Punchy sees the other Tributes the exact opposite way that Brainiac does; he cannot, even for a second, forget that they're people. He goes in to save, rather than to ignore.

He drops down to his knees to try and help a teenage boy up, but realizes with dismay that the kid's already dead, his head hanging at an insane angle. The boy's eyes are already glassy, staring upwards at the ceiling. Punchy doesn't have time for a battlefield prayer. He closes the kid's eyes and gets back to his feet, leaving that young face looking like he's merely sleeping on the asphalt.

When he and Brainiac end up face to face, hunched over the same bag, it's almost by pure coincidence.

Punchy and Brainiac both pause, hands almost touching on the prize. At home, the audience cranes forward, watching the newbie and the comeback kid face to face, head to head, wondering who will be the first to try and throw a punch, try and grab the good and bludgeon the other with it. The camera catches the tears already running down Punchy's cheeks.

There's a scream from behind them. Punchy pulls his hand back and looks over his shoulder, inadvertently exposing his neck and chest to Brainiac.