An hour later, Rob and Hanna stand side by side at the combatants' entrance, waiting to be summoned to the ring. While Rob makes a last-minute inspection of his shinai, Hanna can't help but keep glancing at him sidelong.
"Nervous?" Rob asks suddenly.
"Me? Nervous?" Hanna snorts dismissively. "Hardly. And don't go thinking you got to me earlier." Why is he not intimidated by me?
My plan to get her to doubt herself appears to be working. "Who said I was trying to get to you?" Rob replies, deadpan.
Hanna doesn't have an answer. He's actually getting to me… Come on, shake it off. I know I'm the best, and in a couple of minutes, he'll know that too.
The referee signals to the combatants. The more confident Rob leads the unusually nervous Hanna slightly as they walk to the ring and take up their starting positions on opposite sides, twenty strides apart.
"I want to see a good clean fight," the referee reminds as the fighters stare each other down, Hanna with eyes of burning coal, Rob with eyes of calm confidence. "And remember, this is an exhibition. That means no claws, no teeth, and no blows to the face or neck." The referee looks to each fighter as they nod in agreement. "Ready… fight!"
Hanna wastes no time. She charges immediately, trailing her shinai behind her. As she approaches Rob, she swings the shinai hard and high, but Rob blocks the downward swing effortlessly, deflecting the blow to the side. Tipped off-balance, Hanna stumbles as she passes Rob, but she remains on her feet, recovering her composure just in time to block a thrust to her chest. But again, she finds herself unbalanced. Rob turns the thrust into a leg sweep. Unable to avoid the sweep, Hanna lands hard on her back, rolling out of the way just in time for Rob's pounce to miss. Hanna rolls onto her feet and pounces in return, but Rob anticipates the move, rolling onto his back. He blocks Hanna's swinging shinai and plants a boot in her stomach. Winded, Hanna lands hard and rolls a few feet, her shinai slipping from her grip. Rob uses his momentum to pounce successfully, pinning Hanna face down in a double armlock.
"You cheated!" Hanna protests, struggling frantically yet futilely to break out of the double armlock.
"Not at all," Rob replies calmly as the referee approaches and begins his count. "I just turned your arrogance against you."
As the referee's count gets closer to ten, Hanna's struggles get more frantic and desperate. Rob responds by making the armlock tighter. On the count of eight, a sickening crunch can be heard. Hanna stops struggling immediately, her face twisted in pain. Concerned, Rob loosens his hold. The referee stops his count and summons the medical team, Rob backing off as they approach. Hanna is loaded onto a stretcher and carried out of the arena.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-" Rob begins.
"Don't worry, your victory will stand," the referee assures. "After all, she did that to herself."
"I guess," Rob mumbles.
As Hanna is stretchered away, a scowling wyvern slips into the shadows and sneaks out of the arena. If anyone was listening, they might have heard him bitterly whisper "So much for my pawn!" to himself.
Half an hour later, Rob is finally permitted to see Hanna in the arena's medical centre. The vixen's right arm is in a sling, the shoulder badly swollen from its dislocation.
"Get out," Hanna spits, unwilling to look Rob in the eye.
"If you hadn't struggled so hard, you wouldn't have dislocated your shoulder," Rob replies calmly.
"You cheated!" Hanna barks, fixing Rob with a piercing stare of pure thunder.
"As I said in the ring, I didn't cheat. I just turned your arrogance against you," Rob growls back.
"I'm the best! I never lose!" Hanna shrieks.
"Except you do lose, don't you?" Rob smirks. "In this case, to 'just some guy with a stupid made-up name'," he adds mockingly.
Hanna can hold herself back no longer: she leaps off the bed, claws out. Rob steps aside calmly: Hanna overshoots and lands hard, jarring her injured shoulder badly.
Grunting with the pain, Hanna slowly pulls herself to her feet. Unsteady, she approaches Rob, who stands his ground impassively. "Just wait until I'm fit again," the vixen hisses in the hare's face. "Then we'll see who's the better fighter."
"We sure will," Rob smiles warmly, patting Hanna's injured shoulder, the vixen wincing with each pat. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a quarter final to prepare for." Rob leaves without another word.
Hanna watches him go, grimacing from the pain in her shoulder. Ancients be damned, I hate that guy. Though I have to admit, I'm impressed how well he played me, both here and in the ring… Hanna shakes her head vigorously. Get a grip! He's a chump, like all the others! Wearily, Hanna climbs back into bed. And yet I have to admit, he did beat me fair and square. Not that I'll ever admit it to him. Or anyone else, for that matter.