The Lightning hits the black mats with a muffled crunch and weak green flames flicker to life before being snuffed out by exhaustion.
The crowd screams, stacked in row upon row, seats winding up the walls of the underground fighting ring. The people that won the latest bet cheer and stomp their feet, the losers roar and throw empty beer bottles that shatter on the bars of the large iron cage holding the contestants.
Fon has defeated the last six challengers in less than fifteen minutes in total, including the time spent wasted for the host to announce each of them and hype up the crowd. At this point, anyone who bets against Fon is either too drink to function or too stupid to function.
Of course, people are also upset that Fon doesn't bother to kill his opponents. They want to see bloodshed and desperate violence. Unfortunately, Fon is not a good enough actor to pretend at being weak.
He rolls his bare shoulders and turns, pacing the edge of the cage as a warm down. Not that he needs it. Not that Fon has even exerted himself today.
Fon is bored.
He has already challenged the strongest in this place last week and they'll be recovering for some time. Perhaps Fon should move soon, find new opponents. Perhaps he should hide Reborn's coffee beans so he can get a real fight.
The cage door is unlocked and the clean-up crew is as efficient as always, dragging the unconscious Sun out and wiping off the mats. Fon is still pacing, turns a corner and moves towards the door.
It's slammed shut by security and the cleaners tense. Once you step into the cage, you don't leave until you die or everyone else is dead. Fon finds this little rule rather amusing because he could burn right through these thick bars, could burn this whole place down.
Fon stalks past the door, braid swinging behind him, and continues. He reaches the next corner and takes a few running steps instead, jumping up and clinging to the cold bars, easily climbing up higher until he's hanging from one hand on the ceiling.
The crowd is still taller, rising over him. This is not the largest arena he's been to but it is big enough that their faces blur and Fon needs to concentrate to make out individuals.
Viper is counting money.
Fon tilts his head to the side and blinks. Beside Viper is Verde, the scientist talking quickly as they both peer up at the large screens above the cage that show betting odds.
Skull is sharing popcorn with Luce. Colonnello is using the detached scope from his anti-tank rifle to get a better look at the cage. Lal is grimacing in disgust at something the person in front of her is doing but Reborn seems amused by it.
Colonnello holds up a hand and waves, noticing Fon looking at them. Fon smiles and drops seven meters to land in a low crouch on the now clean mats. He straightens up and gestures for Colonnello to come down. Fon hasn't fought the blond seriously before because Lal always gets so territorial.
Colonnello seems to laugh, shaking his head. It catches the attention of the others, who tug at Colonnello's clothes and demand to use the scope so they can see what's so funny.
The crowd suddenly surges with cheers and Fon turns to see the next contestant enter. The door is locked behind her and she clenches bandaged fists, walking to the middle of the ring and taking up a stance. A boxer.
The host speaks over the crowd, beginning with the opponent's name and her history as a fighter. Fon dismisses them all, turning back to gesture again at Colonnello, who is struggling to keep hold of the scope now that Skull is straddling the blond's lap and Reborn is reaching over Lal to try and get Colonnello into a headlock.
Reborn can just get Leon to shift, so clearly he's in this for the amusement. Viper has also created themselves binoculars. The Mist sees the gesture Fon makes and gives him a rude motion back.
Fon senses the approach of the boxer behind him and pushes out a tendril of Mist flames. The straight punch goes wide, sliding over Fon's shoulder, where she thinks his head is.
Fon grabs her arm, slams the opposite elbow back into her solar plexus and flips her over his hip to the mat before stomping on her throat.
He drops her arm and puts his hands together in a pleading motion for Viper. Fon really is quite bored in here.
Skull is thrown off Colonnello and lands on someone in the row below, so then Lal has to get involved so the stuntman doesn't get beaten up. While she's gone, Reborn climbs on top of Colonnello and they both accidentally headbutt each other and get dizzy from the impact.
Fon sighs. These people are a lost cause.
The host counts to ten and when the cleaners arrive the woman is still alive thanks to her Sun flames. Fon ushers them out impatiently and beckons in the next fighter. There is no start signal, so as soon as the door is locked again, Fon moves in.
He ducks under a kick, swipes out the other leg and straddles the fallen man's chest. Quite a big fellow, perhaps Colonnello's height, but Fon locks the other's arms under his legs and focuses his pin on the head and shoulders so the man has no leverage to flip.
Rain flames bubble under Fon's palms, seeping into the man's head. He doesn't try to be subtle, letting it flare out the dark blue of Lal's flames.
The crowd seems a bit confused at Fon using flames. Not many noticed the Mist and Fon has never used Storm before. They still roar when Fon stands and his opponent doesn't.
Lal has gotten into a brawl, Skull cheering her on from a safe distance. Colonnello has leapt down to help even though she really doesn't need it. Reborn has taken to egging on the fight and luring others into joining. Viper is counting even more money and Luce now has the rifle scope. She waves happily.
Fon smiles and gives her a little bow over a cupped fist. His next opponent is shoved up against the cage bars, body locked in place with Lighting flames, toxic green crackling over the defined muscles of Fon's back.
The crowd doesn't scream or cheer but their confused murmuring rises up to a deafening volume. A dual user? That blue before was just a shade of green?
Fon's knee cracks open a man's jaw and he rips away the metal cross hanging from the Nova Scrimia specialist's neck. Fon wraps it around his hand, forms a fist and Cloud flames flood the metal to make spiked brass knuckles that Fon punctures his opponent's lungs with.
Skull is jumping up and down, yelling something and pumping a fist in the air, Colonnello quick to follow. Lal is idly clapping along but Reborn is grimacing in deep embarrassment. The crowd's whispers are taking form, focusing.
Fon dissolves the door with a wash of red and drags his next opponent in by the hair, throwing them to the mats. Fon's hand glow with Sun. He has always wanted try this.
Rainbow? The crowd ripples with the word. Arcobaleno?
Fon grabs the man when he tries to dart around and run for the now open exit. Fon breaks the arm he holds, forces the Bartitsu specialist to his knees and floods the man's body with Sun flames, switching things on and off rapidly enough that Fon's opponent starts seizing.
Arcobaleno! The crowd cheers, Skull leading the pack. Ar-co! Ar-co!
The Bartitsu specialist throws up blood and while it does bring back upsetting memories from Fon's first time fighting Reborn, it is also soothing to have learned the technique. Fon drops the man and steps away, turning to smile at his friends.
Reborn appears to be hiding in Luce's puffy hat from the shame of it all but Fon feels rather satisfied.
