Chapter Nine
Samuel took a few deep breaths as he stood with the other fighters waiting to be called forward.
He was excited but also nervous.
It was a huge turn out and he could see many people cheering and shouting.
In the ring as well as around it, he could see many girls in skimpy clothes dancing and prancing getting the crowd riled up.
He could also see many spectators were holding up cards with photos of their favourite fighters.
It was nothing new to him as he was used to it, whether they be ordinary spectators, or street gangs.
But that was about to change when he started to listen in to the conversations from the other fighters who were also waiting to be called forward.
"Such a turn out!" One said, this one in white shorts with blue detail and a blonde mohawk "And many throwing money in and who will make it to the end!"
"For sure!" A second one piped up "And not just the public, but those of the Crime Underworld!"
"Some of the Big Crime Lords are here to bet the big bucks!"
As he heard that Samuel went slightly pale.
"Crime Underworld?" he thought "Crime Lords?"
In his years of taking part in Underground fights, there had always been dangerous people either taking part or throwing money in, but never did he suspect that there were more dangerous Gangs like the Mafia or the Yakuza.
He had heard stories of them, and it wasn't just limited to movies and TV shows he had watched, but that they were very dangerous and not to be messed with.
As he glanced around, the man with the blonde mohawk walked over to Samuel.
"Hey Sam." He said in a low voice to which Samuel looked over and cocked his head.
"What's up?" he asked.
"Thought I'd give you a heads up." The Mohawked man said, "Some of the fighters here are members of these Mafia's in attendance tonight!"
"Mafias?" Samuel asked in surprised then realised it wasn't a joke "In attendance?"
"Yeah," the Mohawked man said, and Samuel narrowed his eyes as he thought of Alexandra out in the spectator's area.
"Damn, and Alex is out there by herself..." he muttered.
"The Mafias are paying big bucks with their bets, and they got fighters of their own here too..." the mohawked man continued "So be careful..."
Samuel looked at the fighter grateful he had pre-warned him.
"Thanks for the heads up." He said then he paused "Erm, didn't catch your name."
"It's alright" the fighter winked "And it's Jason."
"Got it. Thanks!" Samuel smiled to which Jason winked again and went to stand with the other fighters.
After he had walked away, Samuel crossed his arms and thought hard.
"So there are some dirty fighters in this?" he thought.
"Gotta be on the lookout! The trouble is, I have no idea who these fighters are, or where they are!"
He looked at all the fighters gathered, male and female and all dressed like him in shorts or in the women's cases in two pieces or leotards.
There was no indication to suggest they would be working for a mafia, but then again, he couldn't tell from just looking at the fighters whether they were just ordinary people with a secret life or gangsters, or whatever.
Before long a smartly dressed man walked over holding a list on a clipboard and he started to walk around looking at all the fighters.
"All participants," he called "When you signed up you were all assigned numbers. Will the fighters who were assigned 1 and 2 step forward?"
Two men stepped up to him and both with the numbers one and two on their fronts.
"Right!" the smartly dressed man said, "Brock and Randy right?"
The two men nodded.
"Right!" the smartly dressed man said, "You're first up to fight!"
The fighters nodded and after looking at each other started to head towards the ring in the cage as the commentors started to announce the first fights and the crowd started to get louder and more excited.
Samuel looked at his own number on his front and he thought for a moment.
"it's gonna be a while until I'm called." He mused "Hmm...maybe I'll go find Alex and sit with her until I'm up to fight."
He turned to walk towards the crowd until Jason called out to him.
"Hey Boy! Where are you going?" he asked.
"I'm not on for a while." Samuel explained "I was gonna check in on my girlfriend."
Jason raised an eyebrow.
"Ah yes, that little lady you brought in with you?" Jason asked, "Oh well, do what you want mate, but make sure you're close to hear your name called!"
"Got it!" Samuel nodded and picking up a dressing gown he had put down earlier nearby he wrapped it around himself and hurried out of the fighter's waiting area and into the spectators' crowd to look for Alexandra.
Alexandra meanwhile was sitting in her spot watching the cage just as they were announcing the fighters.
She had to cover her ears a few times each time the crowd screamed encouragement and excitement.
Despite coming to fights like this, she never fully got used to the noise and often joked to Samuel she would go deaf before her time.
"Announcing the first fighters of the tournament!" one of the commentors shouted "All the way from San Francisco, California! The Groundin' the Poundin' Brock Peterson!"
The crowd screamed and shouted more as some rock music was played through the speakers and before long a tall man in a blue and silver male's leotard with his black hair in a tight ponytail walked out and into the ring throwing his arms in the air as well as pounding his silver taped fists together as the crowd cheered for him.
"And also, fresh off the plane from Denver, Colorado, the determined and ready to squeeze as much fun as well as sweat! Randy ACE Amberton!" the second commentator bellowed, and the crowd went wild again as some Rap music was played and Randy appeared wearing red and yellow shorts with red tape around his fists and his red hair cropped.
As they stepped into the ring, they gestured to the crowds who shouted and cheered support and encouragement.
Alexandra meanwhile wondered which one was more likely to win, as Samuel had told her, all the fighters had their different styles and they all worked well in a fight as well as against other styles.
As she looked to the side, she suddenly saw to her amazement, Samuel climbing up the stairs to get to her.
"Sam?" she questioned cocking her head as she saw her boyfriend come over.
"Hey you!" Samuel winked as he sat next to her.
"Is everything alright?" Alexandra questioned "I thought you were meant to be down there, not up here!"
"They're selecting the fighters based on numbers." Samuel explained "And it looks like it'll be some time before my first fight. So I thought I'd come watch them with you until then?"
"Okay, if, you're sure?" Alexandra asked.
"Yes of course!" Samuel nodded then turned to the first fight in the cage.
"Hey! The first ones starting! This should be interesting!"
Alexandra looked back at the cage just as the fighters were ready to begin.
Meanwhile under the bleachers that Alexandra and Samuel were sitting on, Cam and Barry watched the fight.
"Been looking forward to this!" Barry rubbed his hands together.
"Who do you want to win?" Cam asked.
"Hmm." Barry mused rubbing his chin "I think I'll go for Randy!"
"Okay!" Cam said, "I wager five beers Brock wins!"
Barry looked at his friend cheekily.
'You're on!" he challenged then looked back out to watch the fight.
Brock and Randy began the fight by circling one another, both looking to grapple the other and execute their gameplan.
Suddenly, Brock made a dash for Randy making the crowd gasp, lowering his body to tackle Randy to the mat.
Randy sidestepped out of Brock's way and before his opponent could get back to his feet, Randy wrapped his arms around his waist and kept him grounded before landing a few hammer-fists to the side of his head.
"Oh yeah!" Barry cheered "Those beers are good as mine!"
Taking a few punches, Brock fought his way back to his feet despite Randy keeping his arms around him and starting to attack by lifting his knees and slamming them into his ribs and back.
Alexandra winced as she watched, and Samuel licked his teeth.
"Felt that!" he muttered.
Randy kept his assault going, landing more knees to Brock, and pushing him up against one side of the cage, keeping him them and continuing to attack him.
Randy tried to throw another knee, but just as he did, Brock used his strength to fight out of Randy's grasp and catch his knee by locking his arm with his leg.
"Looks like I'll be getting those beers!" Cam grinned as he twitched excitedly, and Barry looked back at the fight biting his lip hoping Randy would get back on top of the fight again.
Trapped, Randy started to hop up and down on one leg in an attempt to keep his balance but in an instant, Brock let go of his leg, wrapped his arms around his waist, lifted him off his feet and slammed him down to the mat on his back with a crushing Belly To Belly Suplex move making everyone gasp and Alexandra almost covered her eyes.
Randy grimaced as he was slammed to the mat and Brock quickly mounted his downed opponent, beginning to rain down brutal punches and elbows aimed at his head. Randy covered up and tried to get back to his feet, but Brock blocked his transition and kept him grounded.
Randy then tried to roll over onto his front, but Brock expected this. As a result, he lifted his body just barely as Randy rolled over and as soon as Randy gave him his back, he put all his weight down on him, got into a much dominant position on his back and began to slam punches down on the sides and back of Randy's head.
Randy tried his best to cover up and stand, but Brock's smothering pressure and attacks began to overwhelm him and one solid punch to the side of his head rendered him unconscious, causing the referee to call for the bell and end the match.
At once the crowd erupted with cheers as well as boos of disappointment at the outcome.
Barry was one of them as he facepalmed.
"Awww man!" he groaned as he looked at his rhino friend who was cheering and clapping his hands.
"Looks like I owe you Five beers when we get home!" he moaned.
"You sure do my Mohawk friend!" Cam cheered.
Barry frowned.
"I'll make you another bet when they announce the next fight!" he challenged "This time, it's five batches of Patch's Famous Fruitcake!"
"You're on!" Cam winked.
Meanwhile, Alexandra looked to Samuel.
"Intense or what huh?" Samuel asked to which Alexandra nodded.
"I'll say!" she said, "Even after all the fights I've been to, I'm still not used to seeing such hard bumps!"
"Did you recognise any of those styles babe?" Samuel asked to which Alexandra turned to him.
"Umm...no, actually." She said, "Apart from your style and maybe kick boxing, I didn't recognise those."
Samuel chuckled.
"No problem sweetheart." He said, "Well Brock, the guy who won, he's Ground and Pound."
"Seems obvious with the many hits he laid on Randy." Alexandra commented.
"Uh huh," Samuel nodded "And Randy, he's trained in Greco-Roman."
Alexandra looked at Samuel in question and he explained.
"They use mostly freestyle and grappling above the waist to bring down their opponents."
"I see..." Alexandra said then she saw the commenters stand in the middle of the ring to announce the next fight.
"Wow folks that sure was a good opening fight! And Brock will be joining us again later! But for now, let us move onto the next fight! And place your bets in!"
The crowd cheered louder, and Samuel looked around and wondered where the Crime Lords Jason had told him were seated.
He guessed they would be more smartly dressed given their positions in Crime Power, but then again, he knew some were good at blending in.
Alexandra noticed his look.
"Sam?" she asked tapping his shoulder "Are you sure everything's alright?"
Samuel turned back to his girlfriend, and he saw her looking at him suspiciously.
Samuel sighed as he knew he couldn't keep secrets from her for long, especially if it was serious.
"Alex." He said leaning to her so she could hear him over the crowd's cheers "The reason I came up here was because one of the Fighters tipped me off about some shady people in attendance!"
"Wait what?" Alexandra's eyes widened "Shady people, like who?"
Samuel frowned.
"Mafia members who have fighters here on their behalf!" Samuel answered to which Alexandra gasped.
"Oh my God! Sam!"
"Yeah, I know." Samuel said nodding with a worried sigh "I wasn't expecting the Mafia to be involved in a fighting tournament!"
Alexandra gulped as she looked around as well, wondering where these Crime Lords would be.
"I knew dodgy people came to these fights, but the Mafia!?" Alexandra exclaimed.
"I'll have to be even more careful." Samuel said, "I've heard Fighters working for Crime Lords can fight dirty, even more so that other fighters I've fought who will pull out all stops to get to the top."
Alexandra was about to answer but then the crowd went wild again as the next fight was announced.
This time it was a fighter called Anderson Matthews from Trenton, New Jersey, and Chuck Willows from Cheyene Wyoming.
Meanwhile Cam and Barry continued to watch from their hiding place.
"I'll cheer for Chuck." Cam said.
"And I'll cheer for Anderson." Barry said.
"With five batches of Patch's Famous Fruitcake at stake!" both mutants laughed.
No sooner did the fight start, than Anderson and Chuck met in the middle of the ring, Anderson going on the offensive immediately by throwing elbows and knees at Chuck at angles that looked as if he was throwing punches and kicks.
Chuck blocked and avoided Andersons's attacks and once he saw an opening, he threw a kick aimed for his opponent's head, but Anderson was able to avoid it by sidestepping at the last second, causing the two fighters to end up in a brief stalemate that the crowd couldn't help but cheer for.
The two slowly sized one another up before Chuck spun his body and extended his arm out, striking Anderson across his face with a Spinning Back Fist that sent his opponent staggering back into one side of the cage.
"Oh! That looked like it hurt!" Cam cried and Barry winced as well as looked crestfallen he would lose another bet.
Looking up, Anderson saw Chuck run towards and leap at him a kick and he had enough wherewithal to roll out of the way back to the centre of the cage.
Chuck landed on the wall feet first and bounced backwards off it back at Anderson, swinging his foot at his head.
Anderson countered Chuck's attack by leaping up and slamming his knee into Chuck's leg, not only blocking his attack but buckling him and making him land on the cage in an awkward stance, grimacing as he felt his leg go out from under him.
Acting quickly, Anderson clasped his hands together, locked them behind the back of Chuck's head and started to slam vicious knees into every part of his body.
Chuck blocked the knees as best as he could, but Anderson also began to throw in quick elbows to his head to switch things up.
One of the elbows sliced Chuck across his forehead and blood began to pour like a faucet from the open wound to which many including Alexandra covered their eyes at the sight.
Alexandra could have laughed at herself as she was used to seeing blood and other fluids being a nurse, but it was different seeing the aftermath of wounds or during a surgery to seeing wounds actually inflicted.
Like a shark that smelled blood in the ocean, Anderson began to unleash a fury of knees to Chuck's face, causing blood to fly in every direction to which the shouts of the crowd got louder as they encouraged the bloody sport.
Chuck withstood as much of the attack as he could until one of Anderson's knees caught him flush on his chin and he crumpled to the mat in a heap, knocked out.
As soon as that happened, the referee called for the bell and ended the match.
Barry punched the air with a cheer as his fighter won the fight.
"Oh yeah man!" he shouted to which Cam cocked his head at his friend bewildered what happened.
"So, I owe you five Beers!" The warthog said, "And you my friend owe me 5 batches of Fruitcake!"
"It's a deal!" Cam said bumping his fist with Barry's.
"I don't think we should do any more bets for a bit, otherwise Louie and Patch will complain we've gambled them out of food and drink when we get home!"
Barry agreed with a laugh then looked back out through the bleachers to see some medics carrying Chuck out of the ring whilst Anderson stood in the middle cheering with his arm being held up by the referee and the crowd reacting with mixed cheers and jeering as they waited for the next fight to take place.
So the first two fights have started! Rather bloody and intense! I wish to thank Meian16 for writing those out since this is something he enjoys and is his field in writing.
Cam and Barry are enjoying themselves too! Betting Beer and Fruitcake rather than bucks! lol!
But Samuel has been tipped off that the Mafia are amongst the spectators and some of the fighters are working for them! Uh oh!
Happy Easter Saturday Everyone!