“Shut up girl. We’re calling the shots now!” He picked Kurama up and hit him a few more times. He smirked. “And now to finish you off!” He raised his fist to hit Kurama one last time.

“Bakken,” the last cloaked fighter barked out, “Throw him out of the ring.”

“But Risho! He killed our sect members,” Bakken protested angrily.

“Throw him out now; or did you think you could survive a bullet in the back?” Risho countered casually, indicating the glaring Yusuke with his Spirit Gun finger pointed straight at Bakken’s backside. “That boy clearly cares more for the well being of his demon than winning this tournament. Now throw him from the ring.”

Bakken growled in disgust and tossed the unconscious Kurama aside. Koto pulled herself up in annoyance. “Well, I doubt Kurama will be getting back into the ring in his condition. Change the damn board already,” she growled sarcastically into the mic.

Limei ran over to the downed fighter as the board was changed to the new tally. She looked up at Yusuke. “Yusuke.” Yusuke turned to the angry Kitsune girl. “Do me a favor and kill that fucking bastard.” Her eyes flashed teal-gold. He saluted her and smirked. “Will do, Limei.” He turned and walked into the ring.

Bakken stared at Yusuke and sneered in contempt.

Koto looked at the two fighters and raised her hand. “Match five, Bakken vs. Yusuke Urameshi. Begin!”

Bakken began to strain and sweat, acting as if he were lifting a mountain. He began to catch his breath after a wide puddle of sweat had formed around him. Yusuke shook his head. “I haven’t even started yet and you’ve already worked up a sweat,” he said with a chuckle. Bakken grinned. “You really are an idiot.” He looked up and raised his hands, saying, “White mist.” The puddle evaporated and turned into a dense cloud of fog that engulfed the entire arena.

Trina made a face and covered her nose. “Ugh, this is hardly hygienic. It smells like the boys’ locker room.”

Suddenly the sound of a fist hitting flesh echoed around the stadium. Bakken laughed. “You didn’t even see that coming. Try again.” Twice more the sound of fists hitting flesh and then the crack of the arena floor crumbling. Yusuke began to laugh. “What’s so funny? Have your brains been knocked loose,” Bakken asked angrily.

Yusuke sniffed. “I’m laughing because I’m relieved. If I’d known your fists were this soft, I wouldn’t have gotten so mad about you hitting Kurama. No wonder you’re scared of Jin, he could knock this stupid sweat fog away with one little breeze.” He chuckled again.

“So? You’re not a Wind Master, are you?” Bakken shot back. Silence again.

Yusuke chuckled low, a surprisingly loud noise in the dense fog. Uttering, “Spirit Gun,” a blast of light shot out and then an explosion like a bomb going off on one side of the arena. When the smoke cleared, so did the fog of sweat.

Limei took a deep breath and sighed in relief. “Thank god, fresh air!” she said.

Bakken gazed around the stadium in dismay. “All of my lovely mist, gone.” He turned as Yusuke began to speak.

“Now then, here’s the way it’s going down. Either you turn around and I beat you up to your face, or you can beg for mercy and MAYBE I’ll listen.” Yusuke took up a boxing stance and smirked.

Bakken’s face twisted with rage. “Why you-” He spun to bash Yusuke into the pavement and was met in the gut by the Detective’s fist. Bakken’s face changed from rage to agony as he fell onto his rump with a thud, hunching down over his stomach.

“Wow! I recognize that look of agony! I just wish everyone could have heard those snapping bones,” Koto exclaimed with glee.

Yusuke’s smirk widened. “Oops, I missed a few. You know those lower ribs are really tough to get on the first shot.” He cracked his knuckles and advanced on the now trembling fighter.

“P-please, stay back! I think I punctured something,” Bakken stammered. He suddenly threw himself to the ground and began to sob. “I’m sorry! It was in the heat of battle; I didn’t mean to hit Kurama! I don’t even remember what happened!”

Yusuke paused his menacing stance in surprise and bent down. “Hey, take it easy man-” He was suddenly cut off as Bakken smashed a piece of rubble over his head. Yusuke smiled devilishly and straightened. “Your brain’s just small. I’ll tell you exactly what you did,” he clenched his fist, “by demonstrating on your body.” He grabbed Bakken by his belt as the other tried to bolt. “You see, first you grabbed him kinda like this.” Yusuke yanked him back and proceeded to give him a beating the likes of which Kuwabara had never even seen from him. As a final touch, he threw the broken fighter from the ring and into the stands.

“And Bakken’s out of the ring! I’ll take a count,” Koto called as she began the ten count. “Ten! Yusuke is the winner-” she cut her announcement short as Yusuke stepped from the ring and walked silently over to his downed teammate.

Limei was helping Kurama to an upright position. “Hey, how are ya doing?”

Kurama smiled wryly. “I’ve been better. It will take a while for me to remove this death plant from my body.” He gave a small laugh. “I guess it’s true what they say, we reap what we sow…. I’m sorry I couldn’t finish the first three fights as I had promised.”

Yusuke shook his head slightly. “Hey, don’t worry about it. You did great. Now just concentrate on getting better, I’ll handle the rest of the fights,” Yusuke finished, setting his hand lightly on Kurama’s shoulder and smiling with his trademark cocky grin.

“Would the next fighters please enter the ring,” Koto announced as Yusuke and Jin entered the ring. Jin remarked casually at the scowling Yusuke about his eyes and then let out a growl of frustration, rolling his eyes towards the chanting crowd. “Dammit, it’s so loud here you can’t even make a thought!” He brightened. “Course I wouldn’t mind so much if it weren’t for the ears. See?” He pointed to them. “They’re all pointed and wigglin’ like. They get that way when I’m all excited or happy or such and I haven’t been either in a long while. But when I saw Ol’ Biggie fly up high and past, whoo! I ‘bout lost it!”

Yusuke looked at him in puzzlement as Jin continued, “I’m talkin’ ‘bout the way you knocked away Bakken’s fog and took him on a first class ride of your fist, ya know? I never did like the guy, the wind around his pores was always pretty stinky. Actually, I’m kinda glad you waxed him…. Oh! Don’t tell Risho I said that,” he whispered finally to Yusuke.

Yusuke’s scowl lifted and then changed to a gleeful laugh at Bakken’s expense. Jin began laughing as well, baffling the foxy-feline referee. Yusuke shook his head. “Now you’ve gotten me in a good mood you crazy bastard. I was going to use my anger at Bakken to pound you.”

Jin grinned impishly. “Nah, don’t lug me in with Biggie, he was just a jerk. Goin’ in bearing a grudge is no way to start a fight. You’ll never be havin’ any cheerin’ that way, so I says. Just havin’ a fight to find the strongest guy is all.” He chuckled and called up the wind.

Yusuke planted his feet and held his hands up in front of his face. “Guess he wasn’t kidding about the wind master thing…” Yusuke said with a grimace. Jin’s grin widened. “That’s the ticket, let’s have some fun!”