Pradeep Sundaram

 

Inspired by the storytelling and character development of manga artist Eiichiro Oda

 

Only one soldier stepped forward. He towered over the boy in front of him. Eyeing his new opponent, the boy relaxed his stance and straightened up, seemingly unimpressed by the man’s gargantuan size.

 

The large man moved exceptionally quickly. Within seconds, he was behind the boy, his large fist connecting with the boy’s face. With nothing to stop his movements, he lifted the small figure with one hand and slammed him against the concrete arena.

 

The large man let out a terrifying, ear-splitting scream, seemingly of victory. Upon closer inspection, however, the scream was not one of victory, but of pain.

 

Even with his head in the tight grip of the man, the boy managed to thrust his right leg into the throat of his attacker. With another swift movement, the boy kicked both feet into the stomach of the man towering over him. Using his free hand to turn his whole body, the boy began to spin around at break-neck speed, flames forming around him.

The giant groaned in pain as the force of the kick and the heat of the flames took their toll on his body. The flames pushed skywards with great force, knocking him unconscious. His limp body travelled up through the flames and came crashing down outside the arena.

Inside, the boy continued to spin. Using the motion of his rotating legs, he lifted his body with his arms and sprung up.

 

The tower of flames exploded open to reveal the small boy standing in a pile of rubble, his clothes burned and ripped and blood trickling down one side of his face.

He breathed in deeply and took his stance once more.

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