Chapter 25
An alarm clock went off and Koyuki bounced up. "I'm up!" The excitable girl got ready for school and skipped downstairs. "Good morning, mom! It happened again! Another dream about Sol! She went up against this guy named Kannochi and she just deleted him. Well, anyway! I'll see you, mom!"
"Watch out for cars, Koyuki!" Her mother called.
She went through her school day, ignoring the strange looks she got. Koyuki knew she had been acting kind of strange since her connection with Snow had snapped cleanly into place. Her old friends were distancing from her, put off by the change and her constant referencing of MÄR Heaven and the missing Sol.
However, she was making new friends in the gaming community, who enjoyed her retellings of the events in MÄR Heaven as fun stories. And there was one boy who believed her stories were real.
Seihyou, a silver-haired and ice blue-eyed boy, had been in the same class as Koyuki and Snow for many years. He had heard Sol's tales about MÄR Heaven and believed her too, but Sol terrified him, so he had never approached them. Now that she was gone, it had still taken him two weeks to work up the courage to try to talk to Koyuki.
Part of his hesitance was based in trying to tell her that he believed her stories because, like her, he was apparently connected to someone in MÄR Heaven. He wasn't anyone important though, just a farmer, watching the War Games on the moon.
Koyuki wasn't sure if she believed Seihyou…until he rushed into to school, anxious to see if she was okay after the battle with Mr. Hook. When she blinked at his anxiety, he flushed with embarrassment. Of course, Koyuki herself wasn't hurt. Koyuki smiled though, appreciating that he cared.
Koyuki told him about what had happened after the battle. Seihyou was amazed that Sol had gone out of her way to help a fairy and the little sister of the Chess Pieces referee…and became a little less scared of her.
After school, Seihyou walked Koyuki to Sol's place then headed home himself with a wave goodbye. "Hi, Auntie!" Koyuki let herself in with the key Akane had given her.
"Hello, Koyuki. Who was that? A new boyfriend?" Akane laughed as Koyuki sputtered and blushed.
"N-no! He's a friend! His name is Seihyou. A-anyway," Koyuki deflected further commentary by telling Akane about the most recent battle…and got to receive a lecture about not being reckless when she told her aunt about Snow's fight.
That night, back at home, she got ready for bed. She knew she wouldn't see Sol tonight, but that was okay. She would have fun with Ed and little Porin instead. And as she drifted off, the thought crossed her mind, Will I ever meet Seihyou's other half?
Sol stood with her hands on her knees, breathing heavily. How long have we been doing this? My bad sense of time is even worse here. She looked up at her shadow. It mirrored her position. Ah, so it gets 'tired' when I do. She straightened up, but when she didn't activate Babbo, the shadowman stayed put.
"Let's take a break." The shadowman didn't move, so Sol took that to mean she could. She walked away and the shadow stayed put. Lucian was laying down beneath one of the fruit trees. Sol looked at Babbo. "You mind knocking a few down?"
"Fine." Babbo bashed into the tree trunk, causing the whole thing to shake. As a result, seven pieces of fruits fell down. Sol gave three to Babbo, three to Lucian, and kept one for herself. Babbo frowned at her. "That's enough for you?"
Sol raised an eyebrow. "Babbo, you may be a bottomless pit, but I'm not. This fruit is the same size as you. This is plenty for me."
The two bantered back and forth, with Lucian adding his version of 'commentary.' She smiled as much as she ever did nowadays. Lucian insisted on Sol riding him while he went for a run before she went back to training. Following the exhilarating ride, where Lucian decided to show off his ability to parkour, the three took a nap. Then it was back to training against her shadow, till she wore out again and the process repeated.
Gaira looked at his pocket watch. "Soon. It will be time for them to return."
Alan puffed out a plume of smoke from his cigar. "…they're coming." The audience shuffled in anticipation as the five doors opened. The group appeared and Alan's cigar dropped to the ground. "Damn…"
"We're back!" Nanashi called.
Jack slumped. "Sixty days against that shadowman… I thought I was gonna die."
"Sunny! I missed you – Oh!" Dorothy had wanted to jump Sol with a hug, but Sol was sitting on Lucian's back.
Nanashi sidled up to Dorothy. "I'll give you a hug Dorothy!" Dorothy side-stepped him as he jumped and he face-planted in the dirt.
Watching this, Alviss rubbed his temple. "I take you didn't train your brain."
"Um…Gaira?" One of the audience members hesitantly asked, "They were all away training, right? Does it look like anything's changed?"
Gaira barked a laugh. "Can't you tell? Alan."
"Yeah?"
"It's not fun getting old, is it?"
"Speak for yourself, geezer!"
"Frankly…I never thought they'd get to this level…"
"The more you polish…the more they shine, huh?" Seeing all of you… reminds me…of him. I feel…hope.
Pozun arrived a few minutes later. "Good morning! It's time…to resume the War Games." Princess Sayori tossed the dice. They came up as six and four. "Six vs. six! Location…Iceberg field!"
"Six people, huh?" Alviss scratched his cheek.
"That's perfect – with Snow not here!" Jack said.
"Not really." Sol replied.
"Huh?"
"She's right." Alan said, "This round…I'm out."
The group stared in shock. Except for Sol. "He can't move." She pointed at the gold door on the ground behind him.
"Oh, that's right. He's got Snow, Ed, and Porin in there…" Jack frowned, disappointed, but also annoyed that he had forgotten. "Snow needs the rest, so we'll have to go without him today."
Nanashi grinned. "Let's do it. We don't need that old man!" He looped his arm around Dorothy's shoulders. "No one can beat us while Dorothy and I are here!" His hand moved…
…and Dorothy slammed the back of her fist into his nose. "Annoying perv." She grumbled, as he crouched down holding his bleeding nose.
Jack and Alviss glanced at each other. He really is an idiot…
"So just the five of you, Solara?" Pozun asked.
"Yes. You care if Lucian comes?" She scratched the fur between his antlers.
Pozun blinked. "I don't see why not…as long as he doesn't interfere with the battles."
"He won't. Right?" Lucian nodded.
"Alright. Then, take this group to iceberg field!" Andata flashed.
The group arrived. "Cold!" Jack exclaimed.
"Don't worry! They say fools never catch colds!" Dorothy chirped.
"So with only five of us, one of us has to fight twice, yes?" Sol asked Pozun.
"Yes. It will have to be someone who won their first battle."
"Of course."
The air across the way shimmered. "Ah, the Chess Pieces are arriving. Today, we have the Bishop Mr. Hook," the man who had defeated Snow, "Bishop Kollekio," a relatively tall blue creature in a yellow and pink jester outfit, "Bishop Aqua," a young lady with sky blue hair in a purple sea themed dress with a pale yellow conch shell on her head and a red star tattooed next to the right corner of her mouth, "Bishop Lunestra," a tall young woman with long shock white hair in black leather and a steampunk mask covering her upper face, save for her bright red eyes, "Bishop Girom," … "and…"
A shrieking laugh pierced the air, cutting off Pozun's introduction. "It's cold! Cold! So what do you do in a situation like this?! You eat something really hot!" A…female with a crazed look and blonde hair twisted up to look like a drill, in a black leather…one piece bathing suit (? I don't know how to describe her outfit) sneered at Team MÄR. "The beautiful Rapunzel…will cook you all!"
Even Sol looked put off by this bizarre female…though she may have been reacting to the high pitched, abrasive screech.
Rapunzel pointed at Nanashi, "Ugly!" she screeched. Pointing at Alviss, "Uglier!" she moved to Jack, "Ape!" for Dorothy, "Slut!" and finally Sol, "Whore!" She laughed manically. "I'll smack you all into the depths of hell! I'll kill you all!" Rapunzel laughed so hard, Team MÄR was left to wonder how she wasn't choking.
"Who's the hag with the drill head and nails-on-a-chalkboard voice?" Sol asked, sticking a finger in her ear, hoping it would stop ringing.
Nanashi behind her was having a bit of an existential crisis. "I'm not really ugly, am I? It's just the hair, isn't it?!"
"Rapunzel – Knight class!" Pozun answered Sol. "Belligerent, egotistical, and prone to hysterics. But also…very powerful."
"Let's go!" Powerful bloodlust was etched into Rapunzel's face.
Girom caught her shoulder. "Wait…please wait, sis!"
Rapunzel spun to Girom with a sweet smile. "What, Girom?" The sweetness oozed into her voice.
Girom swallowed nervously. "You're our leader, right? So you should go last!" Really, he knew if he let his sister go, he'd never get a shot a Solara.
"Yeah-? Well…if my precious little brother says so…" she crooned.
Aqua giggled. "He's right! And if I may say a word, Rapunzel… I don't think those two are ugly! They're cute!"
"F-fool!" Girom cried. She was going to get herself killed before they could use her! "Apologize to my sis-!"
*SMACK* Aqua sat on the cold ice holding her bright red cheek. "But…who do you think is more beautiful…between those two…and me?!" Rapunzel snarled.
"…why…you, of course, Rapunzel…" Aqua's voice was bright, but shook with fear.
"Remember – I have delicate feelings! You pig!" Rapunzel was back to shrieking.
"Bitch is bi-polar." Sol said to Babbo, who nodded.
Mr. Hook nervously stepped out. "Well, then…I've been designated first up." The Knights…come in many forms.
"Looks like the comedy is over." Alviss noted. "So he's the opponent, huh…?" He glanced at Sol.
"If I go out, I'll butcher him. Not really necessary. Besides…there are two others who want to fight me."
"Alright. I want revenge for what he did to Snow. Besides," he looked over at the other three, "I won rock-paper-scissors."
"How can you win on the first try?!" Jack protested.
"Cause your all paper warriors!" He held up his 'scissors' as opposed to their 'papers' as he smirked.
"Fourth battle! First match! Chess Piece – Bishop – Mr. Hook vs. MÄR – Alviss! Begin!"
Mr. Hook was confused when Alviss closed his eyes and stood still. "Come on. I'll leave myself unguarded to start."
Mr. Hook ground his teeth. "Yeah?! Making fun of me?!" He activated a ring ÄRM. "Fishing rod! Get him!" The hook launched at Alviss, clearly controlled by Hook's will…but Alviss made no move to dodge it. The hook embedded in Alviss' shoulder. "Pole fishing!" Hook shouted as he yanked Alviss into the air. "You cannot escape in midair!" He activated a bracelet ÄRM. "Harpoon Pierce!" A harpoon that was twice as long as he was tall appeared and Hook hurled at Alviss.
Jack and Nanashi's jaws hung and Dorothy smirked as Alviss finally moved …shattering the harpoon ÄRM with his bare hand.
"He broke it?!" Hook was horrified.
"That man…is good." Kollekio muttered.
"I still think he's handsome." Aqua giggled to Lunestra.
Girom growled. "That guy is worthless! Sis!"
Rapunzel cackled. "Hook! You know what happens if you lose!" She screeched. "Your punishment is waiting!"
Alviss watched as Mr. Hook broke out in a cold sweat. Within each class, there are many different skill levels. A Bishop could actually be closer to Knight or Rook level. If, say, there are 10 ranks of Bishops, with 1 being the strongest…Mr. Hook is about a '10'.
Hook shivered. "Y…you've…got to be kidding…! That boy…hasn't even used an ÄRM!" His magical powers…have improved immensely since he fought Rolan! To fight without using a single ÄRM…or even breathing hard! I'll have to use my most powerful – and final – attack! Push my powers to the limit! Aim true! He activated his other ring ÄRM. "Go – Anger Anchor!" The giant anchor that took out Snow's Snowman dropped above Alviss…and smashed into the ground.
"The end…" Rapunzel said.
Mr. Hook realized someone was behind him. He glanced back to find Alviss…who chopped him in the back of the neck. Hook's eyes rolled back, and he collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
"Winner! Team MÄR – Alviss!" Pozun announced.
Mr. Hook didn't stay unconscious for long. He nervously walked back over to the Chess Pieces.
Rapunzel gave him a vicious grin. "You lost, Hook. You know what that means!"
"You're…going to kill me…?"
"That…is up to you! Rock-Paper-Scissors! For your life!"
Mr. Hook's jaw hung. "Rock…paper…scissors?!"
"You got it! Here we go! Rock – paper - "
"W-wait…" Mr. Hook extended his hand flat to protest.
"Scissors!" Rapunzel put two fingers next to Hook's flat hand. Scissors cut paper.
"I…lost." Those were his last words as Rapunzel sliced off his head.
"Tough luck – Mr. Hook!" Rapunzel laughed hysterically as the headless body toppled over…till a comment from the other side made her choke on it.
"Bloody psychotic old hag." Sol was disgusted, but not surprised.
A muscle twitched under Rapunzel's eye. "What…did you…just say…?!"
"She call you an old hag, old hag." Dorothy said. "Seriously, you are so disgusting. That screeching voice…that ugly face… You make me sick!" Dorothy's face clearly displayed her disgust.
"And worst of all…" Babbo decided to weigh in. "You do not understand… the most rudimentary etiquette!"
Rapunzel's face turned bright red as the veins in her face and neck distended. "I've got to kill somebody! Now! I'll take you all on!"
Girom grabbed her arm. "Wait, sis! Wait! You can have the best part, sis. Just be patient for a little longer, okay?"
"Solara…and the witch…until they're dead…I will never rest!"
"Next. My turn." Kollekio stepped up. "Rapunzel will watch. I'll beat one. Kollekio will win."
"So who's next?" Sol asked Jack, Dorothy, and Nanashi. "I've got two different people gunning for a fight with me, and Kollekio ain't one of them. So he's all yours."
The three looked at each other. "Rock…paper…scissors!" Jack put a scissor up to the other twos paper.
"All right! It's my turn!" Jack was actually kind of excited to go.
As he stepped up, Sol called him. He looked up at her. For a moment she just looked at him. Then she gave him the barest hint of a smile and winked. Jack grinned and headed out to fight Kollekio.
"Second match! Chess Piece – Bishop – Kollekio vs. MÄR – Jack! Begin!"
Jack activated his Earth Scoop. Kollekio, to Jack's confusion, shot a stack of cards between his hands, then snapped out a single card. It stuck up in the ice in front of Jack. It was a joker card with the depiction of the joker carrying a scythe. Jack blinked.
"This is your fate. Death." Kollekio activated one of his two ring ÄRMs. "This is why you absolutely cannot win! Magic Hammer!"
"Hah. There's absolutely no 'absolutely'!" Jack dug in his pocket, pulling out some seeds to drop on the ground. "I'll show you…how much I've learned…" He slammed down his Earth Scoop. "Grow – Earth Beans!" … and looked confused when nothing happened.
Nanashi groaned. "It's ice…! Plants can't grow!"
Kollekio rushed forward and started swinging. Compared to a regular person, Kollekio was fast, but when put next to most of the participants of the War Games, he was downright sluggish. Jack, who usually considered himself slow, found it easy to track Kollekio's movements and block him. He even managed to make a few counterattacks.
Kollekio backed off. "One hit…and Kollekio wins. Just one hit!" He pointed behind Jack. "Hey! What's that?!"
Everyone blinked. Dorothy, Nanashi, and Babbo started straight up laughing, Alviss covered his mouth to hide his smile and tried not to snicker, and Sol just raised an eyebrow. Jack frowned, mildly insulted. "You think I'd fall for that?!"
Kollekio looked nervous. It didn't fool him! He's too smart! "Then Kollekio – must use – Slowpoke!" His other ring ÄRM flared.
Jack stumbled and had a hard time straightening back up. "Nngh…my…bo…dy…so…hea…vy…" he gritted out.
"A Darkness ÄRM." Alviss observed. Sol looked at him. "I have one too. Mine freezes the opponent in place but causes the user violent pain. But 'Slowpoke" – merely hindering the foe – exacts a different price from the wielder – temporary blindness!"
Sure enough, Kollekio was turning his head, seeming to look for Jack, even though Jack was directly in front of him.
Jack was frustrated. No! I'm not going down that easy! The other day Alviss ask Sol if she loved MÄR Heaven. I'm just a farmer from Puzurika…a tiny island so far north, most people forget it exists. Sol's answer was she wouldn't be here if she didn't. I agree but…at the same time… That question's so huge I can't really get my head around it. For me, protecting MÄR Heaven…fighting for MÄR Heaven…means fighting for my mom… She's there for me back on the island! This is a Darkness ÄRM. I don't have a Holy ÄRM, but the others said that Nanashi broke a similar ÄRM without one…maybe I can too. He tightened his grip on his Earth Scoop and narrowed his focus to moving.
Pitting his will against the Darkness ÄRM caused his magic to spike. "Jack-!" Alviss tried to tell him not to, but Sol cut him off.
"Let him try, Alviss."
"But-!"
"If we constantly tel him what to do, he'll never learn to rely on his own judgement. If you ever expect him to be able to take on a Knight, Jack needs to be confident in himself."
Alviss grimaced. "She's right, you know." Alviss turned to look at Dorothy, surprised she was weighing in. Nanashi nodded as well. "Jack was a wimp when I first encountered him, but he had the gall to keep trying despite his natural inclination to run. Jack is so much stronger than he was and determined to see this through, but he's still lacking any kind of real confidence in himself. If he can't gain that, the Knights will kill him."
Alviss clenched his teeth but conceded to the truth of their points and turned to watch the match.
Jack was sweating, but his ability to move had improved. He gritted his teeth and pushed harder. His magic energy surged…and Kollekio turned towards him. "Kollekio…senses you!" Kollekio lunged forward and swung. An adrenaline dump made Jack's energy spike sharply enough to cut through Slowpoke's effect, but it wasn't fast enough to allow him to dodge.
*THWACK* "Ow." Jack stumbled but stayed up. "That hurt, but…" he rubbed his jaw, "come on, compared to Gaira or Sol, you barely tapped me. How's one hit let…you…win…" Jack looked up from rubbing his forming bruise and trailed off as he had to look up and up and up. Jack screamed. "He…got... huge?!"
Kollekio, no longer blind, looked down at him. "Nope. You got small. One 'Magic Hammer' strike…and you're teeny." He kicked Jack across the ice. "I'll kick you all I want! Kick 'til you die! Kollekio will not lose! Kollekio is no Mr. Hook!" Kollekio proceeded to kick Jack around like a ball, occasionally stomping on him.
For some reason, Kollekio backed off again. Jack took the opportunity to get up. "I won't…lose. If I die here…what kinda son would I be?! You just watch me, Ma! I'm gonna be the best son in all MÄR Heaven!" No good tryin' to hit anything that big! Even the Magic Mushrooms…are too little to be effective. Only one choice! He shifted his stance to be ready for Kollekio's next kick.
Kollekio didn't like that Jack didn't look scared. "You're face…makes me mad!" He kicked at Jack…and found Jack clinging to his leg. Annoyed, he shook it. "Get off."
Instead, Jack clambered up his leg, across his hip, up his back, and over his shoulder. Kollekio wasn't quick enough to grab him. Jack lunged out from Kollekio's chest and seemed to throw something at him.
For a second, Kollekio was scared, but nothing happened…till something hit the back of his throat and he convulsively swallowed. Freaked out, he stuttered, "W…what…did you make Kollekio eat? "
Jack grinned darkly. "Don't worry. It's good for you."
Dorothy chuckled. "I get it!" Nanashi and Alviss blinked.
Jack activated his Earth Scoop. "Grow! Earth Beans!" Kollekio grabbed his throat as he vomited a massive tangle of huge vines. He collapsed to the ground.
"Well…he's dead." The others looked at Sol, confused.
"The victor! Jack!" Jack was excited and headed back over to the team.
"You think Rapunzel's gonna kill him?" Nanashi asked.
"Hm? Oh, she probably wants to, but Jack beat her to it." The others looked confused because Kollekio was crawling back towards the Chess Pieces, so she explained, "I doubt he meant to, but those vines were as big around as his entire neck. They destroyed the inside of his throat. He's still moving, but I'm fairly certain between the internal bleeding and the fact that there's no way he can breathe…he'll drop before Rapunzel gets a chance to even play her game."
Kollekio had reached the Chess Pieces. "Rock," Rapunzel started, "paper," she lifted her hand, "sci-!" *THUD* Kollekio collapsed, dead, blood leaking out his mouth. Rapunzel squawked in indignation.
Jack stared. After a moment, he threw up.
I'm largely following the manga. I'm using it to source many of the conversations and such, but Jack's storyline bothers me. Granted, he's following Ginta, who's not the brightest thing himself, so Jack's slow progress kind of makes sense. But now I have him following Sol, so he needs to do better.
Now, in the manga and the anime, Rapunzel killed Kollekio, but in both, the way he was defeated by Jack's vines was how I wrote it down. The vines that come out of Kollekio's mouth are huge and would have originated in his throat. That's indicated by the fact that Kollekio is clutching it. There is no way that something that big could actually fit in his throat without doing extensive damage. I honestly believe that Jack's attack killed Kollekio. Maybe Rapunzel cut off his head before he managed to bleed out or suffocate, but I really doubt he would have actually lasted long enough for her to do it.
Why did Jack throw up? Well, Jack is the most innocent of the group along with Snow. He wasn't ready to kill anyone.
Lastly, does anyone else think it's weird that Ginta, and later Nanashi, gets so upset that Rapunzel is killing killers? I always thought it was dumb, though maybe it matches his personality. Kids been told repeatedly by this point that he's in a war, not a game, yet he continues to treat it like a game. Though I really like this story, Ginta's slow pickup on how serious this is has always frustrated me.
**I changed Kohai's name to Seihyou. His counterparts name was suppose to Ash. I forgot that one of the Knights is named Ash. ...oops.
