Chapter 2:

The Finals

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"So, you think you can beat him? He's no pushover..."

Ren smirked. The final match of the tournament was to begin in 15 minutes. He and some of his friends were standing out in a nearby hallway. Ren leaned against the wall, his arms folded.

"Look, he's big. That means, he's gonna be slow, right? All I need is a few good speed strikes to wear him down, then finishing up will be child's play."

Jessica smiled at him, playfully punching him in the shoulder.

"Always the confident one..."

Ren looked at her, remaining silent. He looked at the faces of all his friends. They were all smiling. Proud of him.

They'd all be rooting for him. He couldn't let them down....he wouldn't. He shook his head.

"I won't..." he whispered, under his breath. One of the boys cocked an eyebrow.

"....Something wrong?"

Ren tensed briefly, looking at the boy. His gaze turned into a reassuring one.

"Nothing. Look, it's almost time for the match to begin. I'm gonna head back in there to get ready."

With that, Ren turned, walking back into the main hall of the dojo. The time was nearly at hand. He glanced around the room, at all the people awaiting the match. He'd make sure it was interesting. Ren then scanned the floor of the arena, spotting his opponent spar with someone from his school. It looked like they were using a form of Karate. Ren sat down at the far side of the room, cross-legged. He watched them spar. Suddenly, a whistle blew. It was time.

Ren stood, walking to the center mat. He looked back briefly, and saw his friends watching from the front row of the stands. He faced forward again, locking eye contact with his opponent. The boy was big...both taller and bulkier than him. But that wouldn't be a problem. The boy had an annoying grin on his face. Ren made a mental promise to erase that grin. They bowed to the Sensei, then to each other. The fight began. The bigger boy rushed forward almost instantly, flanking Ren with a series of punches and elbow strikes. Ren was suprised, having to take a few of the attacks, though he was able to block a few. Ren hopped back, taking a defensive stance.

"Shimatta.... *Damn it... He's quick too!?"

Ren shook his head, stepping forward with 2 swift palm strikes, each aimed for the chest. The boy blocked both, ducking low to ram an elbow into Ren's stomach. Ren stumbled back, but hit the boy in the forhead with a side kick. Ren ran forward, leaping into the air with 2 kicks. The larger boy deceptively dodged around, nailing Ren in the back with a punch before he could even land. This hit easily knocked Ren off balance, to the mat. After realizing that he lost the first round, Ren angrily pushed his upper body up off the mat by his palms, punching down on the mat with fury. He rose quickly, a fire in his hazel eyes. The other boy chuckled, taking stance again. Ren's ears then picked up a familiar voice.

"C'mon Ren, you can beat him!!"

It sounded like Jessica. Ren took stance, awaiting the start of the next round. It came, Ren blazing forward with 3 quick punches, all hitting their mark, the boy's round gut. The bigger boy retaliated, grabbing Ren's arm, trying to flip him over his shoulder to quickly bring an end to the fight. Ren recovered once over his shoulder, landing effortlessly on his feet, driving an elbow into the boy's back. The boy stumbled forward, nearly dropping to his knee, but recovered just in time. The large boy spun on his heel, wildly swinging a fist. Ren ducked under, at the same time spinning into a low sweep. The bg boy landed on his back, signifying the end of the round. Ren uttered a small "hmph" as the boy rose. They both dropped into stance. The final round was set to begin.

"This is it. I HAVE to win."

 The round began. Ren lunged forward with out warning, a heated punch flashing out to cleanly connect at the chin. The boy's head snapped back, neither fighter moving for a moment or two. As Ren retracted his fist, he noticed that the boy was smiling.

"SMILING!?"

The bigger boy recentered himself, kicking at Ren's shins. Ren hopped up and backwards to avoid the kicks. Upon landing, Ren attacked with a high kick. The boy ducked under, rising with an uppercut-type punch. Ren blocked with his arms, but was suddenly kicked in the chest, knocked back. Ren never lost balance, though the boy followed after him, attacking with yet another kick to the shin. Ren hopped over the kick, spinning in air to do an aerial roundhouse. It connected, as the larger boy spun around. However, Ren didn't notice that the boy was using the momentum to his advantage, as the boy did a high speed roundhouse kick, aimed straight for Ren's jaw. Ren noticed the attack, but it was too late. The kick nailed him, lifting him off his feet to twirl a full rotation in air before crashing to the ground.

It was over.

Ren laid there for a moment. It slowly sank in that he'd lost. He couldn't BELIEVE it! He glanced up, his friends had worried looks on their faces. He was ok, just temporarily stunned. He slowly got up, wiping a bit of blood from his lip, and made his way to where his Sensei and the stupid boy were standing. He heard the high-picthed scream of microphone feedback momentarily, as the tournament organizer cleared his throat, preparing to speak.

"First place....Maximillian Smith. Second place....Ren Hokunaki. Congratulations to both fighers. Both finalists are invited to attend the International Tournament, currently scheduled for Japan in the coming weeks, all expenses paid. In the meantime, please enjoy these complimentary plane tickets and free passes to the next round of the DOA tournament, located at the X Octagon."

Despite the pain, Ren smiled. There would be another tournament to fight in... That meant he'd be able to get his revenge on that idiot. Max. He couldn't wait. Besides, they were going to the X Octagon! He'd always wanted to go. He'd be able to see some truly extraordinary fighting there. Maybe even pick up a move, a new tactic or two. He got his tickets, and invited his friends to go. Of course, they accepted. His grandfather smiled at him once they returned home.

"You did very well...."

"Yeah....but I didn't win." Ren sat down on the counch, grabbing the remote to flick on the television.

"But, you got free tickets to an event, and the invitiation to the next tournament."

"Yeah...."

Ren closed his eyes, but became alert when the newscasters mentioned the DOA tournament.

"In other news, the 3rd Dead or Alive tournament is kicking full force! Fighters from around the world gather at various locations to compete in the World Combat Championship, testing their fighting skills. On Saturday, a few of the fighters will be meeting at the X Octagon, courtesy of DOATEC. It's sure to be an exciting event."

Ren smirked, leaning back on the couch.

"Heh.....and I've got tickets."