The Kingdom of Alice Chapter 10: Alice Showdown, a gakuen alice fanfic

Disclaimer: Even if I won the lottery I don't think I'd be able to own it…

Summary: Gakuen Alice characters in a medieval setting.

The Kingdom of Alice

Chapter 10: Alice Showdown

Previously:

Inside the S.A. tent…

"Ok, hear this, guys. The king is coming over at the academy!"

"So?" Misaki raised an eyebrow at him.

"So… The academy will be holding a showdown among all the ability types."

"Showdown?" The people in the tent chorused.

"Yes. But it's not an ordinary showdown. They say the winner gets rewards. Big rewards. It doesn't really give us much of a choice. It is actually mandatory. Even the dangerous ability type will participate."

"Really?"

"Yes! Unfortunately, we were informed late yet again. In fact, no one even bothered to inform us. It just happened that I came across a group of teachers talking about it. The whole academy is busy preparing!" Taka said hysterically, panic getting the better of him.

"So… How exactly will this showdown thingy be done?" Misaki asked.

"Well, each class is to have their own presentation and booths, and there will be challenges and tests prepared by the king's advisers themselves. They say it's to find out how ready the students are against attacks for the AAE. It has something to do with the events from the other day. I heard the class involved was Sake-chan's class." Taka explained.

"Booths? Like the Alice festival?" Tsubasa wondered.

"Sort off but not exactly. It's more of an assessment of each class' skill, really."

"Oh"

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"No! No! not like that!! You do this then that!"

"Oh…"

"-sigh- Come on… You guys can do better!!"

"Yeah… We'll show those creeps what we're made of…"

Midnight.

The usual silence that engulfed the land at this hour has never been missed so much by its inhabitants. None too silently, the people inside Alice Academy busied themselves with their preparations for the arrival of the Alice King. For it was such a rare occasion for the King to bless his subjects with his presence, everyone made sure that everything was perfect, presentable and most of all, impressive.

The somatic types, latent types, technical types, special ability types, and even the dangerous ability types were all anxious to win the upcoming showdown. Four of the aforementioned want to prove their class superior among the rest. The remaining class just wants to show that they can be just as good as any.

As the moon rode across the star-studded sky, no one seemed to have noticed the sun slowly peeking over the horizon.

"Hm?" muttered a very sleepy brunette girl. Her hair loose and her eyes half open.

"Pwincess is awake!!" the apple perching itself on the girl cried excitedly. "Yay!!"

"Oh… Good morning Princess!" Tsubasa Andou said. He and the rest of the special ability types thought it fit for Mikan to be addressed as princess just as Mango does her. Of course that's only as far as they know…

"Sempai!! I told you not to call me that!" She stood up and began to stretch her arms to wake herself up.

"Aww… It suites her… doesn't it guys?" Tsubasa grinned and the rest of the class just laughed as they agreed with him. "We can't help calling you princess. I mean, look at you… Hm… how do they describe princesses in those story books, again?" Tsubasa grinned and gave Misaki a meaningful glance.

Misaki grinned back and clasped her hands together, "They say princesses are suppose to be beautiful beyond compare…"

Tsubasa started walking around Mikan, making her dizzy as he examined her from head to toe. "Check… She passes that category…"

Misaki nods and continues, "A princess has a knight to protect her…"

"Check… She has Ryu for that…"

Understanding what they had meant, Mikan couldn't help but turn a little red.

"A princess can win the hearts of her people even with just her smile…"

"Yeah… we pretty much experienced that one first hand yesterday… so that's another check for ya…"

"And the princess always gets the prince…"

Mikan turns even redder remembering a certain crimson eyed prince and a certain kiss she had with an amphibian.

"Hm… well other than the last one she fits every description. I wouldn't be surprised if you really were a princess, Miyu" Tsubasa concluded and the rest bopped their heads in agreement.

Mikan, not being able to do anything, just crossed her arms and pouted.

"Oh… you're upsetting the pwincess…" Mango the apple pouted along with her. Everyone laughed.

"Oh… Princess…" Misaki grinned, "Sorry if you had to sleep on the floor… You know how it is… We really don't have any other room besides this tent so I hope you still slept well."

Mikan shook her head and smiled, "It was great sempai! You don't have to treat me special because I'm new, and I found last night's sleep very relaxing…"

Misaki sighed, "And to think the other classes have their own buildings for themselves…"

"Tsk. Haven't you been listening to our princess?" Tsubasa wagged his finger in front of her. "Our class is the best place to stay at 'coz we're a family in here… right, princess?"

Mikan smiled her brightest smile and with one beaming 'hai!' everyone immediately started feeling better and confident.

"Ok… ok… Let's just finish our practice shall we?" Misaki said energetically.

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A carriage stopped in front of the Academy's huge gates. Several guards stood by the entrance, arranged in two rows at opposite sides. Two men stood beside the carriage door and opened it.

-Trumpet music-

"Prepare yourselves for the presence of his majesty, King Takume Hyuuga, ruler of the Alice Kingdom, our humble land!' shouted the royal escort.

As the trumpets stopped playing, a formidable presence emerged from the carriage. Clad in simple yet majestic robes of silk, and a crown seated atop his head, the Alice king emitted an air of superiority which gained him the respect and admiration of his subjects. For a middle-aged man with crimson coloring his eyes and grey tinging his raven hair and beard, it cannot be denied that he, much like his son, has a lot of charisma.

"Welcome your majesty…" the teachers of Alice Academy greeted. They were to escort the King to the respective ability classes they were handling, each wanting one thing—to impress.

Even Noda-sensei, the moderator of the S.A. class, was there. He appeared in the S.A. tent that morning, surprised to see his students getting ready for some kind of event he was not aware of. His students briefed him of the arrival of the king and so he hurried over to the front gate just in time to see the king arrive.

"Good Morning to you too… Let's attend to business shall we…"

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Inside the academy was a field reserved for different activities for sports, training and the likes. In the middle was a stage with chairs on top of it. The king sat himself at the biggest chair, beside him was his most trusted adviser, Sir Nogi. Behind them were the three high priests.

The students were scattered in different booths in the academy. As the teachers notified them of the king's arrival, they immediately dropped what they were doing and proceeded to the field. Grouping themselves according to their respective classes, they sat themselves on the ground, preparing for the beginning of the most awaited event.

Each class was holding a flag, symbolizing their ability classes. The technical types were found in front at the middle followed by the latent types and then the somatic types behind them. The dangerous ability and special ability types were found seated at the far left and far right side of the stage—respectively. In front of each class were their teachers.

"Ne, ne, Tsubasa-sempai, who are those people behind the king?" Mikan asked out of curiosity, glancing over at the high priests.

Tsubasa kept his voice low and whispered to her ear, "Princess, it's best if you don't catch the attention of those three. They are very mysterious. No one really knows much about them except the fact that they've been around for decades." He glanced at the high priests and continued, "Rumor has it that they are actually from the dark realm."

"Eh?" Mikan's eyes widened as she stared at the three hooded figures. She looked at Tsubasa, tilted her head meaningfully and then asked, "What's the dark realm?"

Tsubasa fell down and sighed. "Never mind…"

But Mikan did mind. There was something about those three hooded figures. She finds them highly unusual. She gave them a sideway glance so as not to be obvious and noted their appearance. One was really tall. The other was just as tall as her and appears to be a woman who has black curly hair. The last one was as short as an elementary student. What bothered her most was the fact that the three high priests would occasionally give her curious glances. It was probably because of her hood and cloak… She sighed. 'Ryu still won't give me a break'

-o0o-

"Students of Alice Academy… It is of great pleasure that I officially begin today's events in honor of the king's presence." Narumi gave the crowd his opening remarks.

Natsume grunted in his seat.

"Hey, you're high-ness your daddy's over there. Shouldn't you sit on the comfy chair at the stage next to him instead of sitting on the ground like us common people," Ryu teased him with a monotonously mocking tone. He was still mad at Natsume because of a certain kiss.

"Can it Yukushima…" Natsume was not in the mood for their petty fights.

"Whatever," Ryu grunted.

"Stop acting like children you two… "Persona commanded his tone threatening.

After finishing Narumi's long introductory speech (which no one had listened to), it was finally the King's turn to speak.

"My dear children, as you all know, my visit here concerns a very serious matter. I will be direct with you. You have probably prepared for my arrival even without knowing what I have in stored for you today. So as to not waste anytime, I'll briefing you of what you're going to do." He paused to clear his throat.

"You will be showing me your mastery of your Alice through different tasks. The first will be a presentation with you ability types. It will be up to you on how that will go."

Murmurs swarmed through the crowds.

"The second one will be through the booths you have already set up. I'll be visiting each one of them and like the first task, assess your skills by class."

Sighs of relief were heard.

"The final task will be the most different and probably the most difficult as well… It will be for the individual assessment of your skills… You shall all participate in… an Alice Duel…"

Gasps and shouts of protests were heard among the students and even the teachers.

"That's dangerous… "

"Someone could get hurt!"

"You can't pit them all against each other… Not all of them have offensive Alice"

With a single wave of his hand, the king immediately silenced the crowd. "Yes… You shall all be pitted against each other… Your opponents will be randomly chosen and like most duels, the person left standing wins… You will not necessarily fight different classes. In fact, you might fight against someone in your own class…"

"But your majesty… These are only children and most are inexperienced at-" Narumi tried to protest but was cut off by the king.

"Yes… They are inexperienced. That is why I shall be granting them an opportunity to have such experience. You are well aware of our kingdom's situation. The enemy is gathering recruits and their target is none other than the students of this academy. If they do not know how to fight and defend themselves, they might as well hang a sign around their necks saying 'dead man walking'," The king stated sternly.

Narumi sighed and bowed his head in disappointment.

"Do not worry… The students will not be harmed. I have my healers and they shall be attending to the injuries every time a duel ends…" The king lifted his gaze and continued, "Enough about this… It will be for later. Right now, focus on the tasks at hand… Your class presentations…"

As the king sat himself back down, Narumi made his way to the center of the stage to introduce the first class to perform their welcoming presentation.

"And Now… The Class of the common and hardworking… The Latent types… The class of the super powers"

The latent types made their way to the center of the field, between the stage where the king was at and the spectators.

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"Mikan…" Ryu whispered to himself, absentmindedly. He was unaware of the fact that Natsume had been observing him ever since the king mentioned the Alice Duel.

"Who are you talking to, pest?" Natsume asked, masking his curiosity by nonchalance.

Snapping out of his reverie, Ryu realized that he was being observed. He glared at Natsume and muttered, "None of your business. Shouldn't you worry about pleasing your daddy?"

"Tsk. Whatever…" Natsume gave Ryu one final sideway glance then returned his attention to the stage. Natsume knew for a fact that Ryu is rarely distracted and he knows better than anyone else that whenever Ryu is distracted, it's something serious.

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The latent type chose to present a play to the Alice King. Since their Alice are composed the superpowers, they found it easy to manage their presentation. Illusions were made to change the scenery. Students with the teleportation Alice made costume change very efficient and those with the levitation Alice enabled them to do breathtaking stunts. Weak elemental Alice also helped with the special effects. All in all the latent ability type's play was an amazing display of Alice control and coordination.

The king nodded his head in approval. It was very well planned and organized and the manner of presentation enabled him to see the cooperation between their Alice. But of course, he was not there to enjoy himself. His purpose for this sudden visit is to prepare his precious subjects for upcoming attacks from the AAE. He signaled Narumi to start the next event as the Latent types made their way back to their seats.

"Thank you very much for that wonderful performance… Wasn't it truly marvelous my dear students?" Narumi chimed with a goofy grin on his face. The almost unnoticeable nervousness in his tone was ignored by most, except the most perceptive. No one can really question the odd behavior of the usually careless teacher for they all were worried about the upcoming duel.

Sensing the uneasiness emitted by the students, Narumi released an exasperated sigh and gave the students a smile that he hoped was reassuring. "Now let's give it up for the Somatic types who have prepared for us a little song and dance number… Let's give it up for the Somatic types… The class of the performers…"

And give up, the audience did. The applause they gave turned out a little more unenthusiastic than intended.

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"Wow… wasn't the latent types' performance just the best… That play was awesome… don't you think so Mango?" said Mikan, who was currently the only student who wasn't affected by the tension developing from all the anxiety for the upcoming duel.

"Yup! Yup!" Mango responded.

"What do you think Misaki-sempai? It kinda makes me nervous for our turn…" She told her pink-haired senior.

Misaki and the rest of their class were nervous too alright, but for completely different reasons. Misaki was confident in her fighting skills, however, Alice duels are supposed to be forbidden because of its dangers. If the Alice king himself was the one who is instigating the duel, then the threat to their kingdom must be serious.

"Hello? Sempai? Anybody there?" Mikan waved her hand in front of her out-of-it senior to get her attention.

"W-what? Oh… Sorry about that…" Misaki smiled.

"Is something bothering you?" Mikan asked as she tilted her head to the side—a habit she did whenever she was curious.

"Ahaha… Nothing really…" Misaki reassured her as she scratched the back of her head. She turned to Mikan with slightly curious expression and asked, "You're not bothered are you?"

"Well… I am a little nervous but since we did practice I'm sure we'll do just fine," she beamed.

Misaki shook her head and smiled, "Not that silly…"

"Hm?"

"I was referring to the Alice Duel. Aren't you worried about that?"

Mikan paused for a minute before looking at her senior and saying, "I've been meaning to ask you what that was. Is it a game?"

Misaki bit her lip and stifled her laughter. 'Of course she's not bothered. She doesn't know what it is…' Misaki just grinned at her and muttered a simple, "Sort of…" She suddenly found herself completely at ease once again. It'll be best to tell her later…

Mikan pouted. "But I really don't know what it is… I told you, they don't tell me much where I come from…"

"I know… But you shouldn't think of that now… Let's focus on what we're gonna do in front."

"Ok sempai," Mikan smiled. She failed to notice the wary glances her seniors gave each other.

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The Somatic type's performance was not the least bit affected by the heavy tension. If it were, no one had noticed. They were performers, after all. With spectacular displays of superhuman athletic prowess, incredible acrobatic grace and irresistible pheromone-induced charm, the performers were able to garner the crowd's attentions. Ruka just smiled embarrassedly as he heard a familiar voice cheer him on.

"Spectacular!" the king commented, duly impressed. Everyone nodded. It was expected that they would give the best performance; they are the class of the performers after all.

Narumi made his way back to the stage to announce the next performers. "The next class is the class of the greats. The class of the wise and the crafty, the inventive and the innovative, the ingenious and the artistic, the Technical Types… The Class of the brilliant..."

The crowd's response was a little bit more cheerful thanks to the previous performance and the tension lifted partially.

"Oh, Hotaru's class is up next!" Mikan cheered for her best friend as loud as she could, much to her class' amusement.

"Go! Go! Otarui-chan" Mango cheered as well.

"Idiot," Hotaru whispered with more amusement than irritation than she had intended. She's my idiot, she thought with a sigh as she made her way in front of the crowd.

With the time she spent at the academy, she was already able to build herself a reputation as the brightest genius in the technical types. She has gained herself wealthy patrons and persistent admirers. The crowd cheered louder when she finally stopped in front.

Instead of performing like the earlier classes, the technical types made a mini demonstration. Composers composed and made music, painters painted paintings that came to life, and bakers baked singing pastry…

'If you wanna be happy and merry,

Go on and eat me I'm a sweet yummy pastry.

But if you will eat me,

Eat me completely.

For its not fine and dandy to be left over candy…'

Hotaru felt the lower part of her left eye twitch. Although Anna was a talented baker, it didn't mean her creations were talented as well.

When Nonoko stepped in to demonstrate some of her tonics, the crowd fidgeted in their place with apprehension. The events of the other day did not go unspoken and many fear the consequence of being turned into an animal. Natsume smirked. He didn't mind being a frog again. As if reading his thoughts, he was put at the receiving end of two very famous glares, one icy and the other jealous. Ruka was just fighting hard to keep himself from blushing and Koko was laughing like an idiot remembering the fun he had when he 'played' with froggies. He gulped when all four victims of the frog tonic glared at him and he wished he was dead when the Ice queen gave him one of her smiles. The one that says, 'you're dead… I mean it…' He was gonna be her guinea pig again.

Hotaru cleared her throat so the crowd would silence and listen to her demo. "This is one of my earliest designs," she said, referring to a monumental object covered with a giant blanket right next to her. How it got there, no one noticed.

She tugged at the blanket and it fell down slowly, fluttering when it caught the wind. It revealed a complicated piece of machine, made up of gears and cogs turning round and round as one end spurts out steam. Oddly enough, it resembled something very familiar…

"Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the BAKA-pult"

Koko paled… she wouldn't

A/N: I know… you wanna kill me… Gone for months and back with an unfinished chapter… yes it's not finished… I decided to cut it…

-dodges flying beavers-

I swear I had a good reason for disappearing… I just forgot… -dodges flying goldfish-

Nope… I will not update my other fic yet… -dodges more random objects-

I will soon… I hope…

Oh and sorry for not replying to all those reviewers and random people… I will when I get the chance…

TO friends whose messages I haven't replied to I'm not mad at you and I haven't replaced you… I just haven't had the chance to reply…

I gotta go but please do review… It makes me happy…