The Misfits

by Bas The Wolf Commando

In the seedy Back Alley Market, carnivores indulge in their urges of eating meat and freeing their wild side. Free from the eyes of the law, all manner of horrible things occur in the name of keeping the societal relationship between herbivores and carnivores stable. And in this crazy part of the Beastars world; two herbivores do what they have to trying to survive.

52. The Monkey vs the Rabbit II Pt 2

Cage Side

---

Almost all the spectators in the arena were on their feet with ecstatic bloodthirsty cheers as both fighters bled. The sweet scent of rabbits' shed blood was an especially intoxicating treat for the carnivores in the first few rows. One spectator, an African painted dog that had got so riled up that he attempted to foolishly jump the guard railing. The snarling canine didn't get far though, one of the arena's burly guards, a hippo, was quick to snatch him up and promptly brained him with a billyclub before dragging him away.

"That's right! Get him out of here!" Baraki the raccoon promoter ordered over the speakers. "Get that mutt outta here!" He screamed, forking his thumb towards the exit.

"Keep your instincts under control!" The raccoon growled angrily at the crowd, standing atop his announce table before his captivated audience like a preacher delivering a fiery sermon. "The next idiot that gets overzealous over the scent of a little rabbit's blood is getting tossed just like him! Ya hear me?! Our fine members of security are standing by and I guarantee you, THEY WON'T BE GENTLE! "

The raccoon promptly gave quick glances to nearly all of his attendants posted around the arena and made sure everyone was at their post. He didn't need another riot kicking off tonight because blood was in the air.

"Do what I pay you morons for, damn it!" He grumbled off the air. "Now let's get back to the match!" He proclaimed excitedly, turning his attention back to Kyuu and Pao as they began to cautiously orbit one another both armed with their respective weapons. The monkey looked conflicted and a bit unsure while the rabbit wore a more seasoned murderous gaze.

"Oooooh! Back-Alley Fight fans, things just got a bit spicier! The challenger has got himself a blade, but you know what's better than one blade, Back Alley? TWO BLADES! And as usual, the rabbit has brought double the edge for MAXIMUM SHARPNESS!"

A great deafening crowd reaction echoed through the arena, almost every beast in attendance was on their feet. "I can sense it! OH YES, I CAN SENSE IT! This match is about to pick up!" He orated, stoking the fire with a theatrical flair, trying to work an angle. "We got two gladiators down there! Like the olden days in the Coliseum! Two warriors, going head to head! Testing their mettle with blood, sweat, tears, razor-sharp steel! Right here just for our viewing pleasure! Who will be left standing?! Who will be left alive?! Don't you just love it! And it's all going down in my arena! NOW MAKE SOME NOISE!"

His answer was a resounding agreement that filled and echoed around the chamber. It was a very loud and deafening " pop ". He had them all practically eating out of his palm.

Now for a little crowd participation , he thought, turning around to the spectators behind his desk, jabbing his microphone in the wave of screaming beasts. "Let's hear what the fans think!"

Of course, most were just screaming their heads off in excitement, no real comments, but a few got with the program real quick voicing their opinions.

One fan, a male lion who had a bit of a beer belly, was surprisingly cheering for the Psycho Rabbit. Baraki pegged him as one of the wiser veteran fans; the ones that knew the score and were well aware of the rabbit's unbeaten streak. She just could be the safe bet or he could have just been impressed with her dominance so far. In any case, he was firmly behind the Psycho and he was letting everyone know it.

"Psycho is gonna take the win!" He boastfully proclaimed, beating his chest proudly. " I had money on the killer rabbit from the start. The monkey is just living on borrowed time!"

All of a sudden the lion was pushed aside by another fan. "Screw that! The rabbit's been at the top for far too damn long! Time someone kicked her to the curb!" The other spectator, a very fierce-looking and thickset harpy eagle just under the lion's jawline, yelled into Baraki's mic. "The Cyclone's gonna be the new lightweight champ just you watch!

"Please…" The lion scoffed, pushing the bird aside as he edged his way back in front of the microphone. "What fight have you been watching? Guy barely looked like he was awake!"

"Hey!" The eagle pushed back. "Don't write off the Cyclone so easily. He outlasted that badger last fight, he'll squash this little rabbit bitch too, you'll see! COME ON CYCLONE! Woooo!" The eagle cheered, nearly punching the line in the jaw as he raised his fists.

"Face it, buddy. The Psycho's gonna win! Her record don't lie!" The lion growled back at the bird, taking offense.

"No way." The eagle screeched back at him assertively, bumping into the larger feline's chest. "She's on her way out! Look how she got cut open! The Cyclone!"

"Psycho!" The lion roared down at him, pushing the bird away.

"Cyclone!" The eagle pushed him back.

"Psycho!"

Baraki could hear the guttural roar easing out of the lion's throat as the feline's muscles tensed up, revealing hard muscle under all that flab. The giant raptor however just puffed their chest up and flexed his arms. packing some tough meat on his bones as well.
A giddy little grin spread across the black-masked raccoon's sharp-toothed visage as the two looked like they were going to go at it themselves.

"Get out of my face! Lion boy!" The eagle squawked.

"What?! You wanna do something?!" The Lion growled, raising his fists.

"What am I supposed to be scared of you, Simba ?! Ya damn right I'm gonna do something. You lions always let that tired 'king of the beasts' crap go to your head!"

"I'll be picking your feathers out of my teeth when I'm done, Bird Brain !"

"Not before I peck your eyes out!"

"I'll snap your hollow bones in half!"

"Hey hey!" Baraki interrupted, loudly with his mic. "Settle down guys! I'm not making money on you two fighting! Hahaha!" The tinier raccoon joked half-heartedly, putting his hands between the two giants, "…yet." He added under his breath. "C'mon! Settle down. We don't need to outshine the main event here!"

His words, unfortunately, fell on deaf ears as the eagle jumped on the lion and fists started to fly. The crowd gave the two some distance as the violence got out of hand. Baraki, fearing for his life, quickly took a step back and pulled up the radio on his lapel. "Security! We got a situation going down by my table. Get your asses over here now!"

Security arrived not long after, two of his goons, a hippo, and a tiger rushed and pushed through the thick mob and effectively restrained the two carnivores and carted them away. As they left Baraki was quick to give them express instructions to hold the two in one of the backrooms. He had a conniving grin on his pointy face as he thought of all possibilities of what he could do with aggression like that.

"Alright! Well, there you have it, folks!" He shouted, brushing off the incident. "Talk about a fiery match-up! We practically got beasts literally going at each other's throats over who's gonna win! Hahaha!"

He hopped his small body back down to his seat, his dark ears twitching as he basked in the thunderous chants all around his arena. He lived for this atmosphere. This was the kind of thing that drew crowds and made money. Now he just had to worry about the finish. Could the finish live up to the hype? "Will the "Simian Cyclone" go in for the kill and claim the rabbit's long-held title or will the crazy bunny "Psycho" make some choice market meat outta her challenger?! Keep your eyes peeled folks!"

Pao's corner

---

"Come on Paulo..." Gus silently pleaded to himself as the loud-mouthed promoter continued to hype the mad sea of beasts around them. They all wanted a brutal spectacle, but in truth Gus just wanted this business to be over with. The longer it took the more he felt his dark fur starting to turn grey from the stress.

"Pathetic, I knew that tree swinger was all talk! Can't even beat a fucking rabbit! Shit… this was screwed up from the start!"

"Su, show some damn respect for once!" Another voice spoke.

The bonobo knew those voices and he caught a whiff of a familiar fragrance; a particular brand of Banana Nut cologne and aftershave. There was no doubt about it. Only one beast he knew wore that cheap garbage; His former training partner, Marcos.

"Respect? Are you fuckin' high?!" The young leopard scoffed at the jaguar. "That damn rabbit is making a literal monkey outta that clown and you want me to show some respect? Fuck that!"

Gustavo turned and saw the duo arguing. Su had an annoyed expression under his large shades while Marcos had a studious observing demeanor about him.

"Marcos." Gus said, "T-this is just a bit of a rough spot, I know, but Paulo… h-he will turn it around I know! Just you watch!" He insisted, though his stutter and words of confidence were hardly convincing to either cat.

The young leopard adjusted his injury-covering sunshades and rushed the ape, grabbing him by the shirt collar. "He better, old man..." Su said, with a growl, as he pulled up his razor-sharp claws menacingly to the ape's face. "He better."

Then at that moment, Gus's jaguar associate bounded in between the two and stood up to the leopard.

"Look, Su. If Gustavo says he will, then he will!" The jaguar stated matter-of-factly. "Gustavo was a phenomenal fighter back in Brazil. He trained Paulo. If he says he will pull through, I believe him."

Su barely gave the two a second glance. "Whatever. You fossil." He said as he turned away, nearly slapping Marcos in the face with his tail.

"Thanks for the confidence, Marcos." Gustavo smiled somewhat at his old acquaintance. "That partner of yours… Ugh… I don't blame Paulo for trying to knock that bastardo's lights out" He said in a low tone, in his Brazillian dialect to be discreet.

" Yeah, Su can be a real pain in the ass. Uh… Falemos Brasileiro, sim? Let's speak Brazilian, shall we?" The jaguar said, clandestinely falling back on their shared language. "He's just jealous because he couldn't cut it in there himself. He's usually the boss's golden boy for turf wars. But he got clobbered by a hyena runt. Turns out the cage ain't like a back-alley brawl."

"Yeah, I heard. They threw him to Omar." The ape chuckled, following suit and switching to their dialect. "That Yeen's savage right put him out cold. How is his liver by the way? I heard it got ruptured. Hahahaha!" The ape joked.

Marcos erupted with a belly laugh of his own. "He was pissing red for days!"

The younger leopard looked over his shoulder at the two as they joked and just scowled. He didn't understand what they were saying, but he suspect they were talking about him. "Oh… Go on ahead! Talk your fancy Spanish or whatever… Fine!" Su yelled, annoyed. "Just means I don't have to understand you fags' pillow talk I guess!"

Gus made a step forward, ready to slug the jerk for the remark, but Marcos quickly held him in place, snarling at the leopard with a wrinkled snout.

"We've been over this! Just because I'm South American doesn't mean I just speak Spanish! Seu Cuzão!" The jaguar remarked while making an obscene gesture at him.

"Yeah yeah, fuck you too Marcos!" The leopard responded offhandedly, correctly interpreting that context. "Fucking double-tongued faggot… why I gotta have a punk like you for a partner?" He grumbled.

"Yeah… why'd I get a partner with a head up his ass like you?" The jaguar grumbled right back.

The leopard just indignantly swiped his tail at them.

"So what are you two doing down here anyway?" The bonobo asked, calming down and continuing their private conversation.

"We came down to watch," Marcos answered, eagerly. "I wanted to see your boy in action!" He lightly tapped Gustavo. "I am somewhat of a talent scout after all." He winked.

"Couldn't you do that from the stands?"

"Ah, we didn't want to watch from the cheap seats, heh heh" The jaguar answered jovially, slapping his simian colleague on the shoulder again. "Up close is much more advantageous. Plus I really wanted to see if he really had your spirit, Gus. So far I've seen he's certainly as fast as you were." He complimented as he saw the spider monkey dexterously flip up onto his palms to avoid a narrow stab from his determined lapine opponent before swiftly countering with a low kick to the side that sent her temporarily tumbling to the mat.

"Bom Chibata lá!" The jungle cat said, complimenting the move and nodding. "Muito bom. Not as good-looking as you were though."

"Heh, I can't teach that I'm afraid, ha." Gus lightly chuckled, a bit flattered.

"That tail of his is a plus. He's got great balance, great form, and even better reaction time, but his aim with that weapon is a bit sloppy. Makes him look bad." The jaguar continued his critique. He frowned and slightly shook his head as he saw the rabbit perilously bob and weave under each stab of the monkey's tail just to make him retreat with a somersault once she got in close with her own blades. "Just look at that." He pointed. "He keeps using his tail as an advantageous weapon but his accuracy leaves much to be desired. It's a smart technique and a good gimmick, but he doesn't seem to be using it to the best of his ability, Gus. That's like the fifth time I've seen him attack with it and he misses by wide margins."

"Truth be told, Marcos. This isn't a good time. I worry about Paulo in there." The ape confessed. "He usually doesn't use weapons."

"Is that it?" The jaguar stroked his wide jaw, pondering. "That explains a bit. He's better off without it."

"That's because we put him up to this. I feel…" The ape shook his head and issued a large exhale. "Uh… I feel I made a mistake with this, Marcos." He said, just dropping his confidence altogether.

"Mistake?"

"The hit you put on the rabbit, leaving it up to Paulo. He was eager to fight her again, but killing her? That's too far." The ape clarified.

"Oh. I see." The jaguar said, rubbing his scalp as his ears twitched slightly. "Well, I apologize, Gus. If it were me I would have never gotten you or your boy involved. Not like this" The jaguar said, looking down at him with a frown.

"I… I think I really screwed up," Gus's voice quivered and broke mid-sentence. "My Paulo isn't a killer. He's a fighter, yes, he's tough, he's a warrior, but this task you gave him…" The ape said, shaking his head disapprovingly. "It isn't for him. It's too much. He's too soft to kill anyone."

"I'm sorry Gustavo, but that's what my Boss wants." The jungle cat said once more, leaning forward with his hands interlocked behind his back. "Not much more I can do about it. And you took the offer. You were looking out for his future, y'know."

"Of course, I was," The ape sighed, the weight of guilt crushing him. "The offer was so enticing, but this feels like a deal with a devil. I hate putting him up to this," Gus said, resting his head on the cage. "In fact, he hates me for this."

"C'mon Gus, did he say that?"

"Sim, he practically did. He hit me, knocked my ass to the floor, and told me that we were through before the match. I saw a fire in his eyes, Marcos. One I had lit."

The cat winced. "Oh… ouch"

"He was so pissed and told me he wanted nothing to do with me." Droplets of tears began to slide down the dark chimp's muzzle as he covered his head to hide his crying. "Marcos. You already know the abuse I've been through. I've been beaten, bloodied, pummeled, and knocked down, but that amigo ? Hearing something like that from him. That hurt me more than anything I've ever been hit with, you know?"

"Gus…" The feline bit his lip as he listened. He'd never in all his years of knowing him seen the tough old ape cry. "C'mon, bro. A lot of kids are like that. They get hot under the collar all the time. Say they hate you."

"Yeah, but most kids aren't forced to kill someone they like, Marcos!" The ape said looking back.

"Fair point…"

"To make it worse I yelled at him, I tried to be tough on him. To get his head in the game, that just made it worse I think," Gus said, sniffling.

"Gustavo…"

"You know why he came to me back then? He came to train under me back in the favela. Just some skinny kid out the gutter. He wanted to escape the cut-throat life. He looked up to me. I took care of him. Kept him out of those terrible gang wars. I tried to help him." The bonobo sighed. "Now I sprung something like this on him."

"Look, Gustavo..."

"He's my son, Marcos." He flat-out said it. "Not by blood, but damn it I raised him!"

"Gus!" The jaguar snapped, finally working up to plant his hand on the ape's shoulder. He hesitated but swallowed his reservations. "Listen to me. I-I'll do it. Alright?" He said decisively.

"Do what?" The ape said, looking up.

"I'll do it. For him. If it comes to that." The cat said, with a stern look on his brutish face. "I'll kill that rabbit myself if he can't. I'll enter the cage after it's over and just snap her neck. Boss will get his meat. Alright? He just has to win. He does that and that's all you have to do." The jaguar nudged him.

"Really?" Gus asked, warily.

"The least I can do for you, meu amigo?" He nervously chuckled.

Gus just sighed and scratched the fur atop his head. A bit unsure.

"What if he doesn't win though?"

"I don't know Gus… I can't speak for Su, but I promise that I won't hurt you or your boy." The jaguar said, placing his fist over his heart.

"Er, thanks, Marcos. Não, really. That's a lot for me." The ape said as picked his head up and nodded, somewhat relieved. "I just hope this works." The ape took a deep breath and marched over to the cage.

"Wait… what works?" The jaguar asked, puzzled. "Gus?"

"Paulo!" Gustavo cried at the top of his lungs, much to both Marcos and Su's surprise.

"Gus…what are you doing? You're gonna distract him!" Marcos said, trying to reason.

Pao perked up to see what the bonobo wanted but quickly turned away, annoyed.

"Ouça-me! Paulo!" Gus demanded again. "Listen!"

"What the hell are you doing? What did you say?!" Su asked, suspiciously eying the ape like he was crazy. "Are you trying to get him killed?"

"I trying to give him some proper motivation to win," Gus answered. "A secret technique." He lied, trying to improvise. "Paulo!" He shouted once more even louder, trying to make him listen.

"Quê?!" The monkey finally screamed at him once he knocked the rabbit down again briefly. "O que você quer? Can't you see I'm a little busy at the moment?!" He screamed at the bonobo while he could before the rabbit was right back on him, eager to pay him back.

"Paulo, esqueça o acordo!" Gus shouted. Paulo, forget the deal! "Esqueça o acordo!" The ape instructed slowly but louder to be clear, climbing up the cage and beating against his chest as he shouted at his pupil. Su just growled at the old primate, while Marcos had a more nervous and tired look upon his face.

"Quê?!" Pao asked again, confused as he evaded her with a backflip and fended her off with a swift windmill move, swinging his legs around like his cyclone namesake before transitioning to a hard dropkick to her stomach that propelled the lagomorph away and crashing into the cage where she needed a minute to get back up.

"The Psycho's down again!" The raccoon screamed at the top of his lungs to deafening applause.

"Facking… What do you want Gus?!" Paulo screamed up at Gus, annoyed. "I told you we're finished!"

"Just listen to me! Alright?! I'm sorry!" The ape screamed, tears falling from his eyes. "Eu estraguei tudo! Eu sei! Eu estava errado! De agora em diante lute pelo seu caminho!" I blew it! I know! I was wrong! From now on fight your way! "Você pode fazer isso! Eu sei que você pode! Você pode vencer!" You can do it! I know you can! You can win!

"The Psycho rabbit is up on her feet and she does not look amused!" The raccoon yelled over the speakers, totally oblivious to what the two primates were talking about. "Whatever they were planning down there it better be good!"

"Caralho!" Paulo cursed out loud as he faced the rabbit, who now sported a very bruised midsection. "Oh, agora você me diz depois que eu levar uma surra!" He complained, just "beaming with enthusiasm" as he worriedly stared at his ticked-off opponent stomping towards him with her sharp blades.

Su just shook his head while Marcos smiled, slapping his friend on the back as he pulled him in for a hug. "I hope that helped, Gus," Marcos said.

"I know I looked like a fool doing that. But anything that helps my boy, y'know? Thank you, Marcos." Gus smiled slightly as he rested his head on the jaguar's waist, hugging him tightly.

"Anything. I'd do anything for you, meu gatinho." My KittenThe jaguar said softly, with a purr as his tail swayed behind him.

" Gatinho? Huh?" Gustavo snickered amused at the comment, looking at the enamored jaguar, pondering him. It'd been so long since someone had spoken to him that way. "You really still feel that way?"

"Never stopped…" The big cat gave a winning grin as he crouched down to look the smaller primate in the eye. "Never." He affirmed, staring into his eyes close enough to kiss the ape, who almost submissively stepped back.

"Careful… I might take that as an invitation, gostoso." The ape slyly remarked, standing his ground.

"That would make my night…" Marcos replied, raising his eyebrows as his whiskers perked up.

"Oooh, get a fucking room! Seriously…" Su interjected, obviously oblivious as he started making kissing noises at them. "Rex, you rainbow faggots are obnoxious with that crap. Even worse in Spanish . Like one of those foreign soap operas."

Marcos nearly blew a gasket as he turned around and blew up on the young leopard. "Why don't you go fuck yourself! Maldita puta! " Marcos growled at him in the local language making a rude gesture.

Su however just laughed it off, just amused by Marcos' anger.

The jaguar growled as he turned back towards his friend, eyes twitching with rage as he gritted his fangs. "Someday, I'm gonna teach him. He's an obnoxious little shit and I'm gonna teach him some fucking class. Just watch." Marcos threatened, falling back fully into Brazilian, while he pounded his fist in his palm.

"I got your back on that! The ape said in agreement, lightly slapping his old buddy's back. "I'll go low and you go high like old times, heh."

"Fuck… you're giving me a nostalgia high right now." The jaguar growled, pleased. "Just like the Ocelot brothers…"

"...1998!" They both said together, Gus lightly punched the big cat in the arm. "They were eating through a straw for a month. And the old man was pissed at us because he kept getting phone calls from the other gym's manager!" The jaguar said, recollecting. "Man, that was a fun year."

"By the way, Banana Nut, huh?" The simian teased, nudging his feline partner in the sides. "That's a nice fragrance to drown out your silvervine habit. "

The cat's pupils enlarged as he looked down at the ape surprised. "You noticed?"

"I used to buy that stuff for you at the last minute every Rexmas. 'Course I noticed you silly cat."

The big jaguar cheeks reddened as his tail swayed playfully behind him, and a big beaming smile grew on his broad face. "Well, I'm probably gonna sound cliche here, but I kept buying it because it reminded me of you, Gustavo. I never stopped wearing it since we last saw each other. Besides… you got me hooked on it. I love hearing the compliments I get all the time about how nice I smell. Herbivores find me more approachable."

"Ah, of course, it's my fault, right?" Gus jested, shaking his head. "I made you handsome too, huh?"

"Reeeeally? Huh?" Marcos somewhat purred. "Are you f-flirting, Gustavo?" He said, peering down at him with his hands on his hips.

"Well if the babaca over there thinks we're flirting, might as well put some truth to it, huh?" The ape answered smugly, nudging the feline once more. "Besides, you don't think I know when you're interested, bonitão ?" The ape said, placing his hand over the jaguar's abs. "You wanna recapture a bit of the glory days huh big boy, don't you?"

"Well sure, yes, let's!" The cat said eager and overjoyed. "Honestly, more than a bit, Gustavo. I still… want you." He was blunt. "I know things were so hard back then for us to be together and it went to shit when we got here, but I think maybe now that time has passed…" The jaguar confessed nearly running out of breath, twiddling his fingers and nervously chuckling, his rope-like spotted tail swishing even faster than before. "Maybe we could? I mean it still is tough, but these people are far more 'accepting' than our família in Brasil . Look I got an apartment not too far from here. It's…nice, got a little gym. I got drinks too."

Gus quickly pointed at the leopard, skeptical.

"Ey, he's just an asshole," Marcos muttered fanning the leopard off, trying to dismiss the ape's concern. "Look, Gus, like I said I never really moved on."

"Neither did I," the ape replied. "I mean I kept up appearances, so as not to bother Paulo with my tastes. But y'know I never really settled down with anyone. Not like us ." The ape replied. "It was all hollow after you left me. Like there was nothing out there I felt could fill the hole you left in my life when you just disappeared and joined these guys. I know you were looking for work over here, but…"

"Gus." The jaguar closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "I- I was an idiot back then. I shouldn't have left you. I was thinking about how we looked together and I put trying to belong over you and me. That was wrong. I know that." The feline shook his head, disgusted with himself, "So I ask now maybe we can try it again?"

"Marcos." The ape said, silently. "C'mon man ain't we a bit too old now? We were young bucks with prospects back then." He said hugging the jaguar, fighting back tears. "You really want an old gray bastard like me now?"

"Like I'm not either?!" The jaguar spouted.

"Yeah, but I'm really old and gray. I'm a few years out maybe from having a hunchback like the old man ."

"The old man was a Silver-back gorilla, Gustavo." The jaguar rolled his eyes. "His posture was always going to be like that!" He joked. "And you're a bonobo, you're supposed to be gray!"

The ape laughed, rubbing the graying fur on his face before his smile faded, still feeling like an old geezer. "I still think my good years are beginning to trail behind me."

"Oh fah," The jaguar waved him off. "You're still handsome to me in your own way. Honestly, I think the gray sideburns fit you." The big cat said, patting the dark-faced ape on the head. "They make you look more distinguished ."

"Distinguished?"

Both of them then erupted into laughter at the ridiculous thought and pulled each other together for a hug as they turned to watch the fight, still, Gus's joy was fleeting as he watched his pupil tangle with the aggressive lop.

Marcos was quick to take notice, reassuring him once more, and rubbing his shoulder. "Hey. He'll pull through, Gus, have faith."

"I hope so." Come on, Paulo.

Inside the cage

---

Their battle was at a fevered pitch.

Kyuu arched her taxed body to avoid the razor-sharp blade's path as Pao's knife-gripped tail came seeking her neck.

The rabbit's overworked heart was practically thumping out of her chest as she continued her uphill struggle with Pao. It was practically a stalemate between them. No one really wanted to get cut.

The smaller rabbit's dexterity and agility were put to the test as she somersaulted and weaved through his rapid chain of kicks and tail stabs like a dexterous gymnast. Meanwhile, the monkey pulled out all the stops trying to rush her down with his unorthodox fighting style. He effectively had five limbs he could attack with and he had very little problem swapping between which avenue he could stab at her with.

No sooner had his last attack failed, he surprised her by tossing the blade into the air and snatching it with his prehensile feet, attacking her with dazzling maneuvers and nearly slashing her cheek open with lightning speed as he twirled and spun on the palm of his hands, wowing the crowd.

Still, despite his frantic opposition, a cocky grin remained plastered on Kyuu's dark sweat-drenched face, as the cream-colored rabbit juked and weaved through his offense like a speedy red blur. The endorphin rush felt absolutely phenomenal to the lop. Weaving under another swipe, she barely even noticed that she almost slipped, foolhardily scrambling forward in an attempt to catch the simian on the backfoot and stay in the fight.

However, as he retreated, his tail covered his escape, flying at her like a harpoon and almost nicking her face with the knife just as she dropped to her back and slid like a base runner. Turning over, she clawed at the mat to halt momentum and quickly launched herself at him again for another attack, slashing with a cross-cut.

Pao's eyes went wide as he sprang upon one palm to avoid her and swung his body around to counter with his flail-like appendage. The swift attack nearly bisected her, she was saved only by her quick reaction time, blocking with her knives at the cost of her own attack. A loud metallic ring echoed as their blades collided together, getting a tremendous reaction from the crowd. She cleaved her blades forward knocking his blade out of the way, but he quickly followed up with a hard kick to her gut that sent the rabbit flying.

Another thunderous pop of excitement roared from the audience, cheering for the monkey.

"What a momentum stopper right there folks!" The raccoon's commentary blared in slow motion as Kyuu careened through the air.

She smashed into the cage hard with a loud rattle. Her bruised abs' throbbing pain had her wincing and her shoulder wasn't much better, having taken the brunt of the impact. It felt dislocated.

However, she didn't get much time to dwell on it, as she soon saw Pao's dark body flip through the air. The frenzied arena-goers screamed their heads off as the simian dove through the air, his tail flailing behind him. Kyuu quickly dove to the side as he crashed to the mat with a roll. His blade chopped into the ground, just centimeters from where her foot had been.

Wasting little time, she channeled a burning rage as she willed her body to move, furiously springboarding right back up to her feet, her knives gripped firmly within her hands as she issued a vicious snarl and lunged at him with her good arm, startling the simian. For the briefest second, it felt like he was dealing with a miniature savage canid as she bounded his way.

Standing his ground, he began hurling punches her way as she halted in her tracks to avoid getting clobbered. Ducking a wild haymaker, the rabbit evaded right and went high, leaping off of the cage and locking her legs around Pao's head and using the weight of her body to swing and yank him clean off his feet. Pao got planted face-first into the mat and fell on his back, but quickly righted himself, more surprised and confused than hurt.

"O que diabos!" He exclaimed as he saw her rushing in for the kill. The monkey quickly scrambled back up to his feet as he rushed him again, dodging her stabs and swipes. Baraki in the stands continued to describe the action with a frantic fervor.

"Superb Headscissors takedown!" The raccoon screamed, ecstatically describing the move. "The Cyclone almost got taken out with a Hurricanrana! Ha ha haaa! The Psycho Rabbit is just full of surprises!"

Pao, not to be outdone, further showcased his own acrobatic skill by getting some distance with a back handspring as Kyuu nearly slashed him with another crosscut. The overeager rabbit followed, but Pao grinned as he quickly swept low with a speedy kick at her ankles. Just before his foot could take her legs out, Kyuu almost mimicked him with an aerial backflip to avoid the kick.

As she landed right side up, he paused, staring at her with an impressed and enamored look. He raised his hand and extended three fingers, and began exhaling heavily.

The rabbit cocked her head at him. He was proposing a break. Kyuu stood up straight and nodded, still keeping her eye warily on him as each fighter gave the other a reprieve to nurse their respective wounds, both sucking in much-needed air into their exhausted frames.

" Man, you can just feel that tension on that staredown! " The raccoon's voice blared loudly around them, echoing throughout the arena and completely misreading them for dramatic flair. " They're tearing each other apart in there and you just know they still got more brutal mayhem in store for you folks!"

As the raccoon ran his mouth, the monkey suddenly became chatty himself.

"Veja isto é exatamente o que eu queria de você, coelha. Uma boa dança!" Pao said, breathless, slightly failing to hide his exhaustion as the fur on his forehead became matted with sweat.

Kyuu rolled her eyes, obviously lost. "Oi, speak normal, jackass!" She snapped at him, pointing, before grunting sharply as she jammed her arm back into place with a soft pop.

"Ah," He chuckled. "Right. Right." He nodded. "You dance sooo gud, coelha! I saw only a glimpse in the park." He shouted roughly at her in their shared tongue, exuberantly, rocking deceptively back and forth with his Capoeira Ginga. "Dis is just what I was missing! Y'know… after you stood me up!"

"I didn't stand you up on purpose! I wasn't ducking you!" The rabbit growled at him. "I wanted to fight you! It's just the Inarigumi made me miss those weeks!" She insisted. "Besides… are you having fun now all of a sudden? You're smiling a lot more. No more moping?" She teased. "I thought you didn't wanna fight me anymore."

"No no!" He exclaimed, smirking at her, impressed. "I came into this all wrong. All wrong! I got so hung up on killing you, but really I should have been focusing on this! Dancing! Dancing with you!'' he exclaimed.

"Dancing?"

"Sim, coelha. You got da moves to keep up with da rhythm. So lets you and me continue to dance, yeah?"

Kyuu sighed as she rolled her eyes, not really sure what to make of his babbling. All the same, as he began moving, so did she, putting up her guard and keeping distance as she circled. Dancing? He's trying to practically kill her and now he's going on about dancing? What a weird beast.

"Like you ain't weird yourself?" Her inner voice challenged, popping up around her. Her annoying inner voice.

No one asked you anything! Shut up, trying to focus!

"They tried to replace you, but it wasn't the same." Pao continued, shaking his head. "It's just you, you know. You really uh… get my blood pumping. More than some bruto gigante ." He shuddered a bit, thinking about Rashiid the Badger.

"I do, do I?" She tilted her head at him, curious. "Well, I'll have it flowing… all over the mat if you ain't careful." She lightly threatened.

"Yeah. Yeah ! Meu liddle murderous beleza ." He said, looking at her with a yearning desire and pointed, laughing madly. "See I like dat confidence. Sim, dat's what I like about you! Yer fuuuun!" He gave her a silly smile. "Painful fun, but fun! I just want tonight to go on forever, but our bodies won't stand for dat will they?"

Kyuu paused and cocked her head at the monkey, studying him. "So you like pain, huh?" She gave him a look, eager to oblige.

"Ha ha." He nervously laughed. "No no… not like that, coelha . I just think we should continue having fun and dance a bit more." He said clenching his fist. "Only us two, sim? I should treat you to one last good rhythm, meu gatinha before I put your lights out and claim the title." He said with an almost flirting smile, his canines poking out of his mouth. "How about that?

"I got no clue what half of what you just said there, but if this rhythm nonsense gets me a better fight out of you so be it! I'll dance with you to your heart's content, just don't forget… you cut me pretty bad and that has a price!" She said, wagging her knife threateningly at him. "And you better believe I'm gonna get that payment out of you, ya weirdo!"

The grinning monkey cocked his head at her with his hands on his hips. "Weird? Now did I just hear the weird coelha lutador is calling me weird?" He asked. "Hahaha! Funny stuff, funny stuff!"

" Ooooh , you ain't seen weird yet !" She threatened, shaking her head and clashing her blades together menacingly as she approached him.

"That means you finally gonna show me the Monstro , Coelha ?" He said, raising his guard with his autonomous tail swaying behind him ominously.

"Yeah," She answered, growling at herself for going back on her word, she could already hear her so-called conscience mocking her as it prattled on behind her, hovering uncomfortably close over her shoulder.

"Hypocrite..." Her inner voice said. "You never keep your word it seems."

Fuck off…

Nevertheless , she ignored it, pushing it to the back of her mind. "Yeah, I changed my mind. My Chimera is gonna come and dance with you. Though you probably won't like this dance."

"Ooooh yeah! Dats de spirit! Come on then Coelha ." He said ecstatic, swaying back and forth with his pendulum-like dance. "Let's dance! Chegou a hora, vamos lá!"

"Let's!" Kyuu snarled back at him, flinging herself at him with a vicious spinning wheel kick. The monkey grinned as he leaned back, narrowly avoiding getting a mouthful of her heel.

"You got more, huh?!" He beckoned, as he bounced playfully on his feet and shifted stances, ready for her once more. Pivoting on her foot, Kyuu rushed back at him, adopting an even more aggressive fighting style.

"Plenty!" She loudly answered as she made a perilous swipe for his midsection.

Very soon a startling ghastly aura soon began to cloak Kyuu under a ferocious image. A mid-sized muscular beast seemingly rose from where she stood, a beast Pao had never seen before. A carnivorous creature that looked almost like a dog, but bore similar features to the lop; facial markings, similar wounds, and especially the same determined scowl, but it wasn't her . Couldn't be, he thought. Was this… was this the Monstro? He wondered.

He shook his head and focused on evasion. Writing it off as a trick, he made a slippery Negativa de Bimba maneuver, dropping to the mat as she hit nothing but air overhead. Still, it was uncanny, he could have sworn what he saw was real.

It was almost like the stories he had heard about her, the so-called Monster Rabbit . He had heard many surviving accounts from former opponents, describing the likes of a hulking bear or a savage wolf that would bear down on her opponents and tear into them and pin them down, or that she fought like a wild carnivore. He barely bought it, but before him now was just that. The only thing off was he had imagined it'd be larger. The substitution looked scrawny, fast, more compact– a speedy ripper not a lumbering crusher like the tales.

In the blink of an eye, the ripper righted herself and pounced again, brown eyes burning flaring red as she swung her razor-sharp claws with a vicious swipe at his face. Quick to avoid, he dipped to the floor and fluidly swung a hammering kick upward, aimed for the beast's temple, however his foot swished through thin air.

My Martelo missed? He thought, trying to resume his stance.

For the briefest second Kyuu reappeared, landing on all fours at his flank, and in seconds she vanished just as the creature enveloped her once more, pouncing on him again, snarling like a rabid beast as she leapt up seeking his face.

Pao's confidence completely shrunk as he began to wonder if he could hit her. He followed through, tilting to the side and striking at her as she passed with another Martelo kick, but again… nothing landed after the close call. The beast's larger body was deceptive. He quickly shifted his footwork to the side and pivoted to track her.

"What is this?" He asked her, squinting hard trying to make sense of things.

"You wanted to see my Chimera. Well, here it is." The vicious creature growled as it circled him, trying to stay in his blind spot.

"Chimera, eh?" He mouthed trying to pronounce. As he tried to ponder, she came at him.

He swiftly twisted his body to defend himself, but just at that moment, sharp searing pain shot right through his abdominals as "claws" carved their way through his flesh. He hollered, stung and utterly shocked, acrobatically hand-springing backwards to gain some ground.

His mind instantly feared he had been disemboweled. He reached down to inspect his injuries, hoping not to find some wet mess of guts spilling out of him, and instead found two simple lacerations. Nothing too serious , he thought, relieved.

He grunted as he stance'd back up, swiveling his head around attempting to track the speeding blur as she circled him. The unreal beast still baffled him. His eyes had to be playing tricks as he caught a brief glimpse of her brandishing her blades before the apparition closed in again.

"Perhaps you're weirder than I thought, meu coelha…" He said, with ragged breaths. He tried to turn his wince into a grin, but it was clear to both animals he was hurt. "But I'm still ready for you."

The rabbit said nothing more as she slowly closed in, wearing a cold and calculating look on her darkened face as an uncanny feeling began to set in for the monkey.

Kyuu wasn't some prey animal anymore, no, she was a predator or at the very least, playing the part. She had the gaze of a predator studying her prey and he was prey . Any false move and she'd strike.

Fine, Pao thought as he forced himself to fight through the pain, wincing as his body protested his deceptive swaying dancing. If he was prey… he sure as hell wasn't going to be easy prey.

Pao fell back onto his Ginga footwork, shifting and rocking back and forth with his smooth, flashy gyrations, hurling hard rights and lefts that made her zig and zag evasively as she moved on him.

She bounded into his blindspot and Pao smiled thinking she'd made the same mistake as their first fight; forgetting his tail had his back, but as he jerked his hips and swung around with his fifth limb in tow he was shocked to see still standing in front of him. She had ducked under his tail accordingly and was lying in wait to spring her ambush. His eyes widened in shock as he saw the vicious chimera slam its muscular elbow right into his undefended gut, causing him to back away wheezing.

"Ugh… you remembered, haha," he grunted and coughed harshly, blood drooling out of his mouth as begrudgingly admired her craftiness.

She only answered him with a cocky "Hmph" and quickly went back on the attack, buffeting him with a few fast and hard kicks to his ribs. He quickly retaliated with a stiff right hand to her guarded wrists that served more to knock her back and went low for a toe hold maneuver, but she wisely avoided the snaring attempt by getting some air time with her strong legs.

However, Pao once again had a counter to her counter, dropping to the floor and rolling over, swinging his thick and strong tail like a bat and striking her like a softball. Both the rabbit and her savage chimera went flying across the cage yet again where she landed hard, tumbling across the mat.

"Bet you weren't ready for that! Hahaha!" Pao taunted her, playfully chuckling as he massaged his bruised midsection.

Nursing her sore jaw, Kyuu rose off the mat and noticed her red mouth guard was now missing in action. As she pulled her hand away she saw red blood staining her fingers and she spat what felt like a piece of a chipped incisor tooth.

"What is that thing made off?." She asked, panting as she wiped her mouth clean. She considered herself lucky he didn't drop her like last time.

"We spider monkeys have strong tails! Ha ha ha!" He bragged laughing with his chittering chuckle as he 'flexed' with his tail. "Normally they can support our entire body weight while hanging and mine, well I exercise with it with all da time! I knocked you out with it last time, dontcha remember?"

"Oh, I remember. But don't get too excited. I'm still going to win this!"

"Took da words right outta my mouth, querida! Hah hah!" He arrogantly responded, adopting his flamboyant stance, and rocking back and forth waiting for her with his tail coiled threateningly over his head like a viper with the knife.

She quickly took notice, likewise shifting back and forth with some traditional footwork of her own, raising up her knives and snarling at him, bringing back her apparition as the two came in for another clash.

Pao opened up their exchange with a few punches to soften her up as she blocked with her wrist guards. The rabbit's leather gauntlets held up once more, but she was in for some pain as he started laying in heavy kicks. Ducking under one, she began dancing with a fighter's shuffle, before jabbing her blades at him in a frantic assault that kept him jerking and sliding his dark-furred slender body out of her path with each thrust.

He continued to evade her with a playful expression on his face, mocking her each time she came close and missed, a chittering annoying laugh that tormented her as he forced his body into all sorts of awkward stances and poses like a circus performer.

"Stay still, you clown!"The chimera roared, begging to swing wildly, trying all it could to hit him, forgoing the rabbit's normal caution.

The simian fighter however was quick to take advantage. He surprised her by catching her mid-lunge and yanked her up by the wrists like a fish in the water. Confident he had her, he smiled as he cocked back his hand to punch her lights out.

The rabbit had other plans though. His smug look of accomplishment was soon wiped away as pain surged through his face when the rabbit jerked her lower body up and swung into him with a hard dropkick to the chops that knocked his head back.

His grip loosened and the rabbit fell hard on her bum. As she attempted to get up, she swiftly got a hard fist right to her breast as the monkey who came back on her hard and annoyed. The wind out of her, she was dropped to her knees, coughing hoarsely. A furious follow-up blow from the monkey, a hard kick right to her side, harshly postponed any thoughts of a counterattack.

She was launched and sent tumbling towards her corner of the cage where she could already hear San giving her a loud lambasting that only added insult to injury.

"You want to have some bruised ribs?" The llama shouted, utterly frustrated. "That's how you get bruised ribs! Hit and fade!" He tried to drive home. "Remember our tactics. Stop being so damn greedy!"

"Ergh… riiight…urgh!" The rabbit groaned miserably at him as she stood up to her feet and shook the cobwebs out of her pounding head. As her shaky vision cleared, she saw Pao bounce upside down and landed on his palms as he taunted her with a cocky handstand.

"You done laying around, Coelha , or are we going to continue our dance? I can slow down if you like if you need help catching up!"

"Keep talking shit…" She growled, her brows furrowed as she approached. "Just going to make it sweeter after I pound your face in!"

" Kyuu… think it through!" San quickly warned, but Kyuu pushed forward anyway much to his dismay.

The monkey flashed his canines in a grunt of effort as he tensed up ready for his next move, but as Kyuu ran in to attack, she had something else in mind.

She lurched forward with a short feinting jab, jerking back at the last minute and her caution was rewarded when he dropped down for another windmill spin move, his kicks missed her by a centimeter. Taking advantage, she dove right in front of him with a combat roll and nailed him again with another hard elbow to the gut just as he kipped back up to his feet.

"Hrgh!" He grunted sharply as he fell over, surprised he had been suckered again, and only saved his fall by rolling into a ball and springboarding acrobatically back up to his feet, promptly swinging a quick roundhouse kick at her as she followed, but Kyuu anticipated a counter and weaved under his blows, light on her toes like a boxer and went for a fast kick right to the same sore spot before backing out of the way of the ensuing retaliation.

The spectators got their money's worth as Kyuu became the slippery aggressor once more, absorbing, but mostly dodging Pao's counter punches and kicks before striking back and landing with her own strikes.

"Am I going too fast for you, Cyclone?!"The savage bestial amalgam that made up Kyuu taunted, as it dodged and retaliated, managing to scrap his arm with a fast knife strike.

Pao grunted sharply frustrated at the light prick but kept spinning and kicking trying to lock her down.

"I think our dance might be running its course, huh?" She teased, the image waning as she finally started to sound winded and began working up a sweat as she continued to be a nimble harasser.

"No," He growled at her, frustrated, as sweat ran down his forehead. "I was just thinking *urk* we just need to *uh* speed da tempo up, sim!"

*Swish*

Pao's barbed tail suddenly came back into play, tagging her right back on the outside of her shoulder with a painful slash. He continued to put pressure on her as she backflipped, clawing at her and stabbing the stinger-like weapon, throwing everything he could at her as he forced her on the defensive. The rabbit only got minor cuts and nicks as she ducked close call after close call.

Eventually, she got in the proper position for an opening, launching herself on him but he saw it coming and answered with a sweeping Queixada kick aimed to knock her block off. He snarled as he sought to end it all with one devastating blow.

However, it didn't connect.

He'd over-countered and his kick missed its mark entirely. He braced right as she carved her knives right through his sides like a buzzsaw, her short tanto blades coated red as she twirled gracefully to the floor like a light-footed dancer.

"Hrrgggh!" He grunted, clutching his chest as blood spurted out onto his fingers, turning his yellow wraps a rusty crimson.

"I told you, you'd pay…"The ripper growled.

"Oh, foda-se…" He staggered away towards the barrier, his vision dizzy, his breathing erratic as he nursed his wounds, Gus and the Madaragumi were shouting incoherently at him but everything seemed muffled and drowned out by the crowd. Gus pointed frantically and Pao got the gist, turning around just to see the rabbit bounding towards him, determined not to give him time to recover. She ran in at top speed with her blades at the ready, her monster image roaring as it sprouted up right behind her. Pao instinctively kicked at the Chimera trying to ward her off, but his foot flew harmlessly over her head again as she tucked and rolled and penetrated his defenses.

Merda , he thought, knowing it was too late to reposition, he braced for another inevitable third cut, hoping to minimize the damage, however she had something else in store...

Thwack!

Sharp agony instantly blew through his lower extremities as the rabbit's foot impacted right into his balls. Pao's eyes nearly bulged out of his head, as he essentially felt the equivalent force of an atomic bomb.

"Oooooh! Porra! " He cried with a high-pitched voice, dropping into a fetal position cupping his abused manhood. "Uhhhh…. Meu colhões!" He exclaimed sharply through grit teeth. "Dat was facking dirty! Errrrgh!" He screamed, beating his fist against the floor.

He would have thought she'd have gone low, but not like this! The oldest and dirtiest of moves in the book for a shorter person and she had pulled it. She had kicked him square in the nuts!

His muscle control of his tail completely waned, feebly relinquishing its tight grip on the knife.

The monkey groaned, agonized, utterly humiliated as the sound of en masse laughter began to echo throughout the arena– the crowd was laughing at him.

Over by the cage in his corner, he could hear Gustavo, stark raving mad, just hurling all sorts of foreign obscenities at the rabbit for such a dirty move.

On Kyuu's side of things, the little fox, Lùn burst into a wild fit of laughter. "Oh… my… god! She actually did it! Hehehe! Look, Loba, Look! She actually took your teachings to heart!" She nearly fell over laughing.

"I did say fight dirty," The wox humorously remarked, nearly letting out a snicker herself.

San just facepalmed, feeling a bit of cringe from the blow. He knew just how hard Kyuu could kick and he could only imagine the pain the monkey must be in. He had some sympathy for the guy.

By the announce table, Baraki was laughing at the monkey, as well. "Oooh! I know we were expecting a Deathmatch, but it looks like it's gonna be his love life that's gonna be dead for a few weeks if he survives this! I can guarantee that! Rest in peace for his little soldiers!"

"Fack you… loud-mouth rat-faced puta…Urrrrggh!" Pao groaned loudly at the raccoon's commentary as he continued to crawl towards his corner of the cage. He just wanted to rest until the pain subsided, but the merciless rabbit was quick to capitalize on her advantage, jumping on his back and wrapping her arms across his throat, and wrapping her legs around his waist. He was too weak to properly defend as she began to cut off his air supply.

"Tap." She whispered assertively in his ear, making her hold even more snug like a neck tied too tight.

"*urk!* Whaaa?!" He asked, weakly trying to resist.

"Tap out!" She said more forcefully.

"The infamous Psycho giving me an out?!" He asked, gurgling as he physically refused, trying to buck her off. "No! No Way! Not cool! You can't just kick me in the balls like dat and call it a win!" He grunted at her, gasping for air as he crawled across the mat, trying to power through. He frantically clawed at her arm, but she only tightened her grip.

"Tap!" She growled again, bashing the top of his head with the bottom of her knife. "You left yourself open, so don't whine!"

Pao managed to squeak out a frustrated growl as he fell on his side, Kyuu only got more leverage until she was able to lock in a more textbook rear-naked choke. By this point, he was too sapped to fully resist anymore. As soon as her arm found the right spot, he was going to blackout. All he could think at that moment was what would happen to him when he lost. Gus he feared would be killed alongside him, most likely.

"TAP!" She ordered.

"I can't! *urk* I can't give up!" He proclaimed breathlessly at her, trying to bash his head into her mouth.

"Is whatever they are paying you worth your life?" She growled, pulling up one of her blades to his throat, the blade precariously close to his flesh. "I'm feeling merciful right now. I remember what you did for me in the park! Don't waste this, Pao."

"This yer idea of mercy?!" He jerked around. "Kicking me in my liddle Paulos ?"

"You ain't dead!" She stated pragmatically, wagging her dominant knife in his face, its sharp blade precariously close to cutting his face. "Your liddle Paulos should be alright. I didn't destroy your factory with that kick! I could have, but I didn't , so just give up before I really have to put you down!" She threatened.

Pao shook his head and began to buck even hard. "No…I can't…" He grunted at her, wincing as his agonized balls continued to smart. "This… isn't… over!" He shouted.

"Seems that way to me," Kyuu said, beginning to smile, it was not that long ago that she was right where he was, unwilling to call it quits and feeling humiliated. "Give up. Don't let your pride get you killed."

"No! Noooo!" Again the monkey violently shook, trying to break the hold or at best reach within himself to tap into some energy. "This isn't just pride! I don't… I don't have a choice!" He confessed, trying to buy any time he could.

"Don't give me that crap!" She snapped at him, only constricting tighter. "Oh, you got a choice! You give up now… or I do a lot more than smash your little balls!"

"Little… ergh?" He grunted, a bit offended. The white of the monkey's face was starting to turn blue as his airway continued to narrow and he tried to suck in what precious oxygen he could. Everything was becoming out of focus and he began seeing double. He was going to pass out in seconds. "No. I can't lose…" He croaked. "They probably kill me!"

"Who! What are you talking about?" She asked, bashing him again to knock the fight out of him. "The Inarigumi won't kill you. You're an asset ! I know for a fact they don't kill assets!"

"No! Nooo! The people that paid me off. The Mada- Madagam-" He frantically fumbled with the words. "Uh… the leopard gângsteres … they wanted you dead… they got plans! They bet *urk* on me!"

"The Madaragumi?!" Kyuu asked incredulously. "The fuck did I do to them?! I've never screwed with those guys before!"

"I-I-I Don't KNOW! Gus made da deal! Urk! Not me! Urk!" The monkey's eyes began to shut as his things started to go black. His arms began to limply fall by the wayside and his legs stopped kicking. "I I I I…" The monkey made a final surge of energy to push off of the mat. "I wish…I could have" He finally made out, voice fading. "-to ask… you… out… before all dis…"

"Ask me what?" Kyuu said out loud. "Ask me what?!" She shouted again, smacking him on the head with the flat side of her knife. "What are you asking me out on a date?! What you… like me too or something?!"

"Siii-" The monkey weakly answered, gurgling before going limp.

Kyuu suddenly had a look of perplexity on her face as a horrid thought played in her mind. Did he really like her? Or was this a trick? What if it wasn't? More and more confusing thoughts began to fire in her head like fireworks as she slowly began to relinquish him. But I'm with Lùn now. Could we have even worked anyway? Why now?! This is too much!

Then at that moment, a black-furred tentacle suddenly snaked its way around her neck and around her torso and began to constrict.

"Gotcha!" The monkey hoarsely managed to croak as he put what little energy he had left into his strong tail, yanking hard and prying her loose from his neck. He took in a deep breath of air and exhaled as he picked his exhausted body off the mat and held her aloft.

"You dirty fuc-!" She growled as she dangled in front of him.

"Well… look who's talkin'?!" He sourly retorted, scowling at her. "My balls send their regards! Urggh!" He grunted as he tossed her aside.

Kyuu hit the mat very hard again, losing a grip on her blades in the process, and crashed to the floor, rolling over herself before she came to stop by the edge of the cage.

"Well look at that. Aren't you just popular?" Her intangible shadow said, grinning at her and peering down with their hands folded at their waist. "Two people like you now! What are the odds! Are you gonna fuck him too?"

Fucking shut up! She mentally screamed at it, shaking off the ensuing dizziness as the world stopped spinning. She'd hope the nagging specter would have vanished as well, but it still persisted, mocking her with its gaze.

Furious at herself for getting distracted she quickly picked herself up and rushed in to retaliate, slugging him hard in the face before kicking him hard in his ribs repeatedly just emphasizing just how pissed off he had made her. The monkey faltered but refused to take it lying down, he tagged her right back with a hard shot to the eye that closed it almost immediately and then another hard right hand to the jaw, making her fall to a knee. She violently spat up blood, but still, she stood back up, pissed off ready for more.

The monkey, haggard and weary, glared right back at her. He no longer kicked or danced, his sore nethers made it hard for him to move like before. She could also see from the exhausted offense he just had one motivation now, putting her down by any means he had left. He raised his fists and beckoned her on, and stubbornly Kyuu obliged, marching towards him.

San, of course, screamed his head off, likely begging for her to reconsider, warning her not to go blow for blow with him. Regardless she couldn't hear him, nor did she care, her rage had overridden restraint and banished common sense from her mind. She was going to make Pao pay. And she was going to do it now.

She weaved another of his wild punches and slammed her fist into his ribs, then ducked another shot as she slammed her fist into his liver in a fast exchange, causing him to cough violently before she knocked his head back with a hard leaping uppercut.

Pao, punch drunk, staggered back briefly as his jaws slammed shut into each other, his teeth rattling, his head swimming as he tried to get his bearings. She pelted his ribs again, giving them a hard once over before he was able to think clearly and respond. He hurled a hard right hook that forced her back, but she quickly returned, leaping at him with a twisting flying kick.

The monkey saw the setup and readied himself for the worse. Desperate, he put everything he had left into an intercept, swinging his fist hoping to swat her down.

For the briefest second the two warrior's fierce eyes locked as they readied for collision, knowing full well that it all came down to this. Whoever hit first was going to knock the other out. Pao's fist arced through the air one last time like a heat-seeking missile bearing in on her face while her pad-braced leg swung like a baseball bat for the back of his soft head.

Thwack!

The sound of their clash echoed through the arena. It was like two trains colliding. Both fighters struck each other simultaneously in a devastating cross. His large knuckles nearly caved her soft snout and blood splurt out like a fountain while her kick slammed in the back of his head, twisting his head up and sending another loose tooth flying out of his bloodied mouth.

His punch blew through her almost like a shotgun, and she was propelled like a cannonball, crashing headfirst into the barrier where she fell and slumped against the wire mesh like a ragdoll. Pao stumbled clumsily from the momentum, and wobbled unstable on his feet, before hitting the mat himself, face first with a thud. "Isso foi para meus colhões… ugh…" He groaned, trailing off before he fully went inert.

The whole arena had a diverse atmosphere. Some were speechless. Others were on their feet screaming their heads off. San and the whole small gathering of Pris's girls were shocked and jaws ajar as they stood there peering down at the bruised rabbit as she laid there completely still. The camelid immediately dropped down to his knees by the cage, dropping down to her back, prodding at her from on the other side of the cage, beckoning for her to get up.

"Kyuu! C'mon up on your feet!" He shouted. She wouldn't budge. He was relieved to see she was still breathing, her chest going up and down but it was clear she was out like a light. He feared she might have a slight concussion.

Baraki, in the stands, still gripped his microphone, finally silent, having no words to scream. A double knockout. This was sorta a rare occurrence. While a lot of times competitors fought till they had nothing left, usually there was a decisive winner. The arena didn't have many rules, but there was always one constant rule: The last beast standing when the gong is sound , wins. The only real way to decide this would be to count and give one or both of them a chance to get up.

"Both fighters have to the count of 10 to rise to their feet or they will both be disqualified!" He announced loudly for all to hear. He of course got a very negative response of boos. Nonetheless, he began to count.

1...

2...

3...

"C'mon, Kyuu get up!" San barked at her once more, urgency in his voice. "They're counting! Come on. Up up up!" He pleaded.

"Get up, damnit!" Lùn shouted next to him. "You made me a promise! Get your ass up!" Her eyes soon began to water as she banged her fists viciously against the cage. "Don't you lose here!"

Kyuu only moaned unresponsively, drool sliding down her bruised mouth as she slumped pitifully further to the floor, much to their dismay.

"I know that sound well, her clock's been rung" Loba commented, definitely as she folded her arms. "She ain't getting up. She's out."

"Don't say that!" Lùn barked, angrily punching the wox in the thigh who just barely flinched. "C'mon Kyuu! GET UP OR I'LL BITE YOU GOOD!" She growled at the rabbit, to no avail. Fa reached out and pulled her sister in close. "Get up!"

"It'll be alright, Loony." The Bat-ear said, patting her sister's head.

4…

5…

6…

"What the hell?!" Su the leopard growled from Pao's corner, banging against the cage wall in a rage. "Get up you sack of shit! You're screwing us over!" He screamed at the monkey lying face down in the cage.

"Levante-se do chão!" Get up off the ground! Gustavo cried out, trying to rouse his pupil. "Levante-se, Pao!"

Paulo's shoulders hunched up as he tried to push himself off the floor, but he quickly collapsed. He was completely spent.

Marcos comforted the ape, by softly rubbing his fingers along the bonobo's shoulders. "Ele lutou muito, Gustavo." He said, offering some sympathy. "Sinto muito que tenha chegado a este ponto."

"But your deal. Paulo…" Gus said, looking up at him

"I'll think of something." The jaguar answered quietly, smiling at his friend comfortingly.

7…

8…

9…

Both heads of the Madaragumi were just as livid if not more so than the crowd.

"He won, right?!" Ponzu asked, looking down into the cage. "He knocked her out first!"

"Of course not, The raccoon is counting him out too!" Miso growled.

"But he can't do that! Our deal!" The other leopard screamed, tearing at his white fedora, nearly ripping it to pieces.

Priscilla, herself had no words but was just as shocked by the turn of events. It was clear neither was going to rise in time.

While she never and still didn't care much for the lop outside of her relation to San, she did have a tinge of guilt for getting her wrapped up in this. Of course, the rabbit had wanted this fight, doggedly so, but it had been Priscilla herself that allowed it to happen. She could have postponed like she had offered, as San had wanted, but she went through with it anyway. On the other hand, though, seeing the two leopards panicking brought a sly grin to her muzzle. She could smell the opportunity and this might be a blessing.

"…10!" The raccoon finally cried through the loudspeakers. Neither fighter had made it to their feet in time. It was a double knockout. " That's it, that's all she wrote! Call it fellas!"

And just like that, the loud gong was sounded and the match was brought to a rather dissatisfying end. As Baraki announced the results, a large chunk of the arena began to voice their displeasure. A cacophony of loud jeers echoed throughout the chamber. They wanted things simple. They wanted a clear winner.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the Back Alley! As a result of both fighters being unable to continue, we're going to have to call this match… a draw!" He said as if reading out a regulated handbook. "In the event of a draw, the champion still retains their title but this will count as a draw on both of their records! And more importantly… we will be offering ugh…"

Baraki literally started to feel physically ill as the next words weighed heavily on him, lowering the mic to let out a groan of frustration.

"…refunds! We're gonna offer refunds to all… to all who put up wagers on this fight… please head to the betting office in an orderly fashion where you will be able to ask for a refund for the bout. We at the Arena would like to apologize for the disappointing results and hope you will understand!" He said, rather deflated as he pulled the microphone away once more and just kicked the underside of his desk in a rage. "Fucking God Damn it!"

Truth be told he was right there with 'em with disappointment, he hated DQ finishes. People wanted a decisive outcome. He sank into his chair and pulled a small bottle of Old Stag. "Well, at least we still made bank…Thank Rex for the undercards," He said before guzzling down his liquid vice.

Despite the offer of refunds, a good portion of the crowd began to become unruly, some began throwing trash down into the arena area.

Baraki was quick to put the bottle down and try to keep the peace. He knew Priscilla would have his head if another riot broke out.

"Now everyone calm down! You will get your money back for this fight! C'mon! Please behave in a civilized manner!"

His words barely even fazed the crowd who began picking up their folding chairs and began tossing them into the arena as well. Expensive chairs!

"Hey! Put those down!" He barked at them. "Security!" He nervously ordered, commanding his big bruisers on payroll to try to keep some order and stop the people from tearing his building apart. "Security. Do yer damn job! Get this place under control!"

The Lounge

---

"Miso! What the hell happened?!" Ponzu shouted at his brother. "Our fighter knocked her out!" He spouted, furiously wringing his hands in the air.

"He also got counted out, too, Ponzu," Miso explained, no more amused by the outcome than his brother. "Remember. The other fighter has to be standing on his feet before the match is over! I hate to say it, but that's how it works."

"That's bullshit! We got too much riding on this! Tell them to restart the match!" Ponzu demanded. "Wake 'em both back up! Whoever knocks the other down wins! Priscilla-san, tell them to start it over!"

"What did I tell you about making demands, here?" The aforementioned arctic fox, remarked as she glowered at the two leopard brothers sulking on their side of the booth.

"They never leeeearn," Raira said, voice slurred from sipping her fifth refill so far, giggling at the two. "They act like they hold weight here."

"I'm afraid, Madaragumi. All you're chances have been spent." Priscilla said standing up. "The fight is over."

Priscilla had an insufferably smug expression as she and Raira both made their way over to talk to the leopards. A subtle look to the entryway had her other security detail back them up as well as they approached the two leopards.

"I would say better luck next time, but there won't be a next time," She said, just relishing in their defeat.

"Rargh!" The pissed-off leopard pointed at Priscilla. "Wipe that disgusting grin off your face! Your fighter lost too…technically I mean!"

"Well… that is true," she said, shrugging, thinking about it. "I didn't plan for a tie."

"That means you don't get a claim to the property we put up! Don't you want our bathhouses and massage parlors?!" He jammed his finger in her face. The arctic vixen frowned as she stepped under the feline's digit and walked over to the overlooking balcony.

"Oh right! You did put up that property for the wager. I guess it just slipped my mind." She said, feigning disappointment. "I'm just so heartbroken over it.

"Yeah it's a real bummer, Pris, we're totally missing out!" Raira exclaimed, hunched over on her crutches and looking over at her Inari sister. "I was sooo looking forward to getting a spa treatment."

"Truue," Priscilla responded, playing cute. "And it would have been nice, Rai-chan. I would have given you free discounts on full-body massages. Ooh the masseuses, I probably would have hired a bunch of beautiful hunks and babes too."

"Priiiiiiis stop…" The silver fox whined as she blushed. "You're actually making me regret it even more."

"Those gentle hands as they get all up into your nooks and crannies." Priscilla continued, teasing her silver fox. "Would have been to die for."

"Pris!" Raira cried, slapping at her, fanning herself as her fur stood up. "I said knock it off! Getting a heat flash here."

"Oh and don't forget the lotion and the oils and maybe some facials. They'd really have your fur shining like a nice gossamer. And the bathhouses, we could have scheduled a date for all the girls too and San for that matter. I'm sure he could appreciate a dip… I wonder if he even can swim? Oh well, c'est la vie. " The arctic vixen shrugged hardly bothered.

Ponzu had had enough as he erupted, cutting their conversation off. "STOP MAKING LIGHT OF THIS!" The hatted leopard screamed, stamping his feet in a rage. "We both lost! We both got screwed out of our agreement! WHAT ABOUT OUR DEAL?!"

"Whoa, whoa, Ponzu-sama. Indoor voices." Priscilla chided him. "Well, the deal was, that if your fighter won, I would offer you a partnership, right? He didn't win, so technically… I have no reason to uphold my offer. So, I guess thanks for playing."

"But… we paid you!" Ponzu stammered spouting like a boiling pot. "150 Million yen!"

"Yes. You did. To get up here. That money was practically an entrance fee and a reason for me to allow the two of you up here again. Remember, Miso-sama has a ban that I overlooked at your request. I upheld that in good faith because you paid me. Especially after you caused a scene the last time you were here. And I have to say you really made me regret giving you a second chance, what with Miso harassing my staff." She said, jabbing her fan at Miso.

Ponzu crushed his hat in his hands as he stormed off towards their couch, not uttering another word as he stewed in his anger.

Miso however just narrowed his eyes at the vixen. As per usual he was calmer and more collected of the two. "I see how things are, Mistress Chance." He stated. "This was never as big a deal to you as it was for us. We had the larger risk the whole time it seems."

"Well, I wouldn't put it that way," Priscilla stated. "Honestly the possibility of a partnership with the likes of you had me on edge the whole time." She said, rather snobbishly. "I really dodged a bullet in my opinion."

"Right…" The leopard scowled, taking the insult seemingly in stride. "So you're just okay with losing, huh fox?"

"Well, I don't exactly like to lose and I am a bit hurt that I missed out on a sizeable addition to my business like your property, but…

"But…" The leopard growled lowly, already sensing the direction of the conversation.

"I think that I can fill that deep hole this loss has left in my heart with that 150 million yen you paid me. It was twice my normal monthly tribute after all. So thank you oh so much, Miso-sama. You saved me the trouble of wrangling up that sum on my own" She said, grinning slyly as she bowed. "Now I guess as condolence for your loss, you are free to enjoy a few drinks on the house at the bar before you depart." A few, she specified. "And I must ask that you refrain from messing with my staff again. I do believe I made myself clear on how I view my girls."

"Of course…" Miso grumbled, knowing this was playing right into the fox's favor. "Well, enjoy your small fortune, Mistress Chance. Thank you for your time." The leopard looked to his compatriot and straightened his robe. "Come on Bro. We are leaving. I've had enough of this excursion."

"That's just it? We're leaving?!" Ponzu asked, looking at his partner incredulously.

"Yeah. Round up the boys. " Miso said, slipping him a subtle wink.

The hatted leopard glanced over to the foxes then back to him and then nodded, heading into the bar area with the other Madaragumi.

Down in the cage

---

Kyuu…

Kyuu!

Kyuu!

San's voice started faint but soon sounded like it was coming through a loudspeaker. "Kyuu?! Kyuu?! "

"Ugh… Master Gouhin… Please… I just had another fight at school is all.. " She groaned as she rested in his arms. "I didn't start it…" She mumbled.

"Oh great… she's in lalaland. Uh… Kyuu?" San said, much louder as his large hand continued to slap the side of her face. "Come on, snap out of it. Gotta get up. C'mon. The fight is over."

"What?! The figh-wha?" Her eyes popped open at the mention. She weakly groaned, trying to get her body to move. Her snout felt crushed and smarted like crazy. Her left eye was shut completely and she had difficulty opening it. It was swollen, she could tell. As her vision focused she saw San crouched in front of her, the big llama blocked her entire view.

Lùn quickly strolled around him, looking distraught apparently from crying, just glared angrily at the rabbit as she crossed her arms. "You…" She snarled, tensing up. "You screwed up!"

"I lost?!" Kyuu asked, a bewildered look on her dark bruised face as she tried to stand on her own, finding it difficult. "Don't tell me I lost. He knocked me out again?!"

"Well sorta…" San quickly spoke up, hoping to ease her concerns. "It was a no contest. The raccoon called it a draw. So you're still the champion…technically." He said, rolling his eyes and scratching behind his ear.

"What?" She asked, leaning back on the cage defeated… still processing everything.

As she looked up, she saw across the cage her opponent Pao, who was barely conscious, being lifted off the floor by his ape manager who wore a saddened look on his face. A bit of rage reddened the rabbit's face as she remembered the strange monkey's treachery, but her body was in no condition to really do anything. Her aches had aches.

As she looked on, a leopard clad in shabby kimono robes and wearing sunshades had started screaming at them, threateningly so, brandishing his claws as he looked ready to attack them. She saw another bigger cat similarly dressed get in between them and pushed the leopard back and yelled at him, pointing his finger in his face almost as if protecting Pao and the ape. Before she could see what happened next, San's large frame eclipsed her view, reaching out and grabbing her face.

The woolly llama exhaled annoyed as he began feeling her face for injuries. "Yep, swelling. Lùn, hand me an ice pack please." He said. She had quite a bit of swelling and her snout would need a while to heal. He probably could ask Priscilla if they could go to a doctor. The miniature fox, still pissed, shoved the pack into his hands.

"So what exactly happened?" Kyuu asked him, curious to see where she had gone wrong.

"You both knocked each other out," San explained as he pressed it to the rabbit's face. "He stiffed you real good during that cross. You got him with a kick to the head. Knocked him silly." He then frowned and suddenly wrapped his knuckles upside the lop's fuzzy domed head. "And he only got you because you were such a knucklehead!" He shouted, bopping her a few more times for good measure.

"Ow!" She exclaimed, annoyed.

"I told you going 'blow for blow' was bad. But do you listen? No. Course not." He just groaned and began spraying stinging antiseptics on her cuts. "Hold still." He said as he wiped away the blood with some wipes.

"I knocked him out too, didn't I?" Kyuu insisted, wincing a little from the stings.

Lùn then walked up and punched her in the shoulder, much to San's annoyance as he was just about to patch up Kyuu's wounds.

"Ow!" Kyuu uttered even louder. "What was that for?!" She snapped, glaring at the miniature vixen.

"For fucking scaring me like that!" Lùn growled, shaking Kyuu by the shoulder strap.

"Come on… don't tell me you're going to worry every bout, Loony." The rabbit replied.

"You promised me you were gonna win!" The fox snapped, shaking the lop even hard much to San's dismay. "Keep your word or we're going to have a problem!"

"Could you stop?" He requested, giving her a tired look. "I want to patch her up before we leave, y'know."

"Yeah, calm down," Kyuu said, dizzily. "I'm still at the top anyway. I walked away from it alright. You'll get your shot like I promised." She insisted.

"Yeah, but you didn't WIN! It was a draw!" Lùn said, jabbing her finger in the lop's bruised face. "I know you like to save face and call them wins but they ain't wins! What if he didn't go down?! Huh? You'd be an even bigger loser and I'd have to take him down myself. And what if he had actually killed you?! Huh?"

The rabbit normally would have shot back with a witty comeback or jab at the fox's expense, but the fox's words rang true. "I'll try harder next time," She said, looking away, sounding defeated. "I got distracted and I let my anger get the better of me. I'm-I'm sorry."

"Yep…" San mumbled unsurprised, clasping an ice pack to her eye. "That's always been a problem. Glad you at least recognize it." He snidely remarked. "Maybe you'll do something about it… though knowing you? Probably not…"

Kyuu just groaned as tilted her gaze towards the floor. Lun's hand suddenly rested on her shoulder.

"I might be mad but I am also glad you're still breathing." The fox said, her anger fading as her face softened. "You're in one piece and that's what truly matters to me."

"Thanks…Loony," Kyuu said, smiling softly as the miniature vixen brought the lop in for a big warm hug.

"Just means I get to beat you up myself." The fox whispered, arrogantly into her ear.

The rabbit smiled at the fox's remark, knowing it was still endearing between the both of them. She summoned just enough strength to raise her arms and complete the hug as she nuzzled her head on Lùns shoulders. "Soo are you finally going to ' eat' me tonight?" The rabbit asked, whispering in the vixen's ear.

"Fuck no, you loser ." The fox growled in her ear, hugging her even tighter. "If anything you're gonna eat me. So you better treat me. I'm the winner here after all."

Kyuu heaved a defeated sigh, "Fine. Rub it in why don't ya…" She whispered as the two rocked each other back and forth.

"Maybe I will…" the fox sassily remarked.

"Aw… Isn't that such a cute picture? Well don't get too comfortable, girls," Loba said, appearing behind San with an additional first aid kid and carrying the rabbit's bloody mouthguard and knives. "A win barely gained means there is room for improvement. And Snack you didn't even win… so guess what that means?"

"You're gonna be tougher on me?" Kyuu guessed.

"Correct." The wox stated coldly, standing over the two like a drill instructor.

"Loba…" The pygmy groaned as she looked up at her annoyed. "Come on… can't she rest?"

"Daily two eight-mile runs for the both of you." The wox dictated much to the surprise of the Fennec hybrid.

"What? Why me too? I won my fight!" Lùn protested

"I wasn't finished," Loba growled. "For a whole week."

Kyuu groaned and looked down, while Lùn took great offense. "Come on, why are you punishing me?!"

"You both train under me now, so when one of you screws up, you both get punished." The Wox remarked with an evil grin on her muzzle. "Maybe that ought to give you the incentive for you to not screw up."

"But…" Lùn started to whine.

"Who is the teacher here?!" The towering wox growled down at them.

"Yes, Loba-sensei." They collectively grumbled.

"That's what I thought." The wox said, turning up her head content with their obedience.

San couldn't help but chuckle at the two. As he began packing up the first aid kit he heard loud thumps pierce the noise of the rowdy crowd.

Bow Bow Bow Bow BOW!

It sounded like… gunshots. He recognized the sounds, though distant, handguns. Similar to the kind Priscilla used.

No sooner had he looked up to the overlooking lounge, thinking about her, there was a loud piercing scream before a body just plummeted from the skybox, right into the cage, nearly cruising the llama as it landed right in front of him!

"Whoa!" San exclaimed, falling over as he frantically tried to scoot away from the obvious corpse. "Whoa! T-that's a body! What the hell is going up there?!" The camelid asked wide-eyed in surprise, his heart beating out of his chest.

"Hey, ain't that one the Madaragumi?!" Fa asked Loba, squinting and inspecting the body, a large spotted cat, a leopard clad in fancy robes. Oddly enough, the fall was the least of his concerns. The body's torso was gruesomely perforated with two big holes that came from a shotgun.

"Yeah." The wox commented. "That's one of their goons! They're upstairs in a meeting with Priscilla. Looks like Oneesan's handiwork right here. Shotgun blast."

"Pris is in danger?!" San shouted, peering up to the overlooking lounge as more gunshots and screams rang out above. The arena spectators all panicked, rushing out of the chamber en masse like a stampede.

Suddenly there was a squawk of radio chatter and the distant sounds of gunshots. Fa pressed the button on her dress's lapel. Suddenly the silver fox's voice blasted through the small speaker with the sounds of screaming and gunshots in the background.

"Fa! Loba! Loony! Anyone! Come in!" Raira barked.

"This is Fa, I read." The bat-ear replied, bringing the mic up. "What the hell is going on? What's all that shooting?!"

"We got a situation up here!" The silver fox screamed, the sound of her Berettas going off so close to the microphone nearly drowned out her voice. "The Madaragumi are being sore losers again! We're holding our own at the moment, but we need some backup! Get Loba and round up some of Baraki's guys and get up here ASAP! We can beat them back if you hurry!"

"Shit, Loba, head up there right now!" Fa ordered. "I'll go find Baraki."

"You got it Fa, time to bring some kitties to heel ," The big wox growled, smiling menacingly as she slap the big formidable kanabo bat in her hands before bounding out of the cage en route to the lounge upstairs.

Fa pulled her pistol out from her ankle holster and looked at Lùn. "Loony, I know you want to help, but stay here with the herbivores." She instructed. Neither of you is at 100 percent and I don't want you to get hurt up there."

Lùn looked like she was going to protest but quickly changed her tune, nodding to her big sister. "I'll keep 'em safe, Fa." She promised, nodding to her sister dutifully as she pulled out her kukris.

"Thanks! Wish me luck!" The bat-ear shouted as she headed out of the cage into the stands.

As Lùn started to escort her and San to the locker rooms, Kyuu turned to check out the Madaragumi that she had seen with Pao, but strangely enough both Pao, his manager, and the jaguar had vanished. Only the leopard was left, lying in a bloody heap unconscious on the floor oddly enough with a dented steel chair lying on top of him.

Strange, she thought as she turned away and followed the fox and the llama.