Chapter 9: A Great Start
After the qualifying round, Team Mirushito waited in the Medical Wing's lobby for news concerning Takaan. Arne seemed the most affected by Takaan's injuries.
"Damn! I should've been there!" he raged.
"Arne… you can't blame yourself… Even if you had been there, there's nothing you could have done." Kakome attempted to comfort him.
"YOU DON'T KNOW THAT!" he screamed.
"… Yes I do… I was there…" she tried not to take what Arne had just said too seriously.
Just then, a nurse came out of the double doors. They all stood up immediately, waiting for news.
"Is he okay?" Kakome pleaded.
"He will be, but I must insist that he not compete in the next round." She answered.
"… I'll stay here with him… it might be good for him to have a familiar voice… you know… to help him wake up…" Arne suggested.
"That's a wonderful idea!" The nurse piped.
Just then, the intercom came on with a message: MAY I HAVE YOUR ATTENTION PLAESE? WILL TEAM MIRUSHITO AND TEAM REICHSCHTAGG PLEASE REPORT TO THE ARENA FOR THE NEXT ROUND?
"I guess we'll just do this blackout style." Naomi said.
Once in the arena, Team Mirushito was taken by surprise. The ring was surrounded by a one-way mirror! They could see inside the ring, but not on the other side. Their opponents would remain faceless until the very last second, apparently.
Midori raised her microphone, ready to announce. "As you may have noticed, ladies and gentlemen, the ring has been modified to tweak the round a bit. We have decided to make each round unique this year, and we'll start with these conditions: 1. Due to the mirror, combatants will not see their opponents until the very last second. And 2. Also due to the mirror, combatants will not be able to see their teammates once inside the ring."
"Interesting." Inaryu noted.
"Will the team Captains please come into the ring to discuss the terms of this round?" Midori announced.
Kakome entered the ring, along with a man in black spandex, red armor, and a red mask with devil horns. His eyes, nose and mouth were visible, which made one wonder: why did he even wear the mask? He had long blond hair down to his shoulder blades, and he spiked his layered locks in the back, so that each "level" stuck out at a different angle. Kakome found him a bit creepy.
"My team's a bit short, so how about a fight-until-you lose kind of thing?" Kakome inquired.
"Hmph." He replied.
"Is that a go?" Midori inquired, confused.
"Hmph." He replied again.
"Okay, then! It looks like a knockout-only round! Awesome. Will the first two combatants please enter the ring?"
Outside the ring, Naomi was ready.
"It's my turn." She informed them.
"Sure you can handle it?" Inaryu smirked.
"Watch me, smartass." She shot back with a bit more attitude than usual as she walked into the ring. Kakome gave her a thumbs-up and a 'good luck'.
Her opponent was a short, plump, and round-faced demon dressed in the stereotypical German attire; ie a white colored shit with suspenders, shorts, and a hat with a red feather.
"All right, folks! It looks like it'll be Team Mirushito's Naomi versus Team Reichschtagg's Ulrech! Ready? Fight!"
Naomi wasted no time preparing for this fight. Her stone-grey aura was already raging around her, sending her hair flying in various directions.
Ulrech leaped into the air, lunging at Naomi, but, as soon as he reached the midpoint of his assault, Naomi jerked her elbows forcefully to her sides, haulting her aura.
" MEDUSA'S GLARE!" she shouted. In a flash of light, Ulrech had been turned to stone.
"…Uhhhh… the winner is Naomi?" Midori announced, still mesmerized. "Will the next fighter from Team Reichschtagg please enter the ring?"
Immediately a demon dressed in the same armor as the Captain- with the exception of the color; this demon wore green- holding a whip entered the ring.
"Alright, carnage lovers, it looks like the next match is Team Mirushito's stone-cold beauty Naomi versus the whip-cracking fury of Team Reichschtagg's Bjorn! This should be good! Ready? Fight!"