Sorry it's been awhile, but here we go!
Episode 12: "Okimoto's Tournament! What happened to having a choice?!"
Serena frowned in puzzlement as she sat at her desk in her bedroom, staring at a white envelope that she held over her head. She leaned back in her seat as she studied it, scrunching her eyebrows in her perplexity. Then, she flipped the white envelope over to only see her first name neatly written in script on the back. Her frown increased as did her puzzlement and she let out a small sigh. "Hmm...I wonder what it could be..." she wondered aloud.
Luna, who sat on Serena's bed, let out a frustrated sigh and exclaimed, "Serena, will you quit wasting time and just open it?"
"I can't do that!" Serena protested, sitting up straight and pulling the envelope to her chest. "Say if it's something bad?!"
"Serena, it's probably just junk mail," Luna stated coldly. "Now will you just get on with it?"
Serena let out a fearful whimper as she looked down at the strange white envelope with her name on it. Then, she took a deep breath, mustering up all the courage she could, and opened the envelope.
To her surprise, she pulled out an invitation. She blinked in puzzlement at the invitation that Serena read aloud:
"You are cordially invited to attend Okimoto's Tournament this Friday to Sunday as a special guest of Okimoto. Your transportation and accommodations will be provided for you during your stay this weekend. The ferry will leave for Okimoto's Island on Friday morning at 9:00 from Fuji Docks and will depart from the island Sunday evening at 6:00. 64 teams will be participating in this year's tournament, half of the teams being eliminated in each round. The schedule for the matches are as follows:
"Round One: Friday, 12:00 PM to 8:00 PM
"Round Two: Friday, 8:00 PM to 12:00 AM
"Round Three: Saturday, 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM
"Round Four: Saturday, 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM
"Round Five: Saturday, 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM
"Championship: Sunday, 12:00 PM
"The first three rounds will consist of fifteen minute battles, while rounds four and five will consist of thirty minutes battles, and the final match will have no time limitations. A more detailed schedule will be given to you upon arriving at Okimoto's Island.
"Okimoto hopes that you can attend his Tournament; your presence at this most prestigious event will be most appreciated."
Serena blinked a few more times trying to fully absorb the letter before grinning widely. "Cool!" she exclaimed. "A vacation!"
"You can't be serious, Serena," Luna then began in disbelief. "You're actually going to go to this tournament?"
"Sure!" Serena answered as if it were obvious. "Why not? It's free, isn't it? And I always wanted to vacation on an island!" Her eyes then grew dreamy as she started, "I'll bring my bathing suit, and some manga...oh, and I'll have to buy a new pair of sunglasses! I wonder if I actually have to go to the tournament...maybe I can just lay on the beach all day! Too bad I can't bring Darien..."
"Serena, you are being ridiculous!" Luna scolded. "It's been only a week since you destroyed that Baken-Ai and got that scar on your forehead, and already you're making careless decisions!"
Serena now frowned, rubbing the scar on her forehead. "Do you really think it's that noticeable...?"
"That's not the point, Serena," Luna snapped. "The point is, don't you think it's a little suspicious you getting invited to this tournament all of a sudden, especially after everything that's happening. You don't even know an Okimoto!"
"You're just jealous because you weren't invited!" Serena decided stubbornly as she raised her head in her own pride.
Luna let out an exasperated sigh. "Serena..." Then, realizing it was hopeless to reason with the girl, shook her head and muttered, "I just hope you know what you're doing, Serena..."
Yusuke sifted through the mail as he entered his apartment that Monday afternoon, calling, "Hey, mom; I'm home!"
"Hey, Yusuke," his mother called back from the living room sounding half-asleep and slightly drunk. Yusuke, meanwhile, had already made his way into the kitchen and had placed the mail on the counter, pulling out a plain white envelope with his first name written in script.
"Huh?" Yusuke scrunched his eyebrows with curiosity. Then, he opened the envelope and quickly read through the letter.
"An invitation...?" he wondered aloud to himself. Then, studying the letter more closely, he grinned. "All right!" he exclaimed. "It's about time that I get to watch one of these stupid tournaments instead of fighting in them all the time! That Okimoto guy, whoever he is, must have heard about all the tournaments I've won already and decided to make me his honorary guest." With that, and a pleasant smile on his face, Yusuke headed happily into his bedroom.
In both suspicion and confusion, Momiji walked home from school, staring down at the invitation she had found laying in her locker that morning. "But why would anyone invite me to a tournament...?" she wondered aloud and then frowned in her dismay.
To her surprise, the letter was suddenly snatched from her hands. "Hey!" she exclaimed and turned to her right to see Kusanagi standing next to her with mischievous eyes.
"Where'd you get this?" he asked with a playful smirk and Momiji grew cross.
"It's none of your business!" she shouted and went to grab it back, but Kusanagi just raised it higher in the air, Momiji being too short to reach it. "Now give it back, Kusanagi!"
"What? Is it a secret?" he asked with a snicker as his eyes started to scan through it.
"Kusanagi!" Momiji cried, still trying to jump up and take her letter back, but to no avail.
"Huh?" Kusanagi's face then grew intrigued. "An invitation...?" He then looked down at Momiji curiously. "Who'd send you an invitation, Momiji?"
"I don't know," she answered. "Obviously I must have done something to impress this Okimoto guy, whoever he is."
Kusanagi snickered. "Yeah, right." Momiji scowled furiously, but Kusanagi just snickered more. "Besides, why would you want to go and watch a stupid tournament, anyway?"
Growing more annoyed, Momiji placed her hands on her hips and questioned, "Well, why wouldn't I?" although she had no real desire to attend in the first place.
"I don't know..." Kusanagi then laughed with slight unease. "You're not actually thinking of going to this thing, are you?"
Momiji, narrowing her eyes stubbornly and crossing her arms, retorted, "Maybe. Like I said before, it's really none of your business."
"Momiji, don't be stupid; you don't even know who this Okimoto guy is," Kusanagi stated flatly and Momiji's face grew red with both anger and embarrassment.
"I am not being stupid!" she exclaimed. "Who are you to say, anyway? Maybe I WANT to go! And there's nothing you can do about it, so there!" She went to snatch back her letter for a third time, but Kusanagi successfully jerked it back in the nick of time, who smirked at his victory.
"So you leave Fuji Docks at 9:00 Friday morning..."
Momiji sighed in her aggravation and, losing her patience, shouted, "KUSANAGI!"
Noticing the rage in her face, Kusanagi's grin left him and he let out a sigh. Then, with some annoyance, he tossed the letter back to her, saying bitterly, "Fine; go if you want. But don't expect me to come tagging along after you. If something goes wrong, you're on your own." He then began walking away.
"Who said I wanted your help, anyway!" Momiji called out to him defensively, but Kusanagi didn't bother turning back. Letting out a frustrated groan, Momiji muttered to herself, "That Kusanagi! I'll show him! I'm not completely helpless and I can surely handle a weekend alone!" She then looked down at the letter and smiled a bit saying, "Besides, it might be nice to get away from it all for a little while..."
"Well, this seems like the right place..." Yusuke said out loud as he stood on the docks that early Friday morning, people and demons busily hurrying about with luggage, boarding the great white ship, which Yusuke assumed to be the ship headed for Okimoto's Island. With a backpack slung over his shoulder, he pushed himself through the crowds. He finally found his place on line, although nearly being knocked over in the process.
"Tickets! Tickets, please! Please have your tickets ready before you board..." the demon at the ramp, which led up to the deck, called out.
Yusuke frowned and then pulled out the invitation he received from his pants' pocket. "I guess this is my ticket..."
When he reached the ramp, the demon, dressed in a naval officer's uniform, repeated, "Ticket, sir."
"Um...I...this is all I have," Yusuke stammered a bit before handing over his invitation to the demon.
The demon stared at it for a moment before grinning widely. "Ah, yes! You must be Mr. Urameshi!" He snapped his fingers and one of the shipmates, a demon as well, came running down the ramp from the ship. "Take this young lad onboard, now would you?" he said, handing the sailor the invitation.
"Yes, sir!" the other demon said with a salute before taking Yusuke by the arm, saying, "Right this way, sir..." and leading him up the ramp and onto the ship before Yusuke could even reply.
Meanwhile, Momiji was having difficulty with her luggage, having carried it all the way from the bus stop to the docks. Now, out of breath she was going at a snail's pace, using both hands to drag her suitcase, no longer having the strength to carry it off the ground. "Just a little bit further..." she told herself before she let out a sigh and a whimper. She frowned and mumbled to herself. "Maybe I packed too much..."
She then shook her head. "Come on, Momiji! You can't give up now! You can do this! After all, you're not completely helpless...even if stupid Kusanagi thinks so!" She then started dragging her suitcase again, although her new determination didn't quicken her pace all that much.
However, when she lifted her head, she stopped, looking around in surprised curiosity when she finally noticed that she was surrounded by people with horns, tails, and strange colored skin. Nervously, she said to herself. "Wow...these people look king of...strange..."
"Here, let me help you, little lady," a boisterous voice came from behind as Momiji felt her suitcase being pulled out from under her fingers. She turned around and shrilly gasped when she saw a blue skinned demon with a tail, two horns, huge, bulking muscles, and a charming, flashing smile grinning down at her and holding her heavy suitcase on his shoulder with ease.
Momiji, smiling nervously at the eight foot tall demon that towered over her, said weakly, "Thanks...I guess..."
"Don't mention it, little lady," the blue demon replied and gave her a wink. Momiji's cheeks turned pink, but she gave him a gracious smile and followed him as he led her toward the ship, still carrying her heavy suitcase over his shoulder.
"Maybe this was a bad idea..." she warily muttered to herself as she cautiously weaved her way through the crowd of different demons, nearly jumping out of her skin whenever she did accidentally bump into one. "Maybe I shouldn't have come..."
And she couldn't help but frown in her worry.
Serena ran as fast as she could - well, with all the luggage she was carrying, anyway; she wore a backpack on her back, two duffel bags on her left shoulder, one on her right, and had a large suitcase in each hand. Breathing hard and face panicked, she cried loudly, as she often found herself crying, "I'm going to be late!"
Running a few more yards, she stopped - although she continued to run in place - and looked around, desperately trying to figure out where to go next. "Where do I go? Where do I go?" She let out a whine and was about ready to start sulking when she spotted a great white vessel. "That must be it! Thank God it's still here!" She smiled for a moment, but her smile quickly faded as she started running down the docks again.
"I'm going to make it! I'm going to make it! I'm going to - " Serena was cut off, however, when something went speeding in front of her. She wasn't sure what it was exactly; all she saw was a flash of red and some green. Serena let out an abrupt scream and fell backwards, landing on her butt with a groan, her luggage sprawling out about her and one of her suitcases popping open. "Ow..." She lifted her head to hear a few snickers and to see that whatever it was that flew in front of her was long gone now. "What was that?" she wondered. She then groaned again, starting to sulk a second time as she rubbed her bruised behind in some pain. That's when the horn from the ship sounded.
"Oh, no!" she cried as she frantically started shoving her clothes back into the suitcase that had popped open. "Oh..." she whined, having difficulty stuffing it all in and then closing it. But she finally managed to shove it closed and she then started to gather up her other bags. Pulling herself to her feet, almost losing her balance for a second time, all her luggage weighing her down, she started running again.
Just as the ramp was about to pull away from the liner, Serena reached the ship, crying, "No! Wait! I'm here!" Somehow in her frenzy she pulled her invitation out of her pocket and handed it to the demon who stood by the ramp checking tickets. "See! I'm Okimoto's special guest!"
"Oh, of course!" he said, realizing who she was. "Right this way, miss!" With that, he led her up the ramp and onto the ship. The anchor was then raised and the ship then began to sail.
Yusuke smiled and took in a deep breath of the fresh sea air as he leaned on the deck railing and looked out at the ocean. He exhaled and exclaimed, "Now this is the life!" Stretching out his arms to the sky, he added, "Just a weekend of rest, relaxation, the chance to watch some good fights, and no one in the world to bother me... It really doesn't get any better than this!"
"You can say that again! Look at that ocean! It sure is something!"
"Yeah..." Yusuke agreed, but then blinked in surprise upon recognizing the voice. "Huh?" Turning his head, he saw an equally surprised and confused Serena staring right back at him. His jaw immediately dropped with a loud gasp and he jumped back in fright, pointing a trembling finger at her; Serena did the same.
"What are you doing here?!" both cried out at the same time, each shocked to see the other.
Calming down a bit, Serena smirked proudly and placed her hands on her hips. Smugly, she remarked. "I was INVITED!"
"Invited?" Yusuke now questioned, lowering his finger and raising a brow in puzzlement. "Why would you be invited?"
Serena gave him a scowl. "See for yourself if you don't believe me!" She then whipped out her invitation and handed it to Yusuke.
Yusuke looked it over for a moment, still bewildered. "Hey, I got the same invitation."
"Huh? Really?" Yusuke nodded. Serena's smugness was now replaced with some disappointment, but mostly curiosity as she took a step beside Yusuke, looking down at the invitation as well. "Well, that's strange...but why do you think this Okimoto guy would invite both of us?"
"Hey...guys..."
Both Serena and Yusuke looked up to see Momiji standing a yard in front of them with a weak smile and a meek wave. "Momiji?" Yusuke asked in perplexity.
Serena then grinned and ran forward, giving Momiji a big hug. "Momiji! It's so great to see you! And here I was thinking that I was going to have to spend the whole weekend with Yusuke!" she exclaimed and Yusuke scowled a bit.
"Yeah, well, I wasn't all that pleased with the idea myself!" Yusuke snapped bitterly, but Serena ignored him.
"But now that you're here, this vacation is going to be even better than it was going to be before!" Serena happily declared and Momiji smiled bashfully.
Yusuke, however, didn't seem as pleased and said, "Something's telling me that this isn't a vacation anymore." The two girls frowned as they released each other. Yusuke walked over to them and handed Momiji Serena's invitation. "Did you get an invitation like this?"
Momiji nodded. "The same exact one."
"We did, too," Yusuke told her.
"Well, do either of you know an Okimoto?" Momiji inquired and Serena shook her head.
"I don't, either," Yusuke answered. "Do you?"
Shaking her head, Momiji looked back down at the invitation in worry. "What do you suppose he invited us for, then?" she asked.
"Hell if I know," Yusuke remarked. "But there's nothing we can do about it now, unless you two want to swim back home." Momiji frowned and Serena winced.
"Hey, I know!" Serena then exclaimed. "Maybe it has something to do with the Baken-Ai! I mean, what else could it be about, right?"
"That does make sense," Momiji noted. "But what exactly about the Baken-Ai?"
"Maybe he's honoring us for all our good work in fighting them and stuff?" Serena suggested.
"Somehow I doubt that," Yusuke muttered.
"You don't have to be so pessimistic all the time, you know," Serena mumbled, folding her arms with a sour expression on her face.
"Well, I guess we'll just have to wait and see...right?" Momiji then said. "We should be there soon, anyway..."
Yusuke looked out toward the ocean. "Yeah, well, whatever this Okimoto guy has to throw at us, it can't be any worse than trying to survive you two for an entire weekend."
"Will you hurry the hell up?" Yusuke called out from the dock at Okimoto's Island as he and Momiji waited for Serena to get down the ramp.
"I'm trying!" Serena called back as she tried to heave all her luggage down the ramp. "You know, you could help a little, Yusuke!"
"Whatever," Yusuke muttered, rolling his eyes. He then answered back, "Why'd you bring so much crap anyway?" Serena stuck out her tongue at him but said nothing.
"And I thought I brought a lot of stuff," Momiji said, noting all of Serena's baggage and then looking down at her own single suitcase.
Finally, Serena reached the bottom, out of breath already. "Come on," Yusuke said. "It's already eleven o'clock and the tournament starts at noon." The two girls nodded and started to follow him.
"Tickets, please! You cant get into the arena without a ticket!" the doorman was calling when Yusuke, Momiji, and Serena got on line.
"Do we really have to go and watch this stupid tournament?" Serena already began to complain. "I was hoping we'd just hang out at the beach or something..."
"Tickets, please," the doorman said to Yusuke now, however, and Yusuke handed him his invitation. "Oh, I see..." Like the demon at the ship, the doorman snapped his fingers and a group of demons came running. After the demon showed them the invitation, the others quickly seized their luggage.
"Hey! Wait a second!" Yusuke protested as one of the demons took his backpack.
"Don't worry, sir; they are just taking it to your suite which is located in the hotel adjacent to the arena," the doorman explained.
"Oh..."
"Suite? Really?" Serena asked excited as she stepped in front of Yusuke while the demons began taking her six bags. "Huh? Oh, wait!" Stopping the demon that held her backpack, she quickly searched through it until she pulled out her moon wand. "Okay! Got it!"
"Thanks!" Momiji called out as the demons then left with they're luggage.
"Now, then," the doorman began. "Mr. Okimoto has asked to see you three before the Tournament begins. His office is located on the top floor of the arena. This young gentlemen will escort you there." He then gestured to a large, red-skinned, growling demon, who stood beside the doorman. The three tried their best to smile up at the red demon, although each smile came off as more of a nervous frown than anything else. But they had no choice but to follow him up to the mysterious Okimoto, whoever he really was.
"Um...Yusuke?" Momiji asked in a whisper as she huddled close to him and Serena while the three exited the elevator and followed the red demon down the hall.
"Yeah?"
"Um...do you why...um...all these people look so...uh, funny?"
"Because they're demons," Yusuke casually answered.
"DEMONS?!" Serena cried and then covered her own mouth, giggling nervously as the red demon glared back at her with a growl. He then scoffed and turned his eyes forward. Serena lowered her hands and lowered her voice, questioning again, this time in a whisper, "Demons?!"
"Most of them are harmless..." Yusuke trailed off nonchalantly.
"Well, I wouldn't call THAT harmless..." Serena muttered, looking to the red demon with a grimace.
"Well, Yusuke did say most..." Momiji pointed out, frowning herself. "Huh?"
The demon had now halted in front of a large black double door that had suddenly began to open. Stepping to the side, the demon gestured the three to enter. Warily, Yusuke entered the dark room first, followed by Serena and Momiji, each holding on to the other in their fright. Once they had all entered, the door quickly slammed shut, causing both startled girls to let out a yelp and even Yusuke to jump a bit.
The lights unexpectedly flashed on and the three looked forward to see a man in a business suit sitting behind a large desk with a menacing grin on his face.
"Come in, come in," he gestured with a wave of his hand. "I've been waiting for you three." Yusuke took a few steps forward and, releasing, each other as some of their feat departed, Serena and Momiji followed.
"You must be Okimoto," Yusuke said with a sneer.
Okimoto nodded. "And you must be Yusuke!" he exclaimed. "The blonde is Serena, am I right? I can tell because of that scar on your forehead."
"Oh..." Serena trailed off, raising her fingers to the scar with a frown.
"And that just leaves Momiji!" Momiji just gave a nod and tried her best to smile. "I'm glad to see you all could make it."
"Why did you invite us here?" Yusuke now questioned and both girls frowned.
Okimoto, however, grinned. "Why, for the tournament, of course!" he exclaimed.
"We know that," Yusuke flatly replied. "But why did you invite us to your stupid tournament?"
"Well, you have made quite a name for yourself - all three of you, in your own ways, but especially you, Yusuke. You're a star fighter, after all. As for Serena and Momiji, well, I think the fans would enjoy two pretty young girls on the team roster, don't you think?" And he gave a smirk as Serena and Momiji blushed.
Momiji then inquired in puzzlement, "On the team roster...?" She blinked her eyes a few times before her mouth dropped open in horror and she shrilly cried, "You mean we're going to actually fight in the tournament?!"
"WHAT?!" both Serena and Yusuke shouted, not having fully pieced the puzzle together as Momiji had.
"Why, yes," Okimoto said calmly, still smirking. "As team 64; didn't you three know?"
"No!" Serena cried and added with a whine, "This is supposed to be a vacation!" before starting to sulk causing Yusuke to cringe.
"Well, why else do you think I'd invite you to my tournament?" Okimoto asked. "To simply watch?" He let out a roar of laughter as the three turned red with embarrassment of their own foolish assumption.
"But we can't fight in a tournament!" Momiji interrupted Okimoto's laughter and Serena desperately shook her head with the same answer.
"I'm afraid you really have no choice," Okimoto then said, his smirk widening. "A man is paying me a great deal of money for you three to compete, God only knows why...but it's not my place to get involved in my customers personal affairs." He let out a good natured chuckle and Yusuke narrowed his eyes.
"A man, huh?" he questioned angrily. "His name doesn't happen to be Danjuro by any chance, does it?"
Okimoto's smirk became a grin. "Why, yes; how did you ever know?" Yusuke clenched his fists and gritted his teeth, but said nothing as Okimoto continued on, "Your team is already in the program under Urameshi."
"URAMESHI?!" Serena shouted furiously. "What do you mean Urameshi? How come he gets his name in the team's name and not us?!"
"Serena, that's not the point!" Momiji cried, eyes full of worry and despair.
"Besides, the penalty for forfeit is death," Okimoto then informed them casually. "Unless, of course, you can fight off 189 demons at the same time. That's sixty three teams of three, that is. Of course, if you lose, the penalty is also death for your whole team, although you have a slightly bigger chance of survival then forfeiting, I must say. Your death in the event of losing, however, will be assured once you sign these papers in your own blood which every team is required to sign before the tournament begins." He placed three contracts on his desk, each awaiting a signature.
"Death?!" Serena cried, but Okimoto continued calmly on, ignoring her.
"As for the rest of the rules, each round will consist of a fight between one member of each team. A coin toss will decide which team picks their player first. If you are to win the toss, the opposing team picks their fighter first and you choose second, having the advantage of deciding which of your fighters' abilities will fair best against the other teams' chosen player's abilities. There are five rounds and then the Championship. The winners get a very large trophy for their victory. It's all really very simple."
"Do something, Yusuke!" Serena now whispered in a panic, shaking Yusuke's arm.
Yusuke sneered at Okimoto and said, "We're not fighting in your stupid tournament so you can just forget it! I'll fight all your stupid demon teams if I have to."
"WHAT?!" Momiji cried in horror.
"That's not the something I meant!" Serena scolded.
"Excuse us for a moment, but we just need to have a quick team meanting before making our final decision..." Momiji told Okimoto with a nervous smile and Serena gave a nod of approval as her and Momiji took Yusuke by the arm and pulled him toward the door.
"Hey! Wait a second!" Yusuke protested, but it was no use. Once they reached the door, both girls released him and Serena gave Yusuke a hard slap across the shoulder. "Ow!" Yusuke shouted, rubbing his shoulder. "What was that for?!"
"Are you crazy?!" Serena harshly whispered. "We can't fight all 189 demons all at once!"
"Serena's absolutely right!" Momiji agreed, worry in her eyes at the mere thought.
"I can handle them just fine," Yusuke snapped.
"How can you be so stupid?! We don't know how powerful these demons might be!" Serena began and Momiji nodded.
"They could be really, really powerful!" Momiji concurred.
"Besides, maybe YOU can handle them just fine, but one of use is bound to get killed!" Serena then gestured to her and Momiji.
Yusuke scowled and mocked, "You act as if that would be a bad thing!"
"You jerk!" Serena exclaimed, sticking her tongue out at him.
Meanwhile, Momiji tried to reason, "Listen, Yusuke, it's kind of silly not to fight in the tournament when you're just going to wind up fighting all the teams anyway, don't you think? At least in the tournament you'd only have to fight them one on one instead of all at once." Serena gave a hopeful nod.
After a moment of thought, Yusuke placed a hand to his chin. "I guess that DOES make SOME sense...and I'd really be the only one to have to fight so I wouldn't have to rely on you two or worry about saving your asses in some onslaught of a hundred something demons..."
"Exactly!" Momiji exclaimed with a smile and Serena nodded again.
"And you're sure to win, Yusuke!" she added. "Just one shot of your spirit gun and I bet they're done!"
Yusuke grinned a sly grin before turning to Okimoto. "All right, Okimoto; we'll fight in your stupid tournament. Just make sure to get the trophy shined and ready for me."
Okimoto smiled deviously. "Well, aren't we confident?" He snickered before instructing, "Just sign these papers here then and we're all set. Your first match is at four o'clock."
And so each one cautiously pricked their fingers, a bit of blood trickling down from their finger tips, and signed their contracts.
Kurama flipped through the program book as he sat on the bleachers of Okimoto's stadium besides a bored looking Hiei. "Well, the teams seem interesting..."
"They're all amateurs at best," Hiei remarked coldly as he crossed his arms.
Kurama tried his best to smile. "Yes, well, that's to be expected. Everyone knows that Okimoto's Tournament is filled with novices."
"At least it will be entertaining enough to watch. These battles are usually brutal." Hiei commented, only seeming slightly interested in the topic he was discussing.
"Everyone knows that, as well, unfortunately," Kurama replied as his solemn eyes scanned the program book. "It seems what skills these demons lack is made up through their barbarism."
"Hmm," was all Hiei said, closing his eyes.
"Huh?" Kurama's eyes blinked in surprise as he looked down at the program. "Yusuke?"
"What about him?" Hiei questioned, slightly irritated, opening one eye to glare over at Kurama.
"He's fighting in this weekend's tournament, although I can't see why he would be..." Kurama trailed off in some puzzlement as he frowned.
Hiei scoffed. "Well, it shouldn't be much of a challenge for Yusuke with the pathetic competition he'll be facing."
"But it still is very strange...huh? Those two?"
"What?"
"It's that girl, Momiji - the one we met; she was with Yusuke. And Serena, the one Yusuke had gone to rescue from the Keiki Kingdom. You didn't meet her," Kurama explained.
"Thankfully," Hiei muttered.
"Well, they're both fighting in the Tournament as the other two members of Yusuke's team."
"Really?" Hiei questioned suspiciously. He scoffed again before glaring away. "I would have thought he would have picked that stupid lummox Kuwabara to be on his team. Not that he would have faired any better than those two stupid girls. Still, like I said before, it really doesn't matter; Yusuke can easily win this tournament on his own without so much as breaking a sweat."
Kurama, worry in his eyes as he stared down at the program, sighed. "I suppose so..."
Koenma frowned and let out a groan as he took his seat in his booth to watch Okimoto's Tournament, transforming from his adult form to his toddler form in the process. "I don't see why I have to go to these things," he complained in a whine. "Especially when I have so much paperwork to do back home in the Spirit World."
"Well, sir, I suppose it's important for the Prince of the Spirit World to keep up appearances," Jorge the Ogre commented and Koenma groaned again.
"I suppose you're right, Ogre..." he trailed off in a reluctant agreement.
"Besides, sir, I would think you'd want to come, what, with Yusuke fighting in the tournament and all," Jorge added.
"Yusuke?" Koenma questioned. "What do you mean Yusuke? He's not fighting in this tournament."
"Sure he is, sir!" Jorge exclaimed. "Didn't you read the program? He's fighting with that Momiji girl - and Serena, sir."
"WHAT?!"
"Here we are!" Momiji said with a grin, holding a tray of food in her hands as she reached Yusuke and Serena who sat at a table in the arena's cafeteria. "Burgers and fries for everyone!"
Both Yusuke and Serena grinned ravenously as Momiji took her seat and placed the tray on the center of the table. "All right!" Yusuke exclaimed, picking up a burger and taking a large bite from it.
"Thanks a lot, Momiji!" Serena added as she stuffed a large handful of fries into her mouth.
"Don't mention it," Momiji said with a cheery smile and pleasantly took a French fry for herself.
In a matter of seconds, Yusuke had already finished his burger, swallowing his last bite and taking a gulp of soda to help it down. He exhaled loudly and grinned. "I say we check out the suite next; I bet it's huge!"
Serena nodded, trying to chew quickly as she had something to say. She swallowed hard and added, "Ooh! Ooh! Or maybe the hotel has a great big swimming pool!"
Yusuke let out a laugh and held up his cup of soda. "I'll cheers to that!"
Serena laughed with him as she lifted her cup as well, tapping his while Momiji, who sat in between the two, Serena and Yusuke on opposite ends of the round table, frowned. "Um...guys?" she began. "Don't you think maybe Yusuke should rest or practice or...something? I mean, his first match is in only a few hours and - "
"You worry too much, Momiji!" Yusuke interrupted, folding his arms behind his head and leaning back in his seat. "It'll be fine; trust me!"
"I guess..." Momiji trailed off, not very convinced.
Suddenly, two hands slammed onto the table, a voice unexpectedly questioning, "Who said you could fight in this tournament?!" which caused all three to gasp in surprise. They nervously looked up.
Both Momiji and Serena's eyes filled with hearts as their eyes saw the young teenage boy standing over them, unbeknownst to them that it was Yusuke's boss, Koenma. Instead, they clasped their hands together and smiled dreamily.
"Wow! He's so handsome!" Momiji swooned as she stood up.
"He's almost as cute as my Darien!" Serena added, standing as well.
"What a hottie!" Momiji exclaimed and both girls giggled excitedly.
Koenma smiled arrogantly. "Yes, well, I AM very handsome." He then turned back to Yusuke. "As for you! WELL? Who said you could fight in this tournament?!"
Yusuke now stubbornly crossed his arms. "I didn't know that I needed YOUR permission," he rebutted in some annoyance.
"Well, you could have at least told me!"
"I didn't find out until recently myself, okay?" Yusuke snapped.
"I'm Serena!" Serena then interrupted, hearts still in her eyes as she stepped in front of Koenma. "And this is my friend Momiji!" Momiji nodded vigorously and gave him a wave. Yusuke couldn't help but roll his eyes in disgust.
"Yes, I know that that's Momiji. We've already met," Koenma answered and the hearts left both girls' eyes, being replaced with confusion.
"You have?" Serena asked him, looking to Momiji for the answer, yet Momiji seemed just as perplexed.
Koenma let out a sigh. "It's me, Koenma. Remember?" he tried to explain. "You met me back in Spirit World before going to the Keiki Kingdom with Yusuke."
"Spirit World?" Momiji repeated, still baffled to who Koenma was. She the let out a shrill gasp and pointed a finger at Koenma. "You mean, you're that little toddler!" she questioned in horror and shock.
"TODDLER?!" Serena repeated, equally heartbroken by the sudden revelation.
Koenma grimaced angrily. "Yes..." he reluctantly answered and then glared at Yusuke, who had broken into a fit of snickers at Koenma's expense. "Be quiet!" he snapped, but Yusuke simply laughed louder.
"But...but...you were so...TINY before," Momiji noted as she indicated his height as a toddler with her hand and Koenma sighed in his own defeat.
"Does that mean he's the guy that Yusuke sold his soul to?" Serena inquired pointing at Koenma and Momiji frowned.
Yusuke let out a groan at this, shaking his head as he stood up, and decided it would be best to change the subject. "Listen Koenma," he began., "I didn't really want to fight in this stupid tournament, but I didn't get much of a choice."
"Yusuke's right!" Momiji said with a nod, happy to change the subject as well. "Otherwise Yusuke would have had to fight all sixty-three teams at once! And that's 189 demons, which is a lot!"
"Well, that wouldn't have been a big deal," Koenma replied as he folded his arms. "One blow of his spirit gun and they'd all be dead."
"WHAT?!" Yusuke exclaimed. "You mean I didn't have to fight in the tournament?"
"I don't see why you would have had to," Koenma said casually. "But now you kind of have to if you've already signed the contracts for it."
Yusuke now glared at Momiji and Serena, both who appeared very nervous, and then pointed a fierce finger at them. "You two told me that I'd be better off fighting in this tournament rather than fighting all 189 at once!"
"Well..." Momiji trailed off uneasily and Serena whimpered.
"Now I'm bound by blood to the stupid thing!" he shouted, growing even more furious.
"Well, so are we!" Serena argued.
"Yeah!" Momiji backed up her friend. "And how were we supposed to know that the demons weren't that powerful! Besides, why are you getting so worked up! If it would have been so easy to fight all 189 demons at once, it should really be a piece of cake to fight only one at a time!"
"And you'll get a really pretty trophy in the end!" Serena chimed in and Momiji frowned while Yusuke growled angrily.
"You're missing the point!" he shouted.
"Actually, they are right, Yusuke; it really is a pretty nice trophy," Koenma remarked and Yusuke let out a loud, frustrated, and very irritated sigh. Koenma then continued, "Besides, Yusuke, there's no use whining about it now; you've already signed the contracts."
"But can't we just break our contracts? It's not like anything is stopping us, right?" Serena asked, clasping her hands together while Momiji nodded hopefully.
"You two really don't know that much, do you?" Koenma began with a frown. "Once you've signed a contract in your own blood, you are magically sealed to that contract and no amount of power or strength is going to break you from it – meaning that if you are stupid enough to refuse to fight according to the rules of Okimoto's Tournament or refuse to accept your execution in the event you lose, well, your body will pretty much just shrivel up and die."
"Shrivel up and die?!" Serena questioned in horror as Momiji's face contorted in disgust. "Okimoto never mentioned anything like that!"
"Well, it's in the contract," Koenma replied simply. "Didn't any of you read the thing before signing it?"
"Um...well..." Yusuke began and then trailed off with an uneasy laugh as he, Momiji, and Serena all looked away from Koenma with embarrassed frowns.
Koenma let out a sigh. "I should have figured as much. You three idiots really are made for each other."
"Hey!" all three exclaimed and then blushed wildly realizing they had said it at the same time.
"Anyway," Koenma now changed the subject, "What times are your matches?"
"Well..." Momiji began, pulling out their schedule from her pocket and unfolding it. "Our first match is at four o'clock this afternoon, and, if we win that, then we have one tonight at ten. Tomorrow we have one at one in the afternoon, then at three thirty, and then one at four o'clock, well, if we haven't lost any of the other ones. And then the Championship is at noon on Sunday."
"Three thirty and four, huh?" Koenma said as he rubbed his chin. "Putting your matches back to back seems a little unfair..."
"Well, we're not sure if those will even be our matches yet," Momiji clarified. "We have to win first."
"You BETTER win!" Koenma exclaimed. "Otherwise, it's death, and no way I'm losing my Spirit Detective over a stupid tournament!"
"Well, it's nice to see you care about our well-being, Koenma," Yusuke remarked sarcastically as he crossed his arms. "Besides, I'm not going to lose. Like you said, this will be a piece of cake."
"Which is a bit suspicious, don't you think?" Momiji pointed out. "Why would Danjuro set this all up if it was going to be so easy?"
"I don't know; maybe he's got nothing left to throw at us?" Yusuke offered and Serena grinned, nodding her head in agreement.
"Wait – you mean Danjuro is involved in this?" Koenma questioned.
"Yeah," Yusuke answered. "See? This stupid tournament has something to do with my case, anyway, so I don't see why you were complaining before. I was just doing my job, after all."
"But – " Koenma went to speak, but was cut off by a vigorous Serena, exclaiming:
"Come on, you guys! Let's check out the hotel!"
"Sounds good to me," Yusuke immediately agreed.
"Come on, Momiji!" Serena added, taking Momiji's hand as the three hurriedly made their way to the cafeteria exit, laughing and grinning excitedly.
And all Koenma could do was frown.
"You didn't tell them?" Danjuro asked Okimoto as he stood in his office.
Okimoto shook his head. "No; those fools didn't even bother to ask." He then snickered.
With a chuckle, Danjuro said, "Good. I can't wait to see the surprised looks on their faces. And then, of course, the bloodbath."
"Yes, the fans will enjoy that," Okimoto agreed. "And I always enjoy pleasing a new sponsor, if you will, especially when he's so giving of his money."
"Yes, well," Danjuro curtly replied. He then turned to the door. "I'll be going now; don't want to miss the tournament, after all."
And both men grinned.
"And the winner is Yusuke Urameshi!"
"A second victory for Yusuke Urameshi! There's not even a scratch on him!"
"Team Urameshi wins again! They're really flying through this tournament!"
"A fourth win for Team Captain Yusuke Urameshi, winning Team Urameshi's fourth round in a record-breaking seven minutes! Now, with only the semi-finals and tomorrow's championship remaining, Team Urameshi is really on a roll!"
Yusuke, shaking the hand he just used to punch out his last opponent to victory, grinned at the sound of applause coming from the stand that Saturday afternoon. He gave a wave to the audience before stepping off the rink to be stopped by the referee.
"Excuse me, Mr. Urameshi?"
"Huh?" Yusuke turned around.
"Although the next match isn't until four, which is in another twenty three minutes, we'd like you to do the coin toss now with Team Ariyama so you can both choose your fighters for the semi-finals."
Yusuke gave him a cocky grin. "Tell Team Ariyama not to worry about it; they can have first pick. As for Team Urameshi, we pick me, of course."
"Very well, Mr. Urameshi," the referee concurred. "I'll tell them your decision and have both your name and the name of the fighter they choose sent up to the officials." He then ran off to do so.
Meanwhile, Momiji was saying to Serena, "Do they really have to execute them like that...right in front of everyone?" Her face turned pale as she watched the executioner raise the axe above one of the losers' heads and the swing it down, a sickening crunch sounding as the head thumped onto the arena floor. The crowd cheered loudly.
Serena, meanwhile, placed a hand to her own neck in fear of losing it herself, turning a sickly green. "I don't know...I guess because the crowd likes it...? Why does the crowd like it?"
Momiji just shook her head, not knowing the answer, her pale face turning green as well. However, her eyes then caught Yusuke. "Oh, great job, Yusuke!" she congratulated him, running up to him and taking one of his hands in her excitement. "And you haven't even needed to use your Spirit Gun yet!"
"And listen to all the cheering!" Serena exclaimed. "We're like STARS!" She then frowned, slightly, and added, "Well, some of it's for the execution, but a lot of it's for us!"
"US?" Yusuke questioned with a smirk. "Funny, but I haven't seen you do much of anything, Serena."
"Hey, we happen to be part of the team just as much as you, thank you very much!" Serena argued as Yusuke began laughing. "And how come they're calling you team captain now, anyway? Aren't we supposed to vote on that or something?" Growing frustrated with Yusuke's laughter, Serena snapped, "It's not funny, you know! We're all supposed to be equal members! Besides, if one of us had to be leader, it would definitely be me!"
"You?" Yusuke asked, his laughter dying out into snickers.
"Sure! I've had practice!" Serena resolutely answered and Momiji frowned as Yusuke began laughing again, even louder this time.
"Yeah, we'll see, Serena," Yusuke replied through his chuckles and Serena's face reddened with anger. Then, calming down a bit, he added, "Besides, the only reason why the audience would be cheering on any of you two is because your both here to look pretty. Both girls' mouths dropped open in offense and anger.
"Jerk!" Serena exclaimed, slapping on of his shoulders.
"Pig!" Momiji cried afterwards, slapping the other.
"Hey!" Yusuke shouted. "I'm not the one who said it! Okimoto did!" Turning his back to them, he added, "I don't know what he was talking about, anyway; you two are both ugly if you ask me."
"WHAT?!" both girls cried out, faces flushing.
"Bigger jerk!" Serena exclaimed, followed by Momiji:
"Bigger pig!"
Then, Serena folded her arms and smirked slyly. "He's only saying that because he's SO in love with Keiko."
With a giggle, Momiji nodded, "That's right, Serena! Any other girl is only second-class in comparison, isn't that right, Yusuke?"
Yusuke's face turned bright red and he spun back to them in both embarrassment and anger. "Hey, that's none of your – "
"Or in comparison with Yolanda!" Serena added. "After all, she was just SO cute that she makes us look like old hags! Right, Momiji?"
"Yes, yes! She had to be the prettiest girl I've ever seen!" Momiji was somehow able to exclaim through her hysterical laughter before she and Serena doubled over with laughter, unable to breath and falling to the ground in their fit of giggles. Yusuke's face turned even redder, so much so that his ears even turned pink. He then let out a frustrated growl which just caused the girls to laugh more.
"What's so funny?" a pleasant voice then came from the right and all three turned to see a smiling Kurama standing politely before them. "If you don't mind my asking that is."
"Kurama?" Yusuke asked in surprise, his face returning to its normal color while Momiji and Serena quickly composed themselves, getting to their feet and dusting off their skirts, although a few more giggles managed to escape their lips.
"I'm sorry I'm interrupting; you seemed like you were all having a lot of fun."
"Not really..." Yusuke muttered in some annoyance as he glared back at the two girls. "But what are you doing here, Kurama?"
"Oh, me and Hiei got tickets to the match," Kurama explained. "We didn't expect to see you fighting, though, Yusuke. After all, this tournament is really made for amateurs."
Yusuke let out a chuckle as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, well...it's kind of a long story...oh, you remember Momiji and Serena, right?"
Kuramaa gave a smile. "How could I forget?" As he greeted them, shaking both their hands, Momiji's first, he inquired, "How are you two?"
"Oh, we're doing well," Momiji said with a grin. "Thanks again for healing that wound on my back."
"It was nothing really, but, you're welcome," Kurama answered. "And you, Serena?"
"Everything's going great!" Serena exclaimed as she shook his hand. Releasing it, she added, "We have a really nice hotel suite and there's a HUGE pool there! Not to mention, everyone here loves us!"
Kurama chuckled softly. "Yes, I've noticed. It's rare to have such a strong team at Okimoto's Tournament, after all." Then, addressing all three, he said, "Well, since Yusuke finished his last match so quickly, you have about twenty minutes until the next one, so I thought I'd come down and see how all of you were as well as congratulate you all. I asked Hiei if he would like to come down, also, but he unfortunately declined." Kurama frowned at this as did Yusuke and Momiji.
"Who's Hiei?" Serena whispered to Momiji in confusion.
"I've only met him once, but he's really snobby!" Momiji whispered back with a grimace at the thought of the short demon. "And rude, too!"
"Really?" Serena asked and Momiji nodded. She then scoffed and crossed her arms "Well, it figures that he'd be one of Yusuke's friends, then. Although that doesn't really explain why Kurama's so nice..."
"Attention. Can I please have your attention," an announcer suddenly came over the Stadium's P.A. system and the stands fell into a quiet murmur while Yusuke, Momiji, and Serena looked up to the announcer's booth in curiosity and surprise. The announcer then continued, "After a careful review of the newly revised rulebook for this year's tournament, Team Urameshi's Team Captain, Yusuke Urameshi, is no longer eligible to compete in the last two round of Okimoto's Tournament."
There was a loud outcry from the audience as well as many gasps.
"What – what do they mean Yusuke can't fight?" Momiji asked in a panic. "She then gave a pull of Yusuke's arm, "What do they mean you can't fight, Yusuke?" Yusuke just narrowed his eyes while Serena gulped, face turning pale.
"According to the tournament's official rules, each player on each team must fight one round in the tournament in order to win the Championship," the announcer continued. "Since there are only two rounds left, and two players on Team Urameshi have yet to compete, the last two rounds must be fought by those two players."
"What?!" Yusuke shouted in his outrage, although he could be unheard of the gasping crowd or by the announcer booth. "If I had known that, I would have had them fight the first two rounds, not the semi-finals and the Championship! Damn it, I wouldn't have even signed that stupid contract to begin with!"
"But – Yusuke was supposed to fight all the fights! That was the plan!" Serena exclaimed and Momiji frowned. "Okimoto didn't tell us that we'd have to fight!"
"Maybe we should learn to ask questions instead of assuming things all the time..." Momiji trailed off.
"Team Urameshi will have a few more moments to choose another fighter or to choose to do the coin toss with a chance of choosing their fighter second. That is all," the announcer finished.
Yusuke let out a frustrated sigh, running his hand through his air and turning his eyes from the two girls, both pale in their fright. "I think we have a problem..."
And Danjuro sat in the audience, grinning wildly.
COMING ATTRACTIONS:
Yusuke: Okay, we have a problem; a really big problem.
Serena: But me and Momiji can't fight!"
Yusuke: Don't you think I know that?!
Momiji: Man, this sucks! Serena and I have to fight now, otherwise...
Serena: And I'm too young to die!
Yusuke: No one's going to die, all right?!
Serena: But what can we do?!
Yusuke: You're just going to have to suck it up and fight, Serena!
Serena: Me?! You mean, I'm going to have to fight in the next episode?!
Momiji: Sure, Serena! You can do it!
Serena: What happened to having a choice?!
Yusuke: Wrong episode, idiot.
Serena: Hey!
Yusuke: God, this is going to be a distaster...
Momiji: I thought you said no one was going to die, Yusuke!
Serena: I just have to be brave! If only that demon wasn't so big and scary!
Momiji: But wait a second! If Serena's fighting now, that means I have to fight in the Championship?!
Yusuke: If we even get to the Championship with that ditz running around the rink like an idiot.
Serena: I am not! This is my chance to prove once and fall that I am part of the team and that Yusuke isn't a one-man show! I'm going to give it my all and win this fight, or at least die trying!
Yusuke: You better not die; no way I'm going out on account of you!
Serena: Nice to see you care!
Momiji: Well, wish us luck in the next all-new episode of "What's My Line Again?," and the second episode of our three-part arc, Episode 13: "Yusuke can't fight?! Serena steps into the ring!" We're definitely going to need all the luck we can get!
Yusuke: I can't believe my life now rests in the hands of you two morons...