Chapter 25: Combative Egos
Author's Note: Again, my apologies for the lateness! School's almost out and I was cleaning my room like Adrian Monk! Super clean ninjutsu activate! Anyhoo, here's the new chapter and I hope you enjoy! In addition, sorry for any confusion about me switching the P.O.V. after the Lance battle because I thought, after that "arc" of the story, it would be better for it to be third person instead of first person narrative. I should really make some deadlines for myself because I…
Sorella: (punches Smiley) Stop talking and let them read already!
Smiley: En… enjoy the chapter… (twitches) You're so mean, Ella-chan…
Disclaimer: I do not own anything Zatch Bell related, but I did make Sorella, Rita, and Lance (yada yada), Kumara, and Tsunam are my friend Mukai-sama's!
"H… hey, Brago! Sup?" Sorella asked, trying to be casual.
Brago "humphed" and leaned against the grungy, oily alley wall, looking grouchy. It was dark and dingy in the alley with a distinct scent of rotten food, hobos, and dirt. Mold was creeping up on a trash can and was a tainted, disgusting green. The lid of the can was knocked off and bent in as if someone had used it to bring the beat down on someone. Garbage was overflowing and the fire escape was rusty and rickety looking. Sorella's first impression?
Nasty, yucky, sickening, vomit worthy, and overall a place she really didn't want to be in. Also, there were a lot of things that could be drawn to her bad luck. For example, the broken toaster in the dumpster near the back of the alley could come to life unexpectedly and bombard her with someone else's nasty leftovers. She could slip in the green mold and fall into the can, forever to be tormented by Kumara and Brago. Sorella could jump up to grab the fire escape ladder only to have it fall right off, smack her in the head, and wipe her memory. Yeah, this place wasn't good for someone with fate as bad as Sorella's.
"Kumara, this is Brago and Sherry," Sorella introduced. "Brago's in the competition too... I've helped him loads of times!"
Brago snarled angrily, red eyes vanishing into the whites.
"Like hell you have!" he snarled.
"Deeefeeennnssive!" Sorella said in a singsong voice, making Sherry smirk. "If you find a mamodo, let me know, and I'll back you up!"
Brago scoffed, "As if we need back up."
"Anyway, this is Kumara. Kumara's actually old as dirt even though he doesn't act like it," Sorella added to Sherry in an undertone.
"I see," Sherry replied, peering at Kumara warily as he growled, "I heard that!"
Brago seemed almost interested, though his natural posture of his hands in his furred pants and cocky head tilt indicated anything but interest. His beady, dark red eyes stared back at Kumara, who was still glaring at him.
"A fire demon, are you?" Brago asked in his raspy voice.
Kumara instantly folded into a defensive posture. His red hair almost crackled with heat as his fiery red eyes narrowed in challenge. He stuck his chin out arrogantly and Brago immediately tensed when he sensed this other male challenging his authority.
"What of it?" Kumara growled, as if demanding Brago to have a problem with it.
"Nothing, just that I find demons like you compensating for a lack of power due to the largeness of your fire power," Brago said as if it were the most obvious thing.
Sorella subtly edged away from Kumara and tugged Sherry with her. A few seconds later, Kumara's body temperature exploded violently, melting a few garbage cans nearby. He toned it down before he injured Sorella or Sherry, but fire still sizzled at his knuckles and circled around his feet.
"Say that again!" Kumara snarled.
Brago smirked. "Not only are fire demons incompetent in battle, but they have short term memory loss."
Kumara sizzled more than eggs in a pan and Sorella sensed a fight, so she quickly intervened.
"These are my friends, Kumara!" she said rather nervously. "They helped me in a spot a while ago, but I helped them back! We're even now and allies! Heh heh heh…!"
"Such relationships are pointless in a battle," Brago rasped, unworried about Kumara's angry glare. "The only relationships that are worth having are those between the winner and the loser of a fight."
Brago's mouth twitched into a sharp-toothed sneer as he looked at Kumara.
"I think you're on the losing side of the spectrum," Brago growled, smirk growing at Kumara's increasing anger.
Flames burst out from Kumara's body, hissing and crackling menacingly as if they reflected Kumara's anger.
"I'm gonna beat you into the ground!" Kumara shouted as the flames sped towards Brago.
However, the flames only scorched the stone. Sorella and Sherry nimbly leapt up to a fire escape to avoid the battle. Sherry didn't even pull out her spell book because she figured Brago could just punch Kumara a few times to get him to back off. Sorella snickered a bit at this because from what she learned about Kumara…
He didn't back down from a fight, even if it was one he couldn't win. Before Kumara could even land a hit, though, Brago seemingly disappeared. Kumara skid to a halt, tensing as his eyes whirled in search of the mamodo.
"It seems that you've not proven me wrong in my assumption," Brago's raspy voice said from behind Kumara.
Kumara spun around to face Brago, youthful face twisted with fury. Brago, in comparison, was cool and collected with his arms crossed over his chest and mouth set into the always-visible scowl.
Brago growled, "You're still as tender as a three year old."
Kumara growled, and the flames formed a large ring around the two of them. The wall of flames stretched high enough to reach the top of the building. Brago was standing in the middle of a flame circle and Kumara was grinning arrogantly at him.
"What now, Brago the freak?" he sneered. "Not so tough with fire surrounding you are-!"
Kumara swallowed his sentence when Brago vanished. Before Kumara could even turn to the right and look for him, Brago had his hand suddenly around Kumara's thin throat, lifting him into the air, feet kicking out angrily, and hands yanking on Brago's muscular arm in trying to release himself.
"You're nothing but a child," Brago rasped, red eyes vanishing, an indication of rage. "A good fighter knows when to pick his fights, and with whom. You're nothing more than a lion that roars at a machine gun. The lion is strong, but the machine gun is stronger, and the lion's pride will get him killed."
Brago's fingers clenched a moment, further showing Kumara's predicament.
"All the power in the world doesn't mean anything if you don't know how to wield it."
Kumara gritted his teeth, warped out of Brago's grasp, and reappeared in front of him. I am not losing this battle! Not to him! Kumara thought to himself before growling, summoning his flame scythe. The weapon handle was made out of twisting wood and knots, making it look jagged, rough, and wild. The curved blade was bright blue like one would see in the immensely hot flame of a Bunsen burner. It sparkled like diamonds, but held not attractive qualities because the only thing someone thought when they saw it was,
"Oh crap, I hope I don't get hit with that thing."
"I don't give a crap what you say; I'm winning this battle even if it kills me!" Kumara said.
"Then you may just die," Brago growled, cracking his clawed fingers before swiftly darting over to Kumara.
Sorella watched with a stoic an exuberant expression, while Sherry was passive. She didn't believe Kumara stood a chance, so she wasn't worried. Sorella, on the other hand, was rooting for both teams. She both wanted Kumara to win and to fail and vice versa for Brago. They both were super arrogant in their fighting methods and she would love to see them be punched in the face (Brago punched in the face would be epic). Then again, some fights shouldn't be fought. There were worse things than getting hit in your ego.
Kumara used the tactic of warping away and reappearing behind Brago to try to get the edge on him, but Brago's speed was inconceivable. By the time Kumara summoned fire to throw at Brago, Brago would already be next to him and slamming a fist in his cheek, jaw, or shoulder.
Once, when Kumara yelled angrily and ran at him head on, Brago simply stood there and just punched Kumara right in the gut so hard that he flew upwards, eyes wide, and back to the ground with a heavy thump. Brago didn't hold back his punches and Kumara didn't hold back his flames. Yet, Brago had no wounds on him at all and Kumara was practically coughing up blood after that punch to his gut.
Sorella sighed when Brago was about to swing his fist upon Kumara again, but Sorella appeared in front of him and her hand wrapped around Brago's wrist, stopping the hit in mid-swing.
"Okay, that's enough," she said regretfully, not wanting to end the fight.
Brago growled at her for a short moment before retracting his arm and crossing his arms over his chest, glowering. Sherry leapt down, somewhat surprised Brago backed off.
"His tenaciousness almost makes up for his weak use of strategy…" Brago said.
"That sounded like a compliment!" Sorella observed.
"I said almost," he snarled, going around Sorella to pick Kumara up by the scruff of his neck, glaring at him in the face.
This would make anyone wilt slightly, no matter how much they wanted to beat Brago senseless.
"You're weak," Brago growled. "And until you get past that temper of yours, you won't move forward. Foolish fire demon brat."
Brago dropped Kumara on the ground and walked away, pausing a moment only to look at Sorella over his shoulder.
"There are more mamodo in the area, and I had better not hear a weakling burned your book before I got the chance to."
"Yeah, yeah, you be careful too!" Sorella laughed, waving as Brago turned to walk away.
"Sorella, I would like to meet up with you again later on today. We are in the grandest hotel of the city, which should be easy to find. You know what places I prefer to stay in," Sherry said, offering Sorella a rare smile of friendship.
Sorella winked. "You betcha! I'll come talk to you later!"
"She means she will come to mooch off of your flimsy human money," Brago said without turning around.
Sorella turned to look at the sulking Kumara, knowing that silence was the best option right now. She would wait for him to say something first, because she knew the simmering silence of defeat would most likely pushing him into speech. Kumara's eyes suddenly sparked with intense fire and Sorella's golden eyes gleamed as she leapt away.
"KUMARA!" Sorella yelled warningly, but it was too late.
Kumara threw up his palms before him and a massive column of fire burst forth, red flames circling in a writhing vortex of heat. Brago and Sherry didn't even turn, sensing the attack from the heat upon the nape of their necks. Brago's thick arm wrapped around Sherry's delicate, petite waist and he leapt high into the air to avoid the attack. It dispersed by the time his touched the ground and in Sherry's elegant hands was a black book. Brago turned slowly with a sadistic sneer upon his features, palm lifted…
"Borutsu Gurabirei!" Sherry called immediately, black book bursting with light.
Kumara suddenly found himself yanked towards Brago's outstretched, glowing hand, and realized Brago's spells related to gravity. Sherry ended the spell immediately when Kumara was close to Brago, and Brago curled his fingers into a fist before punching Kumara right in the jaw and sending him hurtling away from him.
"If you're going to fight me," Brago rasped, crossing his arms over his chest and looking at Kumara with disdain. "At least make more of an effort."
Kumara growled, but thought of something. He slipped into a fighting pose, making Brago think he was going to rush straight at him. Kumara took a step forward, and flames burst up from the ground underneath Brago, who leapt away. Kumara charged, while making columns of flames shoot up every time Brago landed. If I can keep this up, I might be able to land a hit!Kumara thought. Brago let a wicked smirk appear on his face, exposing his shark-like teeth.
Sherry's voice echoed, "Kueaborutsu Gurabirei!" and black walls rose from the ground around the training area.
Brago landed lightly on his feet as Kumara rushed forward, but then skid to a halt when the jets of fire erupting from the ground froze to a near standstill. Brago vanished and reappeared behind Kumara, kicking the fire demon with his shoe in the back of the head, sending him to the ground.
"Darn it..." Kumara snarled as the black walls vanished. "It's a spell that slows an enemy's attack..."
Brago smirked, but didn't say anything. It seemed he was waiting for Kumara to get up. After a moment of struggling, limbs shaking, Kumara got to his feet and took a deep breath. He returned Brago's smirk cockily, as if sneering, "Come and get it, pal!" Kumara clenched a fist and pulled it back as he charged, fire circling his arm.
Brago's eyes narrowed slightly at Kumara's persistence, but then smirked as he dodged Kumara with grace. However, he snarled angrily when Kumara went for Sherry, who braced herself and swung the staff around, the gem flying from the end. Swinging around the gem connected by a metal cord, Sherry swung it at Kumara and it wrapped around his back leg. Sherry yanked the cord, causing Kumara to roll on the ground before regaining his feet. However, this small hesitation and distraction was enough for Brago to get Sherry out of the way as well as allow her to call another spell.
"Amu Guranaguru!"
Brago's arms glowed with gravitational light, and he darted forward at Kumara, claws flexed.
It was then that Kumara realized the energy surrounding Brago's arms were also pulling Kumara towards the dark clad Mamodo. Brago swung his fist towards Kumara, who stretched out a hand to grab it (though he found his whole body was pulled towards Brago's fist), and Brago struck away Kumara's arm as well as bringing his other hand to strike Kumara's shoulder. Kumara warped away before reappearing and staggering a bit. Brago had just managed to land his attack, and there was a deep gash in Kumara's shoulder.
"Crap…!" Kumara snarled.
"Dioga Gravidon!" Sherry shouted and a massive ball of purple energy with multicolored wisps spinning around it.
The spell went right for Kumara and Brago was watching Kumara intently. It was as if he were waiting for something promising because so far he wasn't impressed. That was before flames suddenly engulfed Kumara. The spell hit the flames and exploded, making Sherry, Sorella, and Brago shield themselves. Brago scowled in rage that Kumara's fire dispersed his attack and defused it.
How could such a weakling stop his own attack? He was the strongest in the competition!
Sorella's lips stretched into an exuberant grin as her long, dark hair fluttered into her face from the massive energy whipping around the area. Her hands gripped the metal bar and even when she felt the bite of the cold steel, Sorella didn't move. Her golden eyes watched the fight with eagerness.
"This is awesome!" Sorella cheered, watching as the fire dome around Kumara slowly began to disperse.
"Remind me..." Kumara's voice said from within the sphere. "To go easier on you so I don't kill you by accident!"
To Sorella's slight surprise, Brago grinned a wide, vicious smile. Brago began to emit an elated aura, feeling excited as the flames dispersed, revealing Kumara in his fire demon form. He was at a towering height, the rusty red fur coarse and lethal flame scythe clutched in a clawed paw.
"Now this fight can really heatup!" Kumara yelled, making Sorella face palm at the bad pun.
"This is a far more promising opponent!" Brago said, rushing forward with a sudden increase in speed and swiping at Kumara without even using spells.
"You... you jerk!" Kumara shouted, dodging Brago. "You were holding back earlier!"
Brago suddenly spun around in a circle and kicking Kumara's chest, sending him skidding backwards, though he didn't fall this time and kept his ground. Sherry's cerulean eyes were calculative and cold; she was completely in the moment. Nothing else mattered but the battle and the stakes at hand. Whether Brago admitted it or not, Kumara was a fire demon, so his fire could most certainly burn their book. Her blonde bangs flickered before her face from the energy explosions like gusts of wind, making her skin prickle with adrenaline.
"What's the point of obliterating an enemy in the first few seconds?" Brago responded, cracking his knuckles as he flexed his claws.
Brago held up the palm of his hand and without any signal of any kind, Sherry called, "Oruga Reis!" indicating that Brago and Sherry had an impeccable partnership and were a dynamic team.
A swirling purple beam of energy shot out with incredible speed from Brago's palm and sped right for Kumara, flashing through the air like an all-powerful arrow. Kumara blocked the beam with his scythe, and shot a round of fireballs at Brago before racing at him.
"Hey, Brago! Why not fight me yourself mano-a-mano without your book master!"Kumara said, as he swiped a paw at Brago who dodged it.
Brago's face remained passive and calm; however, the reds of his eyes vanished.
"Then you would have to abandon your fire," Brago replied, making Kumara scoff in disapproval. "My spells are like your flames. The fact I need a human to call them is no different than you calling on your fire."
"REIS!" Sherry called and a violet sphere of gravity shot out at Kumara, who just barely dodged it before the two of them exchanged a few hand-to-hand blows.
"In fact, you trying to get Sherry out of this fight just proves your insignificance," Brago said in his gravelly voice. "It seems me using my spells in combination with my combative skills is overwhelming."
Kumara yelled in anger as he swung his weapon at Brago, who nimbly dodged it.
"It's true I was intrigued by the possibility of fighting you..." Brago rasped. "However, you're not quite meeting my expectations. How disappointing."
Brago held out his palm and the book in Sherry's hands flared up with dark light. It seemed he carried the authority of death himself, the entire world pressing down upon Kumara's shoulders as he glared at that uplifted, black clawed hand.
"Bidom Gravirei!" Sherry's voice echoed with power as a massive span of gravity forced itself upon Kumara, pressing him harshly to the ground, immobile.
"I wonder..." Sherry said, pouring heart energy into the spell as the pressure pushing Kumara down increased. "How will you free yourself? Will your warping flames work? It's very interesting."
Brago scoffed, the reds of his eyes reappearing, obviously in disagreement with Sherry on how interesting things were.
"Heh..." Kumara said, surprising them. "This is nothing! I have to deal with 9 younger siblings jumping on me all the time back home!"
Kumara got to his feet, and disappeared in a swirl of flames. He was about to turn and strike at Brago with his scythe when Brago jammed his heel into Kumara's skull, sending him down to the ground. Kumara cried out in pain from Brago's sudden kick, his fire demon form warping away and revealing his humanoid one. Kumara panted, trying to get up. The throbbing in his head prevented him from hardly moving, so he resorted to glaring at Brago as the caped mamodo approached. Brago lifted a hand, his black book glowing in the short distance, but he pulled away and simply put his hands in his pockets.
Brago scoffed, "I'd rather not fight an injured opponent... it'd be too easy."
"Tch," Kumara scoffed. "I'd beat you with, or without, these wounds!"
"Unlikely."
"Why you...!" Kumara started, but then slumped in fatigue. "Meh... whatever... we'll fight again when I'm better and we're both at full strength!"
"Not that it will amount to much and make any difference," Brago growled as he stalked past Kumara and headed off towards Sherry, who put Brago's book back into her side bag.
Sherry grinned as turned to Kumara, blue eyes cold with the elation of victory, yet her smile was kind and sympathetic. Sorella snickered at Sherry's expression because it was so contradictive. That's what Sorella liked best about the girl.
"Brago may act all tough and callous, but he's really considerate when it comes to his opponents," Sherry explained to Brago's irritation. "My guess is he doesn't want to kill you by mistake since you're so injured."
Sherry meant for this to be a comfort, but that's not how Kumara took it.
"Darn it, stop calling me weak!" he grumbled as Sherry hurried after Brago, who was already leaving the alley.
Sorella watched them go before she flipped over the bars of the fire escape and landed lightly on her toes beside Kumara. She squat beside him and pat his tangle of red hair condescendingly, golden eyes glinting with mirth. Her full lips curled into a teasing sneer and her voice was impossibly sweet.
"Now, now, Kuma-chan," she said with a coo. "What have we learned?"
Kumara scoffed, rolling his eyes. "That muscle tyrant she-hulks have crappy friends?"
Needless to say, he deserved the smack to his face.