At that moment, Jhony simply shook his head and decided he would think about it later; then, he held his head high and climbed the stairs to the arena. In the television inside his waiting cabin, Yasoke watched his friend's normal entrance. Jhony walked to the center of the arena with a serious expression, repeating thoughts like: "I will win, I will overcome, I want to, I can," while his opponent, Ronald Briar, entered the grounds.
Something, however, startled him: his opponent was 2.20 meters tall, extremely muscular, and wore clothes so tight they detailed every muscle. Instantly, Jhony panicked; he also identified many scars on Ronald Briar's face, showing an apparent wealth of combat experience. A murderous aura took over the arena. Yasoke, watching on TV, could only think of laughing and made a "you're screwed" sign with his hand. Meanwhile, in the stands, Yuji watched the scene with a smile: — Apparently, my pupil isn't the only one who's...
Yuji was interrupted by a very beautiful woman, screaming and cheering for Ronald Briar; in fact, it wasn't just her, but thousands of women. Yuji was left wondering what was happening, and Rokko, beside him with a serious expression, remarked: — From what I can see, you don't know who Ronald Briar is. Yuji nodded with a confused look. — Ronald Briar is a romance actor. Generally, he plays roles involving mafia bosses, protective husbands, sensual gardeners, doctors, and other "steamy" roles.
Yuji stared at Rokko with a "how do you know that?" expression and smiled, narrowing his eyes as he asked for an explanation. Rokko placed his hand over his face: — Look, I've been through some tough times in my life; sometimes, you just look for things to warm the heart. Yuji flashed a mocking smile and agreed with Rokko, concluding: — So he's not a fighter, he's just an actor? How sad it will be to see these ladies crying after the beating Jhony gives this guy!
He began to laugh, and one of the women—quite beautiful, by the way—told him to shut his mouth. Yuji felt angry but didn't snap back: — My apologies, milady. When the woman turned away, Yuji scowled and rooted for Jhony to wreck that actor's face.
The announcer arrived at the center of the arena and explained the rules; both agreed. He left the arena, ready to fire. Jhony assumed a slugger's stance, while Ronald Briar took a simple orthodox pose. The announcer pulled the trigger, and the fight began. Ronald surged forward, striking rapidly at the red-haired youth, who dodged everything with ease. Since it wasn't in his nature to retreat, Jhony pushed forward for an exchange of blows. Ronald Briar executed a left leg sweep that caught Jhony by surprise, sending him down. The actor prepared a right punch, but Jhony rolled to the side, escaping the strike and standing back up.
— LOOK AT THAT! AN EXCHANGE WHERE JHONY GETS THE WORST OF IT!!! — the announcer shouted. The female crowd began to scream and cheer for the actor. Yuji grew increasingly irritated and shouted at the top of his lungs from the stands: — YOU PIECE OF TRASH REDHEAD, FIGHT PROPERLY, DAMN IT! SMASH THAT CHEAP ACTOR'S FACE!!!!!
He stood up shouting, showing great anger. Rokko looked at him with a "why did you do that?" expression, and the women were furious at Yuji's attitude, starting to berate him and argue with him.
Jhony heard the uproar in the crowd involving Yuji and caught the fact that his opponent was just an actor—meaning the guy wasn't even a real fighter. With this information, Jhony puffed out his chest and charged. The actor took his stance and met the youth head-on. Jhony executed a right straight that was parried, but the blow was followed by a left hook that caught his chin; it wasn't enough to bring him down. Ronald countered with a left uppercut that hit Jhony directly, but the red-haired youth stayed on his feet and smiled: — Now we're talking!
He channeled pure macogo into his right fist and executed an overhand punch that landed perfectly on Ronald Briar's face, draining his strength and nearly making him collapse. Jhony didn't stop, unleashing an endless sequence of punches to his opponent's head; they weren't necessarily charged with macogo, as there was no need. Ronald Briar couldn't stay upright and collapsed with his face swollen and bleeding. The judge checked his pulse and declared: — THE WINNER OF THE SECOND FIGHT OF BLOCK 1 IS JHONY!!
Jhony celebrated, as did Yasoke: "Good job, man! Now it's my turn to get screwed." Before the fight even ended, Ronald's fans were fighting and pulling Yuji's hair, while Yuji was visibly angry and trying to protect himself. When the redhead's victory was announced, they stopped their assault. At that moment, Yuji smirked: — Look how nice: your favorite actor's face is completely disfigured and, on top of that, he was defeated! Hahahaha!
Yuji laughed sadistically at the fans' sadness, but one of the girls commented: — Actually, that red-haired boy is kind of cute... The others began to agree. Yuji was completely bewildered. — Now I'm only watching this tournament to see him again — one of them said, and the others agreed, starting to cheer for Jhony. The redhead, not understanding a thing, waved to the stands. — He waved at us, guys! — they screamed. Yuji only thought that Yasoke needed to win this tournament just to "smash" their faces in.
As Jhony descended the stairs, he spotted Zulmy stretching. On the way to his cabin, he met Yasoke, who greeted him: — Hey, man, you were incredible! That was exactly what I expected! Jhony thanked him and wished Yasoke luck for his fight; Yasoke reacted with a smile and waited for the first fight of Block 2 to begin. The announcer entered and called the fighters: — FOR THE FIRST FIGHT OF BLOCK 2, PLEASE WELCOME ZULMY ZEGRI AND ALONSO DIAS!
The two entered the arena; the announcer explained the rules and left, preparing to fire. Yasoke and Yuji watched coldly. The shot rang out. Alonso moved forward, "telegraphing" a punch, until chains suddenly pinned his arms to the ground. Everyone was shocked. — Hey, what the hell is this? Announcer, that's a weapon! — Alonso shouted. Zulmy replied coldly: — It's not a weapon, idiot. It's magic.
The announcer confirmed it was allowed. Zulmy prepared a punch, wrapping her right hand in chains and pure macogo. With Alonso's hands pinned, she used her left hand to pull the chains, creating a traction force that pulled Alonso rapidly toward her. Zulmy delivered a full-force right punch to the middle of Alonso's face, sending him flying out of the arena with monstrous strength. She wiped her white gloves and shouted at the announcer: — Hey, aren't you going to give me the win yet? The guy was literally thrown out of the arena!
Under pressure, the announcer declared Zulmy the winner, and she simply turned her back and left. Yuji stared at the scene and said to Rokko: — If Yasoke gets past this guy—which is unlikely—he'll have to face that monster in the body of a cute, delicate girl. Rokko simply agreed. Yasoke had the same reaction, but he knew thinking about the future wasn't an option; he had to face Henrique Loss now. He shook his head and walked toward the arena.