Arrow Hawk: Battle for the Ice - The Great NHL War (Book 4)

Battle #17: Niklas Hjalmarsson vs Zac Rinaldo

On Madison Street, (at a different location than where Torey Krug had battled)

Niklas Hjalmarsson was trying his best not to get pissed off. However it was impossible when Zac Rinaldo was chirping him nonstop and wouldn't shut up. The Flyer pest was rounding the Blackhawk's Swedish defensemen, egging him on.

"Come on, Hjalmy baby, come at me. You know you want to!"

"Shut up, Rinaldo!" Niklas snapped. He clenched his fist, feeling the anger rising inside of him. If it got to that special point, well...he wasn't just a beast on the ice. What's this guy's problem? Does he want me to snap?

Niklas saw part of his skin flash blue in color. He glanced up to see Rinaldo smirking at him. He had seen! He knew! He was drawing out Niklas' inner beast, but why?

"Maybe next time I'm on the ice, I'll corner everyone's favorite little blond goal scorer and ram his face into the boards that maybe, just maybe, he'll stop doing a mullet," Rinaldo sneered. "Oh, but who am I kidding, he'd probably still do it, maybe it'll just strike fear into the hearts of Hawks fans, heh-heh. You're looking quite blue Hjalmy, maybe you should just snap already!?" A long snake-like tongue flicked out of his mouth.

Niklas blinked. His soft bluish-gray eyes hardened and flashed a sapphire blue color. Instantly his skin morphed into blue-tinted feline fur. His clothes, a yellow home-Swedish team jersey and jean shorts, remained on him. However, he slowly rotated around to where Rinaldo was. He stepped toward him and released a deafening growl.

"I told you to shut up!" Niklas roared, his voice deeper in pitch.

Rinaldo smirked. He cracked his neck and transformed into a reptilian-looking creature. Just like Niklas, his clothes, an orange home Flyer jersey and black pants, remained on as well. He swiped at Niklas with a scaly, green clawed hand. Niklas met it with his furry blue hand. They locked hands and claws and pushed against one another, stomping on the street and leaving small potholes here or there.

Niklas shoved against him and pushed him under the monorail track over them. Rinaldo kept his balance though, lashing his lizard-like tail behind him. The Blackhawk bared his fangs at the lizard, who flashed his tongue again. Nikolas growled and jumped up and then wrapped his legs around Rinaldo's stomach. With great strength he tore his hands and claws free, did a backbend and launched the villain into the air and sent him slamming into the metal fence lining one of the guest parking lots for the United Center.

Rinaldo crashed, face-first and moaned. The fence rattled noisily at his collision. The reptilian man recovered quickly though. He spun around and faced Niklas who was back up on his feet. "What are you?"

"I'm a beast!" Niklas snarled.

Rinaldo rolled his eyes and spat on the ground. "You may be able to take a beating on the ice, but here....the turf is different."

"And yet, I'm kicking your scaly green ass right now."

"Not for long!" Rinaldo charged at Niklas, who jumped up and grabbed onto the bottom of the tracks and swung out, propelling himself over the villain and landed on the ground on his feet with ease, almost like he were part-cat and part-monkey.

Rinaldo skidded to a halt and swung around, just as Niklas charged at him and pounded a fist into the villain's face. The villain staggered backward before he lashed his tail out and wrapped it around Niklas' neck.

Niklas clawed at the scaly tail but as soon as blood was drawn, it was instantly healed. He just had to get the appendage off of him though. With a furious grunt, he slashed the tail off and pushed the remaining part, still around him neck to the ground. He faced the villain now, cracking his knuckles.