Frato displayed the same amount of ruthlessness in the arena in his quarter-final match as he had in his first match. Fortunately for him, it was coming in handy, as his opponent was an extremely fierce and skilled competitor. However, Frato eventually bested him and came out the winner; leaving his opponent with a rather nasty wound, although not quite as bad as the wound Kal had suffered from the blood-thirsty half-breed.
The audience were still murmuring to each other about Frato's viciousness after the match had finished, but Frato decided to ignore it as he walked out of the arena. He was too busy savouring the prospect of battling Fratley again to care about anything else.
As with the opening around of the tournament, the King announced that there would be a short interval for the Dragon Knights to rest and recover for their next matches.
Frato entered the armoury to be greeted by his brother.
"Well congratulations Frato." Fratley said with a slight smile. "Although I do see you have not paid one bit of notice to me or our father's advice."
"I fight how I want. Live with it." Frato muttered. "I won't hold back against anyone in combat, not even if I am fighting you, Fratley."
"Really." Fratley answered, not looking too impressed with Frato's statement. "Then I suppose I will have to do the same in our match."
"It is the mark of a true warrior Fratley, never to hold back."
"It is the mark of a monster more like." Fratley answered.
"Oh shut up!" Frato snarled before walking away from Fratley and towards a corner of the room.
Fratley sighed and shook his head, then looked around the armoury. Lion-heart sat alone in the centre of the armoury, thinking to himself about the tournaments events. Then Fratley saw Freya, who was sat by herself in another corner of the armoury looking very anxious and unsettled. Fratley made his way over to her to see what was making Freya, a usually calm and collected warrior, so nervous.
"Hello Freya." Fratley said chirpily as he sat down beside her.
Freya returned the greeting and looked up at her boyfriend. She gave a rather weak smile, but the feeling of anxiety could still be seen on her face.
"What's wrong?" Fratley asked. "You're never been this nervous before a match."
Freya gave a slight sigh. "I suppose I have every right to be nervous, I'm about to have a match with Sir Lion-heart Fratley, one of Burmecia's toughest warriors."
"My father..." Fratley added. "I wouldn't worry about it. Most Dragon Knights would see it as an honour to fight him."
"I suppose..." Freya answered.
"Remember what I said before the tournament began? Let's just enjoy it. See your match as an opportunity to test your strength and to have a great battle." Fratley said, hoping to make Freya feel a little better.
"Thanks Fratley." Freya replied, who was feeling less nervous than before.
"That is the end of the interval, the semi-finals will now begin." The King announced in the arena. Freya stood up after hearing this and began to make her way to the armoury entrance. Fratley followed her.
"Will Lady Freya please come forward?" The King continued.
"Good luck Freya." Fratley said as Freya left the armoury.
Freya walked through and into the arena, with a small number or the spectators cheering for her and many more murmuring about her once again. She took her place in the arena and waited for her opponent.
"Will Sir Lion-heart please come forward?" The King said before being drowned out in a roar for the formidable warrior.
Lion-heart entered the arena, looking calm and collected as always. He entered the arena and took up a battle stance, looking at Freya with a small smile forming on his face.
"This will be interesting..." Lion-heart thought to himself.
The King had to motion for silence as his voice could not compete with the thousands of cheers for Lion-heart in the audience. Eventually the crowd fell quiet.
"Begin!" The King yelled.
Now what occurred was a very peculiar opening for a match. Neither warrior charged towards each other, as would happen in regular matches. The Knights stared each other down instead, trying to figure out how best to unleash an effective opening attack against their foe.
"I have to catch him off-guard." Freya thought. "I may be at a disadvantage if I attack him head on. What could I try...?"
"This is interesting. She isn't attacking straight away, she's being cautious about how to attack." Lion-heart mused. "She'll want to conserve her energy, and she won't want to leave herself open in any way. I should prepare for a physical attack."
Freya's mind clicked, her eyes flared slightly and she began to dash towards Lion-heart. Lion-heart, having predicted this, moved his lance forward to block the oncoming attack. However, at the very last moment before Freya would reach Lion-heart, she leapt into the air straight over Lion-heart. Lion-heart tried to keep his gaze on her as he turned around. Freya landed and swung back at her opponent only to smash her lance against his. Neither of them lost their looks of concentration and a deadlock ensued.
Lion-heart began to use his strength for the first time in the match and began to push Freya back very slowly, Freya tried her best to try and push back, but she could not stop the fact that despite her considerable strength, she was being overpowered. After a few moments had passed, Freya decided to break the deadlock and jump back.
Lion-heart did not come after her. Instead he kept his lance in front of him, ready to block or to strike, and stared at her. Freya did the same, trying to think of another way to attack. They were back to the position they had started with.
"He's good; I can catch most people out with that." Freya thought. "It has become clear that I will be unable to catch him off guard, his concentration is remarkable. He hasn't even attacked yet. This match is only going to get tougher and tougher."
"Clever, very clever... I can't let my guard down with her." Lion-heart pondered. "She's obviously trying to get past my guard, using a trick like that. Pity I know practically every trick in the book. Maybe I should show her a trick up my sleeve..."
Lion-heart then charged towards Freya, his lance outstretched, poised to penetrate. Freya took up a defensive position naturally. Then, just as he was about to reach Freya, he sidestepped round to Freya's left side, then round to her back. Freya whirred around as he did this, keeping her eyes on him whilst maintaining her defence. Lion-heart then jumped up as he finished his sidestep, soaring straight over Freya and landing behind her. Freya did what Lion-heart had done previously and looked over and then behind herself with some difficulty. Lion-heart then landed, and quickly sidestepped to Freya's right hand side and swung. Freya tried to follow Lion-heart with her eyes but she was too late. Lion-heart's lance smashed against her back.
Freya gasped as she felt the pain in her spine. She fell over face-first from the power of the attack. Thankfully, the point of the blade had not been used, and she was not bleeding. She was also still conscious, despite the pain and her lance was still firmly in her hand.
Lion-heart gave a little smile of satisfaction of the effectiveness of his attack. He stood firmly behind Freya and watched as Freya got back up onto her feet. Lion-heart knew this would become an interesting match, and he did not want to end it so hastily.
Freya turned around when she stood up and backed off slightly. She needed to rethink her strategy. Lion-heart did not advance, but merely glared at her.
"He...used my own trick against me, adding a few twists of his own...and it worked!" Freya looked at Lion-heart with burning green eyes. "Curse it! I'm not going to win this match with any mere tricks! He's had too much experience in battle!" Freya breathed deeply. "Standing here thinking isn't going to help much. It's giving him time to think of counter-measures and it's leaving me open. I need to move this match to a faster pace. Maybe a fast flurry of attacks would work..."
"Now she realises that I am not going to be subdued by any ridiculous trick." Lion-heart stared Freya down. "Maybe now this match will begin to test me..."
Freya charged forward towards Lion-heart once again, when she reached him she swung her lance towards Lion-heart's shoulder. Her opponent responded by swaying out of reach, but Freya then lifted her lance in an upward diagonal slash. Lion-heart used his lance to block the strike with ease, but Freya tried a third attack by bringing her lance back down and spinning and swinging her lance in a mighty horizontal slash. Lion-heart ducked to avoid this and then countered the combination by using his lance to perform and upward swing. Freya just managed to jump back to avoid the counter.
Freya barely took breath before charging once again at Lion-heart, she swung her lance down at him only for her foe to block her attack once again. This time Lion-heart forced a deadlock by pushing Freya's lance down to his side. Freya tried to move her lance out of the deadlock but to no avail. Lion-heart decided to end the deadlock by jumping across the arena, putting a good distance between the two.
There was a great of tension both in the audience and between the two warriors. No-one knew what would happen next; however, Lion-heart had an idea. The Dragon Knight placed his lance in front of him and started to charge it with white energy, chanting the call of a Dragon Knight ability. Freya saw this, and feared what deadly power Lion-heart would unleash with his skill. She knew she had to stop it. She belted across the arena, her lance too begin to glow with white light. Freya knew she would make it in time to stop the attack; Lion-heart had made a mistake. As she drew closer, she shouted the name of her ability.
"Lancer!"
However, Freya was unprepared for this nasty surprise. When she came close, the energy from Lion-heart's lance faded, and her opponent stopped chanting. Freya's eyes widened with shock when she realised he had been faking a skill to lure her into attack.
Freya's lancer skill impaled mid-air and the energy was wasted from her lance as Lion-heart leapt above her to avoid the attack. Lion-heart took the wide opening and swung his mighty lance at Freya's shoulder.
The attack connected.
Freya yelped in pain as the lance pierced her flesh and knocked her down for the second time in the match. Blood began to seep out of the small wound in her shoulder. Lion-heart landed right next to her.
"Sir Lion-heart has drawn blood from his opponent. He is the victor!" The King announced, looking amazed by the quality of the match. The crowd roared with applause and cheers for Lion-heart and the spectacular match the two warriors had displayed.
Freya slowly got up to her feet and looked up at Lion-heart, who was smiling at her, with his hand outstretched.
Freya looked at him, and then proceeded to shake his hand. The crowd cheered even more, and Lion-heart leaned forward to say something to her.
"Thank-you for such a great match. It's very rare for a newcomer to push me so far. I wish you the best of luck for the future, and I hope I get the privilege to challenge you again." Lion-heart said warmly.
"Thank-you Sir Lion-heart. It would be an honour to fight you again." Freya replied, a smile starting form on her face, despite her defeat.
Lion-heart then turned and left the arena and went back to the armoury, while Freya was confronted by a servant and escorted out of the arena and towards the infirmary to treat her shoulder wound.
Fratley, having watched the entire match, was having mixed feelings as he saw his love leave the arena and leave the competition.
Disclaimer: Do I look as though I own Final Fantasy 9?! If I did, Frato would be in it at some point or another. I don't own Final Fantasy 9!
Author's Rant: Where is everybody? I haven't gotten a review in ages! Constructive comments are always welcome, so send them! Also, where have Breeze of Summoners, Wonwingangel and CuteMooglez got to? Where are my faithful reviewers?