1.10 – Showdown
"Oi, mate. Wake up." Felix said as he shook my shoulder.
I opened my eyes to see the blur that soon became my friends face. I sat up, still in the chair. "What time is it?"
"Almost seven. The rest of the crew should be showin' up any time now?"
I looked at him worriedly, "You mean everybody's gonna be watchin' me fight?"
"Well, it's not every day that your captain gets challenged by the new guy. This is a big thing! Dude, bets are being put on who they think's gonna win," he bit his finger in thought, "So far, Aequitas thinks that you're gonna beat one 'fore ya get pummeled, Argonaut thinks that yer not gonna get one down, Graft don't bet, and Jiom," he looked up wide-eyed with a grin, "Crazy man thinks yer gonna win outright! That guy bet five hours labor on you!"
"What'd you bet?" I asked.
He shook his head, "I'm bookie, but If I could, I'd bet you could beat two."
I plopped back on the chair. Well that's just great, I thought, I've got bets on me. Just when I thought that I couldn't be any more stressed about this fight, I now find out that I'm a goddamned betting object! Rubbing my temples, I asked, "How long have you had this bet open?"
"Late last night. Better get up, the crew's starting to show up."
Grudgingly, I got my lazy ass out of the chair to face Aequitas. We nodded our hellos, and waited for the other members to arrive. The hum of the ship echoed through my mind as I waited for the other two to talk. A few minutes later Jiom arrived carrying an aluminum jug of fermented something asking if anybody wanted a swig. Felix took his share, but Aequitas and I just shook our heads. Graft arrived a few minutes later, plopping herself in the chair I was sitting in.
At long last, Argonaut showed up, where he set down the rules.
"There will be four bouts, three where Shotokan fights one from each team and one where he fights us altogether. On the fourth match, my team and I will start fighting only when Shotokan says he's ready, seeing as he's fighting three people on his own. If he attacks without saying he's ready, he will automatically lose. A person is out only if they're knocked unconscious or if they forfeit. The bout will not end until one side is victorious. Any questions?" I raised my hand, "Yes?"
"Who'm I fighting? I know you and Jiom, but who's the third?"
"I'm the third." Graft raised her hand from my chair.
Fuck. Out of all the people to have in a fight, Argonaut had to choose my crush. That bastard probably did it on purpose too.
"If there's nothing else," Argonaut said, "Shall we?" He motioned to the chairs.