Struggle's season had begun. Several birds across Rio were training in hopes of winning the city's annual tournament, which would take place in a few days time. No one had seen Blu practicing. It was the very first time he was going to participate in the tournament, and he didn't want his future opponents to know what he was capable of. Especially Nigel. Many of his friends either wished him good luck or promised to visit him at the hospital.

One thing was certain, however. Blu did not neglect any effort for the competition. All the time he did not spend sleeping, eating or playing with his friends, he would get to his secret training spot and swing his Struggle bat around for hours. He learned the right stances to take, the different combos, how to effectively parry and dodge, and many tips and advice for the competition. Good thing for him that the local library had plenty of books on the subject. He followed this stressful program since the start of summer. Good thing Rafael, Nico and Pedro were there to help him blow some steam off from time to time.

Then, the big day finally arrived. This morning, the sky was clear, the air warm, and the atmosphere lively. One would have believed that the Carnival was scheduled to take place earlier than usual. Practically all the conversations in the streets were turned toward the Struggle tournament.

"Come on, Blu, take one bite."

"I don't want to."

"Come on, you're not gonna participate in the tournament with an empty stomach," Rafael insisted, his long beak hovering over his cup of mango juice.

"I'm not hungry, stop trying to force me!" Blu stubbornly refused.

Blu's stomach was too tied up to swallow anything. In merely four hours, he would be standing in the middle of an arena with tens of eyes watching him fighting against birds who would possibly be tougher than he. His mind refused to calm down, no matter how many times he practiced his fighting style, revisited his strategies or checked the tournament's rules to make sure he understood everything. Not even getting invited by Rafael to have breakfast at the El Pirata Porch could get his mind away from the tournament...

"Ola, party lovers!" Blu rose his head from his wing to see Nico and Pedro walking between the tables on the terrace and towards him.

"What's goin' on here?" Nico asked once the two of them reached their friends' table.

"I'm trying to get our bluey boy to eat something so that he won't starve to death before the tournament, but Mister refuses to listen," Rafael responded, giving a pointing look in his friend's direction.

"I said I'm not hungry, okay?! Just leave me alone!" Blu exploded. Seeing the looks of shock on his friends' faces, he sighed and looked down. "Sorry, guys. It's just... I'm feeling nervous..."

"I know, amigo." Rafael reached his wing over the table to touch Blu's shoulder. "But you shouldn't flip your feathers over your head for it. Just give the best of yourself and try to enjoy the sport, alright?"

Blu smiled. He was about to finally take a bite out of his breakfast, when a voice piercing the air interrupted him. "Guys! Guys!" Tiny rushed towards the group, her green head carrying her usual panicked expression. "It's a catastrophe! I need help!" the finch exclaimed, jumping up and down.

"Whoa, whoa, what's the emergency, Tiny?" Nico asked with his wings raised in an attempt to calm his friend.

"My seashells! My precious seashells! They're gone!" she exclaimed.

"You lost them?" Rafael rose an eyebrow. "Are you sure you didn't just leave them under your bed again?"

"No, no, no, Ralfi! I'm sure they're not at my house! I've checked absolutely everywhere - nothing!" Tiny explained, still hopping where she was standing. "Somebody stole them! I'm sure of it! You gotta help me!"

Blu had known Tiny for a very long time, and he knew that if there was one thing she loved, it was her seashell collection. She once invited him to her home to show all of it to him. The seashells were pretty, and Tiny explained him she had to go to the beach many times a day for years to build such a collection.

"Alright, we're gonna help you," Blu announced, standing up from his chair. "Ma'am, can you prepare this to take home, please?"

"You leave this to us, Tiny; we gonna catch that thief in no time!" Pedro assured with wrapping a wing around his little green friend.

"How? Maybe you forgot, but Rio's a huge city, dude!" Nico pointed out.

"And maybe you forgot, but I'm a smart cardinal," Pedro replied. "Blu, Ralfi, you guys go ahead scouting the city; Nico and I are gonna make a quick run at the club and recruit as many helpers as we can. That way, we'll find that seashell thief faster. Hopefully Kipo'll join us; his tall head would make things easier."

"Alright, we got a plan." Rafael turned toward Blu. "You go see in the north section of the city, Blu. I'll go around the east section and see if any of my friends can give me a clue."

Blu followed Rafael's advice and waited for the servant to return with his meal ready to go before paying her and walking away, wondering where he could find the thief.

In spite of the beautiful day, the northern section of the city was less active than usual. Probably because everyone had left to claim their place at the Struggle Tournament in advance. Calmly walking through the street, Blu passed before a church where a large group of birds was gathered for a funeral or something. From the few conversations he heard as he passed by, they had lost someone who lived in São Sebastião. The circumstances of his death escaped their comprehension.

Deciding to take advantage of his passage, Blu took a detour before the National Library of Brazil, not only one of the largest libraries in the world and biggest source of knowledge in the city, but also one of Blu's favorite locations. He could still remember the day of his first visit; that day, all of his friends had left the city to go visit relatives, leaving him alone. He decided to go visit the parts of Rio he had never seen and, thanks to his flawless survival instincts, ended up getting lost. He wandered around for hours before finding himself in front of the giant building he never would've guessed to be a library. Upon entering, he had thought he returned in time when he saw the glorious entrance hall with a staircase that existed only in ancient castles. But even this staircase paled in comparison to the numerous floors hosting thousands of hundreds of books aligned and categorized to perfection. An elegant chandelier that had not been seen since the times Rio had monarchs was hanging from the ceiling, bringing a weak, appeasing light for all the lucky readers.

Blu asked questions to the librarian and, before he knew it, he found himself sitting at a table, running through tens of books talking about science, space, the entire planet, history - the list goes on. He even got to read some books written by the monarchs of Rio, centuries ago! Before he could do so, however, a guard forced him to sign a waiver claiming he accepted to be sent to prison, should any of the books he read be damaged. They belonged to a sacred collection that could not be found anywhere else. Blu carried the books like sacred relics... because they were. With all the reading he did that day, he failed to see time passing and nighttime rolled around before he knew it. Thankfully, he met a kind amazon kingfisher who knew how to get back to the part of the city where he lived. After getting back home, Blu offered him a little snack as a thanking gift.

Too bad this library was located so far from his residence. Otherwise, Blu would go there a lot more often. But now was not the time to think about fancy lecture; he had more important things on his wings at the moment, like finding Tiny's thief and winning the Struggle tournament after.

Two hours passed, Blu arrived at the outskirts of Rio without seeing anybody carrying seashells. He decided to stop before the gates of an old mansion known throughout the city as 'Casa dos Anciões'. It proudly stood near a forest, the windows covered by curtains that danced inside, the roof made of planks that must be at least fifty years old, and vegetation growing on the brick walls. What had once been called one of the most beautiful residences in all of Brazil was now but an abandoned box of wet wood.

This peculiar residence always sent a shiver down Blu's spine whenever he would get close. He never went past the entrance gate, yet a weird sense of familiarity overcame him every time, like that of an unpleasant memory. Unlike Blu, the animals of Rio's north section were more than familiar with this mansion's story - even grandfathers and grandmothers would sometimes tell it to the young generation. He didn't know all of it, but apparently, it was the residence of Brazil's last royal family before their mysterious passing. Nobody dared touching it out of respect for their now gone monarchs. That explained the mansion's current state.

Stopping before the front gates that were almost impossible to identify underneath all this vegetation, Blu sighed and shook his head with his wings on his hips. He traveled so far for nothing. Now, there was nothing left for him to do except doing the entire journey backward and inform Tiny that he failed to recover her precious seashells. With a sigh of disappointment, Blu turned on his talons and started walking away. However, when he turned his head to give one last look at the mansion, something caught his attention.

Somebody was standing behind a window.

A white bird whose pure, white feathers looked like those of a dove... Yet, Blu could affirm with certainty that this creature was no dove. Its tail feathers were way too big and its neck way too long. Plus, doves were not so tall. Nor could they stand with such dignity. This bird's eyes, blue and clear like the ocean, fixed the young macaw with a mix of interest and warmth. Like an uncle seeing his nephew for the first time.

Before Blu could do anything, a curtain flew before the window, covering the mysterious bird in the process. When it moved back, he was no longer there - he vanished like dust! For a moment, Blu just stood there, his gaze fixed on the window. Who was that? Did he hallucinate? Yes, that was the logical answer: he had not eaten anything that morning, and his hunger was making him see things! Maybe he should have listened to Rafael's advice after all.

Blu found a spot to eat his breakfast before leaving the north section of Rio. Tiny waited for him at the El Pirata Porch. Naturally, she gave him a sad frown when he announced he failed to find her seashells. He promised Tiny he would help her with the searches after the tournament, and that until they finally found the thief. It didn't completely comfort her, but she thanked him anyway.

Now was the time for the tournament!

A few moments later, after reuniting with his friends, Blu rushed to Rio's town square. All the tables and usual decorations had disappeared, replaced by square-shaped stages that were gonna be used as areas for the Struggle matches. Tens of birds were gathered, looking more excited than ever.

"Who do you think's gonna win this year?"

"I heard there's even more participants than in the previous edition!"

"I can't wait to see what the first matches will be!"

Blu could hear all the conversations from the backstage reserved to the participants. He swallowed a lump in his throat and tried to stay focused on adjusting his elbow and knee pads. The backstage was filled with tall, tough-looking birds exchanging provocations with one another, trying to intimidate the competition before the tournament could start. Good thing Blu was smaller than most of them; they failed to see him. Rafael, Nico, Pedro, Tiny and Kipo were already seated together in the audience with Pedro having brought a blue flag just for his friend.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" called the announcer through a microphone. Blu could not see him, but his voice was easy to distinguish, even from the backstage. All the birds present at the town square stopped talking and listened to him. "Welcome to our annual tournament of Struggle! Before the event begins, I'd like to remind the rules for every newcomer and those who have forgotten them! Every participant will have their name randomly placed in a bracket that will serve as the structure for the tournament. The matches will consist of one on one duels with the goal being to either incapacitate your opponent, force him to surrender or kick him out of the stage. Other ways of winning include disqualification by hitting your opponent below the waist, use a weapon other than a Struggle bat, and via outside interference. Also, due to time constraints and the large amount of participants this year, multiple matches will be taking place at the same time, meaning the audience will have to decide which match they wish to follow. Do not worry, though, as all the results will be noted on the tournament's bracket-"

Blu stopped listening. He grabbed his bottle of water and washed his beak with it. Yet, it did not help with his trembling legs. His little mind was still in the middle of processing the fact he was about to take part in his very first Struggle competition. This would have nothing to do with the friendly spars he had with some birds here and there in the past. He could remember the times he watched the tournament and seeing some participants leaving with a bruised face, a twisted leg, feathers covered in blood...

"No, no, no, don't think about that, Blu!" he mumbled to himself, shaking his head. "Stay calm... You've been training years for this moment; there's no way it can go wrong..." He looked down at his Struggle bat, analyzing its smooth yet solid surface. "You and I are gonna do a great show today, little bat."

"Talking to your bat now, Bloser?" Blu rose his head to see Nigel approaching him, his Struggle bat resting on his shoulder and his haughty air still on his face. "The tournament hasn't even started yet, and you're already acting crazy? Maybe you should drop out while you still have an inch of sanity left."

Blu narrowed his eyes. He decided to stand up and pull his Struggle bat over his shoulder as well. "It's certain that hanging around you alone is enough to damage my sanity, but don't worry, as soon as you're out, everything will be fine again."

Nigel dropped his superior expression, replacing it by that more fit for a falcon watching its prey. "Try to make sure you look good before your friends, shrimp. Once I'm done with you, they won't be able to recognize you."

Some of the other participants fell silent. Blu and Nigel's eyes were locked in a glaring duel, which neither of them planned to lose. Thankfully, before things could escalate any further, the announcer started calling the participants, and Nigel just so happened to be in the first match. Never looking away from Blu, he turned and crossed the backstage curtain.

"Make sure to last long enough out there, Bloser; I want to be the one to embarrass you in front of everybody."

With the cockatoo gone, Blu crossed his wings while resisting the temptation to go out and smack Nigel in the back of the head with his bat. "We'll see about that!"

"Participants Blu and Antonio are called to stage number 4!" the announcer called.

Blu stepped over to the curtain, stopped before it, and swallowed a lump in his throat. Despite his fear at the thought of what awaited him on the other side of this curtain, he couldn't help but be excited. His very first official Struggle match! Taking one final breath, Blu pulled the curtains aside and stepped out.

The young macaw's mind was focused solely on the stage he was set to perform on. He did not pay attention to the cheers of encouragement from the crowd and tried to block any doubt or second thought. After climbing the few steps, he found himself on the arena, looking at his opponent on the other side

A scarlet macaw, strong and confident-looking. In his wing was clutched a Struggle bat whose blade was similar to Blu's, with the difference of being thinner and having a moon-shaped hand guard wrapping from the hilt around the hand. Blu recognized it as a Struggler Hammer, one of the other Struggle bat models. Unlike Blu's Struggle Sword model, this one was not designed for fast, powerful strikes and was instead more useful to guard against attacks.

"This is your first match, eh?" Antonio asked Blu.

"Yeah."

"Then I'll go easy on you. But not too much."

"That won't be necessary," Blu politely declined. "I've been training for this moment since a long time; so you better come at me with your best, 'cause I'll do the same."

Antonio shrugged. "Fine by me."

The two of them were joined on the area by their referee, a male burrowing owl whose facial features were twisted into a severe frown. He instructed Blu and Antonio to approach him, so he could talk to them. "Alright, gentlemen," he said, "you listen to me at all times. You are not allowed to use any weapon other than your bats. When I say stop, you stop. Understood?" He waited for a nod from both participants before continuing. "Very well, now touch bats, and go to opposite ends of the area."

Antonio reached his Struggle Hammer forward, allowing Blu to touch it with his Struggle Sword. They then walked a respective amount of distance away from each other and assumed their fighting stances. Blu gripped his bat with his right wing at the top end and his left one near the pommel. He had read in a book that it would give him a wider range of movements with the bat. Not only that, but gripping it this way gave him a firmer hold that would make it hard for his opponent to knock it out of his wings. Bending the 'elbows' of his wings, he held the bat upright in front of him while making sure to keep the blade perpendicular to the ground. That way, he would be able to move it in any required position and attack from any side.

With his upper body in place, it was time to take care of his legs. Blu opened his body at a 45-degree angle, with his left foot ahead of his right one. In this process, he made sure that his hips were facing toward his opponent, not his sides. Not only would this position give him a firm base of support to attack from, but it would also make it harder for Antonio to land a blow or knock him over. Speaking of which, Antonio took a similar stance to Blu's, except his bat was held horizontally at his chest and pointed forward. Blu recognized it as the inside stance.

"Ready... FIGHT!" the referee called.

Blu and Antonio took a few steps forward and started walking around in circles. While they eyes were locked, Blu remembered one of the first things he had learned when he started his Struggle training, many years ago: there are a total of eight angles from which one can attack or be attacked with a sword. Thanks to his solid memory, he managed to mark all of them in his mind. And it came in handy when Antonio decided to launch the first attack in the form of a straight swing from the top. Blu took a step back, expertly avoiding the azure blade. However, Antonio showcased his advanced skills by not stopping there and followed with a horizontal swing.

Blu lifted his bat in time to block the incoming attack. The impact was violent, but Blu's solid grip prevented him from dropping his weapon. For the next seconds, Antonio pressed on his assault, forcing Blu to step back whilst dodging or blocking the swings. Unfortunately, the limited space did not allow him to keep going on like this forever as he approached the edge of the area. Falling out would result in him losing the match; he needed to come up with a counter-attack... And the perfect idea popped in his mind in time.

Antonio gave a victorious grin and swung his bat for what he assumed would be the victory strike. What he didn't expect to happen was Blu redirecting his attack by pushing his bat out of the way, roll around him faster than a rabbit, and smack him in the back. The tall scarlet macaw stumbled forward and did everything he could to maintain his balance, not wanting to fall off the stage. However, Blu did not give him a chance, and hit him in the back again, this time with a shoulder tackle. Antonio fell forward, hitting the outside floor with a loud thud.

"It's over! It's over!" the referee called with running to the middle of the area. He grabbed Blu's wing and rose it in the air. "The winner of the match via knock out of the area is Blu!"

An eruption of cheers came from the little crowd gathered around the area. Blu's friends were cheering the loudest, Nico whistling and Pedro telling the nearby watchers that Blu was his friend. The young Spix's macaw could feel his heart beating faster than he thought was possible. Never before did he felt so much pride - he truly did win his very first Struggle match! After recovering from the hit, Antonio came back on the stage and respectfully shook wings with Blu, congratulating him for his victory.

Blu turned his head to look at another area, where Nigel made quick work of a young seagull. The cockatoo was now giving a glare pointed directly at his nemesis. Clearly, he had no intention of getting eliminated before clashing bats with him.

Good thing, because Blu wanted the same.

The tournament went by quickly. Blu managed to cut his way through the competition without too much difficulty. Since they were not in the same block of the bracket, the only way he and Nigel would be able to face was if they were to reach the finals together. It seemed destiny wanted them to fight, as it was exactly what happened. Many strong birds crossed Nigel's path, but none of them stood a chance against the cockatoo's ruthlessness and thirst for victory.

"How are you feeling, blue boy?" Rafael asked Blu, who was seated in the backstage, drinking some water.

"Pretty well," the macaw replied after swallowing his sip. "To be honest with you guys, I wasn't expecting to make it this far. Am I really that good, or did the participants let themselves go before the tournament?"

"Nah, you totally got this, dude!" Nico assured, patting his taller friend on the shoulder. "You must've taken at least... ten of them out; only one to go!"

"Yeah, but that one left is... You know," Pedro remarked with rubbing the spiky feathers on top of his head.

"I know, Pedro. But don't worry. I have no intention of losing against him." Blu gave an unusually serious look. "When our match's over, he'll never want to bother us ever again, you can be sure of that!"

"Now you talkin'!" Rafael beamed, patting his friend on the shoulder.

The barn owl who served as the referee for a few of Blu's matches entered the backstage room. "Sir? The final match is about to begin. Are you ready or do you need a little more time?"

Taking a deep breath and adjusting his knee and elbow pads, Blu stood back up with his Struggle Sword in wing. "I'm more ready than I've ever been!"

Following the referee, Blu walked out through the curtain and toward the area. During his previous matches, the crowd around him had been modest in size. But that was because other matches were taking place at the same time. Now, every animal who came to assist the tournament would be watching him. Either for his victory or defeat. After climbing up the steps to get to the fighting area, Blu saw his friends giving him encouraging smiles and motivating signs. This sight filled him with determination.

Nigel appeared on the other side of the area. Every animal moved out of his way during his walk. Holding his head high with an air of superiority, he stepped forward and met Blu in the middle of the stage, the two of them emanating a fierce aura. One of them was a beast determined to win by any means necessary, whilst the other was an underdog hero willing to defy the odds.

"Thanks a lot for lasting thus far, Bloser," Nigel said with a snarky expression. "Every bird I faced was nothing but a boring joke. Humiliating you for last will make it all worth the trouble."

Twisting his face into a frown, Blu pointed his Struggle Sword at Nigel. "Stop talking like you've already won, Nigel! The match hasn't even started yet!"

"It might as well be already over. As tempting as it must be, I'm asking you to resist the urge to throw the match away; I want my victory to be a fond memory. Ha, ha, ha!" the cockatoo chuckled.

Blu took a deep breath to resist the temptation to smack Nigel across the face with his bat and get disqualified. The two birds were given a moment to stretch their limbs and warm themselves up before the match. Once all their bones had cracked, they faced each other and assumed their respective fighting stance, waiting for the match to start...

"Ready... FIGHT!"

Blu attempted to catch his opponent by surprise with his favorite three strikes combo. A straight charge, a swing from the left, and another one from the right. This attempt failed though as Nigel blocked ever attack with ease. He attempted a swing with his own Struggle Sword that Blu managed to duck thanks to his smaller size. He stepped back to avoid two more swings before shoving the tip of his Struggle Sword directly into Nigel's stomach. The cockatoo let out a painful 'Oof!'. But if Blu thought he had landed a significant blow, he was wrong. Nigel smacked his bat so hard across Blu's face that he was sent flying at least three feet away, hitting the floor with a TAP!

This attack did its toll on Blu. The world span around him with his view so blurry he felt like he was standing in the middle of a thick mist. A warm, disgusting liquid invaded his beak, forcing him to spit it out. But worse of all, he felt like his skull had been cracked open. He could distinguish a faint yell in the distance.

"... Blu... Blu... Move out of the way... MOVE!"

The young Spix's macaw regained his senses just in time to see a tall figure over him, holding its bat over its head. A yelp escaped his beak as he rolled to avoid the blue blade that almost cracked the floor. Blu swung his Struggle Sword across Nigel's face twice before performing a moonsault that pulled some much-needed distance between the two of them.

"You know how to move around, I'll give you that." Nigel spat some saliva and rubbed his face as if he had been merely scratched by a mouse. "But you're still leading a lost fight; the biggest man always win in the end."

The cockatoo did not expect his opponent to keep a calm expression. "Have you ever heard the story of David and Goliath? David was a small man whilst Goliath was a giant towering over cities. But David stood up to him and came out on top with a well-placed shot. A small bird can defeat big guys with strategy and a clear mind... Which you clearly don't have!"

Blu's provocation worked as Nigel charged at him. The macaw switched to defensive, stepping back while blocking or dodging every swing. He made sure to keep focusing on Nigel's stance at all times to anticipate his moves whilst remaining aware of his surroundings as to not accidentally step out of the area. During this part of the duel, Blu took notice of how late it was getting at this point with the sky turning orange as the sun started setting on the horizon. This gave him an idea.

After avoiding a few more strikes, Blu swiftly rolled around Nigel, making sure to keep the sun in position behind him. As Nigel followed his enemy to press on his assault, Blu lowered his shoulder to allow the rays of the sun to hit him in the face. Taking advantage of his weakened position, Blu span on himself and delivered a swing across Nigel's face, making a loud PAF! echo across the crowd.

"Ouch! That's gonna leave a mark," Pedro remarked with a frown.

The attack actually knocked Nigel to the ground - the first time it happened in the entire tournament. It seemed to affect the cockatoo's mind as he kicked back to his talons, glaring at the macaw for daring to pull a dent in his pride like this. "Is that really the best you can do? Man, anybody can call themselves a Struggle player these days," Blu taunted with a chuckle, hoping to provoke another fit of rage that would blindfold Nigel.

"Why, you little... I'M GOONA TEAR YOU TO SHREDS!"

Bingo.

Nigel swung his Struggle Sword at Blu with all the power of fury. Two attacks managed to make it through Blu's defense, but nothing he couldn't handle. He took the opportunity to duck a swing, perform a leg sweep that forced Nigel down on his knees, and then jumped on his shoulders. Rising his bat over his head, Blu brought it down on top of Nigel's skull with all the force he could summon, hoping to knock him out once and for all. He backflipped away, looking up to see the results.

The big cockatoo staggered on his feet, seemingly unable to differentiate left from right. If this had been a cartoon, he would have little stars dancing around his head. However, it didn't knock him out as Blu had hoped. "I'm... gonna... get you!" Nigel bellowed upon regaining his senses and seeing Blu.

"Bring it on; I can go on forever!" Blu declared with a confident grin, doing a 'come at me' gesture with his wing.

Nigel pushed a roar, charging once again, his bat ready to turn Blu into a pancake. The blue bird readied himself, planning his strategy to deliver the winning blow...

But hen, something happened. A flash of light blinded Blu to the point of forcing him to shield his eyes with his wing. A powerful, sharp noise pierced his ears, almost like hundreds of animals shrieking at the same time. His skull hurt more than any headache he endured during the tournament. Thankfully, this weird noise quickly went away. Blu carefully removed his wings from his ears and opened his eyes once he was sure there was no more light to blind him. However, while the light had disappeared, Blu was left with a rather... confusing sight before him.

Why was Nigel frozen on the spot with his Struggle Sword inches away from Blu's head?