[Round 3] Joe vs. Fireside

Joe’mante was more than ready a few minutes before the parade had commenced. He had succeeded to the next round with a great rating and it was time to match his fighting spirit against another competitor. The young eighteen year old male leaped and bounded from rooftop to rooftop along the street where the floats drove through slowly. Bright lights illuminated the whites of his eyes. Brown irises gleamed with interest once he spotted the newest stage. Joe was not usually a man of flashy entrances but this one would match the mood of the fun and wild festival air. Moving at a fast pace, Joe veered left and jumped off the left leg with a strong push.

Entering the air in mid-stride, the dark skinned fighter was unlikely to be spotted until he descended towards the fighting arena with grace. His eyes glowed orange while he controlled the air currents to smoothly assist him into the middle of the moving stage. The moment his feet landed onto the platform with an inaudible thud the volume of the crowd climbed higher from his magnificent appearance.

Joe was starting to have his own fan-base and he took it quite well. With time to spare until his opponent arrived, Joe bowed towards audience that cheered him on. Once the pleasantries were out of the way, he gripped his Bamboo Bo Staff in his left hand with its length standing beside him. His fan was slipped into the back of his pants.

This time around, Joe was dressed in Kung Fu pants instead of the shorts from last round. Both the sneakers and the pants had a similar coloration and design of all white with orange tiger stripes. He was shirtless again and showed off a well forged and harden torso under the brilliant lights of the stage. Joe'mante sweated lightly from hopping across the top of buildings. It was a good warm-up to get his body hot and ready for battle. As for the female populace of the observing audience, they were treated quite well with this black man for eye-candy.

Unaware to the flirtatious eyes of female admirers, Joe stayed on the look-out. He had no idea who he was facing.

The Fire

To be honest, when Joe glided into the middle of the stage it would be exactly that at the twenty-five foot mark. He had not budged an inch since then.

Joe’mante scanned the ring around him, a square fifty to fifty foot box with a ring raised on all sides to corral them in. The young man also made note of the corners reminding him of a boxing ring. When the audience had seemed to die down a bit after the excitement rose from his entrance. His opponent out did him with a marvelous display of raw supremacy. The lanterns were out-shined by this brilliant show as sparks and burning splinters flew upwards. Joe’s shadow grew long behind him and he – just a mortal man – would cast a surprised and very impressed gaze upwards at the hovering robed man. His name was Fireside, Joe believed and was somewhat mystified.

For a moment he was intimidated. His old enemy fire had returned to face him yet again. Then the rush of excitement returned and his hanging jaw shut close. A smile crossed his face and his eyes lit up challengingly. “A fire user I see.” Joe lifted his bamboo bo staff from the ring and gripped it in both hands. The moment his foe clashed upon the ground with a stage shaking and hefty landing, Joe was bouncing on his toes. The smile grew to a grin. “Sorry to say this but I had fought a number of flame manipulators before.” Joe gripped his staff even tighter but had not moved from his position just yet. “I don’t think you’re on par.”

And the audience who listened in to their moment of smack talk would “Ooooooo!” Joe regained the fan's favor but it was likely to flip and flop throughout this match. Sweat streamed down his body while the rush of energy filled him to the brim. It had always felt like this with each battle. The suspense, the anticipation, the eagerness felt like a volcano ready to erupt inside him. Joe would allow Fireside to make the first move, summoning the sphere of fire aligned magic that formed in front of him.

Alluding to the fact of Joe’s actual position was in the middle of the ring, the sphere was coming together ten feet away from Joe. Fireside was right to believe that he wouldn’t have enough time to call upon another spell because the young black man was on the run. Bounding off the right foot, Joe dashed at an angle towards his left. Based on the fact that there was a threat directly in front of him, Joe moved to run in an arc around the sphere. This gave him a cushion of seven feet away from the blob of magic as he bolted around it and continued along the arc. At the end of the arc would be Fireside’s right side with Joe closing in like a racing sports car. It was as if the fighter threw all caution to the wind to aggressively attack his opponent.

If left to sprint in without anything obstructing him from this action, Joe would loosen the grip on his staff. Its length would stretch out mostly towards his left, giving him a considerably long range to swing with once he reached the point of attack. His right foot would hit the arena floor hard the moment he was well outside of Fireside’s arm reach but within the range of his staff. The calves, thighs, and hamstring muscles in that very leg would bulge with strength to stop him on the spot. This in itself was a feat that spoke well of Joe’s agility and the control he had over his nimble body. Stopping on the dime increased the power of his swing as Joe torque his hips towards the right. The attacking end of the staff swished around for Fireside’s head – specifically the right temple of his cranium. The whole time Joe proceeded to attack, his eyes glowed orange. If Fireside had sharp eyes, he may have noticed a gale of air trailing behind the attacking staff. This would stack damage on top of the painful lash from Joe’s iconic weapon.

“AGH!!” Joe shouted out in pain. The ball of fire was faster than he had perceived and the fact that he had stopped in order to swing the staff left him open. His bare back was struck by its raw and heated force. It burned across the flesh with wounds that were most likely first degree. The first sting of fire was always a paralytic pain that could never be ignored. No matter how much Joe wished he had grown resistance to fire, his skin had been brutalized by its power again and again over the course of his fighting career. What Joe could cultivate was the mentality to take this hit in stride. These were the type of wounds that scared and drained the stamina of most human beings that were unwilling to fight. It drove the fact that fire was nothing to play with and could run amuck upon those who feared it or who lacked fear against it.

The sting was painful. However, Joe used it to awaken his senses and pump the adrenaline through his body. Joe focused instead of allowing the pain to take control of him. He breathed in sharply exactly after his yell. He steeled down to take on what was before him and that would be an opponent who was boosted with speed. His Bo-Staff had swished by and was grasped. Joe was not surprise. His opponent expressed a sneer across his face as he burned the bamboo in his hand and aimed to capitalize on Joe’s reluctance to back away.

Joe would show him otherwise. His grasp on the staff had loosened and his hands slipped away from it. Again, he was disarmed. At the same time, his hands were open to deal with the next attack in his opponent’s arsenal. With the words being spoken, Joe had all the time to counteract against the forces of fire based on the principles of the elements. The flame was opt to attack, to hurt, to always capitalize on its advantage at being the most offensive and opportunistic of all elements. It did help that Joe was starting to pick up on the fact that his foe wielded fire in the realm of magic. Using words rather than Chi.

This could lead to all sorts of conclusions. But for this time being, Joe used it as a warning sign. In a range such as this, the smallest edge could always help. Fueled by pain, adrenaline, and fury, Joe’s hands moved in counter-clockwise circular motions. When the jet of flame shot forth, spewing with brilliant heat, it would clash against the most unlikely of shields – whirling air.

Chi flowed through each and every extremity of the fighter. Joe moved his hand to form a disc of wind to defend quite fairly against the gout of fire. Wasting no time to let his foe contemplate about what this would mean, Joe took one light step towards the left – Fireside’s right. He positioned his shield to his right while he moved in order to deflect the flames towards that direction and exploit Fireside's opening.

Now here’s the special thing about Joe’s element – air. It was a great defensive measure against most forms of attacks, but at the same time, it could smoothly transition into an offensive weapon. At least faster than his foe could shout words. In spite of Fireside’s shift of speed, Joe was close enough to smash him with a dead on hit. That same disc of wind inflated into a ball of spinning air positioned at Joe’s right side, leveled with the chest. Thrusting his right arm forward with the left steadying his aim, he shoved the whirling sphere into Fireside’s chest – specifically, the sternum. It would leave his hands to pulverize his foe.

The pain of a burn was not an easy thing to get over. Joe had just enough experience to keep his nerves against the element and magic of fire. Though, the same could not be said about a ball of air which felt like getting double-palmed into the chest – multiplied by three. With one of Fireside's hands preoccupied with spewing continuous flames, and the other holding Joe's staff in his burning grip, it was a likely to catch him off guard. It was also probable to rock Fireside off his feet and send him flying backwards from the push of furious air.

Time to Kick Ass

Before Joe’s fighting career had sparked he was just an average boy with a highly athletic body. He dedicated his time, energy, and resources in perfecting what his frame could achieve regardless of his size and weight. Joe’mante Avaraje competed in High School Football, Wrestling, Track and Field, and other sports. This was attempted on top of his Martial Art practices to hone his mind, body, and spirit. Most people who have never played in a competitive sport like those from Earth might not realize the correlation they held together. Martial Arts allowed Joe to excel easily through high-school sports, but at the same time, he had learned and progressed far by playing these games. For example: Joe’s agility and shifty nature derived from playing Running Back in American Football.

However, that was not all Joe had gained from playing such a brutal sport of helmet to helmet collision. He also gained the fortitude and the mentality of being prepared to take a hit like in any fight. The connection to then and to here where Fireside’s ball of power erupted with a terrifying force was that in Joe’s position he was familiar with taking hits to the back and to keep running. Hits that came from speeding and flying defensive backs, hard smash-mouth tackling linebackers, and even heavy weighted and explosive defensive linemen. All of these defenders were much heavier than Joe’s compact body.

Yet, Joe had still endured it all and was one of the best spectacles to watch in the game. He took his fair share of brutal beatings and continued to stand. The impacts from Football might not equal a landmine per say, but it was enough for Joe to respond against Fireside at a hastier pace than he was given credit for. But since time could not be reversed and to proceed forward would be preferable than to drag backwards, Fireside would manage to conjure his spell in the nick of time.

Unfortunately for Fireside and his effort to impede the martial artist, Joe’s answer to this astounding and sudden rift of power was to swipe his left arm towards the side. A slab of air would smack against the rebounded ball towards Joe's left, in the same direction he had swung his arm. If Fireside's mysterious arcane abilities had tampered with Joe’s air element, it would show when the sphere smacked and ruptured against the fence.

As for Joe, he was on the move the moment he had swatted the ball out of the way. His eyes looked furious from the orange and golden glow of Chi running through his veins. As resilient as Joe proved himself to be, the effect of such a strike across his broad back made each and every shift of his muscles an agonizing and torturous affair. This however, had not slowed him down though. Oh no, instead, it pushed him forward to either move through the space between him and Fireside when the strange global apparition disappeared after fulfilling its purpose or move around it if it had lingered. At the same time, Joe opened the floodgates and allowed his spiritual aura to flow free. It surged rapidly through the interconnected webs underneath his skin. Energy filled the brim of each and every nerve of Joe’s body as he marched forward swiftly to keep the pressure upon Fireside.

Physical Burst has been activated.

The pain across his back would dull. He would inhale air deeply to steady his stamina. His hands would ball into fist as veins popped out from his forearms. His chiseled body seems to expand slightly with overwhelming energy that was insensible to those who had no touch with the spiritual nature of combat. It was the Chi enriching every pore in Joe’s body, toughening him to the point that his resilience tripled. While Fireside was reeling from summoning such a spell, Joe continued his advance upon him without mercy. Since they were positioned all the way against the fence with nothing but the corner to Fireside’s back, Joe was not going to let him escape and he was going to keep the mage in front of him.

Assuming that Joe had defended easily against Fireside’s magic and could move through or to his right (Fireside's left) around the conjured globe. Joe would be on Fireside like flies on molasses. His left side would be leading. His knees would be bent. His fists would be leveled below his chin in a recognizable boxing stance as Joe fleet feet carried him forward to attack.

Jab! Jab! Jab!

Blinding fast punches that were covered in cushions of whirling air would attack Fireside’s head. The cushioned air would help protect Joe’s left fist against the magical heat if there was any. With each strike, the air glove would burst to increase the damage each stinging punch could produce. What was truly scary was that these jabs were tossed out so fast that the audience might have mistaken three three for just one. And Joe’s targets were quite simple and strategically sound.

Fireside’s throat was the first target in order to crush his wind-pipe and halt his ability to speak. Then the chin would be the second target. If the mage dipped his chin to protect his neck from the first punch, his mouth would likely get hit by the second. Then lastly, the nose would be the last target to disorient him further and keep him pinned under the fury of a young black man.

Contrary to what Fireside believed, Joe’s jabbing attacks would not hold as much consequence to the martial artist as described. With the combined protection of Physical Burst [Toughen] and the manipulated air whirling around his fist, Joe would manage to punch through the sheet of fire without much issue. The reason was that the Chi Joe had called upon increased his durability and his bodily resistance to many forms of attack. This means the skin, muscle, and blood that could have been boiled and raped by the roaring fire would instead withstand its heat reasonably enough. Also, since these were attacks that flashed in and out, the time for the blaze to eat at his hand would be very limited. Now add onto the fact that Joe had surrounded his fist in whirling air, a sort of cushioned bubble to help protect against a problem like this. He had predicted Fireside would raise hell to defend himself against these potent and dart like punches. The air helped punch a gap into the obstacle for Joe to utilize. With each burst from contact, it would assist in keeping this gap open for Joe to pull his fist out.

By no means would Joe escape completely unscathed though. The heat alone was enough to singe the flesh and leave his hand smoking and stinging. However, compared to his foe who got bashed and picked apart, Joe came out the exchange fortunate. It was not all too shocking to conceive either. Joe did specialize in close quarters combat and Fireside barely had anywhere to run. If the fighter could keep close to Fireside’s body, then this match would be his. Regrettably, the mage was quite crafty and showed resilience rather than succumbing to Joe’s punches. The martial artist made the mistake in pausing to see how much damage had been dealt with and Fireside was given the opportunity to escape.

If Joe wanted to go after him, he would have to somehow beat the wall of burning spears that stood in his way. Now this was an obstacle he could not punch through with a simple amount of air. For the time being, Fireside had Joe defeated in strategy and the angered fighter would have to make a quick decision.

“You’re not going to escape me for long, Fireside.” Joe growled but he had to step back and circle out of the way of the pointing spears. This also came with a cost of time for Joe. The Physical Burst could only last so long and it was meant for quick engagements that Joe specialized in. By the time ten seconds went by, the Chi that flooded Joe’s body would whisk away and his toughened form would return to normal. He huffed out, momentarily weary by this lost of energy before drawing in a lungful of air with a sharp breath.

The wounds on Joe’s back would return with a vengeance to aggravate him. The minimal amount of burning he had suffered on his left hand would also annoy him even more. Sweat streamed down his body profusely from the amount of heat that had been stirred up in this battle. He gritted his teeth, he breathed as calmly as possible, and he endured the pain while he moved. Though, Joe was sure Fireside would make it his business to keep his array of weapons pointed at his him at all times.

The martial artist was fine with this, and in the mean time, he moved until he was positioned in a way that had Fireside backed up into the corner. Joe was fifteen feet away from Fireside with both sides of the ring a reachable distance from him. He didn’t budge from this point in order to keep Fireside in the cage Joe’mante placed him in. The only problem was the spears that were in the way.

So this would possibly be the situation both men found themselves in: a Stand Off. They could settle down and gauge each other’s injuries or tend to their own. Joe was put in the position where he could not attack first. He would have to give Fireside that right to take the initiative at last. But how aggressive would the mage be? Joe has been able to drive forward with determination in spite of the dangers of attacking first. Most fighters or competitors were not that brave or they didn’t have the ability or knowledge to set up attacks in the aggressor seat.

However, that didn’t mean Joe could not counter attack from a defensive stand point. If Fireside had paid close attention to the way air works, Joe might still hold an advantage.

So the fight would slow down. Both men could take a breather if Fireside decided to relax rather than launch his spears instantly. Either choice could be a mistake since Joe would be ready to act if needed too. If given time by Fireside’s own design, Joe would set himself in a stance. His right side would lead. The right hand would be held up, leveled with his chin. The left hand would be leveled with his midsection.

Joe would wait patiently while tossing his own mocking words at his opponent. This sort of fight had his blood boiling in more ways than one.

“Here we are Fireside! You're backed into a corner! And you're hiding behind your magic! It’s only a matter of time before I reach you again!"

Joe’mante took the chance to relax. He had drained himself of stamina from enduring the burns and triggering one of his Chi abilities. For the most part, he was somewhat relieved that Fireside had chosen to set his plans in motion without attacking just yet. As for the martial artist, Joe stood still and concentrated on his breathing. He inhaled and exhaled in a composed and tranquil matter to deal with the pain of his burns and recuperate his energy. The air would twirl into his nostrils as they flared open for a breath and then stream out calmly. Little by little, Joe was setting himself up for the next phase of this match. His body throbbed with pain but as a martial artist, pain could be handled with a forged mid. The burns were there, but Joe would not succumb to them at this level of the game.

Combat was more than just fist to fist or guts to guts. Combat was not about who could take the most damage and keep from falling. There was always a mental aspect to it. Joe was not indifferent to the mind games that were important in any battle. Fireside might have saw him was just one aggressive and brutal fighter, but Joe knew himself even better. He was quicker on the draw than most people realize.

When that second spell was spoken, Joe shifted stances. His feet spread out more for a wider base with his right foot still in front. His right hand lowered and drew across his midsection as if to grab behind his left side. The left forearm was leveled above the right forearm with the left hand open, facing Fireside.

In this position, Joe started call upon the chi within his body. The doors were unlocked yet again as his eyes glowed orange. This time, it was not to boost the physical aspects of his body but to increase his elemental prowess. The wind would stir around them before it concentrated to Joe’s position. All of a sudden, a weak gale of air wrapped around Joe and expanded till it was a yard all around him. This column of air circulated at a moderate pace but given time, it would increase in speed. The audience would recognize this from before if they had been watching Joe’s first fight. This was the same technique he was about to utilize against Jamal. Fortunately for that opponent, he had awakened from his demonic state and Joe never got to use it.

It was here against Fireside that Joe could deploy it readily. While his glowing orange eyes glared at his opponent. Joe’s wind continued to surge around him. What this could lead to would be a mystery. As for the glowing red marble two feet in front of the wall of air, Joe kept his peripheral vision on it. What do you have in store for me, Fireside? I a number of things for you.

Wind Charge - 1

Set into his stance, the young and resilient Joe’mante Avaraje gathered his forces while his opponent did the same. The column of air whirled around him weakly but it was picking up speed the longer Joe’mante concentrated. Of course, in such a moment like this, Joe looked open to an attack that could come for all sides. His glowing eyes flashed in realization. He listened to the incantations of Fireside’s spells and knew what had been formed behind him and what was plowing its way forward towards his chest. Even when pinned down from front to back, the Air warrior was not completely out of options. While some men would have panicked or fold their cards in the danger that was presented around them. Joe was as cool as the arctic tundra. His breathing was composed and his movements were unruffled. A smile crossed his face. He allowed the gout of fire to stream forward until it was inches from touching his barrier of air. Then Joe’mante rolled to his left.

The fist fighter, the manipulator of air moved to his left in the same direction that he had circled from when those spears were presented. It might have seemed unethical to hold his ground at one spot then to retreat from it even when endangered. But as a Chi user of air, the element of freedom and movement, Joe was capable of this option.

His arms had stretched out and his fingers splayed to their farthest reach. His body twirled around, over, and over again as his sneakered feet tapped across the arena floor. With surprising grace and fluidness, Joe spun in the same direction that his air summoned air rotated. This in fact continued to gather more air around him while deflecting the stream of fire off towards his right. This was basically a larger version of the air shield Joe had performed against Fireside when he was close. This time it required the movement of his body with the flexibility of his arms to flow with the wind. The wrathful fire would collide with the air barrier and pass through for a mere moment. However, it would not get the chance to touch Joe’s flesh as the gale force of air had picked up from this spinning movement of the fist fighter. Thus, the flames would careen off towards the clockwise direction of the cyclone’s rotation and veer away past Joe’s right (when he faces Fireside). To help evade it properly, he kept spinning at an angle to his left (when he faces Fireside) that kept him at the same distance from the mage as long as Fireside stayed at the corner.

In a way, based on his movements, Joe would return to the side where the battle had first initiated. If Fireside sustained his attack after Joe with his roaring fire, Joe’s evasive movements would not only suck the energy out of him but help gather the force of his wind.

Like the air, Joe moved freely. Away from the tracking sphere and a safe distance around the bead attached to the floor. Both had originally sandwiched him until he twirled out of it. His force of wind kicked up a notch too. It became more defined and resembled a mini twister that slightly veiled Joe’s body.

Wind Charge - 2

Visual Aid <

With great power, came great responsibility. These were words that rung true to any would be hero. But aren’t they also applicable in a fight? Such immense power that Fireside had his disposal could turn a mere man into ash. Joe was certainly in the middle of this furious wrath where the fire tamer jetted hot blaze upon him. Coming after him was a sphere that held the force of a landmine, promising to shred apart the tornado that was Joe’s line of defense. And there on the ground, glowing with mysterious power was a bead that the air elemental had no idea of what its applications could lead to. Most likely with its fixed position, Joe could presume that it was a true stationary landmine. It was probably stronger than the one that tracked after him.

It did not matter in the end since Joe’s evasive maneuvers was going to lead him into the fence that gated the arena. The streaming gout of fire was getting hotter. Suddenly the landmine would explode, leaving what would be an exposed martial artist to the cruel forces of Fireside’s heinous plot. An epic tide of hot fury spread forth and rocked the arena with a mass of force that had the audience screaming and yelling in excitement and amazement. This force would tear apart flesh and could send a man flying. Sprawling across the cruel ground or against the fence where the heat could burn him like a furnace. Skin would peel off. Blood would boil. The muscles would be cooked to the point that it was overdone. Likely to result in third degrees, maybe even forth degree burns. If Fireside had packed an even bigger punch into this climactic eruption, it would have certainly killed.

In the end of this explosion should be the remains of one grilled Joe’mante Avaraje.

But wait…

What’s that?

Up in the air, dropping like a bomb?

It was a smoking Joe.

…

Moments before the tracking sphere would explode to remove the twister that was waning in its defense against Fireside’s fire. Joe was suffering in a level of heat that would make most humans pass out. His teeth gritted. The end of his fingers was scalding badly. His body was being ravaged by his own power in which Fireside had ingeniously used against Joe’mante. Yet, he held firm, stayed calm, and draw the last bit of decent hot oxygen into his scorching lungs. When all seemed lost for Joe’mante, there was a shining light above him.

The escape was upwards! Even the flames ate away the oxygen that Joe’mante required to breathe and control his elemental power. It also offered fluffy, light, and easily usable hot air. All Joe had to do was concentrate into gathering the hot air closer to his legs in spite of the horrendous heat. But Joe’mante knew worst was coming that would do him in for good. So, he made the sacrifice for his escape and endured the pain. Even though Physical Burst has cooled down and reusable, he needed his entire Chi for the next series of moves. With Fireside so focused into the yellow blaze of his streaming gout and calling out the spells to obliterate Joe completely, the time to depart had came.

Like a brown missile, Joe shot upwards and abandoned his tornado to fend for its own.

…

Joe had watched the twin explosions ripped apart the tornado. This was a distraction that had called upon Fireside’s greatest weapons. Better yet, the mage had hurt his body and destroyed his defense in the process of putting down the young and energetic martial arts fighter.

He had failed…miserably.

From twenty feet above the unaware mage, Joe had halted his descent by using the heated air of Fireside’s flames and explosions. Almost like a hot air balloon. Keeping in mind of the limited amount of time he had from not having contact with the ring, when the excitement had settled, Joe plummeted.

Both hands thrust upwards, shooting into the sky a jet of air to propel Joe downwards. He played no games with his time limit and based on the speed of his descent, he would make it with a few seconds to spare. It would be like a magician’s trick with Joe’s sudden appearance from the sky. He would land exactly ten feet in front of Fireside where he was splitting the angle of the corner in half, like before.

His landing was an explosive one too. A bubble of air and momentum had gathered underneath his feet to soften his landing. It would swell up like a balloon being stepped on until it burst with a force that rivaled the explosion of Fireside’s booming spell. For fifteen yards, the wave of harsh, forceful, punishing wind would spread. Smacking against the rail fence with enough force to rattle it and even dent it backwards. The audience would scream out from the wrath of wind that whipped through them like a wave. Be that Joe had landed TEN feet in front of Fireside. The mage would receive the initial shock and the blast after it, crushing him against the corner post with relentless and battering fury.

This was Joe’mante Avaraje’s patented Air Bomb.

Even after that brutal punishment. The martial artist took one step forward on his right leg, leading with that side of his body. His left hand poised back with the right over it, as if both hands were holding a ball. They would once a sphere of air whipped into formation, conjured by Joe’s power. His eyes brighten into a furious orange that glared at what remains of his opponent. In this pose with another attack cocked back, ready for launch, Joe watched Fireside’s next movements carefully.

Even with wisps of smoke trailing off his burnt body, he stood resilient and ready to continue like a true warrior.

Fireside was right. Joe’mante had no time to form a sphere of air to continue the assault upon the wrathful mage. Joe could understand the surge of anger that filled Fireside to the brim. It looked like the charge of a reckless bull from any normal person’s point of view. Those yellow flames streaking behind the mage excited the audience even more as it brought the two men into a climactic clash. But Joe stayed calm and kept his cool underneath the heaviness of his opponent. They had both suffered damages from the heat of this competitive match but based on the actions that have been made. Joe knew in his heart he was better off and the energy he suffused in his body was not as limited as magic could be. Before anything would occur, look at the facts presented.

Fireside is a mage, a user of the magical art whose forte was in distant combat. Even when he glowed with an aura of power that gave him the ability to move faster than an average Joe, this was not his forte. The move to avoid the wave of pressure was clever and truly a breathtaking and excellent move. But if he thought he could unnerve Joe in a range that the martial artist knew very well. He was going to have to try harder. Joe also knew that dashing into this sort of attack would leave the Fireside open to a counter measure if timed correctly. That was obvious and at this point of the match, both men should know that.

Either Fireside had another trick up his sleeve or he was running out of options. As for Joe’s options, in the face of a scabbard soaring in towards his chest, he continued to motion his right hand around his waist just the same. Physical Burst was activated and like before, the floodgates would pull open and a tidal wave of Chi would flow to each and every extremity in Joe’s body. It gushed through the interconnected highway of his soul in a complicated network of webs that pumped his physique past former limits. This time around, Joe’s Physical Burst made him a monster of speed, possibly even faster than the Mage’s current form.

Joe’s teeth gritted. His eyes glowed orange, and his right arm would whip out from across his torso as his hips torque into the motion. At the speed both men moved, the crowd would be lost but like Fireside, Joe’s mental concentration was sharp enough to keep track of everything, especially in these close quarters. Joe’mante had at last, pulled out his bamboo fighting fan. It was currently closed and held in a reverse grip in his right hand. Joe used it to clash against the side of Fireside’s hard scabbard and then, he simply moved to his left while redirecting Fireside’s impromptu weapon an inch or two off towards his right (Fireside’s left).

Joe’s feet moved with blitzing speed to match this parrying maneuver. He whipped his left leg around into lead. His right foot moved after it. His right hand held the fan against the scabbard’s length to keep it redirected. This had Joe in a position where his chest was close to Fireside’s right side. This is what Joe wanted and again, a plethora of options laid out before him. In the split second he had, his body moved naturally, already choosing for him.

Joe stuck his right foot out.

That was all he needed and wanted to do. Just allow Fireside’s hasty charge to lead him into the ground after tripping on Joe’s foot. Seems like a waste of opportunity but Joe did not like to be predictable. Besides, Fireside would be hard press to say a spell at the speeds both men moved. It would also be hard to twist his body around and aim for Joe who had slipped into the side of his attack. That was the reason why Joe kept his fan against the scabbard, so if Fireside’s free left hand wanted to intervene. It would be difficult to reach across his body for Joe or to aim at him.

(Edited)Though, with Fireside's momentum and the fact that he had to lean his leg out in order to trip the other man. Joe wasn't going to get out Scott-free and found himself losing balance. With shin to shin crashing, Joe winced and dropped onto his left side. He kept his grip on the fan while colliding with the floor wholly and losing a bit of air. Perhaps that wasn't the best move. But can you honestly blame him? Not everything works out as it's planned. At the very least, Joe rolled onto his right side, but he didn't get up just yet. Instead, he looked to see how Fireside fair with this collision of legs throwing him off forward.

The mistake had both men sprawling upon each other. Joe was going to suffer the worst of it as his flesh was being grilled from the passive fire that blanketed Fireside's body. The red heat scalded his skin where it touched. His pants would ignite as Fireside gripped it and Joe teeth gritted in pain while his chest swelled with air pulled in from his nostrils. The devil was breathing down on him with a grinning jaw and hands sprouting fire in hopes of burning Joe into the ground. The young man fell into the arena floor hard with Fireside falling upon him. Flames, horrendous flames rolled all around him as the skin blistered and flesh was being cooked heavily. The tides of battle had changed so fast that Joe had no idea of what was the answer in such a situation.

Perhaps, this was the time that he was beaten. Yet again, another fire user had brought the young martial artist to the ground in the heat of their flames. Orange eyes that had looked with fury and determination widened with fear. Fireside's burning hand was coming down for his face and neck. Once it gripped, Joe was good as gone and this match would end in a sudden twist of events.

Though, even when all had seemed lost. There was one bleak hope and that came in the form of opportunity of being so close. With hellish fire climbing up his leg and a demon that spewed it was like a spawn of hell. Joe reached up and snatched the blazing hand by the wrist before it touched his face. The burns were so scarring and monstrously painful that tears streamed from Joe's eyes. This was perhaps the worst he had ever suffered and if he was to ever walk out of this match alive, he would need to rid this mage off of him.

Joe was going to pay Fireside in double, maybe triple for this heinous act. With one hand grasping his burning threads and the other snatched in Joe's grasp. Joe's chest that had swelled with air had continued to grow noticeably even more. His nostrils drew in air like a vacuum and in spite of the pain of battle. Joe had another trick up his sleeve just for this mage.

His lips pursed forward and the air he had gathered from the moment Fireside dropped upon him would be released.

WOOOOOOOOOSH!!

A jet of air shot forth from Joe's mouth and plowed through the rolling shield of fire and into the mage's torso. It might have seemed like a puff of breath at first glance but when it connected with such an open and close target, it was devastating. Fireside would feel a heavy force as if Joe took a battering ram to him. This was no normal breath of air, this was the pinnacle of breathing and air elemental techniques. Joe used his powerful lungs in an effort to not only strike Fireside off him but he aimed at a point that was quite specific. The Solar Plexus of the mage's body. Joe's chest deflated as he hit Fireside with a gale force from within his body. Enough to fling the mage backwards and blow out his flames from the continuous blast and push of air.

It was like blowing out a candle from a birthday cake, then sending that cake flying out the window. After the initial and direct strike had slammed hard, the rush broaden to cover most Fireside's body. At such a close proximity, this technique would achieve its highest level of damage. Unlike the air bomb, it doesn't grow strong with resistance nor distance but at a point-blank range. Especially against an opponent who was not as physically adept as Joe.

Lying upon the ground like a burnt body. Joe'mante Avaraje could clearly remember that one comment he had made in the beginning of the match. His mind was too foggy to exactly remember the line, but he was sure it had something to deal with the fact that Fireside was not on par with the other flame users he fought before. Well that statement was proven wrong, dead wrong. While Joe was hanging at the doors between consciousness and unconsciousness, he could sense enough nerves to say he was living in hell. The pain of fire would never get old no matter how many times it was inflicted on him. He hoped one day he would grow some sort of resistance to the flames but their simplicity of design and what they have been made to do in the course of history made it an admirable foe. At the end of the day, however this match would go, Joe owe Fireside respect. This had to be the worst amount of pain he had ever been forced to live through.

Hazily, he saw his foe fly backwards and made a gesture with his right hand. Joe couldn't fathom it, there was more coming? HOW? The mage had generated spell after spell of wrathful fire that forced Joe past set limits. His limbs, his whole body felt like it was in a living hell of pain. It was as if his skin was split open all over. His blood was boiled. And what was left of his pants was reduced to ash. All he had left was his under armor tights that left him with some decency.

Whatever was coming his way, Joe gritted his teeth and refused to face it lying on his back. Even if it took all the energy he had in his body to move up just a few inches. He would do it. Joe pushed up off his elbows, straining his neck forward so his eyes could see what would come down upon him now.

Nothing.

Joe'mante blinked. He scanned the arena right and left. There was nothing coming his way unless it was invisible. But Joe was sure that all of the mage's abilities were either a roaring fire or an inter-dimensional shield. Then Joe thought about something he must have forgotten when he came down.

That shield of spears. It wasn't obliterated by the bombs Fireside had set off apparently.

But it was ravaged and wiped away by Joe'mante's Air Bomb. The very same powerful, wide gush of air that had spread in all directions. While the fire explosions were focused in burning anything in its reach. In Fireside's effort of avoiding being blasted into the corner by a wave of force, push, and violent wind. His spears were left behind and would have received the blunt of this force. Easily be wiped away like beach goers caught by a sudden Tsunami.

So no. No spears would come in like some last, unmentioned option to end the match in a hurry. Somewhat a cheap gesture by the mage, but hey, this was a fight and anything could go.

Joe huffed and puffed. With nothing coming his direction, his focus returned onto himself. The pain was heavy to the point that grown men in his position would either fall unconscious or cry and whimper on the ground. Joe, in spite of everything, fought to stand.

The veins in his neck strained. A vein in his forehead would throb. His body would tense as waves and spasms of pain attacked him so cruelly. But he fought and fought hard. He breathed like he was running for miles as Joe slowly pushed off the ground and sat up. His legs pulled into him until the melted soles of his shoes connected with the arena floor. Then from there, he pushed upwards to stand erect as every muscle in his body harden.

At last, Joe stood. Woozy, yes, but he stood and looked across the arena at his downed foe. If anything, he stood with courage, poise, and determination against a tide of pain and the odds that had weighed against him. He stood as a fighter that doesn't go down easily.