well get them off my back." Cordayl replies.
"The Hand?!" Yesseia gasp.
"Is that their name? Not much for creativity." Cordayl says.
"This isn't funny, Cordayl. This isn't good at all," Yesseia tells him.
"Why is it bad?" Cordayl nonchalantly ask.
"That organization is rumored to drive most economic and political matters on the continent. Their reach, power, and influence is enormous. There isn't a major company on this land that they don't partially control. And you just declared war against them?." Yesseia ask.
"Well, until that reach grabs them some real fighters, I'm not too worried about it." Cordayl casually answers, stifling a yawn.
"I don't know if it's your confidence or stupidity that lets you brush things off so easily." Yesseia chuckles.
"Probably both. Looks like you're up!" Cordayl nods his head at the announcement.
Yesseia takes a deep breath and releases with a smirk. "Wish me luck."
"Nah, I'll save it in case you have to fight me. You got this one in the bag." Cordayl tells her.
Yesseia winks at him, and then, from her seat in the stands, she does a backflip to enter the ring.
The day goes on as Cordayl and Yesseia advance through each round until the inevitable happens and the two of them are facing off in the final round.
The two stand before each other, and they are both kind of proud to see each other in the finals.
"Good luck." Cordayl teases.
"Keep it. You'll need it more than me." Yesseia responds.
The two walk up to each other and strike their stances. They are so close that their forearms touch. Then, they both close their eyes and take a deep breath.
The fight is in their minds as the two battle it out tooth and nail. The battle is intense and fierce, but in the end, Cordayl wins.
The two open their eyes and smile at each other. Both bow, and Yesseia holds Cordayl's arm up as the winner. Cordayl surprises Yesseia and puts her on his shoulder, congratulating her as the winner as well.
Some warriors in the crowd understand what just happened and nod their head in approval, but a lot more are angry they don't get to see the top fighters go at it.
The host of the event jumps down "What the hell are you guys doing? You know the history of this event right? You guys are the highlight of the night and you don't want to give the people what they have been waiting for?"
"No need," Cordayl says as he tries to walk away with Yesseia.
The host jumps back in front of him. "Look, I get it. No one wants to fight their lover. But you two are warriors, and again, you are the final fight tonight. Pull your punches, do whatever, but I'm begging you two to fight, or things might get ugly."
"Ugly for who?" Cordayl and Yesseia say in unison as they look down on the host.
The host backs off and turns his attention to the crowd. "Well, warriors in attendance, for the first time in history, there won't be a final fight, " the host says, receiving a wave of disapproval. The host shrugs, drops the mic, and starts walking away.
One of the warriors jumps down from his seat. "You two would bring dishonor to yourself and your tribes by not finishing the tournament?"
"I don't feel dishonored at all." Cordayl states. "In fact, the opposite. I guess we just made history today, so I'm proud of that."
"Bullshit. You're fighting." The man tells him.
Cordayl puts Yesseia down. "And who am I fighting? You? I already handed you an L today. How bad would two hurt your pride?" Cordayl tries him.
Annoyed he is even still there, Cordayl reminds the crowd. "I've already beaten most of you. And who I haven't, she has. So get out of your feelings and out of my way." Cordayl mugs the man in his face.
The host gets an idea and picks up his microphone. "You hear that? He's already beaten all of you, and now he shames you by throwing it in your faces! The disrespect! Well, now I give you warriors the chance to regain your pride. Who ever can beat these two disgraceful bitches will be declared as the true winner of the tournament!" The host declares.
Suddenly, the arena is full of warriors who have accepted the challenge of defeating Cordayl and Yesseia. Cordayl and Yesseia survey the field of warriors around them. One warrior jumps in, and the party gets started.
Cordayl and Yesseia are whooping these fighters' asses again, but seeing Cordayl fight and getting to fight with him, is a different experience that Yesseia wasn't expecting.
Watching Cordayl fight in an angered state like this turns her on, seeing him smash these fools' faces in.
Being so distracted is causing her to take more hits than normal, but she can't help it as she can't take her eyes off of him. His shirt gets ripped and she catches his chiseled chest shine in the arena.
Yesseia's carelessness leads her into a corner, where three warriors aggressively press her. She's fending for herself well, but then Cordayl comes, yanking two guys away from her.
Yesseia, now back with a one-on-one, beats the dog shit out of her opponent. Finishing her fight, she watches Cordayl easily beat the other two warriors and walks over to him.
She spins him around and watches the anger leave his eyes as she stares into them. Able to resist no more, she leans in and kisses him passionately in a field full of knocked-out fighters.
As they end their embrace, they stare at each other a little longer before agreeing to leave.
As they make their exit, they pass the host. "Guess we are still the winners," Yesseia tells him as they leave.