On the following morning Apollo was woken by Trucy bouncing on his bed.
"Trucy! Get off!" He turned himself on to his side and she tumbled off.
"Hey!" She whined.
"Sorry but why are you bouncing on my bed? When I'm still in it!" He cried.
"I wanna know if you're going to sign up for the competition!" Trucy climbed back on to the bed but sat beside him. "After all it is for Ema…" She said 'Ema' suggestively.
"Haha! I don't see why not…" He wasn't going to enter it for the date but still… "Let me get changed and you can come with me if you want."
He kept his promise and headed straight to the precinct.
"Mr Justice…" The man at reception smiled at him. "Are you signing up?"
"Sure,
why not?" He chuckled. "Are there any rules and crap?"
"Just
one. You sign up; you make a video of your best fighting moves."
"Why?"
"Round one's a fight. McGuire wants a video of you fighting to predict how well you'll do. They're running a betting scheme and using the videos to calculate the odds." He put a clipboard on the desk. "Sign here."
"Alright." He signed his name. "How many others have signed up?"
"You wouldn't believe me."
"Try me."
"62, even the new Romero kid."
"62! Wow Ema's popular."
"Like they're ever going to get an opportunity to date Ema again." The man chuckled. "She took your flyer and started yelling at the chief and her sister."
"Surprise, surprise." Apollo couldn't help but smile.
"The other Romero kid, Sofia is going to be the ref."
"Sweet. Her catty attitude will keep all of us in line." Sofia was a natural born bitch.
"She's hot man!" He yelled a little too loud.
"Little bro!" Sofia ran in and leapt on Apollo's back.
"Bro? Thought you were an orphan."
"I was. Her family took me in."
"Ah right."
"Well, we better be off to get the video done then hadn't we Trucy?"
"Yep!"
-x-x-
Trucy came over to deliver the tape while Apollo was training.
"Hey boss got another video for you." The young man from the reception walked into chief McGuire's office.
"Ah. Of course this is number..."
"62."
"62! How the hell can 62 guys want to go on a date with me?!" Ema barked.
"Ah, sorry detective Skye I didn't see you." The man chuckled.
"We're
still working on the odds." Lana smiled as she wrote a number on
the sheet.
"That will be all sir."
"Of course Ms McGuire."
There were two tapes left. Number 61 – Carlos Romero. He simply stated that although he did think Ema was pretty, he wouldn't stand a chance getting to the end of the competition. He was only doing it for fun.
"Who's that guy?" Lana tapped the pencil on her notebook.
"Carlos Romero. He's one of my two new detectives." The chief smiled. "He and his sister have come here from Seville in Spain."
"They're Apollo Justice's foster brother and sister." Ema added.
"Really?"
"Yeah."
"Hm…" They continued to play the tape.
"Haha! If my little brother Apollo enters than I'll definitely not go through! Still what's a little fun? Goodbye Señorita!" The tape stopped.
"He seems…sweet." Lana giggled.
"Carlos' sister is being the ref for the competition." Chief McGuire smiled her usual frosty smile.
McGuire was a beautiful woman. A little frosty and cold at best but guys fell over each other to get to her. She looked like a dumb blonde but was far from it. She was dressed in a black business suit and her long blonde hair trailed down her back to her waist. She wore black ribbon in her ponytail. She liked things to run her way, if they didn't she'd go nuts. She was usually called the 'ice queen' by her closest colleagues.
"What's tape 62?" They pushed the tape into the video player.
"Um…hi…" A shy female voice played on the tape. "My name is Mei and I run the local karate temple down the road."
"Hey,
that's the girl I met yesterday." Ema went wide eyed. "Who
trains there that would have entered this competition."
"Um…I'm
recording a typical fight here on behalf of my father's best
student Mr Apollo Justice."
"Apollo!" Lana and Ema looked to each other and then to the screen.
He turned out to be very agile, a very skilled fighter and indeed a black belt. Ema couldn't believe it. Apollo of all people was entering the competition. She understood why the fop would enter, why some of the police officers would enter and even why the middle aged pervert guy working for one of the other detectives would get in. But…Apollo…he didn't fancy her, did he? He was skilled enough to at least get through the first round.
"Excuse
me…I have to go somewhere." Ema stood and darted out the
room.
"Hello?" Apollo answered his cellphone.
"Where are you…I…we need to talk."
"I'm at the temple, why?"
"Don't go anywhere."
Apollo had trained hard after he returned to the temple. While meditation wasn't Apollo's style, Mei seemed determined to make him relax after his training. "What do I have to do now?" He asked.
"Close your eyes relax all your muscles and explore your mind." He still seemed confused and a little concerned.
"I'm surprised you've never heard of Zen or Zazen before." She smiled. "Ok watch me." She was sat on her knees.
"I've heard of it…never bothered to learn what it is."
He copied what she was doing.
"Now…straighten
your spine." Apollo felt strange. "Cross your arms." Apollo
folded them. "Now close your eyes, not all the way…" He felt
strange. He was in a brightly lit room, a set of paper sliding doors
blocking him from the rest of the building.
"Mei!" There was a
stern voice. "Someone's at the reception!"
"Stay here." She ordered.
A few minutes later she returned with Ema.
"Mr Justice. Your detective friend." Ema sat on the cushion in front of Apollo. "I'll leave you two alone."
"Thank you Mei." Apollo smiled warmly. "Can I help you Ema?"
"Wow it's nice in here." She turned to him. "Why did you enter the competition?"
"To help you."
"Help me? How?"
"Well…what if someone you hate wins?"
"Um…" She couldn't think of an answer. "I guess I just bite my tongue and go on the date."
"If I win I'll give you the choice if you want to go."
"You'd…do that?"
"I bet you're still angry that they offered you up for this. I sort of figured we shouldn't force you to do something again."
"True."
She looked down to the mat and cushion he was sat on. "What are you
doing."
"Mei's trying to teach me about some kind of
meditation."
"Can I try?"
"Mei!" He called. "Can Ema try this too?"
"Of course."
Apollo and Ema were now sat alongside each other on the raised area of the floor.
"Good. Now relax." She rang a bell three times and lit some candles and incense around them. "Enjoy exploring your inner selves."
Apollo had recalled stages of immense happiness as he felt relaxed. Ema was exploring her self conscience about the events that had happened recently.
The fop…the other guys who fancy me then…Apollo…I don't know what to think about him. He wasn't an obvious candidate for the competition. Good luck to all the men… The bell sounded again and their eyes fluttered open.
"How do you feel?"
"Relaxed…" Apollo seemed a lot…happier. "…and strangely hungry…"
"Ms Skye?"
"Calmer." She shut her eyes. "This thing works."
"I'm glad you liked it." She blew out the candles. "I wish you the best of luck in the competition."
"Thanks Mei"
"Of course. Please continue to train until the day of the fight."
"So…Ema…" Apollo brushed down his spikes.
"Hm?"
"Are
you mad at me?"
"Why?"
She followed him through the streets with Trucy. "Because you
entered the competition?"
"Yeah."
"No. I just hope you go through."
-x-x-
The next chapter will be round one of the competition.
