Cordelia preens under your praise. "Naturally."
"For the record, though," you continue, "how did you win?"
"Ring-out," the brunette replies. "I think the guy I fought was used to being top dog in whatever class he attends, because he was honestly a good fighter, he just didn't seem to know how to deal with being hit as often as I was managing."
"He also didn't like being hit by a 'weak American girl,'" Briar adds, quoting the absent and eliminated contestant with a note of obvious relish.
"...I'm guessing you made him pay for that remark."
Cordelia's grin is nasty. "I stung him extra-hard a few times to get him mad, and let him think he was forcing me back corner. When he tried to push me out, I grabbed his arm, put my shoulder to his chest, and pulled. He just about flew at that point."
"And he made a very satisfying 'thump' when he hit the floor," Briar concludes.
You sit together for the next ten minutes, discussing your matches and periodically glancing at the mats. The numbers have thinned out a bit, although you can see a number of the defeated kids are hanging around to watch the remaining bouts. You also have the opportunity to see the kids you noted before fight again.
The blond boy with the defensive kicking style takes a pounding from a larger boy, but manages to eke out a win by knockout. Immediately prior to that match, you get to see the girl with the fan fight. It's a strange bout; the girl does little more than stand there for the first minute or so, observing how her opponent fights and - as with her friend - offering a critique on his style. The boy doesn't appear to appreciate the advice, and spends the first minute of the fight simply wailing on the girl, who makes no effort to stop him, but also doesn't appear to be harmed by all the blows. She doesn't even stop commenting on his skills the entire time. Then, for whatever reason, she switches tactics, grabbing her opponent and forcing him face-down on the floor with the same kind of casual ease that Monkey Boy showed in the previous round. Ten seconds later, she's declared the winner, but the girl doesn't seem happy about the victory.
The black-haired boy with the simplistic style takes apart another opponent in short order, and then it's Monkey Boy's turn again. You advise Cordelia to watch this one, and are not disappointed when her jaw drops at the sight of the kid's tail, or when he throws his opponent out of the ring and into the next one over, narrowly missing the two boys fighting there. Monkey Boy grins sheepishly and scratches his head in embarrassment as he's promptly disqualified for using excessive force and interfering in another fight.
You can't help but feel that you dodged a bullet there. You, and everybody else still in the tournament.
After that, Ninja Girl steps up. Her opponent this time around is skilled enough to avoid losing by knockout, but she still beats the crap out of him, eventually forcing him to concede. When she leaves the ring, you track her for a moment, and see her joining a tall, fit-looking man in his thirties. They talk briefly before a smiling brunette about the same age as Ninja Girl shows up and drags her off - with not much protest from the red-eyed girl, you note. Cordelia is called up for her next match shortly thereafter, and she's barely stepped off the bleachers when you hear your number being called.
As you approach the ring, you take the measure of your adversary - a boy who is, improbably, even bigger than you are. His features are not Japanese, but classically Nordic, with blue eyes, golden hair, and startlingly pale skin that appears ever so slightly blue under the gym's lights.