Clover Kingdom's Champion

"You're ours this time you damned freak." A dark voice echoed from behind Kali as she was running, or rather flying, from the Purple Orcas again.

"You know, the Magic Knights have been chasing me for the past ten and a half years now." Kali exclaimed. "An' in all that time, not one of the other Magic Knight squads have even made an effort to catch me. Kinda makes you wonder, doesn't it?"

Falling from the air, Kali landed in a grove of trees, and grabbed onto one of the branches, before swinging forward and up, landing on one that could support her weight as the Purple Orcas chased her on their brooms.

"Do the other Magic Knights, or the Wizard King himself, know what your Squad Captain is having you do?" He questioned, falling back in time to avoid the head on grab, one of her chasers was coming at her with, while causing the Magic Knight to collide with the one that was going for a sneak attack from behind. "I mean seriously, you'd think at this point your Squad Captain would have called in for some reinforcements from other teams to help capture me, but you're all still wasting your time with just trying to catch little old me. Don't you think it's time to call it quits?"

Landing on the ground, Kali took a step back and held out her hand, grabbing a broom as one of the Magic Knights went flying past her, only to be sent flying, as his broom remained in Kali's hand, and skid to a painful halt on the ground.

"You little insect. You think it's funny causing Magic Knights grief like this?" The leader of the team questioned.

"Hilarious." Kali smiled, snapping the broom in two over her knee. "Well, I'll see ya around. I've got an important meeting to keep."

Taking to the air, Kali smiled as the Purple Orcas struggled to keep up with her on foot, and tried shooting her down with magic projectiles. Flying faster than they could chase her, into the rising sun. Kali made her way to the more central part of the city, where she landed in front of a rather well built looking two story building with a lock on the front door. Putting her hand on the lock, Kali smiled as she pushed some of her magic energy into it, and it clicked open, before heading into the building herself.

About five minutes after she'd unlocked the doors, a line started to form outside the building, all of them excitedly awaiting something, and just as the last of the ground floor windows opened, Kali used some magic to flip the sign on the door from, closed to open.

The moment the sign was flipped, Kali smiled as her establishment was soon filled with hungry, and thirsty customers. Days like this were pretty normal for her at this point, it always started off with being chased by the Purple Orcas, for about an hour before she'd open the doors to her restaurant, to feed her hungry customers. From there, things got quite busy for her.

~Later~

"Order up." Kali called out, using her natural speed to bring out an order a customer of hers had requested.

Kali's establishment, currently had a total of six tables on the ground floor and a bar counter, all were fully seated, and booked up. Kali had been running this establishment all on her own for the past six months. The building itself had two stories above ground, with a cellar/basement she used for storing her foods and other products for her customers. Purchasing the property itself took up almost every coin she had, but she'd managed.

The building itself was completely made of hollowed out stone, she had done herself, with the second floor being made as her living quarters. All the tables, seats, and pretty much everything inanimate that filled the building, was made by her using her magic. The tables and bar counter could be seen having sprouted out of the ground, while being made of marble. The chairs and stools were made of wood she chopped down herself and carved from the logs of the fallen trees with her wind magic.

All the preparations she made to make her business a success took her the better part of two weeks, but once she opened up, there wasn't a shortage of people who were interested in purchasing what she was selling, and her business quickly took off with a bang. An' she managed the entire thing, all by herself.

The method she developed to make this work was actually quite easy. She'd leave menus on the tables and bar counter, and when the customer decided what they'd want, they'd write the number, or numbers depending on the number of customers per table, the order was on the menu, on the tiny chalk board in one of the empty squares. After that, Kali would rush by and put a, In Progress, sign on the hook the chalkboard hung from, before it would be removed when she'd bring their food out. Her cooking in fact became well known amongst the people of the Capital, and she's even had a few of the Magic Knight Squad Captains, two at most, come to get a taste of her food, to which she left them satisfied and happy, as well as becoming regular patrons at her tavern.

From there, she'd cook the meals, with her magic, while also maintaining the cleaning and servicing of other drinks and foods at the bar counter. Kali was used to this kind of pressure from having been on the run for years. But the fast rush paced rush was usually only for the days she worked on fast paced days. Today was a slow day, and although it was a full house, there were no other customers waiting for service so she could take it slow. But that didn't stop some of the customers from getting handsy with her.

"Hey toots, how's about you come and give me some special attention huh?" A fat man with a cigar questioned, going for her ass, as she was walking by.

"If you're wanting to keep your hand, I suggest you don't do that." Kali said, side stepping the man, making him fall forward from his swing to grab her ass, missing its target. "I'm not some bimbo who'll just roll over and take your shit like that. This isn't a brothel."

"Fine then, if you aren't willing to please me like that, then I'll leave without paying my bill." The man exclaimed, getting up and marching out the door.

"Aren't you gonna stop him?" One of the other customers asked.

"No need. He dropped his coin pouch when he fell over. An' it feels like he's got enough in here, to pay off the drinking tab that sleaze-ball's been building up for three months, without paying it off, and his food bill for the day." Kali said, holding up a coin pouch, filled with coins. "But anyone else who tries to leave without paying their bill, will get reported as a, dine-and-dasher."

The other customers laughed at how Kali dealt with her customers, and how efficient she was as a tavern owner.

"You know, the Magic Knight Entrance Exams are today, in about an hour or so. Will you be closing up shop early to go and take them?" One of her patrons asked.

"I will be. But I'm waiting on a couple of friends to meet me first." Kali said.

"Kali."

"Speak of the devils." She smiled, turning around to see Yuno and Asta, both of them looking like they were doing rather well for themselves. "Asta, Yuno, it's so good to see you both. How are my little brothers doing? Asta you look like you've beefed up a bit, and Yuno you look a bit more muscular yourself."

"C'mon Kali, you're only six months older than us." Asta exclaimed.

"An' don't you forget it." Kali chuckled. "Welcome to my tavern. Now knowing Father Orsi, he didn't give either of you much to live off of in the city due to the budget of the Church, am I right?"

"You'd be correct on that." Yuno said. "But he did give us some money, not enough to be dinning on food as good as yours though."

"Well, you're in luck, because I have discounts for family of my employees." Kali said.

"You're the only employee here." One of the patrons said.

"Oh hush you." Kali exclaimed. "So grab a seat anywhere you can, an' I'll cook you up something real nice before we head off for the Magic Knights Entrance Exam together."

"Sweet, it's been months since we've had your cooking. I'm so excited." Asta said, as he and Yuno went to a recently vacated table.

"Hey lassie. How'd those two know to find you here?" One of her patrons asked.

"Ever since I was little, I've been dreaming of opening up a tavern. An' Asta a couple years back, made a joke about me opening up a tavern, and calling it the Silver Dragon, and so I figured if they wanted to find me, they could just look for the emblem on my Grimoire hanging from the sign of my tavern." Kali smiled.

"Clever girl." The patron laughed. "So they're your brothers? I don't see much of a family resemblance."

"We're not actually siblings, not biologically anyways. We all grew up in the same church as orphans, so we became like family to one another." Kali said, being sure to keep her mouth shut about being on the run from one of the Magic Knights Squads for a decade.

"They say that blood is what makes ya related, but loyalty, makes ya family." The Patron smiled.

"An' in this case, family sticks together." Kali smiled, before going to the kitchen.

A short while later, after all the patrons left, and both Asta and Yuno had their fill, along with Kali. The tavern was closed for the rest of the day, and Kali used her flying abilities, to get the three of them to the Entrance Exams just in time to get their Grimoires registered. Of course the registry found it weird Kali's Grimoire didn't have a normal clover on it.

"All right, you're number 166." He said, removing his hand from Kali's Grimoire.

"Thank you." Kali said, before following Asta and Yuno to the main gathering area for the examinees.

"Hey, so what are up with these birds?" Asta questioned as he began to get swarmed by the swallows.

"Anti-Birds. They're a mainstay at the exam area. The lower your magic power, the more birds you attract." Kali explained.

"How do you know that?" Asta inquired, trying to shoo them away.

"I've been in the capital for six months Asta, I've learned a thing or two about what goes on here." Kali exclaimed.

"Hey, check those two out." Someone from the crowd said.

"Yeah, there are no birds anywhere near them."

"Hey isn't she the tavern owner from down the road?"

"Hey, she is."

"Who are those two with her?"

"Probably her brothers or something."

"Look, one of them is completely covered in Anti-Birds."

Kali looked to Yuno, and then Asta, before her face fell in what looked like a mix between amusement and exasperation.

"Wow, Asta having zero magic, is like a magnet for these birds." Kali exclaimed.

"Hey get off me you stupid birds, I'm not a perch for you to land on." Asta cried out as he went running by, straight towards a big guy.

"Oh crap." Kali said running after her brother. "Not him, not-him-not-him-not-him-not-him." Kali repeated as she saw Asta about to run into the most loyal patron of her tavern.

Unfortunately, Asta indeed ran into him before she could stop him, sending all the birds flying away, before the large guy he ran into turned around looking at him, very annoyed.

"Phew, guess they finally had enough." Asta said, seeing the birds flying away. "Hey there, sorry about that."

"ASTA YOU IDIOT." Kali said, punching him in the back of the head forcing him to bow, before she bowed, while forcing Asta to stay in that position, with her hand on the back of his head. "I am so sorry about that Captain Yami sir, my brother can be a bit of a dork with his two left feet." She said, paying respect to the Magic Knight Squad Captain.

"Oh hey, you're that tavern owner who makes the best Meat Lover's Skillet in the whole Capital." Yami exclaimed, his look of annoyance, turning into a look of shock.

"Yes Captain Yami that's me." Kali said. "I appreciate your praise of my cooking, but I'm nowhere near as good as the royal chefs."

"Don't be so modest. Your cooking is way better than theirs. I stopped by your tavern a bit earlier, but you were closed up for shop. Guess I know why now." Yami said. "Man I was hoping to get a skillet before coming here, oh well. So you're trying out for the Magic Knights?"

"Yes sir. I've given it some thought, and I've narrowed down the list of squads I'd want to join. It's down to either the Silver Eagles, Crimson Lions, or Black Bulls at the top of the list, that's if I'm able to prove myself strong enough to join your squad sir."

"Are you kidding? You're wicked strong Kali. You have no idea how much Aruru wanted to be like you after you left. Of course you're more than strong enough to want all the Magic Knight Squads wanting you." Asta exclaimed.

"Don't sell yourself short kid, I'm sure you'll do just fine." Yami said. "Now I'm a bit lost, you think you could tell me…"

"Bathrooms are that way, down the hall, and take a right two corridors down to the right." Kali chuckled.

"Thank you." Yami smiled.

"Captain Yami, there you are… oh, and who is this fair maiden?" A brown haired young man, in the Black Bull's robe, inquired as he took Kali's hand, and giving it a kiss.

"Finral, I wouldn't do that. She's got…" Yami tried to warn, but it was too late.

"LECHEROUS PIG." Kali exclaimed, pulling her hand away, and backhanding him in the face with a closed fist, sending the poor boy into a pillar, with a missing tooth and a bloody nose.

"A real mean streak when it comes to womanizers." Yami sighed. "I apologize about his behavior. Please don't mind us. Gordon, grab Finral and meet me up at the Captain's seats."

Gordon said something but it was too quiet for anyone to hear, before he went to grab the unconscious Finral.

"I'll be rooting for you kid. Good luck." Yami said, before he and Gordon went in opposite directions.

"What the hell was that all about?" Asta asked, totally confused.

"Captain Yami is my most loyal and respected Patron. He comes in on a daily basis for a recipe I developed after first opening up shop, the Meat Lover's Skillet, and is a 40% tipper. He likes to pretend he forgot my name, so he just calls me kid, sometimes Princess. But deep down, I know he actually cares." Kali stated.

"Wait, by friend… you don't mean."

"Oh, hell no I am not into men twice my age." Kali exclaimed. "I mean, he's one of the only two friends I made since coming here to the Capital. If I'm in a bind, he literally goes out of his way to help me fix it, whether it's dealing with someone threatening to shut me down, or end my life, hell he's even helped me with the Purple Orcas chasing me. Or if it's to help me get through the stress of being homesick, he's always given me a shoulder to lean on. So, yeah. We have an appropriate work relationship, patron and server, but we've actually never met outside my tavern before. This is the first time he's seen me outside the tavern, in normal clothes. Granted the uniform is just an apron, but still, he's never seen me without it on."

Asta and Yuno were astounded that Kali had become close friends with one of the squad captains, or that she knows more than just him. But before they could say anything, the fireworks went off, signaling the start of the exams.

"Looks like we'd better pay attention now." Kali said as the Captains of the Magic Knight Squads came out, one by one. "Look, first there's Nozel Silva, Captain of the Silver Eagles."

"His bangs look weird." Asta exclaimed. "I bet he spends hours in front of the mirror each morning getting them like that."

"Then we have Fuegoleon Vermilion. Captain of the Crimson Lions." Kali explained. "As his name suggests, he's a flame creation magic user."

"Wow. So cool." Asta said.

"Next we have Jack the Ripper. Captain of the Green Praying Mantis." Kali said. "Fun fact, he's a bit of a nut job who likes to fillet the skin off his victims when fighting enemies, to get information out of them. He's known as the Kingdom's leading master in information gathering via torture. I wouldn't want to meet him in an alley at night. He's also able to render the very earth in two with his severing magic."

"Wait, what's a praying mantis?" Asta asked.

"The green bug where the females eat the heads off their mates after mating, and their front appendages look like organic sickle blades." Kali explained. "Beside him you'll see Charlotte Roselei. Captain of the Blue Roses. An interesting fact, whenever the subject of Yami comes up, she gets all flustered, and stuttery."

"Wait, I don't get it." Asta exclaimed. "Plus, she's got nothing on Sister Lily."

"You're a boy, you wouldn't understand. But, aside from Yami, she is also a friend of mine, but not as close to me as Yami however." Kali exclaimed. "We do have the occasional, girl talk, but that's about it."

"Oh cool." Asta exclaimed. 'I still want to know what she meant about Captain Charlotte getting all flustered whenever Captain Yami's mentioned.'

"To her left, you'll see Gueldre Poizot. Captain of the Purple Orcas. Not much I need to say about him." Kali exclaimed, with a bit of venom in her voice.

"That's all you got?" Asta asked.

"You know how I feel about the Purple Orcas." Kali exclaimed.

"Right."

"Next there's Dorothy Unsworth. Captain of the Coral Peacocks."

"Is she sleep walking?"

"She doesn't do anything but sleep Asta."

"Then how'd she become a Magic Knight, much less a Squad Captain?" Asta questioned.

"That is one of the Kingdom's greatest mysteries." Kali sighed. "Beside her, there's Rill Boismotier. Captain of the Aqua Deer."

"Isn't he kinda young?"

"He's 19, so yes. But rumor has it, he's got some powerful explosion art magic." Kali said. "Over beside him, as you can hear by all the cheering going on, that's the front runner for the next Wizard King. William Vangeance. Captain of the Golden Dawn. Said to be the mightiest Magic Knight Squad in the Kingdom's history."

"Wow. Royals and Nobles are the only ones who ever get into those squads, aren't they?" Asta asked.

"Unfortunately, they are. But knowing Yuno, he's probably gonna be the one to change that." Kali smiled. "Finally, we have my good friend, and the number on Patron of my tavern, Captain Yami."

"Oh yeah, I see him." Asta exclaimed.

"All the captains here in one place. It's said that just one Squad Captain, is more powerful, than a hundred mages combined." Kali smiled.

"Then you definitely fit in that roll Kali." Asta smiled, before noticing something on her arms. "Kali, are you still wearing bandages over your injuries from six months ago?"

"Yeah. The injuries have healed, but the scars are still there, and I'm not all too keen on letting my scars show." Kali exclaimed. "Not yet at least. Plus if Yami saw them, he'd make some joke, before going to the prisons to kill Revchi."

"Wow, he really looks out for his friends doesn't he?"

"You have no idea." Kali chuckled.

"Attention examinees. Thank you for waiting. I will be administering this year's entrance exam." William said, pulling out his Grimoire. "Magic Tree's Descent."

As he let his magic flow, the sky grew dark as a giant tree came down from the sky, roots first, before the roots began to form into broomsticks and each examinee got one.

"You've waited long enough." William said. "The time has come, let the entrance exam, begin."

'I have no clue how to fly one of these things.' Kali thought in panic.

"In just a few moments, we'll begin the first in a series of tests. The nine Magic Knight Captains will be serving as your judges, and when the exam is complete, we will choose the individuals we want on our squads." William explained. "If chosen, you are in. If more than one squad chooses you, you will decide which you would like to join. However, if you are not selected by any squad, that means you have been deemed unqualified to join the magic knights."

'Good luck Asta.' Kali wished her brother.

"An' now for your first test. You must use the brooms, you've been given, to fly." William said. "A mage who is in control of his or her magic power, can do it on instinct alone."

"Huh… so on instinct. Hmm…" Kali thought, dropping her broom to the ground.

"It is our most basic way to get from one place, to another." William finished. "If you can't fly on a broom, then you are not worth our time."

"So like this…" Kali mumbled, placing both feet firmly on the broom.

"Enough talk, now begin."

The instant he said that, Kali launched upwards into the air on her broom like a shooting star, as soon as she let her magic flow through it, causing all the magic knight captains and their attendants to look upwards at the sky, as she disappeared with a gleam of light. (A/N: Team Rocket blast off star glint.)

"Wow, girl's got some real power under that hood." Yami whistled. "Way to go Kali."

"The tavern owner you talk about just shot past us?" Fuegoleon asked.

"You know it. Her tavern was closed today, because she's trying out for the Magic Knights." Yami exclaimed.

"Sorry about that." Kali said, coming back down, standing on her broom, in front of all the captains. "I put a little too much power into the broom to start off with. First time flying a broom."

"Yet you're doing so like an old pro. Keep up the good work young tavern owner." William exclaimed.

"Thank you." Kali said, before flying around the arena on her broom, like surfing a wave on a surfboard.

Down below, Kali could see Asta was struggling, and from the looks of it, crushed his manhood with the broom, trying to get it to fly. But it looked very painful.

"Who is that young man still on the ground? He looks like he was just kicked in the family jewels?" Jack questioned.

"Thinking back, when I ran into Kali in the arena, I think she said that was her brother." Yami said.

"Really, but I thought she grew up an orphan in a church?" Charlotte inquired.

"Their relationship, must be like siblings. I'm assuming he's from the same church, so that could explain it." Fuegoleon exclaimed.

Up in the air, Kali was looking down at Asta, contemplating something, and Yami could see the look of contemplation she had, when he spotted her.

'I know what you're thinking Kali. But don't. If you're caught cheating and helping your brother, you'll be disqualified from the exams, and won't be allowed to take them again until next year.' Yami thought.

Kali flew down slowly lowering herself into a sitting position on the broom with both her legs on one side, getting down to eye level with Asta.

"Hey, don't strain yourself bro. You'll do fine, even if you aren't able to fly." Kali exclaimed.

"But, I have to at least try and make it fly." Asta said. "Can't you help me out a bit?"

"Sorry, but I can't. If I were caught helping you with cheating, we'd both be disqualified, and would have to wait another year before trying again." Kali said.

"All right. Guess it wasn't fair for me to ask you for help." Asta said.

Yami saw this exchange between the siblings, and chuckled, feeling like an idiot for thinking Kali was gonna do something as stupid as cheat for her brother.

Kali looked up at the captain's seating and saw that Nozel was gone. Looking around, she saw that he was approaching a young girl with silver hair, similar to his. Flying her broomstick over, she began to hear the conversation just as it started.

"What are you doing?" Nozel questioned.

"I just… I mean…"

"Don't play dumb with me. I've told you, royalty need not undergo the same tests as common folk."

"Yes but…"

"Enough, where you'll go has already been decided." Nozel exclaimed. "Stop this pointless nonsense."

"Yes. Of course, Nozel."

"Although if we're being honest, your very existence is pointless." Nozel began, as he walked off.

Kali sighed and sat down on her broom, before going down lower and addressing the silver haired girl.

"Sup? My name's Kali."

"Noelle Silva." She said.

"So, what was all that about?" Kali inquired.

"Why should I tell you? I'm royalty."

"Okay, relax I'm just being friendly. I heard what he said, and to be honest, it kinda ticks me off. I have a thing about bullies, especially bullies who are supposed to be your family." Kali said. "But, let's not get into that right now. Let's just get back to the exams. You're welcome to join anytime you want."

"Thanks but… I think I'll just accept my fate and go to the team Nozel assigned me to." Noelle said.

"Suit yourself. But why exactly does your brother hate you so much?" Kali asked.

"My siblings don't like me because… I'd rather not talk about it. But I'm not very good at controlling my magic."

"Is that all?" Kali chuckled.

"Stop laughing at me commoner." Noelle said, frustrated a bit.

"Forgive me for laughing, but I think I can actually help you if you want. I can teach you how to control your magic. I wasn't all that good at magic control either. I'm assuming your siblings treated you poorly your whole life, right?"

"Yeah, they have."

"An' we've found the root of your problem."

"What?"

"Your siblings have been putting you down your whole life, and because of that you started to believe it yourself. The only problem you have with controlling your magic, is your mental state. After the exams, even if we don't end up on the same, I can help you get past those mental barriers you've subconsciously put up. What do you say?" Kali asked.

"Why should I trust a commoner?"

"Believe me, I was like you, I had very little control of my magic power. I was only able to control it when I was either really angry, or really focused, and eventually, after years of training and practice, it became natural for me. You can trust me." Kali smiled.

"Just, leave me alone." Noelle exclaimed, storming off.

"There's always a stubborn tsundere." She sighed.

Flying back into the arena, Kali noticed that she wasn't the only one with immense power taking the exam, as a young man, with spiked black hair, wearing some fancy looking garbs, flew around on his broom, with a serious look on his face, and a scar going down his right eye.

"Oh wow." Athena said, a light blush dusting her cheeks when she saw him.

After the flight test was over, came the next few tests that would determine their rankings in the exams, and would bring them closer to the results.

First after the broomstick flights came, the magic power test, to which Kali obliterated her target and the targets residing, fifty feet on either side of it.

After that, was the magic power control test, where Kali hit all the targets, dead center, with, tiny bullets of fire.

For the magic creation test, Kali created a pair of gauntlets with armored knuckles out of flames that could actually cause some damage.

For the evolution magic test, the seed Kali had been given, turned into an ancient oak tree that covered more than half the stadium, with a fiery red tint to it.

Then came the final test. Combat.

"Onto the next test. The final and most difficult. A display of combat skill." William said.

"Oh, Kali has an unfair advantage in this test." Asta said.

"Why's that loser?" One of the examinees asked in a mocking tone.

"She's skilled in martial arts, and has been a professional bounty hunter, since she was twelve. She's had four years of experience, fighting other mages that were far stronger than her. She even held her own against Chain Magic Revchi six months ago. An' he was an elite." Asta exclaimed.

"Prepare to duel." Fuegoleon called out to the examinees. "You will break into pairs and fight each other. Use your Grimoire's to attack and defend. As Knights, battle is our business. We wanna see everything you're capable of."

"The test will end, when one combatant either surrenders, or is unable to continue. We have mages wielding Recovery Magic, standing by for the injured." William explained.

"So don't hold anything back." Fuegoleon said.

"Well, looks like I'm needing a partner." Kali said looking around, before realizing something.

"If you're looking for someone to fight, I'd be more than happy to test your mettle."

Kali looked to who had spoken to her, and her cheeks flushed red when she saw it was the young man she saw earlier, riding a broomstick. An' who she couldn't get her mind off of all day.

"U-uh sure." Kali said.

"It seems we have our first contestants for the match up." Fuegoleon said. "Combatants, get ready, everyone else, off to the side."

"Then let's not waste any more time." The young man said.

Jumping back from one another, Kali and her opponent took their battle stances as their Grimoires floated out in front of them, opening up in preparation for a their battle. Up in the stands, the captain's noticed their stances were strangely similar, before Fuegoleon's eyes opened wide, when he recognized the stance Kali took.

"It can't be…" Fuegoleon mumbled.

"Begin." William called out.

Almost instantly, Kali was in front of her opponent with a trail of crackling flames behind her, before she threw her fist at him, aiming for his face, with a fist covered in her gauntlets and flames spewing from the knuckles. Kali's opponent was too fast for her though, as he blocked the strike with his arms, and pushed her back, before he brought his leg up with a flaming kick, and struck her in the stomach. Flipping back through the air, Kali used air magic to stop her momentum and send herself flying towards her opponent, who was stunned she could use multiple elements of magic.

Her opponent was brought out of his daze however, when he realized she was closing in fast, before he jumped out of the way, and put up a wall of flames as a barrier, hiding himself from Kali.

Smiling as she knew what he was up to, Kali used a gust of wind, mixed with a stream of water to shower rain on the flames, dousing them clean out, only to find her opponent was gone. Landing on the ground, she was confused as to where he could have gone, before the ground began to quake beneath her feet. Getting a bad feeling, Kali looked down between her legs, and saw the ground begin to crack and grow like something was coming out of it.

"No way." She said, before her opponent came out of the ground.

Jumping back quickly, Kali flipped onto her hands with a back flip and landed on her feet, with one hand digging into the ground as she slid back. Looking up, she saw her opponent coming out of the ground with a smile on his face.

"Interesting. I thought I was the only one who could use multiple elements." Her opponent exclaimed. "Let me introduce myself. My name is Asura Vermilion. I'm Captain Fuegoleon's nephew."

"Kali, no last name." Kali said. "What are you doing in the exam? I thought royals didn't need to take them to join a team?"

"It's optional for royals. Yes I could have gotten into any team offered to me because I'm a royal, but I wanted to prove I earned my place among the team I wanna join." Asura explained.

"Noble." Kali said. "How many elements can you use?"

"All four base elements." Asura said.

"Same." Kali chuckled. "How about we each pick one element and finish this fight the way it should be."

"Sounds like a plan I can get behind." Asura smiled, taking a stance, with fire covering his fists. "It's been a while since I had a good fight. Hope you don't disappoint."

"Glad you agree." Kali smiled, a water whip forming around her as she took a stance as well. "An' don't worry, I'm sure I'll be able to satisfy your need for action."

(Cue Music… Immortals: Fallout Boy)

Charging at one another, Kali and Asura sent their elemental attacks to each other, causing them to collide, creating a cloud of steam. Through the steam, Kali ran for a head long collision and skid to a halt, before bending back, evading an attack that had been aimed at her, as it flew right over her.

"Smart, using the mist as cover." Kali smiled, standing back up.

The instant she was back on her feet, Kali was sent flying back with a spinning back kick to the stomach, sending her flying into a pillar.

"You even know how to suppress your presence to hide from those who might be able to sense your power." She groaned, picking herself up. "You're stronger than you seem."

"An' you're beginning to be a let down." Asura said, heading right for her with his speed being empowered by his flames spewing from his feet.

"You think so?" Kali smiled, gripping to part of the pillar above her, and flipping up, to where she was literally looking down on him, mere seconds before he collided with the pillar. "I'm just getting warmed up."

"Well then stop playing around, and fight me seriously." Asura exclaimed.

"As you wish." Kali mocked, before swinging her body forward, and landing a watery kick on his back, sending him deeper into the pillar, and causing it to crack all the way around.

"Now that's more like it." Asura said, pulling himself out of the pillar.

Spinning around, Asura swung his elbow at Kali, but his attack was caught by her, before he moved his leg up to kick her, but it was stopped by Kali's leg. When he tried to twist around to slam her with a backhand, Kali just jumped up, with one hand on his shoulder, performing a one arms hand stand on his shoulder.

"You're quite the nimble little one aren't you?" Asura questioned, looking up at her face.

"An' you're not so bad yourself." Kali said.

"Oh, you're really testing my patience." Asura laughed, moving his free arm back, to thrust it at her with a fiery punch, only for the attack to miss, as Kali pushed off him with her arm, and flipped over, landing on his head.

"Sorry in advance." Kali said.

"For what?" Asura questioned.

"For this." She smiled, before she began to do the river dance on his head.

"Ow, ow, ow. Get off now." Asura said, creating a whip of flames to grab her with, but missed as she jumped off his head, and back on the ground behind him, before she lunged at him with as much strength as she could muster in her legs, while trying not to make it fatal to him, or his ability to walk, sending him to the ground.

Flipping off the ground, and landing on his back, Kali grabbed one of his legs, and pulled it hard, causing him pain.

"Give up your highness?" Kali asked in a bit of a mocking tone.

"I never give up." Asura growled.

Kali's eyes widened when she felt a familiar sensation wrap around her waist, and looked down to see a brown furred monkey tail had a tight grip on her. But she knew for a fact it wasn't hers. Looking up momentarily, Kali gasped when the tail pulled her off of Asura and into the ground, before throwing her further into the ring, landing with a hard slide across the ground. Before she could get up, Asura landed on her back, and before she could do anything to get him off of her, she felt him grab one of her arms, and pull it behind her back.

"With the position I have your arm in, I could very easily break your ulna and radius with a clean snap. But I'd rather not do that, and I have a feeling you'd rather not have a broken arm either. You know what to say to prevent that from happening though." Asura explained.

Kali groaned as she put her face in the ground, and let out an annoyed sigh, before looking up at the Magic Knight Captains, who looked to be on the edges of their seats.

(End Song…)

"I yield." She said.

"This match, is over." Fuegoleon said.

With the match officially declared over, Asura picked himself up from Kali's back, after releasing her arm, and when she turned over to pick herself up, she was surprised to see he had his hand out towards her, and a smile on his face.

"I might be royalty, but I'm still a gentleman." Asura exclaimed.

"That you are." Kali smiled, accepting the helping hand up.

With both of them having dusted themselves off, they went back to their respective sides of the arena, and Kali wasn't too surprised to see Asta and Yuno both had looks of astonishment on their faces.

"What the hell was that?" Asta questioned as the next duo of examinees went out to duel. "You've never lost a fight, ever."

"Asta, I think the more pressing concern is that there's someone else like Kali, who can use multiple elements." Yuno said.

"He's more like me than you think." Kali said. "He's got a tail, just like the one I had."

"Are you serious?" Yuno asked.

"How else do you think he was able to throw me across the stadium before making me yield?" Kali inquired.

"So then maybe the tail wasn't part of a curse." Asta said. "Maybe, it was part of your heritage."

"An' whatever that heritage is, Asura Fuegoleon is a part of as well." Kali said. "He's strong, I could sense his magic was slightly stronger than mine. An' I saw his Grimoire's clover, was a four leafed clover."

"We'll figure out what all this means after the exams. Maybe tomorrow at your tavern Kali." Yuno said. "But right now, I think we should just focus on the exams, and finish them."

"Agreed." Asta said. "Wish me luck you guys. My fight with Sekke is up next, and I'm gonna show the judges, I'm more than just a useless, no-magic peasant."

~Sunset, After the Duels~

"That concludes the exam. When your number is called, please step forward to learn your results." William said.

It had been a very productive day, one that Kali wouldn't forget, anytime soon, if at all. She'd made a name for herself by fighting on equal terms with Captain Fuegoleon's nephew in her duel as the final task.

The rest of the duels went on pretty well. After her fight, Asta fought a Nobleman named Sekke Bronzazza, who thought her magicless little brother would be easy pickings. But was proven wrong when Asta kicked his ass with one strike of his anti-magic sword.

Yuno's match was similar, but his opponent was from a more prestigious Noble family, and was quite cocky, but was disheartened, when Yuno beat him with a tornado that had combined with the Noble's lightning attack, and knocked him out, from lightning coursing through him, after he'd been lifted off the ground.

Now after the final duel of the night ended, it was time for selections, and to find out whether they'd passed or failed. But Kali was certain of one thing. Throughout the rest of the duels, the Captain of the Purple Orcas, kept glancing over at her, and from the look she saw him eyeing her with, she could tell he was looking at her like a merchant, appraising the worth of his merchandise, for a price to be sold at.

"If a Captain wants you on his or her squad, they will raise a hand that means you're in." Captain Charlotte said. "If you do not wish to join a squad you may of course decline. If you are admitted to more than one squad, it is up to you, to decide which you will join."

"However, if no squad wants you, than you will not be a Magic Knight." Fuegoleon said. "In which case, you must leave at once."

"Examinee number 1, step forward." One of the exam employee's called out.

As each of the examinees, one by one went up, and joined their new squads, none of them had chosen to go with the Black Bulls. Kali had made up her mind what squad she'd join when it came to her turn, if he'd want her on his squad. She'd crossed out the Silver Eagles from her options list when she heard Nozel's little with his sister, which left only two options, the Black Bulls, or the Crimson Lions. Originally, she had no interest in the Crimson Lions, but after putting a bit more thought into it, and fighting Fuegoleon's nephew, she thought she might give it a try, if she chose to. Question would be, if Fuegoleon would want her on the squad. Eventually, it got time for Yuno to be called up.

"Number163, step forward." The employee called out.

That was Asura's cue to step forward, and it was no surprise that when he smiled, it was because the Captains of the Golden Dawn, Crimson Lions, Black Bulls, and Purple Orcas, all raised their hand, even the Captain of the Green Praying Mantises raised his hand.

"Thank you for wanting me on your team. But I would prefer to pick the team I know I'm suited for." Asura said. "Therefore, I would like to join the Crimson Lions."

Stepping to the side, Asura spotted Kali and smiled at her, with a wink, causing the girl to blush before he left the arena. She was brought out of her bashful daze when there was noise.

"Examinee 164, please step forward."

To the entire arena's surprise, when Yuno stepped forward, all the Squad Captains, including Captain Charlotte, whose team was comprised, entirely out of women, raised their hands, wanting Yuno to join them.

'Whoa, they all want him, even the Blue Roses. That's my little brother for ya.' Kali thought with a proud smile on her face.

"It would be an honor, to join the Golden Dawn." Yuno said, to everyone's shock.

"Next, number165."

Kali watched as Yuno left and Asta went up, ready to try and be recruited for the magic knights. But, unsurprisingly, there were no hands, raised for him.

"Number165… no hands."

"It can't be…" Asta exclaimed.

"C'mon out of the way." Someone called from behind Asta.

"It's over."

"I'm not done. Not yet."

"Have some pride."

"Oh shut up." Kali practically shouted, silencing everyone without having to cause an earthquake this time. "You wanna talk about pride? Asta has trained his whole life, to join the Magic Knights. Asta, number165, the one who's failed practically all the other exams, besides the combat exam, took down, Chain Magic Revchi, former Magic Knight of the Purple Orcas, all on his own, after he'd literally just gotten his Grimoire. So go ahead and mock him. But he has more pride, than all of you here put together. I doubt any of you here, could say the same thing. All his life, people have put him down, because he doesn't have any magic. If that's not strength, then I don't know what is."

"AHAHAHAHAHAHA."

Asta and Kali looked up to see Yami, with a foot on the railing, laughing.

"Those are some strong words about your younger brother there young tavern owner. But it's no real surprise, is it?" Yami asked. "No matter how great your skill in battle might be, no one wants to touch a power that mysterious. People aren't fond of the unknown. It boils down to this. What the captains are looking for here is magic power. That simple." He said, before letting off his own immense magical energy. The only one not to cower, or take a step back from it, being Kali, even as the ground began to shake, and Yami jumped down she still held strong, as the Captain of the Black Bulls, stepped towards them, Kali held her ground, with Asta standing beside her, as Yami was eyeing Asta with the gaze of a hungry predator, having locked onto its next meal. "What would anyone ever want with you? A kid with zero magic. You might as well face the facts. What you said before, that you took the exam, 'cause you wanted to become the Wizard King. You get what that means, right? If that's really your goal, then you're gonna have to prove that you're better than all nine Magic Knight Captains. An' now, standing here Magicless and pathetic, hiding behind your sister, can you really say you have what it takes? That you're strong enough to be, the Wizard King?"

"Yeah, fine. So maybe I won't get to join a Magic Knight squad today. But no matter what anyone says, and no matter how many times I might stumble, I won't give up. I will become the Wizard King, and prove my sister's faith in me is not misplaced." Asta declared.

Seconds later, Yami's magic energy stopped pouring out of him, and he was no longer causing the ground to shake like an earthquake, before he started laughing again.

"You know, kid. I like you. Come join our crew." Yami smiled.

"Wha-?"

"Didn't you hear him dummy? You're officially part of the Magic Knights." Kali smiled, pulling him in for a hug from behind. "Captain Yami, I'm number166. So since I'm next, I'm just gonna say it. I'd like to join the Black Bulls as well."

"Wait, seriously? What about the Silver Eagles or the Crimson Lions?" Asta questioned.

"There's no way in hell, I'm joining the Squad whose Captain is all for his own little sister taking her own life, so that rules out the Silver Eagles. An' as much as I'd like to join the Crimson Lions, they're all comprised of nothing but men. I'd be knocked up within the first week if someone slipped something into my drink and took me right then and there. I trust neither the Captain nor his nephew will do that, but I'm not trusting of anyone else on the team, I don't know. That only leaves me with the Black Bulls, and quite honestly, I wouldn't have it any other way." Kali stated, before blushing a bit. "Plus... a personal reason towards Asura."

"So that's two new recruits from the exams for the Black Bulls this year. Seems we're getting quite popular." Yami smirked. "You're bot now, members of the most destructive squad in the entire kingdom. Welcome to the Black Bulls."

A/N: Please leave a review. No flames please.