Blues Zero X

Chapter 8: Round One

First thing next morning, Rave went back to the tournament grounds. He was scheduled for the second fight and wanted to see what his competition would be. He walked through the endless crowd of people cheering, awaiting the first fight to begin. The sound of static filled the air by a rambunctious sounding voice, "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the thirteenth annual World Championship. The best fighters from around this side of the world have come to compete in this event and we have the twelve best, or luckiest, here right now. The first fight will begin in three minutes so if Booster and Meru could come to the ring, we will begin."

Rave looked around for Klaymoor but saw him nowhere. He walked through the people and saw a group of rather different looking people huddled together in a circle talking about something. He walked by, still looking at them when one in red armour looked over to him. He held the strangers gaze as he walked by and time seemed to slow. Rave saw a large board with the combatants' names and a picture of them. He saw his competitor, Lavitz, and his picture. The man looked somewhere in his mid thirties with dirty blond hair. His weapon of choice, according to the chart, was a simple bow. "He's become one of the best fighters this side of the world using a big stick? What the hell?" Rave quickly ducked and propped himself up with an outstretched arm to the ground. He turned his gun around just as a big stick flew past right where his head was. Rave was just a millisecond from firing when he noticed it was his opponent. Before he could stop himself from firing, he moved the gun up a few inches and the shot flew out of the cannon and right past Lavitz's head.

Rave got to his feet and smirked, "Didn't think you'd take that much offence to it, Lavitz." Rave looked at Lavitz, sizing up the man. "Eh, you don't seem all too tough with your big stick waving around and all that jazz." Rave noticed that a green glow began radiating from his chest.

"You're gunna pay, little man," Lavitz said with a smirk on his face. The glow began getting bigger and Rave could feel an ominous power rising in the air. Suddenly an average sized man with dirty blonde hair appeared from behind Lavitz and put his arm on Lavitz's shoulder. Rave recognized him as the same man he was staring at just moments before. "Lavitz, not now. Not here." Lavitz let out a sigh and the glow diminished, along with the power. Lavitz looked at Rave, then to the man, then to Rave again. He grin and said, "Hey Dart, this is my opponent. He's smaller then Meru. HAHA!" As if signaled by Lavitz's voice, the loud speaker once again piped up, "Ladies and gentlemen, folks of all ages, now is the time you've all been waiting for. The fight is now going to start. The first fight, and always the second most important, is between freelance, Booster, and the obviously beautiful Meru. Booster is a pro with his sword and it's said that no one has seen all of his techniques. Meru is a sassy little cutey who likes to flaunt around her body just as much as that six-foot mallet of hers. It seems the fighters are ready, you may begin when ready."

Booster got into the ring and stretched. He was wearing a blue body suit with white body armour and fancy, not to mention expensive looking boots. On his back was a large sword that looked like a mix between a standard Buster and a Katana. He smiled and pulled out his sword as Meru just stood there holding her War Hammer. Meru was dressed in a light blue tank top that just barely covoured her breasts and her waist was covoured by showy hip armour and just barely went over her very short shorts. Booster suddenly charged at her and Meru jumped into the air, "How the hell did such small thing jump so high with such a huge fucking hammer?" Booster jumped up after her and slashed up with her sword. He heard a loud "cling" and saw her mallet

Handle blocking his sword. "What the hell?" Meru flipped around her mallet and slammed Booster in the side of the head. He fell to the ground and slammed hard and cracked the cement a bit. Meru landed with her back to him as Booster slowly lifted himself up. He grinned slightly as Meru turned around. Meru frowned and yelled, "HEY! Stop staring at my ass!"

"What, it's nice! Just like the rest of your body!" Booster said with a grin.

"I SAID STOP STARING AT MY ASS, YOU PERVERT!" Meru yelled as she swung her mallet over her head and slammed it into Booster's. Booster looked up in surprise after collecting himself after the blow to his head. "Man, she's quick..." He jumped out of the way just as the mallet slammed to the ground again. He put his guard up and side stepped just as the mallet slammed down again. Booster grinned and boosted behind her. Meru swung her mallet in an arc toward him and he boosted around her. He boosted up, then boosted over her head, landing behind her again. "Now you know why they call me, Booster."

Meru grinned and a blue glow began shimmering around her chest. Rave noticed that she, too, seemed to have a necklace under her shirt like Lavitz. Meru stood her mallet up against her arm and got in a ready position. Suddenly Rave heard a voice from behind him, "MERU! NO!" Rave turned and saw Dart, a very worried expression on his face, and turned back to see Meru frowning. "Aww! Come on Dart, hunny! Please?"

"NO!"

"Damnit," Meru practically sighed. Booster took advantage of the situation and Boosted at Meru and slammed his elbow into her gut. She stepped back a few feet and coughed up a bit of blood. "You bastard. That was cheap!"

"Ya, and so is this," Booster said before lunging straight up into the air. Suddenly a voice came from the clouds, "FIREY PART!" Booster was heading straight down at Meru, his swords out stretched, and his entire body glowing red. His sword ignited in flames and slashed it at Meru just before landing gracefully. She jumped back quickly, but the blade burned her left arm and leg. She let out a scream and her pendant began glowing a fierce Blue. "DAMNIT, MERU!" yelled Dart again from the stands. Meru glared at Dart as she breathed heavily. "I SWEAR IF YOU DO IT, YOU WILL DIE!"

"Damnit, Dart," Meru whined. Remembering what happened last time, she turned to face Booster. Booster charged again and Meru slammed her hammer straight down. Booster jumped over it and slashed his sword straight down in front of her. Meru stood there, as if contemplating, with a look of sheer terror on her face. Booster put his sword away and looked at Meru, smiling to no one in particular but himself. Meru lifted her mallet up in the air and rested in on her shoulders. She stood up straight and her breasts forced open her shirt, which was almost cut completely down the middle. Her top fell to the ground, baring Meru's body to the crowd. Realizing what had happened, she dropped her mallet and quickly covoured herself up.

Booster stared intently at his work and smiled wider than Rave had ever seen anyone smile. Suddenly, it felt as if Rave had gone deaf. "GOD DAMNIT YOU PERVERTED SON OF A BITCH! I SWEAR TO ALL THINGS HOLY THAT I WILL KILL YOU IN YOUR SLEEP! HOW COULD YOU DO THIS IN A LEGITIMATE FIGHT SURROUNDED BY CIVILIZED PEOPLE!" Meru ceased her screaming to look out at the crowd. Every guy in the audience was staring just as intently as Booster was, half of them with a nosebleed. She turned back to Booster and her face became even redder then before. Booster grinned and lifted his hand. In his grasp was Meru's ripped shirt. Meru growled and grabbed the shirt quickly so that no one could see her breasts and stormed off of the ring muttering to herself. Dart let out a laugh and he and Lavitz ran over to comfort her.

"Well, that was interesting... hah hah hah," came a voice from behind Rave. He turned around to see Klaymoor standing in there. "Klaymoor! Where'd you come from?"

"Well, I came to see how you'd do and made it just in time to see that ending," Klaymoor said with a smile. He turned to Booster, who was walking by with a spring in his step, and said, "Hey, Booster. Wonderful finalé." Booster grinned again, "That'd my special finishing move. I don't use it often enough. I thinking about-" he stopped talking as a huge mallet slammed into the back of his head and he fell to the floor. "You damned pervert!" Rave looked up and saw Meru standing there, a new shirt on, holding her mallet head where Booster's head was. She rested it back on her shoulder with a, "Hmph." She looked up at Klaymoor and smiled. "Hey Klaymoor. It's good to see you."

"Same goes to you, Meru. It's been a while since I've seen you and the group."

"Ya, it has. I didn't see your name on the roster, why are you here?" she asked.

"Well, I'm watching this guy, here," Klaymoor said and put one hand on Rave's shoulder. "He's fighting next, against Lavitz, I see, and I'm hoping he'll at least bruise Lavitz."

"Well of course I'll bruise him. I'll bruise him badly! Then render him unconscious!" Rave said with total confidence... until Lavitz appeared behind Rave, "What was that, little one?"

Rave turned around, "Hey, you're shorter then me! And I'll beat you! I know I will!"

"You talk big, but I assure you that my wisdom is beyond my years," Lavitz said.

"Which is what, like... fifty?" Rave said with a laugh.

"You continue this disposition while you may, young one," Lavitz said and left.