(BGM: Lose Yourself by Eminem)
Erik Stevens. N'Jadaka. Killmonger.
Son of N'Jobu, rightful heir to Wakanda's throne, if things had gone differently. But instead of growing up in a palace of vibranium and tradition, he was abandoned in Oakland. he grew up in the blood-soaked shadows of war. Became a black-ops boogeyman for the U.S. Navy seal, leaving behind nothing but body bags and bullet holes.
And now? He's standing right in front of me, ready to pounce.
he's not like the fighters that I've fought to this point. those guys trained to take down their opponents. but killmonger? He trained to fucking kill.
I can feel the bruises from my fight with Pete throbbing, my lungs still burning from that damn chokehold. I should be resting after my closely won victory, but what is my smartass doing? challenging an opponent that outmatches me in every way.
I stood there, every muscle clenched from the sheer pressure this man was giving off, a stark contrast to how relaxed and fluid Killmonger was moving.
I wait for the bell to ring to signal the start of the fight. It never comes.
Without warning, he rushes towards me. I try to react, but he's too fast. He lands a brutal uppercut on my ribs, potentially cracking a few. I cough out blood.
Backing out, Killmonger spat out, sneering. "There ain't no rules in a battle to the death, boy."
He rushes in again. This time prepared, I respond in kind.
We meet in the middle in a flurry of blows. I try to keep up with him. I can't. My body, even after training for so long, is still nothing more than a body. His, however, feels like it was a delicately crafted weapon of murder.
I can't fucking keep up.
Every punch I throw he dodges. Every hit I take, it feels like a goddamn truck. Every time I blink, he's already moving. Killmonger isn't just fighting me, he's ripping me apart, piece by piece.
CRACK.
His fist slams into my ribs, right where he hit last time. I swear I felt something break.
Killmonger grins, rolling his shoulders like this is a fucking warm-up for him. "That all you got?" he taunts.
I spit blood onto the mat. "Nah. Just getting started." It's a lie. I can barely stand. My body is wrecked. Every muscle feels like it's on fire. But I have to win.
I have to.
If I lose, all the effort I put into getting here will be gone. and most importantly, I'm getting my fucking vibranium weapon. That shits like 10 million per gram.
I grit my teeth. I need a plan. He outmatches me in every aspect.
I raise my fists and stagger forward, making my movements sluggish. I let my knees go weak, and my arms heavy, like mom's spaghetti.
I make it look like I'm nervous, but on the surface, tryna look calm and steady to drop bom- ok I'll stop.
Anyways, Killmonger takes the bait. His stance shifts, just a fraction, but I see it. He's moving in for the kill.
Now.
The second he lunges, I drop low and lunge forward, ramming my head into his ribs like a battering ram, knocking the wind out of him.
Killmonger grunts, stumbling backward, but I don't let up. I can't let this opportunity go to waste. It might be the only one I'll get.
I grab a fistful of his dreads with my right hand and slam them down into my upcoming left knee while twisting my torso in a way that I get the most power in the knee, but also my left fist is cocked back to punch.
I continue the brutal combo by letting loose a left hook, as I want him to stay close for my finisher move. I clocked the left hook straight into his jaw and swore I heard something crack. I overextend the left hook so that my body is overly twisted to the right, and like a Bayblade, I let it rip.
Using all of the stored-up rotational force I have in my torso by overextending the hook, I spin around, gaining speed and power at an exponential rate, and slam the strongest spinning right elbow that I've ever hit right into the side of his cranium.
I swear if there was a crowd in this godforsaken arena, they would have erupted in cheers right here. but alas, there wasn't such a thing. the opponent I was facing wasn't such a normal one either.
It took me a few seconds to regain my bearings after using that combo, but when I looked back at him, he was stumbling back up from the ground, with a malevolent look in his eyes. Before, he was playing. Now, it looks like he was pissed.
"But don't get cocky, lil' homie. You landed a few hits, cool. Now? I'm done playin'."
If he gets up right now, I'm straight-up cooked. Fucking deep fried. If he gapped me in all aspects even before he got serious, now, then...
Its now or never. I need to get him down for good.
I lunge with all my strength at his rising form, once again tackling him to the ground, driving the wind out of both of us. we struggle to get on top, but even with his massive strength advantage, he's still dazed from that earlier combo, giving me the lead.
tumbling on the ground, we both land multiple glancing hits on each other, but I grit my teeth and ignore the pain.
Using all my power and momentum, I get on top of him. I pin him down with my knees and start raining punches onto his face before he can recover.
My fists smash into his face, knuckles colliding with bone over and over. Bitsof blood splattered across my hands, my arms and the ground beneath us. I don't stop. I can't stop.
Killmonger thrashes, trying to buck me off, but every time he does, I hammer down another strike. My right fist crashes into his cheek. My left elbow slams straight down into his nose. Again. Again. Again.
His body twitches beneath me, his attempts at resistance getting weaker. His golden eyes, filled with fury and malice at first, start to glaze over.
I let out a shaky breath. Almost done. One last move. I rear my head back, sucking in air, and then.
SLAM
I slam my forehead straight into his skull. his head bounces on the ground beneath us. he's out like a light.
For a second, I just sit there, straddling his unconscious body, my breath ragged, my knuckles throbbing, my head spinning. My whole body feels like it's shutting down, adrenaline crashing like a damn tidal wave. Everything hurts. My ribs? Probably cracked. My fists? Raw and slick with blood—his and mine. My brain? Feels like it got rattled from that last headbutt, but screw it. It worked.
I won.
I fucking won.
I let out a shaky, disbelieving laugh, barely able to process it. Killmonger is laid out beneath me, dead to the world. A man who's probably ended more lives than I've met, a warrior and a soldier trained in blood and fire, and I just put him to sleep.
I groan, forcing myself to roll off him before my legs completely give out. Every movement sends fresh pain stabbing through my body, my ribs grinding every time I breathe. But I don't care. Doesn't matter. Because I did it.
I drag myself up to my feet, swaying. My vision swims, the world tilting, but I blink through it, grinning despite the pain. All that training. All the bullshit I had to go through just to stand a chance in this fight. It paid off. I guess I really did come far from when I first came here.
I exhale hard, wiping the blood from my busted lip with a shaky hand. "Damn… I better get my vibranium for this shit," I mutter, voice hoarse.
I look down at Killmonger's motionless form. A second ago, he was a goddamn demon, tearing through me like I was nothing. Now? Just another body on the mat. I shake my head, still trying to wrap my mind around it. I took him down.
Holy shit.
I need to sit down. Maybe after I stop grinning like a dumbass.
Then, the speakers start to work again, sounding the Kingpin's booming voice. "Congratulations to our newest champion, GRIZZLY!!!!"
Killmonger lies on his back, eyes fluttering open.
He blinks. And then… He laughs. He slowly sits up, rubbing his jaw. "Damn. You got hands."
I tensed up thinking that I had to fight him again, but relaxed when I heard the tone of his voice. Now that I think about it, killmonger isn't really a villain. the only bad things he did were in order to get back to his homeland.
but I'm still shocked at how fast he recovered. I put everything I had and more to put him to sleep, and he woke up in 30 seconds as if that was nothing. I'm actually so lucky to have beaten him here.
"C'mon, homie, you just beat me into the ground AND you took my part-time job. help me up here." Killmonger complained as if we weren't fighting to the death a few seconds ago.
I grab his arm and help him up.
(a/n were finally finished the tournament arc! The story is really about pick up. also, powerstones please!)