Chapter 56: The Fighting Tournament: The Second of the Preliminary Rounds (Part 2)
Ringo's POV
"That woman! I can't believe that she almost kissed Dave, as though she owned him… it was disgusting!" I grimaced. "Ringo, I'm just as mad about that as you are. I know how you feel, but be thankful that it's over for her. She won't be acting like she owns him after the match ended the way it did." Feli grabbed my hand. "... Yeah, you're correct about that, Feli." I sighed. "I will admit, it was a bit hard for me to stomach when it came to watching that fight…" Ex mentioned. "That's how a typical demon is, Ex. They literally have no respect for others, just doing whatever the hell they want." Satan told him. "Now there's a REAL harlot… I can guarantee you that Succubus would've made herself out to be quite the prostitute if she wanted to." Witch scoffed. "Ms. Witch, that is inappropriate to talk about when we have these kiddies here. What about poor, sweet and innocent Lidelle? Just look at her." Accord scolded the other instructor. "... …" Lidelle shook, feeling very uncomfortable. "Lidelle…" Amitie looked at her, then went in for a hug. "A-A-Amitie…" Lidelle soon stopped shaking. "Tch. All that matters is that Dave won the match, it's the only thing that we should really care about for the time being. The next match will begin soon, we should watch; the last couple of fights have been less interesting." Schezo made a good point. "S'pose so…" Lemres came to agree with him a little. "..." The rest of us in this huge group remained silent.
Dave's POV
The next match was starting and I saw Hohow Bird's image on the match board. "So, his match is next…" I crossed my arms. "Yeah. Who is his opponent?" Arle squinted. The other image beside Hohow Bird's appeared, and it showed a little dot with an arrow. "What's with the arrow?" I wondered. "I dunno, I can't see who that's supposed to be." Arle shrugged. "This is getting me curious…" Jarne paid attention. "It's now the sixth match and we have Primp Town's hero on my left raring to go!" Oshare hyped up the crowd. *crowd cheer* "CAW! It's great to be the respected hero of a town, as I always say!" Hohow Bird was still full of himself. "And on my right, is a creature so small, you need a magnifying glass to see him. He's the flea that goes by the name… Nomi!" Oshare had an arrow automatically follow the tiny guy as he jumped around. "Hm? I can't hear what he's saying…" I noticed. "Nomi… he's too small to be heard, especially considering that there's a loud crowd here. I would know because he's from my world." Arle explained to me. "Huh… … A lot of people you know seem to come from your world, Arle." I said. "I guess I'm just meant to always see them again at some point." She assumed. "If you two are ready… LET THE MATCH BEGIN!" Oshare started it up. "Let's see what you are made of, you flea!" Hohow Bird ran. He looked like he was going to stomp Nomi with his talons. The flea evaded the stomp and rushed over to climb up Hohow Bird's leg. "Wh-what the-?! Get off of me!" He reacted. As it turned out, Nomi was feasting on the bird's blood.
Hohow Bird really tried to sweep the flea off with his wings, but that only worsened things for him. Nomi leapt into the feathery home that the wings provided. In turn, this made Hohow Bird roll around on his sides, as an attempt to shake off Nomi. "Folks, it looks like our hero is having major problems with trying to shake off Nomi." Oshare commented. "Wh-what are you t-talking about? Th-this is nothi- OW!" The bird spoke before screaming. He kept trying to get the flea out of his feathers, but to no avail. This dragged on for like half an hour, then I noticed something. "Hey… Hohow Bird looks kind of pale. Is he alright?" I wondered, not because I cared for him, but because I was curious. "Yeah, he doesn't look right…" Arle noticed. "*gasp* Ladies and Gentlemen, look at our hero! The color on his face is fading as we speak!" Oshare squinted, then his eyes shot open. "Oooough... I don't feel so well…" Hohow Bird looked like he was getting light-headed. "Folks, I may have figured out what's happening to our precious hero. Fleas are known for feasting on the blood of their hosts. Since quite a bit of time has passed, I wouldn't put it past me that Nomi has feasted on a good portion of Hohow Bird's blood." Oshare explained. "He's feasting on what…?! I thought… he was just biting me constantly!" The bird began to panic, then seeked out for the flea residing in his feathers. "... … GOT YOU! HAAA!" Hohow Bird managed to catch Nomi with the front of his wing, then threw him on the ring with such force.
Everyone looked shocked that this sudden turn of events took place. Honestly, I couldn't blame anybody for having their jaw drop from that. Mine did too, I was just as surprised. "H-how did he catch Nomi like that?! He doesn't really have fingers, what's the deal?!" I became upset. "Well, he must have his ways… He's treated as a hero, so maybe he trained like one." Jarne said. "*sigh* I don't consider him to be heroic, Jarne…" I replied to her words with irritation. "..." Arle and Jarne didn't say anything. "He won't pull shit like that on me without notice… I'm too smart for it now that I've seen one of those things." I crossed my arms. While I was talking, a countdown for Nomi defeat was occuring. "Six. Five. Fou-" Before it could go any further, Nomi began to jump up and down again. "Nomi still has the will to fight!" Oshare pointed out. The flea then crashed into Hohow Bird's face, then crawled to the back of his head. "Gyaaah! Get off of me, you disgusting parasite!" The bird recoiled in fear. Once again, Nomi was biting Hohow Bird. This time, however... he was in a place that the bird was unable to reach. "Well, it looks like our hero won't be getting rid of Nomi again without a ton of effort…" Oshare stared at the scene. Hohow Bird was trying to think of ways to knock Nomi off of him from the back of his head, but nothing seemed to work. "Curses! This flea just doesn't know when to stop consuming blood!" He screamed.
A little while after that, he suddenly looked weak and dropped to the ground. "Is this how I'm defeated…? Defeated by a tactic that is so cowardly…? Damn this outcome… ... I can't give up… no matter what… The wonderful citizens of Primp are on my side… they want me to... WIIIIIN! HRGH!" Hohow Bird got up and stretched his wing unnaturally to roughly reach the area that Nomi was in. He felt around with his wing for a little bit before feeling what he wanted. "Got you again…" He grinned. Hohow Bird managed to pluck the flea off of the back of his head. "This time, you will go down long enough for the timer to reach zero… YYAAH!" He chucked him to the ground once more. Safe to say, it looked like Nomi was out for the count. The countdown started, and it didn't stop until zero. "There you have it, Hohow Bird takes another win in the most dramatic and quirky way you can think of!" Oshare rejoiced. "Yaaay… I need someone to carry… me." Hohow Bird requested for his healer to carry him back to the behind-the-scenes area. "So… he still has the willpower to make it as far as he possibly can…" I scoffed. The next match came to be soon enough, but it didn't involve Rulue. I had guessed that she was part of the final match for this second round. Once again, it didn't provide any fruitful data, so I just focused more so on Rulue's match. "Ladies and gentlemen, we have reached the final match for today's round. On my left is the fighting queen that needs no further introduction at this point, Ru-lue!" Oshare said before the crowd became hesitant in cheering for her. "And on my right is a merchant with a strange chest that not many people know about… Fun fact: I know him as an acquaintance since I am a shopkeeper myself. Anyway, give it up for… Parara!" Oshare pointed to. This Parara fellow didn't say anything, only moving his head up and down, then showing the audience a blank happy face. "Aaaaaaw! He's white like a marshmallow and so cute!" Girls in the crowd were in awe over his "cuteness". Sometimes, girls can't tell what's cute and what's creepy… God, that little white fellow gives me the chills…
Oshare began the match for Rulue and Parara. The fight however, was COMPLETELY one-sided. Parara didn't stand a chance when Rulue did her one Rock Punch and knocked him out. "Once again, Rulue shows us her terrifying raw strength… She automatically wins for knocking Parara unconscious..." The skeleton trailed off. "Just as I figured… she'll get all the way to the finals at this rate. I just hope that I can get there and-" I stopped. I felt troubled about Rulue's current strength, wondering if I could withstand her attacks for even a couple of minutes. I knew I was really strong myself, but she was on a whole other level here. The odds of me potentially facing Rulue in rounds three and four are much greater than that of the first two. And, I can't forget about Hohow Bird... I know I'll have a lot of trouble with even hitting him. Damn it! How can I pull through- No. I must. I must do this for Draco… AND for Rulue. No matter what sort of negative consequence may come when I do beat Rulue… I'll deal with it and protect her myself! I was brought back to reality with Arle tapping on my shoulder. "Hey, you there? It's time to go, Oshare Bones just ended the round and is allowing everyone to go home for the day." She told me. "O-oh, so I see. Let's go then… Goodbye, Jarne." I waved to the djinn. She did so too, then me and Arle left the tournament with the others following behind. We all arrived back at Accord's private estate and entered. When we did, the time was a little past 3:30 P.M. "*sigh* This is gonna be one hell of a rough ride from here on out…" I sat on the couch nearby. "No kidding…" Ringo sat next to me. Soon, all of us sat on some kind of furniture in this living space for some time. "D-Dave… are you going to be alright with things heading toward a bad outcome?" Lidelle stuttered in concern. "..." I didn't say anything to answer her question.
Another voice spoke out in my stead as I remained quiet. "It's obvious that Dave still has second thoughts about attempting to beat Ms. Rulue. If he wins, he will risk her becoming a target for whatever this theoretical threat might be. But… if he doesn't, Dave won't be able to recover Ms. Centauros safely. It's not an easy decision to remain committed to this… nor is it easy to stay optimistic during this time." Accord seemed to have read my subtle thoughts by looking at my face. "A moral dilemma… something bad will happen, regardless of the final outcome." Ex sympathized. "Yes… even I have to admit that I feel bad for Dave being put into this shitty position. Again, I still don't like him, but…" Schezo spoke, then stopped. "I get it, no one deserves to be in a position like this… outside of the lowest of the low." I told him. "What will you do?" Klug asked me. Everyone looked at me, waiting for an answer to come from my mouth. "It's hard to say… no matter what I do, one thing or another WILL go wrong. … If we can stop whatever could be making Rulue do things against her will… then I'm free to try and win the tournament without worry." I proposed. "How? We don't even know where to look. Dave, don't you think that idea is reckless?" Ringo turned to face me. Arle also turned to me on a dime upon hearing the word "reckless". "... No, we'll prepare to do so tomorrow night, after the tournament. Until then… we'll plan things out, here and now. As it should be: "There's no I in team". … Hm? Raffina, is there something that you wanted to say?" I noticed that she wasn't very happy.
What's wrong with her? I've never seen her like this before... "I… I… Dave, I beg of you... make sure that Ms. Rulue is gonna come out of this fine, please!" Tears started to flow from her eyes and she went to embrace me. "...! R-Raffina…" I jumped a little. I couldn't believe what I was witnessing. I knew that Raffina HAD a soft side under that tough exterior, but I had never seen her cry before. Raffina's crying… I can tell, she absolutely yearns for Rulue's safety. She looks up to her so much. The last thing she would ever want is Rulue perishing before her eyes. "... Worry not, Raffina... I don't just promise that I will do so; I'm making that a reality." I gently petted her head. "... Th-thank you, from the bottom of my heart... *sniff*" She smiled. "Gee, Dave really knows how to make all of us feel better." Amitie smiled as a result. "Agreed. He's the very example of an awesome duuude." Lemres tipped his hat. "Uh… hehehe… Yeah, I guess so. Not to act prideful or anything of that caliber..." I said, feeling a little awkward. "I dunno about that last part." Sig bluntly said. "..." I didn't make a statement regarding his little comment. "Anyway, you're strong: Use your power for the best outcome that we can and will get." Ex stood up. "Yes, I will." I nodded.
The rest of the day went by and I was in my bed with the rest of the guys. We had decided to tell each other some stories from our experiences. I told them all about things that happened when I was in my own world. They were interested to hear what I had to say, even Schezo. "You see, magic and supernatural entities don't exist in my world. Those things were just considered to be superstitious, not anything more than that. Sure, that meant that my world was quite peaceful since it stopped doing wars… but, it made things less eventful. The only things to me that kept me entertained were fictional stories from text, the internet, and these shows called anime." I said. "Th-those series from Japan in Ringo's-! I remember us going through this store where it had them for sale." Ex thought back. "Yeah. They were a definitive part of my life before I ended up in Ringo's world. Admittedly, I miss watching them… Honestly though, all my time here made me feel like I was actually living through one. Theoretically... it's better to feel like a part of something, rather than watching things unfold from a screen." I told him. "I really don't get any of this…" Schezo sighed. "I don't blame ya... you ARE the dark mage, so you naturally would understand this. Actually, wait. You won't strictly be a dark mage after we get enough o' the ore." Lemres told him. "Comet Warlock… are you insinuating something?" Schezo wondered in an irritated tone. "I mean, Lemres is correct. You won't be a dark mage for too much longer after this tournament ends." Klug further brought in that truth. "Whatever…" Schezo scoffed. "So, what about you?" I asked him.
C'mon, answer the question... "What more would you want to know from me, Dave?" He looked at me, showing a face of irritation from my question. "... It was really early on when I met you… Schezo, you looked like you knew Arle for a long time. I could tell when you were talking with her and Draco while on that special vehicle for the Puyo Isles. Remember that, Schezo? I would like to know how you and Arle met… and maybe see why you had a certain fascination with her." I requested. "Wh-what do you mean "a certain fascination", Dave?!" He blushed in embarrassment. "You were a pervert for a long time, were you not?" I pressed. "... *sigh* A perverted mind has nothing to do with my relationship with Arle… Truth be told, I always wanted to take her magical power for myself. But… ever since the Sword of Darkness broke on me; I could not do that, even if I wanted to. This is another reason why I still don't like you, Dave. It's because of the fight we had with Vyle a while back that made me lose the very blade I connected with. It meant everything to me… my dark magic, my integrity, and what made me… me. Not only did I lose the chance to harness Arle's power for my own, but you also took away my own power indirectly. I know you did not mean it, but it's still your damn fault. When I get this new sword… I'm going to fight you with everything I have in me… and then, I'll pursue my goal in taking Arle's magic when I beat you. I swear it..." He revealed his true intentions. "You are welcomed to try when you come around to do so, Schezo… but, I won't make any promises that you'll beat me." I chuckled a tiny bit. "Ha. Maybe I might look forward to that fight…" He smirked slightly before going to sleep. The rest of us nodded and we fell asleep.
I ended up having a dream… but it was nowhere near as happy as the last one. In fact: It felt like something evil was purposefully making my dream into a nightmare. The reason why I say it like that is because I had a talk in this "dream" with a dark figure. "Wh-who are you?" I shook. "I am someone who you already know and hate with a passion. *snicker*" The figure spoke. That voice… it sounds familiar, but where have I heard it before? Damn! I'm having so much trouble remembering who this voice belongs to. Either way, this might be the guy that is threatening Rulue. "Why are you here?" I asked the dark figure. "I know what you and your friends are planning on doing." "Y-you do?! Did you harm Rulue in any way yet?" "... Fortunately for you, no. I still need her to win the tournament for me." "Why? Why do you want her to win? What are you hoping to gain by doing so?" "If I were to say… I would risk revealing my identity to you too quickly. Obviously, I do not want that. All I can say is that you defeated me in the past… and I want my revenge! Dave, you disrupted my plans before, but… I assure you, that won't happen again. I boosted Rulue's power just for the tournament. And do you want to know the scariest part about that? She still isn't strong enough to resist my plot. My new-found energy spike is unlike anything you've seen before! … If dear Rulue was able to knock foes out with a single punch… then imagine what I can do. Heh… hahahaha… it would be absolute horror and destruction! As much as I do want my revenge on you… I am intrigued to see how you could win the competition. That is, if you choose to sack off poor Rulue's life just so you can save another girl from her imprisonment, created by that egotistical pile of feathers."
I was shocked that this person knew that. I thought that it was just me and my friends who knew of that at the time. "You know about that too?!" "To be fair: I didn't know about it right away. I only found that out after you were fighting to win so desperately in that first round. I must admit, you are in quite a predicament. You want to lose, but you can't. No matter what you do, somebody you care about will be lost. So, which will it be? Will you sack off one of your lovers? Or, perhaps will you still attempt to win, risking an even bigger consequence? It's your choice… Ah, but it's not a very easy one, is it? I will be awaiting what you decide to do tomorrow." The dark figure left and I blanked out in my own nightmare. "*gasp* *pant pant pant*" I woke up during the early morning in a cold sweat. The other guys notice this immediately. "Dave! What's wrong?! Speak to us!" Satan came to my side and shook me. "I-i-it was a person threatening Rulue… They appeared as a dark figure in a nightmare I had last night..." I told them. "What?! Who was this?!" He demanded me to answer. "I don't know... He only said that me and him met before in the past, and he wants revenge. ... I would've known who this was if I remembered his voice… but I don't. *sigh* He knows our plan… and my moral dilemma, as if he's some sort of omnipotent being." I told him. "Damn… Damn it! Who could this possibly be?! A Yog?! No… a normal Yog wouldn't be like this. Only Yoggus Swartus would have that level of knowledge; but Ecolo would've said something already about the eight Yogs of this dimension merging to make Yoggus. Gah! I don't know what to think anymore! … ... We must discuss this with Ms. Accord." Satan grew angry, then sighed and left the room.
When we all met up in the dining hall to eat breakfast, Accord was told of what occurred in my nightmare. "I see, this is a big problem… We now know that somebody for sure is threatening Ms. Rulue, but who? And how do they know of our plan?" She pondered. "That's what I like to know… it isn't the Yogs, I know that for a fact." Satan said to her. "What about my father? He was defeated by you, Dave." Klug guessed. "Not likely, Primp Town police would know if he has escaped. Remember, Klug? He's in prison." I reminded him. "Right… that happened a few months ago, but I feel like it only happened yesterday." He recalled. "And it can't be Vyle because I saw him die before my very eyes." Ex told us. "Then who the hell could it possibly be? I don't know any guy from my own world that would want revenge… Besides, how could they know about me going away from my world months ago? And... how could this guy get here by himself?" I felt very confused. "..." No one said anything for a solid minute, and I wasn't surprised by that. They seemed to be just as stumped as I was. "The more we think about who, the less time we will have to get to the tournament for round three, four, and the final round. Let's finish up and leave, we can figure this out after the tournament is done." Accord suggested. "Yes. We won't get anywhere like this, we would be only wasting time here. It would really help us if you and Arle would leave right now. You have both finished eating, right?" Schezo agreed, then turned to me and her. "Well, as close to done as I can be… just one more bite…! Okay, I'm done. How about… *gulp* ...you, Arle?" I turned to her. "I finished a couple of minutes ago." She told me. "Then go, you two." Schezo insisted. We left and I flew Arle to the tournament. The seven other remaining contestants stood by the ring. Arle went inside the behind-the-scenes area to wait for me.
Author's Notes: Round two ended with Rulue punching Parara once for an easy knockout victory. When the group got back, they agreed to stop whatever (now known to be somebody for sure) from harming Rulue. Dave had a nightmare that revealed to us that it was indeed an individual threatening the fighting queen. The experience made him wake up in a cold sweat next morning, alerting the other guys. Further discussion was made in the dining hall, but without a solid lead to figure out who was behind Rulue's urgency to win… the group was forced to not think about it. They couldn't afford to waste time when it came to arriving at the tournament for the rest of the rounds. Dave and Arle came there first and our main character prepared himself for what was left. How will Dave win the tournament without risking Rulue's safety? How will he deal with Hohow Bird's speed? Most importantly, can he even defeat Rulue on his own while she has that power boost? Next chapter, Chapter 57: The Fighting Tournament: Opening the Pathway to the Final Round.
