World of Taroo

by Jimmy Eriksson

  Down in the preparation room, there was a high sense of tension in the air, and the fighters were not allowed to see each other as soon as they were inside their own rooms. Gon listened to some of the other fighters that were talking loudly to try to put some concentration of focus on the others. Others were walking very fast on the floor in their room as they became nervous. Gon sat quietly and was calmer than before. He could not see all the fighters but he knew they all were great even if some looked like they didn’t really have as hard background as some others. He heard the same fighter from before tease the female fighter and made kissing sounds. Gon wondered who the others were that he didn’t see come in and what their fighting style would be. His street fighting style might be good against some but he knew there were a lot of masters out in the world and he had not seen all styles of fighting. Some schools sent their best students so it would be interesting, he thought.

  They called the fighters all of the sudden, and Gon got up to walk to his door. He got escorted by one of the tournament’s guard to a door that he could see would lead out to the arena. Others were taken to their doors but he could only see two of them. He heard the crowd cheer as the announcement went out that the fighters were coming in. Senji and Jay heard the announcement and stood up to see what was going to happen. The noise in the open arena had reached its peak when the fighters walked in. They walked around in a ring following the guards that told them where to walk. They finally stopped against the round wall that surrounded the fighting pit. The organisers came out and with them was the box that held all the names of the fighters. Thano was standing a couple of fighters away and said he hoped he got Gon so he could show him how he really was in the ring. He said loudly that he should have stayed in the kitchen because when he was done with him, Gon would not be able to even peel a potato.

  The tension was high and not much sound was given so that everyone would be able to hear who was drawn. Those planning to bet a lot of money stood ready to be first to place money on the opening fight. The first name came up and the noise spread for everyone that was mentioned. The fighters were, indeed, from across the world and Gon was the only one from a nowhere place like Dofamu. ‘There are probably people who never even heard about the small town, but perhaps it is better to be the underdog,’ said Jay to Senji.

  The matches got picked, and as soon as they were all done, the noise from the people multiplied fast. There was a big board that showed all the names and all the steps up to the final. Gon got picked as number 17 and had to fight a man he had not seen earlier and wondered what style he had. From the private room, Senji’s heart started to beat very fast as soon as Gon’s name got picked. She saw him look up and waved to him. ‘He seems so confident,’ she said to Jay who answered with that he believed Gon would surprise everyone. Mr Pan also had one of his men in the tournament and was cheering for him and Gon. The fighters got put on the side to watch if they were not fighting as only one on one in the dedicated area was allowed. It was a round circle that had white sand as a thin layer over the flat stone below. There was a pile of sand at the side that would most likely be used to replace the sand that was either kicked out, or got blood on it.

  A horn was blown after a few words from the organisers and the crowd cheered loud now that the big tournament had finally begun. There were many that had waited for this and had wished that this day would be a great one. An impressive show of skill was displayed by many of the contenders. Some were clearly better than others and as the fighters got knocked out or decided to quit because of not being able to finish. Gon was feeling the tension in his stomach coming closer. Keniss was then fighting a man who was looking very strong. They both delivered some good fighting techniques but in the end, to some people’s surprise, Keniss got a kick in so hard in the head of the other fighter that he had to forfeit the match. Her opponent could not stand straight after the hit and was throwing up on the side after the fight was finished.

  Another couple of fights finished and the turn then came to Gon who was standing in the ring ready to fight. He looked at the man who was standing in a position that he believed preferably would be using kicks. The legs were thick and long but hands were lacking the same size. His opponent’s name was Einar, and when they started, he got his suspicion right. Einar was only using his legs but even if they were hard, Gon could block them easy. Einar threw a couple of kicks but nothing hit as Gon was moving to the side to avoid them. Gon saw an opportunity to deliver a punch but his opponent was fast, and when Gon tried to swipe the leg, he missed because Einar was swift on his feet. The kicks then became lighter but even quicker and Gon had trouble blocking them all. Einar made sure not to let Gon in too close and continued on advancing at all time.

  This man was clearly skilful and focused only on making Gon feel he was up for a true challenge. They had been at each other for a while with both managing to not get a direct hit on each other. But Gon thought he then knew how to get in a strike and jumped towards his first opponent who had to move to the side. He was then closer to the wall and Gon kept on rushing in to make his opponent move so he had to start off from the beginning with just one kick at a time.

  The frustration could be seen from the big legged man which Gon was ready to use. When Einar, in frustration, made a move to gain some space, Gon was able to grab a hold on one of the leg of his opponent. He pulled it towards him so Einar lost his balance. Gon grabbed him on the arm and pulled him close to himself while he desperately tried to get off. He struck at Gon with his weak arms but they did little impact. Gon counted on this and gave a smile to his opponent who realised he was in trouble. Gon pushed forward still holding tight and landed with the man under himself. From here, he continued to punch him from the ground. The pounding was brutal and some people who did not expect the little chubby young man to have a chance, suddenly saw their chances to win money vanish. Einar finally did get lose by kicking away from the ground which also made Gon fall to the side. The damage had, however, already been done, and Einar had sustained some heavy blows and breathed fast. Gon did not wait and got close to his opponent.

  When Einar again started to kick, it was not very controlled and Gon could easily get in and punched him in the chest. In the same move, he also elbowed him over the chin. As Einar turned over to the side, away from Gon, he felt Gon’s hands wrap around him. He could feel how he was lifted up and around to finally got slammed on the ground. He could feel the pain through his back that hurt terribly. Before Gon could finish, a kick going towards the side of him, he signalled defeat and the match was over. Gon stood victorious and looked up to his friends who were cheering him on. He walked to the side of the wall and waited for the others to finish. He was calm outwards to everyone but inside his mind, he was screaming of joy. He was so relieved that it went well and had a boost of confidence over him then. One of the other fighters congratulated him, and Gon responded with a smile. Thano had won as well and pointed to Gon to say he was next. ‘He shows no sign of worry but surely, he must be thinking a lot,’ Jay told Senji who nodded.

  Mr Pan and his guests had a great time and his fighter also advanced to the second round. After all the fights were done in the first round, there was an hour wait, and Gon got lead in to his room. He sat and wondered who he would meet next. He remembered seeing Keniss smiling when one of the fighters got knocked out almost immediately. He knew why she was relieved because the fighter who was teasing her was the one who got knocked out. It was by none other than by Mr Pan’s fighter after just a minute. She felt good not to have to listen to him again. The hour went fast, but Senji had, during the whole hour, wondered if he got any injury from the few strikes that actually hit him.

  The fighters came out again, and they were being picked again for the fights. The betting was then on for full again with some people then got their eyes on the chubby young fighter. Gon got picked early and would meet a man named Kenway that he had seen in the restaurant a couple of times. He had always been nice and looked
at Gon then greeted him with respect which Gon returned with the same. They saw the first fight go and after a minute, it was over. Gon and Kenway took the place in the arena, and the crowd was cheering them on as they advanced. Kenway was an all-rounder and had almost the same height as Gon but slightly shorter. They exchanged strikes but both blocked and moved away. Gon did study this man before and noticed he tended to turn his left side away from Gon. Most likely, the man might be injured there and probably was in pain. Gon knew he was correct as Kenway had to turn every time Gon struck at that direction.

  When he got lucky to hit him there, he showed signs of pain. Gon was so focused on the side that was hurting on Kenway that he didn’t notice they had moved closer to one of the pillars next to the fighting area. Gon had his back against one of the walls which he didn’t think about. Kenway lifted his guard against his painful side and Gon saw his chance to finish the fight. But he got a surprise, as Kenway didn’t seem to feel anything when Gon kicked him there. Kenway, instead, delivered a hard kick to one of the legs. Gon fell down and immediately, Kenway went to attack and kept Gon on the ground. Gon had gotten tricked by him and then got hit many times on his legs and had to block as Kenway kicked him in the side. From the room above, both Senji and Jay shouted loud to get away from Kenway. Gon quickly realised that he could either do something quick or risk losing as his opponent could pound away from above.

  The fight must change to his favour, and he decided to get hit more by not blocking. He would take full strength hits but he might be able to get up. He managed to shake off Kenway but received a blow to his stomach as he did so as well as another one over the eye. He backed away so he could get control again. He could hear the crowds rooting for Kenway who they then believed would win. Gon got angry that he fell for that trick and felt himself become warm from it. Kenway, who believed he just had to tire Gon out, then continued as normal. He took aim to release a hard kick, but Gon was showing it away as he was quite annoyed. Kenway was a little surprised by the move and once again did the same thing. He would punch Gon if his leg got pushed to the side again.

  Gon knew he could not expect to do the same again without consequence but was not having patience for being careful anymore. He again swept the leg to the side and moved forward. Kenway aimed his punch to the head, but Gon grabbed it and pulled him towards him. Without stopping, he lowered his head a little and then head-butted his opponent so hard that he fell down unconscious. The arena became quiet for a couple of seconds with a lot of people just standing with their mouth open. Gon might have impressed many with winning the first fight but Kenway was the one that people thought was going to win.

  Gon looked at his opponent who was then lying unconscious in front of him. The roar of the crowd became even louder with cheering as they realised what just happened. Gon was bleeding over the eye but raised his arms up in the air. From the private room, Senji and Jay were breathing fast after seeing the match finish as it did. Mr Pan and the others were talking about Gon and how he was able to get into the arena from being the chef at the restaurant.

  Senji wanted to go down and help Gon with the cut but no one was allowed to see the fighters as soon they began the tournament. She had to wait until the end of the next fight before seeing him. Gon stood next to the wall and saw Keniss take on a fighter named Catigernus who was looking very strong. He stood with his arms crossed and waited for her to advance first. She tried to do round kicks and kicked to the torso but Catigernus blocked them easily. He kicked forward, and she saw an opportunity to swipe his legs but as soon as her leg hit his he stomped on it. He was quick and she did not see it coming. She pulled her leg towards her fast and as she got up, she was clearly in pain. She tried to walk forward but it hurt too badly. He stood still with his arms crossed and was waiting. She tried to advance, and this time used her arms. He swung his arms towards her and she had to move back. She, once again, tried to hit him, but he was fast and grabbed her arm. With lightning fast speed, she jumped and managed to hit him under the chin and he lost his grip. He looked surprised and again, the crowd cheered for Keniss since she managed to get the hit in. Her leg was aching but still stood ready.

  For the first time, Catigernus then advanced and started to attack. Keniss was swift and got away from him easily. Maybe she could tire him out, she thought and could drag the fight out. The match, however, came to a halt as Catigernus grabbed her arm after a chance strike from her. She tried to do the same as before but he then blocked the kick and instead delivered a punch to her stomach so she lost her breath. He let her sit on her knees to catch her breath but did not engage in further combat. He instead moved back and waited for her to recover. A strange act from anyone wanting to win but he clearly had no interest in pounding her down when she couldn’t defend herself. She felt she would not win if she tried to fight but stood up still. She attacked again, but he avoided her punches and when she once again tried to kick high, she felt the skill of him.

  He had grabbed her and pulled her towards his knee that he launched straight on to her chest. Once she was down again on the ground, he walked back once more with crossed arms waiting for her next move. She was strong but not dumb and knew what she had to do. After getting up again, with a heavy breath, she took a couple of steps towards the fighter who was not moving. She said something to him that no one really heard but Catigernus seemed to relax. She grabbed his arm and raised it up, and the crowd never stopped cheering. When he was allowed to walk down, he nodded to her as she stood in the corner for the ones that lost and she smiled back.

  Another fight came and went with an elderly man called Andrise standing as winner and then the turn had come for Thano. He barely won the fight and got booed as he came of the arena floor. Gon let him know he had to make more effort unless he wanted to look like a fool. Thano was not amused and walked away fuming with anger. The other fights finished and only eight fighters remained. They got led into their rooms again and another hour would pass as the arena got ready for the next round. Gon sat and thought about how he could be tricked and he would never again take such a bad risk. But even if he would lose, he was still 20,000 credits richer. He got the idea of losing out of his head quickly and told himself he had a chance to go further and with the right opponent, he would advance up.

  The door all of a sudden slammed up, and Thano, who had wanted to fight Gon again so bad, was standing in the door opening. He must have gotten out of his room somehow and he had not come to talk. He held a knife and rushed in towards him. Gon blocked and avoided the knife but the noise from the struggle could be heard outside so the guards came running. They opened the door to stop the struggle by holding the attacker firmly on the floor. Thano was being held towards the wall while Gon sat silent on a chair away from him. One of the judges came in and said he would be disqualified from the tournament. The judge asked if Gon had been hurt but the knife never hit him so he was fine.

  Gon surprised the judge by asking for a favour and said he would be happy to face him in the ring if they would let him. The judge looked at Gon and then said, ‘Very well,’ and walked back out to tell the guards to bring Thano out. The crowd was very interested to see what was going on. Senji and Jay got told by one of the guests of Mr Pan what happened in the waiting room. Senji asked what would happen if they would have disqualified the man and got told that a fighter who had already lost would have taken his place. However, Gon had asked for the man to remain and it looked like they would then meet in the ring. Jay smiled and said he would look forward to this fight more than any other that had been.

  All the fighters took their place in the arena again, and the crowd booed Thano again when they heard from the announcer what he tried to do. Everyone was also informed that the first match had been decided already and Gon would take on his attacker in a fight. With those words, the crowd continued to cheer and were chanting Gon’s name. The time for the last draw of the day was coming up and the matches were then ready to commence. It was darker then, an
d the fires around the pit had been lighted. Gon would go first and he looked again up towards his friends who waved back. The two fighters were standing and looked at each other while the people above were busy betting on the men. Gon only said good luck, but Thano swore loudly at him.

  Thano started with immediately attacking and would show Gon how good he really was. Gon had an easy time defending and struck a couple of fast punches that were being blocked and then returned. It was clear Thano was very good but also used his anger towards Gon and did not control the strikes very well which Gon picked up. Gon grabbed Thano’s arm, turned and elbowed him in the side of his body. Thano kicked Gon away from him and took a deep breath then went for another attack. He tried to hit Gon but was being blocked and received more strikes than he was able to give. At this point, Gon had everything under control and was about to advance and finish with a heavy kick when he suddenly drew a knife that he managed to hide and cut Gon on the side.

  The crowd saw what happened and started to boo again. The guards were about to stop the fight but Gon told them to stay. Normally, the fight would seize but the judges were interested in what Gon could do so they told the guards to hold. Senji saw the blood coming out from Gon and felt helpless to come to aid him. She became angry at the judges who would let something like that continue. Gon said to him he had lost the minute he stepped out on the arena and knew he would be carried out in shame never to return again. Thano told Gon to come and Gon did not hesitate. This was no longer a fight with honour and was then instead a street fight. Bad luck for Thano because Gon was perfect for such a fight. Thano struck only one more time before Gon was able to get the knife away from him. He did so by breaking his arm with one hand holding him over the arm and using his knee to break it. Thano dropped the knife and screamed in pain but was silenced by two hands slamming over both his ears and totally making him unconscious.