It's the semi-finals of a local tournament, and Ralus here is steeling himself for the fight against his off-screen opponent. The deafening roar of the small but dedicated audience would be enough to tense anyone up, but Ral pushes on, ready for anything. After all, when half of the crowd wants to see you hoist your fist in victory, and the other half wants to see you collapsed onto the ground, all you can do is try to disappoint the latter. It's do or die!

I had a blast drawing this piece. I went harder than I normally would with lighting and shading, so I hope it makes sense visually. Lots of little background details, too. I'm pretty proud of the product placement pun, though I'm sure others have beaten me to that low-hanging fruit. The extra fighters on the big screen were made up on the fly, and might see some future use. I'm especially eyeing the rabbit and ice-blue canine.