Odd Jobs Sparring Tournament Part 2

"Diego, y'know you're still paying for the rest of our dinner right?"

"Oh shit, damn."

"You're merciless, you could've let him by happy for a little longer."

"And she says she's not cold."

Global warming my ass, this mf(Shinatsu) cold as hell.

"Whatever. I'm up next right."

"Oh, Ms. Nailah. Are you heading out?"

"I'll watch this tournament you guys are doing before I take my leave."

"Okay. There you have it folks, let's get even more fired up! The third match is Shinatsu vs Caesar."

"Go easy on me."

"Why would I do that?"

"3… 2… 1… Begin!"

***

"What the.."

"The match ended in a single frame."

"How is that possible?"

"And the winner is Shinatsu!"

Feeling as if something was off, Shinatsu helps up her opponent. The fight looked normal to everyone else, but a few people picked up on what happened.

'Did Caesar lose on purpose?' Nailah is one of the few.

"Now for the final match of the first round, Chifuyu vs Ariel!"

Chifuyu approaches this spar with a plan in mind. 'Ariel has been given 3 handicaps: 1. Naturally she must hold back and match her opponent's level. 2. She must fight with her eyes closed and not face the others so the newbies don't notice this. 3. She can land no more than 1 hit.'

"3… 2… 1… Begin!"

'Too bad we'll have thought of those handicaps for no reason.'

Chifuyu lunges in toward Ariel, seemingly going for an attack. But instead, he creepily whispers something in her ear. "If you throw this match, I'll buy you all the donuts you can eat for the rest of the year."

Her eyes instantly sparkle up.

"Wah!… Bwah!… Ah!…"

Chifuyu quickly lands 3 blows to end the match. Ariel lies beaten on the ground akin to Yamcha.

"Oh no, I'm utterly defeated."

"Uh… The winner is Chifuyu."

Walking back with a boastful face, the others look on in confusion.

"What was that about?" Shinatsu asks.

"Even with Ariel's handicaps, I'm sure she still would've beat me. This can be done any day, but I really wanted to do it right now. A spar against you that is."

"Hey, Chifuyu. Are you gonna commentate?"

"Oh yeah."

Shinatsu becomes even more confused, wondering why he wants to spar against her specifically.

"We're moving on to the second round which is basically the semi-finals. Our contestants are Kagura and Beatrice. Are you two ready?"

"Yep!"

"Yes."

"Alright. Let the sparring commence!"

"…"

A few seconds pass, and neither opponents make a move. The others watch in anticipation, not saying a word. Kagura is able to tell just by Beatrice's pose and how she carries herself that she could be just as strong as her if not stronger. The new generation of Hunters is showcasing an unexpected variety of monsters. Is it a mere coincidence that they're showing up around the same time as Ariel being unsealed? Kagura makes the first move, going in for a feint that Beatrice sees through. She hops over Kagura's attempt to sweep her legs and blocks the next attack that's quick to follow. The two then begin running across the yard while clashing swords, neither is giving an inch. Coming to a stop, they're in a deadlock with their weapon against the other. Whoever exerts greater strength will create the first opening. That's what the spectators thought at least. Beatrice lets up a bit to pull Kagura in, unfortunately this worked against her. She'd been waiting for her to try something, and snags the opening immediately. The first hit goes to Kagura, Beatrice couldn't foresee that. However, she already knows all too well how strong her opponent is. She kicks up the tempo, surprising Kagura who also goes up a notch. The two are clashing swords with so much force that wood is getting chipped off. Kagura dodges a slash from Beatrice by doing the splits, then uses the momentum to sweep her off her feet which works this time. She pokes the green-haired newbie in the stomach as she's on the ground. Kagura leads 2-0 with a minute left. She backs away, allowing her opponent to get up. The final rally of the fight is prompted by Beatrice, whose attacks start to get as fast as her opponents. Kagura struggles a bit to block them, getting pushed back with each swing. Mustering all her strength, Kagura's counter-slash staggers Beatrice, sending her sword flying. The victor has been decided, there's no need for her to land the third slash.

Putting her hands up, Beatrice concedes, "You win."

"Holy cow!"

"Woooooooooo!"

"Great match, you two!"

"What a magnificent fight, the winner is Kagura!"

The two shake hands.

"That was a great match."

"Yeah. I think this was a better-suited introduction. It's nice to finally meet you, Kagura."

Is a rivalry forming, or something else?

"I pass the torch back to you."

"Thank you. Now, Shinatsu vs Chifuyu!"