12. Byron Cartt
Byron Cartt took one step from the tunnel.
The packed stadium crowd exploded with cheers and chants at the sight of him.
Towering at 6'7, his tanned skin was adorned with intricate tattoos. Shirtless, he flaunted a luxurious Gucci mink cape draped over his shoulders. A backwards snapback sat atop his short, spikey light brown hair, while black and gold designer sunglasses perched on his forehead. His boxing shorts shimmered in a striking red, with 'Byron' embroidered proudly on the waistband. The electric atmosphere crackled with anticipation as the crowd welcomed their hero.
He took another step, and a large group of people behind him followed. One was a famous musician who was rapping into a microphone. Another was his coach.
He threw his hands in the air, and somehow the crowd got even louder, screaming and stomping their feet.
Byron grinned, flashing his gold teeth, continuing to stroll down toward the ring. Once he entered, it was Ivy's turn for her ring-walk.
Ivy and Tobi walked through the halls on the way to the tunnel. Turning a corner, each step echoing in the narrow hallway. As they passed through, she noticed a girl sitting on a bench, intently watching the live events on a small TV. The girl, a bit shorter than Ivy, had green highlights in her hair and a backstage pass that read 'Mixy.' When Mixy glanced up and saw Ivy, her eyes widened with awe. An electric jolt stirred within her, 'Holy shi- It's literally her! She's looking right at me too!' she made a vow right at that moment, 'one day, I'm going to be right where she is! Trust. I'll be just like Ivy, fighting to be one of the Three Kings!' She couldn't contain her excitement and shouted, "Good luck!" as Ivy strode past, her heart racing with determination and newfound energy.
As both Tobi and Ivy stepped through the mouth of the tunnel, Ivy mumbled, "It's kinda awkward now. He had his music playing, and it's just totally silent for me. They didn't even ask me if I wanted to play anything."
Tobi even whispered to her, "Maybe I should start rapping too". The arena was almost completely silent and stared at them as they finished their walk to the ring. The only sound was the commentators trying to fill the dead air.
"As Ivy is making her way inside, it's time to level up your gaming experience with NFC2—the next chapter in the ultimate fighting series that has everyone talking. Imagine a world where your favorite fighters, each with their own unique abilities, come to life in jaw-dropping battles! NFC2 takes everything you loved about the first game and cranks it up to eleven, with new characters, smoother combat, and graphics that will leave you in awe!" Machita said, reading the advertisement.
Ivy hoisted herself into the ring, walking to the center, standing an arm's length across from Byron. In her right hand, her fingers squeezed around the brass knuckles she got from Crater. To their side, the fight announcer and the referee stood.
"This is gonna be crazy," Ahim said.
The announcer stepped forward, yelling into the microphone, "On the left of me in the red, we have Byron Cartt! He is currently 67-0 in the NFC. To my right, wearing the white trunks is Ivy! She is a newcomer in the NFC and is also undefeated!" After the introduction, he left the ring.
The referee explained the rules again; the difference being that the rounds are extended to 2 minutes instead of 1:30, and there will be 4 rounds instead of 3.
As they were explaining the rules, Ahim commented, "Ivy looks very loose and relaxed coming into this fight. She's even smiling, clearly happy to be here."
After one of the 'ring girls' strutted around the arena, holding up her card, the referee asked, "Are both of you ready?"
They both nodded.
"Fight!" he yelled as the bell rang, jumping back, making sure to get far out of the way.
Ivy looked down, a bit shocked, as Byron extended his hand for a handshake. "Oh, okay," as Ivy reached for his hand, in a blink of an eye he grabbed her wrist and flung her into the air and threw her into the ground hard. The concrete tiles cracked as Ivy slammed into them.
The crowd roared, and the commentators started screaming.
"Damn, that's messed up," Tobi said. "That's gotta be against some kind of rule."
Still holding onto her wrist, Byron did the same thing again, this time with more force.
Yanking her arm from his grasp, Ivy sprinted forward and jumped up so she was eye level with Byron and proceeded to throw a flurry of punches and kicks which he dodged easily without his feet moving an inch—the whole time, the cocky smirk never leaving his face.
While still in the air, Ivy delivered a roundhouse kick to the backside of his head, which sent him skidding. He wasn't phased by the kick, but he could tell, 'Damn, she's fast!'
He launched himself forward and used his palm to 'uppercut' her in the stomach, then used his other elbow to slam her in the back, sending her careening down towards the ground. She landed on all fours, barely able to dodge his foot, which slammed down, shattering the concrete tile where she once was only milliseconds earlier.
Ivy got to her feet and after exchanging more punches and kicks, she was able to land a solid kick to Byron's ribs, which sent him sliding backwards; only a few feet from being sent out of the ring. He looked up just in time to see Ivy two feet above his head coming down fast. He didn't have enough time to prepare for the punch that followed, which hit him so hard in the jaw he thought some of his teeth came loose. The punch was quickly followed up by a low sweeping leg kick which connected solidly, but had no effect on Byron.
'That kick would have completely shattered and torn off any normal person's leg,' He thought as he pushed her back, zoning her away, causing her to retreat to the center of the ring.
They both stood there for a second and regarded each other.
Only fifteen seconds had passed in the round.
"T-t-that was one of the greatest exchanges I have ever seen!" Ahim yelled. The second commentator, Cheryl, piped up and said, "I think I speak for us all when I say that I don't think anyone expected Ivy to perform this well."
"What did I tell y'all?! Y'all were laughing at me when I said she would beat this dude! Now look what's happening!" Machita said. "Byron is a can-crushing hype-job!"
The crowd roared their approval.
Ivy started slowly walking to the right, the whole time her eyes locked onto Byron's.
They both charged at each other simultaneously and clashed in the middle of the ring. Their fists slamming against each other's. The impact causing a visible shock wave that ran through Ivy's whole body.
Byron felt like a force had slammed into the side of his face. "What was I just hit by? It couldn't have been her, I didn't even see her move." He thought. It happened again a few more times, each time his head was being rag dolled back and forth. "It has to be her, but there's no way she is this fast." He pondered.
Ducking under a punch, Ivy kicked out at the oblique muscle of Byron's right leg, collapsing him to one knee.
He looked up just in time to see Ivy's fist, which held her brass knuckles, firing at his head, landing several punches before the horn blared, and the referee stepped between the two, signifying the end of the round.
Ivy strolled back to her side of the ring, sitting at the edge, waiting for the next round to start.
Tobi was speechless a long time before, "I knew you were strong, but, like...damn."
Ivy looked down at her left hand, seeing the blood slowly trickle down from her knuckles.
"How was it out there?"
Ivy grinned, "Fun! But man, that guy barely budges when I hit him."
"Y'know, I did notice something: Whenever he tries to punch you with his left arm, he has some kind of tick where he leaves himself open, then takes a short step, then goes for the hit."
Ivy clicked her tongue in thought, "He does?" She tried to think about it, but shrugged, "It's a bit of a blur, but I'll look for that!"
As the next round was about to start, Ivy reached down, stretching before walking back to the center of the ring to meet Byron.