*****
"You what???"
"You heard me. I think you're ready for a tournament."
"But, we've only had one battle and one practice round..." said Sakura.
"Don't be silly. The tournament will help you a great deal. It will give you training you can't get from practicing," said Mrs. Daidouji.
"What kind of training?" asked Tomoyo.
"You'll find out," said Mrs. Daidouji.
Mrs. Daidouji walked up the stairs. Sakura stood there shocked.
"But...we don't have nearly enought experience..."
said Sakura.
"She said it's kind of like a training session...Oh
dear..." said Tomoyo.
"What?" asked Sakura, slightly alarmed.
"The tournament's today..."
"Hoee???"
"It's alright."
"I guess so, I was watching Kero play Xylon Warriors
and got a few ideas."
"Well, then I guess you're more prepared than I
am."
"How do you think Syaoran will do?"
"Come on, Sakura. He learned martial arts
as a kid. What do you think?"
"Yeah, and since the angels can do anything imaginable,
I'm sure he'll come up with a few new things as well."
They smiled at each other, then went to the car. The bodyguard drove them to Syaoran's house. Tomoyo was searching in her bag for something so Sakura went to the door on her own. She rang the doorbell and waited. She heard some footsteps and then, the turn of the door knob.
"Oh! Hey, Sakura," said Syaoran, he looked surprised.
"The next tournament is today and we were hoping
you would join us," said Sakura nervously.
"Sure, I'll go get my angel," said Syaoran.
Sakura heard him run down a hall and up some stairs. Then she heard him coming back down. They walked to the car and were driven to a large domed shaped building. They were dropped off at the front and they walked inside. There were bleachers around the whole room. Kind of like a stadium with four corridors, including the one they were in, that they supposed led outside.
"Looks like the crowd's going that way," said Tomoyo pointing to the other side of the stadium.
They walked across, passing many other people staring at the large room.
"It looks a lot bigger on the inside..." said Sakura.
"It has to be. Millions of people come to
watch these tournaments all the time," said Tomoyo, starry eyed.
"We better get to the line or we'll be waiting behind
millions of people.." said Syaoran.
They hurried to the line. It was quite long and they waited for about 20 minute until they got to the front. An attendent at the front desk handed them papers. The group filled out their names and their angels names, then another person led them to another room where many other people were waiting. It was a medium sized room with a large video screen from the ceiling to the floor in one corner and vending machines. A lounge. Most people were checking their angels. They sat at a table and talked for several minutes. The video screen turned on with a man's face.
"Welcome one and all to this year's first Angelic Layer Tournament! This year we have some familiar faces and many new ones as well. Our first two fighters will be...Sakura with her angel Syaoran, and Akira with her angel, Tsuki!"
Sakura blinked. She was in the first round? What if she made a fool of herself? She saw another girl get up and go out the door with her angel. Sakura followed suit. They entered the large stadium to a medium sized platform. They sat in the chairs and placed their angels on the layer. Tsuki was tall with brown hair. She wore a kimono covered with moons and brown rabbit ears. Everyone cheered as they sat.
"Each deus has 2 chances. If they lose twice, they are elliminated from the tournament. The first to knock their opponent out of the layer or the one with the least amount of damage after 10 minutes is the winner! Now, without further ado, ANGELIC FIGHT!"
Sakura watched her opponent. The angel's stood facing each other for a few seconds. I can't rush her...that's exactly what she's waiting for...but I can't just stand here... Syaoran ran forward. A smirk appeared on Akira's face. Tsuki continued to stand, then she kicked when Syaoran was close enough. Everyone stared. Syaoran had ducked away from Tsuki's kick. Akira looked slightly worried. Tsuki now went into a barrage of kicks and punches. Syaoran blocked, ducked and jumped. The two angels got closer and closer to the edge of the layer. Tsuki used a special kick knocking Syaoran to the ground. Syaoran got up, grabbed Tsuki's arm, and flipped her over and out of the layer into Akira's hands. The battle was over.
"The winner is newbie Sakura and her angel, Syaoran!"
A loud roar came from the crowd. Sakura walked over to Akira.
"How's your angel?" asked Sakura.
"She's fine. You fought well, newbie."
Sakura blinked. The girl walked past her toward
the lounge. Sakura stood there for a few seconds, then left.
Tomoyo and Syaoran were sitting in the corner drinking soda and eating
snacks. When Sakura arrived, Kero popped out from behind Tomoyo.
"Kero? What are you doing here????"
"Shhhhh!" said Kero.
Half of the room was staring at them. She
sat down and they turned back to the screen. A replay of the fight
was on. Then, the announcer appeared.
"Our next two deus are...Misaki with her angel, Hikaru
and Hatoko and her angel Suzuka! She also has the nickname Lightspeed Suzuka
for her fast moves that could end a match within seconds! ANGELIC FIGHT!"
"Good job, Sakura!^_^" said Tomoyo.
"You beat her in 5 minutes," said Syaoran.
"What? Are you sure?" asked Sakura.
"The careful watch of Tomoyo Vision does not lie!"
said Tomoyo.
"Tomoyo vision?" asked Syaoran.
"My camera of course!" said Tomoyo, pulling out
her video camera.
Tomoyo replayed Sakura's match.
"There was a timer on the corner of the screen the
whole game," said Tomoyo.
"Wait a minute...are you sure you were taping the
whole time?" asked Sakura.
"Positive. Why?" asked Tomoyo.
"Go back a little...see! Right there! The clock
suddenly starts flickering..."
"I don't remember that happening."
"It's probably just a glitch," said Syaoran.
"Yeah, you're probably right."
They turned back to the screen to watch the fight.
*****
Once again, I'm sorry I took so long...needed a little inspiration
and somehow, I found it. Once again, I'm sorry for the delay and I hope
you enjoyed the chapter.^_^
Pika112388