AUTHOR'S NOTES AND REVIEWERS

A/N: I don't own anything. Please review! And truthfully, I have no clue where these kingdom names came from…

KoumiLoccness: Hahah I'm glad you switched too. I'll get some Koumi going sometime soon.

Fragileheart=brokensoul: Thanks!

Lisa: Thank you. Sorry I didn't update sooner!

KEY PLAYERS

Princess Sora Takenouchi - 22, shoulder-length red hair, cinnamon eyes (Agrabah)

Princess Shannon Takenouchi - 11, calf length raven hair, green eyes (Agrabah)

Princess Mimi Takechiwa - 21, mid-back length pink starred hair, honey eyes (Labragray)

Princess Miyako Inoue - 20, waist length lavender hair, maroon eyes (Avetix)

Princess Kari Kamiya - 19, shoulder length light brown hair, chocolate brown eyes (Higsah)

Princess Kayla Kamiya – 10, extremely short raven hair, chocolate eyes (Higsah)

Prince Yamato Ishida - 22, shoulder-length blonde hair, blue eyes (Rambia)

Prince Takeru Ishida - 19, blonde hair, blue eyes (Rambia)

Prince Taichi Yagami – 22, big and spiky chestnut hair, chocolate eyes (Tiambra)

Prince Jim Kido – 29, forest green hair, navy blue eyes (Toshina)

Prince Jyou Kido - 23, shoulder-length blue hair, navy blue eyes (Toshina)

Prince Koushiro Izumi - 21, spiky red hair, honey eyes (Kalita)

Prince Iori Hido - 17, dark brown hair, green eyes (Couldem)

Prince Daisuke Motomiya - 19, spiky short maroon hair, dark green eyes (Milando)

Princess Jun Motomiya - 23, waist long maroon hair, dark green eyes (Milando)

Prince Ken Ichijouchi - 20, chin-length blue hair, navy blue eyes (Mikria)

DAY TWO OF THE TOURNAMENT

The kings and queens of Agrabah, Labragray, Avetix, and Higsah were assembled in the center of the stands. The six princesses were sitting to the right of their parents. Kayla and Shannon were allowed to watch the staff fighting tournament, but when they changed venues to the jousting, the youngest princesses would have to leave. Mimi, Kari, and Yolei had their hair half-up, half-down while Kayla and Shannon had their hair up in a ponytail. Sora had a scarf wrapped around her head. She stuffed the scarf in the shape of a bun to make it look like she still had her long hair. Since men did not have long hair, Sora had cut her hair to her shoulders to compete in this tournament. She had qualified for the sword fighting and archery competitions yesterday and would participate tomorrow. 'My father doesn't even suspect anything. I'll show my parents. I am the best fighter in the land and I should not be treated like a delicate flower. I need no man.'

The contestants filed into the arena to the applause of the nobles and the cheers of the peasants. The nobles were sitting on one side of the arena while the peasants sat on the opposite side. Once all of the contestants were inside, they bowed to kings, queens, princesses, and nobles then turned around to wave to the peasants. Once the crowd died down, an announcer started reading the rules.

"The winner of each match will be determined once the other contestant yields. This could be a predetermined period of time on the ground, a verbal forfeit, or death. Remember the rules of a fair engagement apply. The winner will be determined by noon and will receive this award," he held a golden staff for the crowd to see, "and 250 pieces of gold at the end of the games tomorrow. Let the games begin!"

As he stepped back, the crowd erupted again. About 100 men stood in the arena waiting for their instructions. Another man stepped forward and held his hand in the air for silence.

"The men awarded a green sash please stay in the arena. Men with a yellow sash will fight next, then men with orange, then with red, finally with blue. Once you have competed, please hand in your sashes to receive new ones."

Eighty men filed to the arches in the arena while the other twenty picked staffs for the competition. Cody was among the first twenty. It seemed the groups were broken by age for the first round. Seventeen and eighteen-year-olds were the green group, 19 and 20 year-olds held yellow, 21 and 22 year-olds were orange, 23 to 26 year-olds were red, and older than 26 held blue.

As the morning progressed, men were slowly whittled away. By around 9am, they were halfway through the staff competition. Fifty men were left after the first round, and the second round was underway. The groups were random this time. Cody, Ken, Izzy, and Joe were still in the competition, but Cody was starting to tire. One group of ten was leaving the arena as the last group filed into it. Cody was one of the last men to pass the arches. Once all of the pairs were in place, the flag dropped and the competition started.

The sun started to brighten as it rose higher over the arena. The clunk of wood on wood resounded through the air as staff crashed against staff. Sweat poured off the men competing as they swung their staffs at their opponents. After twenty minutes, only Cody and his opponent remained. The 32 year-old was not giving up easily and Cody was weakening with every blow. After a few more blows, the man caught Cody in the stomach then in the jaw. He swung around with his staff and smashed Cody in the head. Cody collapsed in a pile of dust. T.K. and Davis stirred in their seats, Tai closed his eyes, but Matt stayed still. 'Come on Cody, get up!' Matt thought urgently. Cody was still. As the referee raised his flag slowly to mark the countdown, Joe clung to his staff.

"He's losing a lot of blood out of that head wound. If I don't get to him soon, he might be beyond my aid."

"He'll be alright," Izzy reassured them.

Ken was silently praying, and Izzy was rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet. Joe was breathing heavily, counting in his head the time Cody had before he would be beyond Joe's help. The referee's flag reached the top of its ascent. As he hesitated before throwing it down, Cody stirred. Slowly, he pulled one hand towards his chest. He pulled the other one to the other side of his chest. Slowly, very slowly, he pushed himself to his knees. He was shaking uncontrollably, but crawled to his staff. He grabbed the wooden stick and used it to pull himself up. His opponent had been celebrating early and winking at a disgusted Mimi. As he turned around, Cody stabbed the man in the foot, slashed the staff upward to the man's jaw, turned around, stabbed the man in the gut, and swung the staff over his head onto the man's back. He fell flat onto his stomach. After 15 seconds, the flag was thrown down and Cody declared the winner. Cody collapsed as Joe ran to attend to his head wound.

Meanwhile, Kayla and Shannon were absolutely stunned by the violence this round had exhibited. Sora was used to the violence so she found this fairly tame, but Mimi, Yolei, and Kari were not happy.

"He's so young! That man didn't use any mercy after he knocked him down. That last blow to the head was barbaric!" Kari cried.

"And he was totally gross!" Mimi shrieked.

"Yeah, he will not be getting my kiss!" Yolei added.

"I think it's terrible that they are only allowed to compete in two events at the most. We are supposed to pick a favorite competitor from only two events? "

"Oh Sora, you need to not be so picky."

"Shannon, when you're the oldest and have mom and dad breathing down your neck to marry as soon as possible, then you talk to me. Until then, I'll be picky."

"You know dad wants you married to the best warrior in the land."

"I know. It's why I don't understand the two event limit. Unless father knows I won't pick one from a two event contest and only put this competition in motion to please mom. Yeah, that's it."

"Well Sora, one question. What happens when you win your two events? How will you choose your man?"

"I won't."

The six girls laughed, some nervously, some jovially. In the meantime, the events had returned. The final ten men were in the arena, fighting with their staffs. Due to his injuries, Cody had been replaced by the man that almost killed him. Izzy, Joe, and Ken were in the final ten. The other two pairs had already finished. Izzy and Ken seemed to have the upper hand, but Joe was struggling. After fighting then healing Cody, he hadn't had much rest and it was starting to show. His form became sloppy as his opponent became stronger.

"So, has anyone found a suitable man yet?" Kayla asked.

Sora glared at her but the others just giggled.

"I hope that boy was okay. He should've continued."

"Kayla, it would've been impossible. His head was split open," Sora sighed.

"Still…he's pretty cute too."

"Kayla, you're ten years old. Relax." Sora sighed again.

"It's okay for her to be looking. He's seven years older than you, so he might already be off the market. I'm sure your dad would check into it for you though," Mimi encouraged.

"Mimi, you're so intent on setting up my sister. How about you?"

"Oh Kari, it's still too early." Mimi giggled.

"Liar," Sora rolled her eyes.

"Who is it?" Yolei squealed.

"No one!" Mimi blushed.

"Just keep watching. Make comments about the men left and wait until she blushes." Sora smirked.

Kari and Yolei giggled while Mimi looked distraught.

"Oooooh!" the crowd roared. Another pair had just finished. Joe had been struck to the ground and held his hand in the air in forfeit. This meant four men were left battling. Three thunks and one thud were heard in succession as Ken bested his opponent. Izzy defeated his after a few more seconds. The flag was thrown to the ground to signal the end of the match. Unfortunately, this left five opponents.

"The competition will resume in five minutes time. Due to the odd number of opponents, all five will compete against each other in an all out fight. The winner will be the last one standing."

There was a huge stir amongst the bystanders. There had never been more than three opponents in a match like this. No one knew what to expect with five men. A few minutes later, however, the five competitors were assembled in the center of the arena. Izzy, Ken, and the man that nearly killed Cody were among the five. The flag was raised and the round started. It was obvious each man was tired, and within minutes, two of the men were defeated. This left Ken and Izzy to take on Cody's attacker. Fatigue wasn't their only problem. They were also unbalanced by anger. Ken and Izzy were hitting, whacking, swinging, stabbing, and spinning their staffs trying to get a hit on this man. Cody's attacker, however, was a huge man and seemed to get stronger with two opponents. They fought for at least twenty minutes until Izzy was caught under the chin. A sickening crunch was heard as Izzy fell to the floor. Mimi gasped and covered her mouth with her hands. To Ken, it happened in slow motion. Izzy fell to the ground, and as a dust cloud billowed around him, the other man's staff swung to Ken's face. Just before impact, time returned to normal speed and Ken ducked a split second before he was clobbered. Had it made contact, the force of the blow would've instantly killed Ken. Instead, it swung the man around full circle and momentarily disoriented him. Ken used this to his advantage. 'I must end this quickly so I can see if Izzy, Joe, and Cody are okay! This man is why Cody is missing this competition. He's the best of us with a staff, but he can't prove it because of this man!' thought Ken. After a few minutes of intense struggle where each man received whacks from the other's staff, the sound of a crack resounded throughout the stadium. Ken had smashed his staff into the man's skull and resultantly broke his staff. The man fell to the ground in a silent arena. He lay in the dirt, bleeding from his head for a few seconds before the flag was dropped. The crowd exploded as Ken was announced the winner. Ken, however, remained staring at his opponent with the coldest of eyes. His hand clenched the remaining half of his staff. 'The big brute,' he thought bitterly, 'Cody's just a boy! This man is at least ten years his senior and he showed no mercy! It's just a competition for God's sake! What was he trying to prove?' The crowd continued to cheer as Izzy and Joe raised Ken onto their shoulders.

"That was great fighting, Kirk." Cody smiled up at his friend, using Ken's codename for the competition.

"Cory! You're okay!" Ken cried as relief washed over him. Cody was okay. This knowledge allowed Ken to fully appreciate his win as a big smile crept across his face. He threw his hands in the air, realizing he must have dropped his staff when Izzy and Joe lifted him.

Meanwhile, the four kings had risen to their feet. Everyone had followed them to their feet, for no one sits when the King stands, and the cheering subsided.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" King Takenouchi declared, "We have our champion of the staff! Let us all break for lunch then move to the jousting arena!"

IN THE BOYS' TENT

Cody, Joe, Izzy, and Ken had returned amidst a crowd of cheers. All four had smiles on their face, but they all looked cut and bruised. Joe went to his bag on his cot and started attending to his friends. Matt, Tai, Davis, and T.K. had returned before the others and stood to congratulate all of them.

"Well done, guys. Keep up the good work. Cody, will you be able to compete in jousting?"

"I should be fine Matt. Thanks."

"Cody, if you'd rather not compete—"

"I'm fine Tai! It's just a bump!" Cody shouted.

Everyone remained silent.

"I'm sorry. I just have a headache," Cody apologized, "We have a mission and a few bumps and bruises can't distract us from that."

"Yes, but Cody, our plan depends on all of us. If you are incapacitated or dead, our plan won't work." Matt reminded him.

"Cody, remember, you need your strength. Take a nap and I'll watch over you," said a small, yellow creature with a hard shell.

"Thanks, Armadillomon. Maybe I should rest."

"We'll wake you up when you have to be in the arena. Don't worry Cody, we won't let you sleep through the competition," T.K. smiled.

Cody returned the smile and retired to his cot. Armadillomon followed him.

"T.K.!" cried a small, flying creature with bat-like wings for ears.

"Patamon!" T.K. exclaimed. They embraced and laughed and danced about.

"You guys were only apart for a morning! Can't you keep the affection level down!" whined Davis.

"You aren't happy to see me, Davis?" Veemon asked.

"I'm happy to see you, buddy, but it's only been a few hours!"

"Hey, Gabumon, how's that lunch coming?"

"Almost ready Matt!"

In a matter of seconds, five creatures ambled out of the kitchen area of their tent. Gabumon, Agumon, Tentomon, Gomamon, and Wormon stumbled over one another to deliver various foods to the table. Each creature was trying to claim credit for the lunch, but the men were so hungry, they didn't care who made it or what was in it. As long as it wasn't poisoned, they were happy.

JOUSTING ARENA

"So, my daughter, have you found a suitable man yet?"

Sora raised a skeptical eyebrow in her father's direction, "What on earth makes you think I'd find a man after ONE competition, and especially from the STAFF event?"

"I didn't think so," King Takenouchi chuckled.

"Mimi however…"

"Sora!" Mimi hissed.

King Takenouchi raised an eyebrow in curiosity, "Should I inform your father?"

"No, please!" Mimi begged.

"You could tell King Kamiya that Kayla has a love interest," Yolei interjected.

"Really, Yolei? Enlighten me," Sora's father asked.

"Well you see…"

"Ladies and gentlemen, the jousting is about to begin!" A man announced.

"Tell me about it later Yolei," King Takenouchi smiled.

As the contestants filed into the arena, the crowd roared and cheered, hissed and booed for various contenders. Among the contestants were the four young men who made to the finals of the staff event, including the winner. Each event was separate, however, so winning a different event held no weight in any other competition.

The day wore on and as the sun began to set, only a few men remained. The competition had thus far been normal for a jousting tournament. Eight men were left. Among them were—not surprisingly—Ken, Cody, Izzy, and Joe. They were each facing an opponent much older and much bigger than they were. Cody, still weak from the staff fighting, was in severe danger of being hurt again. He had already been hit hard enough to almost have been knocked off his horse twice. He could tell he had bruised his ribs, and probably broke a few. 'If I can just stand one more hit, I'll be against one of the other guys and he can fake it and I'll get out okay…' thought Cody. He braced himself with his shield and decided to duck low. His opponent had been aiming high, like he was trying to behead Cody. A few seconds later, the flag was thrown down and all eight men galloped towards each other. Cody ducked and jabbed simultaneously and successfully threw his attacker off guard. His opponent's lance went over Cody's head while Cody's lance hit him in the chest. The force knocked his opponent off his horse and Cody was announced the victor of his match. In less than ten minutes, the jousting champion would be announced.

"Yolei," King Kamiya whispered, "is one of the four finalists my daughter's chosen one?"

"Yes, your majesty. Cory is the one she's had her eye on."

"He seems resilient. I shall send a servant to find out more about him."

"What about you, my daughter. Is there one you seek?" King Inoue inquired.

Yolei blushed, but it was Sora who answered, "She's been watching the staff champion with unusual concentration."

Yolei blushed a deeper shade of crimson as she mumbled a denial. Her father smiled but let the subject drop.

"Mimi's been uncharacteristically attentive as well. Normally, she's bored with 'vile and barbaric acts of violence' such as these competitions." Sora added.

"Wow Sora. That was a perfect impression of Mimi!" Kari giggled.

"Was not!" Mimi pouted.

"Well, do you have a man in mind or not? If you do, I can make an inquiry for you." King Takechiwa raised a curious eyebrow.

"She'll never tell you herself, so you may as well do it." Yolei interrupted.

"Consider it done!" exclaimed a happy King Takechiwa.

Mimi sighed in despair, but was secretly glad her friends pushed her. She had been eyeing the red head who, at this point, was one of the two finalists. The youngest and oldest contestant had been defeated so only Mimi and Yolei's interests were left. Ken and Cody faked it so Cody could rest, and Izzy bested Joe. Joe was once again tending to Cody while Izzy and Ken were the two finalists. They had galloped towards each other twice and were tied. This was the last pass they were to make and the winner of this pass would be the jousting champion. Mimi and Yolei waited with bated breath on the edge of their seats as the flag was tossed down. The two men urged their horses forward and in three seconds, Izzy had the point.

"Ladies and gentlemen! We have our jousting champion!"

"I'm glad it's working out that our daughter's seem to like the champions. Kari, have you found a man yet?"

"No King Inoue, I have not. Admittedly, I haven't been looking." Kari smiled sheepishly.

"There's always tomorrow." King Kamiya smiled back.