"And he's down!" Boomed the commentator.
The arena looked very much like an old coliseum with the spectators all around the fight area, and each row of seats higher than the row before. The whole area was covered by a large dome, artificially lighted and air conditioned to keep the place as cool as possible.
Joe had just defeated a foe outing him through into the finals. Jack, Joe's father, sat close in the front row. He clapped proudly and gave his son a special thumbs up when their eyes met.
The kirby was surprised at the variety of skill that was present in the Junior Tournament. Some fights were clearly one-sided while others evenly matched until one of the combatants stamina faltered.
Joe, or Knuckle Joe as he was known in the arena, had defeated his foe rather easily. He wasn't even forced to use any of his techniques. But upon seeing most of the Junior fights so far, hardly any of them were worth such a technique put upon them; it'll be an overkill.
"And that was another fantastic match for Knuckle Joe!" The commentator's voice roused an enthusiastic applause. The kirby guessed it was a famous voice that caused such a response. "And now folks, we'll be back in ten minutes for the grand junior finale. Till then!"
The kirby sighed. Joe's face suddenly popped up into view.
"Ah, hello Joe. You did pretty well out there. You're very skilled for someone your age." The kirby stood up and said patting Joe on his back.
"You think? I did do good, huh?" Joe said while he rubbed his nose.
Joe's father chuckled, "Now don't start gettin' that into your head, son. You've got to keep your head clear to do your best. "
Joe bow, "Yes, sir."
"Now we've reached the finals! Either combatant is fit for title this year! From the red side, Knuckle Joe!"
The crowd erupted into applause at the sight of Joe's entrance. His exceptional performance so far has earned him the respect of the town. He smiled and waved, quite liking the attention.
"From the blue side we have, Rotund!"
A huge figure appeared in the arena. Not only was he tall, but he was also very wide. It was evident that this waddle-dee was not just big from gluttony. His tremendous power lay in sumo wrestling, as Joe witness in the back room. His surprisingly fast for his size, which did unnerve Joe.
"Are both combatants ready?" Said the referee waddle-doo.
Joe nodded.
Rotund tightened his headband before slapping his large stomach before nodding.
"Begin!"
Before even Joe could guess what to do, Rotund was up close and ready to strike. Joe quickly moved to side and evaded. With Rotund at his side, Joe took his opportunity. However, a swift yet powerful back hand countered any action he had planned and sent Joe flying to the closest wall.
Joe quickly recovered and jumped into the air.
"Vulcan Jab!" Joe began punching the air at increasing speed. He got so fast his fists became nothing more than white blurs.
Suddenly, bullet like blasts was being fired at the large Rotund. He went to block, but underestimated the attack's strength and the blasts penetrated his defence. Rotund was sent into the nearby wall. Joe dived towards him, going all-offensive.
Again, Rotund struck before Joe could get close enough. He was kicked back into the air, spinning out of control. And another blow sent Joe into the ground. Joe was getting up, the blows were strong, but Joe was stronger. Rotund came crashing down with a buttstomp. Joe barely managed to roll out of the way. With Rotund wedged into the ground, Joe went for a strike from behind.
Yet again, Rotund was ready. With a quick arm, the large waddle-dee caught Joe and slammed him into the ground in front of him. But Joe used the speed he was thrown at to counter and throw Rotund into the wall, shaking the audiences' seats.
Joe prepared and was ready. He had a lot of fight left in him, but he was not in his best condition, so relying on counters wasn't the way to win.
The waddle-dee was coming through and charged. Once again, Rotund's looks mislead as he ran faster than Joe anticipated. The waddle-dee went for Joe's face with a running slap. With a swift duck, it missed it's mark. With a swift dash forward, Joe dug a gut punch into his foe.
"Smash Attack!"
An explosion of energy from Joe embedded fist sent Rotund rolling out of control.
Surprisingly, the waddle-dee balanced himself before stopping and slamming his hands onto the ground.
"Hands of the Under!" The waddle-dee's voice shook the ground.
Almost instantly, Joe felt something yank him into arena. His lower half was wedged into the ground and trapped. He panicked, but quickly calmed and watched his enemy. Rotund jumped into the air above Joe and spread out flat.
The crowd gasped and Joe's felt his blood drain from his face: everyone knew what was coming.
"The Weight of the Heavens!" Rotund screamed and he plummeted towards the ground, glowing with mounting energy. The scene was many times more horrific in real life to Joe.
Again panic rose in Joe, he began to kick at the ground, hoping it'll give way in time. It wouldn't.
Joe calmly closed his eyes.
The crowd gasped. But they didn't feel the earth shaking feeling of Rotund hitting the ground. The squeamish opened their eyes to see what the delay was.
Rotund suddenly looked around in panic something was wrong, he hadn't made contact with the ground. His victory wasn't sealed.
From below Rotund, a blue flame like energy spread across the entire arena. Rotund began to ascend into the air. As he did, the floor was now flooded with the blue energy, the source was a glowing body from underneath that forcing Rotund into the air.
"Rising Break!"
In a second, lighting struck down through the dome roof and into Joe, empowering him. Rotund was blasted into the air as a white flames streaked upwards. Rotund smashed into the ground unconscious. The glowing faded as Joe struggled to find his bearings.
The crowd burst into an ear scarring cheer.
"We have a winner, folks! It's none other than Knuckle Joe!"
Joe barely managed to wave. It was evident his technique had taken a tremendous toll on his body; he turned to his father with teary eyes, calling him.
Jack nodded and applauded.
To Joe, his father applause was louder than any of the crowd's cheering.
