Hello people! At last, here is chapter 29 and the first fight i write. I took some liberties when talking about the character's background, since many don't have one 'deep' enough to explore their personality, motivations, etc. So i wanted to add some depth and make more complex backgrounds while sticking as much as possible to the character's core.

I also wanted to tell you that i will enter university in the next few days, so i may take longer to write chapters, but worry not, i won't drop this fic.

It took me nearly a whole week to write and the chapter is longer than the others before it, but i had a lot of fun writing this. I hope you like it.

"ZZZ" The sun was rising and a new day was beginning. People began to wake up and get dressed to start the day.

'Beep beep' A digital alarm started to beep in one room. "Mmmhh." The individual on the bed next to the device rose a hand to turn it off and stay sleeping while muttering "5 minutes more."

Some seconds passed and the figure extended 'her' hand toward the device once more, this time to grab it and look at the time.

...

"Verdammt! The second round is about to start!" With a yell, the person sprang forward and sat up, revealing that it was Alia. Still looking at the alarm in her hand with a mixture of frustration and panic, then she snapped and put the alarm on the night table and rushed to her wardrobe, taking the first clothes she found.

"Scheisse!" Despite all her attempts to get dressed as quick as possible, her morning clumsiness was making it a very tough task. When she finally was done she rushed to the bathroom and washed her face, brushed her hair and got out of her hotel room. Heading to the cafeteria, she kept cussing as she ran while the people around her were left gawking at her.

Nigel was currently in his room, practicing his footwork and shadowboxing. Some of the bruises he got in his first match were almost completely gone. He was hoping Norris would be more respectful than Eito, that man left him with a bad taste in his mouth.

Suddenly, the door opened and the same british man from the crowd entered the room.
"Well my friend, the time has come." Nigel stopped and turned toward him with a smile as he said "Let's hope i have more luck this time." The other man laughed and patted his shoulder while saying "Someone like you does not need luck, i will be seeing your victory from the stands."

Then, both men left the room and parted ways.

Norris was finishing putting on his gi and doing some stretching. Norris took a glance at his reflection on the room's mirror and thought with a sour expression "Damn freak, my chances of winning would be higher if that Adolfus wasn't a sick bastard." He had bandages in all the places where he was bit and clawed, but thankfully, they were no longer bleeding and were partially healed. Norris suddenly smiled and thought with relief "At least Nigel will be a lot nicer opponent, i only will have to worry about his normal moves." He got out of the room and headed toward the tunnels.

The crowd was already finishing to fill the stands. Their excitement could even be smelled in the air. Alia wandered in the stands, looking for someone until she finally spotted them.

Seating in two of the rows, there were Kenta, Taaru, Asuka and Kenji(?). Sighing in relief, Alia went to meet them. Asuka, taking notice of this was the first to greet her "Oh, hi Alia." Everyone in the group turned toward her after hearing her and followed suit. Alia took the seat next to Kenji(?). She took notice of how he was nodding with narrowed eyes, he looked tired.

Alia couldn't help but ask with concern "Hey, Ken. You ok there? Ya look like you didn't sleep well." He stopped moving his head and yawned before answering her question "That's because i think maybe i didn't even sleep at all." He stopped for a second, trying to fully open his eyes, but failing and adding with an eye tic "Some couple next to my room had the wonderful idea of fucking the whole night without having the decency of at least try to keep as quiet as possible."

Alia felt pitiful for him, he is one of the fighters participating in this tournament and since the entire second round will be held today he needed all the rest he could get from the night before. Then she asked with curiosity "Where are your parents?" After a small yawn he said "They told me they had some things to do, but they will be able to watch all the matches after this one." then he thought confused "They must be talking with gramps. Why they introduced themselves with their true names though? They must trust Asuka, Kenta, Alia and Taaru a bit after what i told mom, but to the point of telling them that? Ugh, i am too tired for this."

Trying to help a bit, Alia tried to give him an advice "Why don't you go and take a nap before your match? You can tell Asuka to wake you up." He lightly shook his head and replied with tiredness "But i wanted to watch this match." Asuka was about to tell him that if he didn't take a nap, he won't be able to see Taaru's fight, but Kenji(?) slumped against his seat and fell asleep. Both women sighed, but Asuka used this opportunity to make him lay his head on her shoulder as she blushed with a perverted smile while the young man just snored silently.

Soon, the lights went off and everyone went silent. Then, a single reflector shined upon the center of the area, where Miyuki was now standing. She was now using a blue short dress. She raised her hand and waved to the crowd while she asked "Hello everyone, how are you doing?" The crowd yelled as a reply, making her giggle a bit.

Then she said "Well then, i hope you are ready for action, because now we will begin with the first match of the second round of this tournament!" The crowd roared as a 3d image of two silhouettes punching each other with the words 'Second Round' appeared in the center of the area. Miyuki smiled wide and announced "So, without further delays, let's greet the first fighter!"

The lights came on again and the image disappeared. Lasers began to shine on the area and a 3d image of a fighter jet with a crown appeared above one of the tunnels. Then, Miyuki started talking "This british former Royal Air Force pilot impressed us with his iron will, his respect and skill. Standing at 5'6 and weighting 119 lbs, representing Royal Queen Tea, it's the man who does not fear weight or size. It's the 'Gentleman Fighter' Nigel Gordon!" Smoke started to fill the entrance to the tunnel and Nigel walked out as the United Kingdom's national anthem played.

The crowd yelled in anticipation. A lot of fighters in the association tended to be savages, they often had no respect for the life of their opponent, so it was refreshing to see people like Nigel enter the area.

Once again, the lasers came to life and in the other tunnel a 3d image of a fist smashing through a star appeared above it. With a smile, Miyuki pointed to the tunnel and said "One of the greatest movie stars of USA of all times. Standing at 6'3 and weighting 259 lbs, representing MGH Studio. It's the man who can't stand fake fights, 'Kick Man' Norris Cage!"

The crowd cheered loudly and Norris stepped out as smoke filled the tunnel's entrance and rock music played. The 3d images disappeared, the lasers went off and the smoke cleared. In the stands, the british man sat while smoking a cigar "Well Nigel, show him what you can do." He felt confident in his fighter's ability.

Some rows away, Tyson and Osundak were watching the area intensely. The younger of them asked with curiosity "Master, who do you think is gonna win the match?" Osundak turned to him and replied with interest "At first glance it seems like Nigel has the edge due to having less injuries, but it's hard to guess. Do you know Cage?" Tyson shook his head and elaborated "While i haven't met him in person, he is very famous back in America and i mean continental level of fame. People call him 'the Chuck Norris of the 21st century's second half' and his fame comes not only from his skill as an actor, but as a great Karateka. He has his own style called Kick Man Karate, he took away the open hand strikes and put more emphasis on striking."

Osundak looked deep in thought and commented "Then i think we will only know after the match ends."

Nigel and Norris approached each other and turned to the referee. Both were confused since this one was a different referee than the one of the first round. He was taller and more muscular, with a serious expression. He used to be a fighter of the association, but retired after he fought Shibo in one of the past tournaments.

Then, the referee told them with a firm tone "No cheap shots or you will be disqualified, understood?" Nigel nodded, but Norris looked at the referee with mild confusion. It's not like he's going to deliberately try to do those things to Nigel, but that wasn't in the rules, because if that was the case, then Eito would have been disqualified in his match with Nigel.

Nigel approached Norris and offered him a handshake. Smiling, the actor accepted the gesture and both returned to their positions. The referee raised his hand after they got into their stances and stated "Fighters Ready!" Then, he brought his hand down and yelled "Begin!"

Nigel charged first and threw a straight. Norris parried it and countered with a hook to the head, but Nigel swayed backwards and stepped back. Both men smiled and the crowd started to yell with excitement.

"Everything should be okay if i stay out of his grappling range and if the information it's true, then he can't grab my legs or kick me. I must stay defensive as much as i can." Norris thought. He smiled and made a gesture for Nigel to attack him. Nigel answered by stepping forward with a slightly lower guard. Norris launched a front kick, but Nigel sidestepped and threw a jab, hitting the karateka on his head. He answered with a swift low kick and followed with a punch to the chest.

Norris used to watch a lot of martial arts movies when he was little. One day he asked his parents to pay a master to teach him karate. His talent was evident. When most of his fellow students were trying to get the next belt, he was focused on beating better fighters. For him, belts were just a formality and they were useless for measuring fighting capabilities. One day he was attacked by a local gang and the result was brutal. He barely had any scratches and his attackers were left as a bloody mess. That day, was the one when he discovered he liked fighting...

No, he LOVED fighting. As he grew, not only his power and skill increased, but also his thirst for battle. He even began to demand real fights after he started his career as a movie actor. He came to the tournament seeking the challenge.

This time Norris took the initiative and delivered a flurry of punches while Nigel raised his guard to block the hits, he ducked under one of them, uppercutted Norris in his chin and followed with a jab to the body. Norris jumped back and launched a roundhouse kick. Nigel ducked, but the karateka used this opportunity to deliver a flying kick the moment he raised his head, taking Nigel by surprise. Nigel was thrown to the ground and the crowd yelled.

"I was careless. Mister Cage is truly a formidable opponent at long range. But i know what to do." Nigel stood up with a look of fierce determination and sprinted toward Norris as he readied a punch. The karateka was about to block it, but Nigel suddenly lowered his stance and grabbed him. Norris tried desperately to push Nigel away, but the man's grip was too firm and with a swift motion, Nigel went behind him and threw him to the ground with a suplay throw.

Nigel had practiced boxing since he was little. He always admired those people who fight using their bodies, they were strong, brave, but above all else: most were respectful and niece people. One day he was watching a movie about a young girl with asthma who wanted to be a professional boxer and he noticed how most boxers broke their hands when they struck something without bandages or gloves. In other words, their hands were glass cannons, powerful yet frail.

Nigel asked for a bare-knuckle training regime, turning his hands into true weapons. When he was a bit older, he began to take lessons of greco roman wrestling. He loved both of these sports and considered them the most noble of all combat sports due to not allowing to hit your opponent's back, use your legs for attacking directly or targeting anything below the belt. Direct and honorable.

Norris felt dizzy and tried to get up "E-even just a single throw is this strong?" The referee got near him with his arms crossed and asked with apparent boredom "Can you continue? Or do you want to quit?" Norris finally managed to stand up and with a grin replied "Are you kidding me? I came here for the challenge, i am not quiting until i win." The referee gave a very small smile and gestured for the match to continue. The crowd couldn't hold their excitement and started to cheer.

Norris gazed at Nigel's bouncing feet, then at his arms and a wide smile formed on his face "He he. He won't attack me using his legs or target mine. Very well mister Gordon, i will play your game." Norris got into a more offensive stance, then charged toward Nigel. The british man was taken aback, but didn't step back. Nigel met the karateka with a fake jab and threw an overhand with his other hand. Norris quickly took a hold of Nigel's arm, stopping the punch. Then, he tripped his legs and threw him to the ground, making Nigel land on his lead arm.

Norris mounted him and started to punch him without stopping while the british man could only block. Suddenly, Nigel dropped his guard and grabbed both of the karateka's arms. With all his strength, he pushed him away. Norris landed on his back and Nigel stood up again. Norris got up and thought "Damn it, that throw and all those punches weren't enough, i even struck his shoulder. But at least i will only need a few more hits to disable his lead hand. Though, maybe it will be better to drop my guard and tank some of his blows to land more strikes on him. He is too tough to keep playing hit and run."

Nigel felt a sharp pain in his lead arm and thought with horror "He nearly breaks my arm!" The british man gave Norris a stern look "I kept my distance too much, enough grappling!" From the stands, Nigel's employer smiled "Yes Nigel, focus and finish this."

Nigel and Norris charged at each other with a yell. Norris kicked his side, then Nigel launched a hook, but Norris ducked and countered with an elbow to the chin. Nigel gritted his teeth and sidestepped when Norris threw an uppercut. The british man launched a combination of hooks and jabs while the karateka blocked them. Norris attempted to trip Nigel, but the latter stepped back and answered with a liver hook and an uppercut to the body.

Norris let a loud grunt and both men yelled once again rushing down each other, punching their opponent non-stop, barely dodging and forgeting to block. They turned the match into a slugfest, a war of attrition. The flurry of punches was so quick, so powerful, so intense that it looked like any of them could win, maybe even a draw was possible.

But there would only be a winner.

Nigel put Norris in a clinch and when Norris struggled to get free the british man let go of him and landed a powerful overhand, knocking him out. Norris might have a solid defense, but his attack was his forte. If he had been less defensive, maybe the result would have been different, but even then Nigel was faster and stronger in close range by a significant margin and was better at taking hits.

The referee approached the karateka's bruised and unconscious form and pointed toward Nigel while shouting "Winner by knockout, Nigel Gordon!" The crowd yelled and clapped. Miyuki went back to the center of the area as EMTs carried Norris to the med bay and Nigel left for the tunnel, satisfied and with a big smile. His employer said satisfied from the stands "Well done, my friend."

Miyuki gave the crowd a smile and said "Well, that was a great match, deserving of being the first one of this second round! Stay tuned because the next one will begin soon." She left the area and headed to her room and the crowd followed suit.

Kenji(?) woke up and yawned before stretching himself in his seat. Taaru took notice of this and said "Oh, you finally woke up." the young man commented amused "Maaan, i had the weirdest of dreams. I dreamed that Popeye fought Chuck Norris."

The group stared at him for some seconds and then they started laughing. "W-what's so funny?" Kenji(?) asked confused. Alia answered his question while holding her stomach "Haha, well, you just... you just... oh mein gott! You just described the fight so well." After this the young man joined the laughing fit. Taaru was the first to stop and said with a determined look as he cracked his knuckles "Well, 'that asshole' is next. Kenta, let's go."

"Yes." Everyone sat up and were about to part ways, but Kenji(?) stopped Taaru "Master." The aforementioned turned to him, the young man gave him a thumbs up and told him with a smile "Good luck." Taaru replied with a small smile and said "Thanks."

Some time later, Eito and Adolfus were in the med bay, still recovering. Eito had a cast on his arm and Adolfus had a new set of teeth. Eito looked at him and said with amusement "You are lucky. I might be an asshole, but you tried to kill your opponent. You should be thankful for this technology with stem cells or you would have to use dentures." Adolfus couldn't even speak yet, but he had a board to communicate with others. He wrote something on it and showed Eito the board with the words 'Shut up'.

Seth entered the room and Eito asked "Hey doc, is the match over? Who won?" Seth, gave him a smile and approached a bed with a curtain as he replied "Well, see for yourselves." Seth moved the curtain away to reveal Norris, he was awake and had a grin on his face.

Eito and Adolfus were shocked. The first thought "I won't use cheap shots ever again. Yeah, never sounds good." Nigel entered the room and approached Norris. The actor saw him and said "Hehe, that was great. You really are someone amazing." Nigel gave him a neutral look and said "You almost broke my arm." His eyes widened at the remark and said with some guilt "Damn, i just wanted to disable your lead arm. I thought that if i did it i would win since, you know, you only use your hands to attack. Sorry for that." Nigel smiled and told him "Well, you were also amazing." They shook hands and Nigel went for the door.

Eito stopped him and muttered an apology, Nigel looked at him and gave him a handshake as he said "I accept your apology."
When Nigel was about to exit the room, he turned to Norris one last time before saying with a smile "Norris, are you really sure i use ONLY my hands to attack?" then, he got out and closed the door. Norris was left confused, but after some seconds he chuckled and muttered "You still had some surprises, huh, Nigel?"

TBC