"Welcome to Dangerbuff Fight Night," the announcer yells through a hollow horn. Everyone in the packed fighting arena, small and large, young and old, cheered, yelling and blowing through their horns as loud as possible. Kai sighed from inside his armor room, listening to the commotion outside.
"Large turnout I guess," Kai shrugged.
"You betcha," Betsy giggled. "We Dangerbuff ain't ones to miss a fight."
"Word travels fast around here," Kai sighed. "I really wanted to fight him alone."
"No dice," James shrugged. "That spoils the fun."
"Ol' Rocky's the champ," Betsy winked. "Ain't lost a fight all year, and he reckons the larger the crowd, the better the braggin'."
"Here he comes now," James shrugged.
In the arena, Rocky Dangerbuff exercised, lifting boulders to prove his strength to the crowds. Almost everyone cheered and whistled, oohing as he lifted a boulder with his right arm and shouting as he snapped a metal pole in two. Kai watched, then gulped.
"Can I forfeit," Kai sweated.
"You willin' to 'pologize," Betsy asked, "in front of them crowds?"
"No way," Kai retorted. "I'll be embarrassed for life."
"Then finish what you started," Faith remarked. "You can win. After all, you're the fire ninja."
"That's right," Kai exclaimed, jumping to his feet. "I'm the fire ninja! What's he got against me?"
Kai strolled confidently into the arena, taking his position at the designated spot. The crowds hushed, watching as Rocky moved to his starting position. Then they turned to the announcer as he read off the combatants.
"Here be a fight for the ages," the announcer shouted. "On the left, we have returning champion Rocky Dangerbuff!"
The crowds erupted with applause and whistles, roaring until the announcer spoke again.
"Rocky Dangerbuff, here to defend his honor against Kai, friend of the Dragon Hunter tribe!"
The crowds booed and jeered, throwing various pieces of half-eaten meat at Kai. Kai dodged the projectiles, then resumed his position.
"Settle down, settle down," the announcer ordered. "Bring out the pit master!"
A short, plump, hairy Dangerbuff, armed with a small parchment of rules and a wreaking ball, waddled out into the ring, stopping short of Kai and Rocky. He cleared his throat, then sneezed, launching snot on Kai's robes.
"My a…apologizes," the pit master sniffled. "Now…lis…listen carefully. There's but…but two rules. One. This…this is a f…f…fight till yield. No…no killing. Two. No…No outside aid allowed."
"I fine," Rocky grumbled. "I pummel robed devil into ground with bare teeth."
"You have to catch me first," Kai taunted.
The pit master strolled away, leaving Kai and Rocky face-to-face. For a brief minute, silence reigned, all eyes watching as the ceremonial gong was carried to the announcer's stand.
"One, two, three, fight!"
The announcer rang the gong. A loud bang vibrated through the arena, signaling the beginning of the fight. Rocky wasted no time. He charged straight toward Kai, launching a right hook toward Kai's head. Kai ducked under the punch, then kicked Rocky's left hip. Rocky spun around, his fist landing in thin air due to the recoil. But he stopped on a dime, tripping Kai with his foot as Kai passed by him. Kai somersaulted back onto his feet, gasping for a breath of air.
"Agile as a snake, ain't ya," Rocky chuckled. "Rocky killed snakes faster than you."
Rocky launched a left hook, nearly nailing Kai's head, but Kai ducked backwards under the fist, swinging his leg into Rocky's arm at the same time. Rocky's arm wobbled, then contracted as Rocky yelped in pain.
"I'm not your usual desert snake," Kai taunted.
Rocky growled, then charged with his shoulders pointed down. He pummeled Kai in the chest, knocking him flat onto his back. Kai gasped, then watched as Rocky started to jump on top of him. Without thinking, Kai kicked both his legs, striking Rocky directly in the stomach. Rocky flew backward several yards, landing with a thud on the ground. At the same time, a large ball of spit flung out Rocky's mouth, landing right in Kai's right eye.
"Yuck," Kai grimaced, wiping the spit off his eye.
"What a disgusting counterattack folks," the announcer commented. "Ain't nothin' like spit in the eye to ruin a day."
"Don't mind them," Faith called out to Kai from the side. "Focus on him."
"On who," Kai asked.
Rocky body-slammed Kai as soon as Kai spoke, cutting short Kai's question. Kai flew several yards toward the wall, then smashed into a boulder on his back. Before he could stand up, Rocky grabbed his legs, then Rocky flung him around his head into the arena wall. Kai slumped to the ground, a cloud of stars spinning round his head.
"My, how the tide turns," the announcer remarked. "Rocky has dazed Kai with a classic wall spin!"
The crowds roared, and several shouted for Rocky to finish the job. Rocky waved at the people, then threw his head back and yelled a fierce war cry. Most of the spectators answered, sending a wave of Dangerbuff battle cries through each row of the arena.
"Come on, Kai," Kai muttered to himself. "You can do this. You're a ninja, remember?"
Kai braced himself against the wall, then slowly rose onto his feet. His left shoulder immediately screamed, causing him to wince and grasp. Sure enough, his left shoulder was turning purple, possibly indicating a shattered collarbone. But he remained standing, staring directly at a stunned Rocky.
"Not givin' up," Rocky asked as the crowd fell silent.
"Never," Kai winked.
"You a fool," Rocky jested. "You hurt worse than last three opponent, yet you fight?"
"Listen, pal, I haven't been licked for a year," Kai smiled. "And I planned to keep it that way."
"Your funeral," Rocky winked.
Rocky clenched his fists, then charged toward Kai. Kai shuffled toward the right, waiting for Rocky to close in. Right as Rocky's fist neared his nose, Kai fired a salvo of fire. Rocky's eyes widened as the flames struck him, then Rocky jumped back and yelped in pain. The fire briefly licked his stomach, then dissolved into thin air. Two burn marks appeared on Rocky's stomach, forming the symbol of the element of fire.
"You…you used fire," Rocky stammered in awe.
"If you can't take the heat, then get out of the oven," Kai laughed. "I'm the Master of Fire. Fire dwells in my veins."
"You. You sorcerer," Rocky suddenly yelled.
The crowds hushed, and the announcer suddenly stopped talking. Deathly silence swept through the arena, and a thousand widened eyes stared at Kai. Kai cringed. Their faces were pale, paler than the grave, and he felt strangely uncomfortable inside that arena. Nearby, he could hear James panting for air, while Betsy and Faith tried to soothe his anxiety.
"What's going on," Kai asked.
"They ain't likin' your fire," Rocky chuckled. "You 'mind them of Oni, of sorcerer."
"But I'm not a sorcerer," Kai laughed. "I'm a ninja."
"Fight off," Rocky nodded. "You be goin' to chief."
"No, I won't," Kai grumbled.
"Kai, calm down," Faith rebuked. "Your hands are catching on fire."
Kai glanced down at his hands, then looked back at Faith. A devious smile crossed his face, one which made Faith sigh and turn away. Then Kai stared at Rocky again, his eyes beginning to glow bright red.
"Fight not done," Kai boomed. "You deserve to die!"
Without thinking, Kai rose into the air, then launched an inferno of fire in all directions. Huge flames roared around the arena, whipping toward the audience at lightning speed. Dangerbuffs left and right panicked, then scattered for the exist as the flames pursued. Rocky bolted for the other side of the arena, then hid between a boulder and crouched into a ball. Faith tried to stop Kai, but walls of flames blocked her path.
Kai descended, his entire body consumed by flames. He strolled carefully over to Rocky, striking boulders left and right with his flames. Each boulder he struck burst into pieces, smoldering to ashes in the blink of an eye. Rocky shivered, knowing fully well what would become of him.
"Mercy, mercy," Rocky cried out.
"No mercy for the devil," Kai's voice boomed.
Kai lifted his whip of flames, then launched it toward Rocky. Suddenly, a silver object flew through the whip, dissolving it into thin air. Kai glanced around, then turned toward his friends. Betsy marched into the arena, carrying two metal shurikens and wearing a strange suit of blue chainmail.
"How dare you assault me," Kai's voice boomed.
"Cool your britches," Betsy ordered.
"Never," Kai boomed.
"You asked for it," Betsy shrugged.
Kai launched a bolt of flames at Betsy, but as soon as they hit her armor, they dissolved into thin air. Then Betsy boomeranged the shurikens around Kai several times, each time flinging the shurikens closer and closer to him. Soon, all the inferno had been dissolved, save for the fire around Kai.
At that moment, Kai regained his consciousness, his eyes returning to normal and his body no longer aflame. He glanced around him, then suddenly fainted and collapsed to the ground, unaware of what he had just unleashed.