Once again most of the dialogue in the plants fight is from the manga. This was supposed to be the last chapter but I finished it and was all like "what will I do with my life now?" and people from the SK discord server proposed an epilogue and I immediately jumped for the idea xD so there's an epilogue coming
"So you're saying that the Gandhara are out of the fight?" Goldva asks, tapping her pipe on the armrest of her chair. Namari smiles nervously.
"When I left, they were all dead, but..."
"But they're resurrecting people left and right," Renim says. "At least two teams have already been completely reformed. It's too early to say who all is out of the fight."
Bron shakes his head.
"The X-II are definitely out. Their bodies were utterly destroyed. No one can be resurrected without intact bodies," he says, and Namari hears a gleeful joy in his voice. He can't help but shiver a bit. Bron enjoys the brutality of the fight. He always has.
Magna and Nichrom come.
"All of Hao's teams except the Hoshigumi have been massacred as well," they announce. Namari whips his head around. This doesn't sound good at all.
Goldva almost growls.
"We have to finish the tournament fast and move," she says, and everyone present nods. They are well aware of the fleet that's coming towards the island.
"Are we really supposed to sit here and not do anything?" Rutherfor asks. She doesn't like the idea that they're uncovered by regular non-shamans as well. Namari feels that; he doesn't want the fight to get interrupted either. But Goldva shakes her head.
"We cannot interfere in the holy Shaman Fight," she repeats, and Namari bites the inside of his mouth.
"This is not just about the fight," he says. The elder sets her pipe down and looks at them all.
"We do not mess with humans. Remember, we cannot interfere," she reminds them sternly, and the Patch members look at each other. Surely it wouldn't take so much time to divert the attention of the fleet, but alas, no one wants to meet the same fate Silva did.
"Radim, Kalim," Goldva barks. "How is the Patchmarine doing?"
Those two had been in charge of getting the submarine ready for their travel in a few days.
"It's almost ready," Kalim announces, and Goldva nods in satisfaction.
"Perfect. Only a few matches are left," she says, and Namari feels that he should tell her about the Gandhara's plan to steal the remaining elemental spirits when Thalim walks in. He looks distraught, not even in his tribal clothes, and that alone shuts Namari up. The spirits can surely wait.
"Thalim?" Kalim asks, taking a few steps towards him. "Are you alright?"
Namari doesn't come closer. It's obvious that first, they need to give him space.
Thalim sits down. His eyes dart around the room before he speaks: "I'm fine." Namari raises an eyebrow in question. That definitely doesn't seem like 'fine'. He does have a guess though.
Kalim doesn't seem to believe that either, but he supposes that if Thalim doesn't want to share, he won't, and the older Patch retreats. Not too far, but definitely out of reach. Namari watches his young friend get the tie off and hold it in his hand.
The Patch slowly retreats. He doesn't want to see Thalim so distraught. Namari knows exactly what will cheer him up. He goes to the kitchen, if it can even be called kitchen. Some coffee, that's what usually works. He can't prepare it as well, but he's definitely not a beginner. Namari even remembers how to do coffee art, even if it doesn't look very nice. He's not much of an artist, even if he definitely doesn't lack imagination. He uses it for other things, though. Namari purses his lips; maybe, if he had more time, he would learn how to art. However, since he doesn't have time, Thalim will probably have to come to terms with his not-so-masterful coffee art. Not that it will ruin the taste of the coffee.
He returns to the control room and silently, without speaking, sticks the cup in front of the younger man.
"Thanks," Thalim accepts it and shuffles a bit to make space for Namari to sit in. Kalim eyes the two of them from the spot where he sits and subtly nods.
Namari knows that Thalim and Kalim are good friends. He helped him with the café a lot when he was just starting out, and, unlike Namari, he had been there for years. Namari and Thalim weren't big friends while growing up. They visited each other, they played together, but Namari feels that they truly connected only when the Shaman Fight started and they were roommates in Tokyo. The same goes for Radim. But Radim is currently talking in hushed voices with Kalim, they're discussing the Patchmarine.
Namari doesn't press Thalim to tell him what happened. He knows he would tell him if he insisted, but he doesn't want him to feel under more pressure than he already is. He leans on the wall and watches the room and waits.
It doesn't take long.
"I let him go without paying," Thalim whispers, looking at Namari. It's almost inaudible as if he were scared that the others will hear. It might mean trouble if Goldva hears, but Namari suspects that she probably doesn't.
While sitting on the streets of Tokyo together, Namari has told his younger friend countless times that he shouldn't let people go without paying. But Thalim is Thalim, and he has a gentle personality, not like Namari. He's so nice that sometimes people take advantage of that. And no matter how many times Namari tells him to stand his ground, there is always someone who tries to take advantage of him.
"Who?" Namari asks in a whisper. He has a good idea, though.
"Hao," Thalim replies quickly and Namari can see that he shivers for a second. Oh. In that case, Namari understands. He puts a hand on Thalim's back in what he hopes is a calming gesture.
"He can't do anything to you," he says. Even if Hao sends his followers to get the souls of other contestants, he has never turned on the Patch. Namari doubts that he feels anything for them, for the tribe that was once also his family, but he can put two and two together. If Hao becomes the Shaman King which is almost 100% sure by now, he will need the Patch to protect him. He can't get rid of them; he needs them. Namari thinks that is why he's never turned on them, and it's what keeps them safe for now.
Thalim sets the coffee down and takes his ponytail in his hand. Almost unconsciously, he starts playing with his hair.
"I know," he says. "But you should've seen this. He was scary."
Namari doesn't doubt that Hao probably wasn't that scary, he has the body of a kid, not much younger than Thalim himself, but he can imagine that for his tribemate, a lot of things are scary. Like shadows when they were younger. Not very convenient when living in an underground village.
Still, Namari nods. He has to at least pretend that he understands.
"At least his brother paid in the end," Thalim says and Namari pats him on the back.
"You see, he didn't go without paying in the end," he says, trying to cheer him up.
"But I already said that the first five customers drink for free," Thalim has this nervous smile on and Namari closes his eyes.
"Tomorrow, no one drinks for free," he tells him and Thalim nods. He doesn't look very sure of it, as if he were afraid that Hao will somehow return to the shop to get another free coffee.
"You're doing the hard work, you have to sell it somehow," he says, trying to encourage him, and in the dim light, he sees him look away slightly, a faint blush on his cheeks. Thalim isn't used to that much praise, he knows. Namari retracts his hand and sets it in his lap. He wonders how, despite his meek attitude, can Thalim be such a good fighter. It's almost as if he's a completely different person when fighting. Maybe it has something to do with the circumstances. A fight is a fight and everything else is, well, everything else.
"You'll be fine," Namari says and stands up. He feels that this is enough. Kalim takes his place while he goes next to Bron. They briefly talk about the plants. It's only a few days away and Namari feels that suddenly, he's not ready at all . However, he will do whatever it takes to do his duty properly.
He watches the fight between teams The Ren and Funbari Onsen the next day.
Hao doesn't have any friends. He's not really shocked by that. Hao seems to surround himself with a much bigger group, but Namari doesn't doubt that what Asakura Yoh says is true. All of his friends seem to be so surprised; he doesn't know why. It is a shock, but not that big of a one.
He tries to study the teams' fighting styles. He will need it once one of them actually gets into the finale. However, there is still the matter of the elemental spirits that he hasn't yet brought up. He does so now.
"It is all the will of the Great Spirit," Goldva says as usual and Namari frowns. He's not satisfied with this response in the slightest. No one should be allowed to steal and use the great spirits. They belong to the Patch. But without Goldva's word, Namari can't do anything. His hands are, quite literally, tied.
He retreats into the back of the room, hiding in the shadows. He's angry. Why should these outsiders be allowed to steal their spirits?
Namari watches as the match is interrupted. Who do these kids think they are, telling them what to do? However, it doesn't take a long time to see that team X-I is back alive, with Sati's help. All the Gandhara teams retire from the fight. Namari narrows his eyes. Of course they retire. They have to go steal the elemental spirits, after all. How long will it take? Will he be swept off this earth with one slash of an elemental spirit?
Namari doesn't really know how much power the elemental spirits possess. Knowing and seeing the Spirit of Fire, however, he knows that it's an enormous power. He would be dead in a matter of minutes, if not seconds. He and Red Rope definitely wouldn't stand a chance.
Namari and Renim stand at the entrance to the caves. It's the evening already, and they can see the lights from the fleet. Some humans are already on the island. It is terrifying to know that powerful shamans can be defeated only with a gun.
Namari isn't stupid. He has seen a gun in his life. He knows what weapons can do. Still, it's kind of funny that no matter how much furyoku one possesses, they will never be able to get out of a bullet's way. Now, though, a whole fleet of people armed to the teeth is approaching the island, and they can't do anything about it.
"I heard that the contestants think that we should act," Renim says. Namari simply nods. He's not surprised by that. Apparently, since they are the ones organising the tournament, everyone believes that they should take care of the threats, too. If it was on Namari, he probably would, since it is a direct threat to his family.
However, he can't, so he simply shrugs.
"The contestants will deal with them," he says. "All that matters is for us to get to the next part."
It seems heartless. It is heartless, in a way. They can't do the same thing as they did before, Renim's oversoul isn't big enough to cover the whole submarine. If they tried to relocate while the fleet was still there, they would be detected easily.
"The contestants will deal with them," a new voice behind them says. Bron has joined them, and Namari looks away. "They have a plan."
Namari doesn't even want to know how he knows that. The important thing is that the contestants get to the meeting point. He knows that no one will go help them. However, they have Hao there. They will definitely be fine.
He sleeps uneasily. There are so many things that can go wrong with this. He knows he should sleep. After an hour of thinking about useless things, he falls asleep.
It's convenient to come dressed in the battle outfit already. Namari has the first plant, and he doesn't want to waste time. He doesn't have a complicated outfit to put on, after all. His skirt almost feels foreign after so many days in the restaurant. It's closed, all food is done, and if there's something left, he doesn't care if hungry contestants take care of it.
He can hear shouts and explosions from distance. He can see the smoke going up. Namari doesn't react; the more sensitive members look away. Silva stands between Renim and Bron, a soulless look on his face. Namari almost pities him. He isn't planning to use the Patch song in the upcoming battle. He has familiarised himself with the contestants' fighting styles enough and he believes in his own capabilities. He hopes that he will be able to stop them in the first plant before they get to anyone else. If he doesn't stop them, Bron will. Namari isn't merciless, but he will not hesitate to kill. Bron is more brutal than he is. If they, by some miracle, manage to get past Namari, they will be stopped by Bron. Bron wouldn't go easy on them like some other Patch members. He won't hold back.
The contestants barely make it in time. They all board and they're set to go. The Patch is separated from them, and they all look nervous. Maybe on the outside, they look like they normally do, but he can see Nichrom shifting his weight from one foot to another, Renim's eyes darting around or Rutherfor playing with her feathers.
Namari feels his stomach twist. Despite telling himself that no, he is not nervous, the more the final moment approaches, the more terrified he is. It is a natural human reaction, he thinks, but he is still scared.
The teams and the Patch stand opposite of each other. Namari stands on Goldva's right, Thalim is on her left. The chief looks tiny between them, and they're not some giants, they're actually pretty average.
Namari isn't surprised that Hao is declared the king. It was pretty predictable, which way the contestants would choose. They believe they can defeat them all, huh?
Bron, standing next to Namari, shudders in anticipation. Unlike him, Namari isn't that excited to go into a fight. He doesn't like fighting. However, this isn't a pointless fight. As Lip and Rap guide Hao through the plants, Namari is left alone in the desert. He sees Radim and Thalim look over their shoulders before leaving to their own plants, and Namari is left alone. Everything will be decided now.
It takes them longer than he expects. He has already discarded his cloak. It's actually pretty good that his belly accessories aren't made from actual metal, because he would probably be suffering from burns by now.
Namari sits down while waiting for them. The oasis is pretty refreshing, and he tries to relax before the teams get there.
Only after some time do the doors open. The kids seem to be surprised to see an actual desert there.
"Namari!" Ryu shouts, and the Patch almost rolls his eyes. Of course he remembers the youth. The one who told him to get away from Sati. He has been studying his techniques, too. He's definitely not one of the strongest there.
Namari stands. His posture is relaxed, and he's almost bored.
"Red Rope!" he commands and the snake goes directly for the group. They startle, much to Namari's joy.
"Ah, that was only a warning. I am ready to fight," he tells them.
Now, Red Rope attacks again, only to be stopped by Tao Ren's attack. However, he can't generate any lightning in this desert. Namari grins, showing his fangs.
"You cannot generate lighting in this desert. There are no clouds," he says, and he's glad that the plants are designed to their advantage. And Namari knows that with his spirit, he has a considerable advantage. Two shamans who are element-based are out of the play now.
With gleeful joy, he enjoys the confusion of Horohoro and Tao Ren. They can enjoy a feeling of being useless in this fight for now. Namari will focus on his opponent.
He frowns. He doesn't remember any incident, only the moment Sati died.
"Very well. I have no idea which incident you are referring to, but then you will be my first opponent," he tells him. He can see that his indifference doesn't have an effect on the man.
He's not scared by Ryu's new oversoul at all. He might break his oversoul, but Namari has enough furyoku and he's calculating enough to keep Red Rope in a distance.
"Wow, I didn't think you were this good, but I'm afraid it's not enough to make me remember you," Namari whistles. He knows that he's taunting him, and he's enjoying it. Maybe he's trying to provoke him, make him waste more of his furyoku that he already has.
Namari is not very good at short-distance fighting. His spirit is a snake, and Red Rope is long. It needs space to move around, not be in the confined place that is Namari's personal space. He needs to move, and when he sees the recognition in the youngster's eyes, he knows what he will go for next.
Using the desert's image, Namari wins the fight. He can't help but boast a little.
"You'll learn another important thing about the desert now," he says, very confident in himself and in the desert. "The light detracts because of the heat. It's called a mirage," he explains, and Red Rope's teeth are at Ryu's neck. Namari knows that he's won this. One opponent is almost down. Only nine more to go. That should be a piece of cake.
"Coward! How can you use such an unfair method?" Joco accuses him, and Namari smiles. Unfair? He is amused by such an accusation. These kids do not understand anything.
"What is unfair on this? I am merely using the plant as best as I can. Don't forget that I am fighting alone with all of you," he says, narrowing his eyes dangerously.
"Frankly, you are the ones who are unfair, wanting to invade the Shaman King's sanctuary," he tells them and sees that it has risen a spark of anger. He gives them an ultimatum - spare Ryu's life or he kills him. He knows they can revive the dead - another unfair thing, in his opinion, but they cannot keep doing this every time someone dies.
"You can't keep wasting your furyoku," he says, and then an idea comes into his mind. Oh yes.
"But if you want, you could take me out with the elemental spirits," he suggests. He knows that the Gandhara hasn't delivered the spirits yet. They probably haven't even obtained them. He's safe, for now, and that allows him to play this little mind game with the invaders. He can see that it shakes some of them - especially Tao Ren. He smirks when Asakura Yoh has to restrain him from going after him.
"Unfortunately, they aren't with us right now," he says. Namari knows that. He doesn't need to know. As long as Hao travels into the sanctuary, he will have the Spirit of Fire with him.
Namari laughs.
"There is no guarantee that the Gandhara can return from hell, what a lousy plan!" he says. It's true. Hell is risky, but it is the only way to obtain the spirits. Namari realizes that he doesn't know how Silva managed to obtain the Spirit of Rain without directly dying, but he doesn't have time to think about such things. This is still a battle, even if he has the upper hand.
"Is this your best oversoul, Namari?" His eyes widen in surprise; he hasn't counted on Ryu speaking up, much less mock him like this. It seems that he does indeed have some brains, he managed to figure out that Namari prefers fighting from a distance. The Patch feels a drop of sweat run down his face - whether it's from the hot weather or the nervousness, he doesn't know. This is information the others can use against him.
Ryu strikes and Namari has to try hard to block Red Rope's fangs. He knows that Ryu knows it was a trap.
"My Red Rope won't be defeated by an oversoul like yours," he says, and Ryu admits that he's right. His oversoul breaks; Red Rope's poison has started to affect him.
Even if he dies, Namari respects him as an opponent. He was a good one.
"You can go back to the Great Spirit now," he tells him, his voice low. He turns to the group.
"Who's next?" It's a calm question as if he just didn't kill someone. Namari, like most of the Patch officiants, hadn't killed before. At least, not a human. If it were a different situation, he would probably get nightmares at night, but right now, he feels numb. He doesn't really care anymore.
Ryu surprised him. He didn't count on him being this good, and suddenly he doesn't think he can do this on his own.
"Ren and Horohoro," Asakura Yoh says, and the two boys come up.
"I really don't like to cooperate with this guy, but we have no choice!" Ren says, his medium in hand, Horohoro in a battle stance next to him.
"Are you kidding me?" Namari laughs. This isn't a fight, it's a circus and they're all clowns.
"I don't want to repeat myself, but you might have not heard me the first time. Lightning and ice cannot be generated in this desert," he tells them, more forcefully than the first time. "If you can't show your real powers, isn't this useless?"
"If that's what you believe..." Ren says, and Namari feels that he won't have a good time. The boys engage their oversouls, and Namari can't help but feel scared.
"This sounds like you have a tactic," he comments. He needs to be faster and stronger than they are. Namari doesn't know how this fight will go; he hasn't really studied their fighting style because he didn't need it. He's not prepared to counter their attacks, and he feels himself losing the relaxed posture that he has kept until now. His stomach twists in anticipation. His only hope is to end this before they have time to figure him out.
He charges. Red Rope is fast, and he sends them both flying in different directions. However, Ren recovers fast and goes in for a punch.
"Red Rope, boa form!" Namari shouts and Red Rope curls in front of him like a shield, protecting him.
"How will you defeat me without the competence to do so? I told you, such a soft punch won't hurt me," he sneers, but he can hear his breath hitch. He's bluffing; he knows it, and he's fairly sure that if the Tao boy has some brains, he can hear his hesitation.
Ren smirks.
"What's happening with you, Namari? How come you did your best to block such a soft punch ?" Now he is at the end of the taunting, and Namari's sure that he doesn't like it. His eyes are wide now; not very smart with sand flying around in the battle.
"You're fighting seriously even against Horohoro. It seems that you have simulated fights with all of us, except Horohoro and I! Now your mind is falling apart!" Ren shouts victoriously. Namari narrows his eyes at him. He's right, of course he's right. But he doesn't want to give him the satisfaction of knowing so. As long as he can't generate the lightning, Namari can take on him.
"Even if what you are saying is true, what can you do?" Namari gasps. "I'm sorry for repeating myself, but in this desert-"
"That's why we said your mind is falling apart," Horohoro's voice says from behind him, and Namari looks over his shoulder. His oasis. The place that supplies a little coolness in this desert. Horohoro has ice, but it won't be enough. Namari feels another drop of sweat run down his spine. It won't end like this.
"Idiot," Ren says, and Namari whips around again to face him. His eyes widen and fear settles in his stomach.
"You really thought that I couldn't generate lightning in this desert?"
Namari knows that he would have time to react. He could put Red Rope into the protective boa again. He could whip himself out of the way. They wouldn't have enough ice for another try.
But he knows that he is desperately almost out of furyoku now. In his panic, he has used much more than he had originally planned, and he's almost out of it. It won't last.
Namari failed to protect his friends. But he hasn't failed completely. One of them is down, and even if they can revive him, it will hinder their progress.
He doesn't have enough time to use the Patch song. He doesn't want to do it anyways. He has told himself that he won't use it. He did everything he could, everything in his power.
This is the end, he knows. He will soon see all the others in the Great Spirit as the new Shaman King awakens.
Over to you, Bron , Namari thinks as his wide, scared eyes lock into Ren's.
He smiles.
Today is a good day to die.
