Competing in a best-of-three format as a team of two, the School of Nursing (SON) Panthers clawed their way to the top and dominated through a flurry of combos against the Accountancy (ACC) Griffins in the Palarong Atenista Tekken tournament.

SON Panthers Carlson Kerk Arenas and Bryan Angelo Geralde came out striking in the round-robin stage with a win streak of 8 and points of 16, managing to secure their bracket for the championship with no sweat.

During the championship, each player had two chances to play. When the first player finished his chances, the second player would take the stage.

Each player would pick a character to use in a game of three rounds, and may lengthen the game up to round six if both teams won alternately.

SON Panthers Player 1, Eddy, showed no mercy to ACC Griffins Player 1, Fahkuram, after landing a 74-damage, 27-hit combo, giving Fahkuram no chance to fight back and claiming the first game win.

Eager to rise again in game 2, the ACC Griffins took their revenge with a punish, and forced the SON Panthers to retract their claws after claiming the win in game 2, round 1.

However, the Panthers enhanced their offense with a punch-kick string, leaving the ACC Griffins knocked out with a wall punch, and once again claiming the victory in game 2.

ACC Griffins Player 2 claimed the seat after SON Panthers Player 1 swept his first opponent, securing 2 wins for the pack.

The SON Panthers picked Armor King, while the ACC Griffins laid their faith in Kazuya.

The next games were a battle of blood, sweat, and tears—where each player had their own combos of punches and kicks, juggling, and activating their Rage Art to fight back.

Despite the ACC Griffins’ efforts to take down the SON Panthers, the pack remained unshaken, clawing their way through each round and holding firm until the final blow as the SON Panthers captured the gold.

SON Panther Geralde shared that their championship journey was far from easy, as their opponents were persistent to prevent them from getting to the top.

“Sa Tekken, hindi naman about kung sino ang better player—it’s more of the player and the knowledge of the player,” said Geralde.

Moreover, SON Panthers’ Arenas shared that after placing second in last year’s Palarong Atenista Tekken tournament, he became more determined to redeem himself while still enjoying the energy and support from the crowd.

“Yung sa first time ko last year, we just went second place so ngayon lang kami nakabawi.. Iba ang crowd dito—super hyped nila,” Arenas added.

The Panthers also revealed that they had limited time to prepare for the match, as their schedules of hospital duties and lecture classes were demanding.

“If free, and if ever na hindi mag conflict ang schedule namin, nagalaro kami then after mag duty na pagkatapos,” stated Arenas.

The SON Panthers clinched the gold, followed by the ACC Griffins securing the silver medal, and the B&M Vipers claiming the bronze.

The Palarong Atenista 2026 Tekken tournament was held at Arrupe Hall last September 20.