4.17

“Well folks, that was an exciting first battle here today. That’s the kind of stuff I love to see. Hopefully every fight after that continues the trend of high-octane excitement.” The man who fought the elephant was carried off the slate on a stretcher.

Two new fighters stepped up onto the slate. This elephant looked a little younger than the previous, with much smaller tusks.

The fighter for the Iron Fangs was a ram. The ram was puffed up with so much wool that it looked almost comedic. However, the ram was easily able to walk under all the extra weight.

“I wanna watch the fight,” said Jimena.

“Yeah, I think we all should,” said Hunter.

“Do you reckon the elephants will win again?” Freja asked.

“Yep,” said Silas.

“Get ready!” screamed the announcer. Hunter wondered how he was able to yell so much. The fighters moved into their ready positions.

“To a good fight,” said the elephant.

“Yeah, let’s have some fun,” replied the ram.

“Go!” the crowd roared and the energy in the stadium was crushing.

The elephant and the ram watched each other for a moment, before kicking off simultaneously. Hunter noted the elephant kicked off barely a moment before the ram did.

The two fighters exchanged blows in a wild flurry. They fought with inhuman speed.

“So, Kyson, do you reckon this team will cause us any grief?” the voice was dredged up from somewhere far below. Hunter turned and was startled to see the monster of a man he had seen around the stadium. Closer up, he had a dominating presence and Hunter found himself weak at the knees. On his shoulders sat the young boy that looked far too young to be in such a serious place.

“Nah, they look too nervous. They’ll be easy as. Nobody can stop you Guul.” The kid’s voice reminded Hunter of scraping on a chalkboard.

“Huh, you’re right. It’s been too long since I’ve had an interesting fight.” The rest of Hunter’s team had turned to look at their company.

“We can take you on,” said Jimena. Hunter shot her a glance. The presence of this man frightened him.

“Oh-ho. You do, do you?” Guul threw his head back and heaved his whole body as he let out a deep roar of laughter.

“Why not?” Freja asked. Guul snapped his laughter off and stared at the four of them. His face twisted into a distorted grin.

“I’ll give you a little insider information. That feeling that’s overcome all of you right now. The one where you can barely stand, I see you all struggling; that’s just the surface of what my power can do. If I see any of you in the ring, I’d be genuinely surprised if you can even stand.” His deep chuckle reverberated through their bodies.

“I’ll see you in the ring, Guul,” said Jimena.

“Then you better keep winning, to make sure you do.” The giant of a man turned and walked away. Kyson turned and stuck his tongue out at the team. Jimena flicked a tiny slime ball at him. It just missed him, and he quickly turned back around.

“You missed,” said Freja.

“On purpose,” said Jimena.

“Are you crazy?” Silas asked. Hunter agreed with Silas.

“No. I refuse to be intimidated.” Jimena turned back around to watch the fight below.

Both the ram and the elephant looked as though they were starting to tire out. Their breathing had become shallow, and neither was willing to make the next move.

“Has the ram gotten smaller?” Freja asked.

“Yeah, I think so,” said Silas.

“Definitely seems to be missing some wool,” said Hunter.

“Look, the wool is stuck to the elephant,” Jimena pointed.

The elephant rushed the ram and the ram stood there; braced for impact. The elephant delivered a mighty blow, and the ram was knocked back a few inches.

“I’m surprised you’re still standing,” said the ram. “Most would’ve collapsed ages ago.”

“I do feel strange,” said the elephant. “I feel worn out. I feel, heavier.”

“Let me explain something to you then.” The ram sounded amused. “You’re covered in bits of my wool, see the balls that have attached all over your body?” the elephant dropped their arms and looked themselves over.

“I admit, I didn’t think much of them.”

“Most people don’t. But each one of those little balls of wool gains weight when they detach from my body. Not only that, but they sap energy from you. It’s a two-pronged effect. Pretty neat huh?” The ram looked proud of himself.

“You fight well too.”

“I learnt a long time ago, that relying on just my power alone wasn’t enough to keep me safe. Too many opponents were able to knock me out before my power had taken great effect.

“That’s very wise of you.” The elephant readied themselves for another attack. “I’m just going to have to see if I can do the same.”

“Let’s have some fun.” The two fighters met in the middle once again. The elephant was clearly on the offensive, and despite the wool, was coming out on top.

The ram was taking steps back under the onslaught and was now standing at the edge of the ring. The ram looked nervous for a moment and the fist of the elephant landed a final blow.

The crowd cheered because the ram was still standing. He was attached to the arm of the elephant, stuck like glue. The elephant ripped their arm away to see it was completely covered in wool. The elephant took a few steps back, each breath obviously laboured.

“I’m sorry, this has been a fun fight, but that was too close for comfort,” said the ram. The ram took a few steps in from the edge of the ring and closed his eyes.

The crowd gasped as they watched all of the wool lift up off the body of the ram and float toward the elephant. The elephant tried to swat the wool away but each of the puffs of wool found purchase on the elephant’s body.

Within moments, the elephant collapsed, and the wool detached and floated back onto the body of the ram.

“Thanks for the fight.” The crowd was silent.

“Wow, that was absolutely amazing. What a wild match. I’ve never witnessed anything like that. The victory goes to the Iron Fangs. Can the next two fighters please approach the ring. The final round is about to begin.”