*****The Big Day*****
Irvine awoke with a start. "Today is the day," was the very first thought that popped into his mind. He looked over at the clock beside his bed. It read 6:30 am. An hour and a half until the contest. He jumped out of bed, shaved, and took a quick shower. He had agreed yesterday to meet his friends for a breakfast in the cafeteria, before the contest, and he didn't want to be late. He threw on his blue vest, his long, tan, duster jacket, and his favorite jeans and chaps.
"I gotta get going!" He thought, slipping on his necklace that he never left home without. He looked at himself in the mirror. His long hair had dried due to his hurried moves, but was sticking up in all directions. "I look like I stuck my finger in a electric socket!" He thought as he chuckled to himself. He ran a comb through his hair until it was smooth, and tied it back with a string of black leather. He tied the knot tightly, securing the long hair behind his back.
"There. That's better", he said out loud. He slipped on some socks, and his boots, and then went to his gun cabinet. He grabbed a black duffel bag, and loaded his Ravens and his Exeter. He then slipped the gleaming black handguns, and the platinum shotgun into the bag, along with some extra ammo for both guns. He assumed that he would not be returning to his room before the contest, so he'd better take all his supplies now. He picked up the handbag, grabbed his black hat, and headed toward the door.
"Oh! I almost forgot!" Irvine said, as he stopped abruptly in the doorway. He turned around and grabbed his favorite pair of black gloves, the ones that were cut off mid-finger, and slipped them over his long fingers. He then left the room, shutting the door securely behind him.
Irvine made his way down the halls, and toward the cafeteria. On the way there he saw that Selphie's hard work had paid off. The garden was decorated from floor to ceiling for the big celebration tomorrow evening. As he walked by the library, a certain banner caught his eye. It read: "HUGE contest being held today in the training center! Irvine Kinneas Vs. Seth Whittaker. Winner will win the title of 'Best Gunman In Balamb!' Contest begins at 8 am sharp! Come cheer them on!"
"Oh man!" Irvine said loudly. "Well," he then thought, "If everyone didn't know about the contest before, they sure do now."
He continued on his way, until he reached the cafeteria. When he entered it, he spotted his group of friends in the middle, at a large circular table. He walked up to them with a smile on his face, even though his insides felt like mush. As he walked toward them, almost every table wished him luck. "Here's the guest of honor now!" Zell exclaimed as the sharpshooter reached the table.
"Hey everyone!" Irvine said, still smiling.
"Hey Irvy! Come sit here!" Selphie said, pointing to the only empty chair at the table. Irvine took his seat next to Squall and Selphie. The breakfast had already been laid out, and it smelled great. Too bad Irvine was too nervous to eat.
"I just wanna thank all of you for this." Irvine said. He looked into the happy eyes of each of his friends. "I don't know what I would do, if you all weren't here to help support me with this."
"Awww Irvy!" Selphie said cheerfully. "We all love you!" She jumped up and gave Irvine a big hug around his neck. Everyone started laughing. Ones from Rinoa and Quistis followed her hug.
"Yeah Irvine", said Squall, after the hugs were over, "and we will be your friends no matter what happens."
"You just do your best today Irvine." Quistis said. "We will all be there to support you."
"I will do my best", Irvine replied, "now that I know that you will all be there."
"Are you nervous Irvine?" Rinoa asked.
"To tell you the truth, yes I am." Irvine replied. "Why is it that obvious?"
"Well" Rinoa said, pointing to his plate, "You haven't touched your food."
"GIB It TO Me!!!" Zell said, his mouth stuffed full of food already.
"You don't need anymore piggy!" Selphie said.
"Geez Zell!" added Quistis. "Eat what you have first! Then attack everyone else for their food!" She then playfully slapped Zell on the back of the neck.
Everyone laughed as the slap caused Zell to cough and splutter the food all over the table.
"Cough it up Zell!" Selphie said through tears of laughter. She gave him a good slap on the back.
"That wasn't nice Quisty." Zell said after he finally managed to swallow the food.
The entire table burst with laughter again, and their laughter continued to ring throughout the cafeteria up until it was time for the contest.
After everyone had made their way to the training center, Irvine immediately made his way over to a quiet corner of the training center. He observed the chaos around him. Students were piling into the bleachers that had been set up especially for the contest. Zell was running around directing people to their seats, while Quistis followed him to make sure he didn't hurt himself. Irvine couldn't see his other friends at the moment, but he was sure that they were around.
Whom he did see, though, was Seth. He was across the room, surrounded by younger students, with pens and papers in their hands, begging for autographs.
Seth wore a long trench coat, like Irvine's, except his was a midnight black. He wore a blood red shirt underneath the long coat, and black jeans. His heavy black combat-type boots could be heard scraping the ground as he walked around the group of kids.
"Sorry guys," Seth said, holding up his hands. "I must go and prepare for my victory."
He walked away, his long black jacket flowing behind him.
"Oh please," thought Irvine. He slid down the wall he had been leaning against, to sit on the floor, and rested his hands on his knees. The contest would begin in ten minutes. Irvine's heart was racing.
"I need to calm down." He thought. Irvine closed his eyes tightly, and took a deep breath. His head began to slowly fall downward. Little by little the sounds around him slowly began to fade. He thought of Lauren's blue eyes, and how they would sparkle with excitement when he won.
From across the room, Squall stood looking at Irvine. "Uh Oh," he thought. "Irvine's acting the exact same way the he acted the evening in Deling City, when tried to assassinate Sorceress Edea." Squall then noticed the time, and decided he had better go get Irvine.
Irvine was still lost in troubled thoughts, when he felt a heavy hand on his shoulder. He looked up to see Squall standing above him.
"It's time to go Irvine. The contest is starting in two minutes." Squall offered Irvine his gloved hand. Irvine grasped it, and allowed Squall to help him to his shaky legs.
"I don't think I can do this man." Irvine said, steadying himself against a nearby tree.
"I don't believe there's a person more capable of pulling this off than you Irvine." Squall said reassuringly, and handed Irvine his duffel bag. "You just remember that your friends will always be behind you, not matter what."
Irvine looked at Squall with unsure eyes, and then smiled. "You're right Squall, Thanks!" Irvine gave Squall a friendly pat on the back, and they both started toward the start line of the contest.
Irvine passed the bleachers, already packed full of Garden students. He scanned the huge, noisy crowd searching for only one face. He didn't see Lauren anywhere. "Lauren where are you?" He thought, his eyes narrowing. He finally gave up his search, and turned around to find Seth standing across from him. The blonde grinned, and formed a gun with his hand. He then pointed it at Irvine, and pretended to shoot it, before walking to his starting point. Irvine just rolled his eyes at him, and decided it wasn't worth his time. He also walked over to his starting point. A small red "X" was marked on the ground, with his name written in white above it. He kicked the ground with his booted foot, nervously, and stirred up the dust.
"Irvine! Over here!" Irvine looked up, and turned around. He saw Rinoa, and the rest of his friends, minus Zell, waving to him. He flashed them a winning smile and gave them two thumbs up. Rinoa, Squall, and the others returned his gesture with their own thumbs up.
"Good luck Irvy!" Shouted Selphie excitedly. She could hardly keep still. Irvine smiled at her, and then turned back around. At that exact moment Zell walked between the two competitors, and Quistis joined him.
"Ladies and Gentlemen! Quiet please!" Zell shouted loudly. The crowd continued to chat amongst themselves. "Could everyone be quiet!!" He shouted loudly again. No Response. "WHY DON'T YOU ALL SHUT YOUR TRAPS!" He yelled angrily, his face turning redder that Ifrit's fur.
Quistis looked over at the angry Zell, who was now standing with his hands crossed over his chest, with an awful scowl on his face. She gave him a smile, and took two microphones out of her pockets. They had been there the entire time. She handed one to the now open-mouthed Zell, and then tapped on the top of her own to make sure that it was on.
"Could everyone please quiet down." She said into the mic. Her voice echoed through the training center, and the crowd grew quiet.
"Yeah…what she said!" Zell added into his mic.
"Welcome everyone!" Quistis shouted. "To my left is Mr. Irvine Kinneas, and to my right is Mr. Seth Whittaker. These two men are here today to find out which one will be the top sharpshooter in Balamb."
Irvine took a sideways glance at Seth. His adversary still had that cocky grin, and he was waving to the crowd.
"Gentlemen," Quistis continued, "You already know all the rules, correct?" Both Irvine and Seth nodded in agreement. "Good", she replied, "Now we will introduce each of your assistants that will accompany you. They will be the ones that will keep track of how many monsters you defeat. Each of these people have agreed to be completely honest, or risk getting the competitor disqualified."
"I will introduce them", interrupted Zell. Quistis nodded. Zell continued. "The assistant for Seth Whittaker shall be Instructor Ian Timbrook".
A tall man emerged from the crowd. He looked to be in his late twenties, with black hair past his shoulders. His beautiful eyes were a deep brown, almost black. He walked up to Seth, and the two shook hands. Zell handed him a walkie-talkie like communicator, and a checklist to keep track of the monsters Seth defeated. "Next," Zell continued, "Is Irvine's assistant. Lance Wilson, please come forward." A young man, about Irvine's age, stepped out of the crowd. Irvine recognized his face. He was the new head of the disciplinary committee. He had curly dark brown hair, and striking violet eyes. He shook hands with Irvine, and smiled.
"Nice to meet you Irvine."
"Likewise", Irvine replied to the young man.
Zell also handed Lance a communicator and a checklist.
Quistis then spoke. "These communicators that Zell just handed Ian and Lance are hooked up to the speaker system in this room. These assistants are to report in every two minutes to update us on the progress of the two competitors. They are to use the checklists that we gave them to check off each monster that Irvine or Seth kills. Lance, Ian, you must never leave the competitor's side, and Irvine and Seth, you must keep an eye on your assistants. Are there any questions?"
Quistis looked at each of the men. They all shook their heads in unison. "Good, then we will begin the contest," she continued. "Gentlemen, please take out your weapons."
Irvine pulled out his Ravens, and made sure they were fully loaded. Seth pulled out his handguns, and did the same. They both handed their assistants their duffel bags with their extra weapons and ammo.
"And now everyone," Quistis continued, "Let me introduce our judge. He will be determining the official winner of this contest. Squall Leonhart, the commander of SeeD will be our judge." The entire crowd shifted their gaze to Squall, who was strolling slowly up to stand beside Quistis. He had his gunblade loaded, and by his side. Just in case.
"Thanks Quistis," he said, taking the microphone. "Thanks for coming everyone." Squall said to the crowd. He then turned back to Irvine and Seth. "Gentlemen," he said, looking at each of them. "I want a fair fight. No magic, or summoning GF's. Any cheating whatsoever will result in immediate disqualification. Now shake hands before we begin."
Seth walked up to Irvine and shook his hand quickly. Irvine noticed that he still had the same smirk on his face. Seth returned to his starting point, and the crowd became deathly silent, anticipating the start of the contest. Irvine could hear his heart pounding in his ears. "Can I have seven minutes on the timer?" Squall said into his mic. A big red "7:00" flashed on the large clock that hung from the ceiling. Zell and Quistis had also gotten a scoreboard set up next to the clock. Irvine and Seth's names were displayed in red letters.
Suddenly the entrance door to the training center opened and shut noisily. The entire crowd turned to see the source of the noise. Irvine also turned, curious to see what caused the commotion, and was surprised to see Lauren standing there, blushing deeply.
"Sorry!" she said quietly, as she walked up to the bleachers. She flashed Irvine a smile and gave him a thumbs up. To Irvine's disappointment, though, she did the same to Seth. Irvine smiled back and waved to Lauren. Seth was actually brave enough to blow her a kiss. Irvine's eyes narrowed when he saw this, and he turned a positioned himself to get ready.
"All right gentlemen," Squall said after Lauren had seated herself.
"On your marks."
Both men bent down slightly, ready to dash into the next rooms.
"Get set."
Irvine checked to make sure the safeties were off on his Ravens.
"GO!!" Squall shouted.