The flashing lights, the music, David's voice didn't matter as Seth paced back and forth on his side of the ring and began focusing every negative emotion he had felt for the past few weeks at Patrick, who stood there, cracking his knuckles, arrogantly unaware of what he had stepped into the ring with.

Seth glanced around. Everyone was staring at the two of them. Compared to Patrick's easily two hundred and twenty pound build, Seth's one-seventy looked wiry, thin. Seth rolled his shoulders and came to a stop, waiting for that magic word to unleash all his fury across the arena.

"LET'S GET IT ON!"

Seth stayed rooted as Patrick charged across the ring like a raging bull, one hand forward, the other stretched back with the intent to pummel Seth with a single blow. Two more steps.

Seth pivoted and lashed out sideways with his heel, but not at stomach height like he would do in a tournament. No, he aimed exactly two feet lower. Heel impacted kneecap and Patrick flipped over the blow, sprawling into the dirt beside Seth, who immediately seized the back mount. With a knee in Patrick's spine, he looped a forearm under the football player's chin and hauled upwards.

Patrick's powerful core fought hard against the neck crank submission, and his arms flailed, seeking a hold to save himself from Seth. A hand seized Seth's wrist and pulled down. Seth could see Patrick's back muscles almost spasming to try and stop the attack from an inferior position.

Seth strained for a few seconds, then abruptly let go, ripping his arm free as Patrick smashed his own face into the dirt. Seth jumped back, lashing out with a snapping kick to the back of Patrick's head as he danced away.

Patrick forced himself to his feet, but Seth let him get no further than the kneeling. Seth grabbed him by the roots of his hair, and swung a vicious elbow straight into his temple, sending him sprawling again.

Seth took the top mount this time and began raining down vicious open-handed strikes into Patrick's face, preserving the more delicate surface of the knuckles but bloodying the football captain all the same.

Patrick covered up with both hands. Seth grabbed one elbow and used his full weight to force both arms to the side, then fired three shots into Patrick's exposed eye before standing up. Seth backed away, assuming his fighting stance.

Patrick stood up with more caution this time, his eyes on Seth all the way. He shakily held up his fists in front of his face. Blood dripped from a broken nose, and one of his eyes was already bruising up. His temple had a cut open on it from Seth's elbow. Seth cracked his neck and they closed on each other.

Patrick tagged him with a strong leg kick, then threw a left hook that Seth ate in the side. The third hook came over the top and Seth covered up, absorbing it on his arm before coming out the gate with a lead hand strike to Patrick's sternum, followed by a right cross to his stomach. Patrick threw a right haymaker in answer and Seth slipped to the left under it, ripping a right hook into Patrick's ribs, following up with a low kick from the left, and then a left hook over the top into Patrick's chin.

Patrick was dazed. Seth picked up his rear leg and lashed out with a strong push-kick, launching Patrick backwards across the arena. Patrick went down, rolled once, and came up just in time to be greeted by a left shin-kick at chin height. Seth's baseball bat of a kick smashed through with no resistance, sending Patrick sprawling.

Seth took the back mount again, placing his knee in Patrick's spine. He leaned over as he looped his forearm under Patrick's neck. "Don't fight it," he growled.

Patrick smashed his head backwards and broke Seth's nose. Seth rolled off him, blinded by blood and tears, covering his head as he came to his feet, still unable to see.

Three powerful blows racked Seth in the stomach, and then a groin kick found home and knocked him down as pain exploded in his stomach. A kick smashed across his jaw and stars burst into his vision. Seth rolled backwards twice, forcing himself up and blinking hard to clear his eyes.

A hand gripped his neck as his vision opened up and Seth saw Patrick hauling back for the finishing blow, taking his time to set it up.

"YAAAAAAAGH!"

Seth smashed his palm into the outside of Patrick's elbow, feeling the weak joint give way and snap under the pressure of the blow. Patrick fell to the ground screaming and clutching at his arm. Seth’s vision went red and he threw the most vicious possible knee he could into Patrick's chin, knocking him out cold in the dirt.

Seth wiped the blood and tears from his face and looked around. The crowd was going wild and the screams made him drunk with glory. It felt good, and he couldn't feel the void in his chest anymore. His eyes locked with Nicole, who stood watching him with her arms crossed and that now kind of endearing smirk on her face. Seth swallowed and raised his hands high.