The time placement of this story is hard to pin down. It takes place after the Phantom Bullet Arc and Yuuki is involved with the group, but they do not know of her current condition. Also, the Sleeping Knights do not exist in this.
Zero to Hero
"A beach vacation, are you serious?"
Ryoutarou Tsuboi, better known as Klein, asked aloud to the group. They all stood in a digital cafe, looking at the latest announcement from ALO. The top four players in the upcoming tournament would receive exclusive gear, increased levels, and be sent to a beach location in-game for four days. All eyes turned to Kirito as he finished reading the notification.
"This will be a great way to test my skills, and new gear is always good," he said plainly. He knew that these PvP competitions were never a challenge beforehand, but he could never afford to get rusty. There really was only one person who could stand a chance of winning anyways.
As if on que, that person barged into the room, positively gushing with excitement in hearing the news. "Did you all hear? I'm gonna fight a bunch more people!" Yuuki was practically salivating at the chance to be able to do more PvP challenges, especially against Kirito again. "You're not getting off the hook either Asuna! I haven't had a proper duel with you," She grabbed her 'sis' by the arm and grinned.
After a short laugh, Agil cut in. "This thing starts tomorrow so I advise we all split and get our skills ready. We'll need them if we're to beat the champs." All eyes turned to Kirito and Yuuki, then to each other. Although the others were not poor players, they knew their limits; and this tournament would basically be a test to see who can lose to Kirito or Yuuki.
They all nodded in agreement and went their separate ways, not wanting to see each other until the big day. It was a day spent on grinding levels, allotting skills, and ensuring the equipment they had was the best quality they could afford. As the day went by, eventually everyone logged off to get some much needed sleep. The following day, everyone found each other at the Coliseum. A nervous but excited air floated between the group of friends.
"That vacation is as good as mine!" Shouted Klein as he laughed aloud, everyone looked at him skeptically, but knew he did have a chance.
Leafa stepped up, "You are not getting in between me and a beach vacation with my brother, I'm going to get that prize!" She said, determined.
"You get him to yourself more than any of us, let us have a piece this time." Lisbeth stated with a devious smirk. Leafa looked at her with a furious blush.
"Big brother is not a trophy Lisbeth!" She stuttered out. A small figure quietly spoke up as well.
"I'm just happy to be able to have fun with everyone again, we can finally see how we compare to each other," Silica said with a big smile, always able to be cheery.
Sinon decided to speak, "Agreed, I want to show you how more difficult GGO was compared to this game." Her lips curled in a small, yet confident smile. A figure appeared in the distance, then two more behind. It was Kirito, Asuna, and Yuuki, all ready and raring to go.
"You all ready for this?" Kirito asked nonchalantly. Everyone looked at him and nodded, while Yuuki gave a playful punch to his shoulder. He turned around and grinned, then they all walked through the gate and stared in awe. Before him was a circular battlefield, surrounded by thousands of players, all speaking amongst themselves but sensing the rising anticipation. At the sight of Kirito, there was a roar of applause. They made their way to the center and joined the other players who were anxiously waiting to see who would have to fight the Black Swordsman. A large screen appeared and displayed the matchups: Kirito vs. Agil, Sinon vs. Silica, Klein vs. Recon, Lisbeth vs. Asuna, and Yuuki vs. Leafa. They each looked at their opponent with fierce determination, ready to prove themselves to the rest of the group. As the group went into the stands, they began to talk about who they thought would win.
"I bet Kirito, Asuna, Yuuki, and Sinon," said Lisbeth. She knew that her best friend was more skilled; and knew that Sinon had already won the GGO tournament.
"That sounds about right, but I think Kirito, Yuuki, Asuna, and Leafa. Her magic is going to be the deciding factor," Silica spoke up. She did not give herself a chance of winning, but she thought she would be able to win some rounds.
Kirito finally talked, "Everyone has a chance to win, even Klein could make a surprise victory!" Everyone laughed except the man mentioned, who sulked at being the butt of the joke. As everyone gave their predictions it became obvious that the final match would be between Kirito and Yuuki. Asuna was the second pick for winner, and the last grand prize winner would either be Sinon or Leafa. They continued to talk until the first match was announced: Klein and Recon. He accepted the game's invite and was teleported to the center.
He looked over to the space where his opponent was and saw nothing. Recon was not there. Puzzled, Klein stood there and waited for the familiar flash of light. Nothing happened. This continued for five minutes until the announcer declared Klein the winner by default. He was sent back to his seat with a goofy smile.
"I guess I did get that surprise win after all!" He boasted while everyone else groaned. Even if it was a fluke he still felt good about a win. Leafe let out an angry growl as she closed her PM box. As all eyes turned to her, she sighed.
"Recon just told me he didn't show up because he was too nervous to face me." She rolled her eyes as she spoke, angry at her friend for not even bothering to show up and try to impress her. Everyone gave another groan, since now Klein only won because of a teenager's emotions. Despite the realization, they all still laughed at the absurdity of the situation. The rounds went for some other players and until their friends were called up: Sinon vs. Silica. They both accepted and went to the battlefield, eyes locked intensely. The countdown began as their hands tightened around their weapons. Once it started, they both sprang into action.
Silica instructed Pina to circle around and attack Sinon from the air, then rushed her with some quick knife attacks. Sinon did not expect such an aggressive tactic from Silica and received a few strikes before blocking and using an attack break, leaving Silica open. Sinon did a backflip with her wings to get distance and then launched three quick arrows at the young dragon tamer. The first two she blocked but the third found its mark and did a sizable amount of damage. The archer readied another strike but was struck by Pina's wind attack, allowing Silica to get in close and deliver more slices. Sinon had to dash around to Silica's backside and physically strike her attacker, while in the same momentum she fired an arrow off to bring down the dragon. Silica stabbed behind her and hit Sinon in the stomach. Then she moved her arm between the bow and bowstring, and pulled it back to yank the weapon from Sinon's hands. She threw it to the other side of the arena and readied her knife.
"I surrender," Sinon said plainly, stopping Silica in her tracks. She looked bewildered at the archer but then started to positively glow as the realization hit her. She actually beat Sinon. Silica jumped up and down while Sinon gave a smile to her young friend. They both accepted the invite back to the stands, where everyone was in shock again.
"Silica, you just beat the GGO champion…" Asuna said, still awestruck. Everyone's faces matched the one that Asuna had as they slowly nodded to the truth. She was still beaming at her victory while Sinon smiled knowing how great her friend must feel. Kirito rubbed the back of his head since now there have been two surprise victories. They did not wait long as the next matchup was between Leafa and Yuuki. The imp girl excitedly accepted the invitation and arrived on the battlefield with Leafa looking noticeable less enthusiastic. After all, she was fighting the person her brother could not beat. The countdown reached zero and the match began.
Yuuki watched Leafa chant a high-level wind spell and point to Yuuki's location, but the rough hurricane only hit empty space. Despite Leafa's high casting speed, Yuuki saw her point and sprinted over to her opponent. The strikes came so fast that Leafa's health was red by the time she blocked a strike. Yuuki then dashed around and sliced a few more times, resulting in Leafa having no more health. The match ended in only ten seconds.
As they both came back to the stands, Kirito saw the sullen look on his sister's face. He patted her on the head and told her that she lasted longer than most people who duel Yuuki. Feeling his contact made her smile and bit and then Yuuki came to give a pat on her back.
"He's right you know, most chumps just try charging and get cut down. I like how you kept your distance! Just watch out for the delay after you cast a spell, it leaves you open." She told the defeated girl. Leafa nodded and then sat down, ready to see how the rest of the tournament played out. A few more matches occurred before someone had to go. This time being Kirito vs. Agil. The original powerhouse of the group against their faithful supplier. They looked at each other and nodded, then accepted the invite.
Nothing was said as they both arrived on the battlefield and readied their weapons. The countdown reached zero and Agil immediately put up a defensive stance. Kirito rushed at Agil with both swords raised, immediately crashing them down on Agil's battle axe. He felt the strike and parried Kirito's blades away, then sliced down at the black swordsman. Kirito took the hit but then retaliated with his own attack. Raising his main sword, he hit the side of Agil and then used his other sword as a follow-up attack. Agil used this chance to swing again at Kirito, but was repelled by Kirito's second sword. The primary hit him hard and then the second hit him again. Kirito finished the combo by doing a dual stab at Agil, reducing his health to nothing. They both teleported off the field and then got back to their seats.
"I knew I couldn't beat the savoir of SAO, but I tried my best anyways," Agil said aloud. The rest of the group knew that as well but were glad he lasted as long as he did. Even Kirito was not expecting to have to put that much effort into his round. "I also knew I didn't have much time today anyways. The missus wants me to help at the Dicey Café this afternoon, so I'll be off now." Agil logged off in a flash of light, leaving the group to wait for the next round. It would not take long as names appeared on the board: Asuna vs. Lisbeth. They grinned at each other and then were sent to the battlefield. Lisbeth knew that a beach vacation with her crush would keep her ecstatic for weeks, so she had to beat her best friend. Asuna was thinking the same thing, but was secretly worried about Kirito being around other girls with no way to check on him.
Shaking these thoughts aside, both warriors stood ready for battle and waited for the countdown. Once it hit zero, Lisbeth went on the attack. She knew Asuna's rapier was no good for blocking, but the precise strikes would be hard to block. Her mace smashed down at Asuna, but her quick slide to the left gave an opening. She hit Lisbeth three times before the blacksmith could move back and get her shield up. Lisbeth carefully moved forward with her weapon ready to strike. Asuna stood still and analyzed, looking for an opening. She sent out a quick strike, baiting Lisbeth to block. She fell for it and put her shield in the wrong spot, allowing Asuna to pull back and send a stronger strike that hit her directly. Lisbeth righted herself and swung the shield to the side, pushing the rapier away and allowing a blow from her mace to connect. Lisbeth kept on the attack and started swinging again, but Asuna was able to read through the attacks and would jab back. Eventually, Lisbeth exerted too much in a swing and left a big enough opening for Asuna to do a final stab, ending the fight. Although frustrated, Lisbeth was happy that Asuna could be with her boyfriend.
As they both disappeared into the stands, the announcer updated the board and showed the next matchups. This time, it was mostly other players that the group had to face off against. Kirito and Yuuki won their bouts easily, with each match lasting about 15 seconds. Asuna did not finish her round as easily, but still secured the win. Klein did surprisingly well in his match and was proud in his win. He had not lost his touch since SAO. Unfortunately, Silica went against a well-trained, close range fighter, and she did not win her round. All of her friends cheered her up though, and were excited she was able to get into the advanced round. As the matches continued, the player count went lower and lower until it was the semifinals. Klein was at his limit, having never been tested so hard in his life. Kirito was impressed with how much of a challenge some of his opponents had been, even if they still never had a chance of winning. Asuna was still calm and composed, even if she knew this would be the hardest part yet. Yuuki, on the other hand, was exuberant over all of the combat. She loved the fights and loved to be in combat. The next two rounds would be the best of her life and she could not wait.
The announcer declared that, although the four remaining contestants all won their vacation, the higher placements would receive the best gear. The matchups were Kirito vs. Klein and Asuna vs. Yuuki. The imp girl squealed when seeing her name next to Asuna's on the match board.
"We're gonna get our fight Asuna! I can't wait!" She bounced up and down next to her 'sister' while Asuna let out a nervous laugh. She was happy that the young girl was so eager to fight, but she also knew that she would not be able to win this one. Her hopes were pinned on beating Klein in the loser's bracket.