Chapter 9/ Universe 9 tournament part 1
"Genders of all races and beyond, we welcome you to the first annual…Universe 9 tournament!"
The battle area for the tournament was humongous to say the least. The arena itself was probably about a square mile in size. It contained a flat terrain that held a similar environment to a rock field, allowing for fighters to either hide or fight depending on what method they used.
The arena was surrounded by a stadium that was filled to the brink with all sorts of species. Many of them had animal-like appearances since this was Universe 9 after all. Vendors were walking about the place, selling items that seemed odd until you realized most of the spectators were here for a fight.
"Get your bloodied knife here! Get your bloodied knife!"
"Toothcorn! Only for five orbs. Get 'em while you can!"
Tokoyami looked at the vendor, wide eyed. "No thank you, I just ate." He then ran after Me and Hop as we tried to make our way through the crowd. We were making our way to the contestants locker room. Apparently everyone was in front of it to catch any participants and see who was participating.
Hop made it to one of the security guards who was guarding the door. She apparently knew the guy. "Chappil? You are on guard duty? Oh how the mighty have fallen." She joked to the hulking metal dragon.
Steam blew out of his nostril. "Hop. Looks like you got a team together. Just know the trio themselves are in this competition. You won't make it very far if you have to battle them." He let the three of us pass while he held off the spectators. Tokoyami and I followed Hop until we came to a hallway that split down the middle. To the left was the female locker room and to the right was the male locker room.
"I'll meet up with you guys at the warriors podium. Until then try not to get attacked. Don't put it under these guys to take out their competition early. And with that she grabbed her stuff and made her way to the female's locker room.
We made our way through the other hallway where we came across a room filled with some of the most powerful people they had ever seen. Some carried themselves like they were gods while others made up for their determination by having mass body shape.
Tokoyami whispered in my ear. "You can sense power levels, how strong is everyone in here."
My eyes closed for a second as I gauged everyone in the room. Then, when finished, I turned to Tokoyami. "Some in here are insanely strong but many we can handle."
Someone cleared their throat behind us. We turned and our blood practically froze. My mind was drawing a blank on how my sensing didn't detect these three. Of course, I knew them.
Three bipedal canines stood behind us. One stood at 5'2 and had the appearance of a yellow coyote. He wore green overalls and had small purple fumes coming from his jaw. The other seemed to be a 5'9 red fox that was naked with the exception of two boots he wore on his feet. His legs were massive and he looked like he only did leg day at the gym. Finally, and the most intimidating, a blue wolf stood at a massive 6'7. He wore brown work pants and looked as if he was the mightiest of the group.
"The Trio of Danger. Last I heard of you guys was from Hop. She said you three were getting the ringer from John." My comment put a confused look on Tokoyami's face.
"You know these three?"
The wolf took a step ahead of the other two. He looked down at me and at that moment, I wished that their energy wasn't impossible to track. Then maybe he could tell what emotion was running through them.
Suddenly a small grin crossed his muzzle as he outstretched his hand. "Student of Dratten is it. I've heard many things about you. Let me properly introduce us."
Both me and Tokoyami were a little shocked at how nice the wolf was but we kept quiet and let him continue.
He thrusted a thumb in the direction of the coyote. "This is Lavender." He then used his other thumb to point to the fox. "And this is Basil." Finally he pointed to himself. "And I am Bergamo. Pleased to meet you."
I shake my confusion away and shake his hand. "I'm Leo. This is my friend Tokoyami. We came here with your ally, Hop. We are participating in the tournament to grow stronger. I'm going to assume you three are here to do something similar."
"Something like that, yes." Basil interrupted. "John actually encouraged us to join because it was a good experience. He of course gave the advice to everyone so it is a wonder why many of his other students aren't here."
Dark Shadow popped out of Tokoyami's chest and looked at Lavender. "We'll you three don't have to worry. We will keep the number one spot nice and clean. You can take number t...gaah!"
Tokoyami had grabbed Dark Shadow. "Forgive my quirk. He has a tendency to have a mind of his own and clearly doesn't show much respect for others."
Lavender sneered.`Well let's see if he could put his money where his beak is for whenever we do fight. If you haven't looked at the billboard, it says we are your second opponents."
My head whipps to the board. I hadn't had the time to get a glance but the second I found my name…
"Welp. That sucks."
Indeed we were placed to fight the trio of danger in the second round. That is, if we beat the first group composed of people called Uhy, Koq, and…
Seriously
Opac
"Hey ya!"
We all turn to a giant who was making his way to us. He had one eye in the center of his head and wore a greek tunic. His face had a look of fury.
"Ya beat Opac in last match! Opac kill you for that!"
Bergamo turned to me. "We'll leave you to settle a few things. I hope to fight you in our upcoming match." They then turned and left, leaving me with Tokoyami and Opac.
"So you know this cyclops?" Tokoyami asked. Dark Shadow was out and between him and the giant. Better to be safe than sorry.
"I kicked his ass in the last tournament I was in. Heck, he was the guy whose ass I kicked literally seconds before meeting Hop. How is the jaw, big man?"
I then grabbed Tokoyami and jumped back with him as the spot we stood just a second before was crushed by the fist of the giant. Opac then yanked his fist out of the ground, some rubble was held in his hand. He pulled back his fist and prepared to throw the rocks in his hand but two cyclops similar to him came out of nowhere and grabbed him.
"Save it for the battle, Opac!" The one on the right yelled. He, not unlike the rampaging giant, wore a greek tunic. The only difference was that this one was green and he possessed a black mohawk on the top of his head. The one on the left grabbed Opac's arm and forced him to let go of his weapon. This one wore a purple tunic and a black afro on his head.
Those two must have been Uhy and Koq.
As the three giants made their way to the other side of the room, me and Tokoyami set down our stuff and began preparing for the upcoming battle. Our outfits were exactly like our hero costumes because they just naturally fit our fighting style. The only difference was that we both had been given a name tag to place on our chests.
The only problem I had with these was that we didn't get to put our own names on them. They were decided on how we look. I was given the name 'Green Hair' which made you realize that the guy who made the names really didn't care.. Tokoyami had been given the name 'Bird Head' which was obvious he hated.
He had remembered whenever they had been given the name tags at the gate. The guy who was giving them apparently disliked Hop and she nearly killed him whenever he gave her name. The name that would be announced for her was 'Furry Whore'. I had to drag her with the help of Tokoyami from killing that man.
Whenever me and Tokoyami were ready, we made our way to the end of the locker room and out the exit. Hop was waiting for us in the same outfit she wore whenever we met. Her eyes met mine as we approached her. "Did something happen?"
"You know that giant I took down in the tournament we met in? Well he is going to be our first opponent, alongside two other giants."
She smirked. "Oh. Is that all?"
"Also the trio of danger will be our round two."
Her expression switched to that of anger. "Seriously, that couldn't have waited until the finals. Dammit." Then she smiled and put an arm over Tokoyami and me. Tokoyami on the left and me on the right. "Then let's see how much we kick ass."
She led us to the end of the tunnel and a blinding light overtook us. When our eyes adjusted we see the whole stadium is routing for all the fighters who are coming out of the locker room.
Several booms are heard behind us. I turn to see dozens of fighters making their way out into the open. Some were waving to the crowd and boasting about how they would win this tournament. The ones that worried me were those who kept quiet and kept a close eye on their prey.
We made our way to seats that were given to us. Alongside the arena so we could get a proper view of the battles. Luna was already sitting next to our spots and she waved us over. We had one of the spots in the far back which may have given us more space between us and the action but it allowed us to see more of the arena.
I went and sat down on Luna's right side while Hop sat on her left. Tokoyami sat on my right side and we began our wait for the other contenders. Opac and his crew were given gigantic seats besides the competitors' stand. The Trio had received a front seat and my pity went to the poor sap who sat behind Bergamo.
"It looks like our fighters have arrived!" A booming voice rose up over the intercom. "I think it is time we introduce our teams!"
"First, we have the Trio who is known throughout the entire multiverse. They didn't get any special names because they already have one. Let me introduce Basil,Lavender, and Bergamo. The Trio of Danger!"
The three canines stood up and waved to the crowd. It seemed like they didn't crave attention much. The crowd roared with excitement. It wasn't everyday when you got to see beings who can destroy planets. Their presence alone made the audience feel like this universe was okay. This world needed that. Universe 500.9 was considered a weak tier universe.
"Next, we have three brain smashing behemoths. They will crush you with their mighty weapons and slash you with their blades. Introducing, The Green Giant, Purple Cyclops, and One Eye. The Three Gianteers!"
The reaction was less than that of the Trio's. Many people laughed at the simple names they had been given. Said giants were fuming that they had been made fools. Personally, I have decided that those three names would become their official titles.
"They come from another universe, led by one of our own. You misjudge them and you will get clobbered. Introducing Green Hair, Bird Head, and Furry Whore!"
The only reaction that our team was given was some whistling from some of the more perverted creatures whenever they got a look at Hop. She looked like she was going to blow a gasket but the comments made her cover herself with her arms and her face was blushing madly.
Suddenly there was a scuffle on the microphone. A few yelps were heard and a new voice came from the speakers.
"Due to the offensive nature of one of these names, it has been decided that they would be changed. The contenders themselves would choose their names as an apology from our end."
The four of us were confused by the new development. A cameraman came up to us and pointed a microphone at us. She first pointed it towards Tokoyami who didn't know what to say.
Luna saw his confusion and spoke up. "Do you mind if I choose for you?"
Tokoyami quickly nodded because he didn't want to have too much attention on him. The Mic swiveled to my sister and she spoke loudly.
"How about the japanese god of night, Tsukuyomi."
There were many nods to the name. Many didn't know who that was but it sounded cool. Tokoyami, who was a fan of Japanese culture, loved the name. Hop grinned and turned to the cameraman.
"She could choose my name too."
Luna put her hand to her jaw. Then after a moment she looked up. "How about Blitz Claw."
Then the camera turned to me. I was left speechless. A name never really occurred to me. But my mind went to a conversation that Chris had with me.
"You are a real Warrior, Leo." He commented as I returned to my feet after getting hit by another attack. We had been practicing for what felt like days on how to return to a fight after being knocked down. My body was covered in cuts and bruises and my feet could barely hold my body weight.
"Why?" Confusion spattered my face. He always used the term warrior but he never told me what it actually means. Didn't it represent a brave soldier or fighter?
Chris had then gotten up from where he was sitting. He had a slight smile on his face. Placing a hand on top of my head he continued. "No matter how many times you fall...you have always gotten up. That hasn't changed since the moment we met. Never have you told yourself that you couldn't do it."
"One day, you will feel those feelings of fear and doubt. It will be a tough time for you. But in that moment you will not be a blinded fool... but a brave warrior who doesn't let his fear control him."
"Never forget...a fearless fighter is a fool...but a brave fighter is a warrior. Never forget that."
Maybe one day I could face my fear without freezing up. Until then I'll remind myself of my goal of becoming a warrior. And be my sister's hero.
And become everyone's hero.
"Warrior. Call me Warrior."
"And so it is decided. The new names are Tsukuyomi, Blitz Claw, and The Warrior!"
The crowd gave a slight applause. Hop seemed relieved that her name wouldn't be Furry Whore. She wrapped an arm around Luna and layed back in her seat. I smiled at this. The two were always close.
The announcer listed the rest of the teams off. My mind started to wander after a few minutes. They took forever to introduce everybody and the crowd was also losing its thrill because of how long it took. He had to nudge Tokoyami awake when they were finished because he had fallen asleep.
"And now we come to our first matchup. It will be the fighters Green Giant, Purple Cyclops, and One Eye versus Tsukuyomi, Blitz Claw, and Warrior. Contenders! Take your places!"
"Good luck," said Luna. "You may not need it."
Hop grinned. "Yeah, we won't. Be back in a bit." The three of us got up and made our way to the arena. The three cyclops started making their way to the other end of the field. They eventually disappeared behind some rocks.
Once we made it to our spot on the battlefield the stands that we were just on rumbled and began to float in the air. We could see some of the fighters get spooked but eventually calm down when they realized it was so they could get the best view.
Tokoyami speaks up. "How do you guys want to do this. I don't know if my strength could match that of one of them. Leo, you said you defeated one of them before, do they have any weaknesses?"
"They are slow. If we move fast then we can knock them off balance. Opac wields a battle axe so he is more likely going to use slash attacks, just as he did in my battle, but he isn't strictly a weapon user. He may go for a physical attack if an opening is made."
Hop interrupted. "Tokoyami, you can handle Opac. Dark Shadow should keep you out of reach of the axe. I saw one of them holding a large hammer. I'll deal with him."
"That leaves the last one to me. Do you guys have any idea what his weapon is?"
Both of them thought for a moment. Dark Shadow then popped out of Tokoyami's chest. "The purple one had giant knuckles on his belt. He may be going for a boxing style."
I nod at Dark Shadow. Guess it was good having an extra set of eyes.
"And let the match...BEGIN!"
We wished each other luck before we split and headed towards the distant booms of giant steps.
When Tokoyami had decided to join Leo and Hop in this tournament he did not expect to be fighting giants the size of Mountain Lady. But this may help him in the future considering that many villains had enlarging quirks.
Dark Shadow was propelling the two of them across many jagged rocks. The crowd was far enough away so that they didn't distract him from the fight. He was a little nervous. Never have so many individuals laid their eyes on him.
He remembered back at home he would try to talk to Dark Shadow to practice his voice. Growing up with a beak made it so that most of his words had a lisp. All attempts of getting out into the public were always squashed when people learned about his quirk.
Right now the attention was getting to him but not in the way he thought it would. His confidence wasn't diminishing but his power was. The many lights on the stadium seemed to always shine a light on him and whenever he tried to go into the shadows to recharge a flying camera would pop on a light which would ruin the spot.
Tokoyami attempted to motion for the camera to turn off the light but it didn't listen. At this rate he would be fighting a giant while he was weak and he could only hope his training would help him.
He willed Dark Shadow to jump over a large boulder. When he landed on top of it he could see several cameras in the distance following somebody. The head of Opac could be seen. When he looked his way he willed Dark Shadow to cover him with as much darkness as he could. He blended in with the dark sky and even the cameras struggled to see him.
However, Opac began making his way over here. Shit. He must have seen the cameras. Whenever he got close Tokoyami slowly climbed onto the other side of the boulder to get out of sight.
"Where are you, Green Hair!" Opac yelled. His use of the shity name made it clear he did not like Leo. Tokoyami nearly fell whenever the ground shook from a large impact. "I know you are here! Show yourself."
"Not exactly what you expected but if you are looking for a fight let me help you."
Dark Shadow launches us over the rock and my fist pulls back as Dark Shadow wraps his beak around the hand. When he gets close to the back of the giant's head he yells and swings.
His darkened fist hits Opac in the back of the head and a boom is heard as the giant's knee prevents him from completely falling onto the ground. Dark Shadow then wraps around his opponent's neck and begins to try to choke him. A gurgling noise is heard and Opac reaches for his axe and begins to try to use it as a back scratcher.
Using Dark Shadows umbilical cord as a rope, he began jumping to avoid the blade as if he was rock climbing. It eventually became its own little game. Many laughs were heard in the distance as Opac could be seen slowing down. The lack of oxygen in his brain would make him pass out any moment.
Then everything went to shit when the giant tumbled into a shadow of a huge rock. The cameras, who lost sight of the battle, turned on their spotlights. Dark Shadow screamed as he shrunk from the direct lighting and forced him to loosen on Opac's neck.
The cyclops roared as he used this opening to launch his back towards the rock. As quickly as Tokoyami could, he used Dark Shadow as a slingshot to shoot him past Opac's head right before flesh slammed into mineral.
Before he could recuperate, the blade of an axe was seen arching sideways at him. Almost as if time slowed down the blade inched its way towards his body, preparing to slice him in two.
Then Tokoyami felt a surge of something inside of him. In the desperate moment, his body ignited with a black fire and Dark Shadow grew much larger. The creature then, with insane speed, reached out and caught the hilt of the axe before it could land its blow.
His trouble wasn't over yet as he fell 40 feet to the ground. When he landed, he expected several bones to break but was surprised when he heard no crack of bones. That however didn't stop the massive amount of pain to brew.
"Fumikage, no!" Dark Shadow screamed. Then with power the beast had never had in the light before, he grabbed Opac underneath the arms and swung him around in circles. The giant countered by headbutting the dark beast but with it being made with darkness energy it had little effect.
Dark Shadow eventually let go and the giant was sent flying. He disappeared over a rock and a large amount of dust was seen kicking up as he landed.
"Boss, are you okay?" Tokoyami looked at his quirk and was surprised to see how big he had gotten. Its eyes were still yellow so he was still in his light form but he had never displayed strength like this.
"I'm fine. But how.." He then realized he was on fire. He yelped and tried patting away the black flame but then it came to his attention that it wasn't doing anything.
Dark Shadow gasped. "Boss...it is ki. You can use ki like Leo."
Tokoyami looked at his hands. This would explain why his quirk had gotten so much stronger and why he had no serious injuries. Dark Shadow must have been feeding off his own life energy. But why was it black. Could it be because he possessed more dark energy than life energy? Questions for later.
Suddenly the fire went away and exhaustion hit him like a truck. Dark Shadow disappeared and retreated into his chest. He then fell over and passed out.
I could feel Tokoyami's energy drop to a level that made me aware that he was unconscious. However the same could be said for his opponent who had been seen flying through the air before he had landed outside the ring.
It appeared that Tokoyami had defeated Opac. That left only two left and judging by the giant being tossed around on his left that number may fall any minute.
I jumped from boulder to boulder. It was useless to save my energy since these were short battles that had many to come until their next match. His ki was active as he used it to propel him faster through the sky. The flying cameras zoomed behind him as they struggled to keep up.
He remembered his battle with Opac very clearly. It had taken him only one blow and he hoped that his allies would go down just as easily.
Okay maybe not that easy since it would just be a waste of a match.
I whipped behind a rock as my senses detected a large life form. Peeking over, my eyes caught on to the purple cyclops. He hadn't seemed to recognize me yet but he knew something was up whenever cameras zoomed up to him.
"Spectator drones? More of them?" he began looking around as his hands reached into his belt and grabbed metal knuckles. Spikes appeared to extend out of the ends as he took the stance of a boxer. "My enemy must be near. It is time to see if Opac lost for no reason or if his defeat was a reasonable one."
This giant appeared to be much smarter than his axe wielding counterpart. His next action only further confirmed it.
The Purple Cyclops raised his hand and balled it into a fist. With insane speeds he brought it down. When it connected with the ground a shockwave was sent out and sent all nearby rock formations flying into the air. When it reached me the force threw me back. My body then came to a halt mid-air whenever I grasped my position.
I realigned myself in mid air until my feet pointed towards the ground. My eyes furrowed as me and the cyclops glared at each other. He removed his hand from the rubble and crossed his arms over his chest.
"So you are the one who defeated my brother, Opac? I thought you would be taller." He chuckled. My hands went up into open palms as my body began to twist so the moisture around me could collect into the Fist of Flowing Water. This being had already demonstrated he possessed more power than me. My best bet was to redirect the force of his attacks.
"Your brother has a habit of attacking before thinking. I'm expecting that won't be the case with you."
The giant's arms uncrossed and the knuckles began transforming. They extended up his hand until they formed gauntlets. He punched them together and sent sparks flying. "My youngest brother is a fool. Let me tell you something Warrior. I am far superior to him and my other brethren. Unlike them, my strength is controlled by my technique."
"What do you know, so is mine. Let's see who is the greater fighter, here and now."
I burst towards him as fast as possible. He reels his fist back and swings his gauntlet. My body twists as the super martial art I've been building up is unleashed.
Fist of Flowing Water, Crushing Rock
His fist swings forward and is intercepted by a hand strike from my end. A spiral shockwave splits vertically between us as two forces collide. The ground also proceeds to crack between us as if an earthquake had split the planet between us.
My arms feel strained and a slight pain crosses my body. The gauntlet slightly cracks and the giant is pushed back. His leg digs into the ground to stop his momentum and he sends a jab with his other hand which moves faster than I could comprehend. It strikes my body and a loud crack is heard as I'm sent flying across the arena. My body doesn't give in but it still hurts like hell. The Purple Cyclops proceeds to start chasing me as my body comes to a halt mid-air. He jumps towards me with his fist pulled back again.
My hands come together as blue energy courses through my body to them. They move to my side as the attack finishes its charge before being sent forward in a kamehameha. The attack hits the face of the giant and causes him to swing early, missing me all together.
I fly as fast as possible to his chest and drive both my flat hands into his flesh. He grunts but closes his arms, locking me in place. The arms start to squeeze around me and cracking is heard as my joints get loosened.
My teeth clench from the pain but my objective remains unchanged, I use my ki to start propelling us faster towards the ground. We build speed until the point of impact.
Most of the force was reduced on my end since a hulk of flesh was between me and the ground. However, the purple giant not only took the force directly but his massive weight only added to the force that was given to him. He yelled and let me go on instinct.
Before I could capitalize on his vulnerable state he swung a right that caught me in the side. My body is sent flying through several jagged rocks outstretched from the ground. Eventually coming to a stop, my body falls to the ground.
Breathing becomes harder and my vision becomes blurry. This wasn't the most painful experience but it still hurt. I could feel the shaking of the arena as the behemoth made his way to me. The Purple Cyclops jumped into the air and attempted to squash me with his feet.
Using my own, my body propels to a boulder which while on my way there my body twists in mid air to land on the rock. The giant lands where I once was but then his legs were struck by several attacks to his knee joints. He falls to the ground and I land on the back of his head.
My hands wrap around each other as they rise up. My ki ignites and starts building up in my arms, giving them more power. With a yell I bring my fist down in a double axe handle. The force of the attack buries his head into the rock beneath us. A sickening crunch is heard as his nose breaks from the impact of his face hitting the ground.
I put my hands on my knees and attempt to get a hold on my breathing. This giant was much faster than Opac and smarter too. It almost ended very differently.
Neo materializes and looks down at the knocked out giant. He whistles "Heck of a victory. This guy hit like a truck. Question, why didn't you go for a head on fight instead of just dodging using your martial arts? It would have made the fight easier."
"Because…(pant)...I...(pant)...needed...(pant)...to see how strong I was."
I slowly got off the back of Purple Cyclops' head. An alarm blared across the arena, signalling the end of the match. Hop must have defeated her opponent. My legs start moving me in the direction of the competitors' stands. Robots behind me started working on moving the giant. Several nets dropped over him as they lifted him into the air and straight to medical.
On my way back, my eyes caught a medical bot carrying the unconscious body of Tokoyami. I hurry up to him and check to see if he is okay. He was unconscious but looked more tired than hurt. The robot then carries him to the stands, followed by me.
When we arrive, Hop is seen sitting next to Luna. She looked uninjured but was covered in dust. When her eyes caught us she jumped up and made her way over.
"Tokoyami is just exhausted. He seems relatively uninjured but he may be out until our match." I explained.
Hop nodded and picked up Tokoyami bridal style. We made our way over to our seats where Luna had gotten us some water. I gladly accept and down half of the container quickly. Then something pokes me in the shoulder.
"This is for you contender, use this time to recover for the next match." A medic handed me the blue liquid they dispense at the training bar. Hop was given two bottles, one for her and one for Tokoyami. We all sit down with the unconscious bird between Hop and I and Luna being on the left of Hop.
"How did your fight go, Hop?" I asked.
She looked at me with a grin. "It wasn't a fight, it was a game of catching the giant idiot. Seriously, for big guys we send them flying a lot."
A chuckle escapes my mouth as the next fight is getting underway. Round one was done but now they had to face round two. The Trio would win their next fight so that left us three against the most powerful group in this universe.
I was pumped up.
Wow, two chapters in one weekend. Look at me go. So Tokoyami is getting some development as well as a little Hop. Leo would be getting more noticeable development later but for now he is going to be helping everyone around him. I hope you enjoy it and don't worry. The next chapter will be out soon. I got to go get some sleep first.