Araújo runs toward Jhony, and the young redhead waits with open arms, ready to take any kind of impact. In his mind, he plans:
"He's closing in. In this situation, I can try to attack using my body as a wall to make him waste time, and then I can strike, just like Yasoke did with that nerd!"
The man in the red bandana draws near and unleashes a powerful punch toward Jhony's face. The action the youth takes is to charge forward with a headbutt imbued with pure macogo. A disturbing sound echoes through the arena. The crowd is left in shock; Yuji, Rokko, Henrique, and Yasoke cannot believe what they are witnessing.
— BUT WHAT IS THIS?! ARAÚJO'S HAND HAS BEEN SPLIT OPEN!!! —
The bandana man's hand was completely bloodied, as was the redhead's face. Drops of blood fell to the arena floor through the open fissures in his hand. His first reaction was to retreat, and when he looked at Jhony's expression, he saw he was deadly serious.
"Now it's my time to attack."
Jhony darts forward, telegraphing a punch. Araújo analyzes the trajectory and concludes that the best option is to keep retreating.
— So, Yuji, did you expect this? — Rokko asks with wide eyes.
Yuji, trembling, replies:
— Obviously I didn't know! I didn't expect him to be crazy to this level! —
Henrique remains quiet, equally incredulous at Jhony's attitude, but he watches the scene intrigued. Meanwhile, Yasoke celebrates:
— Let's go, damn it! It's a victory for the little guys, fuck yeah!!! — And he begins to laugh like a lunatic.
Araújo proceeds with extreme caution with every movement. He concentrates pure macogo in his fist to staunch the bleeding, keeping a grim face above all.
"That kid caught me! I didn't expect such a bold move, but I think he forgot something!"
Jhony's head became even heavier, but he doesn't care and pushes forward like a war tank. He telegraphs another punch, but this time Araújo is more alert and keeps dodging by leaping along the sides of the arena.
"Come here! Weren't you the badass who was smiling? Now come face me!"
— JHONY TRIES TO ATTACK, BUT ARAÚJO DODGES EVERY BLOW GRACEFULLY! —
"This guy is already getting on my nerves, he won't stop running!"
Jhony runs toward Araújo, this time wearing an expression of pure rage. Cunningly, the bandana man deactivates the pure macogo from his hand, which continues to bleed. He waits for the youth to take a few more steps, and as he gets close:
"Gotcha."
Araújo throws the blood from his hand directly into the youth's eyes. Then, he strikes with a perfectly placed straight punch to the pit of the stomach, followed by a violent kick to the young redhead's jaw, causing his brain to rattle against his skull and inducing an immediate knockout!
The Awakening of Determination
Yasoke's eyes widen as he sees his friend standing frozen, completely unconscious, with blank eyes and his mouth open. He sets his chips aside and utters:
— I... I can't believe what I'm seeing. —
Yuji gets startled and puts his hand over his mouth. Rokko just scowls and looks down, disappointed. Henrique is trembling, but the analytical nerd notices a slight twitch in Jhony's finger.
— Guys, he isn't completely in a vegetative state; he's having small spasms. — Henrique inhales deeply and shares another piece of information: — And also, he's still standing. This might seem like a small detail, but if you remember that Araújo's magic makes things heavy, if he had truly been knocked out, his body would be crumpled on the ground. —
Yuji looks incredulous but recognizes the fact.
— WHAT A COMBO OF BLOWS ARAÚJO JUST DELIVERED! HE WENT BLAW!! THEN KABOOM! AND LEFT THE YOUTH COMPLETELY INCAPACITA... —
The announcer abruptly cuts himself off upon seeing Araújo backing away with deep suspicion and a serious face.
"What a hit! I'm never doing that again," the youth reflects in his subconscious.
With immense willpower, Jhony lowers his shaking head, raises his arms, spreads his legs, inhales deeply, and screams at the top of his lungs:
— I'M ALRIGHT!!!! —
He lowers his arms quickly, and his eyes fill with overwhelming determination. The crowd goes wild. Yasoke, previously incredulous, grabs his chips again and resumes eating, relieved.
— Look at that, looks like you're back. — Araújo concentrates pure macogo in his fractured hand. — We've been playing this cat-and-mouse game for too long, we need to finish this! Do you agree with me? —
With enthusiasm, Jhony fires back:
— OF COURSE! BUT JUST SO YOU KNOW, I'M GOING TO WIN! —
He pulls up the sleeve of his jacket to expose his arms and concentrates pure macogo throughout his body. Seeing this, Araújo does the same, and both walk toward each other, then break into a run.
"Don't fall, don't fall, don't fall, don't fall!"
"I won't lose to this kid, he still has a lot to learn."
As they close the distance, they unleash a violent and relentless exchange of blows.
— THIS IS WHAT A FIGHT IS, FOLKS! POUNDING EACH OTHER WITHOUT DEFENDING! WHOEVER CAN TAKE THE MOST BEATING WINS!!! —
The crowd begins to go wild seeing the two strike each other with resounding punches and thundering kicks. Yuji can only get hyped up by it, Rokko looks uneasy with the chaotic direction the fight has taken, and Henrique looks awkward since both have abandoned all strategy.
— JHONY! JHONY! JHONY! WIN, YOU BASTARD!!! —
One part of the crowd starts chanting the young redhead's name, while the other warmly cheers for the man in the red bandana.
— THE ARENA IS BEING FILLED WITH THE NAMES OF JHONY AND ARAÚJO! —
Both are completely battered and bloodied while striking one another. Jhony's face is thoroughly bruised and purple, making him almost unrecognizable, and Araújo is in a similar state. However, the youth lands a punch that makes the other stumble. He starts walking toward the man, delivering punch after punch after punch, even while being brutally struck in return.
Araújo retreats while dealing blows too, but it's clear that his split-open hand is causing him severe difficulties.
"I can't lose!"
With a guttural scream, he explodes:
— AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! —
He unleashes multiple powerful punches and changes the scenery; now it's the young redhead who is backing away. The relentless blows to his face shatter his front teeth and fill his mouth with blood.
"Oh, hell no, it's not going to be this time! I'm going for all or nothing!"
Jhony charges absolutely all of his pure macogo into his fist. His face continues to be brutally torn apart by the incoming punches; the multiple cuts and hematomas disfigure his face, yet it does not shatter him. He keeps walking right into the blows while charging his own strike.
"What is this guy thinking? I'm going all out!" Araújo decides, fortifying his punches toward Jhony's face even more, mangling it further. The arena floor beneath them is completely painted red.
"Just a little more," Jhony mentalizes.
Araújo's strikes begin to weaken; he can no longer stand punching Jhony's bloodied face, and his macogo begins to fade.
"Just a little more."
Araújo can no longer punch up top due to the weight of his exhausted arm and begins focusing on the young redhead's torso. However, the bandana man's macogo completely runs out, and his injured hand tears open again in agony. The youth remains immovable while the blood from Araújo's hand paints his jacket. At the peak of anticipation:
— AND AT THIS MOMENT! —
— I WON!!! —
Jhony delivers a violent punch, heavily loaded with pure macogo, straight to Araújo's head, sending him flying away. When he lands, he rolls from the impact and ends up lying face down on the ground. From that position, a dense red pool begins to spread from Araújo's head.
— WHAT A BLOW!!! WAIT A MOMENT! LET'S CHECK! —
The announcer goes to turn Araújo's body over and realizes he is completely knocked out, face caved in, having fractured the frontal part of his skull.
— MEDICAL STAFF, COME QUICKLY!!! —
The medics grab Araújo's body and send him straight to the emergency room. Then, the announcer walks up to Jhony and raises the youth's arm:
— THE WINNER OF THE FIRST FIGHT OF THE SECOND PHASE OF THE THIRD STAGE IS THE YOUTH, JHONY! —
Upon hearing the announcement of his victory, his strength completely gives out; he loses consciousness and collapses onto the ground.
And the reaction of Yasoke, Yuji, Rokko, Henrique, and most of the arena was a single cry:
— WHAT A HELL OF A GOOD FIGHT!!!! —