Chapter 46: Table of Pain; Clash of the Semi-Finalists

Skirmish in Stralanavia Arc

Disclaimer: I don't own The Legend of Zelda, this is just a Fan fiction.

Featured Music: "Ranked Amongst the World's Best"The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass OST. Chapter Briefing.

"Max's Theme" - Beyblade: G-Revolution (Japanese) OST. Scene 1 (First Half).

"Tranquillity" - Persona III OST. Scene 1 (Second Half) and 4 (First Half).

"King" - Tekken III (Arranged) OST. Scene 2 (Second Half).

"Paul Phoenix" - Tekken III (Arranged) OST. Scene 3 (First & Second Halves).

"Yoshimitsu" - Tekken III (Arranged) OST. Scene 4 (Second Half).


In their grand adventure across Aurelia, the group of heroes led by Impa of the Sheikah soon find themselves in the far-off northern country of Stralanavia, cousin to Hyrule and the rest of its Hylian and Aurelian brethren. Said to be a land of old customs and even its own language, much like the others, Stralanavia is one unlike the rest of Aurelia; with its strict teachings and methods, it takes some time for the group of heroes to get used to them, having been accustomed to Hyrule's much more lenient political structure.

After arriving into Stralanavia they soon discover that, while Hyrule and other nations of Aurelia have long-since abandoned its age-old customs of practicing slavery, Stralanavia has not; indeed, even while strolling through its capital city's – Velinsk's – main streets, Link soon comes face-to-face with the ugly truth of politics in power. After doing what he does best, the former Hero of Time manages somehow to insert himself into Stralanavia's power struggle via a new friend they meet through another; local senator Nadya Tarasova.

In discovering she also wishes to be rid of the current slavery problem, Impa's group agree to help; a handy factor in that, while they are all third party investigators and thus near-immune to Stralanavia's normal customs, are the perfect picks for this otherwise fairly sensitive job. With flying colours they easily breeze through senator Tarasova's initial tests and eventually overcome her final one; an arrest and fight with fellow senator Lara Volkova, a woman deeply involved with cover ups of slavery and other such breaches.

Their victory over their difficult challenge complete, the heroes are awarded the title of 'the Volunteer Pioneers'; fitting for their bravery and for their contribution to the book of antiquity itself, their names being entered into history for all to see. With their swift business concluded, they turn their attention to the Prima World Tour's next national championship; the 'Stralanavia Skirmish', the Stralanavian national championship.

As always current national champions of their own nations, Raynard Van Garrick and Vassia Palashia as well as their other acquaintances and companions, sign up for the Skirmish, soon finding themselves in surprising ends to their conflicts; indeed, as Link breezes through round one in a quick but friendly fight with Egon Kozlov, it is Raynard and Vassia that have the closest bout to date.

A double disqualification.

The first having been done since the days of yore, while it is not a grand finals match-up, the round is finished by the Prima World Tour's local judges; men and women with previous battle experience that determine each fighter's genuine ability, and whether they should advance to the next round or not. Unfortunately for the pair, Vassia and Raynard are denied the chance to advance and find their adventure through the Stralanavian Skirmish cut short; something that Link, while is regretful for his friend Vassia, finds himself hesitantly thankful that he won't have to match up with Raynard as a result.

Perhaps a lasting effect of their earlier runback in Morovo, the outskirts to Stralanavia itself; a close and savage fight they had when on opposing sides during the slavery struggle.

In round three, it is Barkner however that matches up with another former competitor of the Prima World Tour; Kaiser Pashkov, known local of Stralanavia's military and a man of little words and lots of battle experience. Said to be a man having never suffered a defeat or even a single projectile in all of his fighting career, an incredible achievement in and of itself, Barkner finds himself faced with a challenge that only his close companion Alwyn has managed to overcome. In a surprising twist of fate however, Barkner not only opts to fight through Kaiser's incredible defences, but does so via the use of his own friends' techniques.

The wily Goron chooses to somehow imitate and replicate his companions' powers and abilities, and fairly accurately at that, taking Kaiser off guard with his own amalgamation of them into his own fighting style, making it unique. Following round three, round four sees Alwyn himself matched up with newcomer Veronika Fedora; Stralanavian native and neophyte to the Prima World Tour, with little information on her techniques. A mysterious young girl of Link, Raynard, Vassia, Zelda and even Malon's ages, Veronika surprises the surrounding Aurelian audience with a unique and powerful fighting style of her own; a kind of Aegir-enhancing approach to her fighting ability that makes engaging her a risky endeavour.

Indeed, Alwyn learns this first-hand, as she uses her Aegir-control to infect the poor Zoran with his Aegir-affinity weakness and moreover his race's very weakness itself; electricity. While lightning-affinity Aegir tends to have become sheer legend, belonging only to one clan in mythology in the world, Veronika has somehow found a way to utilise her own body's static electricity for a bold yet, albeit weaker form of lightning than the one from legends.

In their brutal go-around, it is Veronika that somehow manages to overcome his wit and many years of fighting experience, soon finding herself qualifying for the semi-finals. She doesn't have long to rest however, for as both Raynard and Vassia have been double-disqualified, Link has received a fortunate bye in the tournament, leaving the young girl to fend for herself in round six; matching herself up with former winner Barkner himself.

They clash now to earn the right to challenge for the title of 'Stralanavia's Strongest'; Barkner readies his rock-skinned fists and Veronika fires up her powerful Aegir-control...


Scene 1

"Welcome back and dobro pozhalovat' obratno ladies and gentlemen... to the Stralanavia Skirmish!"

YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH

The sound of the ever-excited Aurelian audience surrounding the pair of commentators filled up Velinsk Arena with a grand power to match the amount of voices filling it.

"If you're just joining us I'm Mr. Marshall..."

"And I'm Tasty Seth!"

"And we're already four rounds in this magnificent competition!" Marshall finished for the pair of men, casting his smile forward at the listening people surrounding him. "We've seen former champions fall, we've seen fan-favourites lose their expected wins, we've even seen double knockouts and double disqualifications!"

"That's a hell of a mouthful Marsh." The ever-grinning Seth shot into the conversation with, leaning his brown-haired head to the side as he did. Marshall chuckled, lightly amused as he tilted his head at the youth before re-facing the audience, re-opening his mouth.

"In our last round we had super-cool conclusion to a fiery fracas with Alwyn Weirson going up against relative newcomer, Veronika Fedoroa."

"Yo she singed my boy Al!" Seth grinned back. "That chick Fedoroa got some skills!"

Marshall nodded alongside his younger companion, chortling as he did. "Oh yes... the Stralanavians certainly have a penchant for ingenuity!"

YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH

"So who we got next Marsh?"

Marshall regained his usual-faced smile as he eyed the youth on his left. "Well Seth up next we would normally have the quarter-finals... and what a match that would have been."

The listening Seth blinked back, clueless and curious. "Whatcha mean by that?"

"I mean our fan-favourite, 'Fire Fist Firbrand' has managed to net himself a tournament bye this round!"

Seth took his head back, surprised, making a face as he did. "How's that work?!"

Marshall chuckled. "Well Seth... you do remember both Van Garrick and Palashia have gotten themselves double-disqualified, don't you?"

The gears and cogs in the listening Seth's head at long last began to turn and, as they did, his eyebrows rose up to convey his surprising realisation. "Ohhh..."

His finishing, realising call-out, could only make the listening audience all chuckle and laugh in amusement.

"It would have either been a runback with our old friend Palashia or Firbrand's very first rival... Van Garrick!"

"Ohhh motherf-!"

The listening Marshall winced noticeably at the sudden prevention of a curse word. "Easy there Seth..."

"I wanted that runback so badly man!" Seth laughed in response, throwing his head back as he did. "That grand-finals set was..." He trailed off, raising up his fingers to kiss at the air with; a chef's kiss.

"It certainly was," Marshall chuckled along in agreement. "But that's not to say we won't have more exciting escapades still to come!" He called out, turning again to face the listening people. "Coming up; the semi-finals!" He grinned this time, snapping his fingers. "Don't go away!"


"I wish they'd stop doing that."

"Doing what?"

The disapproving frown on Link's face said it all; the drooped eyes, the hardened look on his otherwise fairly softly-held face and the tone in which he spoke, a kind of tired tenor that kept more in character to the persona he left behind in his original era. When Malon spoke next to him, it only reminded him of her oddly-annoyingly recent habit of hanging and sticking close to him, gripping his hand within hers; almost as if she were marking her territory on him. His drooped eyes lowered even further as he swung them both on her, brow furrowing in a mixture of suspicion and exasperation.

She was never like this where I came from, he thought.

So why is she like this now?

"To be fair everyone's a little different this time 'round, even Zel."

His inward thoughts were answered by another of his own and he dropped his grumpy-faced scowl in favour of a tired-eyed frown.

"Pandering to the audience like that," he at last answered the farm girl in a conceding sigh through his nose, turning back to face the front and out into Velinsk Arena. "You'd think they'd have a little more class than that."

"Ain't their goal to sell more viewers for this thing?" Barkner pointed out, a light grin on his face in his rocky-skinned, folded-armed countenance.

"Give that man a medal." The half-amused Impa commented into the situation, a similar half-grin adorned on her usually-impassive expression, her own arms similarly folded.

"And soon too...," Vassia added on in a light low giggle. "Aren't you up next?"

Barkner blinked down at the Palashian princess on his left, genuinely surprised. "I am?! But I thought-"

"Yeaaah they gave me a bye," Link interrupted his Goron friend for him, while in a visibly-annoyed frown, albeit, a polite toned one; he cast his droop-faced frown forward, a kind of disappointed look to his eye before he swung it 'round to eye the sociable Goron behind him. "I mean I get Vass and Ray got DQ'd but, come on," he insisted insensitively, his frown tightening a little. "I don't wanna just sit and watch."

"I'm more worried about sir Alwyn."

The concerned words of his close companion could only make the listening former Hero of Time rise up both straw-haired eyebrows in her direction, his frown soon softening back into a simple-faced look that sympathised well with her.

"I'm sure he'll be fine," Vassia insisted next to the Hylian princess, rolling her raven-black eyes over at her. "He has some of the best medical personnel looking over him in Stralanavia."

"He did get some help from his opponent, didn't he?"

It was Barkner's input, this time, that made the listening Vassia's initially calm-faced frown soon take a darker turn, and she swung it 'round to glare at the Goron. He unfolded his arms and double-took in her direction, wincing as he shrugged back at her.

"What?!" He shot back, acting as if he had accidentally coughed on her and was unaware.

"I don't like her..." Malon spoke up next to the frowning-faced Link, her rough fingers gripping more firmly against his own as she held them closer to her, drawing out a half-surprised eyebrow-raise from him as he turned to face her briefly. It was only when he clocked her eyeing the far-off sitting form of Veronika, apparently deep in meditation; the young Stralanavian sat with her eyes shut, both small hands joined softly at her centre, legs crossed together in a fairly neat posture.

Link, genuinely curious on his friend's odd level of suspicion, could only swing his straw-haired head 'round on her, his small pony-tailed hair whipping 'round with him. "Why?" He asked her, genuinely clueless to her odd distrust. "I mean she did seem weird earlier, but...," the youth began again, changing his curious-eyed frown into a studiously-hesitant one as he 'rounded it on the far-off sitting form of Veronika. "I dunno. If she helped Al she can't be all that bad."

"S'anice way of lookin' at it," the grinning Barkner inputted with a light nod of his head in response, drawing out a similar grin from the listening little Hylian. "I guess you're right... I ain't ever seen anyone use their Aegir like that before."

"Ahem..."

Realising the sound of the throat-clearing, a sound often used for those who wished to be noticed came from the standing Zelda, made the blinking Barkner and Link swivel their heads in her direction before suddenly understanding the joking tone in which she spoke.

And of course what the slight-smiling princess was poking at.

"Besides you he means." Link clarified for his grinning Goron buddy, bringing out a light giggle from the blonde girl.

"Still though..."

This time the apprehensive comment came from the ever-rude Palashian princess herself, successfully pulling the attention of the group surrounding her.

"There's something...," she began carefully, raven-black eyes narrowing forward at the meditating Stralanavian girl. "Off... about that power of hers."

"You really think?" Link batted back in genuine curiosity, piquing up an eyebrow at her before returning his attention to the ebony-haired girl to their left and front. His brow furrowed as he watched her meditate, unable to quite place a finger on what Vassia was talking about.

And yet he agreed somehow, deep within him; a piece of her strange powers and abilities seemed to hearken back to something dark he remembered.

Maybe it's nothing, he thought positively.

"Competitors Barkner Elbrus and Veronika Fedoroa; please approach Velinsk Arena for commencement of round six!"

The referee's sudden call-out and announcement, bolstered by a Gossip Stone he spoke into, echoed on into the competitor's box to stir the group awake; as if reacting to it, the previously meditating Veronika snapped open her light-brown eyes and stood slowly to her feet, dusting her knees off as she did.

"Phew...," Barkner gasped out, tilting his head as he unfolded his rock-skinned arms, readying himself. "This is a little soon... but I been lookin' forward to this."

"You'll be fine," Impa spoke up from the back in a constrained smile of her own. "Just enjoy yourself."

The grinning-faced Link shot up the side of his clenched left fist and Barkner smirked back, lowering his own to bump with his in a brotherly-like fashion before he marched toward the arena, Veronika close behind him.

"Urgh," Link muttered out wistfully as he watched him leave. "I wish that was me."

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

Vassia's abruptly-annoyed call made him near-flinch and stiffen but a strong will he remained and kept with him, opting to turn his limp-eyed frown upon her.

"Because if it was then it would have been you and me out there instead."

His gambit, so out of the blue and surprising, managed to take even the listening Palashian princess off-guard; she widened her ebony-black eyes back at him and blinked once before a smirk suddenly grew on her expression and she laughed, abruptly leaping forward to grasp at him in a strong-gripped hug.

"Vous merveilleux garçon!"

He grunted out and scrunched his face up uncomfortably as he suffered the oddly-sudden great affection she forced upon him; a strange change from her usual standoffish behaviour. When he clocked the amused look in the watching Zelda's eye and even the smirking Malon's, he couldn't help but roll his own in a growing mix of frustration and annoyance at his own plan to poke fun at her back-firing in his face.

Note to self, he thought comically.

Don't give her reason do that again.

2

"This is it ladies and gentlemen... the semi-finals!"

YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH

As always, the powerful upsurge of the surrounding audience's screams rent the very building off its foundations, filling Velinsk Arena up with their excitement at the sound of Mr. Marshall's baritone. He smiled on as he continued.

"I'm Mr. Marshall and with me always is my partner in crime..."

"Tasty Seth! 'Sup bro?" The younger man to Marshall's immediate left shot into the conversation with, nodding his short-haired head upward in greeting to the watching audience as he did.

"'Sup indeed my young friend! Welcome one and all to the Stralanavian Skirmish! Today we've already gotten through four rounds! Five if you count our tournament bye in round five." Marshall chuckled to end his sentence with, casting his smile over at the sitting youth next to him.

"Awww maaan," the similarly grinning Seth shook his head disappointedly, re-opening his mouth to elaborate. "What a gyp! I wanted to see that..."

"We all did my good man, we all did," Marshall smiled more understandingly this time, placing a mock-sympathetic hand on his right shoulder as if to comfort him somehow. "But good things come to those who wait!"

Like a cue being read from, two pictographs shot up on both pillars to Velinsk Arena's competitor's box; one, the recognisable Barkner and the other, the newcomer Veronika.

Barkner Elbrus

Defensive Ability: S+

Grapple Countering: A+

Side-Stepping: A

"Elbrus has already had some fairly impressive bouts in the Prima World Tour!" Marshall spoke up, beginning his commentating with a smile. "From his initially boulder-explosive entry through the Hylian Hyrax to his bold-faced battles in the Palashian Premier, Elbrus has managed to surprise both naysayers and his recently-gained fans with his incredible and shocking results to his fight-cards!"

"It's gotta be that skin Marsh; that Goron skin!" Seth grinned back, shaking his head in response, as if in near-unable to believe it himself. "Rocky and lethal!"

"I can only agree!" Marshall chortled back with a light nod, re-facing the watching people in the stands as he did. "Our man Elbrus has certainly left his mark! Not unlike that of..."

Veronika Fedoroa

Combination Damage: A

Aggressiveness: S

Side-Stepping: S

"Another incredible competitor! At such a young age, and a newcomer to boot, young Fedoroa has made you lovely Stralanavians proud with her extraordinary Aegir-control!" Marshall began, drawing out an inevitable response from the listening surrounding people watching.

YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH

"In just the last round, she not only manages to beat Weirson – a fan-favourite himself – but even offers to assist him in a grand display of sportsmanship!" He explained, tilting his head as he chuckled good-naturedly. "Truly it is a good day to be a martial artist."

Seth smirked back, laying his right elbow on the table before him as he eyed the older man on his right. "Ain't that the truth Marsh?"

As the ever-smiling Barkner marched on out first, joined by the contrastingly-frowning Veronika behind him, both competitors stepped to other ends of the stage. While Veronika opted merely to bow forward in respect, Barkner cracked a grin and extended forth a clenched fist at her; as if a silent message not to hold back.

"Red side, ready!"

As always, the grinning Barkner nodded in the referee's direction as he stepped toward the pair.

"Blue side, ready! Enter the heat of battle!"

Veronika opted this time to nod and bow a second time, perhaps in further respect and acknowledgement for the next round to begin.

"Go for it!"


Almost as immediately as the battle began did Veronika make her opening move; a standing-spinning Soul Spark projectile, light-brown eyes briefly shut as she called out the name of her technique.

"Soul Spark!"

Opting to somehow roll his large, lumbering body under the horizontally-sailing projectile, Barkner narrowed his own boulder-brown eyes as he closed the gap between them horrifyingly quickly; a fact that left the watching Stralanavian girl widen her eyes back open in growing terror, soon realising she was still in recovery from her earlier attack.

"HUAAAAAAAAA!"

Like a proverbial gong being rung by an incredibly powerful sledgehammer, Barkner's sliding step forward was struck with an incredibly devastating punch; a single-hitting, single-fisted strike that not only took the poor girl off-guard... but sent her sheerly careering through the very air itself in the sheer incredible force with which she was hit. Veronika widened her eyes and coughed out a small plume of blood, arms and legs splayed to all sides around her in sheer shock as she hit the ground rolling backward, her body twisting back at least twice; a blatant display of the very sudden stinging agony she now suffered.

"Good god Marsh, what the hell was that?!"

Seth's horrified, wide-eyed call made the listening Marshall turn briefly to eye him before re-facing the front and opening up his mouth.

"Now I could be wrong...," the frowning-faced Marshall began cautiously, casting an index finger upward as he did, as if to begin postulating possibilities. "But if I recall correctly our boy Elbrus here called it the 'Elbrus Smasher' technique."

The listening Seth couldn't help but crack up an amused grin and a light scoff to spice his words with, chuckling as he did. "Our boy ain't one for words is he."

"Why use words when you can use your fists?" Marshall bounced back, quipping a little grin of his own as he rose up both lightly-clenched fists of his own as if to demonstrate to the younger man, drawing out an entertained laugh in response.

"Touché!"

Barkner began stomping his heavy Goron feet against Velinsk Arena's ground, near-rumbling the very foundations themselves with his weight in his very-sudden sprint forward after the young girl, boulder-brown eyes set firmly on her. Veronika just barely managed to recover herself into a standing position by swinging her body backward to hang in mid-air before re-lowering her feet to the ground. Soon finding herself at the ring's edge from the sheer force with which she was hit earlier however, she widened her light-brown eyes when she realised his intentions in quickly removing her from the ring.

The young girl quickly clasped both palms together in a praying-like gesture, eyes softly-shut as her very form itself began to shimmer; a reaction that the fast-sprinting Barkner did not notice.

FWIP

As Barkner pulled his shoulder back, presumably to attack his opponent with, he almost looked as though he phased through air itself; indeed, as he smashed his shoulder forward, the standing Veronika had somehow managed to phase in and out of reality. His eyes widened and they darted to his undefended rear, only to find the swiftly-reappeared form of his foe standing behind him, her midnight-blue scarf pulled back and beginning to move of its own volition via use of her Aegir.

"Soul Spiral!"

"Hrngh...!"

CHNK...!

Like a blunt blade being blown back from solid rock, Veronika widened her chestnut-brown eyes as her seemingly final attack was knocked back by what seemed to be incredible protrusions of stone and earth on his back.

"God-damn!" The shocked Seth cursed out, wincing on as he watched. "You ain't gon' get a hammer through that skin, let alone a fist, that's for sure!"

"Oh yes! An incredible display of the Gorons' use of their defensive fighting skill-set!" The excited Marshall batted back in a light tilt of his brown-haired head as he did. "It is said, in their land of origin of Hyrule, that only one hammer may penetrate their indomitable defensive powers!"

"And what hammer's that Marsh?"

"The name I'm afraid... is lost to history." Marshall chuckled back in a light shake of his head, pulling a disappointed groan from the surrounding audience and a roll of the young man's eyes in response.

"Megatonhammer."

"Are you all right mon amour? That cough sounded douloureux."

Vassia's genuinely concerned comments caused the listening Link to limp up his oceanic-eyed gaze into an annoyed-faced frown, eliciting an amused smile from the watching Zelda and a silent-faced smirk from the nearby Malon. Vassia noticed their looks and swung her newly-suspicious scowl on the frowning Link.

"Not another one of your insensé blagues!" The angered Palashian princess exclaimed out, frustrated with the young Hylian. Link briefly eyed the amused Zelda to get the quick translation and she mouthed the words over to him silently.

'foolish'. 'jokes'.

Foolish, he thought with a quick rebellious roll of his eyes.

"I'll show ya foolish."

3

The sheer power of Barkner's incredible defensive protrusions managed to force the wide-eyed Veronika tailspinning back the way she came in a deft skid through the air, shocked and all. As she swiftly recovered to her feet, she shot her eyes up only to find what seemed to be small yet fierce-looking rocks being tossed at her with outstanding speed; however small they were, at the velocity they were currently travelling, they'd easily cause serious injury. Veronika narrowed her light-brown eyes as she brought up her scarf to defend with, readying her Aegir as she did.

"Soul Reflect!"

FWIP!

FWIP-FWIPFWIP-FWIP!

Quick as a flash the five small pieces of debris were sent rocketing back toward the wide-eyed Barkner via the use of her reflect technique, and it was the young Goron that soon found himself darting his head and body out of their incoming directions.

"Soul Spark!"

FWOOSH...

One of her own many projectiles were sent sailing for the defending Goron, fast increasing his level of danger and he narrowed his own boulder-brown eyes back at her as he found her very suddenly vanishing again; seemingly a trademark technique of the young Stralanavian. As the Soul Spark projectile technique came flying slowly and deliberately toward him, Barkner very quickly worked out her strategy; he swung his rock-skinned head 'round to his undefended rear and shot up his left arm to catch the inevitable flying-high roundhouse she threw his way as she perhaps expectantly re-appeared high in the air above him somehow, fast-descending down.

The watching audience all widened their eyes as the similar-eyed Goron caught her roundhouse with his left arm before swiftly bringing her down to his level; after his initial parry, he grappled the young girl by the scruff of her scarf and gave her a quick yet damaging body-blow to her lower chest that sent her staggering a step back. He followed up with one final assault, a dangerous and yet extremely excruciating forward stepping fist; a sliding punching strike similar to his first one he threw earlier.

"HUAAAAAAAAAA!"

SMMMMASSSSH

"Ahhh...!"

YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH

The poor young girl was hit point-blank by the fiercely fearsome fist, sending her sailing and tailspinning through the air into dangerous territory; out-of-bounds territory. Just as she began to reach the edge of the audience's stands themselves, so too did her earlier-thrown projectile eventually manage to reach its destination; the recklessly-attacking Barkner. Seemingly only just realising that she had thrown an Aegir technique earlier, he widened his boulder-brown brown eyes again and instinctively swung his body 'round only to panic and attempt to curl up as most Gorons would when faced with sudden assaults.

Unfortunately for him, however, he was not fast enough.

BZZZZ-FRSSSH

"Argh...!"

The Soul Spark made its mark and managed to send the gasping Goron gallivanting toward the near-embedded form of his opponent; she gasped similarly before shutting her light-brown eyes and, like magic, she vanished a third time seemingly via use of her Aegir.

CRASSSH

Barkner's body made an incredible rumble and vibration as it collided roughly and agonisingly with the audience's stand that Veronika once horizontally lay in, his body instead causing a much more significant effect than his comparatively smaller opponent. When the fatigued and gasping Veronika re-appeared back into the ring, visibly already tired from the effort she exuded, the grunting Barkner smashed his back-fists against the wall he lay embedded in to knock himself back toward the arena, his body making a deep-whining sound as he flew toward it, his heavy body making a violent rumble.

CRASH

"What an intense set this is!" The watching Marshall commentated on with a brief clench of his left fist, eyes narrowing forward lightly as he did as if to add to his gesture of excitement. "You won't get another semi-finals fight like this anywhere else folks, I assure you!"

"You gotta love the tenacity Marsh; they just don't give up," Seth grinned on as he shook his head disbelievingly at the scene before him. "Our boy 'Fire Fist''d be proud!"

The listening Marshall chuckled in an amused smirk of his own, nodding in agreement and response. "Indeed he would!"


"Soul Spark!"

As the 'Soul Spark' projectile made its way sailing toward the narrow-eyed Goron in a fairly expected, telegraphed fashion, he reacted with a surprisingly-quick forward roll directly under it; successfully evading it and allowing him to approach his enemy unharmed and with relative ease at that. The astute young Goron narrowed his eyes again as he attempted to slam a devastating chest-blow to the seemingly off-guard Stralanavian.

She was ready this time for him however.

Ostensibly anticipating his swift arrival Veronika used her very scarf itself, brought to life again via the use of her careful Aegir-control, to catch and parry the wide-eyed Goron's chest-blow; making the surprised young man gasp out in a mixture of shock and awe.

"Can you keep up...?"

With that low-voiced response to the wide-eyed Barkner's mistake, Veronika followed up her initial speech by firing off an incredibly-quick series of stings and strikes that were seemingly enhanced by her Aegir and Quintessence; indeed, her very form and figure itself began to shimmer and leave sheer after-images in its speed and movement. With a swift standing light kick linked into a swinging back-roundhouse, she continued on her relentless punishment by narrowing her own light-brown eyes as she suddenly shone again and hurriedly gathered magical energy within both palms, running them over one another as she did.

"Soul Punish!"

FWIP...

KRSSSH

"Hrngh...!"

As if triggered by her command, a sphere of non-elemental Aegir materialised before them both, situated just perfectly above the already-tailspinning form of Barkner; he grunted out in scrunch-shut eyed pain as Veronika continued her cruel crush counter by leaping up in the air to meet him, her midnight-blue scarf ready to attack with.

SLICE-SMASH

"Soul Bind!"

FWIP-BZZZZZT

This time Barkner could barely utter a word in response as his flying-form was snatched in mid-air by her scarf a second time, issuing out the same technique she unleashed on the poor Alwyn in the previous round; an ensnaring technique that held the Goron up suspended in mid-air, snaking through and infecting him with the former's stream of static electricity.

Not quite the natural flow of the lightning element and a much weaker variant of it, yet still all the more effective; a wise enough combination ender for, as he inevitably dropped back down to earth to meet her, she spun around in place and narrowed her chestnut-brown eyes as she shot her open left palm forward filled with Aegir.

SLAM

Barkner grunted out this time as his heavy body ricocheted roughly against one of the tournament pillar walls, easily cracking it and near-breaking it completely; a worrying revelation not just for the surrounding Prima World Tour staff, but for the poor competitors watching still within its walls. As Barkner came flying back to meet her, she widened her eyes this time as she spun a second time in her next advance; a 'Soul Spiral' attack that saw her bringing her midnight-blue scarf to life once more, turning it into a drill-like form that struck the gasping Goron in his recovery period.

"Impale!"

As the grunting Goron attempted to recover in place via use of a tech-fall, he spun his own body 'round as he rolled temporarily to quickly get back to a standing position, eyes focused carefully on his wily opponent. She stepped toward him and, baiting an action, she managed to make him widen his eyes and panic react by reaching forward and gasping as he did almost as if he were expecting her to grab him. She quickly dashed back into his danger zone and narrowed her own eyes again as she grappled at him this time; a deft grip that, while near-invisible, appeared to lift his weighty body vertically up into the air.

"Woah...!"

4

Link's genuinely shocked reaction caused even the more impassive members of their group to turn their eyes his way, curious and all.

"How the hell's she doin' that?!" The shocked young Hylian exclaimed out curiously, dirty-blonde eyebrow piqued up to convey his interest.

"The same reason you're able to throw out those Hadokens," Impa spoke up sagaciously behind the similarly frowning princess Zelda, her armoured arms ever-folded. "Through use of her Aegir-control."

Link made a face as he swung his pony-tailed head back to the arena before him, snapping his fingers in mock disdain and disappointment. "Figures."

"You know... mon beau..."

The beginning response of Vassia's ever-intrusive low-toned soprano managed to make the previously-resolute Hero of Time wince and near flinch in his relaxed stance. She stepped toward him and very cleverly yet firmly and unsubtly snaked her arm 'round his; a rough and coarse grip that wasn't all unlike the fiery Malon's and yet still somehow lacking her level of compassion.

"I could teach you how to... control... your Aegir like that..."

As she spoke her words, a suggestive purr to her tone of voice, she trailed her free left index and forefinger to drive up and down the front of his karate-gi, leaving him with a comically-annoyed droop-faced frown in response.

"I'd-"

"He says no."

Again one of the girls managed to interrupt him; this time the fiery-haired Malon herself. She stepped in between the pair of children, an unamused scowl adopted on her persona as she leaned her head and body to the side, the wild-winter coat she wore for the Stralanavian weather hanging on her as she did. The watching Link blinked at first in genuine surprise before eventually rolling his oceanic-eyed gaze at them in frustration, groaning as he re-opened his mouth.

"Come on guys, I-"

"Oh really? And who's going to teach him if not I then?" Vassia scoffed back at the Hylian farm girl, right hand rose up daintily to hang under her mouth as she smirked down at her superiorly. "Surely not you."

Malon eased her own gaze away from the overbearing Palashian princess, but only for a moment. "W-Why not me?"

Vassia swung her violet-haired head back and rent the ceiling with her sudden hilarity, re-opening her own mouth to fire back a knee-jerk retort. "Hilarante!" She laughed uproariously, bringing her head back down to Malon's level to elaborate. "And how do you expect to do all this with no knowledge of martial arts?!"

The abrupt revelation, so telling and obvious, suddenly hit the listening Malon and hard at that; her earlier hardened frown soon softened up and her stance to match it, something that the narrow-eyed watching Link honed in on and he opened up his own mouth to speak for her.

"I'll teach her."

"What...?"

"What?!"

Impa's initially-cautious call was pre-empted by the shocked and disbelieving Vassia's exclamation. While the listening Sheikah merely opted to raise up a silver-haired eyebrow at the scene, it was Vassia that chose to convey her surprise much more honestly; she contorted her face up to narrow a single raven-black eye at him, piquing up the left side of her mouth in sheer shock as she did. Malon, similarly surprised, could only swivel her body 'round to face the blonde boy and while he opted to keep his hardened frown adopted on his persona, he softened it very briefly as he ran his oceanic eyes across at her as if to acknowledge her, issuing her with a wink.

She couldn't help but smile.

"But that'll just hold you back! Hold us all back!" The Palashian princess angrily interjected with, re-narrowing her eyes and furrowing her brow with great scrutiny at the blonde. "You can't be serious!"

"You damn right I am baby," the youth fired back, meeting a challenge as he tilted his body to the side and folded his slim arms together, cracking an amused grin on his face. "Wouldn't it be better if all of us in the group can fight?"

Finding himself surprisingly surrounded with agreement, Vassia revolved her violet-haired head around to scan the room as if to find dissenters. Unfortunately for her, however, most seemed to agree.

Indeed, even the usual cynics such as Impa and Zelda found themselves nodding slowly in agreement.

"What?!" Vassia shrieked out incredulously, as if unable to believe the response before her. "But-! It's a waste of-"

"I wouldn't say so," Impa calmly integrated with, her arms ever folded as she tilted her silver-haired head to the side. "Knowledge is, after all, power; if Malon's willing of course."

The young farm girl found herself briefly eyeing the Sheikah with a positive-faced nod before her smile grew as she turned to face the ever-grinning Link. "I'm... definitely willing."

The sight of her reaching slowly down to grip at his hands was just too much for the volatile vixen; Vassia's scowl grew even worse, if that were possible, and she growled out in growing frustration as she turned on her heel presumably to march off to be by herself.

"Rgh!"

The watching Link's grin very quickly found itself dropping in favour of a genuinely worried-eyed frown and he instinctively dropped Malon's hand to step past her, as if to call on the angry Palashian princess and spare her feelings somehow.

"Vass, wait!" He called out. "We were just jokin'! Come on!"

"You should let her go," Zelda wisely inserted into the conversation with, an enlightened frown dotting her usually-pleasant complexion as she also eyed the angry-marching princess. "She needs some time to herself."

"Agreed," Impa nodded along with her charge, a near-emotionless frown spicing her own words. "But all jokes aside, that idea's a good one," she pressed again, swivelling her silver-haired head to eye the pair before her. Malon and Link swung their own heads 'round to blink back at her. "You learning to fight I mean." She clarified, nodding in the surprised Malon's direction.

"R-Really?"

"Absolutely," Zelda smiled supportively. "It's as Impa says; knowledge is power."

"Huh," Link murmured out, eyes rising up in brief rumination. "I guess it is."


SLAM

In having somehow lifted Barkner's hefty mass with the use of her own comparatively bold Aegir-control, Veronika narrowed her light-brown eyes as she used her Quintessence to air-dash in forward as the grunting Barkner attempted to tech-roll to recovery, gasping out as he did. When she reached to grapple at him for yet another throw attempt, he widened his own chestnut-brown eyes and grunted out a second time as he responded with a counter-attack and a daring one at that; in his wakeup, he issued her with a debilitating rising knee-like kick, the rest of his body held back as if to propel him forward.

SMASSSH

Veronika gasped out, eyes scrunched shut in pain as she was sent into the air; a confirmed launch that left Barkner able to continue his risky yet rewarding choice. He hit her with a quick pair of jabs into a slicing vertical high-kick, scrunching a single eye of his own shut in the sheer force with which he hit her, leaving trails of after-images of his Goron foot as a testament to the Aegir he used in it. With the second spinning kick, a similar Aegir-filled roundhouse that sent her grunting and crashing into the fast-destroyed arena below them, he finished off his simple yet devastating combination with a yelling downward vertical punch, his arm glowing with Quintessence and magical energy.

CRASSSSH

She gasped out continually from the sheer fatigue that now wore her down as a result of her Aegir-streaming, gripping the side of her raven-haired head as she attempted to stand up and recover in time for the next inevitable assault; as Barkner dashed forward to press his luck in a quick yet telegraphed stabbing knee, Veronika widened both eyes and back-dashed to gain some space and distance from her much-stronger foe before attempting to respond with a quick jab.

The similarly deft Barkner however easily ate her response up with a counter-reply of his own; a rough yet effectively brisk air-roundhouse. While he didn't manage to stay airborne very long, it was enough to carry him forward to catch her whiff and successfully punished her in a brutal standing-spin. It was when the cheeky Goron attempted to follow-up his momentum with an obvious spinning clenched back-fist that she at long last found a window with which to retort; Veronika narrowed her eyes again as she crossed both arms diagonally, as if channelling magical energy together, and her midnight-blue scarf shot up to catch the widened-eyed Goron's extended arm in a slick parry.

While the anticipation was correct, so too was the punish; she called out in effort as she leapt up into a spinning hop-kick that saw the grunting Goron gyrating into the sky not far from their feet, and she followed on up with a pair of brutal-looking back-fists of her own, enhanced of course with the earlier non-elemental Aegir she so loved to utilise.

KRSH-KRSH

"Soul Spark!"

As Barkner was sent tailspinning through the air a few yards ahead of her, she twisted in place and leant her body to her right as she fired a Soul Spark projectile from the same scarf she used earlier, finishing the combination and striking the grunting Goron as he fell to the ground and tech-rolled a second time in recovery. The Goron, quick as a flash, got back up to his feet and came sprinting toward her before throwing a rough horizontal fierce punch her way; a move she leant and swayed her body back to evade before responding with a swift and hurried roundhouse.

Barkner ducked to avoid it; a high, before widening his boulder-brown eyes as he swayed back similarly to avoid her extended strong horizontal punch, caked with Aegir. He narrowed both eyes this time as he grunted in a deft roundhouse of his own, a technique she furrowed her brow to block with, and yet the counter-attack didn't end there; Barkner grunted out again as he lowered his weighty body to roll forward around her and he shot up his arms to block the obvious and incoming vertical axe-like kick she delivered for him.

He reached forth with his arms to grapple at her and she managed to anticipate the attempt by reaching out with her own fingers; like magic, a sound of glass breaking emanated between them as they were sent a mere half-a-step away from their throw tech, eyes widened in similar states of surprise. Perhaps faced with little success, Barkner opted to pull his arm back and narrowed both eyes forward as Aegir rapidly charged within; sheer fire and earth itself began to build within and Barkner growled out as he pulled it back a mere millimetre further before at long last firing his last assault forward.

"HUAAAAAAAAA!"

FWIP

Unfortunately for the rambunctious Goron, his assault did not hit; indeed, he widened his eyes when he soon realised she had somehow teleported yet again in an effort to evade the technique. By the time he took grasp of the fact she was behind him, it was far too late; the recently re-appeared Veronika narrowed her own eyes as she dashed in to his undefended back and, slamming her left elbow deep into it, he called out in surprise and pain.

"Hah...!"

KRRRR...

The sound of Aegir being similarly charged up within emanated noisily from her and she widened her light-brown eyes as she brought in her free right arm and high-flying midnight-blue scarf with it to attack; the non-elemental Aegir that she utilised before hummed out powerfully as she at long last put an end to the round by firing her fist forward as if it were a sheer sword itself.

"Soul BLAST!"

KRRRRRSSSSSSSH

DROOOOOOOOOOOM

Barkner cried out in agony and shock as he was sent flying and careering through the air from the incredible burst that he suffered; a blast powerful enough to send him smashing into the audience's stand's invisible wall; like solid rock against water, he knocked against it agonisingly before it transmitted him vertically down into the out-of-bounds section of the arena.

"Ring out!"

The sound of the referee's baritone caused the gasping and fatigued Veronika to dart her sweat-stained head up from her exhaustion, near-unable to believe an end to the engagement. The referee that made the call-out earlier stood up into the small staircase that led to the arena and marched on toward the small Stralanavian girl, reaching down to grasp at one of her free arms and rose it up into the air to signify a victory.

"This set's winner... is Veronika Fedoroa!"