Chương 16: The corrupt IRS

The next day dawned bright and early as the competitors, including Mochi and Ace, made their way to the arena. The arena had supplied nearby hotel rooms for all the fighters and their accompanying team members, ensuring they were wellrested and prepared for the final rounds of the tournament.

Mochi was practically bouncing with excitement, his energy nearly palpable as he walked through the hotel lobby, nodding enthusiastically to Thomas, Amelia, and Tony, who were standing off to the side, waiting to head up to the stands. The crew waved their good luck wishes as Ace and Mochi made their way to the waiting room. Once inside, Mochi couldn't contain his enthusiasm.

"Today's the day! I can feel it, Ace! We're going to make it all the way!" Ace, not one for much enthusiasm, merely nodded, sitting down and focusing his energy on mentally preparing for his match later. Mochi didn't seem to mind Ace's less than enthusiastic response he was just too hyped to care. After a few moments of waiting in the lounge, the announcer's voice rang out through the speakers, echoing throughout the room:"Will Mochi and Victor please report to the arena? The match is about to begin!"

Mochi, already on his feet, nearly tripped over his own excitement as he dashed to the door, his wide grin lighting up the room.

"Here we go, Ace! See you after the match!" As Mochi made his way toward the arena, his heart pounded in his chest, adrenaline already kicking in. Once inside, the familiar sight of the large fighting stage awaited him. And there, standing at the other end, was Victorthe same fighter who had impressed everyone the previous day by winning his match on the screen. Mochi, seeing Victor for the first time in person, gave him an enthusiastic nod.

"You must be Victor huh?"

"You're an amazing fighter, Victor! I've seen your moves, and I gotta admit, I'm pretty pumped for this fight!" Victor, still smiling warmly, nodded in acknowledgment but quickly dropped his friendly demeanor. His face turned serious as he gazed at Mochi.

"Thanks for the compliment, but I'm not a voyager or anything," Victor replied, his voice now sharp.

"In fact, I'm here for something else entirely." The crowd, previously murmuring excitedly, fell silent as Victor's words took an unexpected turn.

"I'm part of the IRS, and I'm here to arrest you, Scarlet Mochi, and your companion Amelia for assaulting a high ranking government official. Specifically, the second in command of the Government Tri Commission Anubs." Mochi's eyes widened, and for a moment, his mind raced. He had no idea what Victor was talking about until it hit him like a ton of bricks. The picturethe infamous biceps kiss that had gone viraland the face of the man involved. It had been Anubs.

The same Anubs who had insisted that he wanted to arrest him for not giving him a donut. Amelia, watching from the stands, gasped, her face going pale as the memory resurfaced in her mind. Tony, watching the scene unfold, raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"What in the world did you two do to make someone like Anubs want to arrest you? I mean, a donut? Really?" Mochi, now feeling a bit embarrassed but trying to maintain his composure, looked at Victor with a serious face.

"We didn't assault anyone, okay? Anubs was justwell, let's just say he was being unreasonable." You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. Amelia, now realizing that Mochi had gone and done something ridiculous again, groaned in disbelief from the stands.

"You didn't""He didn't give him a donut," Tony muttered under his breath, still trying to wrap his head around the whole situation. Back in the arena, Mochi was preparing to fight.

"Alright, if that's the way it's gotta be, then I'm ready! Let's do this!" The announcer, sensing the tension, quickly made his final announcement: "Ladies and gentlemen, the battle between Mochi Scarlett and Victor is about to begin! Are you ready?!" The countdown started, and as soon as the word "Fight!" rang out, Victor moved quickly, his movements fluid as he began to circle Mochi. Mochi, confused but determined, remained focused, trying to read Victor's next move. He didn't know what Victor was doing at first.

He was too fast, too precise with his movements. Without warning, Victor lunged forward with a swift kick aimed at Mochi's blind spot. Just in the nick of time, Mochi caught the kick, the force behind it sending a shock through his body. Without hesitating, Mochi flung Victor back with a burst of strength, sending him sprawling. Victor, now confused and surprised, looked up at Mochi with a narrowed gaze.

"How did you know where I was going to strike?" Mochi smirked, wiping a bead of sweat from his brow.

"I've been in a few fights. You get used to knowing where the attacks are coming from." Not wanting to prolong the fight, Mochi made the first big move. He charged forward and leaped high into the air, firing his Burning Mochi attack directly at Victor. However, Victor, without any hint of fear, slammed his hands together, and two iron walls materialized in front of him, crushing the attack upon impact. Mochi's eyes widened in shock as the flames died out. Victor's defense was impenetrable.

Amelia, watching from the stands, stood up and shouted, "Mochi, he's a defense type! And a good one at that, you'll need much more to break through his defense!" Victor smirked, clearly pleased with himself.

"That's right. You won't be able to hurt me, you're out of your league boy." Mochi, however, wasn't deterred. He launched himself at Victor again, this time with a flurry of punches and kicks. Each strike hit with force, but Victor didn't move an inch, standing completely firm. Mochi backed up, growing frustrated. He had to think of a way around Victor's impenetrable defense. Just then, Victor released a shockwave of energy, sending Mochi flying back.

He crashed into the arena floor but quickly got back on his feet.

"Damn, this guy's tough," Mochi thought, panting. He needed to come up with something, and fast. Determined, Mochi tried to go in for a close range Burning Mochi. He charged at Victor, launching the attack head on. Victor braced for the impact, and though the shockwave of the hit reverberated through the air, it didn't even faze him. Victor smirked, his confidence oozing. But just as he was about to counter with another shockwave, Mochi saw something on the grounda small bottle, rolling away from Victor's pocket.

Without hesitation, Mochi stopped in his tracks, ignoring Victor's taunts.

"Hold on.." Mochi said, walking toward the bottle. The announcer, seeing Mochi pause the match, asked,"Mochi, are you giving up?"

"No way," Mochi replied, shaking his head.

"Just give me a second." Victor, suddenly panicked, turned around and saw Mochi reaching for the bottle.

"Don't touch that!" he shouted, but it was too late. Mochi held the bottle up, showing it to the announcer and the crowd. The announcer examined the bottle closely, his expression changing from confusion to realization. He confirmed it was Irontonina drug designed to enhance one's defensive attributes 100 fold. However, once the effects wore off, the user would be immobilized for an entire hour.

The announcer played back the footage to confirm, and sure enough, the bottle had fallen out of Victor's pocket during the match. With a heavy sigh, the announcer disqualified Victor.

"Victor, you are disqualified from the match for using a performance enhancing drug." Victor, his face red with anger, shouted back, "WHAAT!? I'm the good guy, don't you see?! He's the one who assaulted Anubs! He's the villain!"

"Ref! You don't know how many felonies that man has committed DON'T DO THIS TO ME NOW!" In a fit of desperation, Victor pulled a knife from his pocket, attempting to attack Mochi in one last move.

"If I can't take you down the official way, I'M SURE I CAN DO IT IN MANY OTHERS!" But just as he charged forward, the drug's effects wore off. Victor's muscles seized up, and he collapsed to the floor, completely immobilized. Mochi, now exhausted but relieved, stood there for a moment, watching Victor curse under his breath as he was dragged away by the guards.

"Winner: Scarlet Mochi!" The announcer declared, and the crowd erupted into applause. Mochi, still catching his breath, gave a small sigh of relief. As Mochi made his way off the stage, he felt the weight of the fight lift off his shoulders. He could hear the cheers of the crowd echoing around him as he walked into the waiting room. Inside, Ace was prepping for his own match against Rakai, warming up with a few quick stretches and focused movements. Mochi, seeing Ace in his zone, decided not to disturb him.

Instead, he grabbed a seat, waiting for Ace's match to begin. As the announcer called for the next fight to start, Mochi sat back, eager to see what was in store for his friendand maybe even a bit nervous. But for now, he could just sit back and watch the show.