The crowd's roar rolled like thunder even before the sun had set.
Screens above the arena flashed a single phrase in white fire:
FINAL FOUR.
Names blazed across the display — Lacolone. Valgor. Maya. Jessica.
Fans howled, waving flags, faces painted, lungs bleeding devotion.
The referee's voice cracked through the speakers.
> "The last two matches… will take place outside!"
A ripple of disbelief swept through the stands. Then Valgor's deep laugh answered it.
"Let's fight in an open place," he said, rolling his shoulders until his bones cracked.
"Otherwise… I'll destroy this whole building."
Within minutes, camera crews were sprinting toward the beach. Cables tangled, drones lifted, the world turned its eyes to the sea.
---
The Sea Becomes a Stage
By the time the crowd reached the shore, the sand had transformed into a living stadium.
Bleachers rose from nowhere, banners snapped in the wind. The late-afternoon light bathed the ocean in gold.
Four figures stood at the edge of the waves — still, silent, carved from intent.
When the referee lifted the mic, gulls scattered into the sky.
> "First match… Maya vs Jessica!"
The air itself stiffened.
Maya's eyes gleamed like shards of ice; Jessica's hair blazed in the sun.
> "BEGIN!"
Both vanished.
For a breath, only the sea moved. Then the beach erupted.
Sand exploded upward, waves crashed against invisible pressure.
The referee was thrown to his knees, trembling as two blurs collided faster than thought.
---
Shadow and Lightning
Maya flipped high, her foot slicing through air; Jessica caught the kick with a single hand and smirked.
> "You need ten more years."
Her counterpunch folded Maya in half. The impact cracked across the shore like a cannon.
Maya hit the sand, coughing, grit and salt mixing with blood.
> "ONE! TWO!"
She rose before the next count, trembling but alive.
Jessica's tone softened to contempt.
> "Don't bother. You're not ready."
But something shifted.
The sunlight behind Maya bent, her shadow twitching unnaturally. Dark tendrils stretched outward, forming silhouettes — her own shapes splitting into many.
Within seconds, Jessica was surrounded by a circle of silent black clones.
Then came the storm of fists.
Sand spattered into the crowd; tables shattered; the ocean recoiled. The audience screamed — half in terror, half in awe.
Jessica took five blows before she smiled again.
> She's improved… impressive.
Lightning flickered across her arms. The temperature spiked.
---
Thunderbrand
> "Then I have no choice."
Her voice became a roar. "THUNDERBRAND!"
The sky obeyed.
Clouds boiled over the coast, day turned to storm.
Lightning struck the beach, fusing sand into glass.
Spectators stumbled back as ozone filled their lungs.
Maya flashed behind her, palm glowing — a desperate final strike.
Jessica whispered without turning:
> "You lost."
Thunder answered. The blast hurled Maya into the sky before slamming her into the surf.
The referee hesitated, then began the count with shaking hands.
> "ONE… TWO… THREE…"
"…TEN!"
Jessica Mary raised her head to the heavens, lightning crowning her silhouette.
> "Winner — Jessica Mary!"
She dropped to one knee beside Maya, brushing wet hair from the girl's face.
> "You've grown," she murmured. "One day you may surpass me."
Lacolone was already there, kneeling in the sand, panic in his voice.
> "Maya! Say something!"
Jessica's hand touched his shoulder, calm, steady.
> "Relax. That wasn't a killing strike."
He didn't answer — his eyes never left Maya.
Jessica's smile turned thin.
> "You should worry about yourself first."
She tilted her chin toward the horizon.
---
The Next Storm
Valgor stood there — motionless, colossal, radiating pressure.
The sand trembled beneath his boots.
> "Valgor… finds you interesting," Jessica said quietly.
Lacolone rose. The sea breeze flared his hair; determination replaced panic.
Across the distance, their gazes locked — predator meeting predator.
The crowd sensed it and fell silent. Even the waves seemed to draw back.
The air distorted, visible energy swirling between them.
Grains of sand lifted into spirals, caught between two rising tempests.
Jessica dragged Maya to safety. The referee could barely stand.
> The storm before the clash…
---
Approaching the Titans
The atmosphere thickened until breathing hurt.
Split focus — Lacolone's eyes, sharp and cold; Valgor's grin, savage and wild.
Both released their aura at once.
A shockwave rolled outward. The ocean convulsed, waves towering like walls.
Cameramen staggered, lenses shaking, broadcasts filled with static.
Spectators screamed and cheered in the same breath.
Jessica thought, The difference between them and normal fighters… is terrifying.
Maya stirred weakly beside her.
> "…He'll win…"
Jessica smirked faintly.
> "We'll see."
Sand twisted into a vortex around the two men. The referee's voice failed him entirely.
Valgor stepped forward.
Lacolone mirrored him.
They met in the center of the chaos — two storms colliding within human form.
Their auras tangled like lightning and blades, colorless but alive. The air itself screamed.
> "This," Jessica whispered, "is going to be dangerous."
---
Cliffhanger
The entire beach vibrated under the power.
Drones crashed; cameras fuzzed with static; the sea became a mirror of violent light.
Lacolone's eyes narrowed to a hunter's slit.
Valgor's grin widened to madness.
Both fists clenched.
Their power surged once more, brighter, louder — and then the screen froze.