The fighters ran towards each other before they landed an uppercut against each other at the exact same time. "Finally!" Ruben shouted, getting the fight his blood-thirsty eyes were waiting for. Herring staggered back, grains of sand getting between his toes as he let out a disgruntled groan, Faim recoiled before recovering quickly and charged at the young fisherman. Just as the blonde fighter swinged in to punch him again when the Rubrum Pirian ducked to kick the blonde fighter by the back of his ankles to knock him off balance, but Faim jumped before Herring had the chance to do so. Herring stood up and kept kicking but his opponent kept blocking his attacks, Faim punched his opponent square in the jaw. Then he punched him again. Herring blocked the next punch then threw sand at Faim's face. The blonde fighter closed his eyes from the stinging sensation before he tried to wipe out the sand from his eyes when he felt his opponent put two of his fingers inside his cheek, Herring used his signature move to fish hook the fighter. Faim felt his opponent tug the inside of his right cheek while trying to hold back tears from the small grains of sand stinging his eyes. 

"That's cheating!" Faim snapped indignantly.
"It's fair game." Herring grinned darkly.
"C'mon, mama needs some boba." Hwa Hae Ji muttered while Mochi purred in her sleep.
"Looks like Herring has the upper hand. What will the judges say about that?" Johnathan said in a sultry tone.

"Unethical at best and sloppy at worst, but at least it was quick thinking so I'll give him that much." Adrian commented as he looked bored to be there.
"Oooh that's sneaky. I like it!" Lizzy smirked evilly as she gave her opinion.
"That's gotta sting." Marie scrunched up her nose as her eyelids creased at the sight of it.

Faim shut his eyes as he heard the roar of the crowd as he felt Herring's nails dig into the inside of his cheek. "Give up?" Herring asked, despite that he felt the pain as the young fisherman was lacerating Faim's vocal cavity, he wasn't going to give up so easily. 
"Ne'er." He responded with determination to fight back. The blonde fighter deliberately fell backwards so that Herring could cushion the blow. Undeterred by the fall, Herring latched onto him like a parasite.

"Geh ahh ee!" Faim protested as he tried to elbow his opponent, but it was no use until he dug his nails on Herring's leg, then headbutted him on the chin. The lanky fisherman winced from the pain as he let go off Faim to hold on to his bruised jaw. Faim finally free to move, he took a defensive stance with eyes closed. 
"You can do it Herring!" Piros cheered him on. Faim blinked as he saw a blur coming closer, then he felt him elbow his throat, constraining the airway of his wind pipe for a brief second before he skidded backwards as he gasped for air. The blonde fighter felt cornered, he was by the edge of the arena. The cacophony of the audience cheering was confusing him. 
"HE'S RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU! MOVE OUTTA THE WAY!" Eimy shouted. Instinctively, Faim jumped as high as he could when Herring punched to where Faim was, and already the blonde fighter could recognize the scent of seafood on his opponent so he grabbed Herring from behind and grabbed him by doing a half Nelson.

"ATTA BOY!" Ximo hollered. 
"Get off me!" Herring shouted.
"You wish." Faim responded while everyone watched.
"BOO! I WANNA SEE BLOOD!" Ruben II protested. 
"BORING!" Grim also booed as he wanted to see some blood. 
"YOU CAN WIN THIS FAIM!" Mewmi shouted.
"How uncouth." Dirlu commented as she waved her fan as she fanned herself, Baci Llus was impressed that Micah was sleeping through all of this noise while she snored.
"FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!" Mike shouted, thrilled to watch the show. Herring did what he could to break out of the half Nelson, even if it meant having a dislocated shoulder. The younger opponent turned to the side before elbowing him with his free arm and pinned him to the sand, though it didn't last long, the blond fighter stood back up again before they were punching each other. Faim kept pummeling his opponent in a barrage of attacks while Herring had trouble keeping up with his opponent's strikes.
"Boo! Hit harder, you lanky shrimp!" The fat Cinnabarian shouted at Herring before Faim punched him at the sternum. 

Shien focuses on repetitive swift and aggressive attacks, commonly used to overwhelm the opponent and shot-gut blows in hopes of triggering yamitzu strikes.

Faim recalled Yin when he instructed him about the first form of Yamitzu before he hit Herring hard enough to fall on the sand.

Herring was running out of time, Faim loomed over him before he rolled out of the way, by the time Herring stood up Faim grappled him with a full Nelson this time, though Herring elbowed Faim repeatedly upside the head to let him go. The blonde fighter put his hand on the side of his head before Herring stood by the edge of the arena to taunt. 
"Is that all you got?" Faim heard as he cleared the sand from his eyes. "Even Ruben can fight better than you!"
"I HEARD THAT!" Ruben II bellowed as he angrily stood from his seat. Some of the spectators kept their distance from him. Faim's dark brown eyes darted around, "I know what you're trying to pull and it won't work on me." Faim said as he gave a lopsided smile.
"Well, I hope you don't mind if I look around." Herring walked to the edge of the arena near Faim's range of sight. "The blonde girl that was cheering for you earlier looks really attractive--" Faim agreed to Herring's statement, Mewmi was attractive, a pretty girl with a nice curvy body that many men would lust over. "--the girl with the headscarf looks pretty too." Herring trailed on.
"That's my sister you're talking about." Faim's lopsided smile dropped.
"I know. She's really something." Herring displayed a devious smirk as he looked at where Eimy was seated. He had no intention in flirting with anyone whatsoever, though he did get a kick out of riling Faim. "Though she's not really my type. I'm not into the typical domineering housewife."
"Watch it." The blonde fighter glared at Herring as he took a step closer, though the young fisherman's nonchalant expression riled him up even more.
"Good point, standing by the edge of the arena is not really a good idea." Herring stepped down. "I don't blame you, I'd be overprotective too if I had a beautiful sister like her." Herring walked closer. "If this was a duel for her hand, I'd have no problem taking her off your hands." Faim charged in to beat Herring senseless, but before he could land a punch on him. He heard the blow of the whistle when the time limit ended, though that didn't stop Faim from trying. Glen blew the whistle again before he got in the way to seperate them.

"It's a tie ladies and gentlemen. Now it's up to the judges to determine the winner." Eleanor announced.

Marie looked at both competitors before giving her verdict. "Faim did a great job giving a combo move against his opponent. He also did a good job in avoiding a ring out when he jumped at the last second. So I give him 10 points in perseverance." Marie said before she looked at the hue-man, "Though Herring tried to do the same, but it backfired on him so he gets 6 points in defense." Marie doodled a number 6 on her blank sign with a little swirl to make it look like a cinnamon roll.

"I liked the fighting moves like the Nelsons, and the swift attacks in rapid succession though in the beginning you were kind of clumsy so you get a 7 in accuracy." Lizzy showed the sign at Faim. "Herring, you were kinda fishy when you were latching onto your opponent like a leech and you resorted to cheating by blinding your opponent. I like your quick thinking, but when you tried to provoke your opponent by the end of the match you ruined your performance. You get 5 points in ingenuity." Lizzy commented when she outstretched her hand for emphasis on giving Herring his score.

Faim and Herring looked at the head judge, Adrian's bald head giving a sleek shine before he gave his critique. "Faim, you made a decent performance, to put it mildly. If it wasn't for the outside help, you wouldn't have perceived your opponent's presence when you were cornered. Without it, you would've lost by a ring out. Now that I'm reconsidering your performance in terms of speed, defense, accuracy and evasion. You would get a 7.8 in total, 2.3 points in speed, 1.4 points in defense, 2.1 points in accuracy and 2 points in evasion on my part. The only thing that I could say to you is that you remained firm to the end, so congrats. Not many fighters last long enough to get a tie. Since you also signed up for the Gladatorium Tryout, I hope that you stay in shape for the exhibition match tomorrow." Adrian then glared at Herring. "I can't say the same for you Herring. You came close, but not close enough. Despite being equally matched in the beginning, your defense declined, same as your evasion. You were quick on your feet though you wasted a good opportunity to take down your opponent when he was blind. Furthermore, your final attempt at provoking your opponent was pathetic and I'm not saying this as a judge, I'm saying this as the eldest of seven siblings, I find your silly taunts of poor taste. You get 5.6 points in total; 1.8 points in speed, 1.4 points in defense, 2.1 points in accuracy and 0.3 points in evasion. Meaning that Faim is unanimously declared the victor of this match." Adrian picked his clipboard to organize his notes.

"No! My boba!" Hwa Hae Ji whined before Ratu took the money that she betted on.
"Sweet." The red haired boy counted the money, won by won. Like taking candy from a babe. Ratu smirked. Wait til Ruben finds out about this.

"You heard it folks! Faim has been declared the winner. It's rare for the combatants to come to a draw and even rarer for the judges to make a unanimous vote." Johnathan said. 

"That's not all Johnathan, it seems that Faim has made quite an impression." Eleanor added as the screen showed Ximo whistle, Mewmi and a couple of new fans shout FA-EEM while others shouted FAYM. "Up next in the Magic Division, Astrid Matsumoto and Chris will fight in the Arena. Later, in the Melee Division, Hwa Hae Ji versus June Lily. Two girls with a common goal, a battle for the siblings."

Stay tuned ladies and gentlemen after the commercial break.

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The combatants got out of the arena, and by the time Herring returned to the room where the other competitors were before Hae Ji punched on his dislocated shoulder. "Ahh!" Herring winced from the pain. "Ow."
"You owe me won!" Hae Ji snapped at him like an angry ex before she swung her scythe, nearly decapitating him. Just when she readied her scythe to swing, Faim grabbed the handle under the blade and stopped.
"That's enough, he's not worth it." Faim said as he looked at Herring with indifference. Hwa Hae Ji lowered her scythe before he saw Faim walk away.

The girl with the headscarf looks pretty too." Herring trailed on.
"That's my sister you're talking about." Faim's lopsided smile dropped.
"I know. She's really something." Herring displayed a devious smirk as he looked at where Eimy was seated."Though she's not really my type. I'm not into the typical domineering housewife."
"Watch it." The blonde fighter glared at Herring as he took a step closer, though the young fisherman's nonchalant expression riled him up even more.
"I don't blame you, I'd be overprotective too if I had a beautiful sister like her." Herring walked closer. "If this was a duel for her hand, I'd have no problem taking her off your hands."

It took a lot for Faim to keep his emotions under control. He wouldn't be able to handle the thought of his sister getting kidnapped again, it was bad enough that Lufn had abducted her once before. All those months not knowing where his sister was, on what conditions she was in, or how she was being treated. If she was still alive or not. Faim was immersed with his thoughts that he hadn't noticed June calling out to him.

"Faim. Faim!" The blonde fighter snapped from his daze as he looked at June.
"Thanks, June." Faim replied, unenthused.
"I know that you're out of it because you're worried about her." June referred to their previous conversation. "Listen, I joined this tournament for my sister's sake. You understand me, you would do the same if you were in my shoes." June said, Faim looked at the young teenage girl and looked at her green eyes.
"I know, and I wish you the best of luck in your match." Faim let out a light smile, then June smiled back.

"Coming right up in the Magic Division is Astrid Matsumoto versus Chris." Johnathan chimed in.
"Who will win? The Rave Raider or the Venusian dreamboat?" Eleanor anounced before an advertisement came up.

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"Oooh! I want one!" Mewmi said as she looked at the advertisement.
"I would expect this kind of sorcery from Wiri or Iixr, now anyone can fall for anything they see on the screen." Dirlu commented with indifference whilst she fanned herself.
"An app? What kind of device is that?" Eimy squinted at the screen.
"Faim! Congrats on the win." Ximo shouted as they saw to look at the blonde martial artist.
"Thanks Ximo." Faim replied before Ximo gave a hard pat on the back. Eimy walked up to her brother.
"Congrats on winning your match, I made your favorite." Eimy took out a cup full of ramen noodles, peas, veggies and rice.
"I made it for you." Eimy said as her brother's eyes lit up.
"Thanks, you're the best." Faim took the cup of ramen along with the chopsticks.
"I know." Eimy gave a smug smile before he wolfed down on the ramen.
"Oohh, I can't wait for the Tryouts to start! I wanna sink my claws into my opponent! I'm dying to know who are the other contestants." Mewmi held back a squeal before her nails turned long and sharp.

Saki Chong Soo had watched the match before she had realized that she participated only for the Tryout to start the next day. She was about to sign a rune to transport her back to her world but before she could do so, she accidentally knocked down a staff that belonged to a wizard. A powerful wizard in fact that he was banished from the Gladatorium. Warlin picked up his staff before he looked at the runecaster disdainfully. Saki hand-signed an apology, though the wizard wasn't fluid in sign language. As much as he wanted to cast a curse on her, he didn't want to give himself away, he managed to infiltrate the stadium to follow the Emperor's instructions, or to be more precise, it was his idea before the Emperor chose to take the credit.

Hong Yuhua stood in line to order sashimi with sake while Yin wasn't far behind. Alexandra descended near one of the lines before she looked around. I'm in the mood for some teriyaki right about now. Alexandra closed her wings and stood behind the Yamitzu master.

Maori Knaiver was sipping on boba while Rax was blowing bubbles. "Did you see that? He's also going to be in the Tryout, too bad that it's tomorrow." The curly brunette propped her elbow before Rax slurped from Maori's boba. Felix stood from his seat and headed to the men's room while Maggie talked to Jinx. Chris sat next to Sora while they conversed.

Mirror stood by the threshold with his arms crossed as he observed the competitors. Warlin was looking around to find the backstage until he spotted the silvery fighter. Ah, so he is still participating in this tournament. Warlin thought before he shifted his focus to search for a route. As he was a heading to one of the hallways, he tresspassed through the restricted area, he pointed at the lock to unlock itself before he entered into Natalie's office.

Logan tested his hologlyph to display a 3D version of the schematics that he downloaded before he spotted a gap that displayed an opening, different from the other structures of the schematic. As he zoomed in, the hologram couldn't pass further than it was displayed. "I got you now." Logan murmured before he went out to search for his teammates.

After the wizard had gone through the password of her computer, he checked on the long list of passwords that grant access to other worlds and dimensions. He scrolled down in the list on the passwords before he opened another window to search for the list of banished members, one of them being the Emperor of the Underworld. With a click, he got access to the password and suspended the Emperor's banishment. "Success." Warlin declared, before he spotted a notification for the Gladatorium Tryout. The wizard opened the notification and gained intel of the competitors partaking for the tryout, one of them being the mute runecaster. Warlin smirked before he got rid of the windows and turned off the computer.