AN: Well boys and girls, it's that time again. It's time to sit down, grab a can glass or bottle of your favorite drink, and read a chapter of a story written by me. Either that or it's time to rally up against the oppressors and take over the world… I think I'll save that for later. I really don't have time for world domination right now.

Anyways, thanks to my reviewers. You guys know how to make me feel like I'm doing this well. Okay then, read it, enjoy it, and if you're happy and you know it, or not, review it.

Disclaimer: I don't own Tales of Symphonia. But I'm working on that. Yep, someday, when brownies rule the universe, I'll own Tales of Symphonia. GO BROWNIES!

Ch. 12 The Arena

The arena was an enormous building. It was a giant, circular coliseum like structure, held up by pillars the size of large houses. On these pillars were etched the names of former champions who had seen their days of glory, and honorably stepped down once they were defeated. The names were everywhere. There were so many, that even if Lloyd had started reading them at that very moment, he would never be able to finish.

"Amazing!" he remarked, running his hand across the names of "Qel The Pincer," and "Jorak Oxarm." "How many are there?"

"Too many to count," Regal stated. "You could try, but then you wouldn't get anywhere."

They continued on, into the arena's lobby area. At the front desk, the receptionist asked them, "Here to watch some fights? You can get your tickets over at the counter to your right."

"Actually, I'm here to sign up to be a fighter," Lloyd replied, stepping forward.

"Very well then sir. Can I have your name please?"

"Lloyd Aurion."

"Alright Mr. Aurion, the waiting room is over to the left," the receptionist explained. "If you go in there, you'll find the other fighters who are here today. The average pay for each victory is 300 gald for beginners. If you advance further up the ranks, your pay will increase. The top amount is 3,000,000 gald, which is only paid to the champion. Now then, how can I help the rest of you?"

"We are Mr. Aurion," Raine explained.

"I'm sorry, but participants and their coaches only."

"Well then call them his coaches," Zelos stepped in, "and call me whatever you like."

"Sorry handsome, but I'm married," the receptionist politely turned him down. "I'll just put you down as one of his coaches also."

The waiting room for the fighters was more like a bar than anything else. The entire room was dimly lit and everything was loud. At the tables, warriors from all across the world sat around in groups or alone. Some were participating in small contests of strength, others played drinking games, and some were betting on who would win the next match. But most were watching the match from the window at the far side of the room.

Then, sitting at a small table near the door they had just come from, a man in a tattered old cloak caught Lloyd's attention. "You there! Boy!" he yelled out.

"Who, me?" Lloyd asked.

"Yes, you. Come here, have a seat," the man invited.

"There aren't enough chairs for my friends at this table though," Lloyd noticed.

"Good point, follow me," and with that he got up from the chair he was sitting at, and walked over to a much larger table, which was being occupied by several very large, brutish looking men with axes. "Bugs," the man addressed one of them.

"Oh… 'Ello Mr. Grisma, 'ow can I… 'elp you today?" one particularly dumbfounded looking man asked, sheepishly.

"You can start by giving me a table so my guests and I have room to sit," the man named Grisma replied.

"Uh… sure thing sir. C'mon boys, let's find anoder one," and they all got up and walked away.

Grisma sat down in a chair and motioned them to do the same. "You're new here, aren't you?" he asked Lloyd.

"Yeah, why?" he replied.

"As you may have already guessed, I'm called Grisma."

"And I'm Lloyd."

"The way those men cowered at your presence, one would think that you were the current champion," Regal mentioned.

"Ha ha ha," Grisma laughed as though it were some joke. "Me, the champion, that's great. But no, I'm just a man who's beaten up a few guys. I tried to fight the last champion once, that guy was an animal. I'd hate to fight the one who beat him."

"Who was that?" Lloyd asked.

"His name is Botta, and if the last champ was an animal, then he must be a demon."

"Then I guess I'll just have to be stronger than a demon," Lloyd replied.

"Ha ha ha ha ha ha!" this time Grisma was really laughing. "You intend to defeat Botta, Arena Champion? Well that would be a sight. But before you do dethrone him, let me tell you how things are done around here."

"Sure, it can't hurt."

"Good, you've got some sense, you'll need it. First off, if you intend to challenge someone to a fight they must be either equal to you in prestige, or they must be below you. This of course means that you can never challenge Botta. Instead, he must challenge you. Since you are new however you cannot challenge anyone, except of course of the lowest of us, Bugs. Bugs has never won a match, so he is the lowest, and the only one you can challenge. If you beat him, you may challenge the next best, and so on in the like, at least until you're the number two."

"Why is he called Bugs?" Genis asked.

"He never baths," Grisma remarked. "Back to basics now. Challenging is simple, you must simply go up to someone and ask them to step into the arena with you. This is always seen as a challenge. When two warriors step in, it is for a fight. Killing is strictly prohibited, unless both warriors agree to a death match. There is no honor in death, and even in a death match the dead warrior loses all honor. And also, for death matches, the challenging rules are dropped, you may challenge whomever you like, including Botta. Do you understand these rules?"

"Yeah, I got it."

"Good, then let's cover the final rule. To win a match, your opponent must surrender. You can beat them all you like with your weapon but they have to admit that they have had enough, or for the stubborn ones, they have to be knocked out. But like I said before, in a normal match you are not aloud to kill. You can find some materials to make your weapons less lethal over at the bar. You'd be surprised what the barkeeper has back there. And I think that's it. If you remember all of that, you've got nothing to worry about, except for losing of course. You can make your first challenge whenever you're not busy. And also," he extended his hand, "welcome to the arena."

"Thanks Grisma, hope I get to challenge you sometime," Lloyd shook his hand and they departed, leaving Grisma to his own thoughts.

"Sorry boy, but I'll be the one challenging you, when you're ready." Grisma thought as his hope walked away to flourish.

…10 minutes later…

The actual arena, the miniature battlefield where warriors tested their strength against one another, was little more than a pit of packed down sand, surrounded by rows and rows of stands, all filled with various spectators. The only things special about it were the two men standing at opposite ends.

Lloyd looked across at Bugs. He was a big man with a scruffy patch of black hair on his head and more muscles than anyone Lloyd had seen before. His clothing amounted to a loincloth and boots. In his right hand, he carried a giant hammer. It was big enough to smash boulders some would say. It was clear that Bugs had no shortage of strength.

From the side, a gong tolled out the matches start. Lloyd ran headlong at Bugs, who was simply standing there. Lloyd didn't care; maybe Bugs' weakness was that he had a terrible case of nerves when it came to large crowds. He drew out Gale and Thunder, which had been wrapped in a sticky material called tape, causing the blades to be blunt. He continued to charge closer and closer and just when he was about to strike and claim the match, he was blasted off his feet by a rain of sand. Lloyd got up and charged again, but this time when he got at about the same range he had been before, he jumped back, and he saw what had hit him.

Bugs smashed his hammer into the ground and caused a thick sheet of sand to blast up exactly where Lloyd had been. That explained that. Lloyd charged in again, this time rolling to the side to avoid the sand blast and hacked away at Bugs. He managed a few good hits when suddenly, Thunder shocked him, causing him to let go mid-swing, and the scimitar went flying.

Bugs took the moment to strike out again at Lloyd, this time with a horizontal swing that would've crushed Lloyd's arm and ribcage had it connected but Lloyd ducked out of the way and rolled back. He took the moment to see what he had left to fight with. He was down to Gale, and he was up against a giant of a man, carrying a hammer as big as Regal. Lloyd just smiled.

"Better make this fast," he mumbled under his breath, "or Gale might choose to sit out too."

He ran headlong towards Bugs and, just as the hammer came down, Lloyd jumped clear over, landing on Bugs' back, and smashed the back of his head with the basket hilt of the rapier. Bugs fell with a great THUD! Lloyd kicked him lightly to see if he was ok, but he didn't get up. Bugs was out cold. The gong sounded again, and Lloyd snapped back into reality and the roaring crowds. They were all cheering for his victory. It gave him a feeling of being larger than life. And he liked it.

…7 minutes later…

Lloyd was happily celebrating with his friends. He had won and they were all in a jovial mood. Then along came Grisma. He wore a scowl on his face that could make fresh milk go sour.

"I suppose you think you did something worth being proud of," he stated in a very stern manner.

"I won, didn't I?" Lloyd called back. "Sit down, have a drink, join us."

Grisma smiled for a moment, then he sat down. At first, he seemed like he had accepted the offer, but the truth came out when he punched Lloyd square in the jaw, and sent him to the ground.

"What the hell was that for?" Lloyd questioned, his anger nearly overflowing.

"That was a reminder," Grisma stated.

"A reminder of what?"

"A reminder that you are not the best. You have done nothing to be proud of. You beat Bugs, and no one cares! He's nothing; he couldn't fight his way out of a salad, much less a real fight. Now you listen boy, you got a chance to go far. You're young and strong, and you could go the distance here. But you won't get halfway if you think that a minor victory against an over-sized ant is something to be proud of."

"Yeah, but even the smallest victory is worth something right?"

"Not here. Here what matters is who is at the top, and who is at the bottom. The man on top is the guy that everyone aspires to be, the man on the bottom is just the first small step towards that aspiration. You've taken the first small step, don't forget, you still have a long list of names to scratch off the list before you're the new champion."

Lloyd thought about this for a moment, and he understood what Grisma was saying. He was still one small man, and he couldn't do anything yet. He hadn't won the title of Arena Champion yet. And it would take many fights, that would test his limits.

"Then I'd better scratch off a few more names. Who's next on the list?"

Grisma smiled, "That would be Tenpa."

"Point me to him."

…5 hours later…

"I am beat!" Lloyd exclaimed. The sun was sinking low on the horizon as he and the others walked out of the arena entrance.

"At least you're walking away with a nice little purse full of gald," Zelos joked.

"Y' know, I think that is the first intelligent thing I've heard from you in a while," Sheena elbowed him.

"You mean to say you haven't been listening to my words of wisdom. I've been spouting them out for ages."

"Good thing Grisma isn't here to see me laughing at this," Lloyd chuckled, "or he'd probably throw me into a wall!"

"Would he now?" came Grisma's voice from right behind them.

"Ahh!" Lloyd jumped right out of his skin. "Jeez, what's with the sneaking around?"

"I wasn't sneaking, you just weren't paying attention," Grisma replied nonchalantly. "But that's not why I'm here. I just wanted to tell you that you did alright for your first day. But don't think I'm going to stop kicking you around. You still have a long road ahead, and I'm going to see you through it, or kill you while trying."

"Gee, that almost sounded like a compliment, but now I think it was a threat," Lloyd joked.

"Maybe it was both," Grisma said musingly. "I'll see you tomorrow boy. The arena opens at dawn. If you're not there an hour before then, I'll make you wish I were just throwing you into walls." And without another word, Grisma walked away.

"I think I've just found a dangerous friend, or a very friendly enemy," Lloyd laughed. "Whatever. Hey, I just thought of something! How did Bugs do that thing with the sand? If I can do something like that, I'd at least have an extra surprise for my opponents."

"He focused the shock wave emitted by his hammer downwards at a 72.2396 angle," Presea answered instantly. "It is possible for you to perform a similar technique. However, you would have to be able to hit the ground at the exact angle and use a precise amount of power. The wrong combination of strike angle and power could potentially cause a backfire and the blast could hit nothing, or it could hit you. I would recommend that you refrain from attempting it in actual combat until you can perform it flawlessly."

"How would I do it?" Lloyd asked.

"If you hit the ground with the right amount of force at a 72.2396 angle with the basket hilt on Gale, you should be able to perform the technique. However, I don't know the exact amount of power you would have to exert to perform the technique."

"Well can I at least get an approximate?"

"I'm not 100 percent certain, but I believe the number you are looking for is between 10 and 3,000 kilos. That is unfortunately the best assumption that I can make without seeing the attack a few more times."

"It's a start, but I didn't understand it very well," Lloyd admitted. "Can I get that in a language I understand?"

"Basically, you need to hit the ground really hard at just the right angle," Genis put it as simply as it could get.

"That, I understood," then out of nowhere Lloyd gave out a great yawn. "I'm tired. Anyone know where I can find a bed?"

"You can stay with me," Sheena offered. "I've got a safe house just a few miles away."

"Sounds good."

"It is getting rather late," Regal noted. "I have an apartment in the upper class district. If the rest of you have nowhere else to go, I have plenty of rooms."

"I'm good," Zelos declined. "I'm gonna hit the bars. If I run into Capricorn, I'll offer her a stay at my place."

"Then it's settled," Raine concluded. "The rest of us will stay with Regal. We'll see you here before dawn."

As they all went their separate ways, Lloyd smiled at Sheena. "I don't suppose there's any special meaning in you only giving me an offer to stay at your place?"

"Definitely not!" Sheena replied, kissing him on the cheek. "I take all the cute boys who save my life home with me. The fact that I love you has absolutely nothing to do with it."

…20 minutes later…

They had climbed the third ladder in a large building. This was the Meltokio Safe House, setup by the people of Mizuho many decades ago, when the buildings old uses had come to an end. It was now a simple home away from home. It had all the basics of a house but in a more cramped space. It even had a balcony surrounding it from all sides.

"It makes for a good look-out station, you can see the entire city and a few good miles off," Sheena was explaining. "The funny thing is that this place used to be a church. It wasn't a very popular religion and it died off about a century ago. But the building is pretty sturdy and people leave it alone, so it's a perfect safe house."

Lloyd walked through the room and out onto the balcony. Out there, he looked out on the city below. "It's perfect!" he exclaimed. "The only place bigger than this one is the palace."

Sheena stepped out and wrapped her arm around him. "Yeah, we're so high up, people don't really notice." She then turned her attention to the west. The sun was setting, painting the sky various hues of purple and gold. "I love being here this time of day…"

Lloyd looked over and nodded his agreement. "Yeah. It's almost just like that beach, only this places beauty is different. But either way, it's not you."

"If I didn't know better, I'd think you wanted something," she smiled at him.

"A meal would be nice," Lloyd laughed, "fighting twelve guys with barely five minutes in between each makes me hungry."

"I should teach you how to cook sometime," Sheena punched him in the arm playfully. "I'll see if there's anything in the meat cabinet."

And so their first day in Meltokio ended. They had survived both the political and the physical arenas of the city and everyone had been run ragged. Except that is for Capricorn…

AN: I think I'll close up there. I'm just gonna leave you with that minor cliffhanger, and go eat dinner. If you would be so kind as to review I would appreciate it greatly. Also, if you like my writing and feel like checking out something a little new, please check out my newest work "In The City." It's an AU ToS story, in which life is crap for everyone in a city that has almost run out of all hope. As years pass and life changes for Lloyd and Sheena, how will their love survive? Their only hope lies where they can't go, out beyond the city. Please check it out and review it. Other than that I'll see you next time at Ch. 13: The Party. Laters!