Hybrid: In this chapter I'm actually going to try and see If I can rewrite some parts rather than edit them ^^;; I'm becoming rather ashamed of my past writing skills X3 .
Part 7: Triple Challenge of Vanir
The day had finally come, hundreds of godling children arrived from all over heaven to try at winning Thor's legendary Mjollnir. Thor was a bit surprised himself, he'd only intended for this to be a way of testing Hope's strength and see if he could some how make her summon forth her divine power.
"Oh well, I put in the bait and reeled in the sea..." He thought to himself worriedly.
"Thor, it's time." A helper goddess announced.
"Oh? Ah! Ahem." He coughed then analyzed the large competition again. "You all come here with very much hope and ambition in your hearts, never loose that, for if you do, you will loose all your chances of victory." He announced. "The three challenges consist of a game, a bout, and a race. Only two out of the thousands that have arrived today, will make it to that race."
There was a collective chatter through the crowd, which was quickly silenced by Thor's thunderous voice.
"Those of you, who are not in aid with an angel, are immediately disqualified."
Many godlings groaned in disappointment and walked away to join the audience. Only 100 godling children remained.
"The game shall be Halo." A hundred golden rings appeared inside of the stadium and floated over the crowd, in the sky, and near the ground.
"You must capture twenty two rings to win, and only four of you will be able to catch twenty two, for the halos will only come to those with the purest thoughts."
This made Tyr slightly uneasy, were his thoughts pure enough to win?
"Ooh! This is soo exciting!" Hope and Beautiful Melody were practically floating with pure thoughts and energy. "Hey Tyr! Are you ready?"
"WHA? Hey! No conversing with an opponent you knucklehead!" He barked as his angel emerged from his back. "Honestly, what planet are you from?"
"Um...Earth?" Hope smiled as Tyr tripped over. "I knew he'd do that."
Thor couldn't help but laugh at Hope's simplicity but was ready to put her and all the others to the test. "EVERYONE!! TAKE YOUR POSITIONS!!!" Thor roared and the godlings were quick to get into position to spring up into the sky. "GO!!!"
Like a flock of birds, the godlings and angles sprung up to catch the golden rings that hovered before them. Many made attempts to clasp onto one but the rings would dart away before that could happen.
"Must catch the halos, I can't let Miss Peorth down!" Hope thought repeatedly of her mentor and each halo practically came to her. "Poppa, Aunt Skuld and Urd! They were so supportive when I told them that I would compete before I left! I must make them proud!" She thought but then seemed to go blank. "Wait...that's not right..."
Tyr had only two people in mind, himself and his mother, but his own want made the rings hesitate before they allowed him to grasp them.
"I'm not doing this to make people proud! That is not why the halos are coming to me" Hope called above the cheers as she saw the last two rings floating below them. Melody folded her wings and they cut through the air with an alarming speed. "They're coming to me...because I am following what my heart tells me to!" Hope cried and the two rings shot onto her arms.
Few minutes later...
An Announcer goddess came up to the podium and held out a scroll. "The winners of the halo game are... Hope Morisato and Beautiful Melody, Frey and Sword's Blade, Skadi and Snow Flake, and Tyr and War Cry!"
The crowd roared with delight, and Peorth simply folded her arms and held her head high. "Ho, ho, ho, Peorth you've really outdone yourself this time. You're the only mentor out here with both students going into the second round!" She thought proudly then couldn't help but burst out into a delighted laughter, making all those around her cringe.
Meanwhile, Thor approached the four and smiled happily before facing the audience again. "We will take a ten minute session for the youths to rest, for the next match shall be a one on one battle to determine which two will participate in the final round!"
Hope sighed with relief until Peorth shot down from the stands and yanked her and Tyr off their feet. "OOH! I'm sooo proud of you two!!!" She giggled. "You don't know how good it feels to hold your head up high among some of the most high ranking immortals in heaven!"
"Heh, that was nothing'." Tyr grinned and folded his arms in a professional way.
"I'm extremely surprised that you were able to overcome your own selfish ambition Tyr!" Peorth giggled.
Tyr grimaced and shot her an evil glare. "What was that?"
Hope slipped out of Peorth's grip then looked to Beautiful Melody who appeared exhausted. "You did very well Melody, I owe that round to you." She patted her on the shoulder before she eagerly vanished so that she could rest.
Urd walked out of her bedroom and let out a rather loud yawn.
"Hey Urd! You just missed all the action!" Skuld cheered.
"Hmm?"
"Come in here!" Keiichi called from the living room.
She walked in and saw Hope on her TV. "What? They're broadcasting it!?" Urd stared and moved Skuld and Keiichi to the side so that she could take the best seat in front of the T.V.
Skuld smiled proudly. "Nope! When the portal opened to take Hope and Thor back into heaven I tossed one of my mini Skuld camera's in." She laughed then fiddled with her controller to get a better zoom.
"Well, let's just hope that Hope remembers everything I've taught her over the years if she's going to win this next round." Urd sat down and folded her arms across her chest.
"What? Moves from all those martial arts movies you watch?" Skuld groaned.
"Hey, did you teach her anything to help her out in this competition?" Urd bonked her on the head.
"Uh...er...we couldn't watch her without my camera!" Skuld barked.
"Oy." Urd groaned then noticed how proud Keiichi looked.
"I know she can win." He smiled and made two fists. "Go Hope Go! Hahah!"
"Never mind Skuld." Urd sighed with a smile and looked back at the screen to see Hope smiling brightly.
Tyr entered a cyber like ring that was erected during their break, and waited as his opponent stepped in.
"The rules are simple, no angels or spells are permitted. Everything else is legal!" The announcer goddess called then directed towards Tyr. "In the right corner we have Tyr, soon to be god of War!" The crowd cheered rather loudly.
"And in the left corner we have Frey, soon to be god of weather!" The crowd cheered and his sister Freya waved her hands frantically.
"Frey! You can do it! Now zap Tyr's butt! WHOOO!!" She yelled out and made him turn red from embarrassment.
Hope smiled and looked up at Freya. "Freya, you didn't tell me you had a brother!" Hope called up at her.
"Yep, he's my twin!" Freya smiled proudly.
Hope looked back over at him and smiled. "He's actually kind of cute!"
Tyr's eyes grew sharp. "So...she thinks he's cute eh? I'll show her how cute he is when I drag his face around in the dirt!" He snarled as his face turned red, but quickly tried to catch his composure. "AH? Not that I care!"
The bell clanged loud and the two launched at each other with a barrage of energy spheres.
Hope sat by and stared at their maneuvers. "They're just wasting their strength!" She thought then stared at Tyr who was already starting to sweat. "Hmm...I got it!" She smiled brightly as plan came to view.
"Oh Tyr, of course he wouldn't plan out his strategy." Peorth held her hand to her face in irritation.
"COME ON TYR! YOU'RE THE GOD OF WAR AREN'T YOU!?" Hope shouted. "YOU SHOULD'VE KNOCKED THAT GOD OUT OF THE RING BY NOW! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!? SHEESH!!"
"Huh?" Tyr glared over at her and shot above Frey's attack. "I KNOW WHAT I'M DOING!!!" He shouted and landed a kick in the surprised god's face. "Huh!?" He stared in amazement. "How'd I do that!?"
Peorth stared in surprise then looked down at Hope. "Hope, egg him on some more!"
"I'm sorry, but that really hurts my vocal cords, I wonder how Thor does it all the time?" She coughed.
"GRAAAAAH!" Tyr was emitting energy and roaring like a lion.
"YAAIIIEEEEEE!" Frey ran in circles before Tyr finally caught up with him and grabbed his leg.
"THIS MATCH IS MINE!!" Tyr barked then flung him around in circles then out of the ring.
"And Tyr wins by a ring out! He advances to the final round!" The announcer goddess cheered.
"All right Tyr! I knew you could do it!" Hope ran out to the ring and slapped him on the shoulders.
"OWW! What was that for!?" Tyr shouted.
"Oh Sorry! Bad habit!" Hope scratched the back of her head and laughed.
Tyr smirked and spun around. "Hmph! Why should you care if I win or loose?"
"Eh?" Hope stared at him blankly.
"Aha! You were worried about me weren't you?" He grinned.
"No, it's just that I know I have a better chance of beating you in the final round than I did against Frey." Hope smiled, making Tyr trip over. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing!" He snapped and stomped away from the stadium floor.
"Oh well..." Hope shrugged her shoulders. "Now its my turn." She gulped and switched to her goddess combat gear. "Can I really do this?"
"You'll do fine." Peorth gave her a choking hug. "Think how proud I'd be if both my students made it to the final round!!"
"I...I will..." Hope coughed then stared at her. "How did you get down here so quickly?"
"I have my ways!" Peorth giggled. "Now get going!" She shoved her into the fighting ring.
"On this side we have Skadi! Soon to be Goddess of Skis!" The crowd cheered loudly until the goddess turned to Hope. "And on this side, we have Hope Morisato, soon to be goddess of Revolution!"
There was a collective gasp before the roaring applause.
"Re....revo...Goddess of Revolution!?" Skadi stared in shock.
"Um...uh huh." Hope nodded shamefully.
"Begin!" The bell clanged and Hope stared at her frightened opponent.
"Please don't be afraid, I haven't developed that power yet." Hope smiled and Skadi seemed slightly better.
"Okay..." She held her hands up and a white orb appeared. "Blizzard Strike!"
A large clump of snow hit the ring and Hope dug her way to the top only to narrowly dodge a ski that was sent flying towards her face.
"YIKES!" Hope quickly sunk back into the snow as Skadi skied over her head. "Hey, be careful! I'm half mortal you know!" she cried.
"Sorry! I got a little over excited! Now show me what you've got goddess of revolution!" Skadi grinned.
Hope sweat dropped. "Well then I guess I'll just have to use the divine Urd technique..." In a moment, Hope shot out of the snow with a headband tied around her head. "YAH!"
"GO HOPE GO!!!" Freya and Ran cheered from the audience.
"How odd! No matter! I'm going to win this!" Skadi grinned and darted towards Hope.
"An Opening!" Hope grinned and flung a snowball at Skadi's face.
"I can't see!" The goddess yelped.
"HAH!" Hope snapped her skis in half and watched as the goddess flew through the air and ended up face down in the snow. "Ah? Oh my gosh I'm sorry!!" Hope panicked. "Are you okay!?"
"D...don't forget...this is a battle!" Skadi took a chunk of snow and threw it in Hope's face.
She quickly tried to rub it out of her eyes but felt Skadi grab her from behind.
"Just call it quits, you don't need Mjollnir! You don't want to be a goddess anyway right?" Skadi whispered.
"No....that's not true!" Hope growled as she started to break from Skadi's grip. "I'm going to do my best.... I have to prove once and for all that I'm not just a hybrid!" Hope flung her arms up and elbowed Skadi in the waist, which shocked both the goddess and the crowd. "I'm Hope Morisato!" she grabbed her shoulders and flung her up into the air. "Proud daughter of Keiichi and Belldandy Morisato, I'm just a young girl pursuing her dreams! So I'll do whatever it takes...." Hope held her hands above her head as Skadi landed a few feet in front of her. "...To make those dreams come true!" An orb formed in her hand and she pitched it like a softball at the goddess who luckily dodged it. "If Mjollnir can help me make those dreams come true, then I'll do my best to not win it, but to earn it!" Hope shot forward and knocked Skadi out of the ring.
The arena burst into cheers while Peorth shot into the ring and swung Hope around in circles. "I'M SO PROUD OF YOU!!!!"
"And the winner is Hope Morisato!!" The announcer cheered then stepped aside as Thor made his announcement.
"The final challenge, will be held above the arena, and shall take place in fifteen minutes so that our last two, Tyr and Hope Morisato may rest up for this challenge that will determine the new master of Mjollnir!"
Hope was worn out and shivering from her last match, and the break sounded like pure heaven until Tyr marched up in her face.
"Look Morisato, we're both in the final competition, and you look pretty tired." He grinned. "So there's really no way that a weakling like you could wield a mallet of such great power such as Mjollnir, so just make it easier on yourself and forfeit."
Hope turned red and socked him in the face. "So I'm a weakling huh!?" She barked as he hit the ground. "Stop being so full of yourself! Think of someone else for a change, geez!"
Tyr just squinted for a moment then got to his feet. "GRAGGH! I was thinking of someone else! I was thinking of your health damnit!!" He growled then stomped off to get warmed up for the last competition.
Urd folded her arms behind her head and groaned. "Fifteen minutes, how boring! Hey Skuld, change the channel will you?"
"Hey, we need Hope to be in top physical if she's going to win the race!" Skuld barked then heard an odd giggling sound.
"Heh...hehe...heheh..." Keiichi's head was down so they couldn't see the expression on his face until. "AHAHAHAAHAH!!! A RACE!!! AHAHAHAHAHA!"
Urd and Skuld slammed into a wall and stared at him in shock. "Uh...Keiichi?" Skuld stuttered.
"Racing is a Morisato specialty! There's no way Hope can loose! I've taught her everything I know and Hell she's a natural! AHAHAHAHA!" He laughed proudly.
Urd and Skuld grimaced. "Uh...Keiichi, this is no motor race...this is a winged race."
"AHAHAH...ha...winged race?"
"Yeah, you see, they have an elder cast a spell and wings appear on their ankles..." Skuld explained.
"Kinda like Hermes from the Greek myth?"
"No way!" Urd shook her hands. "Hermes used to hang out with us but the jerk gave us a kick in the butt and hightailed it to Olympus. Sheesh, what a looser!"
Keiichi stared at her for a moment then looked to Skuld who nodded.
"Uh...okay."
"Well anyway, the wings are extremely fast, and a pain to use for beginners."
"Great." Keiichi groaned then stared back at the TV. "Well, still, Hope will do fine." He smiled.
Urd and Skuld exchanged looks then nodded. "Yup."
Hope sat down on a bench as one of the elder gods began to cast a spell on her feet.
"Aww, I wish I could just fly with Melody, she's plenty fast enough." Hope sighed.
"I don't think so." Ran and Freya emerged from the audience.
"What do you mean?" Hope looked up at them.
"You'll see." They both chimed happily as the elder finished.
"There, now be careful." He smiled and helped her up.
"Uh...okay...." Hope already thought she looked weird with wings on her ankles but knew it was just an obstacle that could easily be over looked.
"Give them a test run." The elder said.
"Huh? Oh...um, how do they work?" Hope jumped and stared at him blankly.
"If you want to fly, they'll fly." He smiled.
"Oh...." Hope stared and they began to flap violently until she darted off the ground and into the sky. "WOW!" Hope laughed as she darted around in circles as if it were nothing. "Freya and Ran were right, these things are fast!" She smiled then saw Tyr shoot off the ground. "Snap out of it Hope, you have to prove to that jerk that you're not a weakling." She thought as he came up to her.
"Last chance." He grinned.
Hope balled up a fist and grinned. "Say that again...."
Tyr shrugged his shoulders then saw a rainbow like track form beneath them.
"Follow the track to the finish line, if either of you make contact or purposely attack the other to knock off the track then you will be disqualified!"
Hope and Tyr nodded and got into position.
"May the goddess of victory smile upon the one worthy," Thor called out then held up his index finger. A lightning bolt crashed down. "GO!"
Hope and Tyr shot forward with great speed down the track, though it was Hope's first time at this type of race she took to it like a professional until they came to a turn, both slid far to the right then continued their way.
"The turns! Why do I always mess up on...," Hope thought.
"Then brake." "This BMW is extremely heavy Hope, how do you think I've been nailing these turns?"
"Poppa..." Hope saw the next turn, Tyr was still going at full speed but Hope quickly shot her left arm out and slowed down, nailing the turn and getting a lead.
"And Hope Morisato takes the lead, with only five turns left! Can the young goddess hold out long enough to win!?" The announcer shouted.
Hope looked back and was shocked to see Tyr fling by her. "He's serious!" She thought then speeded up, again she nailed the turn but he managed to keep up with her.
Peorth shook her fists, she didn't know whom she wanted to win, but then she saw something odd, there was an aura between them that was pulling them together.
"They're at the final turn! Both are even!" The announcer shouted over the crowds cheers.
"We're so even...it's going to be...." Hope thought.
Soon it was over, both stopped and stared back at the finish line. "TIE!"
Tyr's mouth dropped and he stared at Hope. "TIE!?"
She shrugged her shoulders with a smile and flew down to the stadium floor.
"HOW!?" He tugged his hair then flew down to the shocked crowd.
Keiichi jumped to his feet and laughed happily. "She did it!!"
"A tie?" Urd groaned. "How the hell are they going to share a mallet?"
Skuld stared at both of them and was slightly happy that it came out a tie. "Belldandy would be proud."
Thor approached the two with a big grin across his face. "Very good, however it would seem that we have a problem." He laughed. "Knowing how selfish Tyr is he'd never let you have a chance to wield Mjollnir, so..." He held up the mallet and snapped it apart.
Tyr and the audience went white with shock. "WHA!? WHAT DID YOU DO!?" He shouted.
Both halves began to glow; the mallet went to Hope and the handle to Tyr. "What's happening...."
"When I first received Mjollnir, it was nothing more than a glowing orb, it looked deep into my soul and became my weapon of choice."
The mallet half elongated and morphed into a sword, and the handle morphed into a staff.
"Congratulations you two."
The audience snapped out of their shock and burst back into cheers.
"A sword?" Hope grabbed the blade and stared in awe.
"Why do you get the sword?" Tyr stared.
"It's only appropriate that a war mongering god like you get something that has a lesser potential to kill." Hope smiled.
"I'll show you it's lesser potential you..." He growled.
"YOU TWO!" Peorth shot from the audience again and gave them a big strangling hug. "I can't even begin to say how proud I am of both of you!!!" She cried.
"Ggk....how many times has she said that today?" Tyr glared over at Hope.
"Does it matter? I'm just happy that she's happy." Hope smiled.
Meanwhile in the fiery pits of Muspelhiem...
Surt held a piece of cloth from Mara's clothing that was drenched in Hope's blood. "Two halves, from the goddess of Revolution remove the hate that dwells within, step forward, and take shape, all that opposes her dreams, BE BORN!!!" He tossed the cloth into a fire; it burst with rage and began to take form of an infant. "I am..." It grew at a rapid rate until it came to Hope's age. "I am she who opposes the dreams of my equal, my sister, I am...Despair."
Part 7: Triple Challenge of Vanir
The day had finally come, hundreds of godling children arrived from all over heaven to try at winning Thor's legendary Mjollnir. Thor was a bit surprised himself, he'd only intended for this to be a way of testing Hope's strength and see if he could some how make her summon forth her divine power.
"Oh well, I put in the bait and reeled in the sea..." He thought to himself worriedly.
"Thor, it's time." A helper goddess announced.
"Oh? Ah! Ahem." He coughed then analyzed the large competition again. "You all come here with very much hope and ambition in your hearts, never loose that, for if you do, you will loose all your chances of victory." He announced. "The three challenges consist of a game, a bout, and a race. Only two out of the thousands that have arrived today, will make it to that race."
There was a collective chatter through the crowd, which was quickly silenced by Thor's thunderous voice.
"Those of you, who are not in aid with an angel, are immediately disqualified."
Many godlings groaned in disappointment and walked away to join the audience. Only 100 godling children remained.
"The game shall be Halo." A hundred golden rings appeared inside of the stadium and floated over the crowd, in the sky, and near the ground.
"You must capture twenty two rings to win, and only four of you will be able to catch twenty two, for the halos will only come to those with the purest thoughts."
This made Tyr slightly uneasy, were his thoughts pure enough to win?
"Ooh! This is soo exciting!" Hope and Beautiful Melody were practically floating with pure thoughts and energy. "Hey Tyr! Are you ready?"
"WHA? Hey! No conversing with an opponent you knucklehead!" He barked as his angel emerged from his back. "Honestly, what planet are you from?"
"Um...Earth?" Hope smiled as Tyr tripped over. "I knew he'd do that."
Thor couldn't help but laugh at Hope's simplicity but was ready to put her and all the others to the test. "EVERYONE!! TAKE YOUR POSITIONS!!!" Thor roared and the godlings were quick to get into position to spring up into the sky. "GO!!!"
Like a flock of birds, the godlings and angles sprung up to catch the golden rings that hovered before them. Many made attempts to clasp onto one but the rings would dart away before that could happen.
"Must catch the halos, I can't let Miss Peorth down!" Hope thought repeatedly of her mentor and each halo practically came to her. "Poppa, Aunt Skuld and Urd! They were so supportive when I told them that I would compete before I left! I must make them proud!" She thought but then seemed to go blank. "Wait...that's not right..."
Tyr had only two people in mind, himself and his mother, but his own want made the rings hesitate before they allowed him to grasp them.
"I'm not doing this to make people proud! That is not why the halos are coming to me" Hope called above the cheers as she saw the last two rings floating below them. Melody folded her wings and they cut through the air with an alarming speed. "They're coming to me...because I am following what my heart tells me to!" Hope cried and the two rings shot onto her arms.
Few minutes later...
An Announcer goddess came up to the podium and held out a scroll. "The winners of the halo game are... Hope Morisato and Beautiful Melody, Frey and Sword's Blade, Skadi and Snow Flake, and Tyr and War Cry!"
The crowd roared with delight, and Peorth simply folded her arms and held her head high. "Ho, ho, ho, Peorth you've really outdone yourself this time. You're the only mentor out here with both students going into the second round!" She thought proudly then couldn't help but burst out into a delighted laughter, making all those around her cringe.
Meanwhile, Thor approached the four and smiled happily before facing the audience again. "We will take a ten minute session for the youths to rest, for the next match shall be a one on one battle to determine which two will participate in the final round!"
Hope sighed with relief until Peorth shot down from the stands and yanked her and Tyr off their feet. "OOH! I'm sooo proud of you two!!!" She giggled. "You don't know how good it feels to hold your head up high among some of the most high ranking immortals in heaven!"
"Heh, that was nothing'." Tyr grinned and folded his arms in a professional way.
"I'm extremely surprised that you were able to overcome your own selfish ambition Tyr!" Peorth giggled.
Tyr grimaced and shot her an evil glare. "What was that?"
Hope slipped out of Peorth's grip then looked to Beautiful Melody who appeared exhausted. "You did very well Melody, I owe that round to you." She patted her on the shoulder before she eagerly vanished so that she could rest.
Urd walked out of her bedroom and let out a rather loud yawn.
"Hey Urd! You just missed all the action!" Skuld cheered.
"Hmm?"
"Come in here!" Keiichi called from the living room.
She walked in and saw Hope on her TV. "What? They're broadcasting it!?" Urd stared and moved Skuld and Keiichi to the side so that she could take the best seat in front of the T.V.
Skuld smiled proudly. "Nope! When the portal opened to take Hope and Thor back into heaven I tossed one of my mini Skuld camera's in." She laughed then fiddled with her controller to get a better zoom.
"Well, let's just hope that Hope remembers everything I've taught her over the years if she's going to win this next round." Urd sat down and folded her arms across her chest.
"What? Moves from all those martial arts movies you watch?" Skuld groaned.
"Hey, did you teach her anything to help her out in this competition?" Urd bonked her on the head.
"Uh...er...we couldn't watch her without my camera!" Skuld barked.
"Oy." Urd groaned then noticed how proud Keiichi looked.
"I know she can win." He smiled and made two fists. "Go Hope Go! Hahah!"
"Never mind Skuld." Urd sighed with a smile and looked back at the screen to see Hope smiling brightly.
Tyr entered a cyber like ring that was erected during their break, and waited as his opponent stepped in.
"The rules are simple, no angels or spells are permitted. Everything else is legal!" The announcer goddess called then directed towards Tyr. "In the right corner we have Tyr, soon to be god of War!" The crowd cheered rather loudly.
"And in the left corner we have Frey, soon to be god of weather!" The crowd cheered and his sister Freya waved her hands frantically.
"Frey! You can do it! Now zap Tyr's butt! WHOOO!!" She yelled out and made him turn red from embarrassment.
Hope smiled and looked up at Freya. "Freya, you didn't tell me you had a brother!" Hope called up at her.
"Yep, he's my twin!" Freya smiled proudly.
Hope looked back over at him and smiled. "He's actually kind of cute!"
Tyr's eyes grew sharp. "So...she thinks he's cute eh? I'll show her how cute he is when I drag his face around in the dirt!" He snarled as his face turned red, but quickly tried to catch his composure. "AH? Not that I care!"
The bell clanged loud and the two launched at each other with a barrage of energy spheres.
Hope sat by and stared at their maneuvers. "They're just wasting their strength!" She thought then stared at Tyr who was already starting to sweat. "Hmm...I got it!" She smiled brightly as plan came to view.
"Oh Tyr, of course he wouldn't plan out his strategy." Peorth held her hand to her face in irritation.
"COME ON TYR! YOU'RE THE GOD OF WAR AREN'T YOU!?" Hope shouted. "YOU SHOULD'VE KNOCKED THAT GOD OUT OF THE RING BY NOW! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!? SHEESH!!"
"Huh?" Tyr glared over at her and shot above Frey's attack. "I KNOW WHAT I'M DOING!!!" He shouted and landed a kick in the surprised god's face. "Huh!?" He stared in amazement. "How'd I do that!?"
Peorth stared in surprise then looked down at Hope. "Hope, egg him on some more!"
"I'm sorry, but that really hurts my vocal cords, I wonder how Thor does it all the time?" She coughed.
"GRAAAAAH!" Tyr was emitting energy and roaring like a lion.
"YAAIIIEEEEEE!" Frey ran in circles before Tyr finally caught up with him and grabbed his leg.
"THIS MATCH IS MINE!!" Tyr barked then flung him around in circles then out of the ring.
"And Tyr wins by a ring out! He advances to the final round!" The announcer goddess cheered.
"All right Tyr! I knew you could do it!" Hope ran out to the ring and slapped him on the shoulders.
"OWW! What was that for!?" Tyr shouted.
"Oh Sorry! Bad habit!" Hope scratched the back of her head and laughed.
Tyr smirked and spun around. "Hmph! Why should you care if I win or loose?"
"Eh?" Hope stared at him blankly.
"Aha! You were worried about me weren't you?" He grinned.
"No, it's just that I know I have a better chance of beating you in the final round than I did against Frey." Hope smiled, making Tyr trip over. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing!" He snapped and stomped away from the stadium floor.
"Oh well..." Hope shrugged her shoulders. "Now its my turn." She gulped and switched to her goddess combat gear. "Can I really do this?"
"You'll do fine." Peorth gave her a choking hug. "Think how proud I'd be if both my students made it to the final round!!"
"I...I will..." Hope coughed then stared at her. "How did you get down here so quickly?"
"I have my ways!" Peorth giggled. "Now get going!" She shoved her into the fighting ring.
"On this side we have Skadi! Soon to be Goddess of Skis!" The crowd cheered loudly until the goddess turned to Hope. "And on this side, we have Hope Morisato, soon to be goddess of Revolution!"
There was a collective gasp before the roaring applause.
"Re....revo...Goddess of Revolution!?" Skadi stared in shock.
"Um...uh huh." Hope nodded shamefully.
"Begin!" The bell clanged and Hope stared at her frightened opponent.
"Please don't be afraid, I haven't developed that power yet." Hope smiled and Skadi seemed slightly better.
"Okay..." She held her hands up and a white orb appeared. "Blizzard Strike!"
A large clump of snow hit the ring and Hope dug her way to the top only to narrowly dodge a ski that was sent flying towards her face.
"YIKES!" Hope quickly sunk back into the snow as Skadi skied over her head. "Hey, be careful! I'm half mortal you know!" she cried.
"Sorry! I got a little over excited! Now show me what you've got goddess of revolution!" Skadi grinned.
Hope sweat dropped. "Well then I guess I'll just have to use the divine Urd technique..." In a moment, Hope shot out of the snow with a headband tied around her head. "YAH!"
"GO HOPE GO!!!" Freya and Ran cheered from the audience.
"How odd! No matter! I'm going to win this!" Skadi grinned and darted towards Hope.
"An Opening!" Hope grinned and flung a snowball at Skadi's face.
"I can't see!" The goddess yelped.
"HAH!" Hope snapped her skis in half and watched as the goddess flew through the air and ended up face down in the snow. "Ah? Oh my gosh I'm sorry!!" Hope panicked. "Are you okay!?"
"D...don't forget...this is a battle!" Skadi took a chunk of snow and threw it in Hope's face.
She quickly tried to rub it out of her eyes but felt Skadi grab her from behind.
"Just call it quits, you don't need Mjollnir! You don't want to be a goddess anyway right?" Skadi whispered.
"No....that's not true!" Hope growled as she started to break from Skadi's grip. "I'm going to do my best.... I have to prove once and for all that I'm not just a hybrid!" Hope flung her arms up and elbowed Skadi in the waist, which shocked both the goddess and the crowd. "I'm Hope Morisato!" she grabbed her shoulders and flung her up into the air. "Proud daughter of Keiichi and Belldandy Morisato, I'm just a young girl pursuing her dreams! So I'll do whatever it takes...." Hope held her hands above her head as Skadi landed a few feet in front of her. "...To make those dreams come true!" An orb formed in her hand and she pitched it like a softball at the goddess who luckily dodged it. "If Mjollnir can help me make those dreams come true, then I'll do my best to not win it, but to earn it!" Hope shot forward and knocked Skadi out of the ring.
The arena burst into cheers while Peorth shot into the ring and swung Hope around in circles. "I'M SO PROUD OF YOU!!!!"
"And the winner is Hope Morisato!!" The announcer cheered then stepped aside as Thor made his announcement.
"The final challenge, will be held above the arena, and shall take place in fifteen minutes so that our last two, Tyr and Hope Morisato may rest up for this challenge that will determine the new master of Mjollnir!"
Hope was worn out and shivering from her last match, and the break sounded like pure heaven until Tyr marched up in her face.
"Look Morisato, we're both in the final competition, and you look pretty tired." He grinned. "So there's really no way that a weakling like you could wield a mallet of such great power such as Mjollnir, so just make it easier on yourself and forfeit."
Hope turned red and socked him in the face. "So I'm a weakling huh!?" She barked as he hit the ground. "Stop being so full of yourself! Think of someone else for a change, geez!"
Tyr just squinted for a moment then got to his feet. "GRAGGH! I was thinking of someone else! I was thinking of your health damnit!!" He growled then stomped off to get warmed up for the last competition.
Urd folded her arms behind her head and groaned. "Fifteen minutes, how boring! Hey Skuld, change the channel will you?"
"Hey, we need Hope to be in top physical if she's going to win the race!" Skuld barked then heard an odd giggling sound.
"Heh...hehe...heheh..." Keiichi's head was down so they couldn't see the expression on his face until. "AHAHAHAAHAH!!! A RACE!!! AHAHAHAHAHA!"
Urd and Skuld slammed into a wall and stared at him in shock. "Uh...Keiichi?" Skuld stuttered.
"Racing is a Morisato specialty! There's no way Hope can loose! I've taught her everything I know and Hell she's a natural! AHAHAHAHA!" He laughed proudly.
Urd and Skuld grimaced. "Uh...Keiichi, this is no motor race...this is a winged race."
"AHAHAH...ha...winged race?"
"Yeah, you see, they have an elder cast a spell and wings appear on their ankles..." Skuld explained.
"Kinda like Hermes from the Greek myth?"
"No way!" Urd shook her hands. "Hermes used to hang out with us but the jerk gave us a kick in the butt and hightailed it to Olympus. Sheesh, what a looser!"
Keiichi stared at her for a moment then looked to Skuld who nodded.
"Uh...okay."
"Well anyway, the wings are extremely fast, and a pain to use for beginners."
"Great." Keiichi groaned then stared back at the TV. "Well, still, Hope will do fine." He smiled.
Urd and Skuld exchanged looks then nodded. "Yup."
Hope sat down on a bench as one of the elder gods began to cast a spell on her feet.
"Aww, I wish I could just fly with Melody, she's plenty fast enough." Hope sighed.
"I don't think so." Ran and Freya emerged from the audience.
"What do you mean?" Hope looked up at them.
"You'll see." They both chimed happily as the elder finished.
"There, now be careful." He smiled and helped her up.
"Uh...okay...." Hope already thought she looked weird with wings on her ankles but knew it was just an obstacle that could easily be over looked.
"Give them a test run." The elder said.
"Huh? Oh...um, how do they work?" Hope jumped and stared at him blankly.
"If you want to fly, they'll fly." He smiled.
"Oh...." Hope stared and they began to flap violently until she darted off the ground and into the sky. "WOW!" Hope laughed as she darted around in circles as if it were nothing. "Freya and Ran were right, these things are fast!" She smiled then saw Tyr shoot off the ground. "Snap out of it Hope, you have to prove to that jerk that you're not a weakling." She thought as he came up to her.
"Last chance." He grinned.
Hope balled up a fist and grinned. "Say that again...."
Tyr shrugged his shoulders then saw a rainbow like track form beneath them.
"Follow the track to the finish line, if either of you make contact or purposely attack the other to knock off the track then you will be disqualified!"
Hope and Tyr nodded and got into position.
"May the goddess of victory smile upon the one worthy," Thor called out then held up his index finger. A lightning bolt crashed down. "GO!"
Hope and Tyr shot forward with great speed down the track, though it was Hope's first time at this type of race she took to it like a professional until they came to a turn, both slid far to the right then continued their way.
"The turns! Why do I always mess up on...," Hope thought.
"Then brake." "This BMW is extremely heavy Hope, how do you think I've been nailing these turns?"
"Poppa..." Hope saw the next turn, Tyr was still going at full speed but Hope quickly shot her left arm out and slowed down, nailing the turn and getting a lead.
"And Hope Morisato takes the lead, with only five turns left! Can the young goddess hold out long enough to win!?" The announcer shouted.
Hope looked back and was shocked to see Tyr fling by her. "He's serious!" She thought then speeded up, again she nailed the turn but he managed to keep up with her.
Peorth shook her fists, she didn't know whom she wanted to win, but then she saw something odd, there was an aura between them that was pulling them together.
"They're at the final turn! Both are even!" The announcer shouted over the crowds cheers.
"We're so even...it's going to be...." Hope thought.
Soon it was over, both stopped and stared back at the finish line. "TIE!"
Tyr's mouth dropped and he stared at Hope. "TIE!?"
She shrugged her shoulders with a smile and flew down to the stadium floor.
"HOW!?" He tugged his hair then flew down to the shocked crowd.
Keiichi jumped to his feet and laughed happily. "She did it!!"
"A tie?" Urd groaned. "How the hell are they going to share a mallet?"
Skuld stared at both of them and was slightly happy that it came out a tie. "Belldandy would be proud."
Thor approached the two with a big grin across his face. "Very good, however it would seem that we have a problem." He laughed. "Knowing how selfish Tyr is he'd never let you have a chance to wield Mjollnir, so..." He held up the mallet and snapped it apart.
Tyr and the audience went white with shock. "WHA!? WHAT DID YOU DO!?" He shouted.
Both halves began to glow; the mallet went to Hope and the handle to Tyr. "What's happening...."
"When I first received Mjollnir, it was nothing more than a glowing orb, it looked deep into my soul and became my weapon of choice."
The mallet half elongated and morphed into a sword, and the handle morphed into a staff.
"Congratulations you two."
The audience snapped out of their shock and burst back into cheers.
"A sword?" Hope grabbed the blade and stared in awe.
"Why do you get the sword?" Tyr stared.
"It's only appropriate that a war mongering god like you get something that has a lesser potential to kill." Hope smiled.
"I'll show you it's lesser potential you..." He growled.
"YOU TWO!" Peorth shot from the audience again and gave them a big strangling hug. "I can't even begin to say how proud I am of both of you!!!" She cried.
"Ggk....how many times has she said that today?" Tyr glared over at Hope.
"Does it matter? I'm just happy that she's happy." Hope smiled.
Meanwhile in the fiery pits of Muspelhiem...
Surt held a piece of cloth from Mara's clothing that was drenched in Hope's blood. "Two halves, from the goddess of Revolution remove the hate that dwells within, step forward, and take shape, all that opposes her dreams, BE BORN!!!" He tossed the cloth into a fire; it burst with rage and began to take form of an infant. "I am..." It grew at a rapid rate until it came to Hope's age. "I am she who opposes the dreams of my equal, my sister, I am...Despair."