Chapter 152 - Grudge Match

Hamadeen woke up with a loud gasp which made everyone in the infirmary turn to face him. He looked around, seeing Moll, Midori, and Kuro all looking at him.

Kuro: Good, you better have woken up, bitch!

Hamadeen: Wha… What happened?

Moll: It's obvious, isn't it? You lost.

Hamadeen couldn't sit up, looking up at the ceiling as he heard those words from Moll's mouth. 

Midori: It's nothing to be ashamed about, young one. You fight a fellow prodigy in the ring. He just happened to be trained by me for years.

Moll: Yeah, as much as I hate to admit it, Midori's training gave Jason a leg up against you.

Kuro: That bitch is so damn lucky…

Moll: He sure is. In terms of natural skill, I'll definitely say that Hamadeen is a better fighter. But Jason had trained with Midori and then was assisted by his faction and the Azufield family. There was no way you were overcoming him.

Hamadeen let out a weak laugh, bringing one arm over his eyes. The arm was heavily bandaged up with hints of red seeping through.

Hamadeen: I was that outclassed, huh? I still have such a long way to go…

Midori: That is something I like to hear. Instead of losing motivation and giving up, you still have the strength to push forward. Maybe you should train under me.

Hamadeen: Thanks, Mr. Kageyama. But I will never turn my back on boxing. It's all I've ever known and after this tournament, I know I still have room to improve it.

Kuro: That's right! I want to fight you myself and you better use your best boxing yet!

Hamadeen and Kuro let out a joyful laugh as Midori and Moll looked at one another.

Midori: These two remind me a bit of ourselves.

Moll: They sure do. Maybe they have what it takes to really change the Eclipse as its future generation.

…

Joseph winded up his punch, focusing closely on the punching bag in front of him. His fist moved like a truck, slamming the punching bag off its chain and onto the ground. He let out a sigh as he walked over to his guitar that sat in the corner of the room. He picked it up, playing a tune. A clunking sound came from within the guitar, leaving a smile on his face.

Joseph: Hamadeen lost, huh? That's a shame, but that's not much of a concern to me now. I have to hope one bastard has found the body already. Without his body, I'll need to make sure I don't raise a single flag to anyone here.

Joseph's thoughts: Though I guess it might be a bit too late for that already. Moll has to suspect something, but he doesn't have enough grounds to really do anything about it. 

Joseph turned to the door of the training room, with the room full of broken punching bags as well as several holes in the wall. He walked out of the room with a sly look on his face. His greatest match was coming up soon.

…

Zachary: AFTER SUCH AN AMAZING MATCH, WE FINALLY COME TO THE FINAL MATCH OF THE ROUND! ANOTHER BOXER ENTERS THE RING AND FUNNILY ENOUGH, HE SHARES THE SAME FACTION AS HAMADEEN! WILL HE BRING THINGS AROUND OR WILL HE FALL TO THE MOST BELOVED MEMBER OF THE VIRTUS IMPERIUM! THE FIRST TO REACH THE RING IS THIS VERY BELOVED MEMBER! HE HAD WITHOUT A DOUBT THE MOST INTENSE MATCH OF THE FIRST ROUND AGAINST THE INFAMOUS SERIAL KILLER, GARY GOUDA! HOW WILL HIS INJURIES AFFECT HIM NOW? WELCOME "THE HYENA" GONZALEZ MUEROTJOOOOOOOSS!!!

The stands were filled with cheers as the lights in the stadium all focused on one entrance. Gonzalez walked out into the ring, his prized blindfold glistening in the light. His body was covered in bandages, but his attitude and movements made it clear that not a single injury mattered to him. He wore the same stoic expression as in the previous round. Indica held a glass in his hand as he watched Gonzalez closely.

Indica: The fact he's still moving is a miracle in and of itself. Are you sure you were trying to kill him, Gary?

Indica turned behind him where Gary sat behind an extremely thick layer of glass. His arms and legs were restricted and tied down. His expression had not changed once, watching his opponent of the previous round on the monitor.

Gary: Dear Gonzalez is a stronger man than I had given him credit for. It just makes me that much more excited to get to kill him…

Indica: I very much doubt that the Imperium or the Eclipse would give you another opportunity to do such a thing, but if another tournament is held, we can give it a chance. For now, Gonzalez better not lose. We can't have the man that beat you be a weakling.

Gonzalez stopped next to Zachary, stretching out his hand.

Gonzalez: It's a good thing I'm able to stand beside you again without me being in a coffin.

Zachary: HAHAHA! Gonzalez, I didn't know you had such a sense of humor in you.

Gonzalez: Not much of a joke, the chances of me being in a coffin were pretty high. And you having to avoid dying from Gary again would not be very flattering. Now… bring out that bastard.

Zachary could immediately tell there was a shift in Gonzalez's tone. He was facing the opposing entrance intently, his stoic expression intensifying.

Zachary's thoughts: No wonder he's so upset… His ally was put in critical condition because of Joseph…

Zachary: AND HIS OPPONENT IS THE FINAL MEMBER OF THE COLLECTIVE! HE WON HIS PREVIOUS MATCH WITH UNMATCHED BRUTALITY! HIS BOXING TRULY IS ON ANOTHER LEVEL, HAVING BEATEN HAMADEEN IN THE PUBLIC MATCHES! WILL HIS BOXING PROVE TO BE TOO MUCH FOR THE HYENA OR WILL HE PUT THIS MAD DOG DOWN?! ONLY HE CAN SHOW US! HERE COMES "THE DRAGON OF HEAVEN" JOSEPH ZYLLLUUUUUUUSSSSS!!!

The cheers for the opposing side were much quieter than for Gonzalez. A melody so faint came from the hallway, being heard by none other than Gonzalez himself. The melody became louder and louder as Joseph came into view. He wore a smile as he played his guitar. The song he played was not one anyone had heard before.

Zachary's thoughts: Did he make his own entrance music? He's quite confident in himself. I will say…

Zachary looked over at Gonzalez, acknowledging the bandages and the damage he had taken the round prior. Even if he was wearing a tough bravado, Zachary could imagine that the pain may hinder him vastly. Joseph stopped just short of Gonzalez and Zachary.

Joseph: It's an honor to be able to stand here in front of you, Gonzalez. While obviously, you fought plenty of people outside of the top ten to get to your position, you never came to challenge me.

Gonzalez: The same could be said about you. But I'm not surprised. It's only natural to be scared of those that outclass you.

Joseph's eye twitched as he attempted to keep his composure. Zachary walked away from the fighters as the referee moved in. Joseph threw the guitar to the referee, who caught it safely.

Joseph: Don't drop that. I want to make sure I can play it after I beat this guy's ass.

Gonzalez: Unconscious men aren't known for playing guitars.

Joseph: I'm going to beat you just as bad as I did Abraham. I won't let any of you Imperium scum stand in my way.

The referee put a hand between the fighters, forcing them to step away from one another.

Zachary: It appears this match seems to be personal! The fighters even needed to be broken up!

Zenzo: I wonder how this will play into the match.

Gonzalez turned his back to Joseph and took a few steps away, his ears honing themselves as he listened closer and closer. He heard the very heartbeat of Joseph, drowning out the sounds of the audience that surrounded them. Everyone in the Imperium infirmary stared at the screen.

Carrie: He sure showed him some attitude.

Mike: I'm not surprised. Gonzalez liked training with Abraham since he was the most serious. 

Angel: Yeah, the kid showed a lot of potential and Gonzalez clearly saw that…

Theodore: Right now, he's fighting for Abraham, which is why I have no doubt in my mind that Gonzalez will win.

Ziyad: After his previous match, I'd be surprised if anyone could stop him.

Ziyad placed a cigar in his mouth, pulling out a lighter. Eve stepped over and stole the lighter from his hand.

Eve: If you wish to smoke, please do it outside, Mr. Mostafa.

Ziyad: Alright alright, I'll refrain for now. Today has just been full of some close calls. I'm slightly nervous for Gonzalez right now.

Carrie: Why? You know he won't lose.

Li: I think I can understand why. He was willing to kill in the previous round, so what exactly stops him from doing so again?

Carrie: Hey! Don't speak ill of the fighter that's going to take us to the finals! 

Hugo: Do you like him or something? 

Carrie: What? No! That's weird.

Mike: Shut up, they're about to get started.

Gonzalez and Joseph faced each other down with the distance between them greater than before. Gonzalez clenched his fists, furrowing his eyebrows. Joseph smiled.

Referee: FIGHTERS! TAKE YOUR STANCES!!

Joseph started to hop from foot to foot, taking a basic guard as he stared down at his opponent. Gonzalez let his fists unclench, his body composing itself. 

Zachary: It looks like Gonzalez is getting into some sort of groove! 

Zenzo: I wonder if he's taking Joseph lightly or if this is part of some plan!

Zachary: That's a good point, Zenzo! We'll just have to wait to see what comes of this! 

The referee raised his arm slowly, clenching the guitar in his other. His face tensed up as he swung his arm down.

Referee: BEGIIIIIIIN!!!

His arm extended fully as Joseph charged past him. His fists clenched as he threw a blinding right straight. Gonzalez, however, effortlessly dodged the blow. Joseph threw several blinding strikes that Gonzalez avoided. Joseph smiled as he slammed his foot onto Gonzalez's right. He swung a powerful right hook with all his strength as Gonzalez dodged right below the attack. He looked shocked as he noticed his opponent below him. He swayed back as Gonzalez's fingers stopped just short of his neck.

Gonzalez: I won't make your loss quick. This is payback for the harm you've done to my friend. 

Joseph jumped back, a cold sweat coming down his forehead.

Zachary: Joseph leads with a strong barrage, but Gonzalez seems entirely unfazed! 

Zenzo: How will the super heavyweight champ react to this?!

Joseph's thoughts: You bastard…!