The full roster is now in. There are some very interesting choices in there, I have to say. Glad to see a lot of characters I already know and enjoy writing, as well as some less familiar characters I can look into (I found out about a lot of great series thanks to Instruments, so the same could be true here…). My beta-reader has gotten back to me about Instruments now and the Psychic Jinjuuriki sequel will be up soon, so I hope I'll be able to update all three of these stories frequently. I have exams coming up at the end of May, so don't expect too many updates around then, but after that I should have plenty of free time. Anyway, on with the story!
"Welcome back, everyone", said the Trickster, after the four reconvened. It had been a week since they had agreed to the Trickster's suggestion of holding a tournament. In that time, the Conqueror had had his kingdom carve out the huge arena on the side of the mountain they now stood in, and the Conjuror had used his cauldron to enact a spell that would summon the various champions from their home worlds without anyone, apart from the champions themselves and the beings who summoned them, knowing who had called for their summoning (the Trickster had been very particular about that point). "I trust we're all ready for this tournament?"
"Let's get on with it", grumbled the Conjuror.
"Regretting our decisions already, are we?" said the Trickster.
"Nothing of the sort", said the Conjuror. "I just don't care for any more of your theatrics"
Conqueror looked across the arena from the high spectator box he and the others had found themselves in. The others had to admit, it was an impressive battleground, and it was almost impossible to believe it had been completed in under a week. Around the edge, the nobles of his kingdom watched from spectator boxes, not knowing what to expect when their king had announced this tournament between beings from other worlds. One spectator boxes was left empty for those who had finished their rounds to watch the ongoing battles. The arena stretched out almost 400 metres across, with a line of pillars down each side. Many of the spectators (and especially the workmen who had engaged in its construction) had wondered why the arena had needed to be this huge, but the Conqueror had insisted that this size was necessary. The audience had at least been supplied with efficient spyglasses that allowed them to see what was going on in the middle of the arena.
He stood up to make an announcement, his voice somehow carrying across the entire arena despite its massive size.
"LET THE FIRST ROUND BEGIN!"
Immediately, two spheres of light lit up in the arena, before fading to reveal the first two competitors.
At one side of the arena stood a small purple dragon with yellow horns and small yellow wings.
"Wonder who my first opponent is…", he said, looking across the arena to see a well-built man with crazy black hair in an orange gi.
"Hi there!" he said. "My name's Goku. Looks like you're my first opponent".
"Spyro", introduced the dragon.
"Are you ready?" asked Goku.
Spyro charged, head down, toward his opponent, but Goku vanished before the young dragon could reach him.
He's fast, thought Spyro in amazement. I didn't even see him move…
He looked round just in time to see Goku literally flying toward him, and leapt back just in time to dodge a kick. Spyro breathed out a wave of fire from his mouth that engulfed Goku, but it had little to no effect on him. Changing his plan, Spyro blocked a punch with his wings before letting out another blast from his mouth. This time, though, his breath took the form of an icy wave of cold. An icy shell began to form around Goku, holding him in place for the time being as Spyro charged at him again, shattering the ice and knocking Goku back a few steps, but if the orange-clad man had been harmed at all, he did a very good job not showing it.
Energy glowed blue between Goku's hands as he charged an attack. Spyro prepared himself, channelling his chi to his wings as the attack was released.
"KAMEHAMEHA!" shouted Goku, firing a huge blue beam from his hands. Spyro shielded himself with his wings, splitting the beam in two as the energy was deflected around him.
That took a lot more energy than usual, thought Spyro. If he tries that again, I'm not sure how my guard will hold up.
The Conqueror watched the fight bemusedly. The dragon was putting up a better fight than he expected, but he knew the Saiyan was capable of more than he had shown.
As the beam faded, Goku flew in for another attack, but Spyro let out a huge shockwave of energy that knocked Goku back. Landing on his feet, Goku vanished again. Spyro spun round, this time expecting a highspeed attack, and leapt into the air at just the right moment to dodge a punch from Goku. Using this moment of surprise, Spyro dived headfirst onto Goku from above, the unexpected attack sending him stumbling forward a few steps before Spyro tumbled to the ground.
Goku recovered quicker than Spyro had anticipated, appearing next to Spyro and kicking him through the air. Spyro recovered in mid-air, gliding out of the way as Goku flew up nearby and tried to launch another attack, but Goku flew round in front of the small dragon before he could react and slammed him toward the ground with both hands. Spyro hit the ground hard, leaving a small crater in the arena floor. As Goku reappeared opposite him, Spyro took a chunk of rubble about the size of a fist into his mouth. Goku didn't seem to notice.
As the Saiyan flew in for another attack, Spyro spat the rock at him. Caught by surprise again, Goku was nearly knocked off his feet as the rock hit him in the head. Spyro took this chance to blast Goku with another wave of ice, but he had barely frozen his feet to the ground before Goku began powering up, his energy thawing the ice. The sheer power surrounding Goku sent Spyro flying, landing about twenty feet from Goku. As Goku began charging another Kamehameha, Spyro channelled his own power into a ball of energy in front of him. As the energy sphere met Goku's beam, the beam was initially stopped by Spyro's energy sphere. But then Goku's power began to force the sphere back, before breaking through it entirely and blasting Spyro into submission.
"AND THE WINNER IS… GOKU!"
As the crowd cheered, Goku reached out a hand to help Spyro up. "That was a good fight!" he said cheerily.
"Thanks", said Spyro, struggling to his feet.
Kinda got the feeling you were holding back a lot, he thought.
As the round ended, a huge spectral hourglass appeared. Spyro and Goku made their way to a currently-empty set of seats at one side of the arena.
In the highest stand, the Warrior sighed quietly. It appeared his first champion had fallen already. Spyro was a strong fighter despite his small size, but he seemed to be no match for Goku, who, he suspected, must have been summoned by the Conqueror or Conjuror. Though he was glad Spyro hadn't come to too much harm. He suspected the others to have summoned some truly merciless fighters who wouldn't hesitate to kill their opponents…
As the sands of the hourglass ran out, the illusory timepiece faded from view again, two more spheres flaring into view. As they faded, the next two champions were revealed. On one side of the arena stood a being in a bulky suit of futuristic white space armour carrying a laser pistol. All that was visible of him was a strange head resembling an earthworm with large eyes and a mouth.
On the other side of the arena, a boy in a yellow and black polo shirt and black shorts stood awkwardly, trying to remember how the strange dream-person had managed to convince him that engaging in a battle tournament was a good idea.
He had no time to think about it as a laser blast narrowly missed his left ear. He ran for cover, ducking behind a pillar.
"Whoever chose this pathetic child clearly wasn't thinking straight", said the Conqueror, watching bemusedly as the boy ran from pillar to pillar, dodging lasers. "If he has any useful powers or skills, he appears too cowardly to use them. And I certainly hope that is the case, because if he doesn't, I would be inclined to believe his patron wasn't thinking at all!"
In the midst of the Conqueror's mockery of the hapless boy, the Warrior drew a card from a pouch at his waist and recited the incantation needed to activate it under his breath. Only the Trickster saw him, grinning but saying nothing.
This fight just got interesting.
One of the interesting side effects of the spell that the Conjuror had used to summon the champions was that it allowed the one who had called for their summoning to contact them in a vision before the summoning occurred. Each champion had been told in advance that they would soon be summoned and why they had chosen them, and most of the champions took this opportunity to prepare themselves for the event to come.
Or, at least, those who hadn't simply passed the encounter off as a dream. Sadly, Charlie Brown was not amongst those who had believed this experience. As he approached another pillar, he remembered his meeting with the Warrior three days ago…
"This tournament will be filled with not only great heroes, but insidious evil-doers as well", said the Warrior. "Whilst I have chosen to entrust my soul only to those I know will use their reward for good, I doubt the others will have such aims".
"But why me?" asked Charlie Brown. "Surely there are enough people out there who would wish for a good cause who can also put up a good fight?"
"That is true", said the Warrior. "There are many out there who would be far more sensible choices, rationally thinking. But one can't just choose the right path with their head"
"But what am I…" began Charlie Brown, but he was cut off.
"Do not worry about your lack of power" said the warrior. "When the time comes…"
Charlie Brown ran out toward the next pillar only to find that he had reached the end of the row. The worm-headed being grabbed the top of his head and pulled upwards, revealing nothing but a long, wiggly tail…
He wasn't a worm-headed being at all. He was, in fact, a worm.
The worm's suit swung him like a whip, his tail wrapping around Charlie Brown's hand, yanking him aside and to the ground in front of the suit as it put its "head" back in, pointing the gun with the other hand…
"…I will provide you with the greatest defence I possess"
And just at that moment, there was a flash like thunder, and a great red kiteshield appeared between Charlie Brown and the gun.
The bolt from the gun ricocheted off the shield and hit the worm in the head, blasting him out of the armour and knocking him unconscious.
"THE WINNER IS… CHARLIE BROWN!"
Charlie Brown looked up from behind the shield barely believing what he was hearing. He had won? But how?
What did you have to go and WIN for?, he thought to himself. Now they're going to expect you to compete in the next round!
He wondered for a moment whether he could take the worm's gun. Now that he had been eliminated, he wasn't going to need it, and Charlie Brown could do with all the help he could get. He cautiously reached for it and, when no objections came, he quickly pocketed it before heading over to the challenger spectator stands with Spyro and Goku. Two armoured men came and carried Jim over there as well.
In the high box, Conqueror had started laughing, and seemed to be having trouble stopping.
"That boy was one of YOUR champions, Warrior?!" he said amidst laughing. "What were you thinking giving someone like THAT your shield?!"
"I have faith in him", said the Warrior resolutely, which only made the Conqueror laugh even harder.
"I can only feel sorry for whoever chose the Earthworm", said Conqueror. "By all accounts the better fighter, bested only by your interference and dumb luck!"
The trickster only smiled. He had summoned the worm known as Jim as an easily-manipulated pawn to scout out enemy talents. Not one of his team was an obvious choice, save perhaps the super-speed hedgehog, but this boy was an odder choice than even he would dare risk. What was the Warrior up to?
He eyed the arena as the next two challengers appeared in the arena; on one side a silver-armoured figure in a green hood, on the other a man in a long brown coat carrying a bo staff. This game was going to be even more fun than he had anticipated.