The Phooka stared down at them, his height a bit intimidating, although he seemed friendly.
"You both shall participate in a three-round match, the best out of three winning. The goal is to get your opponent to fall to the ground, and a knockout is legitimate if they stay on the ground for nine seconds or declare defeat. You are both allowed to use hybrid forms of martial arts. No choking or cruel uses of skill to completely black-out an opponent. If a round lasts for more than eight minutes, the round is considered a tie."
He looked behind the two to Jay and Ash. "Spectators may sit up in the bleachers." He pointed to a set of temporary-type bleachers, the easily assembled type.They looked new and shiny, but at the same time didn't look very stable, so Riley hoped they'd be smart and stayed low on the ground. He was happy Jay had bet on him. It gave him a little bit of confidence to know that
someone thought he could win. But, then again, Jay had never seen Colette, so it really was because Riley was tall, and he was a guy. Still.
"I'm about to win you a hundred dollars." Colette confidently said to Ash. She was about 99% sure she would win.
"Don't be so assured of your ability this time." Riley said, hauntingly. "I've been practicing."
Colette scoffed. "Of course I know that. You've been practicing with
me, you idiot.Which, really, is just another disadvantage towards you, since I know all your moves."
Riley glowered at Colette grinned cheekily.
"We'll meet up with you guys later, so Ash can collect her winnings." Colette told them, completely calm about it.
"We haven't even started yet!", Riley whined, and Colette laughed. He grinned at her. Even though he
was in a bad mood, Colette knew this and teased him to try to make him feel better.
It was slowly working, and he was touched she thought they were such good friends that she would try to comfort him in her own, weird way.
"Razeth, can you and Colette's little fairy go to the bleachers?", he nodded, and, after a gesture of acceptance by Colette, the fairy went to sit on his back. They made their way over.
"Her name is Quinn."
"Whatever."
They stepped into the ring, a dusty thing with a fence made of dulled wood around them.
"Not like the snow back home, huh?", he asked, and she smiled sadly.
"I hear the families are supposed to come in a few days." She informed him.
He lit up. "Really?" He smiled brightly, thinking about his grandmother and Oenone.
"Yeah. I guess that made you feel better,huh? Now I'm sure to win."
He darkened. "How sly of you." She laughed, and he had to chuckle a bit himself.
The Phooka came over between them, and asked them to shake hands. When they did, he stepped back out of the ring and shouted,
"Start!"
They circled each other, and Riley tried to make an intimidating stare, but failed as he grinned stupidly.
"Stop it, you doof, you're making me lose concentration." Colette said as she bit her lip, immersed in the 'Ryder'ness of the situation,and Riley rolled his eyes.
She threw a straight punch at him, and he blocked it by making an 'x' with his arms. She blew hair out of her face.
Riley went for a Jab, but Colette blocked him by squeezing his fist between her fingers.
"Ow!", and Colette smiled maliciously.
"You're starting to get sadistic, and it scares me."
"Prepare to be terrified."
She took one step, two steps forward, then kicked him in the gut.
"Hi-yah!", she said as she propelled her leg forward as her body swept down to knock him off his feet. The front kick worked.
"Ugh!", Riley screamed as he fell to the ground. The dust on the ground stuck to one of his arms, which he had landed on awkwardly.
God, this hurts like a bitch!, he thought.
"Five.....six....seven....eight....nine!", Colette counted triumphantly, and the Phooka observing them shouted, "Round One! Point to.....what's your name?"
"Colette, and he's Riley." She responded.
"Round one goes to Colette! Round two.....start!"
Colette offered him a hand up, and he went to take it.
As soon as he reached, she let her hand fall away, and he fell again.
"God!", he shouted, as he fell into the dust again, and felt it settle in his mouth.
"Why do you always fall for that?", she tutted at him. She did that every other hand-to-hand she had with him.
Riley got up again. Things were serious now.
He thought about what had happened only about ten minutes ago, and his eyes heated.
She hates you, she wants nothing to do with you, you scared her, you're a menace, you're stupid, you're ugly, you're creepy.....He repeated these thoughts over and over to himself and side-kicked Colette in the stomach.
"Ahh!", she screamed as she fell face-first into the ground.
Oh my gosh, what was that?! Ow!, she screamed in her head.
One second.
Two seconds.
Three seconds.
She got up again, wiping dust off her shoulders.
I will not be beat., she thought, and repeated the mantra to herself.
"Aw, man", Riley whispered, and she sent a champion grin at him.
As they kept circling each other, Riley threw a punch at her, sending a forceful hit to her shoulder, making her stumble back.
She will never speak to you again.
She will make all her friends hate you.
, he now thought.
She sent a twist punch to his gut, and he doubled back.
Shit, that hurts.But he composed himself.
"Weak." Riley threw at her, and she make that little high pitched scream I'm-so-frustrated-just-die squeak girls do.
"I'll show you weak!", she started to try a butterfly kick, but Riley grabbed her leg and spun her to the ground.
"Oh.....", she moaned, and Riley started to count the seconds.
At nine seconds, the Phooka raised his hands up. "Round Two goes to Riley! Round three-start!"
This was the round that would decide everything.
"I underestimated you, grasshopper." She said, as she grinned at him, and he grinned back.
When training, they didn't care they were hurting each other. It didn't create much strife, except maybe the rare occasion when Colette lost, and she huddled in a corner.
When she thinks about you, she'll be disgusted., he lamented to himself.
She tried to send a hook punch his way, but he blocked it.
Colette glared at him, her eyes narrowed in a way that made him squirm in his pose. She was menacing when she got like this.
Knowing he was intimidated, she made two straight punches to his neck, and succeeded.
"Shit, that stings."
But he reciprocated with a punch of his own, and Colette felt frustrated.
She had both her fists up, and he cupped the fists in his hands, and send her down to the ground.
They were wrestling on the ground now, and couldn't hear anything.
She kneed his stomach, and he howled in pain.
He was on top of her now, and he had his teeth bared as he tried to force her fists to the ground.
What was driving all this power from him?, Colette thought,
Ah, yes, the girl."Give up now?", he now cast his own evil smile at her. "It's worse when it's someone you're close to, right?"
What.She breathed heavily.
How dare he. "You know what's even worse than her hating you, Riley? Her not thinking about you at all."
She felt no sympathy as he went white, and she reversed the position, straddling his waist now.
She had no trouble lowering his arms so they were above his head.
She stood up, and kicked him in the gut.
The seconds passed,and the Phooka pronounced her the winner.
They looked at each other, and realized what they both had done.
Colette now realized Riley wouldn't have made such a big fuss unless he liked the girl. Oh no.
Riley stood up quickly, and hugged her tightly. "I'm really sorry, I didn't mean it, are you ok, you're ok right, please don't hate me, ok?"
"I'm sorry too, I didn't want to." She also breathed her apologies, returning his hug, not even noticing people who were giving them looks.
"I know." He said as he breathed a sigh of relief. He hadn't meant to bring that up, but what she said had also hurt him, more than she knew.
They both knew it was the heat of the moment, and their competitiveness that had gotten in the way, and they both knew they were genuinely sorry.
They exited the ring, and waited for Jay, Ash, and their companions.