Broken

Everyone loves attention, everyone loves to be under the limelight, on center stage, the world screaming your name, your name mentioned at every nook and cranny, everyone loves that. But with attention comes responsibility, the responsibility to live up to the attention which you have been given, the responsibility to give back to those who had given you attention.

There is negative and positive attention and I've received both over the past few days. While some students keep coming to me and asking me questions like 'are you truly going to fight Rio? Some would come and threaten the hell out of me and be like, 'punk, if you're going to fight Rio, then know you're going to lose.'

It was all a roller coaster of emotions for me; I am confident in my skills but it is a fight and there'll always be that 'person' in your mind asking you that unacceptable question. 'What if you lose?'. It is one question that I can't answer.

The fight was scheduled for the end of the day after the close of every other school activity. The fight on a norm would have been during the martial arts class but Rio or Katie had organized it to be at the close of the day so everyone could witness it.

I left my last class for that day, which was the martial arts class. Rio was still his arrogant self when I saw him in class but he didn't come close or say anything to me. I decided to go straight to the arena immediately after the class to avoid as much confrontation as possible.

It wasn't going to be the case as it seems the other students have closed earlier than usual and are already heading to the arena. They were all discussing and talking about the fight, each giving his opinion about who they thought would win. Just before I got to the arena, a student approached me.

"Is it true that you haven't figured out your qi yet while Rio has figured out and knows how to use his? Don't you think he has an advantage over you? He asked

"Yes. Don't you think he does have an advantage over you? For one, you are both in the martial arts class and have received the same training, don't you think the qi he now has will put you at a disadvantage? A girl chimed in.

"We will see" I answered and joined the moving crowd.

"Mase won the previous fight between them, don't you think the odds should be on him to win again? At least it is just qi and it shouldn't make so much difference" I heard a student say as I walk amidst the crowd.

"The game master has put the odds on Rio and I put my bet on him to win the fight. Dave, I put all my credit on him to win, I'll surely be rich soon and buy as much as I want" another replied.

"I'll put my bet on Mase, he might have a trump card. Who thought he would pull that trick to win us the school competition? If he wins I take your dinner and if Rio does, you take mine. Deal?" The second student said stretching his hands forward.

"Deal," the other said and they ran into the arena.

I entered the arena. It was my first time in the arena as competitions are not held there and it is said that they only open the arena for combat competitions. The arena was enormous. A magnificent structure with seats overlooking the main arena. The seats numbered around three to five hundred, more than enough to accommodate every student in the school.

The seats in the arena were filled up to the brim and they are making it known with their deafening noise. It wasn't helping to ease the tension on me as I sat at another side of the arena meant for competitors, waiting to be called.

Soon after, Katie stepped into the four-cornered arena and called Rio first. He stepped into the arena and the crowd erupted into loud shouts, screaming his name and some others booing him. It wasn't different when I was called too, the crowd screamed, the noise not inferior to when Rio stepped in, and the boos were not different. Everyone seems to have a favorite.

The rules of the fight were announced and the fight started. I saw the boy from earlier shouting and screaming "Mase, you can do it." I guess that boy doesn't want to lose his money.

Rio rushed at me just like in our previous fight, he sent a crescent kick to my rib, it was a very fast kick, faster than the kicks he produced during our previous fight. It was a kick that an average class three martial arts student won't be to block, talk more of dodge. I blocked the kick with relative ease but Rio didn't stop there. He stayed on the offensive and delivered kicks to my abs, ribs, head, shoulder, and everywhere.

I knew that to be his tactic when fighting, rush at opponents, use his big body and mind d attack them before they could gather themselves. That tactic has only failed against Katie and me as we lasted out his ten minutes energy mark.

Rio could only keep up his attacks for a maximum of ten minutes after which he gets tired and the attacks become sluggish and ineffective but it has been over ten minutes now that I've been blocking Rio's attacks, side-stepping, dodging, blocking, and even getting hit a few times but he doesn't seem to be slowing down.

I know I can't be mistaken about the time so I knew Rio must have found a way to increase his energy so I decided to keep blocking a few more times maybe he'll tire out. After some time, the crowd started to boo me because I was only on the defensive. It was beginning to distract me and it did distract me as Rio got a very strong hit in.

I was sent flying to the other side of the room and blood dripped down my nose. He had broken my nose and for some reason, my eyes were closing.