Gon took no chances and told his students to engage with them. They were fast in front of her and were ready for interception from the other school. There was some shoving amongst them but the masters called off the fight and everyone returned to their place but some harsh words were spoken. Gon stood up too and told them his daughter was young but equally deserved to be a fighter and deserved recognition. Sophia was bleeding from the nose, but she was happy that she beat her opponent. She got praise from some of the other schools but not from the one she fought. The meeting continued, but it seemed more hostility was being created then lowering it. When the meeting had ended, they left, and Gon had made some friends with some other schools. ‘We probably made some enemies with others, but it was a minor loss,’ he said. He told Sophia how proud he was of her, and she was happy to hear it.
They went with some other schools to eat and sit in the market. It turned out to be a nice time, and many of the students seem to get along with each other. Four masters then sat at the same table and were chatting about the city. Gon was the youngest and was teased for it but all in good spirit. They talked about their skills and the travels they had been in but none of them had been in a war before. They were interested in Gon’s story about revenge and the meeting with Master Tiger. One of them said Master Tiger left a long time ago in search of a temple in the highest mountain to study with the monks there.
Sophia had some fun when she had a chance to play some Moq-Kado with some of the other students of the school. They finished off early so Gon and the others that had joined could get ready for the next day. They sat in the room in the night, and Gon was getting a bath filed with herbs that would make him more relaxed so he was ready for the fight. He came out and told the girls to go to bed and he himself fell asleep right after. The morning came, and Gon ate a special breakfast that Isabel made for him with lots of eggs, and they left shortly after. When they arrived at the stadium, Gon looked at the previous champions and noticed the old man he beat the year he was there. Andrise was the name he remembered and saw that he won the following year. They were shown to the room for the fighters, and when Gon had hugged his daughters, he walked into the preparation room.
The girls and the others took place at the arena that was held in the bigger fight pit for several fighters at once. The crowd was boiling of excitement, and the tickets for the seats had been expensive, but the fighters got one free ticket. Whoever they brought after they only spent half on so they had needed to spend so much. Gon never cared too much about money anyway so he had paid for them all and Bianca as well to come. She then sat next to Sophia and spoke about the first time she met Gon. The arena was filling up quick, and Sophia could see the other schools and their followers. Some had their own box and looked over the whole arena. Sophia had a swollen nose and it hurt a little, but she had been given some treatment from Bianca so it felt better than before. She also was looking for Jay and Nami since Gon had said they would like to come but perhaps they had been forced to cancel.
The fighters that had been put in the rooms now were welcomed out to the crowd’s excitement. One hundred and twenty-eight fighters were now standing in the oval arena. The fighters got called in random order and put into the groups. They would have to win two times the first day to advance. Thirty-two groups were formed, and after the day was finished, thirty-two fighters would stand to fight the next day. Seventeen was the group called for Gon, and he had three fighters that he had never seen before. One of them was a pupil from a school in the city that was also inside the same room with all the masters. The groups got randomly selected in which fighters would fight each other first, and Gon would meet one of the men that look like he was new to the fighting scene.
Gon knew to not underestimate the opponents so he would not hold back. A couple of the fighters that had won previous had come, and they were seven in total. The last two year’s winner, Gervaso, stood and took the crowd’s cheers. With the chance of being the greatest fighter, some of the old champions came right away and had been training for the fight ever since they heard about it. The fight began and four groups fought twice until the next four groups got to fight. When it was finally Gon’s turn, he was ready. He had taken off his cloak and then showed the muscles he had acquired during the last years. People that saw him fight the first year saw a totally different man, and the people who thought he would be still a little heavy got surprised. He moved fast, and the first fight didn’t last more than twenty seconds until he knocked the man out with a punch that was partially blocked but still proved too hard.
The crowd was pleased, and every match was intense with some shorter than others. One fighter got his leg broken after only nine seconds and was carried out. From the side, Bianca noticed that there was a betting board where people were placing their bets and she left to put money on Gon for the second fight. When the second round started, it had been thirty minutes since Gon fought, and he had been warming up again. He saw his opponent knock out the other man in their group as well. All the other champions had won their first matches so far except for one that got beaten by a new fighter. He would leave the fight early but was not troubled by it since he still got to look at the fights.
The second fight started for Gon who had to take on the man he thought was new but proved to something else than new. They started to test each other and he tried to kick him in the chest but got blocked. The man was good, but within a couple of minutes, he made a mistake that Gon used to his advantage. When the man tried to place a kick on the side, Gon intercepted and kicked the leg so the man fell down. Gon was fast to jump and punched him over the nose as he tried to get up. He was able to push Gon off and got up but was spinning in his head. When he tried to punch him, the strength in his arm was significantly less than before, and Gon kicked the man on the side hard without the man having time to block. The man had to move, but the blow still proved strong, and when the next attempt from the man came, Gon moved to the side. He lunged ahead and hit him over the eye with much power. The man fell and was breathing fast as he tried to get up but after not being able to hold his balance, he himself broke the fight to fall down on the side.
He was carried out as the cheers kept coming for Gon who was declared the winner. He had won his group and waved to his daughters that cheered him on. The fights continued, and soon, the matches were all done for the first day. The winners were standing on a row and five of the seven previous winners had won their groups. The names of the fighters would be drawn the next day, so the fighters were allowed to return to the rooms. Sophia and the rest met Gon at the exit where he was congratulated for the wins. He was hungry so they left to get some food. Bianca said she would treat them because she won on the bet on Gon, so they went to a market inside the arena grounds to not be disturbed by the people that might follow them.
After they sat down, they were joined by other contestants and people of the judging panel, and Isabel told her father how proud she was of him. There were many people that came over to Gon and wished him luck, and others that looked at him as he was no one special. A couple of the losing fighters had also joined and sat down as well, but were being scorched by the others for losing. Gon had seen one of his opponents that he had fought when he won the first time, and he was now one of the judges. They greeted each other, and Gon could see the judge had put on a fair bit of weight due to stopping to train. When the judge left to get ready for the next day, some of the other fighters left as well.
Bianca and her son left because she had promised to take him to see some entertainers that had come. After ten minutes when they were about to leave, some noises came from the side of the fence that was supposed to keep people out. A bang came, and all of a sudden, fifty men with masks were standing upon them. There were about thirty people still eating and they all had their eyes on the men. Gon didn’t hesitate and told his pupils and Sophia to get ready. Within seconds, the men ran towards the fighters, and a brawl began. Gon told Sophia to keep behind him and pro
tect his back, and she did so without question. Those from his school stood around Gon and prepared to protect him from being injured before the games. The masked men most likely would want to change the odds of someone or for the betting of money.
The other fighters defended themselves well, and the losers did not get targeted at all. They were able to move away, but some decided to fight anyway since they didn’t want the fighters still in the competition to get hurt. The students from the school were clearing off whoever was getting close to Gon with Wame doing much of it and Sophia kicked a man unconscious with one hit to the head. The fight didn’t last for long, and the men ran away to escape as the arena guards came running with heavy weapons. The masked men had clubs and knives and some of the people had been hurt but luckily, not fatally. None from Gon’s school or any of the remaining fighters had sustained any major injuries.
Two of the previous winners still in the competition were there as well and brought down many. Some of the masked men got detained, and one of the guards said they were from a local gang that was betting in the poorer parts of Shetana as well as in the arena. Gon and the others were escorted home by the guards after an alert was set for the fighters. When they came home, Bianca was there with Isabel and waiting for them. After they had talked about what had happened, they had dinner then got ready for the next day and the two fights waiting for Gon. They arrived at the stadium, and this time, they were surprised by the men that escorted them to their seat. Instead of going the way they did the previous day, they took them to the private boxes. Sophia wondered if it had been a mistake or perhaps the judges wanted to move the fighter’s friends to a more secure location but neither was correct.
The girls were happy to find that Jay and Nami had hired a box for the next three days and were waiting inside with some other people from the kingdom of Domoro. The girls received hugs from the couple that had brought much food into the private box. Nami was very happy to be in the arena since she had left her bounty hunting days behind her and wanted to see some good fights. They had a box above the arena and saw very well from it. The fighters came out, and Gon was looking for his family and finally saw them with Jay waving to him. He thought about the last time he was there when Jay and Senji were cheering. He wished she could be there to see him fight again.
The judges talked about the struggle by the masked men that tried to influence the outcome and warned anyone to try it again. The names got called out, Gon found himself in the 7th group of eight and would fight one previous champion from a couple of years ago that could prove to be a good match. A pupil from the same school as the one that was making trouble and insulted Sophia was with them as well. Gon would love to fight him and hoped he got the chance. The last was a newcomer, and Gon knew he was a grappler named Harbin so he would have to change his style against him.
When the selection came to the 7th group, Gon got his wish and met the pupil right away. The fight started with the other two, and the grappler Harbin was standing as the winner. When Gon started his fight, his opponent backed off and kept his distance. Gon advanced, but the man moved away and they exchanged blows that were missed or being blocked. It took a while before the first hit came and it was from the pupil that was able to move fast. He was able to kick Gon over the knee that hurt, and he was definitely good. They danced around, and suddenly, Gon went in for a punch, but his opponent moved quickly to hit Gon on the shoulder.
Gon counted on this, and at the same time turned around as he got hit to lay a punch over the chin. The man backed away, but Gon was fast on him again and continued the attack. The match got blown off for a while as the man kicked Gon between the legs and got warned to never do that again unless he wanted to be disqualified. Gon was feeling the pain but tried to shake it off. The crowd booed and Sophia wanted to run down to fight the man as well but was calmed by the others. The fight started again and Gon had gone into defensive mode as the pupil tried to scare Gon by attacking close to the groin area but not hitting on the centre. Gon found it annoying and decided to try to finish the fight quickly. He stopped moving around and just stood still.
The man tried to hit and move back, but Gon was only standing there and blocked him. The pupil became restless and went in for a hit but Gon grabbed his arm and pulled him towards himself then kicked him in the stomach. The kick was not successful but did impart some harm as the pupil blocking it got pain in the wrist. Gon moved then slowly and lowered towards him, and when his opponent tried to punch him, Gon grabbed his arm then swiped the leg of him so he fell down. Gon punched him really hard on the inside of the knee and then stood up. The pupil was feeling the knee was damaged and had trouble standing on it. He said he would still win, and when he had beaten Gon, the rest of those from the school would see how good he was.
Gon looked at the man that got his feeling in the leg back and said the fight ended then. As he moved towards the student, he cracked his knuckles. He punched the pupil that blocked again but with the wrist hurt, it became hard. He then opened up, and Gon was able to kick him on the side of the leg. With an injury already on the leg, it took just that to hear a muscle tear, and the student screamed out in pain. The judges were about to blow the match off, but he wouldn’t let them and instead tried to attack again with his injured leg. Gon moved quickly to the side and then grabbed the back of the clothes to pull him down so hard on the ground that bone could be heard breaking.
The match was blown off, and Gon stood as winner. He would have to wait for another two hours until he got to fight again but this time, he was happy about. From the arena, the school that had the pupil was fighting in the crowd after protesting the outcome and were being kicked out by the guards. Jay told Nami that the last time Gon was at the tournament, he was in not so great shape but still won. He hoped he was able to win again because it would be such an amazing story to tell.
The second round was on, and Gon saw a couple of champions fall to the other fighters, and there were then only three previous winners left including him, and then it was his turn. He would have to meet Harbin but was ready for him. When they started, the grappler immediately tried to catch Gon in a grip to bring him down to the floor. Gon knew he would be better off on his feet than on the ground due to his training. He gave a couple of strikes out, and when Harbin was able to get a hold of him, he got out quick. Gon realised he would have to change style because Harbin was very strong and was easily defending against the heavy kicks. He decided to use his hands and the legs only when he was close enough to make an impact.
Harbin would do anything to drag him down at the floor so he had to watch out. The plan went well since the man had trouble getting a hold of him and Gon gave a couple of hard punches. Harbin seemed not taken by it as much and at one point, took a hit to get close enough to Gon, hoping to bring him down. It was successful, and well on the ground, Harbin held Gon hard with his hands, twisting his arm. Gon felt the pain and was able to get loose but the man was still holding him down. He received a knee to the side, but without feeling it too much, Gon grabbed Harbin’s arm to twist it. The grappler could easily get out of the grip and elbowed Gon in the side. Something had to be done fast as Gon was getting tired being on the floor and would possibly lose if he couldn’t get up. He did a desperate attempt to spin around and got a hold of Harbin’s knee. He grabbed behind it and pulled it to the side which caused a great enough pain for the fighter. He let go of Gon and tried to get free by hitting Gon on the head. He got free when Gon had to let go in favour to block.
Harbin was able to get one of his legs out, and with a push of the leg, got free of the grip. Harbin rolled to the side, and when he looked up as he rose, he could see the foot of Gon just before it hit. The foot landed over the ear and very hard, making the inside of the ear bleed. Gon was fast and as Harbin turned his head again, he had his back towards Gon due to the disorientation caused by the blow to the ear. He could feel the hands of Gon surround him and lift him backwards. He got slammed on the ground, and G
on was quick over and pounded away at the man’s body and face. Harbin managed to get loose, but as he was up, he was bleeding over his eye then as well.
The match ended soon after as Gon went back to his heavy kicking and got in a couple on Harbin’s body, and the man eventually had to give in to defeat since he suddenly had trouble blocking. The crowd was happy for the fight, and in the box, there was much noise from the people inside it. Gon was a little hurt and stood together with the remaining fighters. They were soon allowed to leave after the judges had spoken. When he met the others again, he shook Jay’s hand and kissed Nami. Those from the school were invited to another school and would go to be with them for the rest of the night. The old friends and family all went to a nicer restaurant that Nami could get extra good service through her contacts with the owner. They talked about the fight and how the marriage was going between them.
There was some laughter during the evening, and when the night came, the family as well as the students were back at the home. The next day would be the semi-finals, and Gon was then called first to fight one of the champions from three years ago. The match started, and they both were very good using similar styles, but the other champion was hurt in the previous match. Gon knew he would have to move to not get his injury at the side of his body open for attack. The match was, from start to finish, in control by Gon, and even if the man delivered a hit over the eyebrow of Gon, he got three times the strikes back.
When he suddenly mis-stepped, Gon took the chance and swung his whole body to make enough power to crack several ribs on the champion. Gon got ready, but the man moved away and put his hand up to say he would not continue. The match finished earlier and better than Gon could hope for so he felt lucky. The previous champion was a kind man and brought his hand up to Gon to congratulate him. The rest of the fights were longer in the end of the first round of the day. The next fight was a man named Keon from the kingdom of Ocenia and was a fighter that had been travelling around learning different styles to improve himself. Gon had spoken to Keon briefly before on the first day when he learned he had travelled a while with Catigernus who he had fought in the final the first time he fought in the arena.
World of Taroo Page 42