Standing Tall

Kushibo looked at the demon he was about to fight. The demon was curled into a ball, sobbing violently. His skin was red and peeling. "They call him Sonai," Said the demon walking off the stage. "He's worthless, but his power is a force to be reckoned with." Kushibo looked at him and couldn't hold back his laugh. He crouched down to the demon. "For a demon that's so popular, you sure are pathetic, aren't you?" Kushibo laughed at the demon. Suddenly, his arm had been sliced by something. He healed himself and the cut went away. He stood up quickly. "Huh. Your mindset may be weak, but you're not someone to be underestimated, right? I like that." Sonai quickly lifted his head up. He started talking. "I'll be fighting from down here," Sonai said. He quickly started to crawl across the ground. Akuma was talking with Kenji. "He's the one we don't talk about. Only I know his backstory, but everyone considers him useless and usually doesn't care. Ever since what happened that day, he has never stood up." Kushibo cut off Sonai's hand, but he instant regrew it. "His reaction speed and regeneration are much better than the other 2 I fought," Kushibo muttered. Suddenly, three violet spikes ran across the entire arena floor. They rippled until the entire arena was decimated. Kushibo felt his body being ripped apart. He rolled across the empty arena. He was struggling to get up. Sonai was sobbing even harder now. "I hurt someone again," Sonai whispered. "I hurt someone with my powers!" He violently shouted at the top of his lungs. Sonai let out another violent energy ripple that shook the entire stadium and surprised Kenji and the others watching the battle. Akuma smiled under his hat. "This is the power of Sonai Tamashi." Kushibo jumped back. "I made him a demon because I saw potential in his abilities," Akuma said. Sonai remembered exactly what happened that day. His family's screaming. How he couldn't protect his siblings. How his father sacrificed himself. How his mother was slaughtered in front of him. Akuma caused all of it. He was the one who destroyed his village. He was the one who ended the lives of the people he loved. He remembered exactly what Akuma said that day. Akuma had crouched down to the young boy so that he could speak. "I understand how you feel, kid. The pain. The overwhelming shame." He took his hat off and continued. "I know how to make your pathetic life better, Sonai. Your family may never come back, but your power will lead you through when you are a demon." Akuma dug his finger into Sonai's forehead and began to force his blood into his veins. Sonai remembered the compliment that Kushibo gave him. "This is actually a challenge, huh? You can really fight!" Sonai tried to smile through the tears. His arms were numb from all the crawling he did. Kushibo jumped back and laughed, sweating. "That power of yours really shows potential!" Sonai forced a smile. He pushed himself up slowly. "Your power really shows potential, Sonai." Those were Akuma's words to him. Sonai felt the power flowing through him. Akuma looked at Sonai with great surprise. He was forcing himself to get up. Slowly but surely, he pushed himself up off the ground. "Kushibo....." He started. "You make me want to stand tall..."