The crowd erupted into frenzied shouts and screams. The two men took off in a flash. Seth took off toward one door, while Irvine took off for the opposite door. Both of their assistants were following close behind. The crowd's excited screams could be heard throughout the entire garden. Irvine darted quickly through the door, followed closely by Lance. His eyes darted around the huge area, looking for his first challenger. Suddenly out of nowhere, an Elnoyle flew at full speed toward him.
He rolled out of the way quickly, and jumped up from the ground. The Elnoyle was now flying over him, it's huge wings scattering dust everywhere.
"Here we go." Irvine said out loud.
He motioned for Lance to step back, and then fired the Ravens at the Elnoyle, scoring a direct hit in one of its wings. The monster fell to the ground, but was not yet ready to be defeated. The Elnoyle swiped its long arm at Irvine, attempting to knock him off his feet. Irvine was too quick, though.
Just as the Elnoyle's huge claw was about to make contact with Irvine's legs, he jumped high into the air. The creature's arm passed unharmingly under him. When Irvine landed, he aimed one of the Ravens straight at the Elnoyle's head. He fired a single, steady bullet straight between its eyes. The creature died instantly, and lay still.
"Alright!" Irvine shouted happily. "Let's go!"
Lance smiled and nodded. He then marked a check on the checklist, and got his communicator out so he could check in.
Meanwhile, Zell and Quistis had joined their group of close friends, and they were now waiting in nervous anticipation as the crowd continued to scream around them. Suddenly there was some static on the communication system. The crowd hushed. "crackle crackle" Suddenly a voice echoed throughout the room.
"This is Lance checking in. Irvine Kinneas has just defeated and Elnoyle, and is currently battling a Marlboro."
The crowd erupted into excited screams again, and even Irvine's little circle of friends couldn't help but cheer him on. Everyone except Squall, that is. He just simply stood over to the side, next to his friends with his arms crossed over his chest. If one looked closely, though, they would be able to see a slight smile forming on his lips.
Irvine fired four shots in a row from his Ravens, and the stubborn Marlboro still stood unmoving. It attempted to poison Irvine with its rancid breath attack, but the agile cowboy leapt out of the way, just in time. He pointed his Ravens at the Marlboro, and started firing. After one or two shots from each gun, he heard nothing but the clicks of the triggers. He had run out of bullets!
"Damn!" He swore to himself. The giant Marlboro was advancing quickly, black tar-like saliva pouring from it's mouth. Irvine tossed his guns to Lance, who immediately tossed Irvine his powerful, fully loaded, Exeter. Irvine caught the large shotgun, and in that instant, he felt the hard trunk of a tree hit his back. There was nowhere to go now…
Zell and the others had finally calmed down, and they were again listening for the loudspeakers to sound. "Crackle, Crackle"
"This is Ian reporting in. Seth Whittaker has defeated two monsters. A Caterchipillar, and a Bite Bug. He is currently battling his third, a Granaldo."
Everyone glanced at the scoreboard. Beside Seth's name, in red, flashed the number "2". Irvine's name had the number "1" beside it. Some of the crowd booed, while others cheered. Irvine's friends were silent. Squall glanced over at the clock.
"Only four more minutes to go. Come on Irvine." He thought.
"Oh No!!" Selphie exclaimed dramatically. "Seth is beating him!"
"The contest isn't over yet Selphie", Rinoa replied, always positive.
Irvine stared into the inky blackness of the Marlboro's open mouth. He then cocked his Exeter, and pointed it right into the monster's gaping maw, and fired once. "BANG!" The monster stumbled back in stunned silence. Irvine had shot it directly down it's throat. It fell backwards, and shook the ground as it hit.
"Another one bites the dust." Irvine said with a grin. He and Lance slapped hands, and Irvine retrieved his newly loaded Ravens. The two men continued on.
****Meanwhile****
"Come on and die you bastard!!" Seth yelled. He pointed his gun at the stubborn Granaldo. The monster flapped its large, dragonfly-like wings, and let out an angry screech. Then in a single, swift, movement, it swung its large tail, and caught Seth on the side of the head.
He fell sideways, and hit the ground heavily. One of his handguns flew out of his hands, and into a small bush. Seth stood up slowly, the single handgun still in his hand, caught in a death grip. Seth could be pushed no further. He quickly ran to the right, around to the back of the Granaldo. He looked up and saw the monster's vulnerable back, between it's flapping wings. He took a few steps back, and before the monster realized what was happening, he had leapt upon it's back.
Seth then took out his gun, and shot the confused monster in the back of the head. That was all it took. The Granaldo went limp mid-air, and fell heavily to the ground, bringing Seth with it. Seth jumped from the dead monster's back and retrieved his gun from the bush.
"That's three." He said to Ian with a smile. He then added, "I bet that's three more than what Kinneas has."
The two men continued on.
****Meanwhile****
"Behind you Irvine!!" Irvine heard Lance yell, and spun around. Two Oilboyles stared him in the face. He backed away a few feet so that he could assess the situation. One of the Oilboyles attempted to hit him with oil that it spat from its mouth. Irvine quickly dodged it, and shot a bullet into the monster's left leg. The Oilboyle screeched with pain, but only became angrier. Suddenly Irvine got a brilliant idea.
As soon as he had the two Oilboyle's attention, he took off at full speed straight toward the monsters. The Oilboyles readied for an attack. Irvine stopped in his tracks right dead in the middle of the two monsters. They turned to face Irvine, and actually ended up facing each other, with Irvine standing, smiling, in the middle.
At the same time, they both spat oil at Irvine, but he dodged the attack at the last minute. The two clueless monsters actually blinded themselves with each other's oil. They began to scramble around, erratically, panicking from their blindness. Irvine seized the opportunity and leapt upon one of their backs. He shot a bullet into the creature's head, and then did the same for its counterpart. They both fell dead. Two more to add to Irvine's score.
Irvine's group of friends stood together, silently. Suddenly the intercoms sprang to life. "This is Lance reporting in. Irvine has defeated a Marlboro, and two Oilboyles, and he is still going strong!"
"All Right!!" Zell yelled "That puts Irvine in the lead by two!" He looked up at the scoreboard that now read:
Irvine "4" Seth "2".
Another voice on the intercom interrupted the celebration. "This is Ian. Seth has defeated the Granaldo, and has just defeated a Raldo."
"The game's tied," Squall said amongst the cheers and boos. "Only one minute to go."
Irvine ran few a few bushes, desperately searching for more monsters.
"Irvine," Lance interrupted. "I just got a report, and there is only one minute left.
"Got it." Irvine replied.
"Oh, and one more thing Irvine." Lance continued. "Umm, well……Seth is also tied with you."
"Oh man! I gotta find some monsters!" Irvine exclaimed, slamming his fist into a nearby tree. Like an answer to his prayers, a loud roar was heard behind him. Irvine smiled, and turned to see two monsters in front of him. One of the two was the "most feared monster in the training center." He stared into the eyes of an ugly Geezard, and a ferocious T-Rexaur.
"Oh No!" Irvine thought. "I can handle the Geezard, but the T-Rexaur is gonna be a problem.
Irvine signaled to Lance for his Exeter. He holstered the Ravens, and cocked the shotgun.
"Time for the heavy artillery." He thought.
Irvine began with the easier of the two creatures: the Geezard.
The monster attempted to cast Thundara on him. Irvine barely managed to dodge the powerful bolt of electricity, but the shock of it knocked him off his feet.
Irvine landed hard on his back. Before the Geezard could hit him with another spell, however, Irvine rolled a few feet, and onto his stomach. He steadied his elbows on the ground, and took aim at the Geezard's head. He blasted the shotgun's bullets straight at the monster's face. The force of the shots sent the Geezard flying backwards, and onto it's back. Irvine quickly jumped to his feet, and shot the monster in the stomach. It died instantly.
"Now for the T-Rexaur." Irvine thought.
****Meanwhile****
Seth let out a sarcastic laugh. "Oh please." He said out loud. "This is too easy!"
He stood in front of a flying Thurustaevis, and a snarling Grat. Seth looked at Ian, and smiled.
"I think I will win this contest right now Ian." He said with a smile.
"Yes sir!" Ian replied with a smile back. Seth turned his back on the monsters to get the shotgun from Ian. As he approached, he heard a scuttling behind him, and he saw Ian's eyes widen with fear.
The Grat had decided to attack Seth while his back was turned. Seth felt the monster's hot breath on the back of his neck. Seth continued to walk towards Ian, but drew his double handguns. He then pointed them backwards over his shoulders, in the direction of the monster. Without even bothering to look, let alone aim, he fired the two guns, and he then heard a heavy thud as the monster hit the earth. Ian's black eyes widened with surprise.
"Wow Seth! You killed that creature without even looking at it!"
"That's why I'm the best Ian." Seth replied with a smile. He grabbed the shotgun from Ian, and then walked past the dead Grat. He gave the monster a swift kick in the side, just for the heck of it. "This contest's over." He thought as the approached the Thrustaevis.
****Meanwhile****
Irvine faced the drooling T-Rexaur. "Irvine!" Lance called behind his back. "30 seconds! Make it quick!!" Irvine nodded, and narrowed his eyes.
"Is there a quick way to kill this thing?" he thought. Suddenly and idea sprang into his head.
"T-Rexaurs can't swim!"
He spotted a nearby pond, and a conveniently long tree branch jutting out over the deep water. He fired a shotgun blast at the monster's thick hide. This only angered the monster further. It roared with rage, and charged toward Irvine.
"15 seconds Irvine!" Lance shouted in alarm.
****Back to Seth****
"15 seconds Seth!" Ian shouted.
"It's in the bag." Seth replied.
He fired his shotgun at the already weakened Thrustaevis, and it fell to the ground. Seth walked up to the angry creature cockily, and stuck the rifle in it's face.
"5 seconds Seth!" Ian shouted loudly.
Seth looked into the creature's dying eyes.
"Go to Hell." He said with an evil glitter in his eyes, and then with a smile, he fired his rifle.
****Back to Irvine****
Irvine turned quickly and started running full speed toward the pond. He fired a shotgun blast over his shoulder, and hit the T-Rexaur in the face. The dinosaur screeched in pain, as a bullet pierced its eye. The monster charged faster, and Irvine could feel the ground shake under his feet, as it approached. Lance began the countdown of the last few seconds of the tournament.
"Ten!" He shouted loudly.
Irvine took a flying leap toward the hanging branch.
"Nine!"
Irvine's hands gripped the slippery bark.
"Eight!"
One of Irvine's hands slipped from the branch.
"Seven!"
He regained his grip, and could hear the monster approaching at full speed.
"Six!"
Irvine looked down. "Must…….Swing…….Up……" He thought with alarm.
"Five!"
He swung his legs forward twice,
"Four!"
and flipped up onto his stomach onto the branch.
"Three!"
He looked down just in time to see the T-Rexaur pass in a blur underneath him.
"Two!"
The monster splashed into the pond and began thrashing wildly. It did no good, though, the creature's short arms couldn't support its immense weight.
"One!"
The monster let out one last roar, and went under the murky water, leaving only bubbles on the surface of the water.
Suddenly, a loud ringing bell could be heard throughout the training center. The contest was finally over.
"All Right!" Irvine shouted, happy that his idea had worked. He swung down from the branch, to the ground, and ran over to Lance.
"That's six monsters defeated Irvine! Good job!" Lance said, patting Irvine on the back.
"Let's hope it's enough to win!" Irvine replied, out of breath. "Come on Lance. Let's get back."
The crowd became deathly silent, as the bell indicating the contest was over rang. Squall stood in front of the quiet crowd, patiently awaiting Irvine and Seth's return.
Everyone was eager to hear the final report, since the assistants hadn't reported in after the bell rang. They were waiting until they arrived back at the starting point to give the final scores.
Squall glanced back at his friends who looked nervous. They stared at the two doors, waiting for Irvine to emerge. Suddenly, after what seemed like hours, one of the doors opened slowly. Out came Seth, followed by Ian. They both looked exhausted. Seth walked up to Squall.
As he neared, Squall noticed a cut on the side of his head. "You Ok Seth?" Squall asked, pointing to the wound.
"Yeah, I'm fine. A Granaldo decided to get stupid, but it wasn't anything I couldn't deal with." Seth replied, motioning to the guns at his hips.
Everyone's gaze shifted, as the opposite door in the room creaked open. Irvine appeared, followed by Lance. He walked slowly up, and smiled at his friends. They all smiled back, and the crowd erupted into cheers, happy that the men were safe.
"Quiet please!" Squall shouted into the mic. "We need to determine the winner!"
Squall smiled as the tired-looking Irvine walked up.
"Good job, man!" Squall said, as he and Irvine shook hands.
"I haven't won yet." Irvine replied with a weary smile.
"Yeah, but you made it back alive." Squall said, before walking to the center of the room. "All Right everyone, I am now going to pull the assistants aside, and tally up the totals. So if you will all please be patient."
Squall switched the mic off, and motioned for Ian and Lance to follow him. The two men walked up to Squall with their checklists, and together the three men walked to a corner. The crowd stayed silent, as Squall, Ian, and Lance exchanged papers, and chatted quietly. Irvine waited patiently, his heart beating rapidly. He glanced over at Lauren, who was watching the trio intensely.
"Please let me win." Irvine thought. "Lauren would never want to speak to me again, if I lost. No one wants a loser."
Almost as if Lauren knew he was thinking about her, she glanced over at him, and smiled. She then mouthed the words "Good Luck!" and then turned her attention back to Squall and the others.
Irvine then took a sideways glance at Seth, who was busy brushing dust from his black pants. He seemed like he didn't even care that his fate was being decided at that very moment. Squall and the others finally finished talking, and they all shook hands to seal the agreement.
Squall then walked back toward Seth and Irvine. He was now in possession of the two checklists. As Squall walked past Irvine, he completely avoided eye contact with the nervous sharpshooter.
"Does that mean I lost?" Irvine thought with alarm. "Squall can't even look me in the eyes! He's too ashamed…."
Irvine was about to find out the truth.
Squall returned to his place between Seth and Irvine. He switched the mic back on, and spoke into it.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, we have determined the outcome of the contest." Squall scanned the checklists one more time, and then looked over at Irvine and Seth.
"Irvine, Seth, you worked hard, and did your best. I just want you both to know that no matter what, you are both equals."
Seth smirked at this comment, and Irvine nodded in agreement.
"All Right. After seven minutes of competing, the final score is as follows:
Seth Whittaker defeated a total of six monsters within seven minutes, including a Granaldo, a Raldo, and a difficult Thrustaevis."
Seth smiled, and waved to the crowd. "Beat that Kinneas." He said to Irvine.
Squall gave Seth an icy look, and continued. "Irvine Kinneas, within the seven minutes you defeated an Elnoyle, a Marlboro, two Oilboyles, a Geezard, and the most feared monster of the training center—the T-Rexaur. This means that your total is also six monsters!"
The entire crowd gasped in surprise.
"This makes the contest a tie." Squall said, with a small smile on his face.
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Almost done folks!!! I am currently wrapping the story up! So stay tuned!