(SHIRO'S POV)
Mezuku was now glowing brightly. He looked at me with glowing eyes and a harsh glare. The wind around me was stirring up.
"That's it Shiro. It's over now. You can't keep up with me in this form." He said before raising a hand in my direction. Seconds later, a large beam of light shot towards me. I flipped to the side, narrowly avoiding the blast and charged up more soul energy. I pushed forward and swung my fist at him. My punch missed and smashed into the stage floor. He kicked me up into the air. Before I could even blink, he appeared in front of me. He kicked me back down at terminal velocity. I smashed into the floor with a harsh thud. I laid in the rubble with sickening injuries. He stared down at me with a glare. "Give up."
"I can't…" I said before letting out a bit more energy. "l'll never back down!" I jumped up with a cocked back fist. He simply caught it and sighed.
"You won't win with cheap little sneak attacks like that." He said. He tightened his grip, causing me to wince in pain. He lifted me up and punched me in the gut. I dropped to the floor and gagged. Before I could gain my bearings, I was kicked across the stage. Mezuku jumped up into the air and elbow dropped me, breaking two of my ribs. I let out a pained yell and gasped for air. "Do you quit?" He asked.
"N...no way!" I coughed out.
He pinned me down and started punching me repeatedly in the face. Every punch caused my soul energy to fluctuate. It soon grew wild and uncontrollable. He reeled his fist back and glared. "Do you quit?!" He asked aggressively.
"...Try me…" I said back.
He launched his left fist at me with heavy force. With fast acting reflexes, I caught the punch in my right hand and smirked. The purple static around my hands surged and covered my entire right arm.
~CRACK~
With a quick flick, I crushed the bones in his hand with relative ease. He let of a grunt and tried to free himself. In one swift motion, I grabbed his forearm and snapped it in two. This time he let out a yell.
"Let go of me!" He demanded while trying to remove himself from my grasp. I simply kicked him up and away from me. He landed and held his destroyed arm. "You freaking psychopath!"
"First and last warning...Quit now while I am still thinking straight." I told him.
"No chance in hell!" He ran at me which left me smirking. His speed was amazing but it still couldn't match me when I was like this. I dodged the flurry of punches and kicks. When he seemed to start slowing down, I jabbed him one good time in his chest before sweeping his legs. He dropped to the floor and groaned. I looked over him and grinned. This time, I pinned him down.
"Do you quit?" I asked.
"...No." He muttered.
I began chuckling a bit. "Ok…" I said plainly before burying my fist into his face. His nose broke instantly on the first punch. He was already leaking. "Do you quit?"
"N...N-no…" He said through the pain.
"Mhmm…" I punched his face in once more. This time he lost a few teeth. "Do you quit?"
"N-no…" He muttered.
I punched his face in causing his eye to swell and darken. "Do you quit…" I asked again.
"..." I got no response.
I started pounding his face in, only this time, it was more violently and left his face looking distorted. Blood soaked my hand and I started to see purple. I continuously bashed his face against the ground until I was blasted back by a gust of wind. I looked at who dared to stop me and glared.
"You need to calm yourself, boy." Dex said to me. "If you continue to let your soul energy overwhelm you and cloud your mind, then I'll have no choice but to erase you from existence."
"I AM CALM!" I growled.
"Shiro please...Just relax yourself." Gabby said. Her somewhat startled expression made me drop my hostility.
"I...I'm sorry…" I muttered with shame.
"It is fine. You do not know of what your powers can truly do. Soul energy can lead to corruption if not handled with respect and care. It'll damage you from the inside out." Dex explains.
I looked at what I did to Mezuku. In hindsight, I shouldn't even be aloud to fight...but that didn't matter to me. If I get that Mana Star, then I can quit having to rely on this power.
"Shiro Tatsugami has been deemed the victor and will advance to the second round." Said the pixie. The crowd roared with enraged boos. I knew right off the bat that they didn't want me to win.
I stepped down next to my friends. I hung my head down in shame due to my actions.
"Don't beat yourself up about it Shiro. You didn't mean to do it." Izzy said.
"No...I did mean to. For that brief moment, all I could think about was hurting someone." I sighed. "I guess I still can't control it…"
"Relax. Just try and take it easy on your next opponent." Clyde said.
"We will now take a short thirty minute break before starting the second round." Said the pixie.
Clyde let out a breath. "I'm gonna go up and use the bathroom real quick. I'll be right back." Clyde ran off I search of a suitable place to pee.
"Actually, I might go get a bottle of water. Using magic is exhausting." Gabby said.
"Bring me a bottle too Gabs." I spoke. She nodded and walked away to the snack stand.
(CLYDE'S POV)
I had finally arrived at the bathroom. Once I took care of my business, I washed my hands and walked out.
I continued back to the stage when a firm hand was placed on my shoulders. I turned around to greet the person when my mind went blank.
"Hello Clyde." Said a blonde haired man with a full beard and a strong physique underneath his cream colored suit. The man's voice was gruff and unwelcoming. His blue eyes showed full assertion.
"It's been quite some time since we last saw you. Oh, how you've grown so big." Said a brown haired woman with a soft yet fake smile. Her eyes were hidden by a pink blindfold. She was in a dark red dress and covered her hands in thin gloves made of silk.
My mood soon turned to aggression. I was enraged by these two people in particular. "What the hell are you two doing here?" I asked.
"Can't we watch our dear son compete in a tournament?" Said my father.
"I'm not your son anymore. You have no control over me!" I said loudly, causing people to stare.
My mother moved to me and grinned. "You ran away from home with that little slut of a vampire. The fact of the matter is that you can't face your own problems. You're afraid of being alone. If she wasn't there, you'd still be in mommy's arm, crying like the scared little bastard that you are." She said in her cold, manipulative voice. It held no love or sympathy. Only malice and betrayal.
"Why the hell are you even here? Answer me!" I growled.
"Isn't it obvious? We came to see if you're living up to your bold little declaration. You know, to be a Grand Spellcaster and prove yourself to the kingdom that you disgraced with you foolhardy antics." Father said.
"I'm closer to my goal than ever. I have a solid mastery over all basic forms of magic and have walked the path of the flames." I said with a glare.
"How interesting. The path of the flames you say?" Mother spoke with an amused grin.
"Yes! I've been trained by the strongest Pyromancer in existence! My mana flame has never burned brighter!" I said proudly.
"I guess we'll see how true that statement is when you continue your fights." Father grinned.
"I fully intend to." I said before walking away from them with an angered look.
"Oh and Clyde. " My father called back. I turned my head and glared at him.
"What?" I asked harshly.
"Tu eres...un...fracaso…" My father said in a slow voice.
My pupils dilated and my body shook furiously. I wanted to lash out but decided that it would be an unwise choice. I turned away and continued walking.
My head spun as thoughts filled my mind. The fact that they came all this way just to see me fail pissed me off to no end. I'd show them just how far I've come. I'm not that same little boy that cried all the time. I'm a mage in training, on his way to becoming a Grand Spellcaster.
(GABBY'S POV)
"Hi, uh...can I get two bottles of Neptune water. Oh and a bunch of Flaming Hot Fire Fries!" I said. I don't know why but Shiro got me hooked to those dumb fries.
"Sure thing little lady. Just give me one moment to get those fries ready." Said the cashier.
As I waited around for my order, a random guy bumped into me. I turned and glared at him. What's the big idea, jackass?!" I asked said guy. I looked at him with narrowed eyes. My eyes widened a bit when I got a good look at him. He was slightly taller than me and had pale skin. He was wearing a light grey hoodie with a black and white leather jacket. His hood was on his head, covering his bright, silvery hair. His dark green eyes held a hint of mystery inside of them. They didn't seem annoyed, angry or sinister. They were soft yet cautious. This left me feeling uneasy. I tried not to stare at him for to long as the heat rose to my face.
He raised a brow at me and let out a sigh. Even though it was pretty warm in this realm, his breath was still visible as if it was freezing cold. "I'm...Sorry about that. I wasn't paying attention." He said.
"...Yeah well um...It's fine...Just watch it next time…" I said while trying and failing to sound intimidating. I had noticed that he was staring at me and decided to confront him about it. "What?"
His eyes seemed to widen a bit. "S...sorry. I just never talked to a girl as pretty as you." He said.
A blush crept up my face and I tried not to feel flattered but his gentle yet rough voice was as smooth as ice and his words made my knees go weak. I snapped outta my little trance and looked at him.
"W...what?!" I asked, still not fully believing what he said.
"You're very pretty. The most beautiful girl I have ever met before. Please forgive me. I know that I'm being a little forward but I can't help it. I also saw your match and I must say that I was very impressed with your abilities. You have a strong will and a warrior's heart. A woman like you is just otherworldly. You truly are a goddess to say the least." The guy said to me with red on his cheeks.
I couldn't help but smile lightly at that. Even though I never even met him, he had a strange effect on me. It was so weird.
"I'm Gabriella Vasquez, but my friends call me Gabby." I told him. He seemed nice enough. Not to mention that he was unbelievably handsome.
"Im Zero. I know it may be weird but just roll with it." He said.
I giggled at his name. "Is that actually your name or is it a nickname?"
"It's been my name for as long as I can remember." He said with a small grin.
"Where are you from?" I asked.
"I came all the way from Frost Park. You know Xeto, right?" He asked me.
I nodded to him. "Yeah. He's the Cryomancer that's related to my friend's mentor." I said back.
"Well Xeto was originally my old teacher. He taught me everything I know about the powers of ice." He said to me.
"Really? Then how come you didn't compete?"
He chuckled at my question. "I couldn't do that. It'd be unfair to the competitors if they had to face me. Judging by everyone's mana essence, I'd say only two people stand out and I believe that you're acquainted with them both." He said.
"Really? Who?"
"The first guy is the one that I came here to see. He's supposed to be my rival. The one that may take on Master Xeto's training. Clyde Yukio...He's the guy that I'm waiting to fight. I wish to see if he's up to par with all the talk going around about an up and coming prodigy in the magic world." He said.
"Yeah, that sounds about right. Clyde is very skilled with magic and takes it very seriously. I don't think anyone trains harder than him when it comes to spells. He also trained with Xeto's brother and mastered pyromancy in a matter of months. He's amazing."
"Your fries are done miss." Said the cashier. I smiled and handed the cashier a coupon that Xena gave to us for food.
"Thank you." I said to the cashier.
"That other boy...Shiro Tatsugami...He was losing but then managed to come back with that strange power. Soul energy...I've never seen that being used before. I heard that it was forbidden. It's insane to think that he has such little mana but can fight someone like Mezuku with relative ease." He said.
"Shiro is pretty strong in his own way as well...Oh crap! I forgot about my friends!" I said frantically. Me and Shiro were supposed to be or at least I assume that we're together. And yet here I am, flirting with this incredibly good looking guy behind his back. God, I'm so stupid! "Sorry Zero, but I have to go!" I said quickly before taking off with the fries.
(SHIRO'S POV)
"Damn Clyde! What's got you so pissed off?" I asked the blonde.
"..." He stayed quiet. His face held a deep scowl. He was pissed and I wasn't sure why.
"Are you ok Clyde?" Izzy asked.
"..." He was still silent.
"Clyde-" Izzy tried to reach out and place a hand on his shoulder, but Clyde's body surrounded itself with flames.
"I'M FINE!" He yelled at her, causing Izzy to wince.
"Whoa! Calm down dude. You're going way too far!" I said while stepping in front of Izzy.
"TOO FAR?! WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT TOO FAR?! YOU ALMOST KILLED YOU LAST OPPONENT!" He shouted.
"That was an accident! Sort of..." I barked back.
"Hmph! Whatever Tatsugami...I'm not dealing with your bullshit right now. Just piss off or I'll roast you where you stand!" He threatened.
"I don't know what's up with you, but you better get out your feelings or else I'll knock the crap outta you myself!" I challenged back. He scoffed and turned away. Just then, Gabby came back with a strange look on her face. Her cheeks were red as if she was embarrassed. In her hands was a bag of fire fries. "Hey Gabs...Wait, where's my water?" I asked.
"Huh?!" She seemed to notice that she didn't have it. "Damnit! I forgot. Sorry Shiro…"
"Nah, it's all good." I said with a grin before walking up to her. She hung her head low as if she was trying to avoid me. "Hey...are you alright babe?"
"N...No! I'm fine...Don't worry about me." She kissed my cheek and smiled. "Shiro…"
"Yeah…" I replied back.
"What do you see us as? What exactly are we?"
My heartbeat increased. My eyes widened and for a moment, I couldn't speak. I wanted to say that she was my girlfriend but mind mind kept going back to my future self's warning. Gabby and I don't last very long. He told me that I wasn't meant to be with here. I kept thinking that it'd be best if I just avoided the later heartbreak...but deep down, I wanted to try.
"Gabby...I want you to know that no matter what happens...I will still cherish our friendship…" I said. WHY DID I SAY THAT!
"W...What?!" She asked, slightly angry.
"N...No! That didn't come out right! I want you to be mine! I really care about you Gabby! I just…" My mind went to my previous match and how I almost turned that guys face into mush.
"You just what Shiro?!" She asked me with a worried look.
"I...I...I DON'T WANNA HURT YOU!!!" I shouted.
"What're you talking about?!" She asked.
"Gabby…" I held her in my arms and looked at her. "I don't know…"
She pushed me off of her and glared. "So all that sweet talk was just you not being sure!"
"No! Listen Gabby! I need you to know that I really want to love you, but I...I'm scared…" I muttered.
"Scared of what?!" She asked, getting more pissed of.
"Of losing you! I don't know how I'll take it. I might…" I couldn't even finish.
Her face seemed to soften a bit. "Shiro...I'm not going anywhere. If you're afraid that someone will hurt me then drop it. I can protect myself." She said.
"No...That's not what I meant…" I said to her.
"Shiro I'm confused. Why are you being so-"
"Gabby!" Said and unfamiliar voice.
"Zero!" She said with surprise as she turned and looked at the guy with silver hair.
"Zero? Who the hell…" I grumbled.
"Hey Gabby. You left your waters at the snack stand so I thought that you'd still want them." He said to her with a smile. That kinda irked me.
"Oh thanks, Zero." She said to him.
I moved forward and stepped in between the two. "So...Who's your friend?" I asked her.
"This is Zero. I met him at the snack stand. He's Xeto's first student." She said with a nervous smile. I could see Clyde looking back with sudden interest. "Zero, this is...my friend Shiro." Owch…
I stood in front of him with a serious gaze. He returned the look. We were both mentally sizing each other up. He gave off a chilling blue aura and I gave off a sinister purple one.
I guess Gabby was sensing the tension because she cleared her throat. "So...Zero, would you like to join us at ring side. Clyde's gonna start the next match against Nikko."
His hardened state softened and he sighed, letting his breath show. "Sorry Gabby, but I can't. I have to return to Master Xeto. I'll be watching your fights from up there." He said while pointing to the Judgment booth. He brushed past me and stood in front of Gabby. He lifted his hand and formed a rose made of ice.
"Z...Zero?! What's this for?" She asked.
"Something to keep me in your thoughts." He said as he handed it to her. She took it and smiled.
"Thanks Zero." She said which made my blood boil.
"Good luck in your upcoming matches." He said before turning around. As he walked past, I felt the temperature dropped to below zero for a split second. I brushed the frost off of me and glared. I looked back at the blushing Gabby and sighed. I am an idiot.
"WE WILL NOW BEGIN THE SECOND ROUND!" The pixie shouted.
Clyde wasted no time hopping up onto the stage. He kept his glare as he awaited for his opponent. Everyone waited but Nikko never came.
"...Well, in an unexpected turn of events...Clyde Yukio will advance to the semifinals!" Pixie lady yelled.
Clyde scoffed and landed back down beside me. The next round was Gabby vs some guy named Azukahr. Azukahr used a plethora of magical Egyptian relics including the Ankh Shield which was was able to negate any sort of attack. This left Gaaby irritated and forced her to use her strongest sword, the Iron Libra. Her sword was able to cut through the shield but left her body strained leaving her unable to attack and finish off her foe. Azukahr was in a similar boat due to the amount of mana that he used to maintain his Ankh Shield. They were both at a stalemate. The judges ruled Azukahr the winner but gave Gabby her well deserved credit.
In the next fight, Izzy faced off against a girl that could use stealth magic. The girl continuously used her invisibility to hit Izzy with a ton of sneak attacks. Izzy, getting frustrated decided to use her vampiric abilities. She used her heightened senses and unmatched awareness to hunt. She found her opponent with ease and punched her one good time in the gut, leaving her opponent dazed. After that, she kicked her in the air and smashed her into the ground leaving her unconscious.
Now we were on my fight. Me versus some douchebag named Dej Arlen. He was a master of dark magic. He summoned hordes of shadow monsters. Deciding that this was a great way to test my necromancy skills, I decided to summon my skeletal brute and powered her up with Soul energy. I sent her out to hack away at all of the monsters in order to create an opening for me to send a powered up punch to Dej's face. He looked back and glared. He transformed himself into a giant shadowy beast that my minion and I struggled with for a while. Once I punched a hole in its chest, I headbutted the shit outta Dej causing him to faint.
Now was the time for the real fighting to start. It was the semifinals. This was what would determine on whether or not I'd make it to the finals. The only one that stood in my way was Izzy. We locked eyes from ringside. Before looking back at Clyde's one sided match. He completed decimated Azukahr. Not only did he break his shield with his mana essence alone, but he also one shot him with a wind spell. He was seriously pissed off about something and part of me really hoped that he'd fight Izzy and not me. Then I thought about how fucked up that is and decided to try hard against Izzy.
"Don't hold anything back Izzy! Give me your best shot!" I shouted to her. Her vampiric smirk made my heart pang. Never forget…
"You got it Shiro!" She had spread her wings and flew at me with supersonic speed. I sprinted back with equal speed and engaged in multiple attacks. We went back and forth. I struck her in her face and she kneed me in the chest. I backflipped away and charged up a small blast in my hands. I took aim and sent straight towards her. With grace and speed combined, she dodged it and twirled right next to me. She then moved her lips to my ear.
"Oh Shiro...Do me a favor…" She said.
"What?" I asked as if we weren't in a fight.
"Please...Help Clyde. I don't know what's gotten into him and I'm worried. You two are rivals so…" She stopped for a moment. "Knock some sense into him." She flew back and smiled at me. "I forfeit!" She said. I looked at her with a sigh. I guess that's how it is huh…
Clyde looked at me with a harsh glare to which I glared back. It was just me and him now. I was ready for a fight. I wanted nothing more than to fight him and get his head thinking straight again.
I hopped off the stage and stared at Izzy and she gave me a sad smile. I then looked at Gabby as she held a sad look directed towards the ice rose in her hand. I felt so bad for not speaking the right words, but in the end, I only spoke the truth. Then I thought back to the Zero guy. I already didn't like his stupid face! If Clyde was pissed off, then so was I!
The pixie flew to the center of the stage. "We will now kickstart the finale of the tournament! This will be the final matchup. Clyde Yukio…" The crowd cheered loudly for him. "Versus Shiro Tatsugami!" I got nothing but boos…
Both Clyde and I looked at each other with solid looks of determination. Neither one of us showing fear or weakness. This was it...This was the time to give it everything that I've got!
I channeled and overwhelming amount of Soul energy and let it surround me. Clyde flashed his amazing amounts of mana making it slightly hard to breathe for the crowd. His mana flared up even more, going beyond his previous displays of power.
"Mages...Let the battle BEGIN!"